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No comment is here necessary, the only reason these passages are quoted is to show
that the next statements are rightly compared together.
(b) The Subject of the Ministry.
Matt. 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 hath 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. 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.
Matt. 24: 19, "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that gave 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.
Matt. 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 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