The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 335

all: and ae for you, my disciples, do you eolvee, my di•~iplos; f.ho great rhangi, nho1Jt h1Lve nothing to do with these periehahle to be inAngurat,e<l will ouly he cnrrie,rl out goods." And bore, with an abrupt solemnity, in war a.nd by diviHi"ns in the individ1111.l probably the voice cl,anging h~re, and rin1;- house os in the nation. I bring nr,t pe11C0, ing with an awFnl emotion, he enforces hie but a sword, remember." And tl1cn follows charge to the disciples with the wor,ia, "I a. curious picture of a. home torn asunder by nm come to send fire on the earth." "My the conflict of thought which would spring storn, sad work is to inaugurate R mighty up as the result of the cross ond of the struggle, to ce.st II firebrand on the earth. preiiching of tlie cross. Lo, my presence will stir up men-you will Ver. 54.-Aud he said also, A note of see thid in a way none now drenm of; a vast the compilers, SS. Luke and Paul, which convulsion will rend this people asunder. seems to say, "Besides e.11 the important In the coming d1Lys of war and tumult, what sayings we have just written down, which lmve you, my disciples, who will be in the wero spoken on this occasion, the Master forefront of this ruovemcnt,-wh11t have you added RB a conclusion the following words." .to do with earthly goods? Toss them away It is probable that the expressions used in from you as 11Seless baggage. The pioneers the next seven verses were ea.lied out by the of the army of the future, surely they must general apathy with which his announce- he unencumbered in the war, which is about ment of the coming woes was received by to break out; for remember, • I am come to the listening multitude. Possibly he had send fire on the earth.'" And what will I, if noticed a smile or incredulity on the faces of it be already kindled 1 better rendered, how some of the nearer by-eto.ndera. The words I ioould that it had been already kindled ! had already been used on other occasions in '.l'hat is to say, "How I wish that this fire a different connection. Here he used them were already burning I" (so Olshausen, De as a last a.ppeal, or rather as a remonstrance. Watte, Bleek, and Farrar). Through all He seems to say to the people, " 0 blind, the woe, however, the Redeemer could see, blind to the awful sins of the times I You shining as it were through a dRrk aloud, the are weather-wise enongh, and can tell from unspeakable glory and blessedness of his the appeamnce of the sky and the sighing work. But this fire could not be kindled of tile wind whether a storm is brew- into a fie.me until something had happened, ing or no: why not use the same re.culty of The cross must be endured by him; till then discernment in higher and more important his work was not finished; and in bis pure matters? .Ah I be wise; make your pea.ea human nature-it is with stammering tongue with God without delay; it will soon be too and trembling pen we speak or write here- late; there is an awful judgment close e.t he felt, we believe, the bitter stinging po.in ho.nd I " When ye see e. cloud rise out of the of dread expectation of who.t was coming. west, atraightway ye say, There cometh a With this onlook he was weighed down, we shower; and so it is. To the west of Pales- know, at times; witness especially the Geth- tine lay the great Mediterranean Sea, from semane agony. He goes on to se.y- which, of course, came all the rains which Ver. 50.-But I have a baptism to be fell on that country. 'taptized with; and how am I straitened till Ver. 55.-A.ud when ye eee the south wind it be accomplished! The baptism he here blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it speaks of was the baptism of pain and oometh to pass. To the south ef Palestine suffering and death-what we call the lay the desert; when the wind blew from Passion of the Lord. He knew it must e.11 that direction, it was usually a time of heat be gone through, to bring about the blessed and drought. result for which he left his hom9 in heaven; Ver. 56.-Ye oan discemthe face of the but he looked on to it, nevertheless, with sky and of the earth ; but how is it that ye terror and shrinking. "He is under pres- do not disoem this time 1 These things had sure," says Godet, "to enter into this suffer- an interest for them. Heat and drought, ing because he is in h11ste to get out of it, wind and rain, affected materially the pro- moumrully impationt to have done with a spect of their wheat-harvest and vintage, pninful task." This passage of the dis- the fruitfulness of their orchards and olive- course of Jesus here has been oolled "a ye.rcls, therefore they gave their whole mind prelude of Gethsemane." to the watching of the weather; but to the Ver. 51.-Suppose ye that I am come to awful signs of the time in which they were give peaoe on earth 1 I tell you, Nay; but living they were blind and deaf. What rather division. But the M 1Stcr quickly were these signs? ( l) The low state oj lN1ves himself and his own sad forebodings. morality amo11g publfo men. Did none of He puts by for a seRson hie own holy im- them notice how utterly corrupt were priests patience and continues his warnings. " I nnd eeribes aud people, how hollow and !,ave been dwelling on the troublous tim~s meaningless their boastod religious rites, quickly coming on. Do not ,lecoive your- how for removed fro1n 111... w WILS the preseno~  TilF: oosrEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [on, xn. 1-59.