31. There came certain of the Pharisees, &c. The Herod mentioned in this verse was Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. See Luke 3: 1. Jesus had made Galilee the principal scene of his labors, and had acquired much respect and popularity there. Herod probably feared that the Galileans, who were very prone to seditious movements, might, through their regard for Jesus, be drawn into some political schemes adverse to his interests. He therefore wished, in a peaceable manner, so as not to arouse the indignation of the populace, to secure the removal of Jesus beyond his territories. For this purpose, he probably employed some of the Pharisees to inform Jesus, under the pretence of friendship,

32 And he said unto them, Go ye 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.

that the tetrarch was determined on taking his life, if he should remain in Galilee. The Pharisees were, doubtless, quite willing to be employed on such a message, as their evil designs against Jesus could be prosecuted with more hope of success in Judea, where the principal men of the nation

resided.

32. That fox. The fox is an emblem of craft and cunning. Our Lord thus characterized Herod as being a crafty man in sending such a message, and let the persons who brought the message know that he was well acquainted with Herod's character; that he saw through Herod's artifice in sending such a threat, and that he Such was the usual manner of speakhad no fear of Herod's taking his life. ing among the Jews, that the application of this epithet to Herod would not be viewed in the light of a contemptuous expression, or of defiance; but would be regarded simply as an honest, fearless declaration of Herod's known character. Herod was, indeed, a crafty politician. For thirty years, he contrived to maintain himself in power, keeping on good terms with men of most diverse characters and interests. I cast out devils, &c. The purport of the reply which Jesus sent back to Herod is, I am engaged in a work which ought not to excite alarm in your breast. It is no political scheme in which I am engaged, but a work of benevolence, relieving the miseries of the people; and this work will occupy but a short time. A few days more, and I shall have finished the work in which I am occupied. Herod, then, needs not cherish any apprehensions of danger from me. To-day and to-morrow, &c. That is, a short time. A similar use of such language may be seen in Hosea 6: 2. I shall be perfected. The original word here used may be ren

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. And verily, I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

CHAPTER XIV.

2 And behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3 And Jesus, answering, spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day?

4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go:

5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath-day?

6 And they could not answer him again to these things.

7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden,

went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat

dered, I shall have finished, that is, my work.

33. Nevertheless; notwithstanding this message from Herod. || I must walk; I must go on performing my work. | To-day, &c.; during the short time which remains. It cannot be, &c. As if the Saviour had said, It is not in Galilee that prophets have usually been put to death; it is the city of Jerusalem which has signalized itself by hatred and persecution of holy men; it is in Jerusalem that the murder of a prophet might be expected. The language here used was a very strong method of expressing our Lord's sense of the guilty character of Jerusalem. He did not mean to say it was a thing utterly impossible that a prophet should be put to death elsewhere than in Jerusalem; for John the Baptist and others had been put to death elsewhere. But he meant to show that Jerusalem

out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

had an awful preeminence in guilt; so much so, that it could hardly be expected that violence would be done to a prophet elsewhere, and a prophet might feel safe from the danger of a violent death, if he were only out of Jerusalem.

34, 35. See Matt. 23: 37-39.

CHAPTER XIV.

1. Chief Pharisees; principal men among the Pharisees. To eat bread; to take a meal.

3. Is it lawful, &c. See on Matt. 12: 10.

5. An ass or an ox fallen into a pit. For a similar argument, see Matt. 12: 11.

7. A parable. This word here signifies a grave or weighty saying, in the form of an illustration. || Bidden; invited. || The chief rooms. See on Matt. 23: 6.

a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him;

9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest

room.

12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a

11 For whosoever exalteth

14 And thou shalt be blessed : for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

10. Worship; esteem, applause. The word worship was used, when our translation of the Scriptures was made, with reference to men, as well as to God.

11. He that humbleth himself, &c. True humility is the surest qualification for true dignity-a sentiment applicable to our concerns both with man and with God. Compare Matt. 23: 11, 12.

12. Him that bade him. Compare v. 1. || A dinner or a supper. The supper was the principal meal among the Jews, taken when the heat of the day was past. The word translated dinner was applied to a meal which varied with circumstances, being a comparatively slight refreshment, taken a short time before noon, sometimes shortly after noon, and sometimes even in the morning. || Call not thy friends, &c. Invite not thy friends, and relatives, and rich neighbors, exclusively, to enjoy thy kind regards and hospitality. Let not acts of kindness be confined to them; be

13. Call the poor, &c. On the contrary, extend your liberality to the poor and distressed, thus exercising true compassion and impartial benevolence. Let your benevolence be such as will embrace those who cannot bestow on you similar tokens of favor; let it be exercised, not with any selfish view to your own advantage, but rather with an honest, simple view to the happiness of those who are in distress. Compare Matt. 5: 43-48.

14. Thou shalt be blessed; thou shalt then be truly happy. || At the resurrection of the just; in the future state of the righteous.

In these instructions, our Lord did not absolutely forbid our entertaining of relatives and rich friends; but he forbade our treating them exclusively with special kindness. He directed that our benevolent regards be extended to others, as well as to our im

16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many :

17 And sent his servant at supper-time, to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready.

18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have

mediate relatives and our wealthy friends, and particularly to the friendless and distressed, from whom no compensation could be expected. Our benevolence and kind deeds ought to have reference to strangers, to the poor and wretched, rather than to those who are our relatives, and those who are able to compensate us. Thus the sincerity of our benevolence will be more certain. The Saviour's remarks were directed against the customs of the Pharisees, whose benevolence was restricted within very narrow limits, not including the really poor and wretched, except occasionally, when, in public (see Matt. 6: 2), they could attract notice by giving alms. The image of a dinner or a supper, that is, an entertainment, was employed, because Jesus was then present at a meal with others, who had been invited by the Pharisee, and because, on this very occasion, he had seen a manifestation of the ostentatious spirit of the Pharisees. The whole passage is in entire accordance with Matt. 5: 44-48. Luke 10:29-37.

15. Eat bread; partake of entertainments; or, simply, eat and drink, that is, live. In the kingdom of God; in the Messiah's reign. The whole expression amounts to this Happy he who shall live in the Messiah's days. Such a person would

19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

20 And another said, I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.

21 So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets

enjoy distinguished privileges and hopes.

16. Then said he, &c. Our Lord proceeded to show that, however the Jews professed to think highly of the Messiah's reign, and to desire it most ardently, yet they would not receive the Messiah; they would undervalue the blessings which his reign was intended to bestow, and consider them less worthy of their regard than the common affairs of life. He showed that others, whom they greatly disesteemed, would be admitted to those blessings, while they themselves would be rejected. For this purpose, he spoke a parable, likening the blessings of the Messiah's reign to the enjoyments at an entertainment -a mode of representation in common use at that time. See Matt. 8: 11, 12. 22:2—13. Luke 13: 2529.

17. Sent Matt. 22: 3.

-at supper-time. See on

18. To make excuse. The excuses which are mentioned are such as plainly indicated, on the part of those who made them, a slighting both of the entertainment and of him who had prepared it. Real friends would never make such excuses. cuses were a mere pretence to cover up the dislike which the persons felt, and thus they manifested a spirit worthy to be frowned on

The ex

22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is

room.

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

24 For I say unto you, that

23. Hedges; paths made, by means of hedges, across vineyards and other cultivated places. || Compel; invite with the utmost urgency.

24. None of those men- shall eat of my supper. Thus the parable very strikingly showed the rejection of the Jews, and the bestowing of the Messiah's blessings on others.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION. This parable is full of INTEREST TO US. 1. The blessings of the gospel are proposed to us pardon and eternal life; and the claims of God on our love and obedience are forcibly urged. v. 16.

2. We are disposed to excuse ourselves from obeying the commands of God, and are, consequently, in danger of failing to obtain the blessings which he proposes. The excuses which men make are of a wholly unsatisfactory character, arising from the absence of love to God, from a preference of their own will to his authority, and from a preference of earthly enjoyments and cares to spiritual and everlasting blessings. These excuses often consist in a perversion of God's providential arrangements and mercies, and in an inordinate attachment to things which in themselves are lawful and even necessary. Hence the spirit that prompts us to make excuses in respect to the service of God, ought to be carefully watched and strenuously resisted. vs. 18-20.

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

3. If we persist in making excuses, we shall be inevitably shut out from heaven. v. 24.

4. If we are shut out from heaven. the goodness of God in providing so blessed a world for the eternal happiness of holy beings will not be useless; heaven will, notwithstanding, be abundantly furnished with holy be ings and recipients of the divine favor. v. 23. The loss will be wholly our own. And O how unspeakable the gain of those who, while on earth, wisely lay hold on eternal life! Can WE be contented, if we have reason to fear that we do not belong to that company?

26. Hate not his father, &c. This very strong expression is to be understood comparatively, as equivalent to the expression, love in a far less degree; that is, love his father, &c. far less than he loves me, or hate his father, &c. in comparison with the love he bears to me, regarding my claims as superior to the claims of all others, however dear to him those others may be. As a specimen of this comparative use of the word, see on Mark 3: 4. Compare, also, as to the meaning of the verse, Matt. 10: 37.

27. See Matt. 10: 38. Jesus plainly declared, that nothing must be allowed to come into competition with his claims on men's obedience; that his claims must be considered supreme; and that his disciples must