The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 351

laet farthing h88 been paili," U there should be any breach, however minute it may bo, hasten to repair it. I_II. _A BREAOH OIi' Tl!E LAW OIi' PRIVILEGE, Privilege and peril, opportunity and obhgELt1on go together, hke substance and shadow; they cannot be dissociated. From those to whom much is given will much be required (see vers. 47, 48). It is a constant law, and its violation will be rigorously attended with penalty. If we ne"lect our privilege, if we abuse our opportunity, we must expect "many etripeR," the ;;'ttermost farthing of condemnation e.nd retribution. We are the firsthom chilrlren of privile"e • ours is the dispensation, the period, the land, the home of privilege. Ill will it fare with us if we pass on to ihe last tribunal and stand before the great J ndge, not havin" repaired this breach, not having sought and found forgiveness for this great transgressi~n.-C. Vers. 1-12.-.A call to courage. The commotion between the scribes and Pharisees and our Lord seems to have increased his audiences, as we find "an innumerable multitude," as the Authorized Version h:1s it, or" the many thousands of the multi- tude," as the Revised has it, treading on one another in eagerne~s to hear him. And his subject at this time is important-a denunciation of Pharisaic hypocrisy and a call to courage under their certain opposition. And here we have to notice- I. THE OUllE FOR HYPOORIBY, (Vers. 1-3.) Onr Lord brings this out in a distinct revelation that everything is yet to be dragged into tlie light of day. ThP,se are his words: "There is nothing covered[' covered up,' Revised Version], that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known." 'l'here is nothing in nature which would lead us to such a wonderful truth; it is a matter of distinct revelation. Every- thing, it appears, is constructed on the public principle. We are all living public live, if we only knew it. All attempts at secrecy are destined to prove failures; conse- quently, hypocrisy is a mistake. It can impose only for a time; sooner or later it will be exposed and despised. Hence our Lord recommends the\people to speak, if they have to do so, in the darkness only what they are willing should be heard in the light, and to whisper in closets only such things as may be proclaimed on the housetops. By God's arrangement secrecy is impossible, and publicity the inevitable destiny of "ll and of everything. It is consequently this persuasion of ultima,e publicity which con- stitutes the Divine remedy for hypocrisy. All hypocrisy proceeds from forgetfuluesa or disbelief of this. II. THE EXPULBIVE POWER OIi' GODLY F'EAB. (Vera. 4, 5.) Our Lord wishes to guard the people from the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, and also from cowardly fear of Pharisaic opposition. Accordingly, he points out that the Pharisees could at the very most kill the body; they have, after that, "no more that they can do." But there is another One who can cast into "Gehenna" after he bath killed, and him they should fear. We discard the idea suggested by Stier and others that this is the devil; especially as courage is not likely to be created by substituting, for fear of diabolica.l. men, the fear of the devil himself. This would be a poor basis for the martyr-spirit. We believe that the fear of man is to be expelled and supplanted by the fear of God, who can consign the soul to Gehenna after death. And our Lord shows here that the fear of God begins in dread of his infinite power. No soul, we suppose, ever turns to God without pa.~sing through this stage, however brief may be the sojonrn in it. God's vaster power makes the hostile power of mere men appear trifling, and we wisel.r resolve to have men for our enemies rather than God. But once this sense of God's great power has overcome our craven fear of man, we begin to realize that we may have all his power on our side. He will pardon us and take us under his protection, and enable us to fear no evil. Godly fear, consequently, gets modified in our expe- rience, and passes from slavish fear and dread into reverential and filial fear of God aa an nlmighty Father. III. Goo's MIOROSOOPIO AND PRESENT PROVIDENCE, (Vera. 6, 7.) The sparrows may be cheap in man's estimation-five for two farthin11:M-but "not one of them is for- gotten before God." He enters for them. His providence is minute enough to take them under his wings. Men ought, therefore, to take courage from the assurance that, in God's sight, they "are of more value than many sparrows." And God's oversight is so microscopic that be counts the very hairs of our head. Hence the contest with tbeit Phn.risaio and world\7 foes is to be conducted under the sweet assurance thas  3!';6 THE GOSl'EL ACCORDrno TO BT. LUKE. [011. xn. 1-59