25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. (Luke 13:25-30 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Our Saviour having exhorted all his followers, in the foregoing verses, to make sure of heaven and salvation to themselves, while the door of hope and salvation is open to them, by this parable of a master of a family inviting guests to his table, waiting for their coming, and at last shutting the door against them, because they either denied or delayed coming, Christ hereby represented to the Jews the great danger they were in, if they neglected the present season of grace and salvation, which now they did enjoy; telling them farther how little it would profit them at the day of judgment, to allege that they had eaten and drank in his presence, and that they had heard him preach in their streets, if they did not forsake their sins, and obey his gospel.
Adding farther, that it would be a heart piercing sorrow, a soul rendering grief to them at the great day, to see not only the patriarchs and prophets, and other Jews, but even the despised Gentiles from all quarters and nations, whom they thought accursed, admitted into the kingdom of heaven, and themselves eternally shut out: For the last shall be first, and the first last: that is, the Gentiles who were afar off shall receive the gospel, when you for rejecting it shall be cast off.
From the whole note,
1. That there is a determined time when souls must (if ever) accept of the offers of grace and salvation, which are made unto them; now is the door open, and persons invited in.
2. That however long Jesus Christ, who now stands at every one of our doors waiting for our compliance with his gospel terms, will wait no longer upon us, nor strive any further by the motions of his Spirit with us: When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door.
3. That doleful is the condition of such miserable souls against whom the door is shut; the door of repentance, the door of hope, the door of salvation; all shut, eternally shut; and that by him who shuts, and none can open.
4. That all would be saved at last; all will cry for mercy when it is too late, even such as now sinfully undervalue, and scornfully despise it: Ye shall stand without and knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
5. That is no good plea for admittance into heaven, because we have been church members here on earth: no outward privileges, though Christ has taught in our streets; no external acts of communion, though we have eaten and drunk in his presence, and at his holy table; will justify our hopes of entering into heaven when we die, if we be workers of iniquity while we live: Lord, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence; but he shall say, I know ye not, ye workers of iniquity.
6. That as hell will be a second heaven to the glorified, so heaven will be a second hell to the damned. Hell will be second heaven to the glorified, that is, it will add exceedingly to the happiness of the saints in heaven, to see and be sensible of that misery which they escaped, and the damned endure; and on the other hand, heaven will be a second hell to the damned, that is, it will increase their torments, and add to the vexation of their spirits, to see some in heaven whom they little expected to see there; some that never saw nor heard, nor enjoyed what they have done; strangers, yea, heathens taken in, when the children of the kingdom, that is, the members of the visible church, are shut out: They shall come from the east, from the west, from the north, and from the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness.
BURKITT | Luke 13:1-3 | Luke 13:4-5 | Luke 13:6-7 | Luke 13:8-9 | Luke 13:10-17 | Luke 13:18-21 | Luke 13:22-24 | Luke 13:25-30 | Luke 13:31-33 | Luke 13:34-35 |