Luk 13:1-9 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XIII. Christ preaches the necessity of repentance, from the punishment of the Galileans massacred by Pilate , 1-3. And by the death of those on whom the tower in Siloam fell , 4, 5. The parable of the barren fig tree , 6-29. Christ cures a woman who had been afflicted eighteen years , 10-13. The ruler of the synagogue is incensed and is reproved by our Lord , 14-17. The parable of the mustard seed , 18, 19; of the leaven , 20-21. He journeys towards Jerusalem, and preaches , 22. The question, Are there few saved? and our Lords answer, with the discourse thereon , 23-30. He is informed that Herod purposes to kill him , 31, 32. Predicts his own death at Jerusalem, and denounces judgments on that impenitent city , 33-35. NOTES ON CHAP. XIII. Verse 1. At that season ] At what time this happened is not easy to determine; but it appears that it was now a piece of news which was told to Christ and his disciples for the first time. Whose blood Pilate had mingled ] This piece of history is not recorded (as far as I can find) by Josephus: however, he states that the Galileans were the most seditious people in the land: they belonged properly to Herod's jurisdiction; but, as they kept the great feasts at Jerusalem, they probably, by their tumultuous behaviour at some one of them, gave Pilate, who was a mortal enemy to Herod, a pretext to fall upon and slay many of them; and thus, perhaps, sacrifice the people to the resentment he had against the prince. Archelaus is represented by Josephus as sending his soldiers into the temple, and slaying 3000 men while they were employed in offering sacrifices. Josephus, War, b. ii. c. 1, s. 3, and ii. c. 5. Some suppose that this refers to the followers of Judas Gaulonites, (see ,) who would not acknowledge the Roman government, a number of whom Pilate. surrounded and slew, while they were sacrificing in the temple. See Josephus, Antiq. lib. 18: but this is not very certain.

‏ Luke 13:1-9

CHAPTER XIII.

Christ preaches the necessity of repentance, from the punishment of the Galileans massacred by Pilate, 1-3.

And by the death of those on whom the tower in Siloam fell,

4, 5.

The parable of the barren fig tree, 6-29.

Christ cures a woman who had been afflicted eighteen years,

10-13.

The ruler of the synagogue is incensed and is reproved by our Lord, 14-17.

The parable of the mustard seed, 18, 19;

of the leaven, 20-21.

He journeys towards Jerusalem, and preaches, 22.

The question, Are there few saved? and our Lords answer, with the discourse thereon, 23-30.

He is informed that Herod purposes to kill him, 31, 32.

Predicts his own death at Jerusalem, and denounces judgments on that impenitent city, 33-35.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIII.

Verse 1. At that season] At what time this happened is not easy to determine; but it appears that it was now a piece of news which was told to Christ and his disciples for the first time.

Whose blood Pilate had mingled] This piece of history is not recorded (as far as I can find) by Josephus: however, he states that the Galileans were the most seditious people in the land: they belonged properly to Herod's jurisdiction; but, as they kept the great feasts at Jerusalem, they probably, by their tumultuous behaviour at some one of them, gave Pilate, who was a mortal enemy to Herod, a pretext to fall upon and slay many of them; and thus, perhaps, sacrifice the people to the resentment he had against the prince. Archelaus is represented by Josephus as sending his soldiers into the temple, and slaying 3000 men while they were employed in offering sacrifices. Josephus, War, b. ii. c. 1, s. 3, and ii. c. 5. Some suppose that this refers to the followers of Judas Gaulonites, (see Ac 5:37,) who would not acknowledge the Roman government, a number of whom Pilate. surrounded and slew, while they were sacrificing in the temple. See Josephus, Antiq. lib. 18: but this is not very certain.

Verse 4. The tower in Siloam] This tower was probably built over one of the porticoes near the pool, which is mentioned Joh 9:7. See also Ne 3:15.

Debtors, οφειλεται, a Jewish phrase for sinners. Persons professing to be under the law are bound by the law to be obedient to all its precepts; those who obey not are reckoned debtors to the law, or rather to that Divine justice from which the law came. A different word is used when speaking of the Galileans: they are termed αμαρτωλοι, as this word is often used to signify heathens; See Clarke on Lu 7:37; it is probably used here in nearly a similar sense. "Do ye who live in Jerusalem, and who consider your selves peculiarly attached to the law, and under the strongest obligations to obey it-do ye think that those Galileans were more heathenish than the rest of the Galileans, because they suffered such things? No. It was not on this account that they perished: both these cases exhibit a specimen of the manner in which ye shall all perish, if ye do not speedily repent, and turn to God."

Verse 5. Ye shall all likewise perish.] ωσαυτωςομοιως, In a like way, in the same manner. This prediction of our Lord was literally fulfilled. When the city was taken by the Romans, multitudes of the priests, &c., who were going on with their sacrifices, were slain, and their blood mingled with the blood of their victims; and multitudes were buried under the ruins of the walls, houses, and temple. See Josephus, War, b. vi. ch. iv., v., vi.; and see the notes on Matt. 24.

It is very wrong to suppose that those who suffer by the sword, or by natural accidents, are the most culpable before God. An adequate punishment for sin cannot be inflicted in this world: what God does here, in this way, is in general: 1st, through mercy, to alarm others; 2, to show his hatred to sin; 3, to preserve in men's minds a proper sense of his providence and justice; and 4, to give sinners, in one or two particular instances, a general specimen of the punishment that awaits all the perseveringly impenitent.

Verse 6. A certain man] Many meanings are given to this parable, and divines may abound in them; the sense which our Lord designed to convey by it appears to be the following:-

1. A person, τις, God Almighty. 2. Had a fig tree, the Jewish Church. 3. Planted in his vineyard-established in the land of Judea. 4. He came seeking fruit-he required that the Jewish people should walk in righteousness, in proportion to the spiritual culture he bestowed on them. 5. The vine-dresser-the Lord Jesus, for God hath committed all judgment to the Son, Joh 5:22. 6. Cut it down-let the Roman sword be unsheathed against it. 7. Let it alone-Christ is represented as intercessor for sinners, for whose sake the day of their probation is often lengthened; during which time he is constantly employed in doing every thing that has a tendency to promote their salvation. 8. Thou shalt cut it down-a time will come, that those who have not turned at God's invitations and reproofs shall be cut off, and numbered with the transgressors.

Verse 7. Behold these three years] From this circumstance in the parable, it may be reasonably concluded that Jesus had been, at the time of saying this, exercising his ministry for three years past; and, from what is said in Lu 13:8, of letting it alone this year also, it may be concluded likewise that this parable was spoken about a year before Christ's crucifixion; and, if both these conclusions are reasonable, we may thence infer that this parable was not spoken at the time which appears to be assigned to it, and that the whole time of Christ's public ministry was about four years. See Bishop Pearce. But it has already been remarked that St. Luke never studies chronological arrangement. See the Preface to this Gospel.

Why cumbereth it the ground?] Or, in other words, Why should the ground be also useless? The tree itself brings forth no fruit; let it be cut down that a more profitable one may be planted in its place. Cut it down. The Codex Bezae has added here, φερετην αξινην, Bring the axe and cut it down. If this reading be genuine, it is doubtless an allusion to Mt 3:10: Now the axe lieth at the root of the trees. If the writer has added it on his own authority, he probably referred to the place above mentioned. See the note on the above text.

There is something very like this in the γεωπονικα, or De Re Rustica of the ancient Greek writers on agriculture. I refer to cap. 83 of lib. x., p. 773; edit. Niclas, entitled, δενδρον ακαρπονκαρποφορειν, How to make a barren tree fruitful. Having girded yourself, and tied up your garments, take a bipen or axe, and with an angry mind approach the tree as if about to cut it down. Then let some person come forward and deprecate the cutting down of the tree, making himself responsible for its future fertility. Then, seem to be appeased, and so spare the tree, and afterwards it will yield fruit in abundance. "Bean straw (manure of that material,) scattered about the roots of the tree, will make it fruitful." That a similar superstition prevailed among the Asiatics, Michaelis proves from the Cosmographer Ibn Alvardi, who prescribes the following as the mode to render a sterile palm tree fruitful: "The owner, armed with an axe, having an attendant with him, approaches the tree, and says, I must cut this tree down, because it is unfruitful. Let it alone, I beseech thee, says the other, and this year it will bring forth fruit. The owner immediately strikes it thrice with the back of his axe; but the other preventing him says, I beseech thee to spare it, and I will be answerable for its fertility. Then the tree becomes abundantly fruitful." Does not our Lord refer to such a custom?