OUR LORD'S MINISTRY IN PEREA AND JUDEA.
When or under what attendant circumstances our Lord departed from
Jerusalem after the Feast of Tabernacles, in the last autumn of His
earthly life, we are not told. The writers of the synoptic Gospels have
recorded numerous discourses, parables, and miracles, as incidents of a
journey toward Jerusalem, in the course of which, Jesus, accompanied by
the apostles, traversed parts of Samaria and Perea, and the outlying
sections of Judea. We read of Christ's presence in Jerusalem at the
Feast of Dedication,[881] between two and three months after the Feast
of Tabernacles; and it is probable that some of the events now to be
considered occurred during that interval.[882] That Jesus left Jerusalem
soon after the Feast of Tabernacles is certain; whether He returned to
Galilee, or went only into Perea, possibly with a short detour across
the border into Samaria, is not conclusively stated. We shall here as
heretofore devote our study primarily to His words and works, with but
minor regard to place, time, or sequence.
As the time of His foreknown betrayal and crucifixion drew near, "he
steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,"[883] though, as we shall
find, He turned northward on two occasions, once when He retired to the
region of Bethabara, and again to Ephraim.[884]
HIS REJECTION IN SAMARIA.[885]
Jesus sent messengers ahead, to announce His coming and to prepare for
His reception. In one of the Samaritan villages He was refused
entertainment and a hearing, "because his face was as though he would go
to Jerusalem." Racial prejudice had superseded the obligations of
hospitality. This repulse is in unfavorable contrast with the
circumstances of His earlier visit among the Samaritans, when He had
been received with gladness and entreated to remain; but on that
occasion He was journeying not toward but farther from Jerusalem.[886]
The disrespect shown by the Samaritans was more than the disciples could
endure without protest. James and John, those Sons of Thunder, were so
resentful as to yearn for vengeance. Said they: "Lord, wilt thou that we
command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias
did?"[887] Jesus rebuked His uncharitable servants thus: "Ye know not
what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them." Repulsed in this village the
little company went to another, as the Twelve had been instructed to do
under like circumstances.[888] This was but one of the impressive
lessons given to the apostles in the matter of tolerance, forbearance,
charity, patience, and long-suffering.
Luke gives next place to the incident of three men who were desirous or
willing to become disciples of Christ; one of them seems to have been
discouraged at the prospect of hardship such as the ministry entailed;
the others wished to be temporarily excused from service, one that he
might attend the burial of his father, the other that he might first bid
his loved ones farewell. This, or a similar occurrence, is recorded by
Matthew in another connection, and has already received attention in
these pages.[889]
THE SEVENTY CHARGED AND SENT.
The supreme importance of our Lord's ministry, and the shortness of the
time remaining to Him in the flesh, demanded more missionary laborers.
The Twelve were to remain with Him to the end; every hour of possible
instruction and training had to be utilized in their further preparation
for the great responsibilities that would rest upon them after the
Master's departure. As assistants in the ministry, He called and
commissioned the Seventy, and straightway sent them forth,[890] "two and
two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would
come." The need of their service was explained in the introduction to
the impressive charge by which they were instructed in the duties of
their calling. "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great,
but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."[891]
Many matters on which the Twelve had been instructed prior to their
missionary tour were now repeated to the Seventy. They were told that
they must expect unfriendly and even hostile treatment; their situation
would be as that of lambs among wolves. They were to travel without
purse or scrip, and thus necessarily to depend upon the provision that
God would make through those to whom they came. As their mission was
urgent, they were not to stop on the way to make or renew personal
acquaintanceships. On entering a house they were to invoke peace upon
it; if the household deserved the gift peace would rest therein, but
otherwise the Lord's servants would feel that their invocation was
void.[892] To any family by whom they were received they were to impart
blessing--healing the afflicted, and proclaiming that the kingdom of God
had come nigh unto that house. They were not to go from one house to
another seeking better entertainment, nor should they expect or desire
to be feasted, but they should accept what was offered, eating that
which was set before them, thus sharing with the family. If rejected in
any city, they were to depart therefrom, leaving, however, their solemn
testimony that the city had turned away from the kingdom of God, which
had been brought to its doors, and attesting the same by ridding
themselves of the dust of that place.[893] It was not for them to
pronounce anathema or curse, but the Lord assured them that such a city
would bring upon itself a fate worse than the doom of Sodom.[894] He
reminded them that they were His servants, and therefore whoever heard
or refused to hear them would be judged as having so treated Him.
They were not restrained, as the Twelve had been, from entering
Samaritan towns or the lands of the Gentiles. This difference is
consistent with the changed conditions, for now the prospective
itinerary of Jesus would take Him into non-Jewish territory, where His
fame had already spread; and furthermore, His plan provided for an
extension of the gospel propaganda, which was to be ultimately
world-wide. The narrow Jewish prejudice against Gentiles in general and
Samaritans in particular was to be discountenanced; and proof of this
intent could not be better given than by sending authorized ministers
among those peoples. We must keep in mind the progressiveness of the
Lord's work. At first the field of gospel preaching was confined to the
land of Israel,[895] but the beginning of its extension was inaugurated
during our Lord's life, and was expressly enjoined upon the apostles
after His resurrection.[896] Duly instructed, the Seventy set out upon
their mission.[897]
Mention of the condemnation that would follow wilful rejection of the
authorized servants of God aroused in our Lord's mind sad memories of
the repulses He had suffered, and of the many unrepentant souls, in the
cities wherein He had accomplished so many mighty works. In profound
sorrow He predicted the woes then impending over Chorazin, Bethsaida,
and Capernaum.[898]
THE SEVENTY RETURN.
Considerable time may have elapsed, weeks or possibly months, between
the departure of the Seventy and their return. We are not told when or
where they rejoined the Master; but this we know, that the authority and
power of Christ had been abundantly manifest in their ministry; and that
they had rejoiced in the realization. "Lord," said they, "even the
devils are subject unto us through thy name."[899] This testimony was
followed by the Lord's solemn statement: "I beheld Satan as lightning
fall from heaven." This was said with reference to the expulsion of the
rebellious son of the morning, after his defeat by Michael and the
heavenly hosts.[900] Commending the Seventy for their faithful labors,
the Lord gave them assurance of further power, on the implied condition
of their continued worthiness: "I give unto you power to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing
shall by any means hurt you."[901] The promise that they should tread on
serpents and scorpions included immunity from injury by venomous
creatures if encountered in the path of duty[902] and power to prevail
over the wicked spirits that serve the devil, who is elsewhere expressly
called the serpent.[903] Great as was the power and authority thus
imparted, these disciples were told not to rejoice in such, nor
primarily in the fact that evil spirits were subject unto them, but
rather because they were accepted of the Lord, and that their names were
written in heaven.[904]
The righteous joy of His servants and His contemplation of their
faithfulness caused Jesus to rejoice. His happiness found its most
appropriate expression in prayer, and thus He prayed: "I thank thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so,
Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight." Compared with the learned
men of the time, such as the rabbis and scribes, whose knowledge served
but to harden their hearts against the truth, these devoted servants
were as babes in humility, trust, and faith. Such children were and are
among the nobles of the kingdom. As in the hours of darkest sorrow, so
in this moment of righteous exultation over the faithfulness of His
followers, Jesus communed with the Father, to do whose will was His sole
purpose.
Our Lord's joy on this occasion is comparable to that which He
experienced when Peter had burst forth with the confession of his soul:
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." In solemn discourse
Jesus said: "All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man
knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the
Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him." Then in more intimate
communion with the disciples He added: "Blessed are the eyes which see
the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings
have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them;
and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
We have seen that the Pharisees and their kind were constantly on the
alert to annoy and if possible disconcert Jesus on questions of law and
doctrine, and to provoke Him to some overt utterance or deed.[905] It
may be such an attempt that is recorded by Luke in immediate sequence to
his account of the joyous return of the Seventy,[906] for he tells us
that the "certain lawyer," of whom he speaks, put a question to tempt
Jesus. Viewing the questioner's motive with all possible charity, for
the basal meaning of the verb which appears in our version of the Bible
as "to tempt" is that of putting to test or trial and not necessarily
and solely to allure into evil,[907] though the element of entrapping or
ensnaring is connoted, we may assume that he wished to test the
knowledge and wisdom of the famous Teacher, probably for the purpose of
embarrassing Him. Certainly his purpose was not that of sincere search
for truth.
This lawyer, standing up among the people who had gathered to hear
Jesus, asked: "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"[908]
Jesus replied by a counter question, in which was plainly intimated that
if this man, who was professedly learned in the law, had read and
studied properly, he should know without asking what he ought to do.
"What is written in the law? how readest thou?" The man replied with an
admirable summary of the commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength,
and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself"[909] The answer was
approved. "This do, and thou shalt live" said Jesus. These simple words
conveyed a rebuke, as the lawyer must have realized; they indicated the
contrast between knowing and doing. Having thus failed in his plan to
confound the Master, and probably realizing that he, a lawyer, had made
no creditable display of his erudition by asking so simple a question
and then answering it himself, he tamely sought to justify himself by
inquiring further; "And who is my neighbour?" We may well be grateful
for the lawyer's question; for it served to draw from the Master's
inexhaustible store of wisdom one of His most appreciated parables.
The story is known as the _Parable of the Good Samaritan_; it runs as
follows:
"A certain 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. And by chance there
came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was
at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other
side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he
was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to
him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set
him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care
of him. 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."
Then of the lawyer Jesus asked: "Which now of these three, thinkest
thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He
that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou
likewise."[910]
Whatever of motive there may have been in the lawyer's query, "Who is my
neighbour?" aside from that of self-justification and a desire to
retreat in the best form possible from an embarrassing situation, we may
conceive to lie in the wish to find a limitation in the application of
the law, beyond which he would not be bound to go. If he had to love his
neighbors as he loved himself, he wanted to have as few neighbors as
possible. His desire may have been somewhat akin to that of Peter, who
was eager to learn just how many times he was required to forgive an
offending brother.[911]
The parable with which our Lord replied to the lawyer's question is rich
in interest as a story alone, and particularly so as an embodiment of
precious lessons. It was withal so true to existing conditions, that,
like the story of the sower who went forth to sow, and other parables
given by the Lord Jesus, it may be true history as well as parable. The
road between Jerusalem and Jericho was known to be infested by highway
robbers; indeed a section of the thoroughfare was called the Red Path or
Bloody Way because of the frequent atrocities committed thereon. Jericho
was prominent as a residence place for priests and Levites. A priest,
who, out of respect to his office, if for none other cause, should have
been willing and prompt in acts of mercy, caught sight of the wounded
traveler and passed by on the far side of the road. A Levite followed;
he paused to look, then passed on. These ought to have remembered the
specified requirement of the law--that if one saw an ass or an ox fall
down by the way, he should not hide himself, but should surely help the
owner to lift the creature up again.[912] If such was their duty toward
a brother's beast, much greater was their obligation when a brother
himself was in so extreme a plight.
Doubtless priest as well as Levite salved his conscience with ample
excuse for his inhumane conduct; he may have been in a hurry, or was
fearful, perhaps, that the robbers would return and make him also a
victim of their outrage. Excuses are easy to find; they spring up as
readily and plentifully as weeds by the wayside. When the Samaritan came
along and saw the wretched state of the wounded man, he had no excuse
for he wanted none. Having done what he could by way of emergency
treatment as recognized in the medical practise of the day, he placed
the injured one upon his own beast, probably a mule or an ass, and took
him to the nearest inn, where he tended him personally and made
arrangements for his further care. The essential difference between the
Samaritan and the others was that the one had a compassionate heart,
while they were unloving and selfish. Though not definitely stated, the
victim of the robbers was almost certainly a Jew; the point of the
parable requires it to be so. That the merciful one was a Samaritan,
showed that the people called heretic and despized by the Jews could
excel in good works. To a Jew, none but Jews were neighbors. We are not
justified in regarding priest, Levite, or Samaritan as the type of his
class; doubtless there were many kind and charitable Jews, and many
heartless Samaritans; but the Master's lesson was admirably illustrated
by the characters in the parable; and the words of His application were
pungent in their simplicity and appropriateness.
MARTHA AND MARY.[913]
On one of His visits to Bethany, a small town about two miles from
Jerusalem, Jesus was received at the home where dwelt two sisters,
Martha and Mary. Martha was housekeeper, and therefore she assumed
responsibility for the proper treatment of the distinguished Guest.
While she busied herself with preparations and "was cumbered about much
serving," well intended for the comfort and entertainment of Jesus, Mary
sat at the Master's feet, listening with reverent attention to His
words. Martha grew fretful in her bustling anxiety, and came in, saying:
"Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
bid her therefore that she help me." She was talking to Jesus but really
at Mary. For the moment she had lost her calmness in undue worry over
incidental details. It is reasonable to infer that Jesus was on terms of
familiarity in the household, else the good woman would scarcely have
appealed to Him in a little matter of domestic concern. He replied to
her complaining words with marked tenderness: "Martha, Martha, thou art
careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and
Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from
her."
There was no reproof of Martha's desire to provide well; nor any
sanction of possible neglect on Mary's part. We must suppose that Mary
had been a willing helper before the Master's arrival; but now that He
had come, she chose to remain with Him. Had she been culpably neglectful
of her duty, Jesus would not have commended her course. He desired not
well-served meals and material comforts only, but the company of the
sisters, and above all their receptive attention to what He had to say.
He had more to give them than they could possibly provide for Him. Jesus
loved the two sisters and their brother as well.[914] Both these women
were devoted to Jesus, and each expressed herself in her own way. Martha
was of a practical turn, concerned in material service; she was by
nature hospitable and self-denying. Mary, contemplative and more
spiritually inclined, showed her devotion through the service of
companionship and appreciation.[915]
By inattention to household duties, the little touches that make or mar
the family peace, many a woman has reduced her home to a comfortless
house; and many another has eliminated the essential elements of home by
her self-assumed and persistent drudgery, in which she denies to her
dear ones the cheer of her loving companionship. One-sided service,
however devoted, may become neglect. There is a time for labor inside
the home as in the open; in every family time should be found for
cultivating that better part, that one thing needful--true, spiritual
development.
ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU.[916]
"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when
he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray."
Our Lord's example and the spirit of prayer manifest in His daily life
moved the disciples to ask for instruction as to how they should pray.
No form of private prayer was given in the law, but formal prayers had
been prescribed by the Jewish authorities, and John the Baptist had
instructed his followers in the mode or manner of prayer. Responding to
the disciples' request, Jesus repeated that brief epitome of soulful
adoration and supplication which we call the Lord's Prayer. This He had
before given in connection with the Sermon on the Mount.[917] On this
occasion of its repetition, the Lord supplemented the prayer by
explaining the imperative necessity of earnestness and enduring
persistency in praying.
The lesson was made plain by the _Parable of the Friend at Midnight_:
"And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and
shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me
three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me,
and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall
answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my
children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say
unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is
his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give
him as many as he needeth."
The man to whose home a friend had come at midnight could not let his
belated and weary guest go hungry, yet there was no bread in the house.
He made his visitor's wants his own, and pleaded at his neighbor's door
as though asking for himself. The neighbor was loath to leave his
comfortable bed and disturb his household to accommodate another; but,
finding that the man at the door was importunate, he at last arose and
gave him what he asked, so as to get rid of him and be able to sleep in
peace. The Master added by way of comment and instruction: "_Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you._"
The hospitable man in the parable had refused to be repulsed; he kept on
knocking until the door was opened; and as a result received what he
wanted, found what he had set out to obtain. The parable is regarded by
some as a difficult one to apply, since it deals with the selfish and
comfort-loving element of human nature, and apparently uses this to
symbolize God's deliberate delay. The explanation, however, is clear
when the context is duly considered. The Lord's lesson was, that if man,
with all his selfishness and disinclination to give, will nevertheless
grant what his neighbor with proper purpose asks and continues to ask in
spite of objection and temporary refusal, with assured certainty will
God grant what is persistently asked in faith and with righteous intent.
No parallelism lies between man's selfish refusal and God's wise and
beneficent waiting. There must be a consciousness of real need for
prayer, and real trust in God, to make prayer effective; and in mercy
the Father sometimes delays the granting that the asking may be more
fervent. But in the words of Jesus: "If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
Sometime later Jesus spake another parable, the moral of which is so
closely akin to that of the story of the midnight visitor, as to suggest
the study of the later lesson here. It is known as the _Parable of the
Unjust Judge_, or of the _Importunate Widow_:
"There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither
regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came
unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not
for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear
not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I
will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary
me."[918]
The judge was of wicked character; he denied justice to the widow, who
could obtain redress from none other. He was moved to action by the
desire to escape the woman's importunity. Let us beware of the error of
comparing his selfish action with the ways of God. Jesus did not
indicate that as the wicked judge finally yielded to supplication so
would God do; but He pointed out that if even such a being as this
judge, who "feared not God, neither regarded man," would at last hear
and grant the widow's plea, no one should doubt that God, the Just and
Merciful, will hear and answer. The judge's obduracy, though wholly
wicked on his part, may have been ultimately advantageous to the widow.
Had she easily obtained redress she might have become again unwary, and
perchance a worse adversary than the first might have oppressed her. The
Lord's purpose in giving the parable is specifically stated; it was "to
this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint."[919]
CRITICISM ON PHARISEES AND LAWYERS.[920]
Varied comment as to the source of our Lord's superhuman powers was
aroused afresh by His merciful act of expelling a demon from a man, who,
in consequence of this evil possession had been dumb. The old Pharisaic
theory, that He cast out devils through the power of "Beelzebub, the
chief of the devils," was revived. The utter foolishness of such a
conception was demonstrated, as it had been on an earlier occasion to
which we have given attention.[921] The spiritual darkness, in which
evil men grope for signs, the disappointment and condemnation that await
them, and other precious precepts, Jesus elucidated in further
discourse.[922]
Then, by invitation He went to the house of a certain Pharisee to dine.
Other Pharisees, as also lawyers and scribes, were present. Jesus
intentionally omitted the ceremonial washing of hands, which all others
in the company scrupulously performed before taking their places at
table. This omission caused a murmur of disapproval if not an open
expression of fault-finding. Jesus utilized the occasion by voicing a
pungent criticism of Pharisaic externalism, which He likened to the
cleansing of cups and platters on the outside, while the inside is left
filthy. "Fools" said He, "did not he that made that which is without
make that which is within also?" In another form we may ask, Did not God
who established the outward observances of the law, ordain the inward
and spiritual requirements of the gospel also? In response to a question
by one of the lawyers, Jesus included them in His sweeping reproof.
Pharisees and scribes resented the censure to which they had been
subjected, and "began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to
speak of many things: laying wait for him, and seeking to catch
something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him." As our Lord's
recorded utterances on this occasion appear also in His final
denunciation of Pharisaism, later delivered at the temple, we may well
defer further consideration of the matter until we take up in order that
notable occurrence.[923]
THE DISCIPLES ADMONISHED AND ENCOURAGED.[924]
Popular interest in our Lord's movements was strong in the region beyond
Jordan, as it had been in Galilee. We read of Him surrounded by "an
innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon
another." Addressing the multitude, and more particularly His disciples,
Jesus warned them of the leaven of the Pharisees, which He characterized
as hypocrisy.[925] The recent scene at the table of a Pharisee gave
special significance to the warning. Some of the precepts recorded in
connection with His Galilean ministry were here repeated, and particular
stress was laid upon the superiority of the soul to the body, and of
eternal life as contrasted with the brief duration of mortal existence.
One man in the company, intent on selfish interests and unable to see
beyond the material affairs of life, spoke out saying, "Master, speak to
my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me." Jesus promptly
refused to act as mediator or judge in the matter. "Man, who made me a
judge or a divider over you?" was the Master's rejoinder. The wisdom
underlying His refusal to interfere is apparent. As in the case of the
guilty woman who had been brought before Him for judgment,[926] so in
this instance, He refrained from intervention in matters of legal
administration. An opposite course would have probably involved Him in
useless disputation, and might have given color to a complaint that He
was arrogating to Himself the functions of the legally established
tribunals. The man's appeal, however, was made the nucleus of valuable
instruction; his clamor for a share in the family inheritance caused
Jesus to say: "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
This combined admonition and profound statement of truth was emphasized
by the _Parable of the Foolish Rich Man_. Thus runs the story:
"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And
he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I
have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I
do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will
I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul,
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose
shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God."[927]
The man's abundance had been accumulated through labor and thrift;
neglected or poorly-tilled fields do not yield plentifully. He is not
represented as one in possession of wealth not rightfully his own. His
plans for the proper care of his fruits and goods were not of themselves
evil, though he might have considered better ways of distributing his
surplus, as for the relief of the needy. His sin was twofold; first, he
regarded his great store chiefly as the means of securing personal ease
and sensuous indulgence; secondly, in his material prosperity he failed
to acknowledge God, and even counted the years as his own. In the hour
of his selfish jubilation he was smitten. Whether the voice of God came
to him as a fearsome presentiment of impending death, or by angel
messenger, or how otherwise, we are not informed; but the voice spoke
his doom: "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of
thee."[928] He had used his time and his powers of body and mind to sow,
reap and garner--all for himself. And what came of it all? Whose should
be the wealth, to amass which he had jeopardized his soul? Had he been
other than a fool he might have realized as Solomon had done, the vanity
of hoarding wealth for another, and he perhaps of uncertain character,
to possess.[929]
Turning to the disciples Jesus reiterated some of the glorious truths He
had uttered when preaching on the mount,[930] and pointed to the birds
of the air, the lilies and grass of the field, as examples of the
Father's watchful care; He admonished His hearers to seek the kingdom of
God, and, doing so, they should find all needful things added. "Fear
not, little flock," He added in tone of affectionate and paternal
regard, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
They were urged to store their wealth in bags that wax not old,[931]
containers suited to the heavenly treasure which, unlike the goods of
the foolish rich man, shall not be left behind when the soul is
summoned. The man whose treasure is of earth leaves it all at death; he
whose wealth is in heaven goes to his own, and death is but the portal
to his treasury.
The disciples were admonished to be ever ready, waiting as servants wait
at night with lights burning, for their master's return; and, inasmuch
as the lord of the household comes at his will, in the early or later
watches, if when he comes he finds his faithful servants ready to open
immediately to his knock he will honor them as they deserve. So is the
Son of Man to come, perhaps when least expected. To a question
interjected by Peter as to whether "this parable" was spoken to the
Twelve only or to all, Jesus made no direct reply; the answer, however,
was conveyed in the continuation of the allegory of contrast between
faithful and wicked servants.[932] "Who then is that faithful and wise
steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them
their portion of meat in due season?" The faithful steward is a good
type of the apostles, individually or as a body. As stewards they were
charged with the care of the other servants, and of the household; and
as to them more had been given than to the others, so of them more would
be required; and they would be held to strict accountability for their
stewardship.
The Lord then referred feelingly to His own mission, and especially to
the dreadful experiences then soon to befall Him, saying: "I have a
baptism to be baptised with; and how am I straitened till it be
accomplished!" He told again of the strife and dissension that would
follow the preaching of His gospel, and dwelt upon the significance of
then current events. To those who, ever ready to interpret the signs of
the weather, yet remained wilfully blind to the important developments
of the times, He applied the caustic epithet, hypocrites![933]
"EXCEPT YE REPENT YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH."[934]
Some of the people who had been listening to our Lord's discourse
reported to Him the circumstances of a tragical event that had taken
place, probably but a short time before, inside the temple walls. A
number of Galileans had been slain by Roman soldiers, at the base of the
altar, so that their blood had mingled with that of the sacrificial
victims. It is probable that the slaughter of these Galileans was
incident to some violent demonstration of Jewish resentment against
Roman authority, which the procurator, Pilate, construed as an incipient
insurrection, to be promptly and forcibly quelled. Such outbursts were
not uncommon, and the Roman tower or fortress of Antonia had been
erected in a commanding position overlooking the temple grounds, and
connected therewith by a wide flight of steps, so that soldiers could
have ready access to the enclosure at the first indication of turmoil.
The purpose of the informants who brought this matter to the attention
of Jesus is not stated; but we find probability in the thought that His
reference to the signs of the times had reminded them of the tragedy,
and that they were inclined to speculate as to the deeper significance
of the occurrence. Some may have wondered as to whether the fate of the
Galilean victims had befallen them as a merited retribution. Anyway, to
some such conception as this Jesus directed His reply. By question and
answer He assured them that those who had so been slain were not to be
considered as sinners above other Galileans; "But," said He, "except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Then, referring on His own initiative to another catastrophe, He cited
the instance of eighteen persons who had been killed by the fall of a
tower at Siloam, and affirmed that these were not to be counted greater
sinners than other Jerusalemites. "But," came the reiteration, "except
ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." There were perhaps some who
believed that the men upon whom the tower had fallen had deserved their
fate; and this conception is the more probable if the generally accepted
assumption be correct, that the calamity came upon the men while they
were engaged under Roman employ in work on the aqueduct, for the
construction of which Pilate had used the "corban" or sacred treasure,
given by vow to the temple.[935]
It is not man's prerogative to pass upon the purposes and designs of
God, nor to judge by human reason alone that this person or that suffers
disaster as a direct result of individual sin.[936] Nevertheless men
have ever been prone to so judge. There are many inheritors of the
spirit of Job's friends, who assumed his guilt as certain because of the
great misfortunes and sufferings that had come upon him.[937] Even while
Jesus spake, calamity dark and dire was impending over temple, city and
nation; and unless the people would repent and accept the Messiah then
in their midst, the decree of destruction would be carried to its dread
fulfilment. Hence, as Jesus said, except the people repented they should
perish. The imperative need of reformation was illustrated by the
_Parable of the Barren Fig Tree_.
"A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he
came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto
the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come
seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why
cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord,
let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung
it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou
shalt cut it down."[938]
In Jewish literature, particularly in rabbinical lore, the fig tree is
of frequent mention as a symbol of the nation. The warning conveyed in
the parable is plain; the element of possible escape is no less evident.
If the fig tree represents the covenant people, then the vineyard is
naturally the world at large, and the dresser of the vineyard is the Son
of God, who by personal ministry and solicitous care makes intercession
for the barren tree, in the hope that it may yet bear fruit. The parable
is of universal application; but so far as it had special bearing upon
the Jewish "fig tree" of that time, it was attended by an awful sequel.
The Baptist had cried out in warning that the ax was even then in
readiness, and every unfruitful tree would be hewn down.[939]
A WOMAN HEALED ON THE SABBATH.[940]
On a certain Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a synagog, of what place we
are not told, though it was probably in one of the towns of Perea. There
was present a woman who for eighteen years had been suffering from an
infirmity that had so drawn and atrophied the muscles as to bend her
body so that she could in no wise straighten herself. Jesus called her
to Him, and without waiting for petition or request, said simply,
"Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." These words He
accompanied by the laying-on of hands, a feature of His healing
ministrations not always performed. She was healed forthwith and stood
erect; and, acknowledging the source of the power by which she had been
released from her bonds, glorified God in a fervent prayer of
thanksgiving. Doubtless many of the beholders rejoiced with her; but
there was one whose soul was stirred by indignation only; and he, the
ruler of the synagog. Instead of addressing himself to Jesus, of whose
power he may have been afraid, he vented his ill feeling upon the
people, by telling them there were six days in which men ought to work,
and that on those days they who wished to be healed should come, but not
on the Sabbath. The rebuke was ostensibly directed to the people,
especially to the woman who had received the blessing, but in reality
against Jesus; for if there were any element of work in the healing it
had been done by Him, not by the woman nor by others. Upon the ruler of
the synagog the Lord turned with direct address: "Thou hypocrite, doth
not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the
stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a
daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be
loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?"
It may be inferred that the woman's affliction had been more deeply
seated than in the muscles; for Luke who was himself a physician[941]
tells us she "had a spirit of infirmity," and records the significant
words of the Lord to the effect that Satan had held her bound for
eighteen years. But whatever her ailment, whether wholly physical or in
part mental and spiritual, she was freed from her bonds. Again was the
Christ triumphant; His adversaries were shamed into silence, while the
believers rejoiced. The rebuke to the ruler of the synagog was followed
by a brief discourse in which Jesus gave to these people some of the
teachings before delivered in Galilee; these included the parables of
the mustard seed and the leaven.[942]
WILL MANY OR FEW BE SAVED?[943]
Continuing His journey toward Jerusalem, Jesus taught in many of the
cities and towns of Perea. His coming had probably been announced by the
Seventy, who had been sent to prepare the people for His ministry. One
of those who had been impressed by His doctrines submitted this
question: "Lord, are there few that be saved?" Jesus replied: "Strive to
enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to
enter in, and shall not be able."[944] The counsel was enlarged upon to
show that neglect or procrastination in obeying the requirements for
salvation may result in the soul's loss. When the door is shut in
judgment many will come knocking, and some will plead that they had
known the Lord, having eaten and drunk in His company, and that He had
taught upon their streets; but to them who had failed to accept the
truth when offered the Lord shall say: "I tell you, I know you not
whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." The people
were warned that their Israelitish lineage would in no wise save them,
for many who were not of the covenant people would believe and be saved,
while unworthy Israelites would be thrust out.[945] So is it that "There
are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."
JESUS WARNED OF HEROD'S DESIGN.[946]
On the day of the discourse last noted, certain Pharisees came to Jesus
with this warning and advice: "Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod
will kill thee."[947] We have heretofore found the Pharisees in open
hostility to the Lord, or secretly plotting against Him; and some
commentators regard this warning as another evidence of Pharisaic
cunning--possibly intended to rid the province of Christ's presence, or
designed to drive Him toward Jerusalem, where He would be again within
easy reach of the supreme tribunal. Ought we not to be liberal and
charitable in our judgment as to the intent of others? Doubtless there
were good men in the fraternity of Pharisees,[948] and those who came
informing Christ of a plot against His life were possibly impelled by
humane motives, and may even have been believers at heart. That Herod
had designs against our Lord's liberty or life appears most probable in
the answer Jesus made. He received the information in all seriousness,
and His comment thereon is one of the strongest of His utterances
against an individual. "Go ye," said He, "and tell that fox, Behold, I
cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day
I shall be perfected." The specifying of today, tomorrow, and the third
day, was a means of expressing the present in which the Lord was then
acting, the immediate future, in which He would continue to minister,
since, as He knew, the day of His death was yet several months distant,
and the time at which his earthly work would be finished and He be
perfected. He placed beyond doubt the fact that He did not intend to
hasten His steps, neither cut short His journey nor cease His labors
through fear of Herod Antipas, who for craft and cunning was best
typified by a sly and murderous fox. Nevertheless it was Christ's
intention to go on, and soon in ordinary course He would leave Perea,
which was part of Herod's domain, and enter Judea; and at the foreknown
time would make His final entry into Jerusalem, for in that city was He
to accomplish his sacrifice. "It cannot be," He explained, "that a
prophet perish out of Jerusalem."
The awful reality that He, the Christ, would be slain in the chief city
of Israel wrung from Him the pathetic apostrophe over Jerusalem, which
was repeated when for the last time His voice was heard within the
temple walls.[949]
NOTES TO CHAPTER 26.
1. Christ's Ministry Following His Final Withdrawal From Galilee.--John
tells us that when Jesus went from Galilee to Jerusalem to attend the
Feast of Tabernacles, He went "not openly, but as it were in secret"
(7:10). It appears improbable that the numerous works recorded by the
synoptic writers as features of our Lord's ministry, which extended from
Galilee through Perea, into Samaria and parts of Judea, could have
attended that special and, as it were secret, journey, at the time of
the Feast of Tabernacles. The lack of agreement among writers as to the
sequence of events in Christs' life is wide. A comparison of the
"Harmonies" published in the most prominent Bible Helps (see e.g. Oxford
and Bagster "Helps") exemplifies these divergent views. The
subject-matter of our Lord's teachings maintains its own intrinsic worth
irrespective of merely circumstantial incidents. The following excerpt
from Farrar (_Life of Christ_, chap. 42) will be of assistance to the
student, who should bear in mind, however, that it is professedly but a
tentative or possible arrangement. "It is well known that the whole of
one great section in St. Luke--from 9:51 to 18:30--forms an episode in
the Gospel narrative of which many incidents are narrated by this
Evangelist alone, and in which the few identifications of time and place
all point to one slow and solemn progress from Galilee to Jerusalem
(9:51; 13:22; 17:11; 10:38). Now after the Feast of Dedication our Lord
retired into Perea, until He was summoned thence by the death of Lazarus
(John 10:40, 42; 11:1-46); after the resurrection [raising] of Lazarus,
He fled to Ephraim (11:54); and He did not leave His retirement at
Ephraim until He went to Bethany, six days before His final Passover
(12:1).
"This great journey, therefore, from Galilee to Jerusalem, so rich in
occasions which called forth some of His most memorable utterances, must
have been either a journey to the Feast of Tabernacles or to the Feast
of Dedication. That it could not have been the former may be regarded as
settled, not only on other grounds, but decisively because that was a
rapid and secret journey, this an eminently public and leisurely one.
"Almost every inquirer seems to differ to a greater or less degree as to
the exact sequence and chronology of the events which follow. Without
entering into minute and tedious disquisitions where absolute certainty
is impossible, I will narrate this period of our Lord's life in the
order which, after repeated study of the Gospels, appears to me to be
the most probable, and in the separate details of which I have found
myself again and again confirmed by the conclusions of other independent
inquirers. And here I will only premise my conviction--
"1. That the episode of St. Luke up to 18:30, mainly refers to a single
journey, although unity of subject, or other causes, may have led the
sacred writer to weave into his narrative some events or utterances
which belong to an earlier or later epoch.
"2. That the order of the facts narrated even by St. Luke alone is not,
and does not in any way claim to be, strictly chronological; so that the
place of any event in the narrative by no means necessarily indicates
its true position in the order of time.
"3. That this journey is identical with that which is partially recorded
in Matt. 18:1; 20:16; Mark 10:1-31.
"4. That (as seems obvious from internal evidence) the events narrated
in Matt. 20:17-28; Mark 10:32-45; Luke 18:31-34, belong not to this
journey but to the last which Jesus ever took--the journey from Ephraim
to Bethany and Jerusalem."
2. Jesus at the Home in Bethany.--Some writers (e.g. Edersheim) place
this incident as having occurred in the course of our Lord's journey to
Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Tabernacles; others (e.g. Geikie)
assume that it took place immediately after that feast; and yet others
(e.g. Farrar) assign it to the eve of the Feast of Dedication, nearly
three months later. The place given it in the text is that in which it
appears in the scriptural record.
3. Shall but Few be Saved?--Through latter-day revelation we learn that
graded conditions await us in the hereafter, and that beyond salvation
are the higher glories of exaltation. The specified kingdoms or glories
of the redeemed, excepting the sons of perdition, are the Celestial, the
Terrestrial, and the Telestial. Those who obtain place in the Telestial,
the lowest of the three, are shown to be "as innumerable as the stars in
the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore." And these
shall not be equal, "For they shall be judged according to their works,
and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own
dominion, in the mansions which are prepared. And they shall be servants
of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come,
worlds without end." See Doc. and Cov. 76:111, 112; read the entire
section; see also _The Articles of Faith_ xxii:16-27; and p. 601 herein.
FOOTNOTES:
[881] John 10:22.
[882] Note 1, end of chapter.
[883] Luke 9:51.
[884] John 10:40; 11:54.
[885] Luke 9:51-56.
[886] John 4:4-42; page 176 herein.
[887] Luke 9:54; compare 2 Kings 1:10, 12.
[888] Matt. 10:23.
[889] Luke 9:57-62; see pages 305-307 herein.
[890] Luke 10:1-12.
[891] Compare Matt. 9:37, 38; see also John 4:35.
[892] Edersheim (vol. ii, p. 138) says: "The expression 'if the son of
peace be there' is a Hebraism, equivalent to 'if the house be worthy'
(compare Matt. 10:13) and refers to the character of the head of the
house and the tone of the household."
[893] Compare Matt. 10:14; page 329 herein.
[894] Compare the charge given the Seventy with that of the Twelve,
Matt. 10:5-42; Mark 6:7-11; Luke 9:1-5; see page 328 herein.
[895] Matt. 10:5, 6; 15:24.
[896] Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15.
[897] Doc. and Cov. 107:25; 124:137-140; see also "Articles of Faith,"
xi:20, 28. The special office of the Seventy has been reestablished in
the restored Church; and in this, the last dispensation, many quorums of
Seventy are maintained for the work of the ministry. The office of the
Seventy is one belonging to the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood.
[898] Luke 10:13-15; compare Matt. 11:20-24; see page 258 herein.
[899] Luke 10:17.
[900] Rev. 9:1; 12:8, 9; see pages 6 and 7 herein.
[901] Luke 10:19; read verses 20-24.
[902] Compare Mark 16:18; Acts 28:5.
[903] Rev. 12:9; 20:2; compare Gen. 3:1-4, 14, 15.
[904] Compare Rev. 13:8; 20:12; 21:27.
[905] Compare Mark 12:13; see also Luke 11:53, 54.
[906] Luke 10:25-37.
[907] Compare Gen. 22:1.
[908] Compare Matt. 19:16; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18.
[909] Luke 10:27; compare Deut. 6:5, and Lev. 19:18; see also Matt.
22:35-40.
[910] Luke 10:30-37.
[911] Matt. 18:21, 22; compare Luke 17:4; page 392 herein.
[912] Deut. 22:4; compare. Exo. 23:5.
[913] Luke 10:38-42. Note 2, end of chapter.
[914] John 11:5.
[915] Compare John 12:2, 3.
[916] Luke 11:1-13.
[917] Pages 238-241.
[918] Luke 18:2-5; read verses 1, and 6-8. See also Doc. and Cov.
101:81-94.
[919] Luke 18:1; compare 21:36; Rom. 12:12; Eph. 6:18; Col. 4:2; 1
Thess. 5:17.
[920] Luke 11:37-54.
[921] Luke 11:14-28; see page 265 herein.
[922] Luke 11:29-36; see page 270 herein.
[923] Matt. 23; see chapter 31 herein.
[924] Luke 12:1-12.
[925] Page 359.
[926] Page 404.
[927] Luke 12:14-21.
[928] Compare the fate that overtook Nebuchadnezzar, while the words of
boastful pride were yet in his mouth (Dan. 4:24-33); and that of
Belshazzar, before whose eyes appeared the hand of destiny in the midst
of his riotous feast; in that night was the king's soul required of him.
(Dan. 5.)
[929] Eccles. 2:18, 19; compare succeeding verses; see also Psa. 39:6:
49:6-20; Job 27: 16, 17.
[930] Luke 12:22-31; compare Matt. 6:25-34.
[931] Compare Matt. 6:20.
[932] Luke 12:35-48.
[933] Luke 12:49-57; compare Matt. 10:34-37.
[934] Luke 13:1-5.
[935] Josephus, Wars ii, 9:4; also page 352 herein.
[936] Compare John 9:2, 3; also page 413 herein.
[937] Job 4:7; 8:2-14, 20; 22:5.
[938] Luke 13:6-9.
[939] Luke 3:9.
[940] Luke 13:11-17.
[941] Colos. 4:14.
[942] Luke 13:19-21; see pages 290, 291 herein.
[943] Luke 13:23-30. Note 3, end of chapter.
[944] Compare Matt. 7:13.
[945] Compare Matt. 7:23; 8:11, 12; 19:30; Mark 10:31.
[946] Luke 13:31-33.
[947] In the revised version the last clause reads "for Herod would fain
kill thee."
[948] Paul the apostle had been a Pharisee of the most pronounced type.
(Acts 23:6; 26:5.)
[949] Luke 13:34, 35: compare Matt. 23:37-39.