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Bible Notes - Tabernacle Commentaries
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Luke 22:24
Comments
(Synoptics: Luke 22:24-30)There had already been a dispute among the disciples about who was the greatest (Luke 9:46), and in the parallel passage to that, recorded in Matthew 9:34, the disciples had held their peace and remained silent when the Lord asked them what they were talking about. They knew therefore that this was something shameful, which was contrary to the whole spirit of humility and meekness which they saw in the Lord, and which they were required to imitate as disciples. And yet here they are again, doing the same thing on the very eve of the crucifixion. Not that they knew what was about to occur – though the Lord had told them several times – but it could have been a tremendous source of discouragement to Jesus, that his disciples were still focused on themselves in this way, after all that he had taught them. However he does not despair. Again he deals with this by further instructing them, and shows them how wrong this is, and why it is wrong, and why the life that he urges them to live and the pattern of behaviour he gives them is so much better. The topic had led to strife among them, and how could it not do so? When one spoke like this, it prompted others to speak in the same way. This rivalry still lay in their hearts, and after the last rebuke they had received from the Lord, they did not want it to come out again, but the flesh was still there, and when one of them allowed the water to spill over the edge, the others had their self-restraint weakened. Why should they continue to act well when their brother was not doing so? One sin begets another. Soon there was open strife, though they knew they were to love one another. They said things to each other which they knew were hurtful, and which would be difficult to retract later. Pride loosened their tongues and urged them on down a path which they knew was dangerous. They knew Christ hated this spirit, and yet even that did not restrain them. It was ugly speech, which was doing damage to their relationships with each other, and which would be remembered afterwards and caused wounds which would be difficult to heal. And yet sin compelled them to go forward with these hard saying to each other.
Application
We must watch the old sins, lest they burst forth again, for things that we think we have conquered long ago may still overpower us it we do not watch. How patient is the Lord in dealing with us! He has every reason to expect us to learn a lesson from a fall which he helps us to recover from, and yet we repeat it. But just as on this occasion with the disciples, he does not despair with us at our repeated sins, sins which we should have left behind long ago. We are weak and we are unsightly in the eyes of the Lord, and yet he does not reject us, but he corrects us and leads us to repentance all over again. But that repentance must be accompanied by shame and must be genuine, with no hidden intention of returning to the same thing again.
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