Luk 14:1-24 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XIV. Christ heals a man ill of the dropsy, on a Sabbath day , 1-6. He inculcates humility by a parable , 7-11. The poor to be fed, and not the rich , 12-14. The parable of the great supper , 15-24. How men must become disciples of Christ , 25-27. The parable of the prudent builder, who estimates the cost before he commences his work , 28-30. And of the provident king , 31, 32. The use of these parables , 33. The utility of salt while in its strength and perfection; and its total uselessness when it has lost its savour ; 34, 35. NOTES ON CHAP. XIV. Verse 1. Chief Pharisees ] Or, one of the rulers of the Pharisees . A man who was of the sect of the Pharisees, and one of the rulers of the people. To eat bread on the Sabbath day ] But why is it that there should be an invitation or dinner given on the Sabbath day? Answer: The Jews purchased and prepared the best viands they could procure for the Sabbath day, in order to do it honour. See several proofs in Lightfoot. As the Sabbath is intended for the benefit both of the body and soul of man, it should not be a day of austerity or fasting, especially among the labouring poor. The most wholesome and nutritive food should be then procured if possible; that both body and soul may feel the influence of this Divine appointment, and give God the glory of his grace. On this blessed day, let every man eat his bread with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God. In doing this, surely there is no reason that a man should feed himself without fear . If the Sabbath be a festival, let it be observed unto the Lord; and let no unnecessary acts be done; and avoid that bane of religious solemnity, giving and receiving visits on the Lord's day. They watched him. ] Or, were maliciously watching , παρατηρουμενοι-from παρα, intens . or denoting ill , and τηρεω, to observe, watch . Raphelius , on , has proved from a variety of authorities that this is a frequent meaning of the word:- clam et insidiose observare, quid alter agat -to observe privately and insidiously what another does. The context plainly proves that this is the sense in which it is to be taken here. The conduct of this Pharisee was most execrable. Professing friendship and affection , he invited our blessed Lord to his table, merely that he might have a more favourable opportunity of watching his conduct, that he might accuse him, and take away his life. In eating and drinking, people feel generally less restraint than at other times, and are apt to converse more freely. The man who can take such an advantage over one of his own guests must have a baseness of soul, and a fellness of malice, of which, we would have thought, for the honour of human nature, that devils alone were capable. Among the Turks , if a man only taste salt with another, he holds himself bound, in the most solemn manner, never to do that person any injury. I shall make no apology for inserting the following anecdote. A public robber in Persia, known by the name of Yacoub, ibn Leits Saffer , broke open the treasury of Dirhem , the governor of Sistan . Notwithstanding the obscurity of the place, he observed, in walking forward, something that sparkled a little: supposing it to be some precious stones, he put his hand on the place, and taking up something, touched it with his tongue, and found it to be salt . He immediately left the treasury, without taking the smallest article with him! The governor finding in the morning that the treasury had been broken open, and that nothing was carried off, ordered it to be published, that "Whoever the robber was who had broke open the treasury, if he declared himself, he should be freely pardoned, and that he should not only receive no injury, but should be received into the good graces of the governor." Confiding in the promise of Dirhem, Yacoub appeared. The governor asked; How it came to pass that, after having broken open the treasury, he took nothing away? Yacoub related the affair as it happened, and added, " I believed that I was become your FRIEND in eating of your SALT, and that the LAWS of that friendship would not permit me to touch any thing that appertained to you ." D'Herbelot . Bib. Orient. p. 415. How base must that man be, who professes Christianity, and yet makes his own table a snare for his friend!

‏ Luke 14:1-24

CHAPTER XIV.

Christ heals a man ill of the dropsy, on a Sabbath day, 1-6.

He inculcates humility by a parable, 7-11.

The poor to be fed, and not the rich, 12-14.

The parable of the great supper, 15-24.

How men must become disciples of Christ, 25-27.

The parable of the prudent builder, who estimates the cost before he commences his work, 28-30.

And of the provident king, 31, 32.

The use of these parables, 33.

The utility of salt while in its strength and perfection; and its total uselessness when it has lost its savour; 34, 35.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIV.

Verse 1. Chief Pharisees] Or, one of the rulers of the Pharisees. A man who was of the sect of the Pharisees, and one of the rulers of the people.

To eat bread on the Sabbath day] But why is it that there should be an invitation or dinner given on the Sabbath day? Answer: The Jews purchased and prepared the best viands they could procure for the Sabbath day, in order to do it honour. See several proofs in Lightfoot. As the Sabbath is intended for the benefit both of the body and soul of man, it should not be a day of austerity or fasting, especially among the labouring poor. The most wholesome and nutritive food should be then procured if possible; that both body and soul may feel the influence of this Divine appointment, and give God the glory of his grace. On this blessed day, let every man eat his bread with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God. In doing this, surely there is no reason that a man should feed himself without fear. If the Sabbath be a festival, let it be observed unto the Lord; and let no unnecessary acts be done; and avoid that bane of religious solemnity, giving and receiving visits on the Lord's day.

They watched him.] Or, were maliciously watching, παρατηρουμενοι-from παρα, intens. or denoting ill, and τηρεω, to observe, watch. Raphelius, on Mr 3:2, has proved from a variety of authorities that this is a frequent meaning of the word:-clam et insidiose observare, quid alter agat-to observe privately and insidiously what another does. The context plainly proves that this is the sense in which it is to be taken here. The conduct of this Pharisee was most execrable. Professing friendship and affection, he invited our blessed Lord to his table, merely that he might have a more favourable opportunity of watching his conduct, that he might accuse him, and take away his life. In eating and drinking, people feel generally less restraint than at other times, and are apt to converse more freely. The man who can take such an advantage over one of his own guests must have a baseness of soul, and a fellness of malice, of which, we would have thought, for the honour of human nature, that devils alone were capable. Among the Turks, if a man only taste salt with another, he holds himself bound, in the most solemn manner, never to do that person any injury. I shall make no apology for inserting the following anecdote.

A public robber in Persia, known by the name of Yacoub, ibn Leits Saffer, broke open the treasury of Dirhem, the governor of Sistan. Notwithstanding the obscurity of the place, he observed, in walking forward, something that sparkled a little: supposing it to be some precious stones, he put his hand on the place, and taking up something, touched it with his tongue, and found it to be salt. He immediately left the treasury, without taking the smallest article with him! The governor finding in the morning that the treasury had been broken open, and that nothing was carried off, ordered it to be published, that "Whoever the robber was who had broke open the treasury, if he declared himself, he should be freely pardoned, and that he should not only receive no injury, but should be received into the good graces of the governor." Confiding in the promise of Dirhem, Yacoub appeared. The governor asked; How it came to pass that, after having broken open the treasury, he took nothing away? Yacoub related the affair as it happened, and added, "I believed that I was become your FRIEND in eating of your SALT, and that the LAWS of that friendship would not permit me to touch any thing that appertained to you." D'Herbelot. Bib. Orient. p. 415. How base must that man be, who professes Christianity, and yet makes his own table a snare for his friend!

Verse 2. The dropsy.] υδρωπικος, dropsical; from υδωπ, water, and ωψ, the countenance, because in this disorder the face of the patient is often very much bloated. Probably the insidious Pharisee had brought this dropsical man to the place, not doubting that our Lord's eye would affect his heart, and that he would instantly cure him; and then he could most plausibly accuse him for a breach of the Sabbath. If this were the case, and it is likely, how deep must have been the perfidy and malice of the Pharisee!

Verse 4. They held their peace.] They could not answer the question but in the affirmative; and as they were determined to accuse him if he did heal the man, they could not give an answer but such as would condemn themselves, and therefore they were silent.

Verse 5. An ass or an ox] See Clarke on Lu 13:15.

Verse 7. They chose out the chief rooms] When custom and law have regulated and settled places in public assemblies, a man who is obliged to attend may take the place which belongs to him, without injury to himself or to others: when nothing of this nature is settled, the law of humility, and the love of order, are the only judges of what is proper. To take the highest place when it is not our due is public vanity: obstinately to refuse it when offered is another instance of the same vice; though private and concealed. Humility takes as much care to avoid the ostentation of an affected refusal, as the open seeking of a superior place. See Quesnel. In this parable our Lord only repeats advices which the rabbins had given to their pupils, but were too proud to conform to themselves. Rabbi Akiba said, Go two or three seats lower than the place that belongs to thee, and sit there till they say unto thee, Go up higher; but do not take the uppermost seat, lest they say unto thee, Come down: for it is better that they should say unto thee, Go up, go up; than that they should say, Come down, come down. See Schoettgen.

Verse 11. For whosoever exalteth himself, &c.] This is the unchangeable conduct of God: he is ever abasing the proud, and giving grace, honour, and glory to the humble.

Verse 12. Call not thy friends, &c.] Our Lord certainly does not mean that a man should not entertain at particular times, his friends, &c.; but what he inculcates here is charity to the poor; and what he condemns is those entertainments which are given to the rich, either to flatter them, or to procure a similar return; because the money that is thus criminally laid out properly belongs to the poor.

Verse 14. For they cannot recompense thee] Because you have done it for God's sake only, and they cannot make you a recompense, therefore God will consider himself your debtor, and will recompense you in the resurrection of the righteous. There are many very excellent sayings among the rabbins on the excellence of charity. They produce both Job and Abraham as examples of a very merciful disposition. "Job, say they, had an open door on each of the four quarters of his house, that the poor, from whatever direction they might come, might find the door of hospitality open to receive them. But Abraham was more charitable than Job, for he travelled over the whole land in order to find out the poor, that he might conduct them to his house."

Verse 15. That shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.] This is spoken in conformity to the general expectation of the Jews, who imagined that the kingdom of the Messiah should be wholly of a secular nature. Instead of αρτον, bread, EKMS-V, more than one hundred others, with some versions and fathers, read αριστον, a dinner. This is probably the best reading, as it is likely it was a dinner at which they now sat; and it would be natural for the person to say, Happy is he who shall dine in the kingdom of God. It does not appear that there was any but this person present, who was capable of relishing the conversation of our Lord, or entering at all into its spiritual reference.

Verse 16. - 24. A certain man made a great supper, &c.] See a similar parable to this, though not spoken on the same occasion, explained, Mt 22:1-14.

Verse 17. Sent his servant] Messengers are sent to invite the guests to a Hindoo feast; when not only relations, but all persons of the same division of caste in the neighbourhood, are invited. A refusal to attend is considered as a great affront.

Verse 22. And yet there is room.] On some occasions, so numerous are the guests that there is not room for therm to sit in the court of the person who makes the feast, and a larger is therefore borrowed.

Verse 23. Compel them to come in] αναγκασον, Prevail on them by the most earnest entreaties. The word is used by Matthew, Mt 14:22, and by Mark, Mr 6:45; in both which places, when Christ is said, αναγκαζειν, to constrain his disciples to get into the vessel, nothing but his commanding or persuading them to do it can be reasonably understood. The Latins use cogo, and compello, in exactly the same sense, i.e. to prevail on by prayers, counsels, entreaties, &c. See several examples in Bishop PEARCE, and in KYPKE. No other kind of constraint is ever recommended in the Gospel of Christ; every other kind of compulsion is antichristian, can only be submitted to by cowards and knaves, and can produce nothing but hypocrites, See at the end of the chapter. Lu 14:34