Account of the A.M. 4032. A. D. 28. CCI. 4. CHAP. X. 30 And Jesus answering said, A cerAn. Olymp. tain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way and when he saw him, passed by on the other side. he 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, good Samaritan. A. D. 28. CCI. 4. 34 And went to him, and bound A. M. 403. up his wounds, pouring in oil and An. Olymp. wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him: and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on had amply fulfilled the law. This is the sense in which the Jews understood the word neighbour, as may be seen from Lev. xxix. 15, 16, 17, and 18. But our Lord shews here, that the acts of kindness which a man is bound to perform to his neighbour when in distress, he should perform to any person, of whatever nation, religion, or kindred, whom he finds in necessity. As the word λ signifies one who is near, Angl. Sax. nehra, he that is next: this very circumstance makes any person our neighbour, whom we know; and if in distress, an object of our most compassionate regards. If a man came from the most, distant part of the earth, the moment he is near you, he has a claim upon your mercy and kindness, as you would have on his, were your dwelling place transferred to his native country. It is evident, that our Lord uses the word ranov (very properly translated neighbour, from nae or nuer, near, and buer, to dwell) in its plain, literal sense. Any person whom you know, who dwells hard by, or who passes near you, is your neighbour while within your reach. Verse 30. And Jesus answering] Rather, then Jesus took him up. This I believe to be the meaning of the word voλaßwy; he threw out a challenge, and our Lord took him up on his own ground. See WAKEFIELD'S Testament. A certain man went down from Jerusalem] Or, A certain man of Jerusalem going down to Jericho. This was the most public road in all Judea, as it was the grand thoroughfare between these two cities for the courses of priests, twelve thousand of whom are said to have resided at Jericho. See Lightfoot. Fell among thieves] At this time the whole land of Judea was much infested with hordes of banditti: and it is not unlikely that many robberies might have been committed on that very road to which our Lord refers. Verse 31. And by chance] Kara σvyuugia properly means the coincidence of time and circumstance. At the time in which the poor Jew was half dead, through the wounds which he had received; a priest came where he was. So the priest's coming while the man was in that state, is the coincidence marked out by the original words. Verses 31 and 32. Priest and Levite are mentioned here, partly because they were the most frequent travellers on this road, and partly to shew that these were the persons who, from the nature of their office, were most obliged to perform works of mercy; and from whom a person in distress, had a right to expect immediate succour and comfort; and their inhuman conduct here was a flat breach of the law, Deut. xxii. 1-4. Verse 33. Samaritan is mentioned merely to shew that he was a person, from whom a Jew had no right to expect any help or relief: because of the enmity which subsisted between the two nations. Verse 34. Pouring in oil and wine] These, beaten together, appear to have been used formerly, as a common medicine for fresh wounds. An in] Πανδοχείον, from παν all, and δεχομαι I receive, because it receives all comers. Verse 35. Two pence] Two denarii, about fifteen pence, English; and which probably, were at that time of ten times more value there, than so much is with us now. Verse 36. Which was neighbour] Which fulfilled the duty which one neighbour owes to another? Verse 37. He that shewed mercy] Or, so much mercy. His prejudice would not permit him to name the Samaritan, yet his conscience obliged him to acknowledge that he was the only righteous person of the three. Go, and do thou likervise.] Be even to thy enemy in distress as kind, humane and merciful as this Samaritan was. As the distress was on the part of a Jew, and the relief was afforded by a Sumaritan, the lawyer to be consistent with the Christ is entertained A. M. 4032. A. D. 28. CCI. 4. him. ST. LUKE. C at the house of Martha. A. D. 28. him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go,|| 39 And she had a sister, called Ma- A.1.4032. 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. CCI. 4. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to a John 11. 1. & 12. 2, 3. 1 Cor. 7. 32, &c. Luke 3. 35. Acts 22. 3. decision he had already given, must feel the force of our Lord's inference, that it was his duty to act to any person, of whatever nation or religion he might be, as this Samaritan had acted toward his countryman. It is very likely that what our Lord relates here was a real matter of fact, and not a parable; otherwise the captious lawyer might have objected that no such case had ever existed; and that any inference drawn from it was only begging the question; but as he was in all probability, in possession of the fact himself, he was forced to acknowledge the propriety of our Lord's inference and advice. Those who are determined to find something allegorical even in the plainest portions of scripture affirm that the whole of this relation is to be allegorically considered; and, according to them, the following is the true exposition of the text. The certain man means Adam-went down, his fall—from Jerusalem, ob 87 yoreh shalom, he shall see peace, perfection, &c. meaning his state of primitive innocence and excellence-to Jericho, (nyareacho, his moon) the transitory and changeable state of existence in this world-Thieves, sin and Satan-stripped, took away his righteousness, which was the clothing of the soul-wounded, infected his heart with all evil and hurtful desires, which are the wounds of the spirit-half dead, possessing a living body, carrying about a soul dead in sin. and ascended to the Father-took out two pence, or denarii, the law and the gospel; the one to convince of sin, the other to shew how it is to be removed-gave them to the host, the ministers of the gospel for the edification of the church of Christ-take care of him, as they are God's watchmen and God's stewards, they are to watch over the flock of Christ, and give to each his portion of meat in due season. What thou spendest more, if thou shouldest lose thy health and life in this work-when I come again, to judge the world, I will repay thee, I will reward thee with an eternity of glory. Several primitive and modern Fathers treat the text in this way. What I have given before, is, I believe the meaning of our blessed Lord. What I have given here is generally true in itself, but certainly does not follow from the text. Mr. Baxter's Note here is good: "They who make the wounded man Adam, and the good Samaritan Christ, abuse the passage.” A practice of this kind, cannot be too strongly reprobated. Verse 38. A certain village] If this village was Bethany, where Martha and Mary lived, at less than twb miles' distance from Jerusalem, see John xi. 1, 18. xii. 2. then this must have happened later than Luke places it because in chap. xix. 29. he represents Jesus as having arrived after this at Bethany; and what is said in chap. xiii. 22. and xvii. 11. seems to confirm, that this visit of Jesus to Martha and Mary ought to be placed later. Bishop PEARCE. Received him] Kindly received, vediato, she received him in a friendly manner, under her roof; and entertained him hospitably. So the word is used in the best Greek writers. Martha is supposed by some to have been a widow, with whom her brother Lazarus and sister Mary lodged. The priest, the moral law-the Levite, the ceremonial law -passed by, either could not or would not afford any relief; because by the law is the knowledge of sin, not the cure of it. -A certain Samaritan, Christ; for so he was called by the Jews, Jolm viii. 48.—as he journeyed, meaning his coming from heaven to earth; his being incarnated—came where he was, put himself in man's place, and bore the punishment Verse 39. Sat at Jesus' feet] This was the posture of the due to his sins-had compassion, it is through the love and Jewish scholars, while listening to the instructions of the Rabcompassion of Christ that the work of redemption was ac- bins. It is in this sense that St. Paul says he was brought up complished-went to him, Christ first seeks the sinner, who at the FEET of Gamaliel, Acts xxii. 3. through his miserable estate, is incapable of seeking or going Verse 40. Martha was cumbered] Пgomaro, perplexed, to Christ-bound up his wounds, gives him comfortable pro- from wigs, about, and σnaw, I draw. She was harassed with mises, and draws him by his love-pouring in oil, pardoning different cares and employments at the same time; one drawmercy-wine, the consolations of the Holy Ghost-set him on ing one way, and another, another. A proper description of a his own beast, supported him entirely by his grace and good-worldly mind: but in Martha's favour it may be justly said, ness, so that he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him-took him to an inn, his church, uniting him with his people-took care of him, placed him under the continual notice of his providence and love—when he departed, when he left the world that all her anxiety was to provide suitable and timely entertainment for our Lord and his disciples; for this is the sense in which the word Saxonar, serving, should be taken. And we should not, on the merest supposition, attribute earthly mind His discourse to her, A. M. 4032. A. D. 28. CHAP. X. b and her sister Mary." serve alone? bid her therefore that she || ful and troubled about many things. An. Olymp. help me. 42 But one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken which shall not be taken away from her. CCI. 4. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, Martha, thou art care a A. D. 28. A. M. 4032. An. Olymp. CCL. 4. a Matt. 7. 21. Ps. 27. 4. Matt. 6. 19, 21. & 16. 26. 2 Cor. 5. 16. edness to a woman whose character stands unimpeachable in the gospel; and who, by entertaining Christ and his disciples, and providing liberally for them, gave the highest proof that she was influenced by liberality and benevolence, and not by parsimony or covetousness. Dost thou not care] Dost thou not think it wrong, that my sister thus leaves me to provide and prepare this supper, alone? Help me.] Συναντιλαβηται, from συν, together, and αντιλαμβανοpas, to support. The idea is taken from two pillars meeting together at the top, exactly over the centre of the distance between their bases, and thus mutually supporting each other. Order her to unite her skill and strength with mine, that the pre- || sent business may be done with that speed and in that order which the necessity and importance of the case demand. Verse 41. Thou art careful and troubled] Thou art distracted, psgräs, thy mind is divided (see on Matt. xiii. 22.) in consequence of which, Tugßan, thou art disturbed, thy spirit is thrown into a tumult. About many things.] Getting a variety of things ready for this entertainment, much more than are necessary on such an occasion. Verse 42. One thing is needful] This is the end of the sentence, according to Bengel. "Now Mary hath chosen, &c." begins a new one. One single dish, the simplest and plainest possible, is such as best suits me and my disciples, whose meat and drink it is to do the will of our heavenly Father. he was hungry. I believe the above to be the true meaning of these verses, but others have taken a somewhat different sense from them: especially when they suppose that by one thing needful our Lord means the salvation of the soul. To attend to this, is undoubtedly the most necessary of all things, and should be the first, the grand concern of every human spirit; but in my opinion it is not the meaning of the words in the text. It is only prejudice from. the common use of the words in this way that could make such an interpretation tolerable. KYPKE in loc. has several methods of interpreting this passage. Many eminent commentators both ancient and modern consider the text in the same way I have done. But this is | termed by some "a frigid method of explaining the passage" well, so let it be; but he that fears God, will sa|| crifice every thing at the shrine of TRUTH. I believe this alone to be the true meaning of the place, and I dare not give it any other. Bengelius points the whole passage thus: Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful. Now, Mary hath chosen that good portion, which shall not be taken away from her, That the salvation of the soul is the first and greatest of all human concerns, every man must acknowledge who feels that he has a soul: and in humility of mind to hear Jesus, is the only way of getting that acquaintance with the doctrine of salvation without which how can he be saved? While we fancy we are in Mary hath chosen that good part] That is, of hearing my no spiritual necessity, the things which concern salvation will word, of which she shall not be deprived; it being at present not appear needful to us! A conviction that we are spirituof infinitely greater importance to attend to my teaching, ally poor must precede our application for the true riches. than to attend to any domestic concerns. While thou art bu- The whole, says Christ, need not the physician, but those sily employed in providing that portion of perishing food for who are sick. Martha has been blamed by incautious people, perishing bodies, Mary has chosen that spiritual portion, which as possessing a carnal, worldly spirit; and as Mary Magdaendures for ever, and which shall not be taken away from her; lene has been made the chief of all prostitutes, so has Martha therefore I cannot command her to leave her present employ- of all the worldly-minded. Through her affectionate respect ment, and go and help thee to bring forward a variety of mat- for our Lord and his disciples, and through that alone, she ters, which are by no means necessary at this time. Our Lord erred. There is not the slightest intimation, that she was eiboth preached and practised the doctrine of self-denial; hether worldly-minded or careless about her soul; nor was she and his disciples were contented with a little, and sumptuous at this time improperly employed, only so far as the abundentertainments are condemned by the spirit and design of ance of her affection led her to make a greater provision than his gospel, Multos morbos, multa fercula fecerunt. SENECA. was necessary on the occasion. Nor are our Lord's words to Many dishes, many diseases." be understood as a reproof; they are a kind and tender expostulation, tending to vindicate the conduct of Mary. The utmost that can be said on the subject is: Martha was well employed, but Mary, on this occasion, better. Bishop PEARCE remarks that the word xena, needful, is used after the same manner for want of food in Mark xi. 25. where, of David it is said, xey xt, he had need, when it means Christ teaches his ST. LUKE. disciples to pray. CHAPTER XI. Christ teaches his disciples to pray, 1-4. Shews the necessity of importunity in prayer, 3—13. Casts out a dumb dæmon, 14. The Jews ascribe this to the power of Beelzebub; our Lord vindicates his conduct, 15-23. Miserable state of the Jews, 24-26. Who they are that are truly blessed, 27-28. He preaches to the people, 29-36. A Pharisee invites him to dine with him, who takes offence because he washed not his hands, 37, 38. Our Lord exposes their hypocrisy, 39-44. He denounces woes against the lawyers, 45-52. The scribes and Pharisees are greatly offended, and strive to entangle him in his words, 53, 54. NOTES ON CHAP. XI. Verse 1-5. Teach us to pray] See the nature of prayer, with an ample explanation of the different parts of the Lord's Prayer, treated of in Matt. vi. 5-15. The prayer related here by Luke is not precisely the same as that mentioned by Matthew; and indeed it is not likely that it was given at the same time. That in Matthew seems to have been given after the second pass-over, and this in Luke, was given probably after the third pass-over, between the feasts of Tabernacles, and the Dedication. It is thus that Bishop Newcome places them in his Greek Harmony of the Gospels. There are many variations in the MSS. in this prayer; but they seem to have proceeded principally from the desire of rendering this similar to that in Matthew. Attempts of this nature have given birth to multitudes of the various readings in the MSS. of the New Testament. It should be remarked also, that there is no vestige of the doxology found in Matthew, in any copy of St. Luke's Gospel. с Or, out of his way. ch. 18. 1, &c. of eucal nuas atо TOυ Tongov; literally, Deliver us from the wicked one. Verse 6. In his journey is come] Or, perhaps more literally, A friend of mine is come to me out of his way, ež odou, which renders the case more urgent-a friend of mine benighted, belated, and who has lost his way, is come unto me. This was a strong reason why he should have prompt relief. Verse 7. My children are with me in bed] Or, I and my children are in bed; this is Bishop PEARCE's translation, and seems to some preferable to the common one. See a like form of speech in 1 Cor. xvi. 11. and in Eph. iii. 18. However, we may conceive that he had his little children, ra maa, in bed with him; and this heightened the difficulty of yielding to his neighbour's request. But if he persevere knocking; (At si ille perseveraverit pulsans). This sentence is added to the beginning of ver. 8. by the Armenian, Vulgate, four copies of the Itala, Ambrose, Augustin, and Bede. On these authorities (as I find it in no Verse 4. Lead us not into temptation, &c.] Dr. Lightfoot Greek MS.) I cannot insert it as a part of the original text; believes that this petition is intended against the visible ap- but it is necessarily implied; for as Bishop Pearce justly obparitions of the Devil, and his actual obsessions: he thinks serves, unless the man in the parable be represented as conthat the meaning is too much softened by our translation. | tinuing to solicit his friend, he could not possibly be said to Deliver us from evil, is certainly a very inadequate rendering use importunity: once only, to ask, is not to be importunate. Importunity recommended A.M. 4055. CHAP. XI. f in prayer. cause of his importunity he will rise || devils through Beelzebub the chief A. M. 435. An. Olymp. and give him as many as he needeth. of the devils. A. D. 29. CCIL. 1. a 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 16 And others, tempting him, "sought of him a sign from heaven. i A. D. 29. An. Olymp. CCI. 1. 17 "But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer whom do your sons cast them out? therefore him a scorpion? shall they be your judges. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out videth his spoils. for any kind of serpent that proceeds from an egg, or the word egg may be understood: the common snake is oviparous; it brings forth a number of eggs, out of which the young ones are hatched. If he ask an egg, will he for one that might nourish him, give him that of a serpent. But Bochart states that the body of a scorpion is like to an egg, especially if it be a white scorpion, which sort Nicander, Elian, Avicenna, and others, maintain to be the first species. Nor do scorpions differ much in size from an egg in Judea, if we may credit what the monks of Messuu say, that there are about Jeru Verse 9. And (or, therefore) I say unto you, Ask] Be importunate with God, not so much to prevail on him to save you, as to get yourselves brought into a proper disposition to receive that mercy which he is ever disposed to give. He who is not importunate for the salvation of his soul, does not feel the need of being saved and were God to communicate his mercy to such, they could not be expected to be grateful for it; as favours are only prized and esteemed in proportion to the sense men have of their necessity and im- || portance. See this subject explained Matt. vii. 7, 8. Verse 12. Offer him a scorpion?] Exogmor, the Greek ety-salem, and through all Syria, great scorpions, &c. Hieron. 1. iv. mologists derive the name from σxogπiļu Tov 109, scattering cap. xxix, col. 641. edit. 1692. To this it may be said, there the poison. But is there any similitude between a scorpion may be such a similitude between a white scorpion and an and an egg, that the one might be given and taken in place egg, if the legs and tail of the former be taken away; but of the other? We know there is the utmost similitude be- how there can be a resemblance any other way, I know not. tween some fish, especially those of the eel kind, and serpents: Verse 13. The Holy Spirit] Or, as several MSS. have it and that there are stones exactly similar to bread, in their ap-upa ayalov, the good spirit. See on Matt. vii. 11. pearance; from which we may conjecture that our Lord in- Verse 14. Casting out a devil] See on Matt. xii. 22. tended to convey the same idea of similitude between an egg Verse 19. Beelzebub] See on Matt. x. 25. and a scorpion. Perhaps the word scorpion here may be used Verse 20. Finger of God] See on Exod. viii. 19. |