The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 233

iB Administered whPn Rll hope of 1ho p9.lknt's Anrl perfect a hatred, en,lnring, too, for r<'ro.-cn- from 1hc sickness is o.-er Anoint- centuries, hM never been witncHsed in the ing t.h,;sick with oil wns R favourite prRcti,·e ?9-Be of Rny other P"nples. This accounts amnug tlie Ancient Jews (see Ise.. i. li nnd eh. m great mel\sure for the reto.lil\tivo persecu- x. 34). It we.s to be used by the twelve RS nn tion which more or less ho.s been carried on ordinary m<'dioine, possessing, however, in All through the Christian em against this their h1rnds Rn extraordinary effect, and was nrnrvcllons race. In our diiy-tho day of to be, ,luring this mission, the visible medium a libnnlism possibly axnggemted and unreal through which the Dh·ine influenoo and -in many p,uts of Europe the untrnino,l power to heal took effect. We never read senso of the masses strangely revolts agnius, of Je.sus in hu miracles using oil; his usual this spirit of tolcr,ition; nnd wild excesses, practice seems to have hein simply to ho.ve massarr,·s, and bitter pcrsol'ution-the Jv,. used words. At times he touched the suf- denhetz, hatred of tho Jews in Germany and fvrer; on one occasion onl v we read how he in Russia-are among the curious results of mixed some clay with which he anointed the the liberality and universal toleration of lhe ~ig-h tless eyes. time. Ver. 3.-Take nothing for your journey. Vere. 7-9.-Herod's terror. Dr. Farrar well sums up the vari,,us direc- Ver. 7.-Now Herod the tetraroh heard tions of the Mastn to these his first mission- of all that was done by him, This we.a aries: "'fhe general spirit of the instructions Herod Antipas; he was a son of Herod the merely is,' Go forth in the simplest, hum West Great; his mother's name was Malthace. manner, ";th no hindrances to your move- After his father's deiith he became tetrarch ments, and in perfect faith;' and this, as or prince-ruler of Galilee, Perrea, and of e. history shows, has always been the method fourth part of the Roman province of Syria. of tl,e most successful missions. At the Hie first wife was daughter of Aretas, e. same time, we n.rnst remt>mber that the famous Arabian sheik spoken of by St. tcanfs of the hrnlve were very small, and Paul as "king of the Dame.scenes" (2 Cor, were secured by the free open hospitality xi. 32). This princess -he divorced, and of the East." contracted a marriage at once incestuonli Yer. 4.-And whatsoever house ye enter and adulterous with his niece Herodiae, the into, there abide, and thenoe depart. On beautiful wife of his half-brother Philip, entering any new pince they were to select, Philip was not a sovereign prince, and it after due and careful inquiry (Matt. x. 11), wos probably from motives of ambition that a family likely and able to nssist them in she deserted Philip for the powerful tetra.rob their evangelistic work. Tliis "house" Herod Antipas. It was owing to his fear- thev were to endeavour to make the centre less remonstrances against this wicked mar- of their efforts in that loo>Llity. '!'his rule riage that John the Baptist incurred the we find continued in the early years of enmity of Herodias, who was only satisfied Christianity. In the history of the first with the head of the daring preacher who Churches, oertain "honses" in the different presumed to attack her brilliant wicked cities were evidently the centres of the life. What Herod now hel\rd was the re- mission work there. We gather this from port of the widespread interest suddenly such expressions in St. Paul's letters as aroused hy the mission of tlie twelve-a. "the Church which i, in hi, hOtU!e" ( comp., mission, we know, supported by miraculous too, Acts xvi 40, where tse house of Lydia powers, following close upon the Galilman we.a evidently the head-quarters of all ministry of the Lord, which, as far as missionary work in Philippi and its neigh- regarded the numbers who thronged his bourhood). meetings, and the outward interest his Ver. 5.-And who1oever will not reoeive words and works excited, had been so suc- you, when ye go out of that oity, ahake off cessful. Rumours of all this at last reached the very dust from your feet for a testimony the court circle, wrapped up in its own againat them. It was the custom of the selfish and often wanton pleBSures and false Jews when they returued from foreign excitement. :BeoaUBe that it we.s said of (Gentile) lands, as they crossed the frontien some, that J'ohn was risen from the dead. of the Holy Land, to shake the dust from Herod Antipas was probably inclined to the off their feet. This was an act symbolizing Sadducee creed, which believed in neither that they had broken, now on their return angel nor spirit. But Sadduceeism and the to their own land, all oowmunion with easy doctrines of Epicurus, which no doubt Gentile peoples which a residence among found favour in the luxurious palllce of them had necessitated for a season. The Herod, are but a flimsy protectiou at best bitter hatred and loathing of the J ewe, after against the ghastly reminiscences and the their return from tlie Captivity, for all G1::n- weird forebodings of a guilr.y conscienre, tile races can only be understood by the The murder of John bad been, Ifrrod knew, 11tud1:mt of the TalwucL So cuwvrnLenHfre strongly oondr,mnoo by tLo 1iuLlic voice. OR. Tll. 1-62.] 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE.