Luke 7:27

Luk_7:27

Behold I send My messenger before My face

John first, then Jesus

I.

WHAT DID JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACH?

1. He delivered the whole law against sin, arousing the consciences of people.

2. He made a demand for immediate repentance (Mat_3:11).

3. He heralded Jesus as the Messiah predicted of old.

4. He announced the special office of Jesus as a Redeemer of men Joh_1:29-36).

II. Now WHAT DID JESUS TEACH WHEN IT CAME TO HIS TURN?

1. Christ testified to the entire accuracy of Johns doctrine (Mat_11:11).

2. He proclaimed the full necessity of an atonement.

3. He declared that the necessary sacrifice was now to be accomplished by Himself (Joh_3:16-17). It shocked and stumbled His disciples, but He persisted in declaring that He came into the world to die.

4. He thus raised no new issue between men and God, but the rather narrowed down all the old into one; He made it clear that faith was to be the instrument of salvation (Joh_6:28-29),

III. Thus, then, we reach the conclusion that, so far as Jesus teaching and Johns teaching had value in the New Testament, THE POINT OF GREATEST IMPORTANCE IS THE ORDER BETWEEN THEM. Johns came earliest in fact, and earliest in logical necessity.

1. The historic position of the two men is enough to show all that is here claimed. There is an order in doctrine under the gospel arrangement as strict as the order of demonstration in problems in Euclids geometry. Johns work was a necessity and a solemn pre-requisite to the work of Jesus.

2. The similar form of procedure which in all their teaching these two preachers preserved, adds confirmation to the proof. John presented the law first, then the gospel; but his office was plainly to press the law into prominence. Jesus presented the law first, then the gospel; but His office was to bring the gospel into prominence. In both eases the law came earliest.

3. Our conclusion, therefore, is inevitable and clear. There remains no reason now why a single proposition should not be framed for permanent recollection and use: law-work preceded gospel-work in all Gods dealings with souls.

Practical inferences in conclusion:

1. We see why religious instruction in our day sometimes appears so tame, and proves so inefficacious. It is because Christian people preach Jesus without John.

2. We see why inquirers are so slow in finding peace at the cross. Peace? Why, there has been no disturbance! (see Eze_33:32).

3. We see why there is so much of unrest and misgiving among Christian people. They have no intelligent sense of Christs legal work in bearing the curse of the law in their behalf. Hence they labour to keep up a mere fire of fervour in their souls. They have studied regeneration more than justification; and it is by justification that one finds peace. So, not united consciously to Christ as a Surety, they are not sure.

4. We see why backsliding is so frequent as the sin of converts. Some have never been taught what leaving first love implies.

5. Finally, we see how the new life begins and continues, according to the revealed plan (Rom_5:1-2). (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

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

7:27 The quotation is from Mal 3:1. In Mal 4:5-6, this messenger is identified with the prophet Elijah. Though John denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21-23), he came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17) to prepare the way for the Messiah (see 3:4-6).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 7:27. Ἰδοὺ, Behold) See Mat 11:10, notes.

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

27. Behold, I send my messenger] Compare Luk_1:76; Mar_1:2. In the parallel passage of St Matthew our Lord adds that the Baptist is the promised Elias, Mat_11:11; Mat_11:14; Mat_17:10-13; Luk_1:17 (Mal_4:5). The quotation is from Mal_3:1, “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me.” The words are varied because, in the original, God is speaking in His own person, and here the words are applied to Christ.

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 the Pharisees and lawyers,.... Or Scribes, as the Syriac and Persic versions read; for the Scribes and lawyers were the same sort of persons. The Ethiopic version calls them, "the Scribes of the city": these "rejected the counsel of God against themselves"; against their own advantage, to their hurt and detriment; since by their impenitence and unbelief, and through their rejection of Christ and his forerunner, and the Gospel and the ordinances of it, they brought ruin and destruction, both temporal and eternal, upon themselves: or "towards themselves", or "unto them"; that is, they "rejected the command of God unto them", as the Arabic version renders it: for by "the counsel of God" here, is not meant his purpose, intention, and design, with respect to these persons, which was not, nor never is frustrated; but the precept of God, and so the Ethiopic version renders it,

they despised the command of God: that is, the ordinance of baptism, which was of God, and the produce of his counsel and wisdom, as the whole scheme, and all the ordinances of the Gospel are, and not the invention of men: or they rejected this "in themselves", as it may be rendered, and is by the Syriac and Persic versions; not openly and publicly, for they were afraid of the people, but inwardly and privately, and which their actions and conduct declared:

being not baptized of him; of John: by their neglect of this ordinance, they testified their aversion to it, and rejection of it.

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

This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. He quietly answers the question surging up in the listeners" hearts. No; not Messiah, but his forerunner. Centuries ago the mission of this John was foretold, and exactly described by one of the well-known and honoured prophet line. They who were listening, many of them, knew the words well, as the Teacher quoted from the great Malachi. The old ring of the famous prediction was unchanged; perhaps few of the by-standers noticed the slight alteration which was made by Jesus as he quoted. But in after-days the deep significance of the seemingly trifling change, we may well imagine, was the subject of many a deep solemn hour of meditation among the twelve and the early leaders of the faith. The words in Mal_3:1 stand thus: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me." Our Lord so changes the text that, instead of "before me," it reads with this slight difference, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." The Lord who speaks by the prophets in Malachi announces himself as the coming angel of the covenant: "my messenger shall prepare the way before me;" but this, the Lord who is come as the Son of man, may not as yet openly declare; it is enough that by the thrice-repeated sou (thy face," "thy way," "before thee"), he signifies that he is marked out and referred to by the Father. See how, without directly uttering it, he nevertheless announces his ew eimi ("I am he") in his sublime humility (so Stier, "Words of the Lord Jesus"). Godet presents the same thought from another point of view: "In the prophet"s eyes he who was sending, and he before whom the way was to be prepared, were one and the same Person, Jehovah. Hence the "before me" of Malachi. But for Jesus, who is speaking of himself, and never confounds himself with the Father, a distinction became necessary. It is not Jehovah speaking of himself but Jehovah speaking to Jesus; hence the form "before thee.

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

Mal. iii, 1.

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

This is he of whom it is written

"That prophet is the one the prophets wrote about" or "John is the one the prophets wrote about long ago"

See, I am sending

In this verse, Jesus is quoting the prophet Malachi and saying that John is the messenger of which Malachi spoke.

before your face

This idiom means "in front of you" or "to go ahead of you" (See: Idiom)

your

The word "your" is singular because God was speaking to the Messiah in the quotation. (See: Forms of You)

I say to you

Jesus is speaking to the crowd, so "you" is plural. Jesus uses this phrase to emphasize the truth of the surprising thing he is about to say next. (See: Forms of You)

among those born of women

"among those to whom a woman has given birth." This is a metaphor that refers to all people. AT: "of all the people who have ever lived" (See: Metaphor)

none is greater than John

"John is the greatest"

the one who is least in the kingdom of God

This refers to anyone who is part of the kingdom that God will establish.

is greater than he is

The spiritual state of people in the kingdom of God will be higher than that of the people before the kingdom was established. AT: "has higher spiritual status than John" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

written

messenger

face

John (the Baptist)

kingdom of God

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

27. ἰδού, ἀποστέλλω κ.τ.λ. Compare Luk 1:76; Mar 1:2. In the parallel passage of St Matthew our Lord adds that the Baptist is the promised Elias, Mat 11:11; Mat 11:14; Mat 17:10-13; Luk 1:17 (Mal 4:5). The quotation is from Mal 3:1, “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me.” The words are varied because, in the original, God is speaking in His own person, and here the words are applied to Christ.

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.

27. This quotation from Malachi (3:1) is given by Mk. at the opening of his Gospel coupled with φωνὴ βοῶντος, κ.τ.λ., and attributed as a whole to Isaiah. Neither Heb. nor LXX has πρὸ προσώπου σου, which Mt. Mk. and Lk. all insert in the first dause. See on 9:52. Moreover, they all three have ἀποστέλλω and κατασκευάσει instead of the ἐξαπστέλλω and ἐπιβλέψεται of LXX. See on 4:18. The passage was one of the common-places of Messianic prophecy, and had been stereotyped in an independent Greek form before the Evangelists made use of it.

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

Prepare [κατασκευασει] . See on ch. Luk 1:17.

Least [μικροτερος] . Lit., less. Rev., but little; or, as we might say, "comparatively little."

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