The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 276

medlmval Ohurohmen, Bernard and his St. John's GOBpel wa.e not written for long devout school. Although this method of yea.re after the event. It probably repre- exposition has nr,t been adoptocl hero, still sents no public preaching, rather a private on exegesis which has commended itstolf so heBrtily to leflmed Bnd devout Churchmen and esoteric teBChing. The home of St. in a.II tho Christio.n ages deserves at least a John, too, for yea.re prior to putting forth more rospeotful mention than the scornful hie Gospel, we.e far distant from ,J ernsl<lem. allusion or the contemptuous silence with Probably J erusnlem he.d cee.eed to exist as r. which it is nowadays too oft~n dismis•erl. city and the Jews e.e a nation well-nigh &. Godet, for instance, rlescribes this Bllegorice.l interpretation adopted by the Fe.there as quarter of a century before St. John's writ- rive.llinw. thot of the Gnostios. ing was given to tho Church. There were no rcnsons then for any silence. J enIBalo,n Ven. 38-42.-Tha sister, of Bethany. and Dcthany were e. heap of ruins. Lazarus The following points a.re noticeable. A and his sisters and well-nigh "II their friernls close intimacy evidently existed between .the ho.<l probo.bly then been long in the presence brother o.nd hie two sisters and Jesus. They of the loved or hated Maater. evidently were prominent friends of the Master, and during the yea.re of the public Ver. 38.-Now it ea.me to pass, as they ministry were on many occo.sions e.seocie.ted went, that he entered into a. certain village. with J eeue of N aze.reth, e.nd yet a singular The scene here related took plar-e, no doubt, reticence evideutly existed on the pa.rt of the at Bethany, and, most probably, during tha.t short visit to J eruealem, at the Feast of writers of the first three Gospels in respect Dedication, in the month of that December of the brother ond sisters. His name is which preceded the Passover "of the Cruci- never mentioned by them. Here, for in- fixion." Thie visit to J erusa.lem, e.e has ete.ace, Betha.ny is simply o.lluded to u "a been suggested a.hove, was made in the certain village." course of that solemn progress the account of which fills np the long section of St. There was some reason, no douLt, why the Luke's Gospel, beginning e.t oh. ix. 51. three eynoptical eva.ngeliete exercised this The characters of the sisters here mentioned reticence. We have before explained that exactly correspond, e.s do their names, with these Gospels more or less represent the the well-known Bethany family of that "texts," so to epee.k, upon which the first Laza.rus for whom the great miracle, related e.t length by St. John, was worke<l. There preachers of the religion of Jesus ba.eed their are several mentions of this family in the sermons and instructions. eynoptice.l Gospels, besides the long oud The long recito.l of John xi. gives 111 important notice in St. John. A oertain the clue. For the disciples of Jesus pub- womlLll named Marthe. The name is rather licly to call attention in their sermons a.nd Aramaic than pure Hebrew. It is equiva- lent to the Greek Kyria, a.ml signifies "lo.dy." addressee to Lazarus, on whom the Master's It he.a been suggested that the Second greatest miracle had been worked, would Epistle of St. John we.s addressed to this have no doubt called down a cel\Selese, rest- Martha.. It was written, we know, to the less hostility on the Bethany household; for elect kyria, or" lady" (2 John 1). Various it must be remembered that for years after identifica.tione, more or less probable, have been attempted in the persons ofilie Bethany the Resurrection the deadly enemies of Jesus family. Martha has been supposed to be and his followers were supreme in Jerusa.lem identical with the wife of Simon the leper and the neighbourhood. (Matt. nvi. 6; Ma.rk xiv. 3). One hypo- Thero were reasons, no doubt, now un- thesis identifies La.ze.rus with the " young known to us, which rendered it important to ruler" whom Jesus loved (see Dea.n Plump- tre, in Bishop Ellic.ott's Commentary); the welfa.re of the eo.rly Church tha.t the another, with the so.intly Rabbi Eliezer (or Betho.ny family should remain ul)dieturbed LBzarne) of the Tnlmu<l. These are, how- and in comparative privacy; The peculiar ever, little more thrm ingenious, though and unique position of Lazarus. During perhaps not quite baseless, fancies. those four days what had ke seen and kea,d 1 Ver. 40.-Ca.me to him. Dr. Fa.rrBr very happily seizes the tone a.ad temper of Much curiosity, no doubt., existed to question Martha. He renders the Greek words here, the risen one: whnt fierce hostility, what "but suddeuly coming up." We see in this morbid useless epecult1tiou, might uot have inimitf,ble touch the littlil petulant outburst boen easily aroused? of jealousy iu the loving, Ulll!Y matron, 11o1 2i8 TTTE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'ro ST. LUKE. [CR. J:.1-41.