Luke 24

Luke 24:6

6. • how he spake] See the marginal reference.
7. • seemed to them as idle tales, The resurrection was in itself so strange a thing, and the minds of the disciples were so weighed down with sorrow, and prejudiced by the disappointments they had met with, that, though Jesus had expressly foretold He should rise again, yet they hardly hoped for it, and could not believe the women when they acquainted them with the intimations they had received of it. Dr. S. Clarke.

Luke 24:13

13. • two of them] Cleopas was one of the two, ver. 18; but neither of the two was an Apostle, as appears from ver. 33. Bp. Pearce.

• a village called Emmaus, Lying westward from Jerusalem, about seven or eight miles. This village was afterwards made a city and a Roman colony, and called Nicopolis. Dr. Wells.

Luke 24:16

16. • their eyes were holden] That is, through God’s will so disposing it, they knew not that it was Jesus. Dr. Hammond.
17. • should have redeemed Israel: Should have proved the Messiah our deliverer. Dr. S. Clarke.

If we contemplate the situation and conduct of the Apostles at this important crisis, it will sufficiently

Luke 24:26

26. Ought not Christ &c.] Is it not by those Prophets foretold to be decreed by God, that the Messiah should be insulted and murdered by them, Isa. liii. 6, before He should enter into His kingdom? Dr. Hammond. 27. And beginning at Moses &c.—he expounded unto them &c. The design of Christ, in entering into so particular an exposition of the Prophets, while “their eyes were holden,” ver. 16, was to shew, that, by making a proper use of their understanding, they might, from those very Scriptures whose authority they allowed, have been convinced that the Messiah ought to have suffered as they had seen Him suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. That is, Christ chose rather to convince them by reason than by sense; or, at least, so to prepare their minds that their assenting afterwards to the testimony of their senses should be with the concurrence of their reason. This proceeding, at once so becoming the Lord of righteousness and of truth, and the freedom of man as a reasonable being, must have been prevented, had Christ discovered Himself to them at His first appearing. Wonder and astonishment would then have taken place of reason, and left them perhaps, when the first strong impression had a little worn away, in doubt and scepticism. West.

Luke 24:31

31. And their eyes were opened.] The manner, undoubtedly, of His breaking bread, and probably the form of words in the thanksgiving were peculiar to our Saviour; and these latter were probably the very same made use of by Him at the last supper. This being the case, how strongly were the Apostles called upon by this action to remember their Lord, who had instituted that very form in remembrance of His death; and how properly did it accompany that discovery of Himself which He now thought fit to make to them! West.

Luke 24:32

32.—Did not our heart burn within us.] Was there not an unusual warmth of affection and passion in our hearts, during all the time that He talked with us? Dr. Hammond.

Luke 24:34

34. Saying, The Lord is risen] This was said by the eleven Apostles and their company; and then these two disciples related how Jesus had joined them on the road. Bp. Mann. —hath appeared to Simon.] Observe the kindness of our Lord to Simon Peter. He did not shew Himself apart, after His resurrection, to John, His beloved disciple; but to him who had thrice denied Him, who had bitterly bewailed his crime, and whose mind required to be soothed and strengthened. Abp. Newcome.

Luke 24:39

39. Behold my hands and my feet.] Which had the print of the nails in them, John xx. 25. The certainty of our Lord’s resurrection did not rest on a transient glance or a single interview with His Apostles; He conversed with them for forty days, which precluded every sort of illusion or mistake: nor did it depend upon the sole testimony of those chosen ministers of the Gospel, for He was seen by various other persons, and particularly by five hundred disciples at once; He ate and drank with many to whom He was known before His crucifixion; and He made St. Thomas feel the print of the nails by which He had been fastened to the cross, and of the spear with which His side had been pierced, to convince him that He was the same Jesus who had been crucified, that He had flesh and bones, and was not a spirit. Also, on this occasion, He desires the eleven Apostles, when assembled together, immediately before His ascension, to behold His hands and His feet, and to handle Him. Thus the identity of His person was incontrovertibly ascertained, and all suspicion of His being a spirit was entirely removed. Christ eateth with his apostles. He ascendeth into heaven. Anno DOMINI 23. see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Luke 24:43

43. — and did eat before them.] This act of eating was a further proof that He was a real living man. Bp. Mann. So much compassion did our Lord shew for their infirmities, and so much care did He take, that not even a shadow of a scruple should remain in their minds, upon a point of the utmost importance to the great business on which He was employed. West. From knowing that our Saviour possessed the real human nature after His resurrection, we are taught to expect the resurrection of the body. The light of reason has been able to induce men to look for another life after death, but never encouraged them to extend their hopes to the resurrection of the body. They only trusted that they should not perish wholly, and that their souls might survive the dissolution of this earthly frame. We now see that the body also will be partaker of the life to come. The exquisite knot, which unites soul and body, will again be tied, never more to be dissolved. Dr. Ogden.

Luke 24:45

45. Then opened he their understanding.] By a special operation of His Spirit, He gave them understanding of the Scriptures, especially in those things which concerned the Messiah. Dr. Hammond.

Luke 24:47

47. And that repentance and remission of sins &c.] That by these means was to be established a new and gracious covenant of repentance and forgiveness of sins, which should be preached in His name, first to the Jews, and afterward to the Gentiles, in all the nations of the world. Dr. S. Clarke.

Luke 24:49

49. — but tarry ye in the city &c.] Continue in Jerusalem till ye receive the plentiful and miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit, which I will send you, according to My Father’s promise, Joel ii. 28, in order to qualify you with great and extraordinary gifts for so great an undertaking.

Luke 24:51

51. — and carried up into heaven.] Thus was the as-

cension of our Saviour visibly performed in the presence and sight of the Apostles, for the confirmation of the reality and certainty of that event. They did not actually see Him when He rose from the dead, because an eyewitness was not necessary for the act of the resurrection: it was sufficient that Christ shewed Himself to the Apostles alive after His passion; for whatever was a proof of His life after death, was a demonstration of His resurrection. But since the Apostles were not to see Him actually abiding in heaven, it was necessary that they should be eyewitnesses of the act of the ascension, as they were not to be eyewitnesses of the effect. The knowledge of our Saviour’s ascension is very availing for the confirmation of our hopes. He is our forerunner into the regions of bliss; and thither we may hope to follow, as being of the same human nature with which He ascended, members of the same body, branches of the same vine. He has gone thither before us as the firstfruits of those that follow, and we hope to follow Him as coming late to the same perfection. Bp. Pearson.

There is a spot at the top of one of the hills on mount Olivet, still shewn as the place from which our Lord ascended; here was anciently a large church built in honour of that glorious triumph. Maundrell.

Luke 24:52

52. And they worshipped him.] We have here an instance of religious worship paid to Christ, after He was taken out of the sight of His disciples, and had ascended up into heaven. Bp. Mann.

The following Chapters from St. Luke are appointed as Proper Lessons, or as Gospels, on Sundays and Holydays:

CHAP. VESSE. I…26—38, The Annunciation, …Gospel. I…57—80, St. John Baptist,…ditto. II. … 1—14, Nativity of Christ,…Morning (Proper Lessons continued.) CHAP. VESS. II. …15—21, Circumcision of Christ,…Gospel. II. …22—40, The Purification,…ditto. II. …41—52, 1st Sunday after Epiphany,..ditto. III… 1—22, Epiphany,…Morning. V… 1—11, 5th Sunday after Trinity,…Gospel. VI…36—42, 4th Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. VII. …11—17, 16th Sunday after Trinity,..ditto. VIII. … 4—15, Sexagesima Sunday,…ditto. IX…51—66, Gunpowder Treason,…ditto. X… 1— 7, St. Luke the Evangelist,…ditto. X…23—37, 13th Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. XI…14—28, 3d Sunday in Lent,…ditto. XIV. … 1—11, 17th Sunday after Trinity,..ditto. XIV. …16—24, 2d Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. XV… 1—10, 3d Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. CHAP. VES. XVI. … 1— 9, 9th Sunday after Trinity,…Gospel. XVI. …19—31, 1st Sunday after Trinity,… ditto. XVII…11—19, 14th Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. XVIII.. 9—14, 11th Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. XVIII. 31—43, Quinquagesima Sunday,…ditto. XIX. …41—47, 10th Sunday after Trinity,…ditto. XXI. …25—33, 2d Sunday in Advent,…ditto. XXII… 1—71, Wednesday before Easter,…ditto. XXII…24—30, St. Bartholomew,…ditto. XXIII. 1—49, Thursday before Easter,…ditto. XXIII. 50—56, Easter Even,…Morning. XXIV.. 1—12, Tuesday in Easter-week,…ditto. XXIV..13—35, Monday in Easter-week,…Gospel. XXIV..36—48, Tuesday in Easter-week,…ditto. XXIV..44—53, Ascension-Day,…Morning. # THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO # S T. J O H N. ## INTRODUCTION.

ST. JOHN, the writer of this Gospel, was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother of James the Great, with whom he was brought up as a fisherman, and with whom he was called to be a Disciple and Apostle of Christ. St. John has not recorded the circumstances of his own call; but we learn from the other three Evangelists, Matt. iv. 21; Mark i. 19; Luke v. 10, that it took place when he and his brother were fishing upon the sea of Galilee, and early in our Saviour’s ministry. St. Mark, in enumerating the twelve Apostles, informs us that our Saviour surnamed these two brothers Boanerges, Mark iii. 17, that is, sons of thunder, which title we may understand as a prophetic declaration of the seal and resolution with which they would hereafter bear testimony to the great truths of the Gospel. St. John was one of the four Apostles to whom our Lord delivered His predictions relative to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the approaching calamities of the Jewish nation, Mark xiii. 3. St. Peter, and St. James, and St. John, were chosen to accompany our Saviour upon several occasions, when the other Apostles were not permitted to be present. When Christ restored the daughter of Jairus to life, Mark v. 37; when He was transfigured on the mount, Matt. xvii. 1, 2; Mark ix. 2; Luke ix. 28; and when He endured His agony in the garden, Matt. xxvi. 36, 37; Mark xiv. 32, 33; St. Peter, and St. James, and St. John, were His only attendants. St. Peter and St. John were entrusted to make preparations for our Saviour’s eating the last passover, Mark xiv. 13; Luke xxii. 8; but St. John alone had the distinction of leaning upon his Master’s bosom, and of being called the beloved disciple of the Saviour of mankind, John xxi. 20; xiii. 23. That he was treated by Christ with greater familiarity than the other Apostles, is evident from St. Peter desiring him to ask Christ who should betray Him, when he himself did not dare to propose the question, John xiii. 24. He seems to have been the only Apostle present at the crucifixion, and to him Jesus, just as He was expiring on the cross, gave the strongest proof of His confidence and regard, by consigning to him the care of His mother, John xix. 26, 27. As St. John had been witness to the death of our Saviour, by seeing the blood and water issue from His side, which a soldier had pierced, John xix. 34, 35; so he was one of the first who were made acquainted with His resurrection. He believed without any hesitation this great event; though “as yet he knew not the Scripture, that Christ was to rise again from the dead,” John xx. 9. He was one of those to whom our Saviour appeared at the sea of Galilee, and he was afterwards, with the other ten Apostles, a witness of His ascension into heaven, Mark xvi. 19; Luke xxiv. 51. St. John continued to preach the Gospel for some time at Jerusalem: he was imprisoned by the Sanhedrim, first with St. Peter only, Acts iv. 1, &c., and afterwards with the other Apostles, Acts v. 17, 18. Some time after this, St. John and St. Peter were sent by the other Apostles to the Samaritans, whom Philip the deacon had converted to the Gospel, that through them “they might receive the Holy Ghost,” Acts viii. 14, 15. With this journey the Scripture history of St. John ends, except that he informs us in the Revelation, that he was banished to Patmos, Rev. i. 9, an island in the Ægean sea.

It is not known at what time St. John went into Asia Minor; but it is certain that he lived there the latter part of his life, and principally at Ephesus. He planted churches at Smyrna, Pergamos, Laodicea, and many other places; and by his activity and success in propagating the Gospel, he is supposed to have incurred the displeasure of Domitian, who banished him to Patmos at the end of his reign. He himself tells us, that he “was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ;” and Irenæus, speaking of the vision which he had there, says, “It is not very long ago that it was seen, being but a little before our time, at the latter end of Domitian’s reign.” Upon Nerva’s succeeding to the empire in the year 96, St. John returned to Ephesus, and died there at an advanced age, in the third year of Trajan’s reign, in the year of our Lord 100. It is generally believed that St. John was the youngest of the twelve Apostles, and that he survived all the rest. An opinion has prevailed that he was, by order of Domitian, thrown into a caldron of boiling oil at Rome, before the gate called Porta Latina, and that he came out unhurt; but in examining into the foundation of this account, we find that it rests almost entirely upon the authority of Tertullian; and since it is not mentioned by Irenæus, Origen, and others, who have related the sufferings of the Apostles, it seems to deserve but little credit.

It is universally agreed, that St. John published his Gospel in Asia; and that, when he wrote it, he had seen the other three Gospels; it is therefore not only valuable in itself, but also as a tacit confirmation of the other three, with none of which it disagrees in any material point. The learned are much divided concerning the time of the publication of this Gospel, some placing it rather before, and others considerably after, the destruction of Jerusalem. I am inclined to accede to the opinion of those who contend for the year 97; and my reason is, that this late date, exclusive of the authorities which support it, is favoured by the contents and design of the