Luke 22:24

Luke 22:24-27 . And there was also a strife among them, &c. — Of the kind of contentions here spoken of there are two instances recorded by the evangelists, evidently different from each other, and each attended with very different circumstances. The former is mentioned by Matthew 18:1-4 ; by Mark 9:33-37 ; and by Luke 9:46 . This certainly is not that here referred to. The other, recorded Matthew 20:20 , &c.; and Mark 10:35 , &c., is thought, by most commentators, to be that which Luke here speaks of. See the notes on these two last mentioned passages. Some, however, are of opinion, that a third contention of a similar kind arose among the disciples, at this last paschal supper which our Lord ate with them; and that it arose from some expressions which he dropped respecting the glory of his heavenly kingdom, which the disciples erroneously interpreted of a glorious temporal kingdom, which they continued to expect him to erect. And it must be acknowledged, that the manner in which Luke introduces his account of this dispute here, favours this interpretation of the passage. For, immediately after he had informed us of the disciples beginning to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should betray Christ, he proceeds to say, And there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest.

Be this as it may, if it really was a third contention of the same sort with those which had occurred before, it appears that Christ composed it by the arguments which he had made use of for the same end formerly. For, he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, &c. — Among the Gentiles, they are reckoned the greatest men who have the greatest power, and who exercise it in the most absolute manner. Such, however, have at times affected the pompous title of benefactors, ( ευραγεται , a surname which some of the kings of Egypt and Syria assumed,) and thereby have tacitly acknowledged that true greatness consists in goodness. But your greatness shall not be like theirs; shall not consist in temporal power over your fellow-creatures, or in honour or dignity among them, though it should be joined with an affectation of titles which denote qualities truly honourable. Whosoever desires to be great among you, let him be so by his humility and by his serviceableness to the rest, in imitation of me, your Master, whose greatness consists in this, that I am become the servant of you all. He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger — According to the manner of the Jews, the aged expected great service and submission from the young; and he that is chief — He that presides over the rest in any office of peculiar trust and influence; as he that doth serve — Let him be as humble and condescending as the servant.

Luke 22:24-30 . Earlier fragments of discourses ( Matthew 20:25 f., Luke 19:28 ; comp. Mark 10:42 ff.), for whose appropriateness in this place the occasion narrated by Luke, ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ φιλονεικία ἐν αὐτ ., is neither psychologically probable, nor is it, from an historical point of view, adequately accounted for. Many have considered Luke 22:24 ff. as giving occasion to the footwashing (Paulus, Kuinoel, Sieffert, Lange, and others, including Strauss), which, however, would have any probability only if Luke placed the contest about precedence at the beginning of the meal. Nay, the already past footwashing, which, according to John, is to be assumed, only makes the situation of this contest about precedence in Luke still more improbable. That, moreover, only the association of ideas between the questions of Luke 22:23 and Luke 22:24 caused Luke to insert here this contest about precedence (Strauss, I. p. 723 f.; Holtzmann) is the more unfounded that Luke has already at Luke 9:46 related one dispute about precedence. Rather, he must have followed a definite tradition, which certainly may have taken its rise from the idea embodied in the story of the footwashing, and may have attracted here into a wrong position what is historically earlier. δὲ καί ] but also , in addition to that συζητεῖν . δοκαῖ ] is esteemed , Galatians 2:6 .

Bengel well says: “Quis sit omnium suffragiis.” μείζων ] of higher rank ; to regard ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν as understood (Kuinoel and others) is an arbitrary proceeding, according to Matthew 18:1 . Comp. on Luke 9:46 ; Mark 9:33 . Luke 22:25 . τῶν ἐθνῶν ] of the Gentiles . οἱ ἐξουσιάζ . αὐτ .] These are the magnates ( Matthew 20:25 ), rulers of the Gentiles after their kings. εὐεργέται , a title of honour: benefactors , i.e. of great merit in respect of the state, possibly in respect of the government (Herod. viii. 85). Comp. εὐεργέτην ἀπογραφῆναι , Herod. viii. 85; Thuc. i. 129. 3; Xen. Rep. Ath . iii. 11; Lys. Proverbs Polystr . 19. ψηφίζεσθαί τινι εὐεργεσίαν , Dem. 475.10; Wolf, Lept . p. 282; Meier, de proxenia , Hal. 1843, p. 10, 15; Hermann, Staatsalterth . § 116. 6. Similarly our “Excellencies.” Luke 22:26 . οὐχ οὕτως ] It is sufficient to supply ἐστέ (others take ποιεῖτε ). See what follows. Ye are not to be thus , as that one should let himself be distinguished in rank from the others. ὁ μείζων ] not: “qui cupit maximus esse,” Kuinoel, but: he that is greater among you , who really is so, let him condescend so as to place himself on an equality with the younger, and claim no more than he. ὁ νεώτερος does not mean the less , and does not refer to one in the circle of the twelve, but it means one who is younger than the others, and denotes a believing youth . It must be supposed that such were present, performing the service . Comp. the parallel διακονῶν .

Luke 22:24 . Δὲ καὶ ) Not merely the traitor, but also the Eleven, caused uneasiness (exhibited a spirit displeasing) to the Lord.— φιλονεικία , a strife ) which was fraught with danger. Comp. Luke 22:31 . [This contention must certainly have occurred within the city: and to the words which Jesus spake in order to allay it, Luke adds, besides other topics, the prediction concerning Peter’s subsequent denial of his Lord, which Matthew and Mark mention after His departure from the city.— Harm. , p. 516]— τίς δοκεῖ , which of them appears , or is to be accounted ) Who is (the greater) according to the suffrages of all.— μείζων ) the greater , as (the one to be accounted) the first, the second, the third, etc. The question was not merely concerning the greatest.

(24) And there was also a strife among them. —The incident that follows is peculiar to St. Luke. The noun which he uses for “strife” does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament, but the corresponding adjective meets us in the “contentious” of 1Corinthians 11:16 . The dispute was apparently the sequel of many previous debates of the same kind, as, e.g., in Luke 9:46 ; Matthew 18:1 ; Mark 9:34 ; and the prayer of the two sons of Zebedee ( Matthew 20:23 ; Mark 10:37 ). What had just passed probably led to its revival. Who was greatest? Was it Peter, to whom had been promised the keys of the kingdom, or John, who reclined on the Master’s bosom, or Andrew, who had been first-called? Even the disciples who were in the second group of the Twelve, might have cherished the hope that those who had been thus rebuked for their ambition or their want of faith had left a place vacant to which they might now hopefully aspire. MacLaren's ExpositionsLukePARTING PROMISES AND WARNINGSLuke 22:24 - Luke 22:37. It was blameworthy, but only too natural, that, while Christ’s heart was full of His approaching sufferings, the Apostles should be squabbling about their respective dignity. They thought that the half-understood predictions pointed to a brief struggle immediately preceding the establishment of the kingdom, and they wished to have their rank settled in advance. Possibly, too, they had been disputing as to whose office was the menial task of presenting the basin for foot-washing.