Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
Then - but when, is not stated and cannot be determined. See remarks prefixed to Luke 9:51.
Drew near, х eesan (G1510) de (G1161) engizontes (G1448)]. The phrase implies something habitual. See the note at the same imperfect tense in Luke 1:22, etc.
Unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. Strange auditory for such a Preacher! In fact, among the marvels of this most marvelous History, none is more marvelous than the fact that the most sunken classes of society-we might almost say, its refuse and scum-seem, as by some spell, to have been attracted to the Holy, Harmless, Undefiled One, the Separate from sinners! What could the secret of this be? What but the discovery in Him of a compassion for their case against which they had found every other breast steeled. 'Abandoned of men, we had thought ourselves much more so of God: Heaven and earth seemed alike shut against us, and we were ready to conclude that, as outcasts from both, we must live on the wretched life we are living, and then lie down and die without hope. But compassion for the chief of sinners beams in that Eye, and streams forth from those Lips; God is in that Heart, Heaven in that Voice; Never man spake like this Man: As He speaks, God, Himself seems to draw near even to us, and say to us in accents of melting love, Return unto Me, and I will return unto you: Who and what He is, we are too ignorant to tell; but we feel what He is to us; when He is with us, we seem to be in the precincts of heaven.' How far these were the thoughts and feelings of that class would of course depend on the extent to which they were sick of their evil ways, and prepared to welcome divine encouragement to turn from them and live. But that what drew to Him "all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him" must have something of this nature-that of Him and Him alone, if we except His like-minded Forerunner, they saw clearly it could not be said, "No man careth for my soul" - will be evident from the sequel.