these? this elder son also then has friends, who are not his father's friends: see Matt. xxii. 16, "they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians."

30. this thy son] The last degree of scorn and contempt, just such as was shewn by the Pharisees towards the publicans and sinners (see ch. xviii. 11). 'I will not count such an impure person my brother.'

thy living] A covert reproach of his father for having given it to him. with harlots] A charitable addition on the part of the elder brother, such as those represented by him always take care to make under similar circumstances. Even supposing it a necessary inference from the kind of life which he had been leading, it was one which nothing but the bitterest jealousy would have uttered at such a time. thou hast killed for him the fatted calf] Parallel with "he receiveth sinners and eateth with them," ver. 2. "Thou hast not only made him equal to me, but hast received him into superior favour.' 31.] thou art ever with me, as a reason why no extraordinary joy should be shewn over him; other reasons might be assigned, and lie indeed in the background, suggested by his tone and words: but this is the soft answer to turn away wrath. all that I have is thine, because the portion of goods which remained was his. 32. It was meet] The Father still asserts the restored sonship of his returned prodigal-this thy brother. We may remark that the difficulties which have been found in the latter part of the parable, from the uncontradicted assertion in ver. 29, if the Pharisees are meant,--and the great pride and uncharitableness shewn, if really righteous persons are meant, are considerably lightened by the consideration, that the contradiction of that assertion would have been beside the purpose of the parable; that it was the very thing on which the Pharisees prided themselves; that, besides, it is sufficiently contradicted in fact, by

the spirit and words of the elder son. He was breaking his Father's commandment even when he made the assertion,-and the making it is part of his hypocrisy. The result of the Father's entreaty is left purposely uncertain (see Trench, Parables): is it possible that this should have been the case, had the Jewish nation been meant by the elder brother? But now, as he typifies a set of individuals who might themselves be (and many of them were) won by repentance, it is thus broken off, to be closed by each individual for himself. For we are all in turn examples of the cases of both these brothers, containing the seeds of both evil courses in our hearts: but, thanks be to God, under that grace, which is sufficient and willing to seek and save us from both.

CHAP. XVI. 1-8.] PARABLE OF THE UNJUST STEWARD. Peculiar to Luke. No parable in the Gospels has been the subject of so much controversy as this: while, at the same time, the general stream of interpretation is well defined, and, in the main, satisfactory. It would be quite beyond the limits of this note to give any thing like a catalogue of the views respecting it: the principal ones which differ from that which I have adopted, will be noticed in the course of my remarks. 1.] he said also-a continuation, I believe, of the foregoing-certainly closely connected in subject with it, as is the second parable in this chapter also: see below.

unto

his disciples, not to the Twelve only, but to the multitude of the disciples; and more immediately perhaps to the Publicans, whose reception by Him had been the occasion of this discourse. I say this because I believe them to hold a place, though not a principal or an exclusive one, in the application of the parable which follows. There was a certain rich man. .] The history of this parable is, in itself, purely worldly. The master is a son of this world, as well as his

e

steward: bear this in mind:-the whole parabolic machinery is from the standingpoint of the children of this world. In the interpretation, this rich man is the Almighty Possessor of all things. This is the only tenable view. Meyer, who supposes him to be Mammon (defending it by the consideration that dismissal from his service is equivalent to being received into everlasting habitations, which it is notsee below), is involved in inextricable diffieulties further on. Olshausen's view, that he represents the Devil, the prince of this world, will be found equally untenable. Schleiermacher's, that the Romans are intended, whose stewards the Publicans were, and that the debtors are the Jews, hardly needs refuting;-certainly not more refuting, than any consistent exposition will of itself furnish. a steward, a general overlooker - very much what we understand by an agent, or a man of business,' or, in the larger sense, a steward. They were generally of old, slaves: but this man is a freeman, from vv. 3, 4. This steward represents especially the Publicans, but also all the disciples, i. e. every man in Christ's Church. We are all God's stewards, who commits to our trust His property:-each one's office is of larger or smaller trust and responsibility, according to the measure entrusted to him. I say, especially the Publicans, because the Twelve, and probably others, had relinquished all and followed Christ, and therefore the application of the parable to them would not be so direct: and also because I cannot but put together with this parable and consider as perhaps prompted by it or the report of it, the profession of Zacchæus, ch. xix. 8. Others have supposed the steward to represent the Pharisees-but then the parable should have been addressed to them, which it was not and this view entirely fails in the application. was accused unto him: it is the same word in the original which generally represents false or wrongful accusation. This it was not here, but it was

:

f

render, give up the account.

We

malicious: and the reason why the word has come so generally to signify wrongful accusation,' is, that malicious charges are so frequently slanderous. The steward himself does not deny it. The charge against him was not, that he had wasted (A. V.), but was wasting, his master's goods. In this charge (spiritually) we may see the real guilt of every man who is entrusted with the goods of our Heavenly Father. are all scattering his goods.' If some one is to be found to answer to the accusers, the analogy of the Accuser of the brethren' is too striking to escape us. 2.] It makes very little difference either in admissibility of construction or of sense, whether we render, why do I hear this of thee?' i. e. what is the ground of this report ?-what occasion hast thou given for this being brought to me?' or, What is this that I hear of thee?' i. e. 'give some account of it.' I prefer rather the former, because no opportunity of explanation what it is, is given him, but he is commanded to produce his books, to shew how it has arisen. give up the account of thy stewardship; for (taking for granted the correctness of the report, the steward not denying it) thou wilt not be able to retain thy stewardship any longer, -in ordinary English, thou canst not, &c. The impossibility lies in the nature of things-thou art precluded from.

The interpretation of this announcement to the steward, is the certainty, spoken by God in every one of our consciences, that we must give up, and give an account of, our stewardship at death. The great truth lies in the background, that that dismissal, death itself, is the consequence of the scattering His goods-the wages of sin. 3.] The steward sets before himself the certainty of poverty and misery. He has not by his waste of his lord's property been laying up any store for himself;-that is not the point of the parable;--he has lived softly and effeminately, and cannot do an honest day's work:-dig is used for all manual labours. This speech, of digging

b

Matt. vi. 19:

xix. 21. ch.

vi. 17, 18, 19.

ch. xix. 17.

• read, when it fails.

q not expressed in the original.

.....

the dishonesty itself is not inserted without purpose-viz. to shew us how little the sons of this world scruple to use it, and how natural it is to them. Now, however, we stand on higher ground: to the pure, all things are pure:-in bringing up the example into the purer air which the children of light breathe, its grosser parts drop off, and the finer only remain. Notice the emphasis, which ought always to be observed in reading, And I say unto you. It seems to recognize a necessary difference in the two situations:-'although you are children of the light and the day, and can do no such furtive acts, yet I say to YOU' This view will explain how we may make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, just as we can make an example for ourselves out of the steward of unrighteousness-that which is of itself of unrighteousness-which belongs to, is part of a system of, unrighteousness— which is the very root of all evils, the result, and the aptest concretion, of that system of mine and thine (see ch. xv. 12) which is itself the result of sin having entered into the world. And we are to use this mammon of unrighteousness to make ourselves,-not palaces, nor barns, nor estates, nor treasures,-but friends; i. e. to bestow it on the poor and needy(see ch. xii. 33, which is the most striking parallel to our text-"when it fails," with "a treasure which shall not fail") that when it shall fail,-they, i. e. the friends -(compare the joy in heaven ch. xv. 7, 10, and Baxter's remark cited there by Stier

Is there joy in heaven at thy conversion, and will there be none at thy glorification?') may receive you into the (or their) everlasting tabernacles. See also ch. xiv. 13, 14. God repays in their

name. They receive us there with joy, if they are gone before us: they receive us there by making us partakers of their prayers, which move the Hand that moves the world,' even during this life. Deeds then of charity and mercy are to be our spiritual shrewdness, by which we may turn to our account the unjust mammon,— providing ourselves with friends out of it;

and the debtors are here perhaps to be taken in their literal, not parabolic sensewe are to lighten their burdens by timely relief-the only way in which a son of light can change the hundred into fifty, or fourscore: see Isa. lviii. 6-8. 10-12.] Closely connected with the foregoing;-the 'faithfulness in the least' is the same as the prudence and shrewdness just spoken of;-in the case of the children of light they run up into one-who is the faithful and wise steward, ch. xii. 42;the least is the unrighteous mammon, which is the same as that which is another man's-the wealth of this present world, which is not the Christian's own, nor his proper inheritance. The much,the true [riches],-that which is your own, is the true riches of God's inheritance of which the earth (see Matt. v. 5) forms a part, which God (implied in the who? for there will be none to give it you if you be untrue during this state of probation;-He will not be your God) shall give to you. The wealth of this world is another man's-forfeited by sinonly put into our hands to try us, and to be rendered an account of. 18.] See note on Matt. vi. 24. The connexion here is,-that we must, while put in trust with the unrighteous mammon, be serving not it, but God. The saying here applies admirably to the Pharisees and Publicans :

mammon.

e

h

e 14.

vii. 9.

sam. xvi. 7.

13.

ch. vii. 29.

the former were, to outward appearance, the servants of God, but inwardly served Mammon ;--the latter, by profession in the service of Mammon, were, by coming to Jesus, shewing that they inwardly served God.

14-31.] BY OCCASION OF THE COVETOUS PHARISEES DERIDING HIM, Our LORD SPEAKS THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. The Pharisees were not slow in perceiving that the scope of all these things was to place this world's goods, and all that the covetous seek after, at a very low price. It will be observed that the sayings which follow are in reference to matters mentioned during the discourses, or arising out of the character of the Pharisees as commented on in them. 15.] See last note, end. justify yourselves before men-a contrast to "I have sinned before thee," ch. xv. 18: and abomination in the sight of God, to "joy in the presence of the angels of God," ch. xv. 10. 16.] See Matt. xi. 12 and note. connexion is, Ye are they that justify yourselves before men; ye are no publicans and sinners,— -no poor and needy,but righteous, and increased with this world's goods. But, since John, a kingdom has been preached, into which every one, publicans and sinners too (ch. xv. 1), are pressing in. The true relation however of that kingdom to the law is not as ye suppose, to destroy the law (Matt. v. 17), but to fulfil.' Then, as an example, our Lord reiterates the decision which He had before given on a point much controverted among the Jews-the law of adultery. But this He does, not without occasion given, and close connexion with VOL. I.

The

Ps. cii. 26, 27.

Isa. xl. 8: li.

is. Mi Matt. v. 32: 111 Cor.

18. 1 Pet. i. 25.

xix. 9. Mark

vii. 10, 11.

the circumstances, and with what had before been said. As early as Tertullian, in the third century, it was remarked, that an allusion was meant here to the adultery of Herod Antipas with his brother Philip's wife, which the Pharisees had tacitly sanctioned, thus allowing an open breach of that law which Christ came to fulfil. To this mention of Herod's crime the until John gave relevance. Still the idea must not be too lightly assumed. Bleek's remark is worth notice, that, had such an allusion been intended, the last words of the verse would have been otherwise expressed. Antipas had not married a divorced woman, but abduced a married woman from her husband. See on Matt. v. 32. 19-31.] Our Lord, in this closing parable, grasps the whole covetous and self-seeking character of the Pharisees, shews them a case in which it is carried to the utmost, by one who made no friends'-with the unrighteous Mammon;-places in contrast with it a case of extreme destitution and poverty,-the very thing which the covetous most abhorred ;-and then passes over into the region beyond the grave, shewing them the contrast there also-and ending with a mysterious prophetic hint at the final rejection of the Kingdom of God and Himself by those for whom the law and prophets were insufficient to bring them to repentance. And while it does not appear that the covetousness of the Pharisees shewed itself in this particular way, our Lord here grasps the depravity by its root, which is, a godless and loveless selfseeking-saying in the heart, There is no God'-and acting accordingly. The explanation of particular points see D D