17
(b) The Subject of the Ministry.
Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand".
Luke 4:18,19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the
poor: He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord".
Here once again each evangelist is true to the purpose of his gospel, Matthew consistently speaks of the
kingdom, Luke of the Gospel. In Luke the Lord continued His discourse and drew attention to the fact that in the
days of Elias there were many widows in Israel during the great famine, but unto none of them was Elias sent, save
unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus
the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Just as with the supplement in the second
chapter, so here, the Gentile, not the Jew, is pre-eminent " both the widow of Sarepta and Naaman being Gentiles.
One further illustration will suffice.
(4) THE SECOND COMING.
(a) The Context.
Matthew 24:19, "and woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!".
Luke 21:23, "But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!".
As above, these two passages are quoted to establish the fact that both passages record the same prophecy.
(b) The Prophecy.
Matthew 24:21, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time,
no, nor ever shall be".
Luke 21:23,24, "For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the
edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled".
Here therefore is a demonstration of the distinctive point of view of each gospel. Matthew traces the
Saviour's descent back through David and Abraham and stays there, Luke however pursues it back to Adam.
Matthew speaks of the quest of the wise men, and their question concerning the King of the Jews, Luke tells of the
angels and the shepherds, and that the child born in the city of David is a Saviour. Old Simeon supplements by
putting the Gentile first. The opening ministry of Christ as recorded by Matthew speaks of the kingdom as does that
of John the Baptist, whereas in Luke the opening ministry of our Lord stresses the gospel of mercy and deliverance,
while instead of announcing the kingdom John preaches remission of sins.
We all know what a prominent position is given by Matthew to the parables of the mysteries of the kingdom, in
no lesser prominence the distinctive parables of Luke set forth his peculiar teaching. Who but Luke could record the
parable of the Good Samaritan? How fitting is the parable of the Prodigal Son! The parable of the Unjust Steward
with its use of oikonomia illustrates Paul's usage of the word when translated "dispensation". The parable of the
Pharisee and the Publican is the doctrine of Romans in picture form, and contains the only evangelical use of
"justification" found in the four gospels. The parable of the "ten pounds" is similar, but not the same as the parable
of the "ten talents" recorded by Matthew. The special point of Luke's parable is the statement that it was uttered to
correct the impression "that the kingdom of God should immediately appear". Consequently this nobleman "went
into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom, and to return".
The reader will find upon careful comparison, that in the smallest details, Matthew and Luke can be discovered
consistently heading for their distinctive goals, and while such an examination cannot be conducted in these pages,