34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who were sent to her! again and again would I have taken your children to myself, as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, but you would not!
Which of the prophets was not cruelly attacked by your fathers? and they put to death those who gave them the news of the coming of the Upright One; whom you have now given up and put to death;
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her! Again and again would I have taken your children to myself as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is made waste. For I say to you, You will not see me from this time till you say, A blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord.
But Jesus, turning to them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, let not your weeping be for me, but for yourselves and for your children.
And will make you level with the earth, and your children with you; and there will not be one stone resting on another in you, because you did not see that it was your day of mercy.
But this was the order I gave them, saying, Give ear to my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people: go in all the way ordered by me, so that all may be well for you. But they took no note and did not give ear, but were guided by the thoughts and the pride of their evil hearts, going back and not forward.
For the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, said, In quiet and rest is your salvation: peace and hope are your strength: but you would not have it so.
When I sent for them, then they went away from me; they made offerings to the Baals, burning perfumes to images.
It is because of the sins of her prophets and the evil-doing of her priests, by whom the blood of the upright has been drained out in her.
Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and have joy in the Lord your God: for he gives you food in full measure, making the rain come down for you, the early and the late rain as at the first.
Be not like your fathers, to whom the voice of the earlier prophets came, saying, Be turned now from your evil ways and from your evil doings: but they did not give ear to me or take note, says the Lord.
And sent out his servants to get in the guests to the feast: and they would not come.
And the rest put violent hands on his servants, and did evil to them, and put them to death.
But you would have nothing to do with the Holy and Upright One, and made request for a man of blood to be given to you, And put to death the Lord of life; whom God gave back from the dead; of which fact we are witnesses.
And Stephen, while he was being stoned, made prayer to God, saying, Lord Jesus, take my spirit.
Now this Hagar is the mountain Sinai in Arabia, and is the image of the Jerusalem which now is: which is a servant with her children. But the Jerusalem on high is free, which is our mother.
And their dead bodies will be in the open street of the great town, which in the spirit is named Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was put to death on the cross.
If only they were wise, if only this was clear to them, and they would give thought to their future!
But when they had made a secret design against him, he was stoned with stones, by the king's order, in the outer square of the Lord's house. So King Joash did not keep in mind how good Jehoiada his father had been to him, but put his son to death. And in the hour of his death he said, May the Lord see it and take payment!
And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them by his servants, sending early and frequently, because he had pity on his people and on his living-place; But they put shame on the servants of God, making sport of his words and laughing at his prophets, till the wrath of God was moved against his people, till there was no help.
But they were hard-hearted, and went against your authority, turning their backs on your law, and putting to death your prophets, who gave witness against them with the purpose of turning them back again to you, and they did much to make you angry.
Year after year you put up with them, and gave witness against them by your spirit through your prophets: still they did not give ear: and so you gave them up into the hands of the peoples of the lands.
How good is your loving mercy, O God! the children of men take cover under the shade of your wings.
<To the chief music-maker; put to Al-tashheth. Michtam. Of David. When he went in flight from Saul, in the hole of the rock.> Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me; for the hope of my soul is in you: I will keep myself safely under the shade of your wings, till these troubles are past.
If only my people would give ear to me, walking in my ways!
If only they had such a heart in them at all times, so that they might go in fear of me and keep my orders and that it might be well for them and for their children for ever!
Because your ears were shut to my voice; no one gave attention to my out-stretched hand; You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words: So in the day of your trouble I will be laughing; I will make sport of your fear; When your fear comes on you like a storm, and your trouble like a rushing wind; when pain and sorrow come on you. Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me: For they were haters of knowledge, and did not give their hearts to the fear of the Lord: They had no desire for my teaching, and my words of protest were as nothing to them.
The Lord who takes up your cause, the Holy One of Israel, says, I am the Lord your God, who is teaching you for your profit, guiding you by the way in which you are to go. If only you had given ear to my orders, then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea: Your seed would have been like the sand, and your offspring like the dust: your name would not be cut off or come to an end before me.
Why, then, when I came, was there no man? and no one to give answer to my voice? has my hand become feeble, so that it is unable to take up your cause? or have I no power to make you free? See, at my word the sea becomes dry, I make the rivers a waste land: their fish are dead for need of water, and make an evil smell.
I gave your children blows to no purpose; they got no good from training: your sword has been the destruction of your prophets, like a death-giving lion.
This is what the Lord has said: Take your place looking out on the ways; make search for the old roads, saying, Where is the good way? and go in it that you may have rest for your souls. But they said, We will not go in it.
The orders which Jonadab, the son of Rechab, gave to his sons to take no wine, are done, and to this day they take no wine, for they do the orders of their father: but I have sent my words to you, getting up early and sending them, and you have not given ear to me.
And I sent all my servants the prophets to you, getting up early and sending them, saying, Do not do this disgusting thing which is hated by me. But they gave no attention, and their ears were not open so that they might be turned from their evil-doing and from burning perfume to other gods. Because of this, my passion and my wrath were let loose, burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are waste and unpeopled as at this day.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Luke 13
Commentary on Luke 13 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 13
In this chapter we have,
Luk 13:1-5
We have here,
Luk 13:6-9
This parable is intended to enforce that word of warning immediately going before, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish; except you be reformed, you will be ruined, as the barren tree, except it bring forth fruit, will be cut down.'
But he adds, If not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. Observe here,
Luk 13:10-17
Here is,
Luk 13:18-22
Here is,
Luk 13:23-30
We have here,
Luk 13:31-35
Here is,
Note,