_He came into his own city_ Namely, Capernaum. _And they brought him a man sick of the palsy_ The history of this miracle is related Mark 2:1, and Luke 5:18, with more circumstances than are here mentioned by Matthew, which passages the reader is therefore desired to consult, for the further elucida... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, certain of the scribes_, (Luke adds, _and Pharisees,_) _said within themselves_ That is, in their hearts, _This man blasphemeth_ Attributing to himself a power (that of forgiving sins) which belongs to God only. _And Jesus, knowing their thoughts_, which, it appears, they did not openly dec... [ Continue Reading ]
_And as Jesus passed from thence_ That is, from the house in which the paralytic had been cured, _he saw a man named Matthew_ Modestly so called by himself: the other evangelists call him by his more honourable name, _Levi; setting at the receipt of custom_ In the very height of his business. The ex... [ Continue Reading ]
_As Jesus sat at meat in the house_ Namely, of Matthew, (see Mark 2:15,) who, being desirous at once to show his respects to Christ, and to give his former companions and acquaintance an opportunity of enjoying his instructive conversation, made a great entertainment for him, Luke 5:29. _And many pu... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then_ While he was at table, _came to him the disciples of John_, with those of the Pharisees, Mark 2:18; _saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often_ Have frequently our days of solemn devotion, in which we fast, and offer up to God many prayers and supplications? _but thy disciples fast not_... [ Continue Reading ]
_No man putteth a piece of new cloth_, &c. Our Lord, having assigned one reason why he did not enjoin his disciples to fast, namely, because it was not a proper time for it, now proceeds to give another. They were not ripe, or prepared for it, nor could have borne such severe injunctions. As if he h... [ Continue Reading ]
_While he spake these things_ Namely, in Matthew's house, _behold, there came a certain ruler_ The rulers, in general, were Christ's bitterest enemies; yet there were some of them of a different character: John 12:42. In particular, this ruler must have had a very favourable opinion of Jesus, and in... [ Continue Reading ]
_And, behold, a woman which was diseased_ According to the circumstances of her disease, as mentioned by Mark and Luke, it was incurable by any human power, and she herself knew it to be so, having been afflicted with it for twelve years, and tried the skill of many physicians, probably of all that... [ Continue Reading ]
_When Jesus came into the ruler's house_ It appears from the parallel places in Mark and Luke, that while Jesus spake the last-mentioned words to the woman healed by touching his garment, a messenger came from the ruler's house to inform him that his daughter, whom he had left at the point of death,... [ Continue Reading ]
_He said unto them, Give place_ Mark, whose narrative is more particular, says, _When he was come in_, namely, into the house, _he said unto them, Why make ye this ado and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth._ As the company at the ruler's house, when Jesus entered it, were employed in making... [ Continue Reading ]
_When the people were put forth_ Namely, the mourners, who, having expressed the dispositions mentioned above, were not worthy to behold the miracle; _he went in_ Namely, into the chamber where the corpse was lying, accompanied by none but the three disciples above mentioned, and the father and moth... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when Jesus departed thence_ Namely, from the ruler's house; _two blind men_, who probably had heard of his being there, and waited for his coming out; _followed him_ As he went through the streets, _crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us_ The title which they here give him, sho... [ Continue Reading ]
_As they went out_ Namely, the men that had been blind; _behold, they brought to him a dumb man_ Whose dumbness was owing to his being _possessed with a devil._ From the circumstance of this demoniac's being dumb, Erasmus conjectures that he was also deprived of the use of his reason. If so, being i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus went about all the cities, teaching in their synagogues_ See on Matthew 4:23. _When he saw the multitude he was moved with compassion_ Having come from heaven to earth to seek and save lost sinners, he was affected to see such multitudes desirous of instruction, and yet destitute of it, and i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then saith he to his disciples_ To quicken their devotion and zeal, _The harvest_ Namely, of souls to be gathered in, _is plenteous_ The multitudes that followed Jesus, and expressed so earnest a desire of receiving his instructions, gave him occasion of making this reflection. He compared Judea an... [ Continue Reading ]