Bible Commentaries

And ¹ it came to pass, as he went into the house of ^a one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

(1) The law of the very sabbath ought not to hinder the offices of charity.

(a) Either one of the elders, whom they called the sanhedrin, or one of the chiefs of the synagogue: for all the Pharisees were not chief men of the synagogue (John 7:48); for this word Pharisee was the name of a sect, though it appears by viewing the whole history of the matter that the Pharisees had much authority.

² And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

(2) The reward of pride is dishonour, and the reward of true modesty is glory.

³ 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 neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

(3) Against those who spend their goods either for the glory of man or for hope of recompence, whereas Christian charity considers only the glory of God, and the profit of our neighbour.

⁴ And they all with ^b one [consent] began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

(4) For the most part even those to whom God has revealed himself are so mad, that any help which they have received of God they willingly turn into obstructions and hindrances.

(b) On purpose, and a thing agreed upon before: for though they give different reasons why they cannot come, yet all of them agree in this, that they have their excuses so that they may not come to supper.

So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the ^c streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

(c) Wide and broad areas.

⁵ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

(5) Even those affections which are in themselves worthy of praise and commendation must be controlled and kept in order, so that godliness may have the upper hand and have preeminence.

If any [man] come to me, and ^d 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.

(d) If anything stands between God and him, as Theophylact says: and therefore these words are spoken in a comparative way, and not by themselves.

⁶ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

(6) The true followers of Christ must at once build and fight, and therefore be ready and prepared to endure all types of miseries.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, ^e sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?

(e) At home, and calculates all his costs before he begins the work.

⁷ Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

(7) The disciples of Christ must be wise, both for themselves and for others: otherwise they become the most foolish of all.