He sets before them, what they have not yet realized, the fact of His fast approaching departure, when they should be deprived of that presence which now they might always enjoy, and desire in vain one of those days of which now it might be they did not make so much as they might have done. He foretells too, what we know from history came to pass, the false-prophets, the false-Christs, the anti-Christs,2 that should arise, even of their own selves, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.3 The day of which He speaks seems to be twofold; denoting both His coming to the nation of the Jews in the destruction of Jerusalem, and His coming at the end of the world in the final judgment. That would be a sign and a pledge of this. It shall be swift and unmistakable as the lightning-flash. Let them not be surprised when they see the sufferings that are yet in store for Him, and the crowning act of national rejection. These are but what He now foretells. CCCLXXXV. THE SAME SUBJECT-continued. St. Luke xvii. 26-37. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 1 St. John xii. 35. 21 St. John ii. 18, 19; iv. 3. 3 Acts xx. 29, 30. In v. 26 it is plural days, referring to both the occasions; in vv. 24, 30, it is singular, day, referring to either of the two. So in vv. 26-29 there seems to be a distinction between the days and the day, severally, of Noah and of Lot; the former marking, as in v. 22, the time allotted for repentance (see Gen. vi. 3), the latter the suddenness of the catastrophe. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. The Lord in His prophetic foresight illustrates what the conduct of men should be in the future by a reference to what it has been in the past. They will do as they have ever done. The days of Noah and of Lot seem to have been recorded for them in vain.1 In the former case they seemed to think of nothing but this world, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; 2 men and women equally careless, as though their world was to last for ever and they for ever in it. So too in the later days of Lot. In that advanced stage of society they kept to the old error, adding only new forms of forgetfulness. The Lord in simple and impressive style repeats the indictment, adding those particulars which proved their folly; buying, selling, planting, building, as if the place had not been doomed to destruction. So was it at the end of the Jewish polity. So will it be in the end of this world. The housetops in that country were flat, and made much use of. The devout among the Jews were wont to retire thither, as well as to the field, to meditate and pray. Let any so occupied, or occupied in any way, think at such a time more of their persons than of their property, more of saving their souls than saving their substance." 5 1 "St. Peter in like manner connects these two tremendous judgments." A Plain Commentary. 2 St. Pet. ii. 5-7; iii. 3-10. 2 This latter phrase refers to the woman, as the former to the man. 3 1 Cor. vii. 29-31. Ps. xlix. 11, 13. 5 Acts x. 9; Gen. xxiv. 63. 6 In that Volcanic eruption which The Lord reminds them of that beacon in Old Testament history, Lot's wife still hankering after the sinful city from which she had been rescued in vain. And again He repeats His warning against the apostasy to which in times of persecution His disciples might be tempted. The Lord, who sees the end from the beginning, foretells what shall be seen in the double judgment He is speaking of. It shall affect both man and woman, companions in rest and in labour, in the house and in the field. Suddenly shall it come in the midst of usual occupations. Even of two women grinding corn together between two stones, after the manner of the East, one shall be taken away from the evil to come, even as Noah and as Lot were rescued of old; the other left to be overtaken by that judgment which shall overwhelm the world of the ungodly. As the Pharisees had inquired concerning the time, so here the Disciples ask concerning the place of this. Where shall these things be? He answers in a parable, which seems to denote both the universality of the general judgment, and the particular place of that which foreshadows this. The scene of the one is everywhere. Wherever a carcass, there the birds of prey. The final judgment shall be universal as this case. The scene of the other, it seems here intimated, shall be their own city of Jerusalem; that corrupt city which the Romans were soon to enter with their eagles, those ensigns with which they always went to war, and as it were devour. The first part of the prophecy has come to pass, and so surely will the latter be fulfilled in its season. The judgment that came upon that worthless city is a figure of the judgment coming upon an ungodly world. overwhelmed three towns of Italy not many years after these words were spoken, some who might have escaped lost their lives by lingering or return ing to look after their jewels or their gold. See the last chapter of The last days of Pompeii. An incident has been related of a successful gold 2 digger who carried his gold about him in a belt, and, being wrecked on the way home, swam towards the shore; but the weight of his wealth was sinking him, and not till he cast it off could he escape to land. 1 St. Luke ix. 24. 2 Job xxxix. 27-30. CCCLXXXVI. THE IMPORTUNATE WIDOW. St. Luke xviii. 1-8. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 2 This Parable, as well as the one that follows, has its moral announced beforehand by the Lord. He gives two parables to illustrate and enforce two duties. Each "has its key hanging at the door." It was spoken to disciples, who were in the habit of prayer, but who, when the answer was delayed, would be in danger of abandoning it; as soldiers who grow weary3 of a protracted resistance, and, impatient, raise the siege. In the East each city had its judge. This one is described as practically an Atheist. In two strokes we have the repulsive portrait." He who has no fear of God may be expected, when he safely can, to have no real regard for man. Widowhood in the East, and in most despotic countries, where justice is more dependent on individuals than on the law, is even more desolate and unprotected than with us. A widow there was proverbially the subject of injustice. She has no friends; she may be injured with impunity. Hence the warnings in the Scripture against such oppression. They are bidden to plead the cause of the widow who has lost her natural protector, and has none to see that justice is done her. This widow in the parable is so oppressed. Her property we may suppose is wrested or withheld from her, and, after the manner of the East, she comes to the gate of the city and cries to the judge, who sits there, for redress. This redress she at length, by her importunity, obtains. The argument is, "If a bad man will yield to the mere force of the importunity which he hates, how much more certainly will a righteous God be prevailed on by the faithful prayer which He loves." If we resented. spiritual evils as keenly as we do temporal ones, how different would be our prayers! The Church is such a Widow. So she prays night and day. Her Order for Morning and Evening Prayer daily throughout the year is an unceasing cry to the Judge of all the earth, to the Lord, the righteous Judge, to be delivered from the evil one, from the adversary, from Satan.3 But it is only the Church within the Church that perseveres in prayer. These alone have faith. They believe that, notwithstanding the long delay,* they will obtain the deliverance desired. The redress will be speedy as measured by a Divine standard, and as compared with the days of eternity. It will be speedy, sudden, when it comes at last. Yet in view of the weakness of our flesh," "Not merely was there wanting in him that higher motive. ... but its poor and miserable substitute, respect for the opinion of the world, was equally inoperative with him. Some rise above, he had sunk below, even this. And worse than all, he dared to avow this contempt to himself."-Abp. Trench. 2 Id. Gal. vi. 9. 3 1 St. Pet. v. 8-10. Compare the case of the Woman of Canaan (St. Matt. xv. 22-28); of the Disciples in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (St. Mark vi. 47, 48); of the Family of Bethany (St. John xi. 6). See Ecclus. xxxv. 17-19. 52 St. Pet. iii. 8-10. |