Luke 19

Love to God, yet to the poor, (unless when it could be ostended,) made no part of Pharisaic righteousness. 2.) As to the spiritual intent of the divine ing to the secret imaginations of the heart; of pear to have had no idea, and consequently no of their own depravity. é ance at the character here placed in contrast: he dejected publican, (or tax-collector,) who, is numerous violations of the divine commands, perhaps upon the steps only of the temple, and, ilty breast, with downcast eyes, and in a supvoice, exclaims, “ God be merciful to me, a sino readeth the characters of men, not in their but in their hearts, accepts the publican and e Pharisee. ‘The Lord their different language knows, And different answers he bestows: not merely from an idle curiosity, as we would hope, but probably from a desire to hear some of his discourses, and see some of his miracles; but, being short of stature, his only chance seemed to be in climbing a tree, which accordingly he did.

Jesus, passing by, saw him also, and knowing his heart prepared to receive him, called him down, and desired him to hasten home, and prepare to receive both himself and his disciples. He did so, and received him heartily and joyfully; and frankly owned that, in the course of his profession, he had been guilty of extortion. Where he was sensible of this, he restored four-fold, according to the law; and as there were, doubtless, many cases in the course of his office in which he had been guilty of oppression, he now devotes the half of his present income to the poor, as an evidence of his change of conduct and disposition. And he defers neither his justice nor liberality to his deathbed, as too many do, who desire to retain the whole as long as possible.

‘Those who defer their gifts to their deathbed, (Bishop Hall remarks,) do as good as say, Lord, I will give thee something when I can keep it no longer. Happy is the man that is his own executor!” It was of the Pharisees and their adherents, doubtless, that distinct consideration. It appears to have been delivered in the house of Zaccheus, in answer to intimations, probably dropped by some of the company, who expected, from the multitude which followed our Saviour, that his kingdom was now about to be established. The parable is not so clear as many, having two aspects, if we may so express it, in one of which is exhibited the rebellious conduct of the Jews, who refused to have Jesus to reign over them, and the other, the negligent conduct of some of his own professed disciples, who took no care to improve the deposit which he had intrusted with them.

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” ((John 1:11).) They hated him, and would by no means submit to his authority; and, therefore, after he had reckoned with his own confidential servants, he commanded—‘Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me’’—an allusion, perhaps, to some of the summary executions of which we read in the Old Testament; as, for instance, Agag, whom Samuel slew. ((1 Samuel 15:2, 33).) But to turn to the other part of the parable; it differs from that of the talents, which were bestowed in different proportions. Here they are supposed to be the same—a pound (or mina) intrusted with each servant for the purposes of trade: but which was variously improved, according to the care and industry of each possessor.

And here we may remark, that though our temporal benefits, separately taken, as wisdom, collectively, the blessings of Providence are distributed in more and proportions than is commonly supposed. To one, God gives health and poverty: to another, riches and the gout: and even where sickness attends on poverty, and health on riches, another article may be thrown in, which more than balances the position: thus, the consolations of religion will more than counterpoise the combined evils in the former case; or, in the latter case, an unhappy temper or a guilty conscience may render health and wealth altogether unavailing to confer happiness, or even comfort. The parable, however, appears to us to have a particular reference to the gospel ministry, which is described as treasure deposited in earthen vessels; and of which treasure the apostles, and their successors in the ministry, are appointed stewards, and respecting which the utmost fidelity is required.

(See (2 Corinthians 4:7). (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).) Among these servants there is one who proves totally negligent, or unfaithful to his trust; who, instead of employing his pound like the others, wrapped it in a cloth or napkin; just as a like idle servant in another parable buried his talent in the earth. ((Matthew 25:25).) And it is observable, that the misconduct in both cases arose from erroneous notions of the divine character; supposing that, as God is the author of all our graces, and all our mercies come from him, that no duty remains with us, either to exercise the one or improve the other. Whatever notion reduces human nature to mere machinery, is alike injurious to the divine character, and hostile to practical Ver.

41—48, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem.—“We have here (says the excellent Mr. Howe) a compassionate lamentation in the midst of a solemn triumph. Our Lord’s approach to Jerusalem at this time, and his entrance into it, as the foregoing history shows, carried with them some face of regal and triumphal pomp; but with such alloys as discovered a mind most remote from ostentation; and led by judgment, not vain glory, to transmit through a dark umbrage [or shadow] some glimmerings of that excellent majesty which both his sonship and mediatorship entitled him unto: a very modest specimen of…. his kingly state. Such as might rather intimate than plainly declare it, and rather afford an after instruction to teachable minds, than beget a present conviction and dread in the obstinate and unteachable.

And this effect we find it had, as is observed by another evangelical historian, who, relating the same matter, how, in his passage to Jerusalem, the people met him with branches of palm trees and joyful hosannas; he riding upon an ass’s colt, as princes or judges (to signify meekness as well as state) were wont to do, ((Judges 5:10),) tells us, ‘These things his disciples understood not at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him.’ ((John 12:26).) How little he was taken with this piece of state is sufficient to be seen in this paragraph of the chapter. His mind is much more taken up in the foresight of Jerusalem’s sad case; and therefore being come within view of it, (which he might commodiously have in the descent of the opposite hill, Mount Olivet,) “He beheld the city, it is said, and wept over it.”

Two things concurred, according to Mr. Howe, to cause this sorrow and these tears, as respected Jerusalem and the Jews. 1. The greatness of the calamity as respected the city and nation, of which some particulars have been stated in our exposition of (Matthew 24): and, 2. The lost opportunity of preventing this; “If thou hadst known,” &c.; implying that they had, through their perverseness, and the wickedness of their rulers, lost an opportunity of mercy which could never be recovered. But it has been [asked] if Jesus were that divine person whom we represent him, could he not have prevented the calamities which he lamented? and, if so, Why thus passionately lament them? To this we reply, 1. That our Lord Jesus must here be considered in his mediatorial capacity, and his inferior nature, in which he could have no control over the divine decrees.

His office was not to alter, but to fulfil them. And, 2. That however, as a man, he might weep, yet, as a sinless man, he could have no will nor desire in opposition to the will of his heavenly Father: ‘‘Not my will (said he) but thine be done.” And thus hath he taught us also to pray, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,” where no consideration of creature happiness can for a moment be put in competition with the divine glory. Hence we find in “the fall of Babylon,” so pathetically described by St. John, ((Revelation 5)xviii, xix.,) the elders, the mystic animals, and the whole company of the redeemed, say, ‘‘Amen, Hallelujah.” It is certainly our duty to lament over the sins and miseries of our friends and of mankind; and yet when we see the divine judgments fall upon them, to be silent; as Aaron was, at the death of Nadab and Abihu, ((Leviticus 10:3);) or to say: with the Church, (in (Acts 21:14),) ‘‘the will of the Lord be done.” The circumstances here predicted were certainly, in a most remarkable manner, fulfilled. It is predicted, (verse 43, “Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee,” &c.; and Josephus says, though it was thought impracticable, yet Titus so animated his soldiers, that in the course of three days he surrounded the city with a wall 39 furlongs in circumference, with 13 castles in its circuit; and by this means all hope was cut off that any Jews within the city should escape. When Titus also had taken the city, and when the temple was burnt, contrary to his wishes, he caused the foundations both of the city and temple to be dug up, and levelled with the ground; and afterwards, as Socrates relates, the whole was so entirely destroyed, that “not one stone was left upon another.”

(Dodd. Harm. and Jos. Jew. Wars.) What follows of Jesus casting out buyers and sellers from the temple, is evidently parallel to the relation of Matthew, (xxi. 12, &c.,) and need not be reconsidered; but it is here added, ‘‘He taught daily in the temple,” at which times also it appears, by the former evangelist, ‘‘that the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.” This however, only enraged his bitter enemies, the chief priests and scribes, who sought means for his destruction, but feared the people, who hung upon his lips with the utmost attention and

Notes on the verses

The humble soul with grace he crowns, ae And on the proud his anger frowns !’’— Watts. _ XIX. Ver. 1—10. The conversion of Zaccheus, the publican.—Many of the publicans appear to have been by property; in gathering for the state they did not for themselves. We need not wonder, therefore, to find the in—the head tax-gatherer of the district—character rich. But, though rich, his mind was not wholly occupied in getting money. He had heard that a great Prophet had arisen in Israel, and had an earnest desire to see him— [a man] who had advanced an absurdity, “Perhaps thou art one of the Pambidithians, who can make an elephant pass through the eye of a needle.”]—Bagster. Ver. 31—35. Then he took unto him the twelve, &c.—The parallel to this is (Matthew 20:17-19). Ver. 35—43. A certain blind man.—Matthew mentions two blind men; (Mark 10:46), one only; as also Luke here. _ Ver. 35. As he was come nigh.— Doddridge, Grotius, which reconciles the three Evangelists. Chap. XIX. Ver. 2. Chief among the publicans.—Zaccheus seems to have been what was called a promagister, or chief officer of the customs, who had the Evangelist says, that “they all murmured (as they were wont to do) that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner.’ Such is the inconsistency of human nature, as if the Son of man were sent to save only those who had not been lost. Jesus, however, acted with perfect consistency. He came “not to call the righteous to repentance;”

but when he entered the door of a penitent, he proclaimed, ‘‘This day is salvation come to this house.” Ver. 11—26. The parable of the ten pounds.—This parable is very similar to that of the talents, (Matthew 25:14-30). Yet a gem the superintendence of the sub-receivers of taxes, who collected the toll of harbours, bridges, &c. Orient. Lit. No. 1319. Ver. 3. Press—i.e. crowd—multitude of people. 4 Ver. 7. Gone to be guest.—Campbell, ‘‘Gone to be entertained by.” Ver. 8. By false accusation.—Doddridge, “* wrongfully.” Campbell, “To in aught I have wronged any man."——To restore four-fold.—See Ex. “As he was (yet) nigh.”’ So xxii. 1. (2 Samuel 11:6). Salmasius adds, that publicans convicted of oppression were, by the Roman law, compelled to restore four-fold.

See Doddridge. Ver. 9. Unto him.—[Rather, as Elsner renders it, concerning him; for our Lord speaks of him in the third person.]—Bagster. 1196 Ver. 12. A certain nobleman, &c.—The similarity of this narrative to the case of Archelaus, who went to Rome to have his kingdom confirmed over his rebellious subjects, has been remarked; but, besides that there is in other respects a great disparity, our Lord appears to us to have exercised a particular degree of caution in avoiding political allusions. Ver. 13. His ten servants.—Doddridge and Campbell, “Ten of his servants.” Ten pounds—Or minas. The mina, on the usual estimate, was equivalent to $14. According to some it is estimated as high as $39.

Ver. 15. The money.—Greek, *‘ the silver.” So ver. 23. Ver. 17. Over ten cities.—This prince being now supposed to be established his kingdom, distributes the subordinate governments among those of his servants who had proved themselves faithful to their trust, in proportion to their talents and assiduity. Ver. 26. Unto every one that hath shall be given.—See (Matthew 13:12), and note. Ver. 28. He went before—i.e. at the head of his company, to show the readiness with which he met his sufferings. Compare (Luke 12:50). Ver. 30. Ye shall find a colt tied.—(Matthew 21:2), mentions an ass and a colt, but the other Evangelists a colt only; but from ver. 7, in Matthew, it seems both were employed.

Ver. 40. The stones would immediately cry out.—Some of the Jews, as appears by the preceding verse, being shocked at what they thought blasphemy in the multitude, applied to the Lord Jesus to — them; but he, instead of censuring, justifies them as fully warranted by the occasion. ‘This is a strong hyperbole, but quite in the Oriental style. See (Habakkuk 2:11). Ver. 43. Cast a trench about thee.—Campbell says, ‘‘Surround thee with a tus; who surrounded it with a wall of circumvallation in three days, though not less than 39 furlongs in circumference; and when this was effected, the Jews were so enclosed on every side, that no person could escape from the city, and no provision could be brought in.

Josephus.)—Bagster. Reet Ver. 48. Were very attentive.—Literally, they hung upon him hearing; if their earnest attention and high gratifi-