He heals a paralytic person. ST. LUKE. A. M. 4031. be healed by him of their in- | Who can forgive sins, but A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. CCI. 3. 16 m And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 17 ¶ And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 And, behold, men brought in a bed, a man which was taken with a palsy and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch, into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? m Matt. 14. 23. Mark 6. 46.-n Matt. 9. 2. Mark 2. 3.-0 Matt. 9. 3. Mark 2. 6, 7. Verse 16. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness] Or rather, he frequently withdrew into the desert. This I believe to be the import of the original words, nv urxwgwv. He made it a frequent custom to withdraw from the multitudes for a time, and pray, teaching hereby the ministers of the Gospel that they are to receive fresh supplies of light and power from God by prayer; that they may be the more successful in their work; and that they ought to seek frequent opportunities of being in private with God and their books. A man can give nothing unless he first receive it; and no man can be successful in the ministry, who does not constantly depend upon God, for the excellence of the power is all from him. Why is there so much preaching, and so little good done? Is it not because the preachers mix too much with the world, keep too long in the crowd, and are so seldom in private with God? Reader! Art thou a herald for the Lord of Hosts? Make full proof of thy ministry! Let it never be said of thee," He forsook all to follow Christ, and to preach his Gospel, but there was little or no fruit of his labour; for he ceased to be a mun of prayer, and got into the spirit of the world." Alas! alas! is this luminous star, that was once held in the right hand of Jesus, fallen from the firmament of heaven, down to the EARTH! Verse 17. On a certain day] This was when he was at Capernaum. See Mark ii. 1. The power of the Lord] Auvauis Kugiou-the mighty or miraculous power of the Lord, i. e. of Jesus, was there to heal them; as many as were diseased either in body or soul. Where 378 A. D. 27. An. Olymp. CCI. 3. their thoughts, he answering, said unto of man hath power upon earth to forgive 25 And immediately he rose up behe lay, and departed to his own house, fore them, and took up that whereon glorifying God. they glorified God, and were filled with 26 And they were all amazed, and fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. r forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, lowed him. PPsalms 32. 5. & 103. 14. Isaiah 43. 25.- Matthew 9. 9. Mark the teaching of Christ is, there also is the power of Christ to redeem and save. Verse 18. A man-taken with a palsy] See this case described on Matt. ix. 1, &c. and Mark ii. 1, &c. Matt. xxiv. 17. alone?] If Jesus were not God, he could not Verse 26. Strange things] Пagadoça, parafalse and absurd, but is not really so: or, somedoxes. A paradox is something that appears thing contrary to the commonly received opinion. impossible; and we should conclude them to We have seen wonders wrought which seem be tricks and illusions, were it not for the indisputable evidence we have of their reality. Verse 27. Levi] See on Matt. ix. 9. Mark ii. 14. Verse 28. And he left all] KaraλITOV-comconnected with it. He who wishes to preach pletely abandoning his office, and every thing have no earthly entanglement. If he have, his the Gospel like the disciples of Christ, must whole labour will be marred by it. The contudes, to whom he preaches, are sufficient to cerns of his own soul, and those of the multi A M. 4031- 29 ¶ And Levi made him || An. Olymp. a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans, and of others that sat down with them. 30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 31 And Jesus answering, said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. V 33 T And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? 34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber Matt. 9. 10. Mark 2. 15.-t Ch. 15. 1.-u Matt. 9. 13. 1Tim. 1. 15. engross all his attention, and to employ all bis powers. Verse 29. A great feast] Doxy μegann, a splendid entertainment. The word refers more properly to the number of the guests, and the manner in which they were received, than to the quality or quantity of the fare. A great number of his friends and acquaintance was collected on the occasion, that they might be convinced of the propriety of the change he had made, when they had the opportunity of seeing and hearing his heavenly Teacher. Verse 30. Why do ye eat and drink, &c.]|| See what passed at this entertainment, considered at large on Matt. ix. 10—17. Mark ii. 15-22. Verse 37. The new wine will burst the bottles] These old bottles would not be able to stand the fermentation of the new wine, as the old sewing would be apt to give way. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that the Eastern bottles are made of skins; generally those of goats. Verss 39. The old is better.] Xensorigos-is more agreeable to the taste or palate. Herodotus, the scholiast on Aristophanes, and Homer, use the word in this sense. See Raphelius. The old wine, among the rabbins, was the wine of three leaves: that is, wine three years old; because from the time that the vine had produced that wine, it had put forth its leaves three times. See Lightfoot. answered by a parable. fast, while the bridegroom is A. M. 4031. with them? A. D. 27. An. Olymp. CCI. 3. 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. W 36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. 37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. 38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. 39 No man also having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is better. ▾ Matthew 9. 14. Mark 2. 18.-w Matthew 9. 16, 17. Mark 2. 21, 22. 1. THE miraculous draught of fishes--the cleansing of the leper-the healing of the paralytic person-the calling of Levi-and the parable of the old and new bottles, and the old and new wine-all related in this chapter, make it not only very entertaining, but highly instructive. There are few chapters in the New Testament, from which a preacher of the Gospel can derive more lessons of instruction: and the reader would naturally expect a more particular explanation of its several parts, had not this been anticipated in the notes and observations on Matt. ix. to which chapter it will be well to refer. 2. The conduct as well as the preaching of our Lord is highly edifying. His manner of teaching made every thing he spoke interesting and impressive. He had many prejudices to remove, and he used admirable address in order to meet and take them out of the way. There is as much to be observed in the manner of speaking the truth, as in the truth itself, in order to make it effectual to the salvation of them who hear it. A harsh, unfeeling method of preaching the promises of the Gospel, and a smiling manner of producing the terrors of the Lord, are equally reprehensible. Some preachers are always severe and magisterial: others are always mild and insinuating: neither of these can do God's work; and it would take two such to make one PREACHER. CHAPTER VI. The disciples pluck and eat the ears of corn on the sabbath day, and the Pharisees find fault, 1, 2. Our Lord shows the true use of the sabbath, 3-5. He heals the man with the withered hand, 6-11. He goes into a mountain to pray, and calla twelve disciples, 12-16. Multitudes are instructed and healed, 17-19. Pronounces four blessings, 20-23; and four woes, 24-26. Gives various instructions about loving our enemies, being patient, gentle, kind, grateful, and merciful, 27-30. Harsh judgments censured, and charity recommended, 37, 38. The parable of the blind leading the blind, 39. Of the mote in a brother's eye, 40-42. Of the good and corrupt tree, 43, 44. The good and evil treasure of the heart, 45. The parable of the two houses, one builded on the rock, and the other on the sand, 46-49. The disciples pluck and eat ST. LUKE. A. M. 4031. ND it came to pass on || unto them, Why do ye that A. M. 4031. corn on the sabbath day. A the second sabbath after which is not lawful to do on AA. D the sabbath days? CCI. 3. the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples 'plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And certain of the Pharisees said a Matt. 12. 1. Mark 2. 23.-b Lev. 23. 7, 8. Deut. NOTES ON CHAPTER VI. Verse 1. On the second sabbath after the first] Εν σαββάτω δευτεριπρωτω, in the first sabbath after the second. What does this mean? In answering this question, commentators are greatly divided. After the first day of the passover, (which was Dr. Whitby speaks thus: a sabbath, Exod. xii. 16.) ye shall count unto you seven sabbaths complete, Levit. xxiii. 15. reckoning that day for the first of the first week, which was therefore called deurigongarov, the first sabbath from the second day of unleavened bread, (the 16th of the month ;) the second was called durigodaregov, the second sabbath from that day; and the third, deursgorgirov, the third sabbath from the second day; and so on, till they came to the seventh sabbath from that day, i. e. to the 49th day, which was the day of pentecost. The mention of the seven sabbaths, to be numbered with relation to this second day, answers all that Grotius objects against this exposition." WHITBY'S Notes. By this sabbath seems meant that, which immediately followed the two great feasts, the first and last day of the passover, and was therefore the second after the proper passover day. The words in the Greek seem to signify, the second first sabbath and in the opinion of some, the Jews had three first sabbaths: viz. the first sabbath after the passover; that after the feast of pentecost; and that after the feast of tabernacles. According to which opinion, this second first sabbath must have been the first sabbath after the pentecost. So we have the first Sunday after Epiphany; the first after Easter; the first after Trinity; and the first in Lent. Bp. PEARCE. This was the next day after the passover, the day in which they were forbidden to labour, Lev. xxiii. 6. and for this reason was termed sabbath, Lev. xxiii. 15. but here it is marked by the name, second first sabbath, because being the day after the passover, it was in this respect the second: and it was also the first, because it was the first day of unleavened bread, Exod. xii. 15, 16. MARTIN. I think, with many commentators, that this transaction happened on the first sabbath of the month Nisan; that is, after the second day of the feast of unleavened bread. We may well suppose that our Lord and his disciples were on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee, after having kept the passover. Bp. NEW COME. The Vulgar Latin renders δευτερόπρωτον, secundo-primum, which is literal and right. We translate it, the second sabbath after the first, which is directly wrong; for it should have been the first sabbath after the second day of the passover. On the 14th of Nisan the passover was killed; the next day (the 15th) was the first day of the feast of unleavened || 380 D. 27. CCI. 3. Have ye not read so much as this, "what 3 And Jesus answering them said, gered, and they which were with him; David did, when himself was an hun 23. 25. John 19. 31.-e Exod. 20. 10.-d 1 Sam. 21. 6. sheaf was offered, pursuant to the law, on the bread; the day following (the 16th) the waveThe sabbath here, is not the seventh day of the morrow after the sabbath; Lev. xxiii. 11. week, but the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, let it fall on what day of the week it would. That and the seventh day of that feast were holy convocations, and therefore are after the sabbath, i. e. after the 16th day of here called sabbaths. Nisan, was the day in which the wave-sheaf The morrow therefore was offered; and after that seven sabbaths were fiftieth day inclusively was the day of pentecost. counted, and fifty days completed, and the Now these sabbaths, between the passover and pentecost, were called the first, second, &c. sabbaths after the second day of the feast of unleavened bread. This sabbath, then, on which first sabbath after that second day. Dr. Lightthe disciples plucked the ears of corn, was the foot has demonstrably proved this to be the Hebraic. in locum,) and from him, F. Lamy meaning of this σαββατον δευτεροπρωτον, (Hor. and Dr. Whitby have so explained it. This sabbath could not fall before the passover, because, till the second day of that feast, no Jew might eat either bread, or parched corn, or green ears. (Levit. xxiii. 14.) Had the disciples then gathered these ears of corn on any sabbath before the passover, they would have breach of these two laws, they would infallibly broken two laws instead of one; and for the have been accused: whereas now they broke only one, (plucking the ears of standing corn with one's hand, being expressly allowed in the law, Deut. xxiii. 25.) which was that of the gave them upon any other day; and our Lord sabbath. They took a liberty, which the law vindicated them in what they did now, in the pentecost; because then the harvest was fully manner we see. Nor can this fact be laid after in. bath happened; and this is a plain determina- omitted by BL. four others, Syriac, latter Arabic, all the Persic, Coptic, Ethiopic, and The word deurgergara, the second first, three of the Itala. A note in the margin of the latter Syriac, says, This is not in all copies. The above MSS. read the verse thus: It came to pass, that he walked through the corn fields above word, because they found it difficult to on a sabbath day. I suppose they omitted the fix the meaning, which has been too much the case in other instances. xii. 2-8. Verse 3. What David did] See on Mark ii. 26, 27. He heals the man A. M. 4031. CCI. 3. CHAP. VI. 4 How he went into the Dimp. house of God, and did take and eat the show-bread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat, but for the priests alone? 5 And he said unto them, that the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 6 ¶ And it came pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the wither • Lev. 24. 9.-f Matt. 12. 9. Mark 3. 1. Sco Verse 4. After this verse, the Codex Beza with the withered hand. A. D. 27. led hand, Rise up, and stand A. M. 4031. CCI. 3. 9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so and his hand was restored whole as the other. 11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another, what they might do to Jesus. 12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went into a mountain to pray; and continued all night in prayer to God. Ch. 13. 14. & 14. 3. John 9. 16.-g Matt. 14. 23. 5. omit the word vyns, whole. Griesbach leaves Verse 11. They were filled with madness] Pride, obstinacy, and interest combined together, are capable of any thing. When men their passions, madness passes for zeal, the have once framed their conscience according to blackest conspiracies for pious designs, and the most horrid attempts for heroic actions. QUESNEL. Verse 12. In prayer to God.] Or, in the prayer of God: or, in the oratory of God, tv TM προσευχή του Θεν. So this passage is translated the following reasons: As the mountain of God, by many critics; for which Dr. Whitby gives Verse 6. Whose right hand was withered.] Exod. iii. 1. iv. 27. the bread of God, Lev. See on Matt. xii. 10, &c. The critic who says xxi. 17. the lamp of God, 1 Sam. iii. 3. the that Engar xuga signifies a luxated arm, and vessels of God, 1 Chron. xxii. 19. the altar of li. 17. the gifts of God, Luke xxi. 4. the ministhat the stretching it out restored the bone to God, Psal. xliii. 4. the sacrifices of God, Psal. its proper place, without the intervention of a miracle, deserves no serious refutation. Seeters of God, 2 Cor. vi. 4. the tabernacle of God, on ver. 10. Verse 7. Watched him] ПagsTnROUT AUTOV, they maliciously watched him. This is the import of the word, chap. xiv. 1. xx. 20. and in the parallel place, Mark iii. 1. See Raphelius on the last quoted text, who has proved by several quotations, that this is the proper meaning of the term. An accusation against him] Instead of xarogar autou, his accusation, several eminent MMSS. and versions add xara, against, which I find our translators have adopted. Verse 9. I will ask you one thing] I will put a question to you. See on Mark iii. 4, 5. Verse 10. Whole as the other.] Many MSS. both here and in the parallel place, Mark iii. 2 Chron. i. 3. the temple of God, Matt. xxi. 381 Jesus chooses A. M. 4031. CCI. 3. ST. LUKE. 13 And when it was day he 16 And Judask the brother of James, 17 ¶ And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the com b Matt. 10. 1.-i John 1. 42.-k Jude 1.- Matt. 4. 25. Mark twelve disciples. A. D. 27. CCI.3. ||pany of his disciples, and a A. M. 4031. unclean spirits; and they were healed. 20 T And he lifted up his eyes on his poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. disciples, and said, Blessed be ye 21 P Blessed are ye that hunger now: n Mark 5. 30. Ch. 8. 46.-0 Matt. 5. 3. & 11. 5. James 2. 5. p Isai. 55. 1. & 65. 13. Matt. 5. 6. Ede ubi consistas; in qua te quæro proseucha? In what house of prayer may I find thee begging? zealous for religion, and yet practised the very See on Acts xvi. 13. But on this it may be cious Bp. Pearce,) Josephus says of the zealots, worst of actions." observed, that as the mountains of God, the at the time when Vespasian was marching "But this, (says the judiwind of God, the hail of God, the trees of God, toward Jerusalem. They probably were men &c. mean very high mountains, a very strong of a different character above forty years bewind, great and terrible hail, very tall trees, fore; which was the time when Jesus chose &c. so goox" Tou sou here, may be very his twelve apostles, one of whom had the surproperly translated the prayer of God; i. e. very fervent and earnest prayer: and though this name was first given to certain persons who name of the Zealot." It is very probable, that SavunTegev may signify, to lodge in a place for were more zealous for the cause of pure and a night, yet there are various places in the best undefiled religion, than the rest of their neighGreek writers, in which it is used, not to sig-bours: but, like many other sects and parties nify a place, but to pass the night in a particular state. So Appian, Bell. Pun. Ev TOIS 2015 διενυκτέρευσε μήθ' απαντων night under arms with them all. Idem, Bell. -He passed the Civ. lib. v. SievUxTegevov-they passed the night without food, without any regard to the body, and in the want of all things. See more examples in Kypke, who concludes by translating the passage thus: He passed the night without sleep in prayers to God. Some of the Jews imagine that God himself prays; and this is one of his petitions: Let it be my good pleasure, that my mercy overcome my wrath. See more in Lightfoot. Verse 13. He chose twelve] Exxsausvos a AUTO, he chose twelve our of them. at this time had several disciples, persons who Our Lord were converted to God under his ministry; and out of these converts he chose twelve, whom he appointed to the work of the ministry; and called them apostles, i. e. persons sent or commissioned by himself, to preach that Gospel to others, by which they had themselves been saved. These were favoured with extraordinary success: 1. Because they were brought to the knowledge of God themselves. 2. Because they received their commission from the great head of the church. And 3. Because as he had sent them, he continued to accompany their preaching with the power of his spirit. These three things always unite in the character of a genuine apostle. See on Matt. x. 1-4. Verse 15. Called Zelotes] Some Jews gave this name to themselves, according to Josephus, (War, b. iv. c. iii. s. 9. and vii. c. viii. s. 1.) because they pretended to be more than ordinarily 382 who have begun well, they transferred their v. 1. which is supposed to be the parallel place, Having Verse 20. Blessed be ye poor] See the serMatt. v. vi. vii. mon on the mount paraphrased and explained, |