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THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO
LUKE
Commentary by DAVID BROWN
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CHAPTER 13
@Lu
13:1-9. THE LESSON, "REPENT OR PERISH,"
SUGGESTED BY TWO RECENT INCIDENTS, AND ILLUSTRATED BY THE
PARABLE OF THE BARREN FIG TREE.
1-3. Galileans--possibly the followers of Judas of
Galilee, who, some twenty years before this, taught that
Jews should not pay tribute to the Romans, and of whom we
learn, from @Ac
5:37, that he drew after him a multitude of followers,
who on his being slain were all dispersed. About this time
that party would be at its height, and if Pilate caused
this detachment of them to be waylaid and put to death as
they were offering their sacrifices at one of the
festivals, that would be "mingling their blood with
their sacrifices" [GROTIUS, WEBSTER and WILKINSON,
but doubted by DE WETTE, MEYER, ALFORD, &c.]. News of
this being brought to our Lord, to draw out His views of
such, and whether it was not a judgment of Heaven, He
simply points them to the practical view of the matter:
"These men are not signal examples of divine
vengeance, as ye suppose; but every impenitent sinner--ye
yourselves, except ye repent--shall be like monuments
of the judgment of Heaven, and in a more awful
sense." The reference here to the impending
destruction of Jerusalem is far from exhausting our Lord's
weighty words; they manifestly point to a
"perdition" of a more awful kind--future,
personal, remediless.
4, 5. tower in Siloam--probably one of the towers
of the city wall, near the pool of Siloam. Of its fall
nothing is known.
6-9. fig tree--Israel, as the visible witness of
God in the world, but generally all within the pale of the
visible Church of God; a familiar figure (compare @Isa
5:1-7 Joh 15:1-8, &c.).
vineyard--a spot
selected for its fertility, separated from the surrounding
fields, and cultivated with special care, with a view
solely to fruit.
came and sought fruit--a
heart turned to God; the fruits of righteousness; compare
@Mt
21:33,34, and @Isa
5:2, "He looked that it should bring forth
fruit"; He has a right to it, and will require
it.
7. three years--a long enough trial for a fig tree,
and so denoting probably just a sufficient period
of culture for spiritual fruit. The supposed allusion to
the duration of our Lord's ministry is precarious.
cut it down--indignant
language.
cumbereth--not only
doing no good, but wasting ground.
8. he answering, &c.--Christ, as Intercessor,
loath to see it cut down so long as there was any hope
(see @Lu
13:34).
dig, &c.--loosen
the earth about it and enrich it with manure; pointing to
changes of method in the divine treatment of the
impenitent, in order to freshen spiritual culture.
9. if . . . fruit, well--Genuine
repentance, however late, avails to save (@Lu
23:42,43).
after that,
&c.--The final perdition of such as, after the utmost
limits of reasonable forbearance, are found fruitless,
will be pre-eminently and confessedly just (@Pr
1:24-31 Eze 24:13).
@Lu
13:10-17. WOMAN OF EIGHTEEN YEAR'S INFIRMITY HEALED ON
THE SABBATH.
11. spirit of infirmity--Compare @Lu
13:17, "whom Satan hath bound." From
this it is probable, though not certain, that her
protracted infirmity was the effect of some milder form of
possession; yet she was "a daughter of
Abraham," in the same gracious sense, no doubt, as
Zaccheus, after his conversion, was "a son of
Abraham" (@Lu
19:9).
12, 13. said . . . Woman . . . and
laid--both at once.
14. with indignation--not so much at the sabbath
violation as at the glorification of Christ. (Compare @Mt
21:15) [TRENCH].
said to the people--"Not
daring directly to find fault with the Lord, he seeks
circuitously to reach Him through the people, who were
more under his influence, and whom he feared less"
[TRENCH].
15. the Lord--(See on Lu 10:1).
hypocrite!--How
"the faithful and true Witness" tears off the
masks which men wear!
his ox,
&c.--(See on Mt 12:9-13; and @Lu
6:9).
16. ought not, &c.--How gloriously the Lord
vindicates the superior claims of this woman, in
consideration of the sadness and long duration of her
suffering, and of her dignity notwithstanding, as an heir
of the promise!
@Lu
13:18-30. MISCELLANEOUS TEACHINGS.
18-21. mustard seed . . . leaven--(See on
Mr 4:30-32). The parable of "the Leaven" sets
forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the
kingdom, while "the Mustard Seed" seems to point
chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to
knead, it seems a refinement to say that "the
woman" here represents the Church, as the
instrument of depositing the leaven. Nor does it yield
much satisfaction to understand the "three measures
of meal" of that threefold division of our nature
into "spirit, soul, and body," (alluded to in @1Th
5:23) or of the threefold partition of the world among
the three sons of Noah (@Ge
10:32), as some do. It yields more real satisfaction
to see in this brief parable just the all-penetrating
and assimilating quality of the Gospel, by virtue
of which it will yet mould all institutions and tribes of
men, and exhibit over the whole earth one "Kingdom of
our Lord and of His Christ." (See on Re 11:15).
23. Lord, &c.--one of those curious questions
by talking of which some flatter themselves they are religious.
said unto them--the
multitude; taking no notice of the man or his question,
save as furnishing the occasion of a solemn warning not to
trifle with so momentous a matter as
"salvation."
24. Strive--The word signifies to
"contend" as for the mastery, to
"struggle," expressive of the difficulty
of being saved, as if one would have to force his way
in.
strait gate--another
figure of the same. (See on Mt 7:13,14).
for many . . .
will seek--"desire," that is, with a mere
wish or slothful endeavor.
and shall not be able--because
it must be made a life-and-death struggle.
25. master of the house is risen up and hath shut to
the door--awfully sublime and vivid picture! At
present he is represented as in a sitting posture,
as if calmly looking on to see who will
"strive," while entrance is practicable, and who
will merely "seek" to enter in. But this is to
have an end, by the great Master of the house Himself
rising and shutting the door, after which there will be no
admittance.
Lord, Lord--emphatic
reduplication, expressive of the earnestness now
felt, but too late. (See on Mt 7:21,22).
26, 27. See on the similar passage (@Mt
7:22,23).
eaten and drunk,
&c.--We have sat with Thee at the same table. (See on
Mt 7:22).
taught in our streets--Do
we not remember listening in our own streets to Thy
teaching? Surely we are not to be denied
admittance?
27. But he shall say, &c.--(See on Mt 7:23). No
nearness of external communion with Christ will avail at
the great day, in place of that holiness without which no
man shall see the Lord. Observe the style which
Christ intimates that He will then assume, that of
absolute Disposer of men's eternal destinies, and contrast
it with His "despised and rejected" condition at
that time.
28, 29. (See @Mt
8:11,12). Also see on Mt 13:42.
@Lu
13:31-35. MESSAGE TO HEROD.
31. and depart hence--and "go forward," push
on. He was on His way out of Perea, east of Jordan,
and in Herod's dominions, "journeying towards
Jerusalem" (@Lu
13:22). Haunted by guilty fears, probably, Herod
wanted to get rid of Him (see on Mr 6:14), and seems, from
our Lord's answer, to have sent these Pharisees, under
pretense of a friendly hint, to persuade Him that the
sooner He got beyond Herod's jurisdiction the better it
would be for His own safety. Our Lord saw through both of
them, and sends the cunning ruler a message couched in
dignified and befitting irony.
32. that fox--that crafty, cruel enemy of God's
innocent servants.
Behold, I cast out
devils and I do cures--that is, "Plot on and ply
thy wiles; I also have My plans; My works of mercy are
nearing completion, but some yet remain; I have work for
to-day and to-morrow too, and the third day; by that time
I shall be where his jurisdiction reaches not; the guilt
of My blood shall not lie at his door; that dark deed is
reserved for others." He does not say, I preach the
Gospel--that would have made little impression upon
Herod--in the light of the merciful character of
Christ's actions the malice of Herod's
snares is laid bare [BENGEL].
to-day, to-morrow, the
third day--remarkable language expressive of successive
steps of His work yet remaining, the calm deliberateness
with which He meant to go through with them, one after
another, to the last, unmoved by Herod's threat, yet the rapid
march with which they were now hastening to
completion. (Compare @Lu
22:37).
I shall be perfected--I
finish my course, I attain completion.
33. it cannot be that a prophet, &c.--"It
would never do that," &c.--awful severity of
satire this upon "the bloody city!" "He
seeks to kill me, does he? Ah! I must be out of Herod's
jurisdiction for that. Go tell him I neither fly from him
nor fear him, but Jerusalem is the prophets'
slaughter-house."
34, 35. O Jerusalem, &c.--(See on Mt 23:37; Mt
23:39).
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