The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 271

vicinity of Capernnum, where for e. longth- Josnphne, •Doll. Jud.,' iii. 3. 2), Borne thlrt:, C'ncd period our Lord prinoipe.lly resided. years after the woe hlld boon uttered, in the He wne, no doubt, during the GRlilmRn terrible wars in which Rome 11venged herself ministry, oonst.lmtly in one or other of those on the Jewish hatred Rnd scorn, the garden hright. husy citiC1s built on the shores of of Gennesaret was che.nged into a Mllll• the L11ke of Gennese.ret. Thie bears out covered solitude. Josephus, who 1111d been SL John's statement (xx. 30) oonoerning dwelling on the loveliness of the place, the mRny nnreeorded IJ';raelee of Christ, and describes the etrite of the shore strewn with ~\"('Jl us some notion of .he numerous event!! wrecks Rnd putrefying bodies, "ineomuoh in the life left without mention; much must tho.t the misery was not only an object of have hRppened in Chomzin to hRve oalled oommieemtion to the Jews, but even to forth this stern saying. Lat.e research thinks those that hntcd them and had been the it proh11ble that the sit.e of ChorRzin hne e.uthore of the.t misery" (' Dell. Jud.,' iii. been discornred near Ce.pemllum ; the mine, 10. 8; and see Dr. Fe.rrar's • Life of Obrist,' however, at a little distance, look but e. ii. 101). mere rough heap of stones. A great theo- Ver. 17.-And the aeven~returned again logical truth is urged in this Bllying of the with jo1, se.ying, Lord, even the devils a.re Mast.er. Men will be judged not only for subject unto us through thy Name. How what they hRve done or failed to do, but wavering and hesitating the faith of the their opportunities, their oircumstances, chosen followers of Jesus we.s, even at this their chances in life, will be, before they late period of his publio ministry, is clee.r are judged, strictly taken into account. from this frank confession of surprise at Yer. 14.-But it sh.s.ll be more tolerable their powers. They were contra.sting the for Tyre a.nd Bidon at the judgment, than present with what had lately he.ppened at the for you. Tyre and Sidon, those represen- foot of the Mount of Tre.nsfiguration, where tative examples of the luxury and vilenees the disciples were utterly unable to bee.I the of the great cities of the old pagan world, possessed boy. What a contre.st do these true will, when the dreadful awards are mo.de, writers of the gospel story paint between be bearen with f= stripu, wbile the cities themselves and their Master I They never of the lake'will be beaten with many, beca1111e seem to tire in their self-depreoiatory de- these laat listened uurepentant to the sweet 1eri ptione. They describe with the same and tender words, and gazed unmoved at ca.reful, trnthful pen their slowness to the mighty works of mercy, of the pitiful understand whe.t e.fterwards bece.me so clee.r Jesus of Nazareth. This is one of the to them-their mutual jealousies, their oove- passages m tue New Testament where the tons hopes of e. brilliant future, their shrink- doctrine of degrees in pllll.lilhment is pie.inly ing from pain e.nd suffering, their utter set forth, and lll words which fell from the failure when they try to imitate their lips of the Redeemilr himself I Master ; e.nd now we find them me.rvelling Ver. 15.-And thou, Capernaum, which at their own-to them-unexpected success art exalted to heaven, she.It be thrust down in their imitation of him. to hell. When the Lord ea.me to speak of the Ver. 18.-And he said unto them, I beheld woe of Capemanm, his own chosen city, his Se.tan as lightning fe.ll from hee.ven. The favonrit.e earthly home, his words grew even Lord's words here were prophetic rather more solemn. The simile he nses, " hell," than descriptive of whe.t had taken, or was better rendered Hades, is chosen to paint theu taking place. The seventy were telling the contrast between the glorions destiny him their feelings of joy e.t finding the.t his this beautiful lake-city might have chosen, Na.me in their mouths enabled them to ce.st e.nd the tremendons woe which she had out evil spirits from the possessed. Their voluntarily brought on herself. The present Master replied in e.n exe.lted and exultant state of the Plam of Gennese.ret is indeed so strain-strange e.nd rare sonnde on the lips desole.te and misere.ble that we ean sce.rcely of the Me.n of sorrows-telling them how he picture to ourselves the.t it was once e. ho.d been looking-not on e. few spirits of populous, crowded district, the blue lake evil driven out of nnhappy men, but on the covered with fishing and treding vessels, king and chief of all evil falling from hie sad its shores and the plain inland highly culti• eminence and tllrone of power like e. fie.eh vated, a very garden in that part of Asia. of lightning. J esns Christ saw, in the first Rich towns and thriving villages in that enccess of these poor servants of his, an favoured neighbourhood are described by earnest of that wonderful and mighty victory contemporary writers in such glowing terms which his followers, simply e.rmed with the that we, who are 1pectatore of the dreary power of his NRme, would shortly win over and melancholy 8hures of tl,e Gennesaret paganism. He se.w, too, in the dim for lake, a.re puzzled as we read, e.nd should future, many e. contest with and victory suspect an exaggeration, only an exe.gge- over evil in its many forms. He looked on, ru.tion would have been purposeless (see we may well believe, to the fine.I defeat OIL L 1-42.] TilE GOSPEL ACCOilDING TO ST. LCKE. 2i3