Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 6:26

"Woe [unto you], when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets." — Luke 6:26 (ASV)

So did their fathers to the false prophets. These words are of very wide application, but it is probable that there is a special reference in them to the time of Hezekiah and the later kings of Judah (Jeremiah 5:31).

They open a wide question regarding the worth of praise as a test of human conduct, and tend to a conclusion quite the reverse of that implied in the maxim, Vox populi, vox Dei. Truth, in matters which, like religion or politics, impinge on men’s interests or prejudices, is often, if not always, on the side of the minority, sometimes even on that of one who is like an Athanasius contra mundum.

On the other hand, praise (Philippians 4:8) and good repute (1 Timothy 3:7) have their value as the witnesses borne by the moral sense of men, when not deadened or perverted regarding the beauty of holiness, the testimonium animae naturaliter Christianae to the moral excellence of the followers of Christ.