Matthew · Chapter 8

Verse 1. From the mountain] That mountain on which he had delivered the preceding inimitable sermon.

Great multitudes followed him.] Having been deeply impressed with the glorious doctrines which they had just heard.

Verse 1. When he was come down from the mountain — Where he had delivered the divine discourse contained in the preceding chapters; great multitudes followed him — To the town toward which he went, desirous, probably, of receiving further instruction from him, or of witnessing the performance of some of his miraculous acts. And, behold, there came a leper — Leprosies, in those countries, were seldom curable by natural means, any more than palsies or lunacy. It is likely, though this leper might not mix with the people: he had heard our Lord at a distance. And worshipped him — That is, kneeled, or fell down before him; saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean — Doubtless, he had seen or been informed of some of the miraculous cures which Christ had wrought. Jesus put forth his hand and touched him — Though leprosies were the most nauseous of all the distempers incident to the human body, and the most infectious, insomuch that the bare sight of a leper could not fail to raise a loathing in all who looked on him; nevertheless, Jesus, with great benignity, drew near and touched this man, and, instead of being polluted by touching him, cleansed the leper with his touch, and sent him away very joyful by reason of his cure, which rendered him agreeable to himself, and gave him access again to the society of men. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed — Immediately on Christ’s touching him, and saying, I will, be thou clean — How wonderful the power thus displayed! and how irresistible, one would suppose, must be the evidence, arising from such a fact, of the divine mission and authority of the person who performed such a cure; who restored, in a moment, to perfect soundness, the body of a man covered all over with the most loathsome disease imaginable! Observe, reader, the instruction which this miracle gives us. Our souls are by nature entirely overspread with the leprosy of sin, and where can we apply for help but to the healing power and recovering grace of this Divine Saviour? And be the malady ever so deep, spreading, or inveterate, we may surely adopt the words of this leper, and say, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And we have every reason to hope, if we so apply, that his compassion will be moved in our favour, and his power exerted for our cure.

1. Come down… mountain — He descended the slope toward the shores of Gennesaret, where stood Capernaum, his present residence. Great multitudes followed — His vast congregation moved with the preacher toward the city. See the closing comment on last chapter.

CHAPTER 8. Verse 1. Great multitudes followed him. — They had been deeply affected by his discourse on the mount, and the charm still drew them after him. The circumstance is, however, mentioned as an introduction to the miracle which follows, to show that it was done publicly in the presence of a great number of witnesses; so that it became to them the seal of the reality of that “authority” which Christ had assumed in his late sermon, and with which they had been so much impressed.

V. 2. A leper came-Leprosies in those countries were seldom curable by natural means, any more than palsies or lunacy. Probably this leper, though he might not mix with the people, had heard our Lord at a distance. Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12.

Verse 2. And, behold, there came a leper] The leprosy lepra, from lepiv, a scale, was an inveterate cutaneous disease, appearing in dry, thin, white scurfy scales or scabs, either on the whole body, or on some part of it, usually attended with violent itching, and often with great pain. The eastern leprosy was a distemper of the most loathsome kind, highly contagious, so as to infect garments, (Leviticus 13:47, &c.,) and houses, (Leviticus 14:34, &c.,) and was deemed incurable by any human means. Among the Jews, GOD alone was applied to for its removal; and the cure was ever attributed to his sovereign power.

The various symptoms of this dreadful disorder, which was a striking emblem of sin, may be seen in Lev. 13:, 14:, where also may be read the legal ordinances concerning it; which, as on the one hand, they set forth how odious sin is to God, so, on the other, they represent the cleansing of our pollutions by the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, by the sprinkling and application of his blood, and by the sanctifying and healing influences of the Holy Spirit.

The Greek name lepra, seems to have been given to this distemper, on account of the thin, white SCALES (lepidev) with which the bodies of the leprous were sometimes so covered as to give them the appearance of snow, Exodus 4:6; Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27. Herodotus, lib. 1, mentions this disorder as existing, in his time, among the Persians. He calls it leukhn, the white scab; and says, that those who were affected with it were prohibited from mingling with the other citizens; and so dreadful was this malady esteemed among them that they considered it a punishment on the person, from their great god, the sun, for some evil committed against him. Dr. Mead mentions a remarkable case of this kind which came under his own observation. “A countryman whose whole body was so miserably seized with it that his skin was shining as covered with flakes of snow, and as the furfuraceous or bran-like scales were daily rubbed off, the flesh appeared quick or raw underneath.” See the doctor’s Medica Sacra, chap. 2. It was probably on account of its tendency to produce this disorder, in that warm climate, that God forbade the use of swine’s flesh to the Jews. Feeding on this crude aliment, in union with the intemperate use of ardent spirits, is, in all likelihood, the grand cause of the scurvy, which is so common in the British nations, and which would probably assume the form and virulence of a leprosy, were our climate as hot as that of Judea. See Clarke’s notes on “Exodus 4:6”, and on Lev. 13: and 14.

Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.] As this leper may be considered as a fit emblem of the corruption of man by sin; so may his cure, of the redemption of the soul by Christ. A sinner, truly penitent, seeks God with a respectful faith; approaches him in the spirit of adoration; humbles himself under his mighty hand, acknowledging the greatness of his fall, and the vileness of his sin; his prayer, like that of the leper, should be humble, plain, and full of confidence in that God who can do all things, and of dependence upon his will or mercy, from which all good must be derived. It is peculiar to God that he need only will what he intends to perform. His power is his will. The ability of God to do what is necessary to be done, and his willingness to make his creatures happy, should be deeply considered by all those who approach him in prayer. The leper had no doubt of the former, but he was far from being equally satisfied in respect of the latter.

Verse 2. Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him. After having preached his sermon, and discovered his doctrine, says Jerome, an opportunity presented itself of displaying miracles, thereby to confirm the audience in the things he had delivered. Respecting the case of the leper, see on Leviticus 13. Mark 1:41. Luke 17.

§ 29. — FIRST MIRACLE — CLEANSING THE LEPER, 2-4.

2. Behold… a leper — A living instance of the receptive faith alluded to in the closing lines of our comment on the last chapter, now steps forward in the person of a leper. How do afflictions sometimes urge us to Christ! The leper, who had, perhaps, been in the outskirts of the congregation, had seen his works and heard his words of mercy, comes with the language of humility and confession on his lips.

Leprosy, in its worst form, was one of the most terrible of diseases. It began with red spots upon the body, grouped in circles, and covered with a shiny scale or scab. It became, generally, incurable, and so corrupted the system that it became hereditary for generations. The body crumbled, the limbs fell apart, and the man literally went to pieces.

Yet it seems not to have been clearly contagious. Hence Mr. Trench forcibly argues that all the provisions made against it by Moses, placing its examination under the care of the priest, and exiling the man, when clearly a leper, from society, were established as a matter of ceremonial uncleanness. To impress the lesson of the corruption of sin upon men, the touch of a dead body and every contact with the circumstantials of death, rendered a man unclean. From among diseases, leprosy was selected as the emblem of moral uncleanness, and subjected to priestly examinations, to banishment, and to every abhorrence which could indicate his utter moral defilement. Leviticus 14:15. All this arose, not from the special wickedness of the man himself, but to present him as a physical representative of the depravity belonging to our inmost nature. Worshipped — The word may signify the reverence paid either to a human or to a divine being. Doubtless, sorrow had so subdued this poor leper, that he was ready to believe this benefactor to be either human or divine, as himself should claim. He could not, indeed, fully measure the amount of power or divinity residing in the Lord’s person, and so his reverence was susceptible of any appropriate measure.

The bowing (called often worshipping) of the Oriental people is low and formal in proportion to the intended reverence paid. A simple inclination of the head is ordinary civility; a low and deliberate curve of the body indicated deep respect; a prostration, with the face upon the ground, was the most worshipful homage.

Lord — Similar varied meanings belong to this title. It may signify the same as our Sir, indicating the respect we pay to man; or it may be a most solemn compellative of God, answering to Jehovah itself.

Verse 2. A leper. — From the nature of this loathsome disease, its cure, even in cases not hopeless, could only be effected by slow degrees; so that the instantaneous healing of a leper, and that by a touch, was an unequivocal miracle. The spots of the leprosy dilate themselves until they cover the whole body; the pain is not very great, but great debility of the system is induced, and great grief and depression of the spirits, so as sometimes to drive the unhappy patient to self-destruction. But this miserable object was now at the feet of Him who could both pity and save. Worshipped him. — This he did by prostrating himself; a common mark of profound reverence among the Jews, and other eastern people. Religious worship is not intended, but civil respect; for he probably knew nothing more of Christ than that he was a great prophet, endued with the power of working miracles. Nor is his address, “Lord,” to be taken in a religious sense; but was usual with the Jews when speaking to a superior. If, however, he knew and believed him to be the Messiah, there might be a farther reference in his mind, both in the act of prostration, and in the application of the title, “Lord,” Kurie, which was also used in themost sacred sense; for it is not improbable that he might have deeper views than the brevity of the history indicates; but this does not clearly appear. However that may be, he had full faith in Christ’s power; as far as he knew him he trusted him; and by this teaches us that our higher knowledge ought to call forth a proportionate faith.

Verse 3. Jesus put forth his hand-I will; be thou clean.] The most sovereign authority is assumed in this speech of our blessed Lord-I WILL: there is here no supplication of any power superior to his own; and the event proved to the fullest conviction, and by the clearest demonstration, that his authority was absolute, and his power unlimited. Be thou cleansed, kaqarisqhti; a single word is enough.

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.] What an astonishing sight! A man whose whole body was covered over with the most loathsome disease, cleansed from it in a moment of time! Was it possible for any soul to resist the evidence of this fact? This action of Christ is a representation of that invisible hand which makes itself felt by the most insensible heart; of that internal word which makes itself heard by the most deaf; and of that supreme will which works every thing according to its own counsel.

3. Touched him — It was contrary to law to touch the unclean leper. But here was a finger which could contract no uncleanness; impurity fled from its approach; it purified what it touched.

Immediately his leprosy was cleansed — How sweet must have been the sensations of renewing health and wholeness. The crumbling limbs renew their shape, the blood flows quickly through the system, the eye recovers its brightness, and the voice its music. He stands up once more in his pure, vigorous manhood; and scarce can he wait the Lord’s commands, before he must rush through the country, a living wonder, to tell the story of his salvation.

Contrary to the order of Harmonists generally, yet without making any alteration in the Synopsis, I have supposed in my notes upon this miracle, that it was performed in the order followed by Matthew, namely, immediately after the Sermon on the Mount. For proof that this is uncontradicted by either evangelist, see supplementary note, page 351 (End of Matthew).

Verse 3. And touched him. — He that touched a leper, or touched a dead body, was by the law rendered unclean. Our Lord might have healed the one and raised the other without this action; but in each case he put forth his hand and touched. This was probably to show that the law was not applicable to him, who, by touching a leper, instead of contracting impurity, imparted health, and by whose touch death itself became life. So he took our nature without its defilement, and lived sinless in a sinful world; coming into contact with fallen and corrupt man only to sanctify and to save him. Many comparisons have been founded upon this history by fanciful divines and preachers, who have traced numerous parallels between the leprosy and our natural corruption, and between the manner in which our Lord healed the leper, and that in which he restores diseased souls to soundness. No doubt all the miracles of healing performed by our Lord were TYPES as well as ATTESTATIONS. They exhibited his compassion, and they hold him forth under that affecting character, which he himself professed, the “Physician” of souls. The true resemblance was not, however, designed to be pursued into minute particulars, which, as they rest on mere human authority, are without authority; and it is enough for us to know that he both CAN and WILL make clean from sin all who come to him in the same spirit as this poor leper.

Saying, I will, be thou clean, &c. — Here the latent Divinity of our Lord again breaks forth. As he taught with authority, he heals with authority, and in both, the very MANNER places him infinitely above the highest commissioned servants: I WILL, BE THOU CLEAN! No wonder this language has reminded critics of the sublime sentence, “Let there be light, and there was light.” But in marking the sublimity of the style, they have often forgotten the sublimity of the person, who was “the Most High” himself; for the use of this language by any other would have been no subject of just admiration, it would have been greatly criminal.

V. 4. See thou tell no man-Perhaps our Lord only meant here, Not till thou hast showed thyself to the priest-who was appointed to inquire into the case of leprosy. But many others he commanded, absolutely, to tell none of the miracles he had wrought upon them. And this he seems to have done, chiefly for one or more of these reasons: 1. To prevent the multitude from thronging him, in the manner related Mark 1:45. 2. To fulfil the prophecy, Isaiah 42:1, that he would not be vain or ostentatious. This reason St. Matthew assigns, Matthew 12:17, &c. 3. To avoid the being taken by force and made a king, John 6:15. And, 4. That he might not enrage the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, who were the most bitter against him, any more than was unavoidable, Matthew 16:20, 21.

For a testimony-That I am the Messiah; to them-The priests, who otherwise might have pleaded want of evidence. Leviticus 14:2.

Verse 4. Jesus saith-See thou tell no man] Had our Lord, at this early period, fully manifested himself as the Messiah, the people in all likelihood would have proclaimed him King; this, however, refused by him, must have excited the hatred of the Jewish rulers, and the jealousy of the Roman government; and, speaking after the manner of men, his farther preachings and miracles must have been impeded. This alone seems to be the reason why he said to the leper, See thou tell no man.

Show thyself to the priest] This was to conform to the law instituted in this case, Leviticus 14:1, &c.

Offer the gift] This gift was two living, clean birds, some cedar wood, with scarlet and hyssop, Leviticus 14:4, which were to be brought for his cleansing; and, when clean, two he lambs, one ewe lamb, three tenth deals of flour, and one log of oil, Leviticus 14:10; but if the person was poor, then he was to bring one lamb, one tenth deal of flour, one log of oil and two turtle doves, or young pigeons, Leviticus 14:21, 22. See the notes on Lev. 14.

Now all this was to be done for a testimony to them; to prove that this leper, who was doubtless well known in the land, had been thoroughly cleansed; and thus, in this private way, to give full proof to the priesthood that Jesus was the true Messiah. The Jewish rabbins allowed that curing the lepers should be a characteristic of the Messiah; (see Bishop Chandler’s Vindication;) therefore the obstinacy of the priests, &c., in rejecting Christ, was utterly inexcusable.

Verse 4. Jesus saith, See thou tell no man — Although our Lord was now followed by a great multitude of people, yet it seems not many of them were witnesses of this miracle, Jesus, probably, taking the person aside from the people before he wrought it, otherwise, as Doddridge observes, it does not appear that there could have been room for this charge of secrecy; the meaning of which undoubtedly was, Tell no man that thou wast healed by me; that is, as some suppose, till thou hast offered thy gift to the priest; and he, by receiving it, hath owned thee to be clean from thy leprosy; lest they, hearing that thou wast cleansed by me, should, out of envy to me, refuse to acknowledge thy being cleansed. It must be observed, however, that he commanded many others absolutely to tell none of the miracles he had wrought upon them. And this he seems to have done, chiefly for one or more of these reasons: 1st, to prevent the multitudes from thronging him, in the manner related Mark 1:45; 2d, to fulfil the prophecy, (Isaiah 42:1, &c.,) that he would not be vain or ostentatious: this reason St. Matthew assigns, Matthew 12:17, &c.; 3d, to avoid being taken by force and made a king, John 6:15; and, 4th, that he might not enrage the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, who were the most bitter against him, any more than was unavoidable, Matthew 16:20, 21. But show thyself to the priest — That is, to any one of the priests to whom the rest have committed the office of examining cases of leprosy. Here it is well observed by Dr. Lightfoot, that, though the priesthood was much degenerated from its primitive institution, and many human inventions were added to God’s law, touching the priest’s examination of the lepers who pretended to be cleansed; yet Christ sends this leper to submit to all these human inventions, as knowing that, though they indeed corrupted, yet they did not destroy the divine institution, and annihilate the office. For a testimony to them — That is, offer thy gift for a testimony that thou art cleansed from thy leprosy. Dr. Campbell, by the them here mentioned, understands, the people, and therefore translates the clause, Make the oblation prescribed by Moses for notifying [the cure] to the people. The them here, says he, “could not be the priests, for it was only one priest, (namely, the priest then intrusted with that business,) to whom he [the man cleansed] was commanded to go. Besides, the oblation could not serve as an evidence to the priest. On the contrary, it was necessary that he should have ocular evidence, by an accurate inspection in private, before the man was admitted into the temple, and allowed to make the oblation; but his obtaining this permission, and the solemn ceremony consequent upon it, was the public testimony of the priest, the only legal judge, to the people, that the man’s uncleanness was removed. This was a matter of the utmost consequence to the man, and of some consequence to them. Till such testimony was given, he lived in a most uncomfortable seclusion from society. No man durst, under pain of being also secluded, admit him into his house, eat with him, or so much as touch him. The antecedent, therefore, to the pronoun them, though not expressed, is easily supplied by the sense. To me it is equally clear: that the only thing meant to be attested by the oblation was, the cure. The suppositions of some commentators on this subject are quite extravagant. Nothing can be more evident, than that the person now cleansed was not permitted to give any testimony to the priest, or to any other, concerning the manner of his cure, or the person by whom it had been performed. ‘Ora mhdeni eiphv, See thou tell nobody. The prohibition is expressed by the Evangelist Mark in still stronger terms. Prohibitions of this kind were often transgressed by those who received them; but that is not a good reason for representing our Lord as giving contradicting orders.”

4. Tell no man — Our Lord on many occasions forbade the subjects of his beneficent miracles to speak of them; and on others he directed them to be proclaimed abroad.

Readers are puzzled to know the reasons from which he acted. Perhaps the following views will make this clear: 1. Our Lord did not wish to avoid the full confession of his deeds of mercy on the part of their objects. This is fully illustrated in the case of the woman healed of the issue. See on Mark 5:33. 2. Why, in this case of the leper, and similar cases, he commanded silence, is fully and conclusively explained by Mark in his account of this miracle. The man cured of this leprosy did not obey our Lord; and the inconvenient consequences show what the evils were which our Lord wished to avoid. (Mark 1:45.) He went out and began to publish it loudly, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more enter into the city, but was without in desert places. How our Lord was incommoded by crowds, will appear from many passages. See Mark 3:9, 20. The thoughtless populace were, moreover, liable, in some fit of enthusiasm, to attempt to make him a temporal king, and so embroil him with the government. See notes on Matthew 12:16-21. 3. Our Lord most wisely desired to be the selecter of his own preachers and proclaimers. He justly esteemed it not according to a divine order, that devils should be the free testifiers to his divinity. Nor was every man who was the object of his mercy well qualified by dignity, prudence, understanding, or accuracy, to give a correct impress of his divine power and mission. His own apostles even, after long training and more than one trial, did he find scarce fit to utter his truth or proclaim his deeds and character. His only proper expositor, except in peculiar cases, was himself.

4. Why he bade the demoniac of Gadara publish his deliverance abroad is explained in our comment on the place. (See on Mark 5:19.) Our Lord was about leaving that country, and so was not liable to the inconveniences mentioned above; he was leaving many traducers, and so needed one outspoken defender and preacher.

But… show thyself to the priest — Some commentators suppose that the Saviour silenced him until he had seen the priest, in order that the priest might pronounce him clean, uninfluenced by any rumour of his miracles. But our Lord utters no until. He gives the man no permission to proclaim it after he has seen the priest. A testimony unto them — That they may know that a mighty cleanser is here. It was a most suitable case to present to the priesthood, because it came by law under their notice, (Leviticus 14:2, 10, 21,) because of its peculiar symbolical significance, and because of its demonstrative character. It was a problem which they would be at a loss how to solve, but by admitting his divine mission.

Verse 4. See thou tell no man. — It is very singular that acute commentators upon this passage should have elaborated so many grave hypothetical reasons for the secrecy imposed upon the leper in this instance, when the miracle was evidently performed in the presence of “the multitudes” that followed Christ. The meaning clearly is, Hasten to the priest to be examined by him and pronounced clean, and fit to be received into society, and offer the gift that Moses commanded; and, till this is done, tell no man. The reason is obvious; that the priest might pronounce him clean, according to his office in such cases, on an unbiassed judgment of the fact.

For a testimony unto them. — The plural, autoiv, being used has led some to suppose that the priests were not intended as the persons to be benefited by the testimony of this miracle, since but one is mentioned, — show thyself to the priest. Priest is, however, probably used in a collective sense for the whole body who might then be attending their ministrations at Jerusalem. Or the plural may be used to comprehend both the priests, and all to whom the man might afterward speak of his cure; for the fact, that the priest had pronounced him clean, and in token of that had permitted him to enter the temple and offer his gift, was a public and official testimony to the truth of the miracle.

V. 5. There came to him a centurion-A captain of a hundred Roman soldiers. Probably he came a little way toward him, and then went back. He thought himself not worthy to come in person, and therefore spoke the words that follow by his messengers. As it is not unusual in all languages, so in the Hebrew it is peculiarly frequent, to ascribe to a person himself the thing which is done, and the words which are spoken by his order. And accordingly St. Matthew relates as said by the centurion himself, what others said by order from him. An instance of the same kind we have in the case of Zebedee's children. From St. Matthew, Matthew 20:20, we learn it was their mother that spoke those words, which, Mark 10:35, 37, themselves are said to speak; because she was only their mouth. Yet from Matthew 8:13, Go thy way home, it appears he at length came in person, probably on hearing that Jesus was nearer to his house than he apprehended when he sent the second message by his friends. Luke 7:1.

Verse 5. Capernaum] See Clarke on “Matthew 4:13”. A centurion] ekatontarcov. A Roman military officer who had the command of one hundred men.

Verse 5. There came unto him a centurion — A captain of a hundred Roman soldiers, in Herod’s pay; saying, My servant lieth sick of the palsy, grievously tormented — Or, afflicted, as the word basanizomenov often signifies. Palsies are not attended with torment. Jesus saith, I will come and heal him — Thus showing both his kindness, and how acceptable to him the humanity of this centurion to his servant was. The centurion answered, Lord, I am not worthy, &c. — That is, he signified that he did not mean Christ should take the trouble of going to his house, he being a Gentile, but only that he would be so good as to command his servant’s cure, though at a distance; for he knew his power was equal to that effect, diseases and devils of all kinds being subject to his command, as his [the centurion’s] soldiers were to him. For I am a man under authority, &c. — As if he had said, If I, who am but an inferior officer, can make the soldiers under my command, and the servants in my house, go whither I please, and do what I please, merely by speaking to them; much more canst thou make diseases go or come at thy word, seeing they are all absolutely subject to thee. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled — Our Lord’s marvelling on this occasion, by no means implies that he was ignorant either of the centurion’s faith, or of the grounds on which it was built. He knew all this fully before the man spake one word. But as he possessed a real human, as well as a real divine nature, and is elsewhere represented as susceptible of the human affections of desire, aversion, joy, and sorrow, so he is here represented as influenced by that of admiration, a passion excited by the greatness and beauty of an object, as well as by its novelty and unexpectedness. And he expressed his admiration of the centurion’s faith, in the praise which he bestowed on it, with a view to make it the more conspicuous, declaring he had not found such great faith, namely, in the divine power resident in Jesus, (who, by outward appearance, was only a man,) no, not in Israel. Thus he taught those around him what to admire; not worldly pomp, or glory, or valour, but the beauty of holiness, and the ornaments which are in the sight of God of great price. Observe, reader, the wonders of grace, should affect us more than the wonders of nature or providence, and spiritual attainments more than any achievements in this world.

Ver. 5. There came to him a centurion. See on Luke 7.

§ 37. — SECOND MIRACLE — HEALING THE CENTURION’S SERVANT, 5-13.

5. Entered into Capernaum — From the Sermon on the Mount. Centurion — A Roman captain over a hundred men. As Lake Gennesaret was a water of no little traffic between northern Syria and Palestine, so Capernaum was a port of revenue, and the abode of a Roman garrison to keep the turbulent Galilean peasantry in order. The centurion on the present occasion was evidently one whose residence in Palestine had detached him from the paganism of his Roman education. He had traced in Judaism evidences of truth which touched his heart. He almost seems a prototype of Cornelius in the Acts.

Verse 5. A centurion. — A Roman officer, commander of a hundred men. The centurions were usually stationed in the towns of the Roman provinces to preserve order. The probability is, that this officer, through his residence in Judea, had attained a knowledge of the true God; he had certainly given profound attention to the accounts of the character, teaching, and miracles of our Lord; and if he had made himself acquainted with the Jewish Scriptures, of which there can be little doubt, he might regard him, not as a mere prophet, however great, but as that mysterious and exalted personage announced in those Scriptures as the Messiah. Certain it is that he regarded him as something more than mortal, as appears from the sequel.

Verse 6. Lord] Rather, Sir, for so the word kurie should always be translated when a Roman is the speaker.

Lieth at home] beblhtai, lieth all along; intimating that the disease had reduced him to a state of the utmost impotence, through the grievous torments with which it was accompanied.

Sick of the palsy] Or paralytic. See Clarke on “Matthew 4:24”. This centurion did not act as many masters do when their servants are afflicted, have them immediately removed to an infirmary, often to a work-house; or sent home to friends or relatives, who probably either care nothing for them, or are unable to afford them any of the comforts of life. In case of a contagious disorder, it may be necessary to remove an infected person to such places as are best calculated to cure the distemper, and prevent the spread of the contagion. But, in all common cases, the servant should be considered as a child, and receive the same friendly attention. If, by a hasty, unkind, and unnecessary removal, the servant die, are not the master and mistress murderers before God?

Ver. 6. Lord, my servant lieth at home sick. This religious and humane centurion is a model for masters to get religious instruction and aid for their families. It may save them from ruin. Herod’s ill educated daughter asked for the head of John the baptist. What becomes of children and servants, when they have lost their morals, and lost their modesty.

§ 37. — SECOND MIRACLE — HEALING THE CENTURION’S SERVANT, 5-13.

5. Entered into Capernaum — From the Sermon on the Mount. Centurion — A Roman captain over a hundred men. As Lake Gennesaret was a water of no little traffic between northern Syria and Palestine, so Capernaum was a port of revenue, and the abode of a Roman garrison to keep the turbulent Galilean peasantry in order. The centurion on the present occasion was evidently one whose residence in Palestine had detached him from the paganism of his Roman education. He had traced in Judaism evidences of truth which touched his heart. He almost seems a prototype of Cornelius in the Acts.

Verse 6. Sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. — Not merely paralytic, but also afflicted with strong pains, grievously tormented. The verb basanizein signifies to torture, from basanov, a Lydian stone, upon which metals were proved; hence the verb signifies to apply an engine of torture, in examinations of criminals, and metaphorically, to afflict and torment.

Verse 7. I will come and heal him.] egw eloqwn qerapeusw auton, I am coming, and will heal him. This saying is worthy of observation. Jesus did not positively say, I will came and heal him; this could not have been strictly true, because our Lord healed him without going to the house: and the issue shows that the words ought to be taken in the most literal sense: thus understood, they contained a promise which it seems none of them distinctly comprehended. Foreseeing the exercise of the centurion’s faith, he promises that while he is coming, ere he arrives at the house, he will heal him, and this was literally done, Matthew 8:13. There is much beauty in this passage.

§ 37. — SECOND MIRACLE — HEALING THE CENTURION’S SERVANT, 5-13.

5. Entered into Capernaum — From the Sermon on the Mount. Centurion — A Roman captain over a hundred men. As Lake Gennesaret was a water of no little traffic between northern Syria and Palestine, so Capernaum was a port of revenue, and the abode of a Roman garrison to keep the turbulent Galilean peasantry in order. The centurion on the present occasion was evidently one whose residence in Palestine had detached him from the paganism of his Roman education. He had traced in Judaism evidences of truth which touched his heart. He almost seems a prototype of Cornelius in the Acts.

Verses 7-10. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him, &c. — The benevolent promptitude with which our Lord yields to the centurion’s request, is the first circumstance to be noted in the narration; the second is the humility of the centurion himself, joined with his singular faith. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only speak the word, eipe logw, which is the reading adopted by Wetstein and others, on the authority of many MSS., and some of the versions; command by a word, and my servant shall be healed. But it is chiefly in the reason which the centurion assigns, in urging that it was unnecessary for Christ to go to his house, that the peculiar clearness of this pious soldier’s views, and the strength of his confidence, are particularly manifested. For I am a man under authority, &c.; the sense of which is, For though I myself am A MAN, and SUBORDINATE to others, being under the authority of Cesar and my superior officers, yet having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; obeying my word with instant promptitude and entire subjection: how much more shall all diseases, and therefore all natural things whatever, obey thee, who hast SUPREME AUTHORITY and ABSOLUTE POWER in thyself! That this man must have had some highly superior glimpses of the Divinity of Christ must be supposed, to account for this language. It was not the hyperbolical language of an oriental, for he was a Roman; and that it was not the language of compliment is certain from his having a faith in Christ corresponding to it; a faith at which our Lord marvelled, and which he declared so great that he had not found a faith equal to it in Israel. He was surely taught of God, and to him had already been given, in some considerable degree, “a revelation of the mystery of Christ,” which had not been made to others. He considered our Lord as possessed in himself of more than human power; and a steady view and firm belief of that fact was the foundation of his absolute trust.

V. 8. The centurion answered-By his second messengers.

Verse 8. But speak the word only] Or instead of eipe logon read eipe logw, speak by word or command. This reading is supported by the most extensive evidence from MSS., versions, and fathers. See here the pattern of that living faith and genuine humility which ought always to accompany the prayer of a sinner: Jesus can will away the palsy, and speak away the most grievous torments. The first degree of humility is to acknowledge the necessity of God’s mercy, and our own inability to help ourselves: the second, to confess the freeness of his grace, and our own utter unworthiness. Ignorance, unbelief, and presumption will ever retard our spiritual cure.

§ 37. — SECOND MIRACLE — HEALING THE CENTURION’S SERVANT, 5-13.

5. Entered into Capernaum — From the Sermon on the Mount. Centurion — A Roman captain over a hundred men. As Lake Gennesaret was a water of no little traffic between northern Syria and Palestine, so Capernaum was a port of revenue, and the abode of a Roman garrison to keep the turbulent Galilean peasantry in order. The centurion on the present occasion was evidently one whose residence in Palestine had detached him from the paganism of his Roman education. He had traced in Judaism evidences of truth which touched his heart. He almost seems a prototype of Cornelius in the Acts.

Verses 7-10. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him, &c. — The benevolent promptitude with which our Lord yields to the centurion’s request, is the first circumstance to be noted in the narration; the second is the humility of the centurion himself, joined with his singular faith. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only speak the word, eipe logw, which is the reading adopted by Wetstein and others, on the authority of many MSS., and some of the versions; command by a word, and my servant shall be healed. But it is chiefly in the reason which the centurion assigns, in urging that it was unnecessary for Christ to go to his house, that the peculiar clearness of this pious soldier’s views, and the strength of his confidence, are particularly manifested. For I am a man under authority, &c.; the sense of which is, For though I myself am A MAN, and SUBORDINATE to others, being under the authority of Cesar and my superior officers, yet having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; obeying my word with instant promptitude and entire subjection: how much more shall all diseases, and therefore all natural things whatever, obey thee, who hast SUPREME AUTHORITY and ABSOLUTE POWER in thyself! That this man must have had some highly superior glimpses of the Divinity of Christ must be supposed, to account for this language. It was not the hyperbolical language of an oriental, for he was a Roman; and that it was not the language of compliment is certain from his having a faith in Christ corresponding to it; a faith at which our Lord marvelled, and which he declared so great that he had not found a faith equal to it in Israel. He was surely taught of God, and to him had already been given, in some considerable degree, “a revelation of the mystery of Christ,” which had not been made to others. He considered our Lord as possessed in himself of more than human power; and a steady view and firm belief of that fact was the foundation of his absolute trust.

V. 9. For I am a man under authority-I am only an inferior officer: and what I command, is done even in my absence: how much more what thou commandest, who art Lord of all!

Verse 9. For I am a man under authority] That is, under the authority of others. This verse has given considerable embarrassment to commentators and critics. I believe the paraphrase given above to be the true meaning of the evangelist. To make this matter more plain, let it be observed, that the Roman foot was divided into three grand parts, Hastati, Principes, and Triarii. Each of these grand divisions was composed of thirty manipuli or companies; and every manipulus made two centuries or companies of one hundred men. Every manipulus had two centurions; but these were very far from being equal in rank and honour, though possessing the very same office. The Triarii and Principes were esteemed the most honourable, and had their centurions elected first; and these first elected centurions took precedency of the centurions of the Hastati, who were elected last. The centurion in the text was probably one of this last order; he was under the authority of either the Principes or Triarii, and had none under him but the hundred men whom he commanded, and who appear to have been in a state of the most loving subjection to him. The argument of the centurion seems to run thus. If I, who am a person subject to the control of others, yet have some so completely subject to myself, that I can say to one, Come, and he cometh, to another, Go, and he goeth, and to my slave (tw doulw mou) Do this, and he doeth it; how much more then canst thou accomplish whatsoever thou willest, being under no control, and having all things under thy command: He makes a proper use of his authority, who, by it, raises his mind to the contemplation of the sovereign power of God, taking occasion from it to humble himself before Him who has all power in heaven and earth, and to expect all good from him.

There are two beautiful passages in Arrian that tend much to illustrate this speech of the centurion. katatageiv agamemnwn, legei moi, poreuou prov ton acillea, kai apospason thn brishida, poreuomai. ercou, ercomai. “He who personates Agamemnon says to me, Go to Achilles, and bring hither Briseis: I go. He says, Come hither: I come.” Dissert. l. i. c. 25. p. 97. otan o qeov eiph toiv futoiv anqein, anqei. otan eiph blastanein, blastanei. otan ekferein ton karpon, ekferei. otan pepainein, pepainei. otan palin apoballein, kai fullorroein, kai auta eiv auta suneiloumena ef~ hsuciav menein, kai anapauesqai, menei kai anapauetai. “When God commands the plants to blossom, they bear blossoms. When he commands them to bear seed, they bear seed. When he commands them to bring forth fruit, they put forth their fruits. When he commands them to ripen, they grow ripe. When he commands them to fade, and shed their leaves, and remain inactive, involved in themselves, they thus remain, and are inactive.” Cap.

14. p. 62. See Raphelius.

This mode of speech fully marks supreme and uncontrolled power, and that power put forth by a sovereign will to effect any purpose of justice or mercy. And God said, let there be light, and there was light, is a similar expression.

9. I… under authority… Go, and he goeth — The centurion here utters to the Lord a beautiful parable. As I am a captain on earth, thou art captain of the armies of heaven. As I send men and they obey, so canst thou send death or life, disease or restoration, and they shall obey thy order. As the preceding miracle was performed with a touch, so this was done through distance of space.

Verses 7-10. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him, &c. — The benevolent promptitude with which our Lord yields to the centurion’s request, is the first circumstance to be noted in the narration; the second is the humility of the centurion himself, joined with his singular faith. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only speak the word, eipe logw, which is the reading adopted by Wetstein and others, on the authority of many MSS., and some of the versions; command by a word, and my servant shall be healed. But it is chiefly in the reason which the centurion assigns, in urging that it was unnecessary for Christ to go to his house, that the peculiar clearness of this pious soldier’s views, and the strength of his confidence, are particularly manifested. For I am a man under authority, &c.; the sense of which is, For though I myself am A MAN, and SUBORDINATE to others, being under the authority of Cesar and my superior officers, yet having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; obeying my word with instant promptitude and entire subjection: how much more shall all diseases, and therefore all natural things whatever, obey thee, who hast SUPREME AUTHORITY and ABSOLUTE POWER in thyself! That this man must have had some highly superior glimpses of the Divinity of Christ must be supposed, to account for this language. It was not the hyperbolical language of an oriental, for he was a Roman; and that it was not the language of compliment is certain from his having a faith in Christ corresponding to it; a faith at which our Lord marvelled, and which he declared so great that he had not found a faith equal to it in Israel. He was surely taught of God, and to him had already been given, in some considerable degree, “a revelation of the mystery of Christ,” which had not been made to others. He considered our Lord as possessed in himself of more than human power; and a steady view and firm belief of that fact was the foundation of his absolute trust.

V. 10. I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel-For the centurion was not an Israelite.

Verse 10. I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.] That is, I have not found so great an instance of confidence and faith in my power, even among the Jews, as this Roman, a Gentile, has shown himself to possess.

From Luke 7:5, where it is said of this centurion, “he loved our nation, and has built us a synagogue,” we may infer that this man was like the centurion mentioned Acts 10:1; a devout Gentile, a proselyte of the gate, one who believed in the God of Israel, without conforming to the Jewish ritual or receiving circumcision. Though the military life is one of the most improper nurses for the Christian religion, yet in all nations there have been found several instances of genuine humility, and faith in God, even in soldiers; and perhaps never more, in the British military, than at present, A. D. 1831.

10. No, not in Israel — The entire chosen people of God is now thus signally surpassed in faith in its own Messiah by this poor incoming Gentile! How striking a commentary upon the apostle’s words, Romans 9:31-32: “Israel hath not attained to righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith.”

Verses 7-10. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him, &c. — The benevolent promptitude with which our Lord yields to the centurion’s request, is the first circumstance to be noted in the narration; the second is the humility of the centurion himself, joined with his singular faith. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only speak the word, eipe logw, which is the reading adopted by Wetstein and others, on the authority of many MSS., and some of the versions; command by a word, and my servant shall be healed. But it is chiefly in the reason which the centurion assigns, in urging that it was unnecessary for Christ to go to his house, that the peculiar clearness of this pious soldier’s views, and the strength of his confidence, are particularly manifested. For I am a man under authority, &c.; the sense of which is, For though I myself am A MAN, and SUBORDINATE to others, being under the authority of Cesar and my superior officers, yet having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; obeying my word with instant promptitude and entire subjection: how much more shall all diseases, and therefore all natural things whatever, obey thee, who hast SUPREME AUTHORITY and ABSOLUTE POWER in thyself! That this man must have had some highly superior glimpses of the Divinity of Christ must be supposed, to account for this language. It was not the hyperbolical language of an oriental, for he was a Roman; and that it was not the language of compliment is certain from his having a faith in Christ corresponding to it; a faith at which our Lord marvelled, and which he declared so great that he had not found a faith equal to it in Israel. He was surely taught of God, and to him had already been given, in some considerable degree, “a revelation of the mystery of Christ,” which had not been made to others. He considered our Lord as possessed in himself of more than human power; and a steady view and firm belief of that fact was the foundation of his absolute trust.

V. 11. Many from the farthest parts of the earth shall embrace the terms and enjoy the rewards of the Gospel covenant established with Abraham. But the Jews, who have the first title to them, shall be shut out from the feast; from grace here, and hereafter from glory. Luke 13:29.

Verse 11. Many shall come from the east and west] Men of every description, of all countries, and of all professions; and shall sit down, that is, to meat, for this is the proper meaning of anakliqhsontai, intimating the recumbent posture used by the easterns at their meals. The rabbins represent the blessedness of the kingdom of God under the notion of a banquet. See several proofs of this in Schoettgenius. This was spoken to soften the unreasonable prejudices of the Jews, which they entertained against the Gentiles, and to prepare them to receive their brethren of mankind into religious fellowship with themselves, under the Christian dispensation.

With Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob] In the closest communion with the most eminent followers of God. But if we desire to inherit the promises, we must be followers of them who through faith and patience enjoy them. Let us therefore imitate Abraham in his faith, Isaac in his obedience unto death, and Jacob in his hope and expectation of good things to come, amidst all the evils of this life, if we desire to reign with them.

Verses 11, 12. From this exalted pitch of faith, found in a heathen, Jesus took occasion to declare the merciful purpose which God entertained toward all the Gentiles, namely, that he would accept their faith as readily as the faith of the Jews, and admit them, with the founders of the Jewish nation, to the privileges and blessings of his kingdom. Many, says he, shall come from the east and west, &c. — Many, from the farthest parts of the earth, shall embrace the terms, and enjoy the rewards, of the gospel covenant established with Abraham. But the Jews, who have the first title to them, shall be shut out from the feast; from grace here, and glory hereafter. The words, anakliqhsontai meta Abraam, &c., properly signify, shall sit down at table with Abraham, &c., a phraseology often used in Scripture, which represents the present privileges and future rewards of the righteous, and especially the latter, under the idea of a sumptuous entertainment. See Luke 14:15; Matthew 22:1; Revelation 19:9. And, though the joys of heaven be all of a spiritual kind, this metaphor needs not be thought strange, since, as Le Clerc observes, “we can neither speak ourselves, nor understand others speaking of our state in the life to come, unless phrases taken from the affairs of this life be made use of.” But the children of the kingdom — So he terms the Jews, even the unbelieving Jews, because they had been born and brought up within the pale of the visible Church, and enjoyed all the advantages which it afforded its members: shall be cast out into outer darkness — Our Lord here alludes to the custom which the ancients had of making their great entertainments, for the most part, in the evening, with candlelight. And the outer darkness, or darkness without the house, signifies, 1st, the state of heathenish darkness, or of ignorance and error, in which those are who are without the pale of the Church of God, and into which, it is here foretold, the Jews should be cast for their rejection of Christ; and, 2d, the state of future misery, into which, as many of them as continued till death in impenitence and unbelief, should finally be cast, with all hypocrites and unbelievers. And Jesus said, Go thy way, &c. — Having spoken, as observed above, he dismissed the centurion with an assurance that his servant was well; and at the same time intimated that the miracle had been wrought in consequence of, and according to, his faith, which, though not the meritorious cause of the cure, had been the means through which the Lord Jesus had been pleased to effect it. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour — Or, rather, in that instant, as en th wra ekeinh, here evidently means.

Ver. 11. Many shall come from the east and west, like the Roman centurion. As this stranger has done, so shall many of the gentiles come to me with the like faith, and obtain eternal life. Christ clearly refers here to the promises made to the gentiles scattered abroad on the earth. Sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. The kingdom of heaven is compared to a banquet, where Abraham, the father of the faithful, enjoys the foremost place, and the other guests sit down together with him. This made the learned Camero be of opinion, that as those were very much honoured who reclined themselves in the bosoms of the guests; so those were perfectly happy, yea happier than the rest, who were said to be in the bosom of Abraham. However, Capel laughs at this notion, and asserts that Abraham’s bosom was not called so from the posture of the guests at table, but from little children, beloved by their parents, who sometimes took them into their bosoms, sometimes let them sleep there, for the pious are said to sleep and rest from their labours, when they have paid the last debt to nature. But where can they be said to enjoy this rest and sleep better, than in the bosom of the father of the faithful?

11. Many… from the east and west — Our Lord here predicts the call of the Gentiles to occupy a place in the Gospel dispensation. With Abraham — They should become his spiritual descendants, and occupy the place of his natural offspring. Sit down — Rather recline. The image is taken from a banquet, and the ancients did not sit at table on chairs, but reclined upon couches. Kingdom of heaven — Both above and below.

Verse 11. Many shall come from the east, &c. — This instance of a pious Gentile having so readily embraced the knowledge of the true God, and having come through the study of the Jewish Scriptures to so clear an acquaintance with the character of the Messiah, of whom they speak, and farther, so readily admitting that evidence of the claim of Jesus to be that Messiah which his numerous miracles had afforded, here leads our Lord to predict the future calling and salvation of the Gentiles from all parts of the earth. Those who interpret the words, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, of the reception of the Gentiles into the Church on earth, and becoming the sons of Abraham through faith, and heirs of the promises made to him, forget that the sense of this phrase is fixed by our Lord in his parable of the rich man and Lazarus, where the latter, in his disembodied state, is represented as in “THE BOSOM of Abraham.” The expression refers to the custom of reclining on couches at table, where he that was nearest another was said to be or to lie in his bosom; so that the felicity of Lazarus was expressed in that parable, just as here, under the idea of a great banquet, where the most honoured guests reclined next to the principal personages. Thus Josephus represents one of the seven Maccabee brethren encouraging the rest to persevere in their religion though they should die for it, “for Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, will receive us after our decease into their bosoms.” The words, therefore, respect the felicity of the believing Gentiles in heaven; where, so far from being placed in inferior circumstances to the Jews, they are represented as sitting, or rather reclining, anaklinomai, with the glorified patriarchs themselves, though not their natural descendants. Thus, those “that are of the faith,” whether Jew or Gentile, “are blessed with faithful Abraham,” and none but such. This mode of representing celestial felicity under the metaphor of a social banquet, was not peculiar to the Jews. It is often found in Greek authors. So Epictetus, esh pote twn qewn axiov sumpothv, “You will in due time be a worthy guest of the gods.” And Socrates, in his Apology, speaks of future blessedness as a state of delightful converse and abode with the renowned heroes and sages of antiquity. All goodness is, however, by these heathens, shut out of this conception; whereas, as it is used in the Scriptures, it stands connected with the noblest and most spiritual hopes.

V. 12. The outer darkness-Our Lord here alludes to the custom the ancients had of making their feast in the night time. Probably while he was speaking this, the centurion came in person. Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30.

Verse 12. Shall be cast out into outer darkness] As the enjoyment of that salvation which Jesus Christ calls the kingdom of heaven is here represented under the notion of a nuptial festival, at which the guests sat down in a reclining posture, with the master of the feast; so the state of those who were excluded from the banquet is represented as deep darkness; because the nuptial solemnities took place at night. Hence, at those suppers, the house of reception was filled with lights called dadeav, lampadev, lukneia, fanoi, torches, lamps, candles, and lanthorns, by Athenæus and Plutarch: so they who were admitted to the banquet had the benefit of the light; but they who were shut out were in darkness, called here outer darkness, i.e. the darkness on the outside of the house in which the guests were; which must appear more abundantly gloomy, when compared with the profusion of light within the guest-chamber. And because they who were shut out were not only exposed to shame, but also to hunger and cold; therefore it is added, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. As these feasts are often alluded to by the evangelists, I would observe, once for all:-that they who were invited to them entered by a gate designed to receive them; whence Christ, by whom we enter into the marriage feast, compares himself to a gate, John 10:1, 2, 7, 9. This gate, at the time the guests were to come, was made narrow, the wicket only being left open, and the porter standing there, that they who were not bidden to the marriage might not rush into it. Hence Christ exhorts the Jews to enter in at the strait gate, Matthew 7:13, &c. When all that were invited were once come, the door was presently shut, and was not to be opened to any who came too late, and stood knocking without; so after the wise virgins had entered with the bridegroom, the gate was shut, and was not opened to the foolish virgins, who stood knocking without, Matthew 25:11. And in this sense we are to understand the words of Christ, Luke 13:24, 25. Many shall seek to enter in, but shall not be able. Why? because the master of the house hath risen up and shut to the door; they would not come to him when they might, and now the day of probation is ended, and they must be judged according to the deeds done in the body. See Whitby on the place. How many of those who are called Christians suffer the kingdom, the graces, and the salvation which they had in their hands, to be lost; while West-India negroes, American Indians, Hindoo polytheists, and atheistic Hottentots obtain salvation! An eternity of darkness, fears, and pains, for comparatively a moment of sensual gratification, how terrible the thought! What outer darkness, or to skotov to exwteron, that darkness, that which is outermost, may refer to, in eternal damnation, is hard to say: what it alludes to I have already mentioned: but as the words brugmov twn odontwn, gnashing or CHATTERING of teeth, convey the idea, not only of extreme anguish, but of extreme cold; some have imagined that the punishment of the damned consists in sudden transitions from extreme heat to extreme cold; the extremes of both I have found to produce exactly the same sensation. MILTON happily describes this in the following inimitable verses, which a man can scarcely read, even at midsummer, without shivering. Beyond this flood a frozen continent

Lies dark and wild, heat with perpetual storms

Of whirlwind and dire hail--------

-------- the parching air

Burns frore, and cold performs the effect of fire.

Thither by harpy-footed furies haled,

At certain revolutions all the damn’d

Are brought; and feel by turns the bitter change

Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce,

From beds of raging fire, to starve in ice,

-------- and there to pine

Immovable, infix’d, and frozen round

Periods of time; thence hurried back to fire.

Parad. Lost, book ii. line 586.

There is a passage in the Vulgate, Job 24:19, that might have helped Milton to this idea. Ad nimium calorem transeat ab aquis nivium. “Let him pass to excessive heat, from waters of snow.” This reading, which is found only in this form in the Vulgate, is vastly expressive. Every body knows that snow water feels colder than snow itself, even when both are of the same temperature, viz. 32 , because the human body, when in contact with snow water, cools quicker than when in contact with snow. Another of our poets has given us a most terrible description of perdition on the same ground.

The once pamper’d spirit

To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside

In thrilling regions of thick-ribbed ice;

To be imprison’d in the viewless winds,

And blown with restless violence round about

This pendant world; or to be worse than worst

Of those that lawless and incertain thoughts

Imagine--------

Similar to this is that dreadful description of the torments of the wicked given in the Institutes of Menu: “The wicked shall have a sensation of agony in Tamisra, or utter darkness, and in other seats of horror; in Asipatrauana, or the sword-leaved forest, and in different places of binding fast, and of rending: multifarious tortures await them: they shall be mangled by ravens and owls, and shall swallow cakes boiling hot, and shall walk over inflamed sands, and shall feel the pangs of being baked like the vessels of a potter: they shall assume the forms of beasts continually miserable, and suffer alternate afflictions from extremities of cold and heat; surrounded with terrors of various kinds. They shall have old age without resource; diseases attended with anguish; pangs of innumerable sorts, and, lastly, unconquerable death.”

Institutes of MENU, chap. 12. Inst. 75-80.

In the Zend Avesta, the place of wicked spirits is termed, “The places of darkness, the germs of the thickest darkness.” An uncommonly significant expression: Darkness has its birth there: there are its seeds and buds, there it vegetates everlastingly, and its eternal fruit is-darkness! See Zend Avesta, vol. i. Vendidad sadi, Fargard. xviii. p. 412. And is this, or, any thing as bad as this, HELL? Yes, and worse than the worst of all that has already been mentioned. Hear Christ himself. There their worm dieth not, and the fire is NOT QUENCHED! Great God! save the reader from this damnation!

Verses 11, 12. From this exalted pitch of faith, found in a heathen, Jesus took occasion to declare the merciful purpose which God entertained toward all the Gentiles, namely, that he would accept their faith as readily as the faith of the Jews, and admit them, with the founders of the Jewish nation, to the privileges and blessings of his kingdom. Many, says he, shall come from the east and west, &c. — Many, from the farthest parts of the earth, shall embrace the terms, and enjoy the rewards, of the gospel covenant established with Abraham. But the Jews, who have the first title to them, shall be shut out from the feast; from grace here, and glory hereafter. The words, anakliqhsontai meta Abraam, &c., properly signify, shall sit down at table with Abraham, &c., a phraseology often used in Scripture, which represents the present privileges and future rewards of the righteous, and especially the latter, under the idea of a sumptuous entertainment. See Luke 14:15; Matthew 22:1; Revelation 19:9. And, though the joys of heaven be all of a spiritual kind, this metaphor needs not be thought strange, since, as Le Clerc observes, “we can neither speak ourselves, nor understand others speaking of our state in the life to come, unless phrases taken from the affairs of this life be made use of.” But the children of the kingdom — So he terms the Jews, even the unbelieving Jews, because they had been born and brought up within the pale of the visible Church, and enjoyed all the advantages which it afforded its members: shall be cast out into outer darkness — Our Lord here alludes to the custom which the ancients had of making their great entertainments, for the most part, in the evening, with candlelight. And the outer darkness, or darkness without the house, signifies, 1st, the state of heathenish darkness, or of ignorance and error, in which those are who are without the pale of the Church of God, and into which, it is here foretold, the Jews should be cast for their rejection of Christ; and, 2d, the state of future misery, into which, as many of them as continued till death in impenitence and unbelief, should finally be cast, with all hypocrites and unbelievers. And Jesus said, Go thy way, &c. — Having spoken, as observed above, he dismissed the centurion with an assurance that his servant was well; and at the same time intimated that the miracle had been wrought in consequence of, and according to, his faith, which, though not the meritorious cause of the cure, had been the means through which the Lord Jesus had been pleased to effect it. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour — Or, rather, in that instant, as en th wra ekeinh, here evidently means.

Ver. 12. The children of the kingdom shall be cast out. These are the jews, who were promised the kingdom by a covenant above the rest of mankind, had they not by unbelief deprived themselves thereof.

Into outer darkness. Christ treats here of the kingdom of heaven under the similitude of a supper, which being enjoyed in the night, many lights were set up to adorn it: so that they who were guests at it were in great light, and they who were absent in great darkness. The comparison refers to the kingdom of heaven; for they who enjoy the beatitude of that mansion need not the light of the sun, nor the light of a candle, because the Lord God illuminates them. On the other hand, those who are deprived of heaven, the Lord God doth not illuminate them, and they are said to be in outer darkness, which is opposed to the light of the house from which they are excluded.

Villalpandus, in his apparatus of the city and temple of Jerusalem, book 2. chap. 8, observes that the scriptures frequently mention a prison under the name of darkness; to prove which, Psalm 107:10 is cited. “Sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and iron.” All these are hardships which persons doomed to a prison are forced to sustain. In this sense David Kimchi, and before him, the Chaldaic, understood this passage. And that place in Isaiah 49:9, Say to the prisoners, go forth, and you that are in darkness, reveal or show yourselves, is but a repetition of the liberation of prisoners from darkness. Yet a prison is not denominated darkness only, though there is so near a resemblance between the one and the other, that in the book of Wisdom, chap. 17:2, the former is called darkness itself. Homer uses a similar word. Autov d’eiv aidew ienai domwn eurwenta.

ODYSS. k. 512.

But do you go into Pluto’s dark house.

In order to point out the infernal punishment to such as continued obstinate in their impieties, our Lord calls it by the name of a prison, which at that time of day was received with the greatest horror. The prison itself being filled with the deepest gloom was called darkness, and in reference to its situation, outer darkness. The hardships to which those within were exposed, gave occasion for the additional words pronounced by Christ, in the following sentence.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. There shall be the greatest affliction and distraction, which are designated here by weeping and gnashing of teeth. Whence Jerome infers that there shall be a resurrection of the body; “Si fletus oculorum, est, et stridor dentium ossa demonstrat, vera est ergo corporum et eorundem membrorum, quæ ceciderant, resurrectio.” Several commentators, from this place of scripture compared with that of Job 19:26, gather that hell or gehenna is twofold, one of extreme heat, the other of immoderate cold. Gregory the great expounds that saying of Job 24:19, “Let him pass from the snow waters to extreme heat, and his sin to hell,” of the immoderate conduct of wicked men in all their actions, who pass from the cold of infidelity very often to the heat of heresy. Others suppose Job’s meaning to be, that sinners pass from the immoderate cold of this life to excessive heat in hell; or they pass from one calamity into another. As to the opinion of Eliphaz, who asserted that God always punished the wicked in this life, Job refutes it by the testimony of his own experience, that the pious were doomed to hardships; and the wicked did not die with any distressing feelings in their last moments, but went off the stage of the world as in a slumber. Much the same language Job uses, where he speaks of the death of sinners: Job 21:23, 24.

12. Children of the kingdom — Natural Jews. The kingdom of heaven, that is, the Gospel dispensation, including the kingdom of glory as well as of grace, is represented as a divine banquet, in which, while the Jews, the natural children of the kingdom, are excluded, the repentant Gentiles take their couches with Abraham and the other ancestral patriarchs. The heirship by faith is substituted for the heirship by birth, and the spiritual guests are the true children of Abraham.

Outer darkness — The figure of a banquet is carried out. The splendour, the joy, the society, the feast within, are an emblem of God’s kingdom below and above. The darkness of the streets without is an emblem of deep horror. The streets of Eastern cities are narrow and filthy; all the outdoor comfort being reserved for the court or square yard enclosed within the area of the building. At night they are totally dark, being unillumined even by rays from a window. Robbers and ferocious dogs render them dangerous. We have thence a strong image of that utter despair, darkness, and death of a soul excluded from God, and left to weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Verse 12. But the children of the kingdom, &c. — The Jews are here intended; and the phrase employed was equivalent to their expressions, “a son of the world to come,” and “children of the world to come;” meaning those who expected and were particularly entitled to the kingdom of Messiah. — The import of the phrase, cast out into outer darkness, can only be understood by referring also to the customs of those countries. — Great feasts were always made at night; the house in which the guests assembled was brilliantly illuminated with a profusion of lights, which were not only for use, but symbols of joy and gladness, so that those who intruded without authority, or misconducted themselves, when cast out, were thrust into outer darkness, or the darkness without; and their disappointment and disgrace are expressed in this passage by “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” words too strong indeed to indicate the mortification of being merely excluded from a feast, and leading us therefore to the thing intended; exclusion from heaven into the darkness and despair of an eternal misery. How different is this doctrine of Christ from the rabbinical bigotry, that “all Israel should have a portion in the world to come: but that the heathen should be fuel for hell fire!” On the contrary, God will save true believers of all nations, whether Jew or Gentile; but the obstinately wicked of every race, and without respect of persons, shall suffer the just judgment which shall follow rejected mercy.

Verse 13. As thou hast believed; so be it done] Let the mercy thou requestest be equal to the faith thou hast brought to receive it by. ACCORDING to thy faith be it done unto thee, is a general measure of God’s dealings with mankind. To get an increase of faith is to get an increase of every grace which constitutes the mind that was in Jesus, and prepares fully for the enjoyment of the kingdom of God. God is the same in the present time which he was in ancient days; and miracles of healing may be wrought on our own bodies and souls, and on those of others, by the instrumentality of our faith. But, alas! where is faith to be found! And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.] en th wra ekeinh, in that very hour. Faith is never exercised in the power and goodness of God till it is needed; and, when it is exercised, God works the miracle of healing. Christ never says, Believe now for a salvation which thou now needest, and I will give it to thee in some future time. That salvation which is expected through works or sufferings must of necessity be future, as there must be time to work or suffer in; but the salvation which is by faith must be for the present moment, for this simple reason, IT IS BY FAITH, that God may be manifested and honoured; and not by works or by sufferings, lest any man should boast. To say that, though it is of faith, yet it may; and, must in many cases, be delayed, (though the person is coming in the most genuine humility, deepest contrition, and with the liveliest faith in the blood of the Lamb,) is to say that there is still something necessary to be done, either on the part of the person, or on the part of God, in order to procure it; neither of which positions has any truth in it.

§ 37. — SECOND MIRACLE — HEALING THE CENTURION’S SERVANT, 5-13.

5. Entered into Capernaum — From the Sermon on the Mount. Centurion — A Roman captain over a hundred men. As Lake Gennesaret was a water of no little traffic between northern Syria and Palestine, so Capernaum was a port of revenue, and the abode of a Roman garrison to keep the turbulent Galilean peasantry in order. The centurion on the present occasion was evidently one whose residence in Palestine had detached him from the paganism of his Roman education. He had traced in Judaism evidences of truth which touched his heart. He almost seems a prototype of Cornelius in the Acts.

Verse 13. And as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee, &c. — This is God’s rule of proportion: it is done to us “according to our faith.” The centurion’s trust had a just proportion to his knowledge of Christ’s character; and God proportioned the blessing to his trust. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.

V. 14. Peter's wife's mother-St. Peter was then a young man, as were all the apostles. Mark 1:29; Luke 4:38.

Verse 14. Peter’s house] That Peter lived at Capernaum, and that Christ lodged with him, is fully evident from this verse compared with Matthew 17:24.

Peter’s-wife’s mother] Learn hence, says Theophylact, that marriage is no hinderance to virtue, since the chief of the apostles had his wife. Marriage is one of the first of Divine institutions, and is a positive command of God. He says, the state of celibacy is not GOOD, Genesis 2:18. Those who pretend to say that the single state is more holy than the other slander their Maker, and say in effect, “We are too holy to keep the commandments of God.”

Verses 14, 15. And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house — As is related Mark 1:29, &c.; he saw his wife’s mother laid — Peter was then young, as were all the apostles; sick of a fever — Fevers are ordinary distempers, and often cured by ordinary means, but this was a great fever, Luke 4:38; and it is probable such means, though used, had proved ineffectual. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her — Namely, immediately. The cure was wrought in an instant, and not slowly, like cures produced in the course of nature, or by medicine. For though the length and violence of her distemper had brought her into a weak and languid state, her full strength returned all at once, insomuch, that, rising up immediately, she prepared a supper for them, and served them while at meat, showing hereby that she was perfectly restored.

§ 28. — THIRD MIRACLE — HEALING PETER’S WIFE’S MOTHER, 14, 15. The peculiarity of this miracle seems to be that it was performed upon a person who would remain a present and permanent witness of the fact. It would, no doubt, contribute its share to produce that firm and earnest faith in the heart of Peter, the most eminent of the apostles, which he displayed so conspicuously in life and in death.

14. And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house — This third miracle in Matthew’s group was performed on our Lord’s previous visit to Capernaum, (Mark 1:29-31,) before the delivery of the Sermon on the Mount. It took place, as we learn by Mark, immediately after his curing a demoniac in the synagogue, on the Sabbath. Of Tabiga, the grand manufacturing suburb of Capernaum, Dr. Thomson says: “As there is considerable marshy land about this Tabiga, may not this account for the prevalence of fevers at Capernaum? for here it was, of course, that Peter’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever. “Fevers of a very malignant type are still prevalent, particularly in summer and autumn, owing, no doubt, to the extreme heat acting upon these marshy plains, such as the Butaiha, at the influx of the Jordan.”

Peter’s house — And his brother Andrew’s also, as Mark says. Peter is mentioned alone by Matthew from his stronger personal character. Wife’s mother — So the Papists have to confess that the first pope was a married man. And 1 Corinthians 9:5, plainly shows that he led about his wife in his apostolic missions. So little authorized by Scripture is the Romish enforcement of clerical celibacy. Laid sick — Evidently no slight indisposition.

Verse 14. Peter’s wife’s mother. — Peter’s residence was at Capernaum; and from this passage it appears that he was a married man. With little grace therefore do the papists, contend for the celibacy of the clergy, when it is clear the very apostle of whom they boast as the rock on which their Church is built was married, and remained so long after he had entered fully upon his labours as an apostle, 1 Corinthians 9:5.

Verse 15. He touched her hand] Can any thing on this side the unlimited power of God effect such a cure with only a touch? If the Scriptures had not spoken of the divinity of Christ, these proofs of his power must have demonstrated it to the common sense of every man whose creed had not previously blinded him.

Ministered unto them.] autoiv, them, is the reading of most of the printed editions, but autw, to him, has the utmost evidence in its support from MSS., versions, and fathers. Serving Christ in his ordinances and in his members is the best proof we can give to others of our being soundly restored to spiritual health.

Verses 14, 15. And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house — As is related Mark 1:29, &c.; he saw his wife’s mother laid — Peter was then young, as were all the apostles; sick of a fever — Fevers are ordinary distempers, and often cured by ordinary means, but this was a great fever, Luke 4:38; and it is probable such means, though used, had proved ineffectual. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her — Namely, immediately. The cure was wrought in an instant, and not slowly, like cures produced in the course of nature, or by medicine. For though the length and violence of her distemper had brought her into a weak and languid state, her full strength returned all at once, insomuch, that, rising up immediately, she prepared a supper for them, and served them while at meat, showing hereby that she was perfectly restored.

15. He touched her hand — Mark says that he also raised her and grasped her hand. Luke says that he rebuked the disorder, so that perhaps he also spoke. In these different points the evangelist who adds something more, does not contradict him who says the less.

Ministered unto them — A token both of her real and sudden cure of what Luke calls “a great fever,” and of her gratitude for its performance.

Verse 15. He touched her hand, &c. — Sometimes our Lord healed by a word, sometimes by a touch, and in the case of the leper by both. Perhaps in this case both were used; for St. Luke says, “he rebuked the fever,” as he rebuked the winds and the waves on another occasion; and his assuming this tone of authority was an illustration of the words of the centurion. All things, the elements of nature, the restless seas, the boisterous winds, the fiercest diseases, and, let us not forget, the infection of sin itself in the heart of man, acknowledge his AUTHORITY, and yield to his REBUKE. And she arose and ministered; which was in proof of the instant communication of health and vigour; leaving behind no debility, as in the case of all fevers cured by ordinary means. So perfect were the miracles of Christ! That she arose and ministered to them, that is, supplied them with refreshments, is perhaps an indication that she was the mistress of the family: if so, Peter was but a lodger there, as her son-in-law. Her humble rank in life forbids us, however, to think that she had servants at command; so that she herself actually served at table what her hospitality had provided. Such were the first disciples of Christ, and such the lowly manner in which the Lord of all things resided among men!

V. 16. Mark 1:32; Luke 4:40.

Verse 16. When the even was come] The Jews kept their sabbath from evening to evening, according to the law, Leviticus 23:32, From evening to evening shall ye celebrate your sabbath. And the rabbins say, The sabbath doth not enter but when the sun is set. Hence it was that the sick were not brought out to our Lord till after sun-set, because then the sabbath was ended.

Many that were possessed with devils] Dr. Lightfoot gives two sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord’s time, abounded with demoniacs. First, Because they were then advanced to the very height of impiety. See what Josephus, their own historian, says of them: There was not (said he) a nation under heaven more wicked than they were. See Clarke on “Ro 1:1”. Secondly, Because they were then strongly addicted to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them. It seems strange to find men at this distance of time questioning the truth of that which neither scribes nor Pharisees then doubted; nor did they ever object against the pretensions of Christ and his apostles to cast them out. And, if the whole business of demonism had been only a vulgar error, (as wise men now tell us,) what a fine opportunity had the wise men then, to unmask the whole matter, and thus pour contempt on the pretensions of our blessed Lord and his followers, who held it to be one proof of their Divine mission, that demons were subject to them!

And healed all that were sick] Not a soul did the Lord Jesus ever reject, who came to him soliciting his aid. Need any sinner despair who comes to him, conscious of his spiritual malady, to be healed by his merciful hand?

Verses 16, 17. When even was come, they brought unto him many, &c. — The news of this miracle being spread through the town, those who had sick relations or friends resolved to apply to Jesus for a cure. Only, because it was the sabbath, they did not come immediately to him. They waited till the holy rest was ended, which, according to the Jewish form of the day, was at sunsetting, at which time, according to Mark 1:32, and Luke 4:40, they brought the sick in great numbers to him: and he took pity on them and healed them all, casting out the devils from the demoniacs with his word — His authoritative and powerful word, the same by which he made the world, and all things therein. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias — That is, whereby was fulfilled, namely, in a lower sense than that primarily intended by the prophets; saying, Himself took our infirmities, &c. — Isaiah spoke it in a more exalted sense. The evangelist here only alludes to those words as being capable of this lower meaning also. Such instances are frequent in the sacred writings, and are elegances rather than imperfections. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and healing us of the diseases which were the fruit of sin.

16. Even — Old English for evening. Some say they waited for evening to avoid the heat of the day. But as it was Sabbath, and we read of no other instance of withholding the sick until evening, doubtless they waited until the Jewish Sabbatical hours were over.

Verse 16. When the even was come. — From the other evangelists it appears that the mother-in-law of Peter was healed on the Sabbath; and as the day among the Jews ended at sunset, the people, now that the Sabbath was past, brought their sick. When cases of affliction were immediately before our Lord, he healed them instantly, though it were on the Sabbath day, deciding that it was “lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” But he did not go BEYOND the immediate necessity of the case, even “to do good.” He did not INVITE the attendance of the sick upon him on that day, though it was a day of leisure with their friends to bring them, lest their just reverence for the Sabbath should be diminished, and his own sacred exercises in the synagogues, and those of his disciples, should be interrupted. They probably knew his views on these subjects, and therefore only when the Sabbath was over brought the cases to him. Cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick. — The terms here employed fully refute the notion of those who resolve demoniacal possessions into those bodily diseases with which the possessed were often afflicted at the same time. He cast out exebale, the spirits, and HEALED, eqerapeusen, the sick, An essential distinction between the cases could not be more strongly marked. See note on Mark 1:34.

V. 17. Whereby was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah-He spoke it in a more exalted sense. The evangelist here only alludes to those words, as being capable of this lower meaning also. Such instances are frequent in the sacred writings, and are elegancies rather than imperfections. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and healing us of the diseases which were the fruit of sin. Isaiah 53:4.

Verse 17. Himself took our infirmities] The quotation is taken from Isaiah 53:4, where the verb acn nasa signifies to bear sin, so as to make atonement for it. And the rabbins understand this place to speak of the sufferings of the Messiah for the sins of Israel; and say that all the diseases, all the griefs, and all the punishments due to Israel shall be borne by him. See Synopsis Sohar. Christ fulfils the prophecies in all respects, and is himself the completion and truth of them, as being the lamb and victim of God, which, bears and takes away the sin of the world. The text in Isaiah refers properly to the taking away of sin; and this in the evangelist, to the removal of corporeal afflictions: but, as the diseases of the body are the emblems of the sin of the soul, Matthew, referring to the prediction of the prophet, considered the miraculous healing of the body as an emblem of the soul’s salvation by Christ Jesus.

Verses 16, 17. When even was come, they brought unto him many, &c. — The news of this miracle being spread through the town, those who had sick relations or friends resolved to apply to Jesus for a cure. Only, because it was the sabbath, they did not come immediately to him. They waited till the holy rest was ended, which, according to the Jewish form of the day, was at sunsetting, at which time, according to Mark 1:32, and Luke 4:40, they brought the sick in great numbers to him: and he took pity on them and healed them all, casting out the devils from the demoniacs with his word — His authoritative and powerful word, the same by which he made the world, and all things therein. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias — That is, whereby was fulfilled, namely, in a lower sense than that primarily intended by the prophets; saying, Himself took our infirmities, &c. — Isaiah spoke it in a more exalted sense. The evangelist here only alludes to those words as being capable of this lower meaning also. Such instances are frequent in the sacred writings, and are elegances rather than imperfections. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and healing us of the diseases which were the fruit of sin.

17. That it might be fulfilled — It can, in a true sense, be said that the prophetic Scriptures must be fulfilled. And in a subordinate sense, it can be truly said that things were done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled; and this without either saying that such was the intention of the doers, or that they could not do otherwise. They freely acted to fulfil prophecy, because prophecy foretold what they would freely do. Esaias — Isaiah 53:4. Took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses — Sickness, mortality, temporal death, are as truly a part of the great penalty of sin, as the very pains of hell itself. All these were borne by the Saviour in the form of atoning sufferings on the cross. It was by this substitutional suffering in our stead, that the man Christ Jesus was entitled to redeem us from hell and relieve us from even the earthly part of our woes. He healed sicknesses, therefore, by bearing even them in his own body on the tree.

Verse 17. That it might be fulfilled, &c. — That is, thus were fulfilled the words of Isaiah 53:4, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” St. Matthew’s quotation differs a little from the Hebrew, and somewhat more from the present copies of the LXX; but is, in sense, the same. The only difficulty lies in this application of the words of the prophet to the taking and bearings, of bodily diseases, when they refer primarily to the taking away of sin, by those vicarious sufferings of the Messiah of which Isaiah unquestionably speaks. This has led many commentators to consider this quotation as another, instance of the use of prophecy by the evangelist in an accommodated sense; on which some remarks will be found in the note on Matthew 1:22. But this objectionable theory is applied, in the instance before us, under very defective views of our Lord’s atonement, and the import of the prophet’s words respecting it. Through that atonement all our blessings come; and as all our sufferings are the consequences of sin, none of them could have been removed had not propitiation been made for sin, and the right to deliver us from all its consequences been acquired by our Redeemer. Whatever blessings, therefore, our Lord bestowed during his ministry on earth, were given with reference to that “bearing” of the PENALTY of sin which he was ultimately to sustain, and by virtue of which he was to take it away, in all its consequences, as to all those who should come to him in faith. And as by virtue of that anticipated atonement he, while on earth, “forgave sins,” so by virtue of the same anticipated atonement he healed the diseases of the body, all which are the fruits of sin. Whenever, therefore, he did either of these, removing either sin itself from the consciences of men, or any of its consequences from their persons, in virtue of his being the appointed sin-offering, those words of the prophet, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and earned our sorrows,” were directly fulfilled: since these were the proofs and effects of his substitution in our place as the accepted sacrifice; they were all, in a word, demonstrations of the efficacy of his atonement. Nor are we to suppose, as the criticism here objected to does, that Christ “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows” by actual vicarious suffering only when upon the cross. He bore them, as the penalty of sin, in his agony as well as at his crucifixion; and often previously, whenever he “groaned in spirit,” and was “troubled.” All his humiliations, and all his mental distresses, in coming into a world so full of sin and misery, formed a part of the grand sum of vicarious suffering by which “the sin of the world” was to be taken away; and upon his spirit the sight of that accumulated misery, so often presented by the multitudes of sick and possessed and tormented persons, produced a sorrowful effect. We see this often exemplified: we see it at the tomb of Lazarus, although he was about to raise him to life. His sorrow then was not common sorrow; his groaning in spirit cannot be thus explained; and the “compassion” of Christ on other occasions, to the miserable, was not the common compassion of men, but a distinct and deeper feeling; a part of the load and pressure of trouble laid upon his infinitely tender spirit, which he was to sustain. Hence after his miracles of healing we have no expressions of exultation arising from the triumphs of his benevolence; no indications of that joyous feeling which relieves the painful sympathy of merely humane persons when they have succeeded in conveying relief. The whole mass of the world’s wo lay upon his spirit from the beginning to the end; for as his office was to take away the “sin of the world,” he must first bear its weight. It was in this sense that St. Matthew says, he took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses; not, certainly, by transferring the infirmities and sickness to his own person, for he became neither infirm nor sick; nor do the words used signify simply to take or bear away, much less the Hebrew term used by Isaiah, but that he took them and carried them as A LOAD or BURDEN, the sustaining of which was a part of the process of the great atonement. In the strictest sense, therefore, the prophecy quoted by that evangelist was here “fulfilled;” not indeed fully, for Christ had much more to sustain; but still directly and properly. It is remarkable, too, that this is the comprehensive sense in which some of the Jewish writers view this passage; which is no small confirmation of the meaning attached by Matthew to the words of Isaiah, since all their prejudices lay against a suffering Messiah. Thus, in their book of Zohar it is said, “There is one temple which is called the temple of the sons of affliction; and when the Messiah comes into that temple, and reads all the afflictions, all the griefs, and all the chastisements of Israel, which came upon them, then all of them shall come upon him; and if there were any that would lighten them off from Israel, and take them upon himself, there is no son of man that can bear the chastisements of Israel, because of the punishment of the law, as it is said, Surely he hath borne our griefs,” &c.

V. 18. He commanded to go to the other side-That both himself and the people might have a little rest.

Verse 18. Unto the other side.] Viz. of the lake of Genesareth, whence he proceeded to the country of the Gergesenes, Matthew 8:28.

Verses 18-20. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes — When Jesus did the things before mentioned he was in Capernaum, verse 5, but the multitude pressing him, he gave orders to pass over the sea of Galilee, otherwise called the sea of Tiberias, that both himself and the people might have a little rest. And a certain scribe came — Namely, as they went in the way from the house, out of which he came, to the shore where he proposed to embark. See Luke 9:57. And said unto him, with all the appearance of profound respect, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest — Being determined to devote myself entirely to the service of thy kingdom. This scribe seems to have concluded, from the zeal with which the people flocked about our Lord, that he would soon declare himself to be the Messiah, and become a mighty prince; Jesus, therefore, knowing his motives to be of a worldly and ambitious nature, saith unto him, The foxes have holes, &c. As if he had said, Do not flatter yourself with the expectation of any temporal advantages from attending me, for I plainly tell you, that whereas (not to speak of domestic animals which are under the care of man) even the very foxes have holes, &c., for themselves and their young, but the Son of man, successful as his kingdom must at length be, now appears in such low circumstances, that he has not so much as a place where he may lay his head; and his followers must expect no better condition. Therefore do not follow me from any view of temporal advantage. The phrase Son of man, is borrowed from Daniel 7:13, where the prophet describes the universal dominion to which the Messiah, in quality of the Son of man, was to be raised. This name, therefore, when applied to our Lord, at the same time that it denotes his human nature, brings into view the glorious kingdom over which, in his human nature, he was to preside. Nevertheless, on several occasions it is used in a sense which implies deep humiliation, being the name given to the ancient prophets on account of the low estimation in which they were sometimes held by their countrymen. It is the appellation which Christ commonly gives himself, and that, as it seems, out of humility, as having a relation to his mean appearance in this world.

§ 50. — FOURTH MIRACLE — STILLING THE TEMPEST, 18-27.

18. Now when Jesus saw — Matthew now selects a miracle which took place much later in his ministry than the last, (see Hist. Synop.,) and of which the peculiarity is that it manifests our Lord’s command over the elements. He here rules as Lord of external nature. The other side — Of Lake Gennesaret. He crossed from west to east.

Verse 18. The other side. — That is, of the lake or sea of Galilee. He departed by water to the south-eastern side, and thus evaded the crowd, to obtain some space for retirement; and probably to avoid keeping great multitudes for any long time together, lest the jealousy of the government might be excited.

V. 19. Luke 9:57.

Verse 19. A certain scribe] Though eiv grammateuv, ONE scribe, may be considered as a Hebraism, yet it is probable that the literal construction of it was intended, to show that few of this class came to the Lord Jesus for instruction or salvation.

Master] Rather, teacher, didaskale from didaskw, I teach, which itself seems to be derived from deikw, I show, and means the person who shows or points out a particular way or science.

I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.] A man who is not illuminated by the Spirit of God thinks himself capable of any thing: he alone who is divinely taught knows he can do nothing but through Christ strengthening him. Every teacher among the Jews had disciples, and some especially that followed or accompanied them wherever they went, that they might have some person at hand with whom they might converse concerning the Divine law.

Verses 18-20. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes — When Jesus did the things before mentioned he was in Capernaum, verse 5, but the multitude pressing him, he gave orders to pass over the sea of Galilee, otherwise called the sea of Tiberias, that both himself and the people might have a little rest. And a certain scribe came — Namely, as they went in the way from the house, out of which he came, to the shore where he proposed to embark. See Luke 9:57. And said unto him, with all the appearance of profound respect, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest — Being determined to devote myself entirely to the service of thy kingdom. This scribe seems to have concluded, from the zeal with which the people flocked about our Lord, that he would soon declare himself to be the Messiah, and become a mighty prince; Jesus, therefore, knowing his motives to be of a worldly and ambitious nature, saith unto him, The foxes have holes, &c. As if he had said, Do not flatter yourself with the expectation of any temporal advantages from attending me, for I plainly tell you, that whereas (not to speak of domestic animals which are under the care of man) even the very foxes have holes, &c., for themselves and their young, but the Son of man, successful as his kingdom must at length be, now appears in such low circumstances, that he has not so much as a place where he may lay his head; and his followers must expect no better condition. Therefore do not follow me from any view of temporal advantage. The phrase Son of man, is borrowed from Daniel 7:13, where the prophet describes the universal dominion to which the Messiah, in quality of the Son of man, was to be raised. This name, therefore, when applied to our Lord, at the same time that it denotes his human nature, brings into view the glorious kingdom over which, in his human nature, he was to preside. Nevertheless, on several occasions it is used in a sense which implies deep humiliation, being the name given to the ancient prophets on account of the low estimation in which they were sometimes held by their countrymen. It is the appellation which Christ commonly gives himself, and that, as it seems, out of humility, as having a relation to his mean appearance in this world.

Ver. 19, 20. Master, I will follow thee whither-soever thou goest. This scribe, this lawyer seemed to have been struck with our Saviour’s discourse and miracles; and without a doubt, he meant to follow him as a candidate for the ministry. Jesus reminded him of the sacrifices he must make, of the hardships he must endure: the foxes have holes, but (Hebraically, ben Adam, the son of Adam, Psalm 8:4.) the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. A young minister must have a realizing faith in the coming and kingdom of the Lord, to enable him to encounter privations, and to work for God. But let not young men be discouraged; the disciples had no lack of food or of raiment.

19. A certain scribe — As a professional man, read in law, and probably of the tribe of Levi, he would appear to be a more eligible disciple than the fisherman or the toll-gatherer. Whithersoever — He seems prepared for trials. There is no proof of any ambitious motive. Yet our Lord sees that he has not the material for a true apostle. He neither accepts nor rejects him; he only gives a vivid picture of his own poor accommodations, and the scribe’s ardour seems to evaporate. It is very probable that the scribe acted more wisely in staying than in going. He would have spoiled perhaps a good scribe, and have made a poor apostle. Not every profound Christian scholar is bound to be a preacher of the Gospel. He does not seem to have even persisted to cross the Gennesaret. There are those who have an idea that there is something in the life of a missionary attractive and romantic. When such are the motives, a most miserable failure results.

Verses 19, 20. A certain scribe came and said, &c. — That this man was influenced only by sordid motives, hoping for rank and wealth, if Jesus should prove the Messiah, is very probable from our Lord’s reply. The foxes have holes, &c. He was about to pass over the lake wearied and exhausted by his labours; and in the place to which he was going, there was no house, no family, to receive him. To his own poverty he therefore alludes, since he had no means of providing accommodation where no friendly family was found to receive him. There is great emphasis here in the application of the phrase “Son of man” to himself. “A son of man” is the Jewish phrase for a real human being; but “THE Son of man” is a designation of Messiah, and is taken from Psalm 80:17; and especially from Daniel 7:13, 14, where the holy prophet says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him, and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,” &c. This prophecy was by the Jews uniformly applied to the Messiah; and our Lord, in his answer to the scribe, applies it to himself; yet as though he had said, I am indeed the Son of man spoken of by Daniel, and, as thou professest to believe, the Messiah; but instead of a kingdom, and glory, and dominion, I have not where to lay my head, — no house of my own, much less a palace and a kingdom. Of a spiritual reign the scribe had no notion; and being cut off from the hope of a visible and earthly one, he probably retired. I will follow thee, said this forward professor, whithersoever thou goest; but he secretly meant, only into the paths of publicity and enjoyment, not into those of humility and suffering. Yet wherever Christ leads, the true disciple must follow him.

V. 20. The Son of man-The expression is borrowed from Daniel 7:13, and is the appellation which Christ generally gives himself: which he seems to do out of humility, as having some relation to his mean appearance in this world.

Hath not where to lay his head-Therefore do not follow me from any view of temporal advantage.

Verse 20. The foxes have holes, &c.] Reader! art thou a poor man? and dost thou fear God? Then, what comfort must thou derive from the thought, that thou so nearly resemblest the Lord Jesus! But how unlike is the rich man, who is the votary of pleasure and slave of sin, to this heavenly pattern!

Son of man] A Hebrew phrase, expressive of humiliation and debasement; and, on that account, applied emphatically to himself, by the meek and lowly Jesus. Besides, it seems here to be used to point out the incarnation of the Son of God, according to the predictions of the prophets, Psalm 8:5; Daniel 7:13. And as our Lord was now showing forth his eternal Divinity in the miracles he wrought, he seems studious to prove to them the certainty of his incarnation, because on this depended the atonement for sin. Indeed our Lord seems more intent on giving the proofs of his humanity, than of his divinity, the latter being necessarily manifested by the miracles which he was continually working.

Verses 18-20. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes — When Jesus did the things before mentioned he was in Capernaum, verse 5, but the multitude pressing him, he gave orders to pass over the sea of Galilee, otherwise called the sea of Tiberias, that both himself and the people might have a little rest. And a certain scribe came — Namely, as they went in the way from the house, out of which he came, to the shore where he proposed to embark. See Luke 9:57. And said unto him, with all the appearance of profound respect, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest — Being determined to devote myself entirely to the service of thy kingdom. This scribe seems to have concluded, from the zeal with which the people flocked about our Lord, that he would soon declare himself to be the Messiah, and become a mighty prince; Jesus, therefore, knowing his motives to be of a worldly and ambitious nature, saith unto him, The foxes have holes, &c. As if he had said, Do not flatter yourself with the expectation of any temporal advantages from attending me, for I plainly tell you, that whereas (not to speak of domestic animals which are under the care of man) even the very foxes have holes, &c., for themselves and their young, but the Son of man, successful as his kingdom must at length be, now appears in such low circumstances, that he has not so much as a place where he may lay his head; and his followers must expect no better condition. Therefore do not follow me from any view of temporal advantage. The phrase Son of man, is borrowed from Daniel 7:13, where the prophet describes the universal dominion to which the Messiah, in quality of the Son of man, was to be raised. This name, therefore, when applied to our Lord, at the same time that it denotes his human nature, brings into view the glorious kingdom over which, in his human nature, he was to preside. Nevertheless, on several occasions it is used in a sense which implies deep humiliation, being the name given to the ancient prophets on account of the low estimation in which they were sometimes held by their countrymen. It is the appellation which Christ commonly gives himself, and that, as it seems, out of humility, as having a relation to his mean appearance in this world.

Ver. 19, 20. Master, I will follow thee whither-soever thou goest. This scribe, this lawyer seemed to have been struck with our Saviour’s discourse and miracles; and without a doubt, he meant to follow him as a candidate for the ministry. Jesus reminded him of the sacrifices he must make, of the hardships he must endure: the foxes have holes, but (Hebraically, ben Adam, the son of Adam, Psalm 8:4.) the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. A young minister must have a realizing faith in the coming and kingdom of the Lord, to enable him to encounter privations, and to work for God. But let not young men be discouraged; the disciples had no lack of food or of raiment.

20. Son of man — This title designates our Lord as truly man, in distinction from his being also Son of God. This humbler title is used seventy-one times in the New Testament, and in every case, with a single exception, by our Lord himself. The martyr Stephen, (Acts 7:56,) beholding his glorified humanity at the right hand of God, uses this epithet. Foxes have holes — Wild animals have their regular habitations and their homes, but the divine One is homeless on earth.

Verses 19, 20. A certain scribe came and said, &c. — That this man was influenced only by sordid motives, hoping for rank and wealth, if Jesus should prove the Messiah, is very probable from our Lord’s reply. The foxes have holes, &c. He was about to pass over the lake wearied and exhausted by his labours; and in the place to which he was going, there was no house, no family, to receive him. To his own poverty he therefore alludes, since he had no means of providing accommodation where no friendly family was found to receive him. There is great emphasis here in the application of the phrase “Son of man” to himself. “A son of man” is the Jewish phrase for a real human being; but “THE Son of man” is a designation of Messiah, and is taken from Psalm 80:17; and especially from Daniel 7:13, 14, where the holy prophet says, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him, and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,” &c. This prophecy was by the Jews uniformly applied to the Messiah; and our Lord, in his answer to the scribe, applies it to himself; yet as though he had said, I am indeed the Son of man spoken of by Daniel, and, as thou professest to believe, the Messiah; but instead of a kingdom, and glory, and dominion, I have not where to lay my head, — no house of my own, much less a palace and a kingdom. Of a spiritual reign the scribe had no notion; and being cut off from the hope of a visible and earthly one, he probably retired. I will follow thee, said this forward professor, whithersoever thou goest; but he secretly meant, only into the paths of publicity and enjoyment, not into those of humility and suffering. Yet wherever Christ leads, the true disciple must follow him.

V. 21. Another said-I will follow thee without any such view; but I must mind my business first. It is not certain that his father was already dead. Perhaps his son desired to stay with him, being very old, till his death.

Verse 21. Another of his disciples] This does not mean any of the twelve, but one of those who were constant hearers of our Lord’s preaching; the name of disciple being common to all those who professed to believe in him, John 6:66. Bury my father: probably his father was old, and apparently near death; but it was a maxim among the Jews, that, if a man had any duty to perform to the dead, he was, for that time, free from the observance of any other precept or duty. The children of Adam are always in extremes; some will rush into the ministry of the Gospel without a call, others will delay long after they are called; the middle way is the only safe one: not to move a finger in the work till the call be given, and not to delay a moment after.

Verses 21, 22. And another said, Lord, &c. — Luke informs us, Luke 9:59, that Christ had said to this man, Follow me, to which command he replied, as is here stated, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father — His meaning seems to be, Suffer me to continue at home with my father, who is far advanced in years, till I have performed the last filial office to him, in committing his body to the dust: for it does not appear that his father was already dead. But Jesus said, Follow me — Namely, immediately; and let the dead bury their dead — Let such as are dead in sin, spiritually dead, being insensible to the concerns of their souls and eternity, employ themselves in interring their deceased relatives and friends: or, leave the business of the world to those that are alive to it, and dead to God and things divine.

Ver. 21. Another of his disciples. Clemens of Alexandria says, from an ancient tradition, that this was Philip.

Suffer me first to go and bury my father. He supposed it was time enough for him to be a follower of Christ after he had performed this last sad office. But Christ tells him that every thing is to be postponed to the hearing of his doctrine, and that the opportunity of learning his precepts is to be embraced with both hands. For an affair of the last importance was at stake, namely, either the obtaining or losing the comforts of eternal life. “This disciple,” says Cyril, “did not request our Lord to bury his deceased father, but to give him leave to support him in his old age, till he should die and be buried by him; which desire was rejected by Christ, because there were others in a capacity to take care of him.”

21. Another of his disciples — It may be more intelligibly rendered: “Another, being, one of his disciples.” Tradition says it was Philip. It is clear he was one of the twelve, for our Lord does not excuse him at his request. Nothing but the apparent solemn duty which formed the reason for the request justified the making it, for in the instance added by Luke a slight reason offered was ground of reproof and rejection. Bury my father — Who is aged, and needs my care until he goes down to the grave. Alas! before he dies and the burial is accomplished, the Son of man will have finished his ministry, and thou wilt have lost thy apostleship. But most commentators understand that the father lies already a corpse, and the disciple asks a dispensation from duty to go and bury him. With this interpretation there is a deep rigour in our Lord’s words. He must then be understood to declare that a higher duty is pressing upon him than even the burying his dead father. The Gospel is more than the paternal corpse. Other relatives may perform that task, on whom rests no higher duty. And perhaps our Lord recognized that if this disciple went, there was danger that he would soon be numbered with the morally dead who were burying the corporeally dead. Our Lord may have perceived a worldliness in his heart and in his request that would have involved him in danger. The tenderest ties are often the conductors of temptation. The man who is willing to delay his obedience to God’s call, may find in his delay the snare that will involve him in ruin.

Verses 21, 22. Suffer me first to go and bury my father. — The father probably was not dead, but aged; and the request was for permission to cease from a constant attendance on Christ, which those were obliged to who were called to the ministry of the word, until his parent should die and be interred. Probably also some worldly feeling, as well as filial affection, might have a share in dictating the request. He was therefore to be put to the test and proved. Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead; let those who are dead to all sense of spiritual things, bury those who are corporally dead: in other words, let worldly men take care of worldly interests; thou art called to follow me, and to be trained up to impart spiritual instruction and life to others, and for this every thing is to be forsaken. This is a saying which ought to sink deep into the ears of ministers, and of those who are called to this office. In the phrase, Let the dead bury their dead, is an instance of the use of the same word in a sentence in two different senses. It is a rhetorical figure called antanaclisis, and occurs often in Scripture, and particularly in the pointed sayings of our Lord, without attending to which they are liable to be misinterpreted. The figurative representation of earthly and wicked men, as in a state of death, was frequent both among Jews and heathens. Thus Philo, “dead to virtue, alive to evil;” and Clemens Alexandrinus remarks that “the philosophers esteem those dead who subject the mind to sense.” The disciple who made this request is by tradition said to be Philip. Whoever it might be, it would seem that he remained with Christ.

V. 22. But Jesus said-When God calls, leave the business of the world to them who are dead to God.

Verse 22. Let the dead bury their dead.] It was usual for the Jews to consider a man as dead who had departed from the precepts of the law; and, on this ground, every transgressor was reputed a dead man. Our Lord’s saying, being in common use, had nothing difficult in it to a Jew. Natural death is the separation of the body and soul; spiritual death, the separation of God and the soul: men who live in sin are dead to God. Leave the spiritually dead to bury their natural dead. All the common offices of life may be performed by any person; to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom of God is granted but to a few, and to these only by an especial call; these should immediately abandon worldly concerns and employments, and give themselves wholly up to the work of the ministry.

Verses 21, 22. And another said, Lord, &c. — Luke informs us, Luke 9:59, that Christ had said to this man, Follow me, to which command he replied, as is here stated, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father — His meaning seems to be, Suffer me to continue at home with my father, who is far advanced in years, till I have performed the last filial office to him, in committing his body to the dust: for it does not appear that his father was already dead. But Jesus said, Follow me — Namely, immediately; and let the dead bury their dead — Let such as are dead in sin, spiritually dead, being insensible to the concerns of their souls and eternity, employ themselves in interring their deceased relatives and friends: or, leave the business of the world to those that are alive to it, and dead to God and things divine.

Ver. 22. Follow me. Our Saviour, says Ambrose, prohibits him from paying funeral honours to his father, to let him know that human things were to give place to things divine. The desire of this disciple was laudable in itself, but the obstacle arising from it was of greater consequence; for he that separates his desire, loses his affection; and he that divides his care, stops the progress he should make. So that things of the greatest consequence are to be first undertaken.

22. Follow me — Infinite interests must take precedence of the finite. Dead bury their dead — The maxim is pointed with a play upon the double sense of the word dead. Let the spiritually dead bury the corporeally dead. Let a secular world perform its duties to its secular members. Our duties must be applied to a life eternal. Luke adds, (Luke 8:60,) “But go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”

Did the three instances of settling the matter of following our Lord occur on the same day? Perhaps so. They may have transpired in view of our Lord’s passing over the lake into the wild Gadarene country. Or, the first one having occurred at that time, the Evangelists may introduce the other instances by association of similarity, as alike illustrating the mode of our Lord’s choice of apostles. It was not because our Lord could not have selected men of rank and influence for the sacred office, but for deeper reasons, that he called the humble laborious laymen.

Verses 21, 22. Suffer me first to go and bury my father. — The father probably was not dead, but aged; and the request was for permission to cease from a constant attendance on Christ, which those were obliged to who were called to the ministry of the word, until his parent should die and be interred. Probably also some worldly feeling, as well as filial affection, might have a share in dictating the request. He was therefore to be put to the test and proved. Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead; let those who are dead to all sense of spiritual things, bury those who are corporally dead: in other words, let worldly men take care of worldly interests; thou art called to follow me, and to be trained up to impart spiritual instruction and life to others, and for this every thing is to be forsaken. This is a saying which ought to sink deep into the ears of ministers, and of those who are called to this office. In the phrase, Let the dead bury their dead, is an instance of the use of the same word in a sentence in two different senses. It is a rhetorical figure called antanaclisis, and occurs often in Scripture, and particularly in the pointed sayings of our Lord, without attending to which they are liable to be misinterpreted. The figurative representation of earthly and wicked men, as in a state of death, was frequent both among Jews and heathens. Thus Philo, “dead to virtue, alive to evil;” and Clemens Alexandrinus remarks that “the philosophers esteem those dead who subject the mind to sense.” The disciple who made this request is by tradition said to be Philip. Whoever it might be, it would seem that he remained with Christ.

V. 23. Mark 4:35; Luke 8:22.

Verses 23-27. When he was entered into the ship — Being, as is said above, about to cross the lake; his disciples followed him — Even as many as were desirous of learning of him, and could get a passage, either in that vessel or any others that were near. And there arose a great tempest in the sea — Seismov megav, a great commotion, or, agitation of the waters, namely, in consequence of a sudden change of the weather, and storm coming on: an emblem this of the storms of persecution which should afterward assault his church. Insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves — Which threatened to sink it and all that were in it to the bottom. So the time of man’s extremity is God’s opportunity: but he was asleep — Being fatigued, it seems, with the labours of the day. And his disciples awoke him — Being terribly afraid, while they beheld the sky lowering, heard the winds roaring, and observed the sea and the clouds to be driven with the fury of the tempest; saying, Lord, save us, we perish — Thus manifesting both their faith in his power, and their weakness in not considering who was with them in the ship. And he saith, Why are ye fearful — Can ye imagine that God would suffer me to be lost in a tempest? or that I would consult my own safety in the neglect of yours? The disciples, having seen their Master perform many miracles, had abundant reason to rely on his power and goodness, even in a greater danger than this. For, though their vessel had sunk, he who gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, drove away palsies and fevers with speaking a word, could easily have saved them all, by making them walk firmly on the water, as he enabled one of them to do afterward. Their timidity, therefore, was altogether culpable, and the reproof he gave them just; O ye of little faith? — As if he had said, You undertook this voyage at my command, and are you afraid that you should perish in it? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds — As a master might do a company of turbulent servants. First he composed the spirits of his disciples, then the sea. And there was a great calm — Namely, instantly, as soon as he had uttered the words, Peace, be still, Mark 4:39. But the men marvelled — Luke says, Being afraid, they wondered, Luke 8:25: and Mark, They feared exceedingly; saying, What manner of man is this? — Surely he is more than man, who can thus command winds and seas! This reflection of theirs, as well as their fear in the time of danger, may seem to some unaccountable, considering to how many and great miracles of his they had been witnesses. But it must be observed that hitherto his miracles were generally upon diseased persons, and that, till now, he had given no proof of his dominion over the elements of wind and water, which, it seems, were thought less subject to human power than distempers of the body.

23. Ship — A small, open fishing boat.

Verse 23. And when he was entered into a ship. — Rather one of the small vessels used for navigating the lake, a fishing vessel, though of considerable size, for his disciples embarked with him. The conversation with the scribe and the disciple just mentioned, took place while our Lord was preparing to embark.

V. 24. The ship was covered-So man's extremity is God's opportunity.

Verse 24. Arose a great tempest in the sea] Probably excited by Satan, the prince of the power of the air, who, having got the author and all the preachers of the Gospel together in a small vessel, thought by drowning it, to defeat the purposes of God, and thus to prevent the salvation of a ruined world. What a noble opportunity must this have appeared to the enemy of the human race!

Verses 23-27. When he was entered into the ship — Being, as is said above, about to cross the lake; his disciples followed him — Even as many as were desirous of learning of him, and could get a passage, either in that vessel or any others that were near. And there arose a great tempest in the sea — Seismov megav, a great commotion, or, agitation of the waters, namely, in consequence of a sudden change of the weather, and storm coming on: an emblem this of the storms of persecution which should afterward assault his church. Insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves — Which threatened to sink it and all that were in it to the bottom. So the time of man’s extremity is God’s opportunity: but he was asleep — Being fatigued, it seems, with the labours of the day. And his disciples awoke him — Being terribly afraid, while they beheld the sky lowering, heard the winds roaring, and observed the sea and the clouds to be driven with the fury of the tempest; saying, Lord, save us, we perish — Thus manifesting both their faith in his power, and their weakness in not considering who was with them in the ship. And he saith, Why are ye fearful — Can ye imagine that God would suffer me to be lost in a tempest? or that I would consult my own safety in the neglect of yours? The disciples, having seen their Master perform many miracles, had abundant reason to rely on his power and goodness, even in a greater danger than this. For, though their vessel had sunk, he who gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, drove away palsies and fevers with speaking a word, could easily have saved them all, by making them walk firmly on the water, as he enabled one of them to do afterward. Their timidity, therefore, was altogether culpable, and the reproof he gave them just; O ye of little faith? — As if he had said, You undertook this voyage at my command, and are you afraid that you should perish in it? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds — As a master might do a company of turbulent servants. First he composed the spirits of his disciples, then the sea. And there was a great calm — Namely, instantly, as soon as he had uttered the words, Peace, be still, Mark 4:39. But the men marvelled — Luke says, Being afraid, they wondered, Luke 8:25: and Mark, They feared exceedingly; saying, What manner of man is this? — Surely he is more than man, who can thus command winds and seas! This reflection of theirs, as well as their fear in the time of danger, may seem to some unaccountable, considering to how many and great miracles of his they had been witnesses. But it must be observed that hitherto his miracles were generally upon diseased persons, and that, till now, he had given no proof of his dominion over the elements of wind and water, which, it seems, were thought less subject to human power than distempers of the body.

24. There arose a great tempest — It was not so much a storm as a gust or hurricane — a wind-storm; “one of those incidents,” says Stanley, “to which every mountain lake, more or less, and the Sea of Galilee, from its situation, especially, is subject. Through one of the deep ravines, breaking through the hills to the shore, there came down a storm of wind on the lake. in a moment the still waters were aroused as by an earthquake, and the waves filled the boat. Almost every feature of the story which follows can be traced to the locality.”

Verse 24. A great tempest. — The sea of Galilee, though generally calm, was liable to heavy and sudden hurricanes, coming down from the surrounding mountains.

Verse 25. And his disciples] THE disciples. In the common printed editions, as well as in our translation, it is HIS disciples, but autou, his, is omitted by the very best MSS., and by Bengel, Wetstein, and Griesbach. This is a matter of very small importance, and need not be noticed; only every translator and commentator should aim, to the uttermost of his knowledge and power, to give every particle of the language of the inspired penman that can be expressed, and to insert no one word which he has reason to believe did not come by the inspiration of God. Lord, save us: we perish.] One advantage of trials is to make us know our weakness, so as to oblige us to have recourse to God by faith in Christ. It is by faith alone that we may be said to approach him; by love we are united to him, and by prayer we awake him. All good perishes in us without Christ: without his grace, there is not so much as one moment in which we are not in danger of utter ruin. How proper, then, is this short prayer for us, and how familiar should it be to us! Taken in the extensive Christian sense it is exceedingly expressive: it comprehends all the power of our Lord’s might, all the merit of his atonement, and all the depth of our misery and danger. See Quesnel.

Verses 23-27. When he was entered into the ship — Being, as is said above, about to cross the lake; his disciples followed him — Even as many as were desirous of learning of him, and could get a passage, either in that vessel or any others that were near. And there arose a great tempest in the sea — Seismov megav, a great commotion, or, agitation of the waters, namely, in consequence of a sudden change of the weather, and storm coming on: an emblem this of the storms of persecution which should afterward assault his church. Insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves — Which threatened to sink it and all that were in it to the bottom. So the time of man’s extremity is God’s opportunity: but he was asleep — Being fatigued, it seems, with the labours of the day. And his disciples awoke him — Being terribly afraid, while they beheld the sky lowering, heard the winds roaring, and observed the sea and the clouds to be driven with the fury of the tempest; saying, Lord, save us, we perish — Thus manifesting both their faith in his power, and their weakness in not considering who was with them in the ship. And he saith, Why are ye fearful — Can ye imagine that God would suffer me to be lost in a tempest? or that I would consult my own safety in the neglect of yours? The disciples, having seen their Master perform many miracles, had abundant reason to rely on his power and goodness, even in a greater danger than this. For, though their vessel had sunk, he who gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, drove away palsies and fevers with speaking a word, could easily have saved them all, by making them walk firmly on the water, as he enabled one of them to do afterward. Their timidity, therefore, was altogether culpable, and the reproof he gave them just; O ye of little faith? — As if he had said, You undertook this voyage at my command, and are you afraid that you should perish in it? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds — As a master might do a company of turbulent servants. First he composed the spirits of his disciples, then the sea. And there was a great calm — Namely, instantly, as soon as he had uttered the words, Peace, be still, Mark 4:39. But the men marvelled — Luke says, Being afraid, they wondered, Luke 8:25: and Mark, They feared exceedingly; saying, What manner of man is this? — Surely he is more than man, who can thus command winds and seas! This reflection of theirs, as well as their fear in the time of danger, may seem to some unaccountable, considering to how many and great miracles of his they had been witnesses. But it must be observed that hitherto his miracles were generally upon diseased persons, and that, till now, he had given no proof of his dominion over the elements of wind and water, which, it seems, were thought less subject to human power than distempers of the body.

25. We perish — We are now perishing, while thou art sleeping. Like Jonah, he slept; but, unlike Jonah, he was the arrester, not the cause of the storm.

V. 26. Why are ye fearful-Then he rebuked the winds-First, he composed their spirits, and then the sea.

Verse 26. Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?] Faith is ever bold-incredulity always timid. When faith fails in temptation, there is the utmost danger of shipwreck. Lord, increase our faith! is a necessary prayer for all who desire to be saved.

Then he arose and rebuked the winds, &c.] As the agitation of the sea was only the effect of the wind, it was necessary to remove the cause of the disturbance, that the effect might cease. Joshua did not say to the earth, Earth, stand thou still, because the earth is not the cause of its own motion: but, Sun, stand thou still, דום שמש shemesh dom, Sun, be silent, or restrain thy influence, which is a proper cause of the revolutions of all the planets. When the solar influence was by the miraculous power of God suspended, the standing still of the earth was a necessary consequence. Both Christ and Joshua spoke with the strictest philosophical precision. See the notes on Joshua 10:12-14.

There was a great calm.] One word of Christ can change the face of nature; one word of his can restore calm and peace to the most troubled and disconsolate soul. Prayer and faith, if sincere, shall be heard, though they may be weak. 1. That our imperfections may not hinder us from praying to God. 2. That we may be persuaded it is not our merits which make our prayers effectual. 3. That we may offer them up with great humility: and, 4. That we may be fully united to Christ, without which union there is no salvation.

There was at first a great agitation; then a great calm. Thus God ever proportions the comfort to the affliction.

Verses 23-27. When he was entered into the ship — Being, as is said above, about to cross the lake; his disciples followed him — Even as many as were desirous of learning of him, and could get a passage, either in that vessel or any others that were near. And there arose a great tempest in the sea — Seismov megav, a great commotion, or, agitation of the waters, namely, in consequence of a sudden change of the weather, and storm coming on: an emblem this of the storms of persecution which should afterward assault his church. Insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves — Which threatened to sink it and all that were in it to the bottom. So the time of man’s extremity is God’s opportunity: but he was asleep — Being fatigued, it seems, with the labours of the day. And his disciples awoke him — Being terribly afraid, while they beheld the sky lowering, heard the winds roaring, and observed the sea and the clouds to be driven with the fury of the tempest; saying, Lord, save us, we perish — Thus manifesting both their faith in his power, and their weakness in not considering who was with them in the ship. And he saith, Why are ye fearful — Can ye imagine that God would suffer me to be lost in a tempest? or that I would consult my own safety in the neglect of yours? The disciples, having seen their Master perform many miracles, had abundant reason to rely on his power and goodness, even in a greater danger than this. For, though their vessel had sunk, he who gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, drove away palsies and fevers with speaking a word, could easily have saved them all, by making them walk firmly on the water, as he enabled one of them to do afterward. Their timidity, therefore, was altogether culpable, and the reproof he gave them just; O ye of little faith? — As if he had said, You undertook this voyage at my command, and are you afraid that you should perish in it? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds — As a master might do a company of turbulent servants. First he composed the spirits of his disciples, then the sea. And there was a great calm — Namely, instantly, as soon as he had uttered the words, Peace, be still, Mark 4:39. But the men marvelled — Luke says, Being afraid, they wondered, Luke 8:25: and Mark, They feared exceedingly; saying, What manner of man is this? — Surely he is more than man, who can thus command winds and seas! This reflection of theirs, as well as their fear in the time of danger, may seem to some unaccountable, considering to how many and great miracles of his they had been witnesses. But it must be observed that hitherto his miracles were generally upon diseased persons, and that, till now, he had given no proof of his dominion over the elements of wind and water, which, it seems, were thought less subject to human power than distempers of the body.

26. Of little faith — Observe the exquisite language of our Lord. He does not charge that they had no faith, but little. They had not power of faith to still the elements, nor to control their own fears, but they had faith that their Master could. Rebuked the winds — As a master rebukes a raging animal. Great calm — The calm was great from the completeness of the stillness; and great from the contrast with the previous storm; and great as a product of a wonderful power. And with it the terrors of their hearts, the winds and waves within the soul, were composed. So when the fearful sinner resorts to Christ, his word of forgiveness allays the storm, and there is a great calm.

Verse 26. O ye of little faith. — Faith here, as in most places of the New Testament, includes in it the idea of trust. Some degree of faith they had, for they came to Christ and awoke him, praying him to save them; but it was mingled with great fears. Why are ye fearful? Their faith was not that entire trust which tranquillizes and assures the soul in the greatest danger: in such a case as this, great fear was the evidence of little faith: for how could they perish when their Master was with them; he whose power over nature they had so often seen and acknowledged? For this they were justly reproved. — He rebuked the winds, and the sea, &c. — So that it was in the height of the tempest, amid the very rage and fury of the elements, and in the extremity of danger, that he issued his authoritative command, and there was a great calm. The very simplicity of the narrative heightens the sublimity of the whole scene as it passes before us; — the suddenness and fury of the storm; the vessel labouring among the overwhelming waves; the terror of the disciples; the calm repose of Jesus, asleep amid all this uproar; the majesty of his action, — “he arose and rebuked the wind and the sea;” the immediate effect, — “there was a great calm,” — so nobly expressed in the original, kai egeneto galhnh megalh, that one almost feels the absolute repose which one almighty word produced. “Not only was the wind laid, but the surface of the sea,” says Bishop Pearce, “became smooth and level, which galhnh properly signifies; whereas after a storm is over, the water of the sea is for a long time in motion. This circumstance, therefore, helps to show the full force of the miraculous power exerted.”

Verse 27. The men marvelled] Every part of the creation (man excepted) hears and obeys the Creator’s voice. Sinners have an ear for the world, the devil, and the flesh: till this ear is shut, God’s voice is not discerned; for when it is shut to its enemies it is open to its friends. What manner of man is this] potapov estin outov, How great is this person! Here was God fully manifest; but it was in the flesh-there were the hidings of his power.

Verses 23-27. When he was entered into the ship — Being, as is said above, about to cross the lake; his disciples followed him — Even as many as were desirous of learning of him, and could get a passage, either in that vessel or any others that were near. And there arose a great tempest in the sea — Seismov megav, a great commotion, or, agitation of the waters, namely, in consequence of a sudden change of the weather, and storm coming on: an emblem this of the storms of persecution which should afterward assault his church. Insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves — Which threatened to sink it and all that were in it to the bottom. So the time of man’s extremity is God’s opportunity: but he was asleep — Being fatigued, it seems, with the labours of the day. And his disciples awoke him — Being terribly afraid, while they beheld the sky lowering, heard the winds roaring, and observed the sea and the clouds to be driven with the fury of the tempest; saying, Lord, save us, we perish — Thus manifesting both their faith in his power, and their weakness in not considering who was with them in the ship. And he saith, Why are ye fearful — Can ye imagine that God would suffer me to be lost in a tempest? or that I would consult my own safety in the neglect of yours? The disciples, having seen their Master perform many miracles, had abundant reason to rely on his power and goodness, even in a greater danger than this. For, though their vessel had sunk, he who gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, drove away palsies and fevers with speaking a word, could easily have saved them all, by making them walk firmly on the water, as he enabled one of them to do afterward. Their timidity, therefore, was altogether culpable, and the reproof he gave them just; O ye of little faith? — As if he had said, You undertook this voyage at my command, and are you afraid that you should perish in it? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds — As a master might do a company of turbulent servants. First he composed the spirits of his disciples, then the sea. And there was a great calm — Namely, instantly, as soon as he had uttered the words, Peace, be still, Mark 4:39. But the men marvelled — Luke says, Being afraid, they wondered, Luke 8:25: and Mark, They feared exceedingly; saying, What manner of man is this? — Surely he is more than man, who can thus command winds and seas! This reflection of theirs, as well as their fear in the time of danger, may seem to some unaccountable, considering to how many and great miracles of his they had been witnesses. But it must be observed that hitherto his miracles were generally upon diseased persons, and that, till now, he had given no proof of his dominion over the elements of wind and water, which, it seems, were thought less subject to human power than distempers of the body.

27. The men marvelled — Not the workmen of the boat, for the disciples were probably their own workmen. They are called the men, as a humbling term, in comparison with him, the divine one. What manner of man — They expected, indeed, that he would save them; but they were overwhelmed with the majesty and ease with which he issued his orders to the elements, and at the submission with which they, like living intelligences are hushed by his word.

§ 42. — FIFTH MIRACLE — DISPOSSESSING TWO DEMONIACS, 28-34. Matthew pursues our Lord’s course across the lake, in order to narrate a miracle which displays our Lord’s authority over the powers of hell, as this shows his command over the elements of the earth.

This miracle is more fully narrated by Mark, to whose account, and our notes thereon, the reader is referred.

It may be proper here to note, however, that between the two accounts there is a difference in regard to the number of demoniacs dispossessed. Matthew mentions two; Mark and Luke note but one. Here is variation, but not contradiction. He who says there is two of course includes the one. He who mentions the one does not deny the other. The two evangelists doubtless specify the one which was the more bold and prominent. There was a second less marked, whom they pass over, but Matthew mentions.

Verse 27. What manner of man is this? &c. — Man is not in the original; and the text would have been better translated, What kind of person or being is this? potapov estin outov; for there was here an overwhelming manifestation of the glory and power of Christ’s Divine nature; though, like light from a parted cloud, it was quickly shrouded again in the veil of his humble condition and demeanour. Hence it is said by Mark, that the disciples “feared exceedingly;” and by Luke, that “they being afraid wondered.” — The danger was over, their fears as to that had subsided; but fear of another kind, a deep and amazing awe in the presence of Him who had just exhibited an attribute of omnipotence. The wonder was great but indefinite; it dazzled rather than enlightened them; but after the resurrection of their Lord they knew how to interpret the whole case. “The waters saw thee, O GOD, the waters saw thee, and were afraid; at thy rebuke they fled.” “Jehovah on high is mightier than the noise of many waters.”

V. 28. The country of the Gergesenes-Or of the Gadarenes-Gergesa and Gadara were towns near each other. Hence the country between them took its name, sometimes from the one, sometimes from the other. There met him two demoniacs-St. Mark and St. Luke mention only one, who was probably the fiercer of the two, and the person who spoke to our Lord first. But this is no way inconsistent with the account which St. Matthew gives.

The tombs-Doubtless those malevolent spirits love such tokens of death and destruction. Tombs were usually in those days in desert places, at a distance from towns, and were often made in the sides of caves, in the rocks and mountains.

No one could pass-Safely. Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26.

Verse 28. The country of the Gergesenes] This word is variously written in the MSS, and versions; Gergasenes, Gerasenes, Gadarenes, Gergesions, and Gersedonians, The three first are supported by the greater authorities. They might have all been names of the same place or district; but, if we depend on what Origen says, the people mentioned here could not have been the inhabitants of Gerasa, which, says he, is a city of Arabia, oute qalassan, oute limnhn plhsion econta, which has neither sea nor lake nigh to it. “Gadara was, according to Josephus, the metropolis of Perea, or the region beyond Jordan: both the city and villages belonging to it lay in the country of the Gergasenes; whence Christ going into the country of the Gadarenes, Mark 5:1, is said to go into the region of the Gergasenes, Matthew 8:28.” WHITBY.

Two possessed with devils] Persons possessed by evil demons. Mark and Luke mention only one demoniac, probably the fiercer of the two. Coming out of the tombs] It is pretty evident that cupolas were generally builded over the graves among the Jews, and that these demoniacs had their dwellings under such: the evil spirits which were in them delighting more in these abodes of desolation and ruin, as being more congenial to their fierce and diabolic nature, and therefore would drive the possessed into them.

Verse 28. And when he was come to the other side, &c. — This history is related by Mark 5:1-4, &c.; and by Luke 8:26, 27, more at large than here by Matthew: and they report it to be done in the country of the Gadarenes, who, it is evident, were the same people with those called here Gergesenes; Gadara and Gergesa being towns near each other, and the country between them taking its name indifferently from either place. There met him two possessed with devils — St. Mark and St. Luke mention only one, who was probably the fiercer of the two, and the person who spoke to our Lord first. But this is no way inconsistent with the account which St. Matthew gives. The tombs — Doubtless those malevolent spirits love such tokens of death and destruction. Tombs were usually in those days in desert places, at a distance from towns, and were often made in the sides of caves, in the rocks and mountains. No one could pass — Safely. And behold, they cried out — Namely, the devils, using the man’s tongue, What have we to do with thee — Why dost thou concern thyself about us? — It is a Hebrew phrase, made use of when men wish not to be troubled with the company or importunity of others. Jesus, thou Son of God — The devils knew him to be the Son of God, though the Jews would not believe that he was. Art thou come to torment us before the time — Before the great day of judgment?

Verse 28. Country of the Gergesenes. — Mark and Luke say, “the country of the Gadarenes; St. Matthew probably naming it from Gergesa, and the others from Gadara, which were near each other; but the ancient reading was probably twn Gadarhnwn, as in Mark and Luke.

Out of the tombs. — Tombs or sepulchres, not only among the Jews, but other easterns also, were often spacious subterranean caves excavated in the rock, and sometimes served as places of abode to those outcasts who were expelled from the habitations of men. A recent traveller, Mr. Light, visited the scene of this miracle and observes, “The tombs still exist in the form of caverns, in the sides of the hills that rise from the lake; and from their wild appearance may well be considered the habitations of men ‘exceeding fierce,’ possessed by devils. They extend to a distance of more than a mile from the present town.”

V. 29. What have we to do with thee-This is a Hebrew phrase, which signifies. Why do you concern yourself about us? 2 Samuel 16:10. Before the time-The great day.

Verse 29. What have we to do with thee] The literal translation of ti hmin kai soi, is, What is it to us and to thee; which perhaps might be understood to imply their disclaiming any design to interfere with the work of Christ, and that he should not therefore meddle with them; for it appears they exceedingly dreaded his power.

What have we to do with thee, is a Jewish phrase, which often occurs in the Old Testament, signifying an abrupt refusal of some request, or a wish not to be troubled with the company or importunity of others. Jehu said to the messenger who was sent by Joram to meet him, What hast thou to do with peace? David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Compare Judges 11:12; 2 Samuel 16:10; 2 Kings 9:18; Ezra 4:3; John 2:4. See Clarke’s note on “Mark 1:24”. Jesus, thou Son of God] Griesbach omits the word Jesus, on the authority of several MSS. of the greatest antiquity and respectability; besides some versions, and several of the fathers. I heartily concur with these MSS., &c., for this simple reason, among others, that the word Jesus, i.e. Saviour, was of too ominous an import to the Satanic interest to be used freely, in such a case, by any of his disciples or subalterns. Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?] From this it appears that a greater degree of punishment awaited these demons than they at that time endured; and that they knew there was a time determined by the Divine Judge, when they should be sent into greater torments.

Verse 29. What have we to do with thee? &c. — This phrase implies impatience at being troubled at the presence or interference of another. They apprehended, no doubt, that Christ would dispossess them; and they not only feared this, but that he might inflict upon them some signal punishment before their time; that is, before the day of judgment, when evil spirits and wicked men will receive their final and irreversible sentence. Future torment is the sad prospect of both. Let the still living sinner make haste to escape it.

V. 30. There was a herd of many swine-Which it was not lawful for the Jews to keep. Therefore our Lord both justly and mercifully permitted them to be destroyed.

Verse 30. A herd of many swine] These were in all probability Jewish property, and kept and used in express violation of the law of God; and therefore their destruction, in the next verse, was no more than a proper manifestation of the justice of God.

Verses 30-32. And there was a good way off from them — That is, at a considerable distance, although, it seems, within their view; a herd of many swine — Which it was not lawful for the Jews to keeps much less to eat: yet great numbers of them were bred up in that extreme part of the country, out of regard to the gain of such merchandise, for they sold them to the Roman soldiers, and other Gentiles, who were very numerous in these parts. So the devils besought him — For they were entirely in his power, and under his control; saying, if thou castest us out — Which they suspected he would do; suffer us to go into the herd of swine — By making this request the devils acknowledged that it was not in the power even of a legion of them to do any mischief to so contemptible a creature as a swine without Christ’s permission, far less could they destroy the man in whom they lodged. Indeed the whole of this history teaches us to rely on the providence of God, and not to live in fear of evil spirits. They are under the strictest restraint, and cannot hurt us without the divine permission. Mark says that they first besought him much, that he would not send them out of the country; and Luke, that he would not command them to go into the deep, eiv abusson, into the abyss, meaning, doubtless, the place where wicked spirits are punished. By requesting to be permitted to enter into the swine, “they doubtless proposed to prevent any good effect which the miracle of delivering the men from their power might have had on the Gadarenes, and to render Christ odious to that wicked people.” Their design could not be hid from Jesus, nevertheless he granted their request, “not only because he knew it would render the miracle more public, but because it would prove the reality of the possession, and make men understand both how great the power of evil spirits is, and how terrible the effects of their malice would be, if they were not restrained. For no sooner was the permission granted, than the keepers, who were with the swine, and the disciples, who were at a distance, beheld, to their great astonishment, the whole herd running furiously down the mountains, and leaping from the tops of the rocks into the sea, where they were drowned, to the number of two thousand; while the possessed furious madmen became all of a sudden meek and composed, having recovered the entire use of their reason, the first exercise of which doubtless would lead them to a high admiration of his goodness, who had delivered them from the oppression of the devil. Jesus might permit the devils thus to fall on the herd as a punishment also to the Gadarenes for keeping swine, which were a snare to the Jews, and to make trial of their disposition, whether they would be more affected with the loss of their cattle, than with the recovery of the men, and the doctrine of the kingdom. Whatever were the reasons, it is certain that, though he might rightfully have used all men’s properties as he pleased, yet this, and the withering of the barren fig-tree, are the only instances wherein man suffered the least damage by any thing our Lord ever did. However, neither the owners of the herd nor of the fig-tree could justly complain of their loss, since the good of mankind, not in that period and corner only, but in every succeeding age, through all countries, has been so highly promoted at such a trifling expense to them.” “No miracles are more suspicious than pretended dispossessions, as there is so much room for collusion in them; but it was self-evident that a herd of swine could not be confederates in any fraud: their death, therefore, in this instructive and convincing circumstance, was ten thousand times a greater blessing to mankind than if they had been slain for food, as was intended.” — See Macknight and Doddridge.

Verse 30. A herd of swine feeding. — The Jews were forbidden to eat swine’s flesh; but the baser sort of them, for gain, would often breed these animals to sell to foreigners, which was probably the case here, as this part of the country had many Gentiles residing in it. Such Jews were, however, detested by their brethren: hence their rabbins say, “Cursed be the man that bringeth up hogs and dogs!” It was no doubt to punish these degenerate Jews that our Lord suffered the swine to be destroyed by the demons: and as to the question of property, they could have no legal right in such animals; for, by a law made in the time of Hyrcanus, the Jews were forbidden to keep any swine in their country, which, with all other of their country laws in force in the time of Hyrcanus, as we learn from Josephus, Augustus commanded by an edict to be respected by the Roman governors. — No injustice was therefore done them. Gadara, however, as we learn from Josephus, was so much inhabited by Gentiles as to be popularly called a Grecian city; and, as such, was annexed by Augustus to Syria. Here, then, a regular market for swine’s flesh was at hand; and this was a temptation to gain which many of the Jewish inhabitants could not resist.

So the devils besought him. — St. Luke mentions but one possessed man, confining his attention, probably, to him with whom our Lord spoke; but he also states the devils to be numerous: “What is thy name? And he said, Legion; because many devils had entered into him.”

This history is decisive against those who would resolve the possessions mentioned in the New Testament into cases of madness. For here the whole conversation is evidently carried on, not with the afflicted men themselves, but with some other beings using their organs. For, could these men, if mere lunatics, have known our Lord? Or, if they knew his person, which is unlikely, how should they know him to be the Son of God, and give him his most appropriate designation? What could insane men mean by being tormented before their time? Or how could they impel the swine into the sea, when they remained still present with Christ, perfectly cured, as appears from St. Luke? Such forced attempts at interpretation, in compliment to the proud but vain philosophy of man, more become an infidel than a professed Christian expositor. On the contrary, the circumstances of this miracle appear to have been minutely recorded in order to demonstrate the reality of these possessions. The devils being permitted to enter the herd of swine, while the men they had before possessed remained at the feet of Christ, calm and still, was a visible proof that a number of distinct though invisible beings had previously employed their malignant agency upon the subjects of our Lord’s mercy, but who were rebuked and driven away.

V. 31. He said, Go-A word of permission only, not command.

Verse 31. Suffer us to go away] epitreyon hmin apelqein: this is the common reading; but aposteilon hmav, send us away, appears more likely to be genuine. This latter reading Griesbach has adopted, on the authority of three ancient MSS., the Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Syriac, all the Arabic, Saxon, most of the Itala, and the Vulgate. Send us away seems to express more fully the absolute power Jesus Christ had over them-permission alone was not sufficient; the very power by which they were to go away, must come from Christ himself! How vain was the boast of Satan, Matthew 4:9, when we find he could not possess the body of one of the vilest animals that God has made, without immediate authority from the Most High! Since a demon cannot enter even into a swine without being sent by God himself, how little is the power or malice of any of them to be dreaded by those who have God for their portion and protector!

Verses 30-32. And there was a good way off from them — That is, at a considerable distance, although, it seems, within their view; a herd of many swine — Which it was not lawful for the Jews to keeps much less to eat: yet great numbers of them were bred up in that extreme part of the country, out of regard to the gain of such merchandise, for they sold them to the Roman soldiers, and other Gentiles, who were very numerous in these parts. So the devils besought him — For they were entirely in his power, and under his control; saying, if thou castest us out — Which they suspected he would do; suffer us to go into the herd of swine — By making this request the devils acknowledged that it was not in the power even of a legion of them to do any mischief to so contemptible a creature as a swine without Christ’s permission, far less could they destroy the man in whom they lodged. Indeed the whole of this history teaches us to rely on the providence of God, and not to live in fear of evil spirits. They are under the strictest restraint, and cannot hurt us without the divine permission. Mark says that they first besought him much, that he would not send them out of the country; and Luke, that he would not command them to go into the deep, eiv abusson, into the abyss, meaning, doubtless, the place where wicked spirits are punished. By requesting to be permitted to enter into the swine, “they doubtless proposed to prevent any good effect which the miracle of delivering the men from their power might have had on the Gadarenes, and to render Christ odious to that wicked people.” Their design could not be hid from Jesus, nevertheless he granted their request, “not only because he knew it would render the miracle more public, but because it would prove the reality of the possession, and make men understand both how great the power of evil spirits is, and how terrible the effects of their malice would be, if they were not restrained. For no sooner was the permission granted, than the keepers, who were with the swine, and the disciples, who were at a distance, beheld, to their great astonishment, the whole herd running furiously down the mountains, and leaping from the tops of the rocks into the sea, where they were drowned, to the number of two thousand; while the possessed furious madmen became all of a sudden meek and composed, having recovered the entire use of their reason, the first exercise of which doubtless would lead them to a high admiration of his goodness, who had delivered them from the oppression of the devil. Jesus might permit the devils thus to fall on the herd as a punishment also to the Gadarenes for keeping swine, which were a snare to the Jews, and to make trial of their disposition, whether they would be more affected with the loss of their cattle, than with the recovery of the men, and the doctrine of the kingdom. Whatever were the reasons, it is certain that, though he might rightfully have used all men’s properties as he pleased, yet this, and the withering of the barren fig-tree, are the only instances wherein man suffered the least damage by any thing our Lord ever did. However, neither the owners of the herd nor of the fig-tree could justly complain of their loss, since the good of mankind, not in that period and corner only, but in every succeeding age, through all countries, has been so highly promoted at such a trifling expense to them.” “No miracles are more suspicious than pretended dispossessions, as there is so much room for collusion in them; but it was self-evident that a herd of swine could not be confederates in any fraud: their death, therefore, in this instructive and convincing circumstance, was ten thousand times a greater blessing to mankind than if they had been slain for food, as was intended.” — See Macknight and Doddridge.

Ver. 31. Suffer us to go into the herd of swine. The ejection of the devil was an action peculiar to Christ; whereas to force them into the swine, our Saviour had no occasion. The devils themselves begged for this, and were able of their own strength to perform it, provided no superior power gave them obstruction. This made Christ restrain a power which he had in himself to hinder them, probably for weighty reasons. In the place where this scene was exhibited, great numbers of jews and greeks promiscuously inhabited. The latter ridiculed the jewish rites, especially their abstaining from swine’s flesh, which they looked upon as a device of human superstition. Christ’s permitting the devils to enter the swine, evidently showed the greeks that the jewish religion was agreeable to the command of God; and at the same time, acquainted those jews who were too curious in imitating the grecian customs, with the mystic sense of the law, that such amongst them as abandoned themselves to the pursuit of filthy and unlawful pleasures were not pleasing to God, but were the slaves of the devil. St. Athanasius, in the life of St. Antonius, has words to this effect: “The greatest malice that devils can create in themselves, has no influence over swine; much more is their authority over man, who is formed after God’s own image, restrained; so that it is our duty to stand in awe of God only, and not to be fearful of them.” The word “go” is not the word of one commanding, but permitting, as appears from the Greek text in this place, and also from the Vulgate. Mark 5:13, and Luke 8:32. And this permission Christ gave to the devils, to discover the height of their malice and malignity, with a view to spread the fame of the miracle he did to a greater distance, and show the devils themselves the largeness of that kindness he had conferred upon them with regard to their liberty.

Verse 32. They went into the herd of swine] Instead of thn agelhn twn coirwn, the herd of swine, Griesbach reads touv coirouv, the swine, on the authority of many MSS. and versions.

The whole herd of swine] twn coirwn, of swine, is omitted by many MSS. and versions. See Griesbach, and See Clarke on “Luke 8:20”, &c.

Ran violently down a steep place, &c.] The prayer of these demons is heard and answered! Strange! But let it be noted, that God only hears demons and certain sinners when their prayer is the echo of his own justice. Here is an emblem of the final impenitence and ruin into which the swinish sinners, the habitually unpure, more commonly fall than other sinners. Christ permits the demons to do that in the swine which he did not permit them to do in the possessed, on purpose to show us what rage they would exercise on us if left to their liberty and malice. Many are the Divine favours which we do not consider, or know only in general. “But the owners of the swine lost their property.” Yes; and learn from this of how small value temporal riches, are in the estimation of God. He suffers them to be lost, sometimes to disengage us from them through mercy; sometimes out of justice, to punish us for having acquired or preserved them either by covetousness or injustice.

Verses 30-32. And there was a good way off from them — That is, at a considerable distance, although, it seems, within their view; a herd of many swine — Which it was not lawful for the Jews to keeps much less to eat: yet great numbers of them were bred up in that extreme part of the country, out of regard to the gain of such merchandise, for they sold them to the Roman soldiers, and other Gentiles, who were very numerous in these parts. So the devils besought him — For they were entirely in his power, and under his control; saying, if thou castest us out — Which they suspected he would do; suffer us to go into the herd of swine — By making this request the devils acknowledged that it was not in the power even of a legion of them to do any mischief to so contemptible a creature as a swine without Christ’s permission, far less could they destroy the man in whom they lodged. Indeed the whole of this history teaches us to rely on the providence of God, and not to live in fear of evil spirits. They are under the strictest restraint, and cannot hurt us without the divine permission. Mark says that they first besought him much, that he would not send them out of the country; and Luke, that he would not command them to go into the deep, eiv abusson, into the abyss, meaning, doubtless, the place where wicked spirits are punished. By requesting to be permitted to enter into the swine, “they doubtless proposed to prevent any good effect which the miracle of delivering the men from their power might have had on the Gadarenes, and to render Christ odious to that wicked people.” Their design could not be hid from Jesus, nevertheless he granted their request, “not only because he knew it would render the miracle more public, but because it would prove the reality of the possession, and make men understand both how great the power of evil spirits is, and how terrible the effects of their malice would be, if they were not restrained. For no sooner was the permission granted, than the keepers, who were with the swine, and the disciples, who were at a distance, beheld, to their great astonishment, the whole herd running furiously down the mountains, and leaping from the tops of the rocks into the sea, where they were drowned, to the number of two thousand; while the possessed furious madmen became all of a sudden meek and composed, having recovered the entire use of their reason, the first exercise of which doubtless would lead them to a high admiration of his goodness, who had delivered them from the oppression of the devil. Jesus might permit the devils thus to fall on the herd as a punishment also to the Gadarenes for keeping swine, which were a snare to the Jews, and to make trial of their disposition, whether they would be more affected with the loss of their cattle, than with the recovery of the men, and the doctrine of the kingdom. Whatever were the reasons, it is certain that, though he might rightfully have used all men’s properties as he pleased, yet this, and the withering of the barren fig-tree, are the only instances wherein man suffered the least damage by any thing our Lord ever did. However, neither the owners of the herd nor of the fig-tree could justly complain of their loss, since the good of mankind, not in that period and corner only, but in every succeeding age, through all countries, has been so highly promoted at such a trifling expense to them.” “No miracles are more suspicious than pretended dispossessions, as there is so much room for collusion in them; but it was self-evident that a herd of swine could not be confederates in any fraud: their death, therefore, in this instructive and convincing circumstance, was ten thousand times a greater blessing to mankind than if they had been slain for food, as was intended.” — See Macknight and Doddridge.

Verse 33. And they that kept them fled] Terrified at what had happened to the swine.

Verses 33, 34. They that kept them — went into the city, and told every thing — And also in the country, Luke 8:34. They circumstantially related what had happened to the two demoniacs, and how the demons had been ejected from them. And the whole city came out to meet Jesus — Their curiosity was excited, and they went out in crowds to see what was done, and to satisfy themselves, on the testimony of their own senses, as to the truth of so unparalleled a fact. And when they saw him — And observed the demoniacs sitting at his feet, clothed, and in their right minds: (the disciples having, it seems, charitably supplied them with such upper garments as they could spare,) they perceived how great Christ’s power was, and were exceedingly afraid, having trespassed in the matter of the swine, which was an unclean food; or, if the herd belonged to the Syrian inhabitants of the town, they might know the law, and consequently, taking the destruction of their cattle as a rebuke, they could not but dread further punishment from this prophet of the Jews, who was come to vindicate the neglected institutions of Moses; and therefore besought him that he would depart out of their coasts — For they loved their swine better than their souls! And are not many of the same mind? And Jesus, who never forced his company on those who were so insensible of its value as not to desire it, nor wrought miracles of healing without being asked, went into the ship and returned back again, Luke 8:37. Thus the destruction of the swine had the effect which the devils proposed. The men, however, who had been possessed by the demons, but were now delivered, and in their right minds, and, no doubt, full of the praises of Jesus, remained in the country, by his direction, to be living witnesses of his power and goodness, and of the stupidity and ingratitude of these Gadarenes. Mark 5:19.

V. 34. They besought him to depart out of their coasts-They loved their swine so much better than their souls! How many are of the same mind!

Verse 34. The whole city came out] Probably with the intention to destroy Jesus for having destroyed their swine; but, having seen him, they were awed by his presence; and only besought him to depart from their borders. Many rather chose to lose Jesus Christ than those temporal goods by which they gratify their passions at the expense of their souls. They love even their swine better than their salvation.

Certain doctors in both sciences, divinity and physic, gravely tell us that these demoniacs were only common madmen, and that the disease was supposed, by the superstitious Jews, to be occasioned by demons. But, with due deference to great characters, may not a plain man be permitted to ask, by what figure of speech can it be said that “two diseases besought-went out-filled a herd of swine-rushed down a precipice?” &c. What silly trifling is this! Some people’s creeds will neither permit God nor the devil to work; and, in several respects, hardly to exist. For he who denies Divine inspiration, will scarcely acknowledge diabolic influence. See Clarke’s note on “Matthew 8:16”, and See Clarke on “Luke 7:21”.

It is said, The whole city came out to meet Jesus. This means no more than all the inhabitants of that place, which, most probably, was no more than a small country village; or perhaps but a few houses. I have observed that the inhabitants of the Zetland Isles, in the North Seas, denominate any collection of houses a town, even where there are but three or four: and thus I think that the Jews denominated their villages, often calling them cities.

ST. MATTHEW

Verses 33, 34. They that kept them — went into the city, and told every thing — And also in the country, Luke 8:34. They circumstantially related what had happened to the two demoniacs, and how the demons had been ejected from them. And the whole city came out to meet Jesus — Their curiosity was excited, and they went out in crowds to see what was done, and to satisfy themselves, on the testimony of their own senses, as to the truth of so unparalleled a fact. And when they saw him — And observed the demoniacs sitting at his feet, clothed, and in their right minds: (the disciples having, it seems, charitably supplied them with such upper garments as they could spare,) they perceived how great Christ’s power was, and were exceedingly afraid, having trespassed in the matter of the swine, which was an unclean food; or, if the herd belonged to the Syrian inhabitants of the town, they might know the law, and consequently, taking the destruction of their cattle as a rebuke, they could not but dread further punishment from this prophet of the Jews, who was come to vindicate the neglected institutions of Moses; and therefore besought him that he would depart out of their coasts — For they loved their swine better than their souls! And are not many of the same mind? And Jesus, who never forced his company on those who were so insensible of its value as not to desire it, nor wrought miracles of healing without being asked, went into the ship and returned back again, Luke 8:37. Thus the destruction of the swine had the effect which the devils proposed. The men, however, who had been possessed by the demons, but were now delivered, and in their right minds, and, no doubt, full of the praises of Jesus, remained in the country, by his direction, to be living witnesses of his power and goodness, and of the stupidity and ingratitude of these Gadarenes. Mark 5:19.

Verse 34. Depart out of their coasts. — They seem to have considered this destruction of the herd of swine, which, being large, probably belonged to many proprietors, as a punishment for their violation of the law; and because they feared other judgments, and yet were not brought to repentance, they besought even the world’s Redeemer to depart from them! Thus the language of the obstinately wicked to Christ, like that of the devils themselves, was, “What have we to do with thee?” “Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.” See notes on Mark 5:1, &c. and Luke 8:26.