Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 24:29
But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
29. Abide with us ] It is this beautiful verse which has furnished the idea of Lyte’s dying hymn, ‘Abide with me, fast falls the eventide.’
he went in to tarry with them ] Comp. Heb 13:2, “thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Constrained him – They urged him, or pressingly invited him. They did not yet perceive that it was Jesus, but they had been charmed and delighted with his discourse, and they wished to hear him farther. Christians are delighted with communion with the Saviour. They seek it as the chief object of their desire, and they find their chief pleasure in fellowship with him. The two disciples felt it a privilege to entertain the stranger, as they supposed, who had so charmed them with his discourse; and so those to whom the gospel is preached, and who love it, feel it a privilege, and not a burden, to show kindness to those who bear to them the message of salvation. Abide with us – Remain with us, or pass the night in our house. Verse 29. For it is toward evening] And consequently both inconvenient and unsafe to proceed to another village. Reader! it is probably the eve of thy life, whether thou be old or young: thy day may have already declined, and there is, possibly, but a step between thee and the eternal world! Hath the Lord Jesus taught thee by his word and Spirit to believe in him, that thou mightest be saved? Is he come into thy heart? Hast thou the witness of his Spirit that thy sin is blotted out through his blood? Ro 8:16; Ga 4:6; 1Jo 5:10-12. If thou have not, get thee to God right humbly. Jesus is about to pass by, perhaps for ever! O, constrain him, by earnest faith and prayer, to enter into thy soul, and lodge with thee! May God open THY eyes! May he stir up and inflame THY heart! And he went in] And so he will to thee, thou penitent soul! Therefore take courage, and be not faithless but believing. 29. constrained, c.But forthis, the whole design of the interview had been lost but it wasnot to be lost, for He who only wished to be constrained hadkindled a longing in the hearts of His travelling companions whichwas not to be so easily put off. And does not this still repeatitself in the interviews of the Saviour with His loving, longingdisciples? Else why do they say, Abide with me frommorn to eve, For without Thee I cannotlive; Abide with me when nightis nigh, For without Thee I cannotdie. KEBLE But they constrained him,…. The Arabic version renders it, “they held him by force”: but the meaning is not, that they laid hands on him, and held him in a forcible manner against his will; but they were very urgent and importunate with him, that he would stay with them; they would take no denial. The sense is better given in the Persic version, “the disciples with importunity said unto him”; they were so pressing with arguments, that he could not withstand them:
saying, abide with us; his conversation was so engaging, and his discourses were so heavenly and instructive, so sweet and delightful, so powerful and moving, that they could not bear to part with him, but were exceeding desirous of his continuance with them, even though he was a stranger to them. And as they had in view their own pleasure and profit, so they urge the necessity and advantage of his stay, with respect to himself:
for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent; it might be four or five o’clock in the afternoon:
and he went in to tarry with them; for a while, not all night. So earnest, importunate, and resolute was the church, when she had found Christ, that he would abide with her, So 3:4.
Constrained (). Strong verb , to compel by use of force (Polybius and LXX). In the N.T. only here and Ac 16:15. It was here compulsion of courteous words. Is far spent (). Perfect active indicative of . The day “has turned” toward setting. They constrained [] . Contrary to [] his apparent intention of going on. Only here and Act 16:15. Is far spent [] . Lit., has declined. Wyc., is now bowed down.
1) “But they constrained him, saying,” (kai parebiasanto auton legontes) “And they urged him, saying, repeatedly,” still thinking that He was a stranger, in sincerity of heart having rejoiced in His teaching since He came to them along the way, Luk 24:32. See Gen 18:1-8; Gen 14:23; Heb 13:1-2.
2) “Abide with us:” (meinon meth’ hemon) “Remain or just stay with us,” for the night. Whether or not this was their home, as this was their apparent destination, Luk 24:13, or they simply asked Him to stay with them in an apartment in an inn is not clear, but the lesson is that one is blessed by asking Jesus to be a guest for a meal wherever he resides, Luk 19:4-10.
3) “For it is toward evening,” (hoti pros hesperan estin) “Because it is toward evening,” near six o’clock p.m. when night approaches. They urged upon Him to stay because of the lateness of the hour.
4) “And the day is far spent.” (kai kekliken ede he hemera) “And the day has already declined,” simply gone, Gen 32:26.
5) “And he went in to tarry with them.” (kai eiselthen tou meinai sun autois) “And he went in to stay in close company with them,” for the evening, for the meal, to bless them by revealing His identity to them, Luk 24:30-31.
(29) Abide with us: for it is toward evening.As .part of the narrative, the words have the interest of bringing before us the eager desire of the disciples to know more of the wisdom which they had been drinking in from the lips of the unknown Teacher. They could not bring themselves to part with one who had done so much for them. Devout imagination has, however, legitimately read other meanings in it. Abide with me has become the burden of the most popular of evening hymns, the true prayer for the evening of each day, for the evening of each mans life, for the moments when hopes fail and we commune one with another and are sad; for those, also, when our hearts burn within us in the half-consciousness that Christ is speaking to us through the lips of human teachers.
‘And they constrained him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent.” And he went in to stay with them.’
Equally correctly they ‘constrained Him’ (strongly pressed Him) to accept a night’s hospitality. Darkness was coming on and the roads could become dangerous for a solitary person, and even though there was a full moon, travelling in the dark could be unpleasant. Besides He must be hungry. And the Stranger accepted their invitation and went in to stay with them.
The fact that they shared the house into which they invited Him may suggest that they were husband and wife (compare Joh 19:25, although the spelling is different). But not necessarily. They may have been master and servant, or two brothers, or related to each other in some other way.
Luk 24:29. They constrained him, They pressed him. Heylin, &c. See ch. Luk 14:23. We are told in the subsequent verses, that the disciples, having returned from Emmaus, were telling their brethren what had happened to them, when Jesus stood in the midst, and saluted them, Luk 24:35-36. Moreover, it is taken notice of, that this appearance happened on the first day of the week at even; Joh 20:19. These circumstances, together with the departure of the disciples, who went to Emmaus before the news of Christ’s resurrection had reached the city, shew plainly that by the evening in this verse, we are to understand the first evening of the Jewish day, which began at three o’clock. See Mat 14:15. It is toward evening, means, “It is toward three o’clock;” and the day is far spent, , means, The day has declined: for, on any other supposition, the two could not have returned to Jerusalem, after dining at Emmaus, so as to have been present when Jesus shewed himself to his disciples the first day of the week, which ended at sun-setting.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
Ver. 29. But they constrained him ] Though they had been sharply rebuked by him, whom they knew to be no other than a mere stranger to them.
For it is toward evening ] Cry we, now if ever, ere it be too late,
” Vespera iam venit, nobiscum Christe maneto.
Extingui lucem nec patiare tuam. 29. ] ., they constrained Him. It is not implied that He said any thing to indicate that He would go further but simply, that He was passing on. “Our blessed Saviour pretended that He would pass forth beyond Emmaus: but if he intended not to do it, yet He did no injury to the two disciples, for whose good it was that He intended to make this offer: and neither did He prevaricate the strictness of simplicity and sincerity, because they were persons with whom He had made no contracts; to whom He had passed no obligation; and in the nature of the thing, it is proper and natural, by an offer, to give an occasion to another to do a good action: and in case it succeeds not, then to do what we intended not; and so the offer was conditional.” Jer. Taylor, Sermon on Christian Simplicity. Works (Heber), vi. 156.
does not imply that they lived at Emmaus; merely in the same quarters with us.
Luk 24:29 . , they constrained by entreaty, again in Act 16:15 , found in Gen 19:9 . , with us, presumably in their home or lodgings. If they were but guests they could not well invite another. , .: two phrases where one was enough, by way of pressing their fellow-traveller. They make the most of the late hour, which is not their real reason.
constrained. Greek. parabiazomai. Occurs only here and Act 16:15.
with. Greek. meta. App-104.
toward. Greek. pros. App-104.
is far spent = has declined.
29.] ., they constrained Him. It is not implied that He said any thing to indicate that He would go further-but simply, that He was passing on. Our blessed Saviour pretended that He would pass forth beyond Emmaus: but if he intended not to do it, yet He did no injury to the two disciples, for whose good it was that He intended to make this offer: and neither did He prevaricate the strictness of simplicity and sincerity, because they were persons with whom He had made no contracts; to whom He had passed no obligation; and in the nature of the thing, it is proper and natural, by an offer, to give an occasion to another to do a good action: and in case it succeeds not, then to do what we intended not; and so the offer was conditional. Jer. Taylor, Sermon on Christian Simplicity. Works (Heber), vi. 156.
does not imply that they lived at Emmaus; merely in the same quarters with us.
Luk 24:29. , abide) They were beseeching Him, from love for His own sake, and from hospitality, that He should not venture to proceed on His journey by night.
Chapter 60
Abide With Us
Can the Son of God be forced to do anything? Can man compel the Christ of God, by any means, to anything? The answer to those questions may surprise you. As the Lord Jesus walked along the Emmaus road with these two disciples, when they got close to the village and started to turn in, he made as though he would have gone further (Luk 24:28). His feet were turned to go on down the road, but not his heart. His heart was still with them. He acted like he was going to leave them, because he wanted to constrain them to constrain him to abide with them. He wanted to make them want him.
Examples
There are other examples of this kind in the scriptures. You will remember that one dark night when the disciples were on the sea, a terrible storm arose. They were terrified. Suddenly, they saw a figure walking across the raging waves of the sea. Like here, the disciples did not know that it was their Saviour. As he approached their storm-tossed boat, it appeared that he was going to walk right by them. Then, they cried out for fear. As soon as he heard their cry, he stopped; and straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
As the Lord Jesus made his way to Calvary, having set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem, that he might suffer and die in our room and stead, nothing could stop him. Nothing could even cause him to take a backward glance over his shoulder, or break his stride. But, just as he was going out of Jericho, he heard a poor, blind beggar cry out, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And, immediately, Jesus stood still.
On another occasion, a poor, desperate Canaanite woman came to him crying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word (Mat 15:22-23). He made as though he did not hear her. Why was that ear, which was always open to the call of misery, closed to this woman? Why did he answer her not a word? It was because he wanted to open her heart wider, wide enough to receive the blessing he was about to bestow.
That is often the way he works with us. Our blessed Saviour often makes it appear that he will leave us, or that he has left us, that he may graciously cause us to cry after him. Oh, how he loves for us to cry after him! Oh, how the Son of God loves for us to entreat him not to leave us! He does so, because he ever delights to abide with us.
Our dear Lord often proves our love by withholding his mercies until we know our need of his mercy. He has promised to do us good. He has promised to bless us. He has promised that he will never leave us, nor forsake us. But he says, I will yet for this be enquired of to do it (Eze 36:37). He loves to draw out our desires after him, because it is good for us, and because he delights to hear us express our need of him.
That is how he dealt with Jacob at Peniel. Remember, it was not Jacob who wrestled with the Lord. It was the Lord who wrestled with Jacob. He had come for the purpose of blessing his chosen one; but he would not do so until Jacob had to have him. He said to Jacob, Let me go, for the day breaketh. But Jacob was in desperate need. He cried, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me (Gen 32:26). And the Lord blessed him.
We have another remarkable and instructive example of our Saviours gracious dealing in this manner with his chosen in the Son 5:2-16. I urge you to read that passage with great care, asking God the Holy Spirit to apply its message to your heart.[14]
[14] This passage in the Song of Solomon (Luk 5:2-16) is of such tremendous importance that I encourage you to read my comments on it in my Discovering Christ in the Song of Solomon, (Published by Evangelical Press, Darlington, England – 2005), as well as those by Roger Ellsworth in He is Altogether Lovely (Published by Evangelical Press, Darlington, England 1998), and John Gills Exposition of the Book of Canticles (Published by the Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois – 1980).
So it was here in Luke 24. As they drew near to Emmaus, our Lord made as though he would have gone further, because he wanted to constrain them to constrain him to abide with them. And so we read in our text, they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them (Luk 24:29).
Christ, our Hope, our Strength, our God,
You have redeemed us by Your blood;
Through You alone were saved from sin;
Youve proved Yourself the sinners Friend!
Often when gathered in this place,
Youve come with tokens of Your grace,
And blessed the preaching of Your Word,
Come again, beloved Lord!
Enter our hearts and show Your face;
Abide with us, dear Prince of Peace;
Come now and make each heart Your own,
Your house, Your temple, and Your throne!
Keep us from grieving You with sin,
Subdue our lusts and reign within;
Abide with us for evermore;
Make us abide in You, our Lord!
Abide with us. That is my unceasing prayer. Oh, how I pray that he will abide with me, abide with my family, abide with the local church family he has given me, and abide with you, for without him we can do nothing. Without him, we are nothing!
They Constrained Him
They constrained him. What a remarkable word that is! The specific word here translated constrained is a very strong word. It means, to compel by use of force. It is only used in one other place in the scriptures. It is used in Act 16:15, where Lydia constrained Paul and Silas to abide in her house.
They constrained him. The words might be translated, They held him by force. How? By what force was the Lord of Glory constrained? How was he compelled? What force could force the Son of God to do anything? There is only one such force put before us in all the Book of God. Our Lord Jesus was constrained by the cry of these poor, needy souls, Abide with us. That cry constrained him to go in and tarry with them. He was not constrained by their faith. At the time, they did not know who he was. He was not constrained by any promise from his poor disciples. He was constrained by their need of him, by their felt need of that which only he could provide. So it is with us.
Abide With Us
His conversation had been so engaging, so heavenly and instructive, so sweet and delightful, so powerful and moving, so beneficial to their souls that they could not bear to have him part from them. So they constrained him, saying, Abide with us.
This is not the Master speaking to the disciples, but the disciples to the Master. It is not the Lord Jesus that is standing at the door and saying, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me. It is a pair of disciples that is saying, Come in with us, blessed of the Lord. Abide with us. And, as he blessed Jacob before parting from him, so here he went in and sat down with them.
When he did, he brought his blessing with him. He filled the house with the fragrance of his presence and the odour of the ointment of his grace. He sat at meat with them (Luk 24:30). He gave them bread to eat, bread he had blessed especially in their presence for them (Luk 24:30). He opened their eyes and caused them to know him (Luk 24:31). He caused their hearts to burn within them (Luk 24:32).
They constrained him, saying, Abide with us, because they were not willing to part with him. O Spirit of God, give us grace that we may follow the example of these disciples.
Abide with us, our Saviour,
Let not Your mercy cease;
From every foe defend us,
And keep our souls in peace.
Abide with us, our Saviour,
To us open Your Word,
That we may, now and ever,
Here find our blessed Lord.
Abide with us, our Saviour,
And guide us in Your light;
Increase to us Your favour,
And save us by Your might.
Joshua Stegmann
Our Need
Our blessed Saviour heals as many as have need of healing (Luk 9:11). He visits those who need him, and abides with them as long as he is needed. But he always departs from those who have no need for him (Mat 19:1). If we would constrain the Lord Jesus to abide with us, we must, like these disciples, pour out our hearts need to him (Job 23:4; Isa 43:26).
Saviour, abide with us, because these are days of great trouble, heaviness and sorrow. Abide with us, because this world is empty without you. Life is death, if you are not with us. This world would be an empty place, a house left desolate without you, without the sound of your voice, or your footsteps. All is emptiness and cold without you. It is Christ who fills our lives, rejoices our hearts, and lights up our homes. He, and he alone gives us gladness in this wilderness. O blessed Saviour, abide with us!
Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent, because all is darkness without you. We do not know what lies before us, what our future is to be. We know the past, we know the present, but the future is hidden from us. For that future and all its uncertainties, we need you to be our Guide and our Protector. We need you to light up our path. We need you to defend us and keep us. We need you to comfort and cheer us. We need you to hold us by the right hand of your righteousness. We need you to carry us across the swelling Jordan. We need you to present us to the Father.
Who will fight for us, who will deliver us and keep us to the last, in all changes, trials and sorrows? Abide with us. Leave us not, neither forsake us, O God of our salvation, O Rest of the weary, O Light of the dark, O Saviour of the lost, O Joy of the sorrowful, O Helper of the helpless, unchanging Companion, Friend and Brother, O blessed Kinsman, with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of turning, the same yesterday, today, and forever, abide with us! Lead us out, lead us in, lead us along the way, lead us beside the still waters, lead us into your banqueting house, and let your banner over us be love!
Abide with us, because earths night is at hand. The sun of time is going down behind the hills. The end of all things is at hand. The day of the Lord hastens on. Satan is in a rage, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Antichrist is rampant everywhere. Evil men and seducers wax worse and worse. Perilous times have come. Wars and rumours of wars cover the earth. Earthquakes and tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes cause mens hearts everywhere to fail them for fear.
If the foundations be destroyed, What shall the righteous do? We can do nothing except constrain the Lord Jesus, crying, abide with us! Abide with us in all your mercy, love and grace, in all your strength and help, in all your joy and peace. Abide with us forever.
Swift to its close ebbs out lifes little day,
Earths joys grow dim; its glories pass away!
Change and decay in all around I see.
Thou Who changest not, abide with me!
Henry F. Lyte
He Went In
I cannot fail to call your attention to the last sentence of Luk 24:29. And he went in to tarry with them. Like these disciples, in the Song of Solomon we see the church in great importunity, seeking her Beloved. And when she found him, she constrained him to abide with her. May God the Holy Spirit ever show us our constant need of our Saviour and constrain us to constrain him to abide with us.
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mothers house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please (Son 3:4-5).
Let us, by crying constantly to our Saviour, constrain him to abide with us.
Luk 14:23, Gen 19:3, 2Ki 4:8, Act 16:14
Reciprocal: Gen 19:2 – Nay Gen 32:26 – Let me go Jdg 19:9 – the day Rth 1:16 – to leave 1Sa 15:26 – I will not 1Sa 28:23 – compelled him 2Sa 13:25 – pressed Pro 7:21 – forced Luk 4:42 – and stayed Joh 1:39 – about Joh 4:40 – they Act 1:8 – power Act 16:15 – And she 2Co 5:14 – constraineth
ABIDE WITH US
Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.
Luk 24:29
Abide with us.It is the prayer of two men; two men to whom God came. It is the only Easter-tide prayer recorded for us, and it is an ideal prayer for ourselves.
I. The journey to Emmaus is as the journey of life.We walk along by twos, or, more often, all alone. And life is perplexing. Things outside trouble us, and sometimes things within. We dont understand. Things seem somehow as if they could not be right. All things do not seem just and fair. Our hearts grow faint and sick with trying to understandtrying to trust.
II. We need the presence of God.We want some one to talk tosome one who knows and can explain. It is this that makes men go off after strange teachers, any one who promises them light. It is not so much that they want heaven hereafter, they want light now. What is our prayer? We are Christiansmembers of Christ, children of God, inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven. Surely God is near. Abide with us! Yes, the prayer for the knowledge of the ceaseless presence of God is the prayer for men and women to-day.
III. Let us keep an open door for Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God.Let there be always a place in our hearts where He may abide. There may be difficulties in the inspiration of Scripture, in the origin and interpretation of our sacred books. There may be difficulties and sorrows in a broken-up Churcha divided Christendom. There may be perplexities in the things that come to our lives and the lives of our dear ones. The journey of life may be hard and growing harder. Let us keep our eyes open to see the tokens of the presence of Jesus. Let faith ever hold fast to the words, Lo, I am ever with you. Is it so? Then, Lord, I fear not. I will believe. I will be true. I will be patient. Lord Jesus, by Thee we can do all things. Abide with us.
Bishop E. W. Osborne.
Illustration
How beautiful is this revelation of the risen Jesus! It sparkles with light, does it not? Let us learn from it of Him, for what He was that day He is still. He has not changed; Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. What shall we learn, then, from it? Realise the presence of the living Jesus in our daily life. Look for Him as He comes to us in the daytime of our work. Seek Him in the everyday actions, in the daily round, in the common task. Find Him in the most commonplace things. Remember Jesus is essentially human, whilst He is truly Divine, very Man as well as very God. Nothing that has to do with our humanity is foreign to Him. Bear in mind that He is never nearer to us than when we are sad. He has so much in common with sorrow, for He was the very Man of Sorrows Himself. As it has been beautifully said, He consecrates our saddest walks, our hardest roads, our longest journeys. Learn how to deal with doubtour own, or the doubts of other people. Jesus bids us be patient with doubts; patient with ourselves, with others. He tells us how He ever manifests Himself to the honest doubter. He promises us that He will be with us in our doubt, although we may not recognise Him; though not perhaps until the evening overtakes us, as darkness and the night of death comes over us, we shall know that He has been with us all the time.
9
Their kindness was from a pure motive of hospitality, and not just because of the importance of the person, for they still did not know Him.
Luk 24:29. And they constrained him, by urgent entreaty. The ground of their conduct is found in Luk 24:32.
Abide with us. Emmaus may, or may not, have been their home, but they certainly felt themselves at home in the village.
For it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent. The repetition of the same thought is an indication of their urgency. The time was probably shortly before sunset, since the latter phrase seems to refer to the declining sun, and they returned to Jerusalem that evening. They probably walked slowly out from the city and hastened back.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
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Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible
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