I N D E X
with the Pharisees was now approaching a crisis. It begins, in
"All they that see me laugh me to scorn". The supreme moment
chapter 14:35, with the solemn formula, "He that hath ears to
had come. We may thus paraphrase His words which follow and
hear, let him hear". We are immediately shown who had these
lead up to the Parable: "You deride and scoff at Me, as if I were
opened ears; for we read (15:1), "THEN drew near unto him all
mistaken, and you were innocent. You seek to justify yourselves
the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and
before men, but God knoweth your hearts. You highly esteem
Scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth
your traditions, but they are abomination in the sight of God (v.
with them." They professed to have the key of knowledge, but
15). The law and the prophets were until John, but you deal
they entered not in themselves; and those who were entering in
unjustly with them, changing them and wresting them at your
they hindered (Matt. 23:13-33). They had the Scriptures, but they
pleasure, by your tradition, and by the false glosses ye have put
overlaid them with their traditions, and thus made them of none
upon them. And when John preached the Kingdom of God,
effect (Matt. 15:19). They were like "the Unjust Steward" (Luke
every one used violence and hostility against it by contradictions,
16:1-12) in the parable which immediately follows Luke 15. For
persecution, and derision (v. 16). And yet, though by your vain
He would explain to His immediate believing followers the
traditions you would make the law void and of none effect, it is
iniquity of these murmuring Pharisees. They dealt unjustly with
easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the
the oracles of God which were committed unto them (Rom. 3:2).
law to fail (v. 17). Take one instance out of many. It is true that
They allowed His commandments to be disobeyed by others that
God permitted, and legislated for, divorce. But ye, by your
they might make gain. In Mark 7:9 the Lord said, "Full well ye
traditions and arbitrary system of divorces, have degraded it for
gain. Nevertheless, that law still remains, and will stand for ever,
reject (Margin, frustrate) the commandment of God, that ye may
and he who accepts your teaching on the subject, and receives
keep your own tradition". This was said in solemn irony; for they
your divorces, and marrieth another, committeth adultery" (v.
did not "well" in the strict meaning of the word, though they did
18).
well, i.e. consistently with their own teaching when they
Then the Lord immediately passes on to the culminating point
practically did away with the fifth and seventh Commandments
of His lesson (v. 19): "There was a certain rich man", etc. He
for their own profit and gain, just as Rome in later days did away
makes no break. He does not call it, or give it as one of His own
with the doctrine of "justification through faith" by the sale of
Parables; but He at once goes on to give another example from
"indulgences". (Read carefully Matt. 15:3-6 and Mark 7:7-13).
the traditions of the Pharisees, in order to judge them out of their
They were "unjust stewards"; and contrary to their teaching, the
own mouth. A parable of this kind need not be true in itself, or in
Lord declared there was no such thing as "little" or "much"
fact; though it must be believed to be true by the hearers, if not
when it cam to honesty, especially in dealing with the Word of
by the speaker. No more that Jotham's parable of the Trees
God; and that, if they were unfaithful in the least, they would be
speaking (Judges 9:7-15). No more than when the Pharisees, on
in much also, and could not be trusted. The time was at hand
another occasion, said "this fellow doth not cast out devils but by
when the sentence would go forth, "thou mayest be no longer
Beelzebub, the prince of the devils"; and He, judging them out
steward".
of their own mouth, did not contradict them, nor did He admit
Then in Luke 16:14 we read: "The Pharisees also, who were
the truth of their words when He replied, "If I by Beelzebub cast
covetous, heard all these things; and they derided him" (v. 14):
out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?" (Matt.
lit., they turned up their noses at Him! Compare chapter 23:35,
12:24-27). No! the Lord did not bandy words in argument with
"The rulers scoffed at him". The same word as in Psalm 22:7,