_CHRIST CURETH ONE SICK OF THE PALSY; CALLETH MATTHEW FROM THE RECEIPT
OF CUSTOM; EATETH WITH PUBLICANS AND SINNERS; DEFENDETH HIS DISCIPLES
FOR NOT FASTING; CURETH THE BLOODY ISSUE, RAISETH FROM DEATH JAIRUS'S
DAUGHTER, GIVETH SIGHT TO TWO BLIND MEN, HEALETH A DUMB MAN POSSESSED
OF A DEVIL, AND HAT... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE ENTERED INTO A SHIP— _And returning into a vessel, he crossed
the lake, and came to his own city_ [of Capernaum, where he had dwelt
after his leaving Nazareth] Matthew 9:2 _where they brought to him a
paralytic lying on a bed; and Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the
paralytic, Have confide... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHEN THE MULTITUDE SAW IT— The _people_ were struck with a high
degree of surprise, mixed with admiration. What was to the _Scribes_
an occasion of blasphemy, proved to them an incitement to praise and
bless; _they glorified God, who had given such power to men;_ power
not only to heal diseases,... [ Continue Reading ]
AS JESUS PASSED—THENCE, HE SAW A MAN, &C.— St. Luke, in the
parallel place, calls St. Matthew a _publican,_ which was a very
odious name among the Jews, as the employment was attended with so
much corruption and temptation, that there were but few honest men
supposed to be engaged in it. They were g... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS— Matthew, thinking himself highly honoured by
the call of Jesus, made an entertainment for his Master, who did not
refuse to partake of it: at the same time he invited as many of his
brother publicans as he could, hoping that Christ's conversation might
bring them to repentance.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THE PHARISEES SAW IT— See on Matthew 9:9. Instead of
_whole,_ we may read _well._ The Pharisees did not indeed direct their
discourse to Jesus; but having spoken so loud as to let all the guests
hear their censure, he could not avoid meekly puttingthem in mind,
that it is sick people only w... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME TO HIM THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN— Dr. Campbell translates the
16th and 17th verses thus: _Nobody mendeth an old garment with
undressed cloth; else the patch itself teareth the garment, and maketh
a greater rent. Neither do people put new wine into old leathern
bottles; otherwise the bottles bu... [ Continue Reading ]
WHILE HE SPAKE— As St. Mark has given us the history of these two
extraordinary miracles so much more circumstantially than St. Matthew,
we shall postpone our observations upon them till we come to Mark
5:22. See also Luke 8:41. Dr. Campbell renders the verse, _While he
was speaking, a ruler came, a... [ Continue Reading ]
IF, &C.— _If I can,_ &c. _I shall be cured._ The original
σωθησομαι, is, literally, _I shall be saved;_ Dr. Doddridge
renders it, _I shall be recovered;_ and he observes that there are
many other places in which the word is used in the same sense; as
certainly it may with great propriety be applied... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MINSTRELS— The _musicians_ or _pipers,_ Heylin; the _players on
the flute,_ Beausobre and Lenfant. It was the custom among the Jews to
have musical instruments at funerals, whereon mournful tunes were
played. See Jeremiah 48:5; Jeremiah 48:36.
Some learned authors observe, that the _trumpet_ wa... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SON OF DAVID, &C.— _Son of David_ was one of the names then
ascribed by the Jews to the Messiah. See ch. Matthew 12:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
BELIEVE YE THAT I AM ABLE, &C.— See the note on Mark 9:23 where the
reasons of proposing this question before the cure, and of conferring
the cure in this form or expression, are assigned.... [ Continue Reading ]
STRAITLY CHARGED— _Strictly._ Campbell.... [ Continue Reading ]
A DUMB MAN, &C.— _A dumb demoniac._ Campbell. From the circumstance
of the demoniac's being dumb, Erasmus conjectures, that he was also
deprived of the use of his reason: if so, being insensible of his own
misery, he had as little inclination as ability to apply for a cure.
He could not even make hi... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE THEY FAINTED— The original εκλελυμενοι, denotes
here a kind of _faintness;_ the weakness which is caused by hunger and
weariness. See ch. Matthew 15:32.Hebrews 12:3. Thereare
notwithstanding several Greek manuscripts which read, as does also the
Vulgate, _weary, fatigued._ These multitudes c... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HARVEST TRULY IS PLENTEOUS— The multitude that followed Jesus,
and expressed so earnest a desire of receiving his instruction, gave
him an occasion of making this reflection. He compares Judaea and the
neighbouring countries to fields covered with ripe corn, where nothing
was wanting but reapers... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT HE WILL SEND FORTH— The original word εκβαλη plainly
imports some degree of force. Dr. Doddridge therefore very properly
translates and paraphrases the passage thus: _Therefore_ let me urge
you to _make your_ "importunate _supplications to the_ great _Lord_
and _Master of the harvest,_ that _he... [ Continue Reading ]