Luke 20:47

>Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 44 David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son? 45 Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples, 46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; 47 Which devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. The scribes were students in the law, and expositors of it to the people, men in reputation for wisdom and honour, but the generality of them were enemies to Christ and his gospel. Now here we have some of them attending him, and four things we have in these verses concerning them, which we had before:— I. We have them here commending the reply which Christ made to the Sadducees concerning the resurrection: Certain of the scribes said, Master, thou hast well said, v. 39 . Christ had the testimony of his adversaries that he said well; and therefore the scribes were his enemies because he would not conform to the traditions of the elders, but yet when he vindicated the fundamental practices of religion, and appeared in the defence of them, even the scribes commended his performance, and owned that he said well. Many that call themselves Christians come short even of this spirit. II. We have them here struck with an awe of Christ, and of his wisdom and authority ( v. 40 ): They durst not ask him any questions at all, because they say that he was too hard for all that contended with him. His own disciples, though weak, yet, being willing to receive his doctrine, durst ask him any question; but the Sadducees, who contradicted and cavilled at his doctrine, durst ask him none. III. We have them here puzzled and run aground with a question concerning the Messiah, v. 41 . It was plain by many scriptures that Christ was to be the Son of David; even the blind man knew this ( ch. xviii. 39 ); and yet it was plain that David called the Messiah his Lord ( v. 42 , 44 ), his owner, and ruler, and benefactor: The Lord said to my Lord. God said it to the Messiah, Ps. cx. 1 . Now if he be his Son, why doth he call him his Lord? If he be his Lord, why do we call him his Son? This he left them to consider of, but they could not reconcile this seeming contradiction; thanks be to God, we can; that Christ, as God, was David's Lord, but Christ, as man, was David's Son. He was both the root and the offspring of David, Rev. xxii. 16 . By his human nature he was the offspring of David, a branch of his family; by his divine nature he was the root of David, from whom he had his being and life, and all the supplies of grace. IV. We have them here described in their black characters, and a public caution given to the disciples to take heed of them, v. 45-47 . This we had, just as it is here, Mark xii. 38 , and more largely Matt. xxiii . Christ bids his disciples beware of the scribes, that is, 1. "Take heed of being drawn into sin by them, of learning their way, and going into their measures; beware of such a spirit as they are governed by. Be not you such in the Christian church as they are in the Jewish church." 2. "Take heed of being brought into trouble by them," in the same sense that he had said ( Matt. x. 17 ), " Beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils; beware of the scribes, for they will do so. Beware of them, for," (1.) "They are proud and haughty. They desire to walk about the streets in long robes, as those that are above business (for men of business went with their loins girt up ), and as those that take state, and take place." Cedant arma togæ—Let arms yield to the gown. They loved in their hearts to have people make their obeisance to them in the markets, that many might see what respect was paid them; and were very proud of the precedency that was given them in all places of concourse. They loved the highest seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feasts, and, when they were placed in them, looked upon themselves with great conceit and upon all about them with great contempt. I sit as a queen. (2.) "They are covetous and oppressive, and make their religion a cloak and cover for crime." They devour widows' houses, get their estates into their hands, and then by some trick or other make them their own, or they live upon them, and eat up what they have; and widows are an easy prey to them, because they are apt to be deluded by their specious pretences: for a show they make long prayers, perhaps long prayers with the widows when they are in sorrow, as if they had not only a piteous but a pious concern for them, and thus endeavour to ingratiate themselves with them, and get their money and effects into their hands. Such devout men may surely be trusted with untold gold; but they will give such an account of it as they think fit. Christ reads them their doom in a few words: These shall receive a more abundant judgment, a double damnation, both for their abuse of the poor widows, whose houses they devoured, and for their abuse of religion, and particularly of prayer, which they had made use of as a pretence for the more plausible and effectual carrying on of their worldly and wicked projects; for dissembled piety is double iniquity. In this chapter we have, I. The notice Christ took, and the approbation he gave, of a poor widow that cast two mites into the treasury, ver. 1-4 . II. A prediction of future events, in answer to his disciples' enquiries concerning them,

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Isaiah 10:2

To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

Jeremiah 7:6

If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:

Ezekiel 22:7

In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. oppression: or, deceit

Ezekiel 33:31

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. as the: Heb. according to the coming of the people they sit: or, my people sit before thee they shew: Heb. they make loves, or, jests

Amos 2:7

That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: maid: or, young woman

Amos 8:4

Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

Micah 2:2

And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. oppress: or, defraud

Micah 2:8

Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. of late: Heb. yesterday with the: Heb. over against a

Micah 3:2

Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

Matthew 11:22

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

Matthew 23:14

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Matthew 23:26

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Mark 12:40

Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

Luke 10:12

But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Luke 12:1

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Luke 12:47

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Luke 12:48

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

1 Thessalonians 2:5

For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:

2 Timothy 3:2

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2 Timothy 3:6

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Titus 1:16

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. reprobate: or, void of judgment

James 3:1

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. condemnation: or, judgment