The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 178

thc10, the common folk, by their Rctions woulcl not r'I\Y .. at II funernl,'' juat ILi\ tlioy Rnrl re11dy ncceptnnco of lho great reformer• refuecd to Join in the gnme of "rejoicing prcnchor, thus publioly declnred that they at a wedding." To such A br1nd of imperious nclrnnwleclgorl the wisdom nnd goodness of little ones, who were an::;-ry if tho others rlirl God in this his work through the lle.pti.et; not e.t once comply wil.h thei:r d~manrls, l,ut, o.e is sl.nto,1 in tho next verse- Jeens compared the waywrml nnrl evil gene- Vor. 80.-But the Ph11ri1ee1 and l11wyera ration in which he and John lived. Had rojooted the oonnsel of God againat them- they not found hitter fault with ,John be- aelves, being not baptized of him. The cause he had dedined to hnve anything to ruling ol8'1ses nnd the highly cultured in do with their wicked self-indulgent fce..stiog L!mcl, turned a denf e11r to the fervent and luxury? How often had Phariaee and preaching of the gospel; o.e e. clRss, they scribe railed with bitter railings against cnme not to his bo.ptism. The result of tl,e Jesus because he would he.ve nothing to do refusal of these powerful e.nd learned men with their false and hypocritical Castings. to hee.r the reformer's voioe we.s the.t John's with their/retended shrinking from what mission foiled to bring a.bout e. ne.tione.l theydeeme a.nclea.n and unworthy of thc·m ! reforwr1tion. Rejected the counsel of God Dr. Morrison puts it rightly, and forcibly: against themselves, being not baplized of "They were dis@e.ti~fied with John, e.nrl him. The English Version here is not happy, would he.ve nothing to do with him. 'Ir and might lee.d to e. false conception of the we are to be.ve reformers, commend us to words of the origioo.1. The Greek would such as come near ns, e.nd visit our houses, be belt.er o.nd wore e.ccure.tely rendered, and sit e.t our tables, e.nd are sociable like " rejected for themselves the counsel of oorsel ves.' They pretended, on the other God." hand, to scorn Jesus, who, while makiog so Ver. 91.-And the Lord ee.id, Whereunto lofty e. profession, yet went a.bout eating then ehe.11 I liken the men of this genera- and drinking in people's houses, e.nd even tion t e.nd to what a.re they like 1 The in the homes of puhlice.ns and sinners. llle.ster evidently po.used e. moment here. 'He should have gone into the desert and He sought for some homely, popular simile lived an abstemious life. . . . Commend us which would drive home to the listeners' to ascetic men for onr reformers.' " The hearts his se.d e.nd solemn judgwent of the line of bterp:·..tation which seems to us conduct of the ruling Jews of this time. simpler anrl fitted to the framework of the The generation he we.a then addressing he.cl little parable is in the me.in thns e.dopted been singularly blessed with two great by Meyer,. Dr. W. Bleek, Bishop Words- Divine messages-the one delivered by worth, e.nd Dee.n Plumptre. "You men of that eminent servant of God, John, about this generation," writes Bishop Wordsworth, whom he he.d been speaking in such glow- "a.re like a troop of wayward children, who ing, earnest terms; the other message was go on with their own game, at one time gay, hie own. He chose for his purpose one of e.t another grave, e.nd give heed to no one those everyday scenes from the people's else, e.nd expect the.t every one ehould con- life, e. scene which they had witnessed often, form to them. You were angry with John e.nd in which, no doubt, in pa.at de.ye many becanse he would not dance to yonr piping, of the by-standers themselves had ta.ken and with me because 1 will not weep to yuur e. part-one of those child-games which dirge ; J olln censured yonr licentioueoess, the little ones in his de.y were wont to pluy I rebuke your hypocrisy ; you vilify both, in the summer evenings, e.nd in which, e.nd reject the good counsel of Go,), who likely enough, he in his boyish years had has devised e. vu.riety of means for yolll often she.red in, e.s he played in the little sal ve.tion." market-place of No.ze.reth. He likened the Ver. 33.-For 1ohn the Baptist co.me wayward men of that generation to a group neither eating bread nor drinking wine. of ehildren of the people in some open space Referring to his austere life epent in the of the city, now playing at rejoicings, suoh desert, apart from the ordinary joys e.nd as te.ke ple.oe at wedding festivities, now at pleasures of men, not even sharing in whai wailings, which in Eastern countries accom- are usually termed the necessities of life. pany funerals; that iB to say, the little group He we.s, in additio11, e. perpetual Naze.rite, would divide itself into two companies, e.ud e.nd as such no wine or fermented drink one would so.y to the other, "Come, now we ever passed hu lips. And ye ee.y,_He he.~ will play e.t e. wedding; here are the pipers a devil. Another WflY for expressmg thuu and the singers, do you come and dance nnd conviction that the great desert-pree.,·her make merry;" but the others would not. was insane, e.nd assigning a demoniacal pos- 'fhon the little company of would-be m~rrv- eessiou as tlu, cau3;:i of madness. Not very mnkers would bee.t thoir bree..,ts e.nd cry long after this incident th<' curtain of dooth with pretAnded sorrow; but the others still foll on the earthly scene of J ohn'e life. decliucd to join in the game of mourning- " We foo1s accou11wd hill lifo waWJ.,dB, a.uJ 176 'I.TIE GOSl'EL ACCORDING TO ST, LUKE. [CR. vn. 1-F.0,