A
STUDY OF THE HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS
Book 9
Lesson 61, Criticism Over Receiving
“Sinners”, Luke 15:1-32
Lesson 62, Parables on Stewardship, Luke
16:1-17:10
Lesson 63, The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead,
John 11:1-54
Lesson 64, A Leper is Cured, Luke 17:11-37
Lesson 65, Publicans and Pharisees, Matt. 19:1,2;
Mark 10:1; Luke 18:1-14
Lesson 66, Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce and
Remarriage, Matt. 19:3-12; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18
Lesson 67, A Rich Young Ruler, Matt. 19:16-29;
Mark 10:17-30; Luke 18:18-30
Lesson 68, The Death and Resurrection Prophesied,
Matt. 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34
Lesson 69, A Wealthy Publican (Zacchaeus) and a
Parable, Luke 19:1-28
-----------------------------------
Lesson 61, Criticism Over Receiving
“Sinners”, Luke 15:1-32
1.
What caused the Pharisees and Scribes to murmur against Jesus?
2.
How does the parable of the lost sheep answer their complaint?
3.
What other parables did Jesus give in response to the Pharisees and
Scribes?
4.
In the third parable which son asked for his portion of the family
inheritance?
5.
What did this son do and where did he go?
6.
What did the son do with his portion of the family estate?
7.
What caused the son to return to his father?
8.
What is in this parable that indicates the father was constantly on the
lookout for the return of his son? What lessons are there in that for us?
9.
What was the confession made by the son to his father?
10.
What was the reaction of the Father?
11.
The father said his son had been ______________ and was __________ but
was what now? What truth does this teach us?
12.
At the time of the return what was the other son doing?
13.
What was his reaction when he saw the joy over his brother’s return?
14.
How did the father handle this?
15.
What is the prominent lesson in all this?
Help
with Lesson 61
1.
Murmured. They affected to suppose that if Jesus treated sinners kindly
he must be fond of their society, and be a man of similar character. They
considered it disgraceful to be with them or to eat with them, and they
therefore brought a charge against him for it.
They would not suppose that he admitted them to his society for the
purpose of doing them good; nor did they remember that the very object of his
coming was to call the wicked from their ways and to save them from death.
Receiveth sinners.
Receives them in a tender manner; treats them with kindness; does not drive
them from his presence.
And eateth with them. Contrary
to the received maxims of the scribes. By
eating with them he showed that he did not despise or overlook them. AB
2.
What man of you] Our Lord spoke this and the following parable to
justify his conduct in receiving and conversing with sinners or heathens.
A hundred sheep] Parables
similar to this are frequent among the Jewish writers. The whole flock of
mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, belongs unto this Divine Shepherd; and it is
but reasonable to expect, that the gracious proprietor will look after those
who have gone astray, and bring them back to the flock. The lost sheep is an
emblem of a heedless, thoughtless sinner: one who follows the corrupt dictates
of his own heart, without ever reflecting upon his conduct, or considering
what will be the issue of his unholy course of life. No creature strays more
easily than a sheep; none is more heedless; and none so incapable of finding
its way back to the flock, when once gone astray: it will bleat for the flock,
and still run on in an opposite direction to the place where the flock is:
this I have often noticed. No creature is more defenseless than a sheep, and
more exposed to be devoured by dogs and wild beasts. Even the fowls of the air
seek their destruction. I have known ravens often attempt to destroy lambs by
picking out their eyes, in which, when they have succeeded, as the creature
does not see whither it is going, it soon falls an easy prey to its destroyer.
Satan is ever going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; in
order to succeed, he blinds the understanding of sinners, and then finds it an
easy matter to tumble them into the pit of perdition. Who but a Pharisee or a
devil would find fault with the shepherd who endeavours to rescue his sheep
from so much danger and ruin! ACC
3.
A woman searching for one lost coin, vss 8-10 and a rebellious son who
went off into a far country, eventually to return – vss. 11-32
4.
And the younger of them. The more childish and easily deceived.
Said to his father,
Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me. Since the
elder brother received a double portion, the younger brother's part would be
only one-third of the property (Deut 21:17). FG
5.
Verse 13: “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all
together and took his journey into a far country”
6.
Verse 13: “. . . ; and there he wasted his substance with riotous
living.”
7.
He came to himself. This is a very expressive phrase. It is
commonly applied to one who has been deranged, and when he recovers we say he
has come to himself. In this place it denotes that the folly of the young man
was a kind of derangement--that he was insane. So it is of every sinner.
Madness is in their hearts (Eccl 9:3); they are estranged from God, and led,
by the influence of evil passions, contrary to their better judgment and the
decisions of a sound mind. AB
8.
A great way off. This is a beautiful description--the image of
his father's happening to see him clad in rags, poor, and emaciated, and yet
he recognized his son, and all the feelings of a father prompted him to go and
embrace him.
Ran and fell on his neck;
this represents the readiness with which God receives returning sinners. To be
saved, men must not only resolve, but they must return to God; taking all the
blame and shame of their departure to themselves, and ascribing righteousness
to him, they must surrender all their interests for time and eternity to his
care, guidance, and disposal. FBN
A waiting father;
Evidently daily the father made it his priority to look down the long road his
son took when he went away. Not a day passed without the father’s hope and
anticipation of the return of his son. DS
9.
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no
more worthy to be called thy son. The son shows a manly spirit in adhering to
his purpose to make a confession, notwithstanding the warmth of his father's
welcome; in grieving for what he had done, and not for what he had lost; and
in blaming no one but himself. FG
10.
Bring forth the best robe] Bring out that chief garment, thn
stolhn thn prwthn, the garment which was laid by, to be used only on birthdays
or festival times. Such as that which Rebecca had laid by for Esau, and which
she put on Jacob when she made him personate his brother.
Put a ring on his hand]
Giving a ring was in ancient times a mark of honour and dignity. See Gen.
41:42; 1 Kings 21:8; Esther 8:2; Dan. 6:17; Jas. 2:2.
Shoes on his feet]
Formerly those who were captivated had their shoes taken off, Isa 20:1; and
when they were restored to liberty their shoes were restored. See 2Ch 28:15.
In Bengal, shoes of a superior quality make one of the distinguishing parts of
a person's dress. Some of them cost as much as a hundred rupees a pair; œ10
or œ12. Reference is perhaps made here to some such costly shoes. It is the
same among the Chinese: some very costly shoes and boots of that people are
now before me. ACC
11.
Dead – Alive / Lost Found - For this my
son was dead. The condition of the impenitent sinner is frequently expressed
in the Bible under the metaphor of death (Rom. 6:13; Eph. 2:1; 5:14; Rev.
3:1). FG
He was dead to
excellence and to happiness and dead as to being the means of either to his
father's house. He was lost to goodness, to duty, and to heaven. Alive--found;
he has returned with right feelings to his father and friends, and is a source
of rich enjoyment to himself and them. Who, not lost to goodness, would not be
partaker of their joy? FBN
12.
Now. Having thus finished his account of the openly irreligious, Jesus
now turns to portray that of the professedly religious; that is, he turns from
the publican to the Pharisee. He paints both parties as alike children of God,
as both faulty and sinful in his sight, and each as being loved despite his
faultiness. But while the story of the elder son had a present and local
application to the Pharisees, it is to be taken comprehensively as describing
all the self-righteous who murmur at and refuse to take part in the conversion
of sinners.
His elder son was in the
field. At work.
And as he came and drew
nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. He heard evidences of joy, a
joy answering to that mentioned at Luke 15:7,10; the joy of angels in seeing
the publicans and sinners repenting and being received by Jesus--the joy at
which the Pharisees had murmured.
13.
And he was angry, &c. This is a striking image and an exact
representation of the perverse behaviour of the Jews, when the mystery of the
calling of the Gentiles began to be revealed, and the Gospel to be preached to
them. The unbelieving Jews were incensed at it beyond measure, and became on
this very account the more hardened and averse from Christianity; and they
hated St. Paul implacably, because he was more particularly the patron of the
Gentiles, and, as they supposed, the adversary of the law. Dr. Jortin.
Our Lord here finely
reproves the unjust anger of the Jews against the Gentiles, on account of
their admission to the same privileges with themselves under the Christian
covenant. BFB
14.
In every point of view, the anger of the older son was improper and
unreasonable. He had already received his part of the inheritance, see Luke
15:12, and his profligate brother had received no more than what was his just
dividend. Besides, what the father had acquired since that division he had a
right to dispose of as he pleased, even to give it all to one son; nor did the
ancient customs of the Asiatic countries permit the other children to claim
any share in such property thus disposed of. The following is an institute of
the GENTOO law on this subject: (CODE, chap. ii. sect. 9, p. 79:) “If a
father gives, by his own choice, land, houses, orchards, and the earning of
his own industry, to one of his sons, the other sons shall not receive any
share of it." Besides, whatever property the father had acquired after
the above division, the son or sons, as the prodigal in the text, could have
no claim at all on, according to another institute in the above Asiatic laws,
see chap. ii. sect. ii. p. 85, but the father might divide it among those who
remained with him: therefore is it said in the text, "Son, thou art
ALWAYS with me, and ALL that I have is THINE.” ACC
15.
A comparison of the three preceding parables brings out many suggestive
points, thus: The first parable (Luke 15:3-7) illustrates Christ's compassion.
A sentient, suffering creature is lost, and it was bad for it that it should
be so. Hence it must be sought, though its value is only one out of a hundred.
Man's lost condition makes him wretched. The second parable (Luke 15:8-10)
shows us how God values a soul. A lifeless piece of metal is lost, and while
it could not be pitied, it could be valued, and since its value was one out
ten, it was bad for the owner that it should be lost. God looks upon man's
loss as his impoverishment. The first two parables depict the efforts of
Christ in the salvation of man, or that side of conversion more apparent, so
to speak, to God; while the third (Luke 15:11-32) sets forth the responsive
efforts put forth by man to avail himself of God's salvation-- the side of
conversion more apparent to us. Moreover, as the parabolic figures become more
nearly literal, as we pass from sheep and coin to son, the values also rise,
and instead of one from a hundred, or one from ten, we have one out of two! FG
1.
What is a steward?
2.
Why was the steward in this lesson dismissed from his position?
3.
Tell what this steward did to protect himself from poverty?
4.
What word describes this steward in verse 8? Why is he commended by his
employer?
5.
What is meant by making friends by means of unrighteous mammon? What
does “mammon” mean?
6.
Complete: “If therefore ye have not been ______________ in the
unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the __________ riches? And
if ye have not been _____________ in that which is _______________, who will
give you that which is your own?
7.
What caused the Pharisees to scoff at Jesus? What does the text say
about them in verse 14?
8.
What did Jesus say they did before men and what God knew about them?
What application(s) can be made of this for all of us?
9.
What does Jesus say were until the days of John the Baptist?
10.
What was sequel to that and what does he mean by men violently entering
into the kingdom of God?
11.
What is a “tittle of the law”? What did Jesus say about this (verse
17)?
12.
In verse 19, Jesus begins another lesson. Is this, another parable, and
if so, what does it seem to teach about the after life?
13.
What kind of life did the rich man lead and how did it compare to the
life of Lazarus?
14.
When Lazarus died, what does the text say happened to him and where he
went?
15.
What happened to the rich man who died? He lifted up his eyes in
___________ . What does this mean?
16.
List the things that tell us the conditions of Hades where the rich man
was.
17.
When he appealed to Abraham, what request did he make for his brothers
who were still alive?
18.
What reply did Abraham give?
19.
Abraham said, “If they hear not _______________ and the
_________________, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the
dead.”
20.
(Luke 17:1-10) – How did Jesus describe the serious penalty of
causing someone to stumble? What does “stumble” mean in this passage?
21.
How many times does Jesus tell us to forgive those who sin against us
and repent?
22.
Right after Jesus told them how many times to forgive, he mentioned
something about faith able to do what? Does this have an application to what
he had just said about forgiving others?
23.
In verses 7 through 10 he speaks of a Master and his servant and
concludes, “When ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you,
say, ‘We are _____________________ servants; we have done that which it was
our ________________ to do’.”
Help
with Lesson 62,
1.
This steward was a freeman, had full charge of his master's affairs and
could use them to his own advantage if he chose, was fully accountable to his
master and had to render an account when called upon. If unfaithful he was
usually discharged at once (Luke 16:1-13). The parables of the Minae or Pounds
(Luke 19:12-27), the Talents (Matt 25:14-30), and the Wicked Husbandmen (Matt
21:33-46) teach similar truths. In His warning to His disciples Jesus seems to
imply that they were to act as stewards in His absence (Luke 12:42). According
to this passage a steward's task was to manage all the affairs of his master,
attend to receipts and expenditures, and portion out to each one of the
household what should come to him. The disciples were left thus in charge of
His gospel and were to use this gift to the best advantage in behalf of others
until His return. In John 2:8 the term "ruler" is given in the
margin as "steward." The one referred to here was really director of
the feast rather than steward, though in a sense charged with the
responsibility of conducting it. Many stewards were no doubt slaves, as is
implied in Matt 24:45, while others were freedmen (Luke 16:1-21). ISBE
2.
Here is the dishonesty of
this steward. He wasted his lord's goods, embezzled them, misapplied them, or
through carelessness suffered them to be lost and damaged; and for this he was
accused to his lord, Luke 16:1. We are all liable to the same charge. We have
not made a due improvement of what God has entrusted us with in this world,
but have perverted his purpose; and, that we may not be for this judged of our
Lord, it concerns us to judge ourselves. MH
3.
I cannot dig] He could not
submit to become a common day-labourer, which was both a severe and base
employment: To beg I am ashamed. And as these were the only honest ways left
him to procure a morsel of bread, and he would not submit to either, he found
he must continue the system of knavery, in order to provide for his idleness
and luxury, or else starve. Wo to the man who gets his bread in this way! The
curse of the Lord must be on his head, and on his heart; in his basket, and is
his store. ACC
They may receive me,
&c. Those who are now under
me, and whom I am resolved now to favour. He had been dishonest to his master,
and, having commenced a course of dishonesty, he did not shrink from pursuing
it. Having injured his master,
and being now detected, he was willing still farther to injure him, to take
revenge on him for removing him from his place, and to secure his own interest
still at his expense. He was resolved to lay these persons under such
obligations, and to show them so much kindness, that they could not well
refuse to return the kindness to him and give him a support. AB
4.
The unrighteous steward (ton oikonomon tês adikias). Literally,
the steward of unrighteousness. The genitive is the case of genus, species,
the steward distinguished by unrighteousness as his characteristic. See
"the mammon of unrighteousness" in verse Luke 16:9. See "the
forgetful hearer" in Jas 1:25. It is a vernacular idiom common to Hebrew,
Aramaic, and the Koiné. RWP
5.
--
Make to yourselves friends &c. Imitate this steward's wisdom in so
managing the perishing possessions of this world, that they may secure to you
a future subsistence when your present trust shall end. The steward was aware
that his life was not to end with his stewardship, and that therefore, when
that source of livelihood failed, some other means must be devised. Our case
in this respect is the same as his. Death deprives us of all further use of
our worldly advantages; but death itself does not close our existence. There
is a future and eternal state for which we are reserved; to which it is our
greatest prudence to direct our aims at present, to the end that all which we
now have, and all which we now do, may then tend to our blessing. How this is
to be done, the Scriptures abundantly inform us. Our wealth is not to be
wasted in pomp and vanity, in luxury and excess, but to be expended in works
of piety, charity, and publick good. Our talents and learning are to be
employed in promoting virtue, religion, and truth; in practices, examples, and
persuasions, proportioned to the measure of these advantages. They who use the
blessings of this life faithfully for the service of their Lord, will
hereafter, according as He has promised, enter into his joys. BFB
Mammon was a common
Chaldee word used in the East to express material riches. It is here
personified as a kind of god of this world. Jesus here assumes that we are
framed to serve (Gen. 2:15); and hence that we must choose our master, for it
is impossible to serve two masters whose interests are different and
conflicting. They conflict here, for it is mammon's interest to be hoarded and
loved, but it is God's interest that mammon be distributed to the needy and be
lightly esteemed. God claims our supreme love and our undivided service.
6.
7.
The Pharisees were notoriously addicted to the sin of covetousness,
accounting no man happy but them that were rich: and because the promises made
to the Jews were generally, (though not only) of temporal blessings, they
looked upon poverty as a curse, and esteemed the poor accursed, John 7:49|
The Pharisees hearing their covetousness reproved, and the doctrine of
charity and alms preached and enforced by our Saviour, they derided him in the
shamefulest manner, with the highest degree of contempt and scorn, wringing
the nose, and making mouths at him, as the original word seems to import. WBN
8.
Which justify yourselves etc. Which endeavour to approve
yourselves to men, and expect to be owned by them, as righteous persons: but
God knoweth the falsehood of your hearts: for that fair outside, which is
highly esteemed among men, who see no farther, is an abomination in the sight
of God, who seeth the hypocrisy of your hearts. Dr. Whitby.
9.
“The law and the prophets were until John” – Luke 16:16
10.
“. . . from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached,
and every man entereth violently into it.” Jesus here pictures the kingdom
of heaven as a besieged city. The city is shut up, but the enemies which
surround it storm its walls and try to force an entrance--an apt illustration
which many fail to comprehend. The gates of Christ's kingdom were not opened
until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:22-36), but men hearing it was about to be
opened sought to enter prematurely, not by the gates which God would open when
Simon Peter used the keys (Matt 16:19), but by such breaches as they
themselves sought to make in the walls. Examples of this violence will be seen
in the following instances: John 6:15; Matt 20:21; Luke 19:11,36-38; 22:24-30;
Acts 1:1-6:15. The people were full of preconceived ideas with regard to the
kingdom, and each one sought to hasten and enjoy its pleasures as one who
impatiently seizes upon a bud and seeks with his fingers to force it to bloom.
The context shows that John the Baptist was even then seeking to force the
kingdom. FG
11.
Tittle: A very small particle; literally, a small horn; the
minute tip at the extremity of some Hebrew letters, Matt 5:18. In transcribing
the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jews exacted the utmost accuracy. Every page and
every line must contain just so much; and the most trivial defect vitiated the
whole roll, and compelled the scribe to begin his task anew. Yet the extreme
care thus expressed for the perfect integrity of the letter of God's word is
but a feeble illustration of the Savior’s care for the same word - every
truth, every threatening, and every promise has the most perfect guarantee
possible: “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the
law to fail,” Luke 16:17. ATSD
12.
(Note: J.W. McGarvey treated it as a parable. Others do not since it is
not introduced as a parable.) The parable we are about to study is a direct
advance upon the thoughts in the previous section. We may say generally that
if the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, this
parable sets forth the terrible consequences of a failure to so use them. Each
point of the previous discourse is covered in detail, as will be shown by the
references in the discussion of the parable. FG
(Note: Adam Clarke was not sure it is a parable.) This account of the rich man
and Lazarus is either a parable or a real history. If it be a parable, it is
what may be: if it be a history, it is that which has been. Either a man may
live as is here described, and go to perdition when he dies; or, some have
lived in this way, and are now suffering the torments of an eternal fire. The
account is equally instructive in whichsoever of these lights it is viewed.
Let us carefully observe all the circumstances offered hereto our notice, and
we shall see-I. The CRIME of this man; and II. His PUNISHMENT. ACC
13.
Faring
sumptuously (euphrainomeno$ lampr$).
Making merry brilliantly. The verb euphrainomai we have already had in Luke
12:19; 15:23,25,32. Lampr$ is an old adverb from lampro$, brilliant, shining,
splendid, magnificent. It occurs here only in the N.T. This parable apparently
was meant for the Pharisees (verse Luke 16:14) who were lovers of money. It
shows the wrong use of money and opportunity. RWP
Beggar. Poor man.
The original word does not mean beggar, but simply that he was poor.
It should have been so translated to keep up the contrast with the rich
man.
Named Lazarus. The word
Lazarus is Hebrew, and means a man destitute of help, a needy, poor man. It is
a name given, therefore, to denote his needy condition.
Laid at his gate. At the door of
the rich man, in order that he might obtain aid.
Full of sores. Covered
with ulcers; afflicted not only with poverty, but with loathsome and offensive
ulcers, such as often are the accompaniments of poverty and want. These circumstances are designed to show how different was
his condition from that of the rich man. He was clothed in purple; the poor
man was covered with sores; he fared sumptuously; the poor man was dependent
even for the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table.
The dogs came. Such was
his miserable condition that even the dogs, as if moved by pity, came and
licked his sores in kindness to him. These
circumstances of his misery are very touching, and his condition, contrasted
with that of the rich man, is very striking. It is not affirmed that the rich
man was unkind to him, or drove him away, or refused to aid him. The narrative
is designed simply to show that the possession of wealth, and all the
blessings of this life, could not exempt from death and misery, and that the
lowest condition among mortals may be connected with, life and happiness
beyond the grave. There was no provision made for the helpless poor in those
days, and consequently they were often laid at the gates of the rich, and in
places of public resort, for charity. See Acts 3:2. AB
14.
Was carried by
the angels. Here is one who in his life had not a single friend, and now,
suddenly, not one, but many angels wait upon him.--Luther. His body may have
had no pall-bearers, but angels carried his soul. PNTC
--
was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: This is expressed
according to the Jewish mode of thinking and speaking; and the meaning is in
general, that he was received into a state of happiness, and admitted to a
place of peculiar honour. The phrase of lying in Abraham's bosom bears
allusion to the custom at Jewish feasts of several guests lying on one couch,
the head of one being placed near the bosom of another. See Joh 13:25; and
note at Luke 7:38. Bp. Pearce. The Jews had deservedly a great veneration for
Abraham on account of his eminent faith and obedience, and they assigned to
him the first place in the state of the blessed. BFB
15.
Hades - Lazarus was in Hades also for both Paradise (Abraham's
bosom) and Gehenna are in the unseen world beyond the grave. In torments (en
basanoi$). The touchstone by which gold and other metals were tested, then the
rack for torturing people. Old word, but in the N.T. only here, Luke 16:28;
Matt 4:24. . . . The Jews believed that Gehenna and Paradise were close
together. This detail in the parable does not demand that we believe it. The
picture calls for it. From afar (apo makrothen).
Pleonastic use of apo as makrothen means from afar. RWP
Hades, which is
represented as containing both Paradise and
Gehenna, and is merely the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Sheol, `the
grave,’ is the intermediate condition of the dead between death and the
final judgment. The scene on earth is
contrasted with the reversed conditions of the other world. The entire
imagery and phraseology are Jewish, and are borrowed from those which were
current among the Rabbis of Christ's day. Beyond the awful truth that death
brings no necessary forgiveness, and therefore that the retribution must
continue beyond the grave, we are not warranted in pressing the details of the
parable which were used as part of the vivid picture. CGNT
16.
“being in torments”
”Cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame”
Cool my tongue. The
effect of great heat on the body is to produce almost insupportable thirst.
Those who travel in burning deserts thus suffer inexpressibly when they are
deprived of water. So pain of any kind produces thirst, and particularly of
connected with fever. The sufferings of the rich man are therefore represented
as producing burning thirst, so much that even a drop of water would be
refreshing to his tongue. We can scarce form an idea of more distress and
misery than where this is continued from one day to another without relief. We
are not to suppose that he had been guilty of any particular wickedness with
his tongue as the cause of this. It is simply an idea to represent the natural
effect of great suffering, and especially suffering in the midst of great
heat. AB
17.
That he may testify unto
them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Deceived by his wealth,
the rich man looked upon his earthly possessions as real and substantial, and,
like rich sinners of today, had simply disregarded the affairs of the future
life. Aroused by the sudden experience of the awful realities of the future
state, he desires to make it as real to his brethren as it had now become to
him. In endeavoring to carry out his desire he proceeds on the theory that the
testimony of the dead in reference to the realities of the future state are
more trustworthy and influential than the revelations of God himself, given
through his inspired spokesmen. This dishonoring of God and his law was to be
expected from one who had made mammon his real master, even though professing
(as the context suggests) to serve God. The singleness of his service is shown
in that he, though practically discharged by one master--mammon, can not even
now speak respectfully of God. Some commentators make much of the so-called
repentance of the rich man, manifested in this concern for his brethren; but
the Lord did not count kindness shown to kindred as evidence of goodness, much
less of repentance (Luke 6:32-35). Besides the natural feeling for his
brothers, he knew that their presence in torment would add to his own. His
concern for his brethren is not told to indicate repentance. It is mentioned
to bring out the point that the revealed will of God of itself and without
more makes it inexcusable for a man to lead a selfish life. FG
18.
“Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear
them” - “We are saved by faithful hearing, not by apparitions,"
Bengel. This was most remarkably exemplified in the results which followed the
raising of another Lazarus (John 12:10), and the resurrection of our Lord
Himself (Matt. 28:11—13). Observe that the reply of Abraham (‘be
persuaded,’ ‘arose,’ ‘from among’ [ek not apo] the dead) is much
stronger than the words used by Dives. “A far mightier miracle...would be
ineffectual for producing a far slighter effect.” Trench. CGNT
19.
Moses and the Prophets – The entire Old Testament.
Let them hear them. John 1:45; 5:39-46; Luke 24:27. The Scriptures are
a sufficient guide to godliness—2 Tim. 3:16,17, and a failure to live
rightly when possession them is due to lack of will, and not to lack of
knowledge. FG
20.
Woe unto the
world because of occasions of stumbling! The depravity of man makes sin
inevitable, but nevertheless it does not remove or reduce the personal
responsibility of him who tempts to or causes to sin. FG
A mill-stone] That
drowning a person with a stone tied about the neck was an ancient mode of
punishment, see proved in the note on Matt 18:6,7, to which let the following
be added. To have a mill-stone hanged about the neck, was a common proverb.
"Samuel saith, A man may marry, and after that addict himself to the
study of the law. Rab. Jochanan saith, No: shall he addict himself to the
study of the law with a mill-stone about his neck?" ACC
21.
seven times--not a lower measure of the forgiving spirit than the
"seventy times seven" enjoined on Peter, which was occasioned by his
asking if he was to stop at seven times. "No," is the virtual
answer, "though it come to seventy times that number, if only he ask
forgiveness in sincerity." JFB
A purely general
expression, which as little involves the quantitative limitation of
forgiveness upon repentance as the “seventy times seven” of Matt. 18:22.
Some of the Rabbis had limited the duty of forgiveness to a three-repeated
offence, but “Who with repentance is not satisfied, Is not of heaven or
earth.” CGNT
22.
And the
apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. The apostles asked for
faith that they might be able to fulfill the great moral requirements which
Jesus had just revealed. Our Lord sanctions the wisdom of their prayer by
showing the greatness of faith.
"The only real power
of the universe," says Godet, "is the divine will. The human will,
which has discovered the secret of blending with this force of forces, is
raised, in virtue of this union, to omnipotence." But our distance from
omnipotence measures how far we are from attaining that desired union of will.
The sycamine tree is the well-known black mulberry tree, which belongs to the
same natural order as the fig-tree, and is a tree distinguished for being
deeply rooted. FG
23.
Unprofitable – duty.
“We sleep half our lives; we give God a tenth of our time; and yet we
think that with our good works we can merit Heaven. What have I been doing
today? I have talked for two hours. I have been at meals three hours. I have
been idle four hours. Ah! Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, O Lord!”
– Luther. Yet in a lower sense—though ‘insufficient,’ though
‘unmeritorious’ – it is possible for us to be “good and faithful
servants,” Matt. 25:21, 23. We must be unprofitable in the realm of bare
obligation and external service, and yet we may be faithful and honored in the
sphere of love. CGNT
We are unprofitable
servants. Our Master owes us no thanks when we serve him faithfully, for we
have only done our duty. The heavenly reward to the faithful is of grace, not
of debt (Rom. 11:6). PNTC
Lesson
63, The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead, John 11:1-54
1.
Bethany is called the village (town) of _____________ and ________.
2.
Who was Lazarus? What do we know about him and his family?
3.
When told to come because Lazarus was sick, what did Jesus say about
that kind of sickness? (verse 4). What do you think this means?
4.
Recently (“The DaVinci Code”) questions about Jesus and his
relations with others have indicated he may have had an amorous affair with
Mary of Magdala. Verse 5 says he loved her and who else? What kind of love did
he have for them? Is there anything in the text to indicate that Jesus had
some sexual attraction to this Mary? Look up and try to find what the original
word for “love” in this verse is.
5.
What could have been the reason Jesus did not immediately go to see
Lazarus? (verse 6).
6.
Jesus told his disciples they were going to Judea again. Why did his
disciples recommend that he not go there?
7.
Without having seen Lazarus at that time, how did he describe
Lazarus’ condition? What does “sleep” mean in verse 11?
8.
This seemed to relieve the disciples that Lazarus was no longer sick?
Why do you suppose they were somewhat relieved?
9.
Why was Jesus glad he was not present when Lazarus died?
10.
How long had Lazarus been dead by the time Jesus came to Bethany?
11.
What did Martha say to the Lord?
12.
Jesus said, “I am the ________________, and the ______________: he
that believeth on me, though he _______, yet shall he _________; and whosoever
liveth and believeth on me shall never _________. Believest thou this? (verse
25).
13.
Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, what did he do? (verses 41,
42).
14.
What effect did raising Lazarus back to life have on many of the Jews
who came to Mary? (verse 45).
15.
Who was Caiaphas and what advice did he give to the Pharisees?
16.
What had Caiaphas prophesied about Jesus?
17.
What plans did the Jewish council make for Jesus?
Help with lesson 63
1.
Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Bethany. A village on the eastern declivity of the Mount of Olives.
The town of Mary. The place where she lived. At that place also lived
Simon the leper (Matt 26:6), and there our Lord spent considerable part of his
time when he was in Judea. The transaction recorded in this chapter occurred
nearly four months after those mentioned in the previous chapter. Those
occurred in December, and these at the approach of the Passover in April. AB
2.
Lazarus - (whom God helps), another form of the Hebrew name Eleazar. He
was the brother of Martha and Mary. All that we know of him is derived from
the Gospel of St. John, and that records little more than the facts of his
death and resurrection. implies that the sisters were the better known.
Lazarus is "of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister
Martha." From this and from the order of the three names in John 11:1.
From this and from the order of the three names in John 11:5, we may
reasonably infer that Lazarus was the youngest of the family. All the
circumstances of John 11 and 12 point to wealth and social position above the
average. SBD
3.
This
sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may
be glorified thereby. The sickness of Lazarus was for the purpose or
design of a resurrection, so that death was a mere preceding incident. By this
resurrection the Son of God would be glorified by manifesting more clearly
than ever before that death came under his Messianic dominion, and by
gathering believers from amongst his enemies. In all this the Father would
also be glorified in the Son. FG
4.
Now
Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. In this passage we have two
Greek words for "love." In Joh 11:3,36 we have philein, which
expresses natural affection such as a parent feels for a child. In this verse
we have agapan, an
affection resulting from moral choice, loftier and less impulsive. We are told
of the Lord's love that we may understand that his delay was not due to
indifference. FG
He doubtless loved them
with a special, distinguishing love, as persons chosen in him to eternal life
before the foundation of the world, given unto him by an eternal donation,
called by him with an effectual calling, to own and receive him as their
Saviour; but this text seemeth to speak of him as loving this family with a
human love, which inclineth man to a complacency in an object beloved: he had
a kindness for the whole family; they had showed them kindness in his state of
humiliation, and he loved those that so loved him, Prov. 8:17. MP
5.
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.] Therefore his
staying two days longer in Bethabara was not through lack of affection for
this distressed family, but merely that he might have a more favourable
opportunity of proving to them how much he loved them. Christ never denies a
less favour, but in order to confer a greater. God's delays, in answering
prayers offered to him by persons in distress, are often proofs of his purpose
to confer some great kindness, and they are also proofs that his wisdom finds
it necessary to permit an increase of the affliction, that his goodness may be
more conspicuous in its removal. ACC
Though he loved him and
his sisters with a tender love, yet he did not presently go to them, to
comfort Mary and Martha in their sorrow; nor yet to cure Lazarus, and prevent
his death; but stayed still two days in the place where he was. He loved Mary,
and Martha, and Lazarus, but he more loved the honour and glory of his Father,
which was to be manifested in his raising of Lazarus from the dead. We must
not judge of Christ's love to us by his mere external dispensations of
providence; nor judge that he doth not love us because he doth not presently
come in to our help, at our times, and in such ways and methods as we would
think reasonable. MP
6.
There were not three
months elapsed since the Jews had so sought to have stoned him, and there was
no reason for him to think that their fury was in any whit abated. We read in
the other evangelists of other words they used (Peter especially, Matt 16:22),
to dissuade our Savior from this journey to Jerusalem. They were afraid for
their Master, and they were afraid also for themselves. MP
7.
Lazarus sleepeth. Is dead. The word sleep is applied to death,
1st. Because of the resemblance between them, as sleep is the "kinsman of
death." In this sense it is often used by pagan writers. But, 2nd. In the
Scriptures it is used to intimate that death will not be final: that there
will be an awaking out of this sleep, or a resurrection. It is a beautiful and
tender expression, removing all that is dreadful in death, and filling the
mind with the idea of calm repose after a life of toil, with a reference to a
future resurrection in increased rigor and renovated powers.
In this sense it is applied in the Scriptures usually to the saints, 1
Cor 11:30; 15:51; 1 Thes. 4:14; 5:10; Matt 9:24. AB
8.
Lord, if he
sleepeth, he shall do well. The disciples might have understood him to mean
death in this case had they not misunderstood his promise given at Joh 11:4.
As it was, they looked upon the mentioned sleep as marking the crisis of the
disease, as it so often does in cases of fever. They were glad to urge it as
an evidence of complete recovery, and thus remove one of the causes of the
dreaded journey into Judaea. FG
9.
And I am
glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.
Had Jesus been present during the sickness of Lazarus, he would have felt
constrained to heal him, and so would have lost the opportunity of presenting
to his disciples a more striking proof of his divine power, a proof which has
been the joy of each succeeding age. The disciples were soon to learn by sad
experience how little belief they really had (Mark 14:50; 16:11; Luke
24:11,21,25). FG
10.
He had lain in the grave four days already.] Our Lord probably
left Bethabara the day, or the day after, Lazarus died. He came to Bethany
three days after; and it appears that Lazarus had been buried about four days,
and consequently that he had been put in the grave the day or day after he
died. Though it was the Jewish custom to embalm their dead, yet we find, from
John 11:39, that he had not been embalmed; and God wisely ordered this, that
the miracle might appear the more striking. ACC
11.
“Martha therefore said unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died” (Vs. 21). We
might take it that Martha confidently expected the Lord to raise Lazarus, were
it not for the subsequent conversation and especially (Joh 11:39). We must
therefore look upon her hope as more vague than her words would indicate. Such
vague and illusive hopes are common where a great expectation, such as she had
before indulged, had but lately departed. FG
Mary said the same words
to him a little after, John 11:32, which proves that these sisters had not a
complete knowledge of the omnipotence of Christ: they thought he could cure at
hand, but not at a distance; or they thought that it was because he did not
know of their brother's indisposition that he permitted him to die. In either
of these cases it plainly appears they had not a proper notion of his
divinity; and indeed the following verse proves that they considered him in no
other light than that of a prophet. Query-Was it not proper that Christ
should, in general, as much as might be, hide the knowledge of his divinity
from those with whom he ordinarily lodged? Had they known him fully, would not
the reverence and awe connected with such a knowledge have overwhelmed them?
ACC
12.
Resurrection
Life
Die
Live
Die
Where Jesus is there is
life, and there also is resurrection at his word without limitation. No
mere man, if sane, could have uttered such words. They mean that Jesus is the
power which raises the dead and bestows eternal life (John 6:39-54; 10:28). FG
13.
“And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that
thou heardest me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the
multitude that standeth around I said it, that they may believe that thou
didst send me.” Jesus, dwelling in constant communion with the Father, knew
that the Father concurred in his wish to raise Lazarus. He therefore makes
public acknowledgment, and offers a prayer of thanksgiving, for the Father's
gracious answer to this and all his petitions. FG
As it was a common opinion
that great miracles might be wrought by the power and in the name of the
devil, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and invoked the supreme God before
these unbelieving Jews, that they might see that it was by his power, and by
his only, that this miracle was done; that every hindrance to this people’s
faith might be completely taken out of the way, and that their faith might
stand, not in the wisdom of man, but in the power of the Most High. On this
account our Lord says, he spoke because of the multitude, that they
might see there was no diabolic influence here, and that God in his mercy had
visited his people. ACC
14.
Some were
invited by it, and induced to believe. Many of the Jews, when they saw the
things that Jesus did, believed on him, and well they might, for it was an
incontestable proof of his divine mission. They had often heard of his
miracles, and yet evaded the conviction of them, by calling in question the
matter of fact; but now that they had themselves seen this done their unbelief
was conquered, and they yielded at last. But blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed. The more we see of Christ the more cause we shall
see to love him and confide in him. These were some of those Jews that came to
Mary, to comfort her. When we are doing good offices to others we put
ourselves in the way of receiving favours from God, and have opportunities of
getting good when we are doing good. MH
“But some of them went
away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done” Vs.
46. These Jews had the same means for believing the others had; they had heard
the same words from Christ, they had seen the same miracle wrought by Christ.
Whence is it that any of the other Jews believed? These, instead of believing,
run to the Pharisees to accuse him. Can any account be given of this, unless
from the freedom of Divine grace, showing mercy where God will show mercy?
Though possibly the former wickedness, of these Jews was the cause of God's
not giving that grace to them which he gave to others. MP
15.
Caiaphas -- High Priest from A.D. 18 to A.D. 36. He was a Sadducee, and
a bitter enemy of Christ. At his palace the priests, etc., met after the
resurrection of Lazarus, to plot the death of the Savior, lest all the people
should believe on him. On one of these occasions, John 11:47-54, he counseled
the death of Christ for the political salvation of the nation; and his words
were, unconsciously to him, an inspired prediction of the salvation of a lost
world. These plots against Christ, Matt 26:1-5; Mark 14:1; Luke 22:2, led to
his seizure, and he was brought first before Annas, formerly high priest, who
sent him to Caiaphas his son-in-law. ATSD
That one man should die
for the people. Caiaphas saw that the teaching and miracles of Jesus would
so influence the people that they would accept him as Messiah.
He knew also that our Lord did not countenance the Messianic hopes that
were cherished by the scribes and Pharisees.
If Jesus succeeded, it meant the extinction of those hopes and a
continuance of Roman rule. It was
strictly true, therefore, that his death was regarded by Caiaphas as
politically 'expedient. TC
16.
“From that day forth they took counsel that they might put him to
death” – Vs 53. Thus, acting on the advice of Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin
condemned Jesus without a hearing and sought means to carry their condemnation
to execution. Quieting their consciences by professing to see such political
dangers as made it necessary to kill Jesus for the public welfare, they
departed utterly from justice, and took the course which brought upon them the
very evils which they were professedly seeking to avoid. FG
Lesson 64, A Leper is Cured,
Luke 17:11-37
1.
What is a “leper”? How many did Jesus meet on his way to Jerusalem?
2.
When they pled with him for mercy what did he tell them to do? Do you
know why he might have told them this?
3.
How many of them, when they saw they were cleansed from leprosy,
returned to thank him? What was his nationality?
4.
How did Jesus describe the coming of the Kingdom of God to the
Pharisees? What does this mean?
5.
Jesus said, “The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of
the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.” What are the “days
of the Son of Man?”
6.
What does Jesus say about himself calling himself the “Son of Man?”
7.
In verse 24, Jesus described how his coming would be? Describe it and
tell what you think it implies.
8.
What did Jesus say had to happen before this event? (verse 25).
9.
How does he describe current conditions with the times of Noah and Lot?
10.
What lesson can be learned by remembering Lot’s wife?
11.
“Whosoever shall seek to _________ his life shall __________ it: but
whosoever shall _____________ his life shall ___________ it.” What does this
mean?
12.
To what historical event does Jesus refer by saying, “Whither the
body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together”?
13.
What do you think he meant by “the body” in verse 37? Since eagles
(scavengers) would be attracted to a body, what would that say about the body?
Help
with Lesson 64
1.
“And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men
that were lepers, who stood afar off.”
The predominant and characteristic form of leprosy in the Old Testament is a
white variety, covering either the entire body or a large tract of its
surface, which has obtained the name of Lepra mosaica. Such were the cases of
Moses, Miriam, Naaman and Gehazi. SBD
It was a disease rendering
the victim “unclean” (Lev. 13:43-46). Lepers were required to keep away
from others due to the infectious nature of the disease. The rabbis are said
to have prescribed a fixed distance at which lepers must keep, but authority
varies as to this distance, some giving it as a rod and others as high as a
hundred paces. FG
2.
But go, show
thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a
testimony unto them. Though healed of his leprosy, the man was not legally
clean until declared so by the priest. The priest alone could readmit him to
the congregation. The local priest inspected the healed leper, and if he was
found clean or cured, he was purified by the use of two birds, cedar wood,
scarlet and hyssop, razor and bath. After seven days he was again inspected,
and if still cured the priest repaired with him to the temple, where he
offered the gift for his cleansing, which was three lambs, with flour and oil;
or if the leper was poor, one lamb and two doves or pigeons, with flour and
oil (Le 14:19-22). The healed leper was a testimony that Messiah, the great
Physician, had come, and that he respected the law of Moses. This testimony
was given both to priests and people. FG
3.
One of them, &c. This
man, sensible of the power of God and grateful for his mercies, returned to
express his gratitude to God for his goodness. Instead of obeying at once the letter of the command, he
first expressed his thanks to God and to his Great Benefactor. There is no
evidence, however, that he did not, after he had given thanks to God, and had
poured out his joy at the feet of Jesus, go to the priest as he was directed;
indeed, he could not have been restored to society without doing it; but he
first poured out his thanks to God, and gave him praise for his wonderful
recovery. The first duty of sinners, after they have been forgiven and have
the hope of eternal life, is to prostrate themselves at the feet of their
Great Benefactor, and to consecrate themselves to his service. Then let them
go and show to others the evidence that they are cleansed. Let them go and
mingle, like a restored leper, with their families and friends, and show by
the purity and holiness of their lives how great is the mercy that has
cleansed them. AB
4.
And being
asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and
said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. The question of the
Pharisees was doubtless a covert criticism. More than three years before this
Jesus had begun to say that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Matt 4:17); and
they thought that after all this preparation it was high time that the kingdom
should commence. The Pharisees were looking for some manifestation of the
sovereignty of God in the realm of the civil and the external, which would
raise the Jewish nation to conspicuous supremacy, but they are told that the
work of the kingdom is internal and spiritual (John 3:8; 18:36; Rom 10:8; Col
1:27), and that its effects are not such as can be located in space. They were
seeking honors and joys, and would find contempt and sorrow (Am 5:18-20). FG
5.
The Days of the Son of Man. When he says, Ye shall desire to see
one of the days of the Son of man, he either means, ye of this nation, ye
Jews, and addresses his disciples as if they should bear witness to the truth
of the declaration; intimating that heavy calamities were about to fall upon
them, and that they should desire in vain to have those opportunities of
returning to God which now they rejected; or, he means that such should the
distressed state of this people be, that the disciples would through pity and
tenderness desire the removal of those punishments from them, which could not
be removed because the cup of their iniquity was full. But the former is more
likely to be the sense of the place. ACC
If the Pharisees
looked eagerly for a sensuous external Messianic kingdom, so also would the
disciples be tempted in the days to come to cherish a somewhat similar
yearning. Knowing that Jesus was to come again to rule in power and in great
glory, they would, under the stress of persecution, hunger to see one of the
days of his rule. This longing for the coming of the Christ is frequently
expressed (Php 4:5; Tit 2:13; Jas 5:7-9; Re 22:20). FG
6.
Son of Man: The Son of man here means the Messiah, without
affirming that he was the Messiah. Son of Man is a title of Christ, assumed by
himself in his humiliation, John 1:51. It was understood as a designation of
the Messiah, according to Old Testament predictions, Psa. 80:17 Dan. 7:13,14;
but appears to indicate especially his true humanity or oneness with the human
race. It is applies to him more than eighty times in the New Testament.
7.
For as the
lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth
unto the other part under heaven. Against all this Jesus warns them,
telling them that when the kingdom of heaven does at last assume a visible
shape in the manifestation of its King, that manifestation will be so
glorious, universal and pronounced as to be absolutely unmistakable.
8.
Before my kingdom shall appear in that glory, I must suffer many
things, and be rejected of this generation. You may be seduced to think that I
am going to put on a crown as a secular prince to deliver you from your
enemies. Alas! I am going to a cross. I shall have a day, but this is mine
enemies' day, and the power of darkness, both with reference to me and you.
Look for nothing in or from this generation but to see me mocked, scourged,
spit upon, buffeted, hanged upon a cross, rejected by men; these will be the
issues of Divine providence as to this generation; look for better things
hereafter, but look for no better from or in this generation. MP
9.
Conditions include all the ordinary occupations and enjoyments of life.
Though the antediluvian world and the cities of the plain were awfully wicked,
it is not their wickedness, but their worldliness, their unbelief and
indifference to the future, their unpreparedness, that is here held up as a
warning. Note.--These recorded events of Old Testament history--denied or
explained away nowadays by not a few--are referred to here as facts. JFB
In these verses our
Saviour declares, that Jerusalem's destruction, and the world's final
desolation at the great day, would be like the destruction of the old world in
the days of Noah, and like the destruction of Sodom in the days of Lot, and
that both in regard of unexpectedness, and in regard of sensuality and
security, as they before the flood were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage; that is, wholly given up to sensuality and debauchery; and
did not know, that is, did not consider, the floods coming, until it swept
them away; thus was it before the destruction of Jerusalem, and will be before
the end of the world,
Hence we learn, that as
the old world perished by infidelity, security, and sensuality, so will the
same sins be prevailing before the destruction of this present world.
As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son
of man. WBN
10.
We have the story Gen. 19:26. She looked back from behind him, and
she became a pillar of salt. Lot and his family leaving Sodom, she either
looked back as not believing what the angel had said, or as moved with the
miserable condition of the place, or as loath to leave her estate and goods;
however, in disobedience to the command of God, Luke 17:17, Escape for thy
life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the
mountain, lest thou be consumed. God turneth her into a pillar of salt. It
is a dreadful caution against unbelief, disobedience, worldly mindedness,
contempt of God's threatenings, and keeping a love for the forbidden society
of lewd and wicked persons. MP
11.
This declaration was fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Romans, in respect to the temporal life of the Christians; and it will be
fulfilled at the last day in its highest sense, in repsect to the eternal life
of all believers, even though they may have been slain for Christ's sake. FBN
Shall find it.
Shall find the spiritual, eternal life through loss of the life of earthly
ambitions and pleasures. Christ's
aim is to impress by means of striking contrasts the true meaning of life and
of love and the self-denial each calls for. TC
Jesus declares that all
self-seeking is self-losing. He that makes his own life the chief object of
his endeavor really fails the more he seems to succeed. He who saves and
husbands his powers to expend them on those lower carnal joys which a sinner
calls "life" shall lose those higher spiritual joys which God calls
"life," and vice versa. For a comment on similar expression, FG
12.
The disciples desired to know where this manifestation and division
would take place, looking upon it as a local prediction. Jesus gave a
proverbial answer, the meaning of which is that sin courts and draws to itself
punishment and destruction just as a carcass draws winged scavengers. Applying
his words, we may say that as the corruption of the antediluvians drew upon
them, the devastation of the flood, and as the crimes of the Sodomites called
down upon them, the fires from heaven, and as the unbelief of the Jews of
Christ's day caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the death of the nation,
so the wickedness of the men of the last times will result in the ending of
the world. The word translated "eagles" is generic, and included the
vultures also (Pliny, Natural History, 9.3). It is likely that the
Revision Committee retained the word “eagles” instead of “vultures”
because of the mistaken notion of Lightfoot and others that our Lord here
makes a covert allusion to the eagles which were borne upon the Roman
standards. A passage similar to the latter part of this section is found at
Matt 24:17-41. FG
13.