The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 152

3hrnted and mnrn•d all tr:1e h0n lthy religions led? Doth will, of course, end by foiling lifo. Condemn not, and ye BhRU not be into tho rlitoh. condemned. Tlmt pitikss cm11lem11ation Ver. 40.-The disoiple ls not above his which, regnr,lleas of ciri,umstances, con- mo.ster: but every one that ls perfeot shall ,lcmn<>d e.s sinnen! hcyond the pale or be as his master. " Doth," he went on to say mer~y, whole class~s of their follow-country- "will be lost hopelessly. You eRnnotoxpect 111en, publicans, SnmRrit,ms, and the like. the disciples of these mistulcen men, surely, This hau,:hty judgmcut of others in the to be wiser than their tenchen!; for you <'nse of the domin11nt sects of the Jews, know tho oft-repeated saying, • Every one rC'snlted in an undue estimate of themsdves. that is perfect [bolter rendered, that /iaa lieefl His disciples must be very careful how they perfected] she.II be ns his master; ' in other judged and condemned others; their rule words, the pupils of these censorious, evil- must he, not condemnation, but forgiveness judging, narrow-minded, bitter men will of others. grow up-as they become perfected in this Ver. 38.-Give, &nd it shall be given unto teaching- in their tur.n equally narrow- you ; good measure, pressed down, Rud minded and bitter as their mBSters." The shaken together, e.nd running over. The conclusion, foU though not expressed, of i:rand chAractcristic feature of the society course,'is, "Dut my followers must be some- of his followers mnst be generosity. They thing different to these; another u.nd nobler must be known among men 88 givers rather spirit, nQbler because more generous, must tl,nn judges. Iloundless generosity, limit- rule in their hearts." lnss kindness to all, saint and sinner-that Ver. 41.-And why beholdest thou the is what he, the lll1tstcr, wonld press home to mote that is in thy brother's eye, but per- those who wonld follow his lead (see 3 John oeivest not the beam that is in thine own 5, G). Men wonld find out in time what eye 1 The thought-leaders of the day were generous friends they were, and would in in good truth hypocrites, proud, avaricious, their tnrn freely give to them. Shall men in ruo.ny cases self-indulgent, bigoted, and give into your bosom. The imnge is an selfish; they were utterly unfit to be the Eastern one. In the dress then worn, a large morn! teachers of the people-a position they bag-shaped fold in the robe e.bove the cino- had arrognted to themselves. The homely ture or girdle was used i11stoe.d of a pocket. but well-known Jewish proverb of the mote Yer. 39.-And he spa.ke a parable unto and the beam picturesquely put before his them. St. Luke closes his report of the listeners the position as it appenrsd to the great sermon "ith four little parables taken Lord. The very defects among the people from everyday life. \Vith th2se pictures which the religious teachers professed to dmwn from common life, the Master pur- lecture upon e.ud to discuss, disfigured and posed to bring home to the hearts of the marred their own lives. They were-these men and women listening to him the solemn priests e.nd scribes e.nd Pharisees-worse warnings be bo.d jnst bren enunciating. than self-deceivers; they were religious 'l'h<'y-if they would be his followers- hypocrites. The now famous illustration of must indeed refrain from ever setting up the mote e.nd the beam is, as has been said, themselves as judges of othera. "See," he purely Jowillb, and was no doubt a fe.milie.r went on to say, "I will show you what ruin one to the p<'ople. It is found in the Tal- thi.; wicked, ungenerous practice will result mud (treatise • Bava Dathm,' fol. 15. 2). in: listen to me." Can the blind le&d the Farrar quotes from Chaucer- blind 1 sh&ll they not both fall into the " He can wel in myn eye see a stalke ditch 1 It is not improbable that some of But in hill owne he can nought see a be.Ike." the links in the Master's argument here have been omitted by St. Luke; still, the The word "mote" tre.nsle.tea the Greek :,onnection of this saying and what follows, ,dp,pos, a chip. In Dnteh mot is the dust with the preceding grave warning against of wood. In Spanish mota ill the flue on the bitter censorious spirit which hnd ex- cloth. erciaed so fatal an influence on religions Vere. 43, 44.-P'or a good tree bringeth teaching in Israel, is clear. The figure of not forth corrupt fruit ; neither doth a oor- tl.e blind man setting himself np o.s a guide rnpt tree bring forth good fruit. For every was evidently in the Lor<l'H mind as a fair tree is known by his own frnit. For a re- representation of tho present thought- ligious tee.cher ever to work any real work leaders of tho people (tlie Pharisees). This of good, the first req nirement ill that he il! evid(;nt from the imagery of the beam should be known as a fRithful doer of the &nd mok, which follows (vers. 41, 42). Ce.n thing he advocates. He must be intensely thwse blind guides lee.d others more ignorant in earnest, and to lie in ea.meet be must be and blind too? What is the nRture.l re1ult? real. '!'his is emphe.tioally what the re- Le RBks; will not dectruction ne.ture.lly ligious scribes of Israel were not. Thi1 overtake the blind leader wid the blind portion of the report of the gree.t sermon, at OB. VI, 1~ 40.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LCKK H'.J