Luke Chapter 12, Verse 14
From BibleWiki
14: ο δε ειπεν αυτω ανθρωπε τις με κατεστησεν δικαστην η μεριστην εφ υμας
14: And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider
over you?
14: But he said to him: Man, who hath appointed me judge or divider
over you?
Who made me a judge? It is not my business to settle controversies
of this kind. They are to be settled by the magistrate. Jesus came
for another purpose -- to preach the gospel, and so to bring men
to a willingness to do right. Civil affairs are to be left to
the magistrate. There is no doubt that Jesus could have told him
what was right in this case, but then it would have been interfering
with the proper office of the magistrates; it might have led him into
controversy with the Jews; and it was, besides, evidently apart from the
proper business of his life. We may remark, also, that the appropriate
business of ministers of the gospel is to attend to spiritual concerns.
They should have little to do with the temporal matters of the people.
If they can persuade men who are at variance to be reconciled, it is
right; but they have no power to take the place of a magistrate, and to
settle contentions in a legal way.
