IV. (1-13) BEING FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST. — See Notes on Matthew 4:1. The words used by St. Luke describe the same fact as those used by St. Matthew and St. Mark, and agree with the Spirit given “not by measure” of John 3:34... [ Continue Reading ]
COMMAND THIS STONE. — The singular form is somewhat more vivid than the plural, “these stones,” in St. Matthew.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. — St. Luke uses the word (literally, _the inhabited world_) which was commonly used as co-extensive with the Roman empire. On the difference in the order of the temptations, see Note on Matthew 4:5. IN A MOMENT OF TIME. — The concentration of what seems an almost endless... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THAT IS DELIVERED UNTO ME. — Better, _hath been delivered unto me._ The specific assertion of the usurped dominion, though implied in St. Matthew, is in its form peculiar to St. Luke. (See Note on Matthew 4:9.) The notion that any such delegated sovereignty had been assigned to the Tempter, eith... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE DEVIL HAD ENDED ALL THE TEMPTATION. — Better, _had completed every kind of temptation._ The three trials were each typical in character, and taken together they made up the cycle of those to which our Lord’s human nature was then open. FOR A SEASON. — _Till a_ [convenient] _season_ — i.e.,... [ Continue Reading ]
RETURNED IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT. — The phrase, which meets us again in Romans 15:13, indicates a new phase of the life of the Son of Man, a change from its former tenor as striking as that which passed over the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, when new powers of thought and utterance were devel... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING GLORIFIED. — The dawn of the day of work was bright. Wonder, admiration, glory, waited on the new Prophet. Soon, however, when His preaching involved a demand on men’s faith and obedience beyond what they had expected, it roused opposition, and the narrative that follows is the first stage of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CAME TO NAZARETH. — The narrative that follows, signally interesting in itself, has also the special interest of being peculiar to St. Luke. We may naturally think of it as having come to him from the same group of informants as those from whom he derived his narrative of the Infancy. (See _I... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ESAIAS. — The Law — _i.e.,_ the Pentateuch — was commonly written on one long roll. The other books, in like manner — singly or combined, according to their length — were written on rolls of parchment, and were unrolled from the cylinder to which they were fastened. Here, it... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME. — The passage that follows reproduces, with a few unimportant variations, the LXX. version of Isaiah 61:1. The words “to heal the broken-hearted” are not in the best MSS. “To set at liberty them that are bruised” is not found in the present text of Isaiah. It is a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. — The primary reference was to the year of Jubilee, when land that had been mortgaged returned to its owner, and debts were forgiven, and Israelite slaves released (Leviticus 25:9). It was to our Lord, as it had been to Isaiah, the type of the “year” of the divine ki... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CLOSED THE BOOK. — Better, _rolled up,_ as describing the actual manner of closing. The description is characteristic as indicating (1) that it probably came in the first instance from an eye-witness-and (2) the calmness and deliberation with which our Lord acted. AND SAT DOWN. — This convey... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS DAY IS THIS SCRIPTURE FULFILLED. — It is obvious that we have here only the opening, words of the sermon preached on the text from Isaiah. There must have been more than this, remembered too vaguely for record, to explain the admiration of which the next clause speaks. But this was what startle... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GRACIOUS WORDS. — Literally, _the words of grace._ It is noticeable that the latter noun does not occur at all in St. Matthew or St. Mark, becomes prominent in the Acts, and is afterwards the most characteristic word of the Epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter.... [ Continue Reading ]
PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF. — There is something interesting in our finding this proverb in the Gospel of the beloved physician. May we think of him as hearing the proverb casually, tracking out its application, and so coming on this history? It was, probably, so far as is known, a common Jewish prover... [ Continue Reading ]
NO PROPHET IS ACCEPTED. — The proverb is remarkable as having been quoted by our Lord certainly twice, possibly oftener: (1) on this His first visit after His baptism to Nazareth; (2) on His second visit (Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4). St. John’s reference to it (John 4:44) may have risen out of one or o... [ Continue Reading ]
SAVE UNTO SAREPTA. — Better, _but unto Sarepta,_ the Greek conjunction here marking a contrast rather than an exception. Sarepta, the Zarephath of 1 Kings 17:9, was a Phoenician city lying between Tyre and Sidon. The reference to this incident at the commencement of our Lord’s ministry is a striking... [ Continue Reading ]
ELISEUS THE PROPHET. — The original gives, as was natural, the Greek form of Elisha, as before of Elijah. SAVING NAAMAN. — Better, _but Naaman._ as before.... [ Continue Reading ]
WERE FILLED WITH WRATH. — The admiration they had felt at first was soon turned into bitterness. They heard themselves spoken of as though there might be a faith in Zidon and in Syria which was not found in Israel, of which they themselves were altogether destitute.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BROW OF THE HILL. — See Notes on Luke 1:26. The hill now shown as the Mount of Precipitation is about two miles from the city, and could hardly have been the place referred to. There is, however, a cliff about forty feet high close to the city. THAT THEY MIGHT CAST HIM DOWN HEADLONG. — The Gree... [ Continue Reading ]
HE PASSING THROUGH THE MIDST OF THEM. — The words do not necessarily involve a directly supernatural deliverance, as though the multitude had been smitten with blindness, or our Lord had become invisible. We have no right to insert miracles in the Gospel records. Calmness, silence, the moral power o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND CAME DOWN TO CAPERNAUM. — See Note on Matthew 4:13. St. Luke, it will be noticed, gives, what St. Matthew does not give, the reason of the removal.... [ Continue Reading ]
AT HIS DOCTRINE. — Better, _His teaching,_ as elsewhere. The form and manner was what amazed men. HIS WORD WAS WITH POWER. — The word used is the same as the “authority” of Matthew 7:29. There was no timid references to the traditions of the elders or the _dictum_ of this or that scribe, such as th... [ Continue Reading ]
(33-37) AND IN THE SYNAGOGUE. — See Notes on Mark 1:23. The narrative, as being common to these two Gospels, and not found in St. Matthew, may be looked on as having probably been communicated by one Evangelist to the other when they met at Rome (Colossians 4:10; Colossians 4:14). See _Introduction_... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE AROSE OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE. —. See Notes on Matthew 8:14 Peculiar to St. Luke and indicating what we may venture to call accurate diagnosis, are the “great fever,” our Lord’s “rebuking” the fever, and the “immediate” rising to minister.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW WHEN THE SUN WAS SETTING. — See Notes on Matthew 8:16. Common to St. Luke and St. Mark are the “divers diseases,” and the silence imposed on the demoniacs. The words of the demoniacs, “Thou art the Son of God,” and “they knew that He was the Christ,” are peculiar to this Gospel.... [ Continue Reading ]
(42-44) AND WHEN IT WAS... — Again we have a narrative omitted by St. Matthew, but common to St. Luke and St. Mark. See Notes on Mark 1:35. THE PEOPLE SOUGHT HIM. — The Greek tense implies continued seeking. AND STAYED HIM. — Better, _tried to stay Him._ Their wish was that He should remain at Cap... [ Continue Reading ]
I MUST PREACH. — Better, _I must declare the glad tidings of the kingdom._ The Greek verb is literally “to evangelise,” and is quite distinct from that commonly translated “preach.” TO OTHER CITIES ALSO. — Literally, _to the other cities,_ with a special reference, probably, to those of Galilee.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE PREACHED. — Literally, _was preaching._... [ Continue Reading ]