5:27 And after these things He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He said unto him, Follow Me.
and He said unto him, follow Me - of all the publicans that were there, he singled out Levi, or Matthew, and directed His discourse to him, and called him to be a follower of Him: an instance of powerful, special, and distinguishing grace.....This Levi, or Matthew, was a tax collector; not like those of our own day, but one who farmed the taxes for the Roman governor, and made what he could for himself out of them; at least, that is what many of the “publicans” did.
And he left all - Καταλιπων - completely abandoning his office, and every thing connected with it. He who wishes to preach the Gospel, like the disciples of Christ, must have no earthly entanglement.
5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
A great feast - Δοχην μεγαλην, A splendid entertainment. The word refers more properly to the number of the guests, and the manner in which they were received, than to the quality or quantity of the fare. A great number of his friends and acquaintance was collected.
5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, Why do Ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
why do Ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? - The other evangelists represent these as saying, why does He, or your Master, eat with such? doubtless, they included both Christ, and His disciples; though they chiefly designed Him, and to bring an accusation against Him, and fix a charge upon Him, in order to render Him odious to the people.5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against His disciples, saying, Why do Ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
It seems that there can never be a great wonder wrought by Christ without somebody or other objecting to it.
I suppose that the sun never rose without annoying thieves, who would like a longer time to perpetrate their deeds of darkness; and no miracle of mercy is ever wrought without somebody finding fault with it for some reason or other.
5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
And Jesus answering, said unto them - Knowing that they aimed at Him; they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick: suggesting hereby, that as such who are in good health, who are free from all diseases, wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores, stand in no need of the advice and assistance of a physician, or surgeon, but such who have either distempers or sores on their bodies; so they, the Scribes and Pharisees, who, in their own opinion, were free from the disease of sin, original and actual, and touching the righteousness of the law, were blameless, stood not in any need of Him, the physician, who came to cure the maladies of the souls, as well as of the bodies of men; but such persons, who not only are sick with sin, but sick of it, who are sensible of it, and desire healing: and therefore this was the reason of His conduct, why He conversed with sinners, and not with the Scribes and Pharisees; His business, as a physician, lying among the one, and not the other;
5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
I came not to call the righteous - Such as the Scribes and Pharisees were in their own apprehension, and in the esteem of others, who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and submitted not to the righteousness of Christ.
5:33 And they said unto Him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but Thine eat and drink?
5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
And Jesus answering, said unto them - Knowing that they aimed at Him; they that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick: suggesting hereby, that as such who are in good health, who are free from all diseases, wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores, stand in no need of the advice and assistance of a physician, or surgeon, but such who have either distempers or sores on their bodies; so they, the Scribes and Pharisees, who, in their own opinion, were free from the disease of sin, original and actual, and touching the righteousness of the law, were blameless, stood not in any need of Him, the physician, who came to cure the maladies of the souls, as well as of the bodies of men; but such persons, who not only are sick with sin, but sick of it, who are sensible of it, and desire healing: and therefore this was the reason of His conduct, why He conversed with sinners, and not with the Scribes and Pharisees; His business, as a physician, lying among the one, and not the other;
5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
I came not to call the righteous - Such as the Scribes and Pharisees were in their own apprehension, and in the esteem of others, who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and submitted not to the righteousness of Christ.
5:33 And they said unto Him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but Thine eat and drink?
why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers? set times apart frequently for fasting and prayer.
5:34 And He said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
can ye make the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? signifying, that He was the bridegroom, and His disciples the children of the bride chamber; and that as it is unreasonable to expect, and morally impossible, that persons, attending the festivals of a nuptial solemnity, should be engaged in severe fastings;
5:34 And He said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
can ye make the children of the bride chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? signifying, that He was the bridegroom, and His disciples the children of the bride chamber; and that as it is unreasonable to expect, and morally impossible, that persons, attending the festivals of a nuptial solemnity, should be engaged in severe fastings;
5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
But the days will come - And that in a very little time, as they did:
when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them: as their master, John, was taken away from them, and now in prison, and therefore it was no wonder they mourned and fasted; signifying, that in a short time He, the bridegroom of His church and people, should be taken away by death.
and then they shall fast in those days; mourn, and be humbled, of which fasting was, a sign, for the death of their Lord, and on account of the many afflictions and persecutions they should endure for His sake.
5:36 And He spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them: as their master, John, was taken away from them, and now in prison, and therefore it was no wonder they mourned and fasted; signifying, that in a short time He, the bridegroom of His church and people, should be taken away by death.
and then they shall fast in those days; mourn, and be humbled, of which fasting was, a sign, for the death of their Lord, and on account of the many afflictions and persecutions they should endure for His sake.
5:36 And He spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
He would not put new cloth upon an old garment, nor new wine into old bottles; He would not, as soon as ever he had called them out of the world, put them upon the strictnesses and austerities of discipleship, lest they should be tempted to fly off.
When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He would not bring them by the way of the Philistines, lest they should repent, when they saw war, and return to Egypt, Exodus 13:17.
So Christ would train up His followers gradually to the discipline of His family; The disciples will be tempted to think their old way of living better, till they are by degrees trained up to this way whereunto they are called.
5:37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
5:37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
The new wine will burst the bottles - These old bottles would not be able to stand the fermentation of the new wine, as the old sewing would be apt to give way.
5:38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
5:38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
And both are preserved; both these renewed ones, who are preserved unto the kingdom and glory of Christ;
5:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
No man also having drunk old wine - "Wine", though not in the text....This is a proverbial expression, and which Luke only records; which may be applied to natural men, who having drunk the old wine of their carnal lusts and pleasures, do not desire the new wine of the Gospel, and of the grace of God, and of spiritual things, but prefer their old sins and lusts unto them: carnal lusts may be signified by old wine, both for the antiquity of them, being as old as men themselves, and therefore called the old man.5:39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
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