Luke 6:26

Luk_6:26

Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you

The dangers of praise

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you.

1. First of all, it is more than probable that, if they do so, their judgment of you is fallacious; you do not deserve it. In the like manner did their fathers unto the false prophets. Men are fallible judges of one anothers real character.

2. And yet, secondly, you must remark that, however fallacious, however false, the popular estimate, it has a direct tendency to carry us along with it. One would have imagined that no man could be misled, in his own judgment of himself, by anything that another, or that all the world, could say of him.

3. And then follow, in the third place, certain practical consequences; all of them, in a Christian point of view, serious and even disastrous. The first of these is, the loss of humility.

4. With the decay of humility comes the loss of watchfulness.

5. And with the loss of humility and the loss of watchfulness comes as a natural consequence the loss of strength. Praise is an essentially enfeebling and enervating thing. It relaxes the sinews of the mind as sultry weather those of the body.

6. Again, it is an effect of being well spoken of, to make a man covet that approbation and at last live for it. The praise of men has a direct tendency to attach us to earth, and to make us forget heaven. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. And this leads us, in the last place, to suggest one or two cautions with which our Lords words in the text ought to be guarded, lest they should too much discourage one class of hearers. There are those whose characters possess a beauty and a charm which make it absolutely impossible that they should not be loved. And if there be amongst us to-day some of whom all men do not speak well; some who, whether through fault or no fault of theirs, are neither generally popular nor in danger of suffering from this kind of temptation; do not (he words of the text, so wise in their counsel, and (like all our Lords words) so wide in their application, suggest to them a sure ground of comfort under what at times they feel to be a heavy trial? (Dean Vaughan.)

The woe of a favourable reputation

In the life of Alexander Raleigh, D.D., we are told that at one period of his life, accusations were laid before the public in pamphlets which were well adapted to cause him pain and annoyance. The experience was new to him, who all his life had made no enemies. You have at last, said one of his people to him, meeting him on the street, escaped one of the woes of Scripture; Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you! It is reported of Titus Vespasian, that when any spake ill of him, he was wont to say that he was above false reports; and if they were true, he had more reason to be angry with himself than the relator. And the good Emperor Theodosius commanded no man should be punished that spake against him; for what was spoken slightly, said he, was to be laughed at; what spitefully, to be pardoned; what angrily, to be pitied; and if truly, he would thank them for it.

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 6:26. Wo unto you — Miserable are you; when all men speak well of you — Because such universal applause is not to be gained without sinful compliances. “For,” as Dr. Whitby observes, “he that will be pleasing to all must speak things grateful to all, and do what they like; now that cannot be good which is grateful to bad men: thus the false prophets, whom the Jews commended, spake to them smooth things, and prophesied lies, because the people loved to have it so; they prophesied of peace, when war was at hand; they strengthened the hands of evil doers, Jer 23:14, and daubed the ruinous wall with untempered mortar, Eze 13:10-11.”

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk_6:26. This woe also, like the previous ones, and opposed to the fourth beatitude, Luk_6:22, must refer to the unbelievers, not to the disciples (so usually, see Kuinoel and de Wette), when perchance these latter should fall away, and thereby gather praise of men. This is not justified by the reference to the false prophets of earlier times, which rather shows that in this οὐαί Jesus has in His view, as opposed to His disciples, who had incurred hatred and persecution (Luk_6:23), the universally praised dignitaries of the Jewish theocracy and teachers of the people, whose business was ζητεῖν ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν (Gal_1:10). Jesus does not address His discourse very definitely and expressly to His followers until Luk_6:27.

οἱ πατ. αὐτῶν] (τῶν ἀνθρώπων, those regarded as Jews) so that they all lavished praise upon the false prophets; comp. Jer_5:31; Jer_23:17; Mic_2:11.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 6:26 . This woe is addressed, not to the rich and full without, but to the disciples within, and points out to them that to be free from the evils enumerated in Luk 6:22 is not a matter of congratulation, but rather a curse, as indicative of a disloyalty to the faith and the Master, which makes them rank with false prophets.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

all . . . speak well of you--alluding to the court paid to the false prophets of old (Mic 2:11). For the principle of this woe, and its proper limits, see Joh 15:19.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(26) So did their fathers to the false prophets.—The words are of very wide application, but it is probable that there is a special reference in them to the time of Hezekiah and the later kings of Judah. (Comp. Isa_30:10; Jer_5:31.) They open a wide question as to the worth of praise as a test of human conduct, and tend to a conclusion quite the reverse of that implied in the maxim, Vox populi, vox Dei. Truth, in matters which, like religion or politics, impinge on men’s interests or prejudices, is often, if not always, on the side of the minority, sometimes even on that of one who is as an Athanasius contra mundum. On the other hand, praise (Php_4:8) and good repute (1Ti_3:7) have their value as the witnesses borne by the moral sense of men, when not deadened or perverted to the beauty of holiness, the testimonium. animœ naturaliter Christianœ to the moral excellence of the followers of Christ.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. Woe unto you] Omit unto you with א, A, B, E, &c.

when all men shall speak well of you] “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” Jas_4:4. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own,” Joh_15:19.

for so did their fathers to the false prophets] “The prophets prophesy falsely...and my people love to have it so,” Jer_5:31. The prophets of Baal and of Asherah, honoured by Jezebel, 1Ki_18:19; 1Ki_18:22. Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, supported by Ahab, 1Ki_22:2. “Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits,” Isa_30:10.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But I say unto you which hear,.... The Ethiopic version adds "me", and the generality of interpreters understand the passage of the hearers of Christ, as distinct from the disciples, or together with them, and of the better sort of them; and of such as had ears to hear, and who heard with a desire of understanding, and of putting into practice what they heard; but I rather think it regards the hearers of the Scribes and Pharisees, then present, who had heard and received the traditions of the elders, to which the following rules of Christ are opposed; and to each of which, with others in Matthew, these words are prefixed;

ye have heard that it was said by them of old time--but I say unto you,.... Mat 5:21 with which compare this phrase, and the sense will appear to be this; to you that hear day by day, the traditions of the elders urged upon you, and the false glosses the Scribes and Pharisees put upon the word of God; in opposition to them, I say to you what follows:

love your enemies; whereas you have heard them say, hate your enemies, keep enmity in your hearts to them, and revenge yourselves on them:

do good to them that hate you; whereas you have heard it said, that you should only do good to your friends, and should keep anger in your bosoms to such who hate you, and do you an injury; See Gill on Mat 5:43, Mat 5:44

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Ver. 26. When all men shall speak well] What evil have I done, said Aristides, when one told him he had every man’s good word. Male de me loquunlur, sed mali, saith Seneca. Malis displicere, laudari est. When Doeg blasted Darid, he thinks the better of himself, Psa 52:8. Latimer says he was glad when any objected indiscretion against him in his sermons; for by that he knew the matter was good, else they would soon have condemned that.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Woe to you, when men shall bless you. The ministers of the gospel must not value themselves, when they are applauded by men; for so did the fore-fathers of the Jews, formerly commend the false prophets, when they flattered the people, and spoke things that were pleasing to them. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A good report of all, even those that are without, is a desirable thing, and what all good men ought to labour for, both by avoiding any just occasion of their speaking ill of them, and by doing all the acts of kindness and charity that may commend religion to them. But the world is so corrupt, that usually none are worse spoken of than the best men. And this is true of no sort of men more than of the ministers of the gospel; neither the prophets of old, nor John the Baptist, nor Christ, nor the apostles, could have good words from the wicked party of their several ages. The false prophets of old were in much greater credit with the generality of the Jews than the prophets of the Lord. The doctrines of the law and the gospel are so contrary to the most of men’s lusts, as it is impossible that the most of the world should be reconciled to them, or to those who faithfully declare them: this the Pharisees in their age, and the papists and their friends in our age, have for some time so well understood, that as it was the business of the Pharisees in their time, so it hath been the business of the popish casuists, so to expound the law of God, as men may flatter themselves that they are no debtors to it, though they keep their several lusts; and so to interpret the gospel, that the way to heaven is made so broad that it is not easy for any to miss it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

26. All men. Of the use of the word men, see Mat_10:17.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! Dean Plumptre, with great force, remarks that these words "open a wide question as to the worth of praise as a test of human conduct, and tend to a conclusion quite the reverse of that implied in the maxim, Vox populi, vox Dei. So did their fathers to the false prophets. A good instance of this is found in 1Ki_18:19, where Queen Jezebel honours the false prophets. See, too, King Ahab"s conduct to such men, (1Ki 22) and Jeremiah"s bitter plaint respecting the popularity of these false men. (Jer_5:31) At this point, according to St. Luke"s report, the Master paused. It would seem as though he was fearful lest the awful woes foretold as the doom of the rich, the powerful, and the persecutor, should impart a too sombre hue to the thoughts which his followers would in coming days entertain of the world of men about them. He would have his own think of the circle outside the little world of believers with no bitter and revengeful thoughts, but rather with that Divine pity which he felt and showed to all poor fallen creatures. See now," the Master went on to say, notwithstanding the wee which will one day fall on the selfish rich and great ones of earth, and to whom you, my people, will surely be objects of dislike and hate, while you and they are on earth together, the part you have to play with regard to these is steadily to return love for hate.

Vers. 27, 28, 32-35. Seeking the highest good from the highest motive.

In these words our Lord commends to us

I THE HIGHEST CONCEIVABLE MORAL EXCELLENCE. There are four gradations by which we may ascend from the devilish to the Divine, in spirit and in character.

1. We may hate those who love us. There are bad men bad enough, like enough to the evil one himself, to positively hate those who are trying to redeem them, who repay the devoted efforts of their truest friends with sneers and revilings.

2. We may hate those who hate us. Not only may we do this, we do it. As sin has perverted it, it is in the human heart to return hatred for hatred, blow for blow.

3. We may love those who love us. Most men are equal to that: "Sinners also love those that love them.

4. We may love those who hate us. "I say unto you, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you," etc. Let us understand whom Christ would have us consider our enemies, and whom, as such, he would have us love. These are not only our national enemies; but they are certainly included. To allow ourselves to be carried into the current of bitter animosity against those with whom our country is at strife, so as to rejoice in their suffering and their death, this is here rebuked by our Master. But our "enemies" are more often found at home. They include all those whose relation to ourselves is likely to provoke ill feeling; e.g. those effectively opposing us in counsel or debate; those successfully contending with us in business; those engaged in vindicating their "rights" (as they seem to them) against us; those whose material interests clash with ours; those who have spoken against us or have taken any active steps to injure us. We must also understand what Christ meant by our loving these. Clearly he could not have intended that we should cherish toward them that full and complete friendship which is the very precious fruit of gratitude and esteem, and which can only be felt toward those to whom we owe great things, or for whom we have a real veneration. That is impossible in the nature of things.

But it is not impossible, it is quite open to us, to extract from our heart every root of bitterness toward our enemies, to exclude all desire for their ill fortune; and, going much further than that, to nourish in our souls a positively kind feeling toward them, a readiness to serve them; nay, more, to form the habit of praying for them, and of looking out for an opportunity to show them kindness. Surely this is the supreme thing in human morality. No teacher has summoned us to climb higher than this; no learner has reached a loftier summit. And Christ asks us to do this

II FROM THE HIGHEST CONCEIVABLE MOTIVE. We might endeavour after this true nobility because:

1. God positively requires it of us. (Mar_11:26 Mat_18:35)

2. It is the noblest victory over ourself. "He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that taketh a city.

3. It is the greatest victory over others. "In so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his" head." But there is an incentive higher than these the highest of all; it is that which our Lord gives us in the text; because:

4. By so doing we resemble God himself. "Ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Here is the loftiest aspiration cherished for the loftiest reason. Think kindly of those who are judging harshly of you; feel friendly toward those who are feeling bitterly about you; speak generously of those who are talking disparagingly of you; do deeds of kindness to those who are acting unhandsomely toward you; bend the knee in prayer on behalf of those who are persecuting you; do this because then you will be breathing the very atmosphere of magnanimity which God breathes in heaven, because you will then be animated by the very spirit by which he is prompted in all he is doing there, because you will then be ruling your humble life by the very principles on which he is ruling his broad and boundless empire. "Love ye your enemies... and your reward shall be great;" indeed, you shall be "the children of the Highest;" the mind that is in him shall be in you, you shall then be perfected, (Mat_5:48) crowning every other virtue and grace of your character, even as God crowns all his other attributes, with the glorious, regal, transcendent excellency of an unquenchable, victorious love. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Woe to you when all men shall speak well of you - But who will believe this?

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Our Saviour’s design in these words, is not to condemn any of his disciples or ministers, who have, by doing their duty, gained a fair reputation amongst the men of the world, but to let us understand how rarely and seldom it is attained; for usually the best of men are the worst spoken of. Neither the prophets of the Old Testament, nor John the Baptist, the prophet of the New Testament, nor Christ himself, nor his apostles, did ever gain either the good will or the good word, of the men of that generation in which they lived. The applause of the multitude, that contingent judge of good, and evil, rather attends the vain than the virtuous. None have ever been so much reproached by man as the faithful ministers of God, who have learned to take pleasure in reproaches; for though grace does not bid us invite reproaches, yet it teaches us to bid them welcome. The world has all along taken effectual care by their cruel mockings, bitter reproaches, sharp invectives, to free the ministers of God in all ages from the danger of our Saviour’s woe here denounced: Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Woe to you

"How terrible it is for you" or "How sad you should be"

when all men speak

Here "men" is used in the generic sense the includes all people. AT: "when all people speak" or "when everyone speaks" (See: When Masculine Words Include Women)

that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets

"their ancestors also spoke well of the false prophets"

translationWords

false prophet

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

[26. Καλῶς, well) whereas they do not wish well to Christ Himself.—V. g.]—27. τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, who hear) All My hearers, not merely the disciples: Luk 6:20 [where He limits His address to the disciples]. Hereby their attention is sharpened.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. οὐαὶ. Omit unto you with אABE, &c.

ὅταν καλῶς ὑμᾶς εἴπωσιν πάντες. “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” Jas 4:4. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own,” Joh 15:19.

τοῖς ψενδοπροφήταις. “The prophets prophesy falsely … and my people love to have it so,” Jer 5:31. The prophets of Baal and of Asherah, honoured by Jezebel, 1Ki 18:19; 1Ki 18:22. Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, supported by Ahab, 1Ki 22:11. “Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits,” Isa 30:10.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26.] Not said to the rich, but to the disciples. The very warning conveyed in ψευδοπροφ. shews this, and should have prevented Meyer from making the blunder. The mention of προφ. and ψευδοπροφ. has reference to the disciples’ office as the salt of the earth. The address in ver. 27 is not (Meyer) a turning of the discourse to His own disciples, but ὑμῖν λέγω τοῖς ἀκούουσιν = ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, which introduces the same command Mat 5:44,—and τοῖς ἀκούουσιν serves the purpose of the ἐγώ—to you who now hear Me. The discourse being mutilated, the strong antithesis could not be brought out.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. ὅταν καλῶς εἴπωσιν ὑμᾶς. It is the wealthy who are commonly admired and praised by all who hope to win their favour. The praise of worldly men is no guarantee of merit: rather it shows that those who have won it do not rise above the world’s standard (Joh 15:19; Jas 4:4). Plutarch says that Phocion, when his speech was received with universal applause, asked his friends whether he had inadvertently said anything wrong.

τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις. Just as the persecuted disciples are the representatives of the true Prophets, so the wealthy hierarchy whom all men flatter are the representatives of the false (Jer 5:31; comp: 23:17; Isa 30:10; Mic 2:11).

Having stated who can and who cannot enter the Kingdom, Jesus goes on to make known the principles which regulate the Kingdom. See Hastings, D.B. 1. p. 783.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Well [καλως] . Handsomely, fairly.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.