Matthew Henry's
Commentary on the Gospel (Luke 22:24-30)
The Disciples Admonished.
24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be
accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon
them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is
greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he
that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he
that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that
serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
II. Concerning the strife that was among them for precedency or
supremacy.
1. See what the dispute was: Which of them should be accounted
the greatest. Such and so many contests among the disciples for dignity
and dominion, before the Spirit was poured upon them, were a sad
presage of the like strifes for, and affections of, supremacy in the
churches, after the Spirit should be provoked to depart from them. How
inconsistent is this with that in the
verse before! There they were enquiring which would be the traitor, and
here which should be the prince. Could such an instance of humility, and
such an instance of pride and vanity, be found in the same men, so near
together? This is like sweet waters and bitter proceeding at
the same time out of the same fountain. What a self-contradiction is the
deceitful heart of man!
2. See what Christ said to this dispute. He was not sharp upon
them, as might have been expected (he having so often reproved them for this
very thing), but mildly showed them the sin and folly of it.
(1.) This was to make themselves like the kings of the Gentiles,
who affect worldly pomp, and worldly power,
v. 25. They exercise lordship over their subjects, and are
ever and anon striving to exercise lordship too over the princes that
are about them, though as good as themselves, if they think them not
so strong as themselves. Note, The exercising of lordship
better becomes the kings of the Gentiles than the ministers of
Christ. But observe, They that exercise authority, and take upon
themselves to bear sway, and give law, they are called Benefactors--Euergetas,
they call themselves so, and so their flatterers call them, and those that
set themselves to serve their interests. It is pretended that they have
been benefactors, and upon that account they should be admitted
to have rule; nay, that in exercising authority they are benefactors.
However they may really serve themselves, they would be thought to serve
their country. One of the Ptolemies was surnamed Euergetes--The
Benefactor. Now our Saviour, by taking notice of this, intimates, [1.]
That to do good is much more honourable than to look great;
for these princes that were the terror of the mighty would not be
called so, but rather the benefactors of the needy; so that, by their
own confession, a benefactor to his country is much more valued than a ruler
of his country. [2.] That to do good is the surest way to be great,
else they that aimed to be rulers would not have been so solicitous
to be called Benefactors. This therefore he would have his disciples
believe, that their greatest honour would be to do all the good they could
in the world. They would indeed be benefactors to the world, by
bringing the gospel to it. Let them value themselves upon that title, which
they would indeed be entitled to, and then they need not strive which
should be the greatest, for they would all be greater- treater
blessings to mankind than the kings of the earth, that exercise lordship
over them. If they have that which is confessedly the greater honour,
of being benefactors, let them despise the less, of being rulers.
(2.) It was to make themselves unlike the disciples of Christ, and
unlike Christ himself: "You shall not be so,"
v. 26, 27. "It was never intended that you should rule any
otherwise than by the power of truth and grace, but that you should
serve." When church-rulers affect external pomp and power, and bear up
themselves by secular interests and influences, they debase their office,
and it is an instance of degeneracy like that of Israel when they would have
a king like the nations that were round about them, whereas the Lord was
their King. See here, [1.] What is the rule Christ gave to his disciples: He
that is greater among you, that is senior, to whom precedency
is due upon the account of his age, let him be as the younger, both
in point of lowness of place (let him condescend to sit with the
younger, and be free and familiar with them) and in point of labour
and work. We say, Juniores ad labores, seniores ad honores--Let
the young work, and the aged receive their honours. But let the elder
take pains as well as the younger; their age and honour, instead of
warranting them to take their ease, bind them to double work. And he that
is chief, ho hegoumenos--the president of the
college or assembly, let him be as he that serves, hos ho
diakonon--as the deacon; let him stoop to the meanest and
most toilsome services for the public good, if there be occasion. [2.] What
was the example which he himself gave to this rule: Whether is greater,
he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth? he that attendeth or he that
is attended on? Now Christ was among his disciples just like one that waited
at table. He was so far from taking state, or taking his ease,
by commanding their attendance upon him, that he was ready to do any office
of kindness and service for them; witness his washing their feet.
Shall those take upon them the form of princes who call themselves followers
of him that took upon him the form of a servant?
(3.) They ought not to strive for worldly honour and grandeur,
because he had better honours in reserve for them, of another nature, a
kingdom, a feast, a throne, for each of them, wherein they
should all share alike, and should have no occasion to strive for precedency,
v. 28-30. Where observe,
[1.] Christ's commendation of his disciples for their faithfulness
to him; and this was honour enough for them, they needed not to strive for
any greater. It is spoken with an air of encomium and applause: "You are
they who have continued with me in my temptations, you are they who have
stood by me and stuck to me when others have deserted me and turned their
backs upon me." Christ had his temptations; he was despised and rejected of
men, reproached and reviled, and endured the contradiction of sinners.
But his disciples continued with him, and were afflicted in all his
afflictions. It was but little help that they could give him, or service
that they could do him; nevertheless, he took it kindly that they
continued with him, and he here owns their kindness, though it was by
the assistance of his own grace that they did continue. Christ's disciples
had been very defective in their duty. We find them guilty of many mistakes
and weaknesses: they were very dull and very forgetful, and often blundered,
yet their Master passes all by and forgets it; he does not upbraid them with
their infirmities, but gives them this memorable testimonial, You are
they who have continued with me. Thus does he praise at parting, to show
how willing he is to make the best of those whose hearts he knows to be
upright with him.
[2.] The recompence he designed them for their fidelity: I
appoint, diatithemai, I bequeath, unto you a kingdom.
Or thus, I appoint to you, as my Father has appointed a kingdom to me,
that you may eat and drink at my table. Understand it, First, Of
what should be done for them in this world. God gave his Son a kingdom
among men, the gospel church, of which he is the living, quickening,
ruling, Head. This kingdom he appointed to his apostles and
their successors in the ministry of the gospel, that they should enjoy the
comforts and privileges of the gospel, help to communicate them to others by
gospel ordinances, sit on thrones as officers of the church, not only
declaratively, but exhortatively judging the tribes of Israel that
persist in their infidelity, and denouncing the wrath of God against them,
and ruling the gospel Israel, the spiritual Israel, by the instituted
discipline of the church, administered with gentleness and love. This is the
honour reserved for you. Or, Secondly, Of what should be done for
them in the other world, which I take to be chiefly meant. Let them go on in
their services in this world; their preferments shall be in the other world.
God will give them the kingdom, in which they shall be sure to have,
1. The richest dainties; for they shall eat and drink at Christ's
table in his kingdom, of which he had spoken,
v. 16, 18. They shall partake of those joys and pleasures which
were the recompence of his services and sufferings. They shall have a full
satisfaction of soul in the vision and fruition of God; and herein they
shall have the best society, as at a feast, in the perfection of love. 2.
The highest dignities: "You shall not only be provided for at the
royal table, as Mephibosheth at David's, but you shall be preferred to the
royal throne; shall sit down with me on my throne,
Rev.
iii. 21. In the great day you shall sit on thrones, as assessors
with Christ, to approve of and applaud his judgment of the twelve tribes
of Israel." If the saints shall judge the world (1
Cor. vi. 2), much more the church.
