The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 273

rl<lf's hul m0re fully cxpmm,I whnt ie im- teaching in a house or a comtvnTd of 11 plicitly contained in the enrliPst of the house. M1my Wl're sitting rntm,l ·him. To G,,spels." St. l\fatthow (xi. 2S~'lO) here e.ttract hie. atten_tiou, th,is lawyer stood up !-'.' n•s us that sublime invitation of the before puttmg Ins ques110n to Jesus. This Master's to the weary and heavy-laden. In eceno, _as wo ha.vo said, took pince most the Mnsoiousnese of his possession of all hkely ID or near JernsBlom, not improbBbly, pnw<'r, Jesus, with infinite compassion, as the Bethany episode follows in thnt offors to the great army of sufferers that suburb of the oity, a.nd perhal?s in 'the houso rnst which he alone can give. of Lazarus. And tempted hun • that is to Yers. 23, 24.-And he turned him unto his sa.y, t?stcd him Bild his skill i~ answering clisoiplea, and said privately, Blessed are questions out of thBt LBW wh~ch thon WBB the eyes whioh see the things that ye see ; the rule and guide of daily life in Israel for I tell you, that many prophets and kings It is not unlikely that the l1myer hoped ~ have desired to see those things whioh ye convict the broad and generous Rabbi of see. Alluding, especially, to such prophets some unorthodox statement which would nnd their words as Balaam (in Numb. injure his reputation as II Teacher. It was xxiv. 17) and Jacob (in Gen. xlix. 18). a hard a.nd comprehensive question, this Keble has a qunint verse bore, striking, as query how eternal life we.a to be won is usual with him, the centre.I truth- and J?OSsibly one cart:fully prepared by th~ " Snve tha.t each little voioe in tum enemies of Jesus, Some glorious truth proclaims ; yer. 2_6.-He said unto him, Wha.t is Jl?,at sage11 ttould lta'IJe died u, leam, wntten Ul the Law t The Lord replied Now taught by cottage damu." pe1;ha.ps pointing to one of the phyle.c~ ter,es which the lawyer wore on his fore• These le.st words, the evangelist expressly head and wrist. These phylacteries were says, were spoken pri'Dately. In fa.et, suoh little leather boxes (the dimensions of these a. Etatemont could only ha.ve been addressed varied from the size of an ordinary hazel- to the inner circle-to those men (not ex- nut, to tha.t of a large walnut, o.nd even in clusively the twelve) who had been much eome cases much larger). In these leather under the immediate influence of the Lord's boxes were little parchment rolls containing teaching about himself. Gradually their certain texts from the Pentateuch. Certainly Bense a.s to who a.nd wha.t he wa.s was the first of the two grea.t rules, that con- becoming more acute. Glimpses of his cerning God, wa.s one of these texts (Dent. Divinity ever a.nd anon flashed before their vi. 5); possibly, but not certainly, the eyes. But, to the last, their faith was very second concerning the neighbour formed weak and wavering. Such words as these, another text. ati.cr what had gone before, most have sunk Ver. 28.-This do, and thou shalt live. deep into many of the listeners' hearts. The lea.rued Jew was evidently confounded Vcrs. 15-37.-The questio11 of the lateyer. at the Galihea.n Rabbi's first answer re- The Lord answers witA the paraule of tJ1e ferring him to the sa.cred Mosaic Law. His good Samaritan. perplexity is increased by the Lord's quiet Yer. 25.-And, behold, a oerta.in lawyer. repartee when he had rehearsed the two lt seems (as he.s alret<dy been noticed) duties, to his God aud his neighbour, "This probe.hie that in St. Luke's general account do, and thou she.It live." It seems as though of onr Lord's tes,,hin:a; durin;!; the six months the clever, unfriendly critic of Jesus of which immediately preceded the le.et Pass- Nazareth now forgot the hostile purpose over, certain events which took place e.t a wit!; which he stood up to question, and, short visit which Jesus paid to Jerusalem really conscience-strioken, willing to justify at t!Je Feast of the Dedication are noti<-ed. himself, in real good faith put the query 'l'his question of the lawyer wa.s probably which called out the famous parable. Wlked on the occw;ion of this visit, aoo the Ver. 29.-And who is my neighbour1 little episode connected with the Detha.ny The self-righteous, but probably rigidly family of Laza.rue took place e.t the same conscientious, Jewish scholar, looking into period. The "lawyer" is sometimes termed the clear, truthful eyes of the Galilreau "scri lie." There is little difference between it,slor he ha.cl been taught to hate as the these appellations. They were professional enemy of his own narrow, lightlees cree,t, teachers and eipounders of the Mosaic Law was struck, perhaps for the first time, with and of tLe vast complement of traditional the moral beauty of the words of his own llllyings which hu.d gathered round it. Aij Law. Of the first part, his duty towarda the whole life of the people at this period God, a.e far as his poor distorted min,I could W&B ruled a.ud guid1,-d Ly the Law, written grasp the idea, lie was at ease in bis con- e.nd traditionoJ, this profession of scribe and science. The tithe, down to the anise and lawyer was a11 in,prulant and iutluential cummin, had been scrupulously paid; his oue. Btood up. The Ma;,ter was evidently fasts had been ri ~idly obaerved, his feasts OR, X, 1-42.) TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 2711