Each of the evangelists, according to the logic and features of his own narrative, gives us an account of the cleansing of the Temple...
Each of the evangelists, according to the logic and features of his own narrative, gives us an account of the cleansing of the Temple. The point is that for the Jews who saw the Lord Jesus driving the sellers out of the Temple, this was a symbol that He truly is the Savior of the world, the Christ. The prophet Haggai says of this Second Temple that its glory will be greater than the glory of Solomon's Temple, because the Deliverer will come into it. And now Christ drives out of the Temple the bustle unworthy of the holy place, and then, as the evangelist Luke writes, He teaches every day in the Temple. Day after day, again and again, Christ proclaims the Father's love and calls people to repentance.
It is important for us to notice how the evangelist Luke speaks about His listeners. The Synodal translation here offers the words: "...all the people listened to Him attentively"; in the Greek original, however, the evangelist uses a very vivid word: "...all the people hung on Him as they listened". This is the kind of unflagging attention, when we literally hang in clusters on Christ, catching His every word, that prevented the chief priests and scribes from immediately carrying out their treacherous plans. They wanted to destroy Him, but could not, the evangelist says, because all the people were literally hanging on Him. The world's hostility toward Christ, the opposition of the powers of evil to His saving action, proved powerless when people listened to His word in this way.
What draws attention is the similarity of this image to the words of Christ recorded by the apostle John in chapter 15 of his Gospel: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me". It is characteristic that here the evangelist Luke uses not his usual word "ochlos," crowd, but "laos," people, the word by which laypeople in the Church later came to be called.
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1:8 We grant the whole Mosaic law is good, answers excellent purposes, if a man use it in a proper manner.Even the ceremonial is good, as it points to Christ; and the moral law is holy, just, and good, on its own nature; and of admirable use both to convince unbelievers, and to guide believers in all holiness.
1:9 The law doth not lie against a righteous man - Doth not strike or condemn him. But against the lawless and disobedient - They who despise the authority of the lawgiver violate the first commandment, which is the foundation of the law, and the ground of all obedience. Against the ungodly and sinners - Who break the second commandment, worshipping idols, or not worshipping the true God. The unholy and profane - Who break the third commandment by taking his name in vain.
1:10 Manstealers - The worst of all thieves, in comparison of whom, highwaymen and housebreakers are innocent. What then are most traders in negroes, procurers of servants for America, and all who list soldiers by lies, tricks, or enticements?
1:11 According to the glorious gospel - Which, far from "making void," does effectually "establish, the law."
1:12 I thank Christ, who hath enabled me, in that he accounted me faithful, having put me into the ministry - The meaning is, I thank him for putting me into the ministry, and enabling me to be faithful therein.
1:13 A blasphemer - Of Christ. A persecutor - Of his church.A reviler - Of his doctrine and people. But I obtained mercy - He does not say, because I was unconditionally elected; but because I did it in ignorance. Not that his ignorance took away his sin; but it left him capable of mercy; which he would hardly have been, had he acted thus contrary to his own conviction.
1:14 And the grace - Whereby I obtained mercy. Was exceeding abundant with faith - Opposite to my preceding unbelief. And love - Opposite to my blasphemy, persecution, and oppression.