The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 304

No rnRn li1;hts I\ lRrnp tn hide: eo will it be whole body sh1tll he pcnetrnted with light, wilb lbni aigu which will be given to {·nu." without thore being in thee the least trace Jeans wns sp<'Rking 611 the while o the of darkness, then the phenomenon which mighty sign of his reanl'J'ootion. will be wrought in thee will resemble whnt Vere. 34, 35.--The light of the body iB the te.kes pince on thy body when it is plBced eye : therefore when thine eye iB single, thy in the rRys of a luminous focus. J osus whole body e.leo ia fnll of light ; but when menus that from the inward p11rt of II por- tl,ine eye iB evil, thy body alao is fnll of fectly sanctified man there mys forth a dl\TkneY, Take heed therefore that the splendour which glorifies the external mnn, light whioh iB in thee be not darkneaa. He as when he is shone upon from without. It J:086 on, though, with his solemn warning is glory as the result of holin088. The phe- wor,ls. Plainly visible though the Bign nomeuou described hero by Jesus is no other would be-shining bright 1\8 a lighted lamp than that which was realized in himself sot on 1,igb---i!till it, too, Wl\8 possible to on the oC<'aaion of his transfiguration, and miss seeing it. If the eye, the orga.n of the whicb he now npplies to all believers." bod~- which perceives the light, be sound Tb ere is little doubt that. this tenohing and healthy, then the illumination given by had been spoken by the Me.star on one, if the lamp is seen, and the whole body, so to not on more than one, previous oocasion. speak, is full of light; but if the eye waa In St. Matthew's report, in almost identical dilltellsed, purblind, no bright shining light language (v. 15 and vi. 22), the immediate would be seen-the body then would be full applioation was different, and the referenoe of dl\rk:ness. The word rendered "single" of the lamp put in B prominent ple.oe was denotes tbe eye in its natural healthy state; not to the Resurreotion. that transln ted " evil " sp81\ks of the eye as Vera. 87-54.-In the Pharisee', house. diseaeed, as incl\pe.ble of perceiving the mys The Lord's stern denunciation of the Pha- of light. The imagery to those Orientals, accustomed to parable e.nd allegory in the rieee teaching and life. Tllo day waa not stories and poems they had listened to from far advanced, and the Master we.s probably their childhood, was easily translated into weary and faint after the long aud exciting the language of everyday life. U they discussion juet related; taking adve.nte.ge, gave way to passion, jealouey, prejudice, probably, of this evident weariness, some impurity, lawlessness in it.s hundred forms, of the Phe.riaee emissaries from the capitol, then for them the spiritual eye of the soul would become diseased, and therefore in- to whose presence we have before alluded, capable of rightly discerning any heavenly suggested to one of their friends, who had sign. It was this danger that the Master B residence in the town where the events wus pointing out to the crowd. "Ah I" he just related had to.ken ple.ce, that be should 116emB to say, "you ask a heavenly sign in vita the Master to come in and rest awhile wLich will substantiate my lofty claims; that sign, in a grander and more stately lllld pe.rte.ke of a repast. They wiebed, no form tl,an e.-er yon have dreamed of, she.II, doubt, to get him awe.y from the fe.st in- indeed, be given you. Have no fear on oreusing crowd, and, when alone with him, thaJ score ; rather dread that blindness, the they hoped to entangle him iu a fresh dis- punishment of a hard lllld evil bee.rt, will cussion, and entrap him into some statement come upon you, and render yon incapa.~le of 110eing the sign yon ask for, lllld which I which they would be enabled subsequently mean to give you." He tDaa qJeaking eti~l of to make use of, when they formally accueed hiM resurrtll!tion. Alas, for them I the b!ind- him of heretical, blasphemoue teaching. nees of whicb he warned them was the un- There is no doubt that at this period happy lot, we know, of very many of those of his ministry a deep-laid plot had been listening then. formed to compass in some we.y or other Ver. 36.-If thy whole body therefore be fall of light, ha'ring no part dark, the w~ole the death of this Teacher, whose words and lh&l1 be full ot light, u when the bnght acts were beginning so deeply to compro- shining ot a eandle doth give thee light. mise their position e.nd influence in the The Lord here completes -1is allegory, still nation. preserving the same ime.gee, with a sketch of the condition of a holy lllld hnmble man Ver. 88.-Re marvelled that he he.d not of heart, who with a "single eye," that is, 11.r■t we.ahed before dinner. An elaborate honestly, trustfully, lovingly, has looked system of utter meaningleBB ablutions, each upon the sign and believed. Godet's com- carried out with particular gestures, had ment on tlili hard and mystic saying of the been instituted by the rabbinioal schools. Blessed is verv beautiful : " When, through All these senseless forms e.nd oeremoniea the fact of the clearness of thine eye, thy had been developed out of the original on 11:1. 1-H] TUE GOSPEL ACCOHDING TO ST. L{.;KE. ?.07 ---------------------------- Rimple dlrecllnns to Recuro clrnnlinr·es in lnw .Jeane wae evor tcachinl-( in auch pfl,o the Levitiofll Lnw. It ie probable that our mbles, for instnnce, a.e that of tho good Lor<l, internling to bring !\bout this diecue- Samaritan). "I will tPII you how reo.lly to eion, pointorlly abstninerl. from even the purify, in the eyea of God, these cupe ancl ortlinnry ablution on this occaaion. The diehes of yours. S/t;are theif' 0011tents with l,mguo.ge of ver. 87 eeems to point to hie your pO<Yrer neighbour•." "Let them do ono entering, the houee a.ml nt once sitting down single loving, unsellish act, not for the ea.ko a.t the table. The Talmud bas many re- of t!te Bction iteelf, uot for any merit in- ferences to these prlMltioes. R. Akhibha., herent in it; but out of pure good will it proudly role.tee, died of thiret rather than towards others, and their whole in ward con- pa.as ovel' these preliminary washings. lo dition would be different" (Bishop Bos ii the same compilotion we reBd tho.t it WBS Jones, in the • Speaker's Commentary '). currently eupposed tho.t a demon eat on Ver. 42.-But woe unto you, Pharisees! hands unwashed. tor ye tithe mint and rue and all manner Vere. 89, 40.-And the Lord ea.id nnto of herbs, and p&SII over judgment and the him, Now do ye Pha.rieee1 make clean the love of God : these ought ye to have done, outside of the oup and the platter ; but your and not to leave the other undone. Probably inward part is full of ravening nd wioked- the primitive Law of Moses, which directed nees. Ye fools, did not he that :ma.de that that a tenth of every income in Israel should which is without make that whioh is within he given np to the service of the invisible also t Mo.ny of the worde spoken on thie King alone, referred to such important pro- occasion had been uttered by the Master ducts as corn, and wine, a.nd oil, and the previoUBly. The variations in them, slight like; bnt the present elaboration of the Law though they be, neceeaitBte often quite a and the Pharisee schools had extended the different interpretotio11. Thie helps ua to primitive obligation to the SDlllllest garden come to the conclusion that in theee cases herbs, such as mint and rue. The Talmud the Lord must have spoken such sl\yings even condescends to discuss whether, in on different occasions. In this pla.ce, for tithing the seeds of these garden herbs, the instance, in the report of a. similar a.~ousa- very stalk too ought not to be tithe<l l The tion levelled egBinst the Pharisees reported Master, ever tender and considerate, does by St. Matthew (xxiii. 25), the second not blame this exaggerated scrupulosity, if cle.use of the verse, which treats of the out- it were done to satisfy even a warped and side of the cup and the plBtter, reads thus : distorted conscience; what he does finJ "but within they are full of extortion and fanlt with, though, a.nd in the bitterest terms excess.'' The meaning of this is-while language can formulate, is tile substitution every care had been taken to purify the cup of and the clear preference for t.hese in- and the dish, no pains tohatev~ had been finitely lower duties for the higher. paid to the source whefl06 came the contents Ver. 43.-Ye love the nppermost seats in of these. They were too often the proceeds the synagogues. These sea.ta were in a. of extortion, they were too frequently con- semicircle round the pulpit or lectern or sumed with self-indulgence. But here, in the reader; they faced the congregation. St. Luke, the second clause reads, " your And greetings in the market.I. The love of inward part is full of ravening a.nd wicked- these Jews in the time of OW' Lord for ness." The meaning of these words is," In exaggera.ted titles of respect a.nd honoUl' is spite of your extreme ea.re for the vessels of well known. your table, your whole moral life ie unclean Ver. 44.-Ye are aa graves which appear imd defiled. Are you not," argues the Master, not, a.nd the men that walk over them B?e not "fools to lay down such strict rules to avoid aware of them. Here and in St. Matthew outward defilement, while within, in the the same imagery wa.e present in the great soul, you allow oil m1mner of wkkednees? 1'81\cher's mind-the whitewashed tombs ot . Surely God, who created the things we see a cemetery. But in the r~port of St. Matthew and touch, created the soul also I " th.i Muster's picture drtcw a sharp contrast Ver. 41.-But rather give alms of such between the fair outward appearance of the things as ye have; and, beheld, all things clean white tomb, and the decaying, loath- a.re clean nnto you. 1'he tmnslntion here some mass of what represented poor hu- should run, but rather gil/6 the things that mo.uity within I When Jeius spoke the are in them as alms, etc. The thought of saying related by St. Luko here, the imagery the contents of tlrnse cups and dishes-a. wns still di-awn from the gravas in a. ceme- thought which came out, as we have seen, tery; but now he compared his hosts and so prominently in St. ll.fotthcw-bere is en- their school of thought to graves, from the dcntly in the Lord's miml. "Ah I"' be seems wood a.nd stones of which the whitewa.eh to say, "wlmt you Pharisees and your was worn off, and passers-by would wulk schools of fonnnlism indeed wnnt is the over them, thus toncbiug them and con- know ledge of thot gron t low of love" ( the traoting oeremouiol rlcfilowent, without  TITR GOi::T'F.L A(lCORl)JNG TO ST, LtTKE. [en. xt. 1-64.