1. MATTHEW 8 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE Jesus Heals a Man
With Leprosy 1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large
crowds followed him. BAR ES, "When he was come down from the
mountain - That is, immediately on his descending from the
mountain. His discourse had attracted great attention, and the fame
of it drew together great multitudes, who were convinced that he
had come from God. Then follows, in this chapter and the chapter
succeeding, a succession of miracles not less remarkable than his
teaching was; miracles that tended to confirm beyond a doubt the
impression made by his sermon that he was sent from God. Great
multitudes followed him - Great numbers of those who had been with
him in the mountain, and great numbers of others who were attracted
by the fame of that discourse. CLARKE, "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. GILL, "When he
was come down from the mountain,.... Into which he went up, and
preached the sermon recorded in the "three" preceding chapters:
great multitudes followed him: which is mentioned, partly to shew,
that the people which came from several parts, still continued with
him, being affected with his discourses and miracles; and partly on
account of the following miracle, of healing the leper, which was
not done in a corner, but before great multitudes, who were
witnesses of it: though some think this miracle was wrought more
privately. HE RY 1-4, "The first verse refers to the close of the
foregoing sermon: the people that heard him were astonished at his
doctrine; and the effect was, that when he came down from the
mountain, great multitudes followed him; though he was so strict a
Lawgiver, and so faithful a Reprover, they diligently attended him,
and were loth to disperse, and go from him. Note, They to whom
Christ has manifested himself, cannot 2. but desire to be better
acquainted with him. They who know much of Christ should covet to
know more; and then shall we know, if we thus follow on to know the
Lord. It is pleasing to see people so well affected to Christ, as
to think they can never hear enough of him; so well affected to the
best things, as thus to flock after good preaching, and to follow
the Lamb withersoever he goes. Now was Jacob's prophecy concerning
the Messiah fulfilled, that unto him shall the gathering of the
people be; yet they who gathered to him did not cleave to him. They
who followed him closely and constantly were but few, compared with
the multitudes that were but followers at large. In these verses we
have an account of Christ's cleansing a leper. It should seem, by
comparing Mar_1:40, and Luk_5:12, that this passage, though placed,
by St. Matthew, after the sermon on the mount, because he would
give account of his doctrine first, and then of his miracles,
happened some time before; but that is not at all material. This is
fitly recorded with the first of Christ's miracles, 1. Because the
leprosy was looked upon, among the Jews, as a particular mark of
God's displeasure: hence we find Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah,
smitten with leprosy for some one particular sin; and therefore
Christ, to show that he came to turn away the wrath of God, by
taking away sin, began with the cure of a leper. 2. Because this
disease, as it was supposed to come immediately from the hand of
God, so also it was supposed to be removed immediately by his hand,
and therefore it was not attempted to be cured by physicians, but
was put under the inspection of the priests, the Lord's ministers,
who waited to see what God would do. And its being in a garment, or
in the walls of a house, was altogether supernatural: and it should
seem to be a disease of a quite different nature from what we now
call the leprosy. The king of Israel said, Am I God, that I am sent
to, to recover a man of a leprosy? 2Ki_5:7. Christ proved himself
God, by recovering many from the leprosy, and authorizing his
disciples, in his name, to do so too (Mat_10:8), and it is put
among the proofs of his being the Messiah, Mat_11:5. He also showed
himself to be the Saviour of his people from their sins; for though
every disease is both the fruit of sin, and a figure of it, as the
disorder of the soul, yet the leprosy was in a special manner so;
for it contracted such a pollution, and obliged to such a
separation from holy things, as no other disease did; and therefore
in the laws concerning it (Lev. 13 and 14), it is treated, not as a
sickness, but as an uncleanness; the priest was to pronounce the
party clean or unclean, according to the indications: but the
honour of making the lepers clean was reserved for Christ, who was
to do it as the High Priest of our profession; he comes to do that
which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,
Rom_8:3. The law discovered sin (for by the law is the knowledge of
sin), and pronounced sinners unclean; it shut them up (Gal_3:23),
as the priest did the leper, but could go no further; it could not
make the comers thereunto perfect. But Christ takes away sin;
cleanses us from it, and so perfecteth for ever them that are
sanctified. Now here we have, I. The leper's address to Christ. If
this happened, as it is here placed, after the sermon on the mount,
we may suppose that the leper, though shut out by his disease from
the cities of Israel, yet got within hearing of Christ's sermon,
and was encouraged by it to make his application to him; for he
that taught as one having authority, could heal so; and therefore
he came and worshipped him, as one clothed with a divine power. His
address is, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. The
cleaning of him may be considered, 1. As a temporal mercy; a mercy
to the body, delivering it from a disease, which, though it did not
threaten life, embittered it. And so it directs us, not only to
apply ourselves to Christ, who has power over bodily diseases, for
the cure of them, but it also teaches us in what manner to apply
ourselves to him; with an assurance of his power, believing that he
is as able to cure diseases now, as he was when on earth, but with
a 3. submission to his will; Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. As to
temporal mercies, we cannot be so sure of God's will to bestow
them, as we may of his power, for his power in them is unlimited by
a regard to his glory and our good: when we cannot be sure of his
will, we may be sure of his wisdom and mercy, to which we may
cheerfully refer ourselves; Thy will be done: and this makes the
expectation easy, and the event, when it comes, comfortable. 2. As
a typical mercy. Sin is the leprosy of the soul; it shuts us out
from communion with God, to which that we maybe restored, it is
necessary that we be cleansed from this leprosy, and this ought to
be our great concern. Now observe, It is our comfort when we apply
ourselves to Christ, as the great Physician, that if he will, he
can make us clean; and we should, with an humble, believing
boldness, go to him and tell him so. That is, (1.) We must rest
ourselves upon his power; we must be confident of this, that Christ
can make us clean. No guilt is so great but that there is a
sufficiency in his righteousness to atone for it; no corruption so
strong, but there is a sufficiency in his grace to subdue it. God
would not appoint a physician to his hospital that is not par
negotio - every way qualified for the undertaking. (2.) We must
recommend ourselves to his pity; we cannot demand it as a debt, but
we must humbly request it as a favour; Lord, if thou wilt. I throw
myself at thy feet, and if I perish, I will perish there. II.
Christ's answer to this address, which was very kind, Mat_8:3. 1.
He put forth his hand and touched him. The leprosy was a noisome,
loathsome disease, yet Christ touched him; for he did not disdain
to converse with publicans and sinners, to do them good. There was
a ceremonial pollution contracted by the touch of a leper; but
Christ would show, that when he conversed with sinners, he was in
no danger of being infected by them, for the prince of this world
had nothing in him. If we touch pitch, we are defiled; but Christ
was separate from sinners, even when he lived among them. 2. He
said, I will, be thou clean. He did not say, as Elisha to Naaman,
Go, wash in Jordan; did not put him upon a tedious, troublesome,
chargeable course of a physic, but spake the word and healed him.
(1.) Here is a word of kindness, I will; I am as willing to help
thee, as thou art to be helped. Note, They who by faith apply
themselves to Christ for mercy and grace, may be sure that he is
willing, freely willing, to give them the mercy and grace they come
to him for. Christ is a Physician, that does not need to be sought
for, he is always in the way; does not need to be urged, while we
are yet speaking, he hears; does not need to be feed, he heals
freely, not for price nor reward. he has given all possible
demonstration, that he is as willing as he is able to save sinners.
(2.) A word of power, Be thou clean. Both a power of authority, and
a power of energy, are exerted in this word. Christ heals by a word
of command to us; Be thou clean; Be willing to be clean, and use
the means; cleanse thyself from all filthiness; but there goes
along with this a word of command concerning us, a word that does
the work; I will that thou be clean. Such a word as this is
necessary to the cure, and effectual for it; and the Almighty grace
which speaks it, shall not be wanting to those who truly desire it.
III. The happy change hereby wrought: Immediately his leprosy was
cleansed. Nature works gradually, but the God of nature works
immediately; he speaks it, it is done; and yet he works
effectually; he commands, and it stands fast. One of the first
miracles Moses wrought, was curing himself of a leprosy (Exo_4:7),
for the priests under the law offered sacrifices first for their
own sin; but one of Christ's first miracles was curing another of
leprosy, for he had no sin of his own to atone for. IV. The after -
directions Christ gave him. It is fit that they who are cured by
Christ should ever after be ruled by him. 4. 1. See thou tell no
man; Tell no man till thou has shown thyself to the priest, and he
has pronounced thee clean; and so thou hast a legal proof, both
that thou wast before a leper, and art now thoroughly cleansed.
Christ would have his miracles to appear in their full light and
evidence, and not to be published till they could appear so. Note,
They that preach the truths of Christ should be able to prove them;
to defend what they preach, and convince gainsayers. Tell no man,
till thou hast showed thyself to the priest, lest if he hear who
cured thee, he should out of spite deny to give thee a certificate
of the cure, and so keep thee under confinement. Such were the
priests in Christ's time, that they who had any thing to do with
them had need to have been as wise as serpents. 2. Go show thyself
to the priest, according to the law, Lev_14:2. Christ took care to
have the law observed, lest he should give offence, and to show
that he will have order kept up, and good discipline and respect
paid to those that are in office. It may be of use to those that
are cleansed of their spiritual leprosy, to have recourse to
Christ's ministers, and to open their case to them, that they may
assist them in their enquiries into their spiritual state, and
advise, and comfort, and pray for them. 3. Offer the gift that
Moses commanded, in token of thankfulness to God, and recompence to
the priest for his pains; and this for a testimony unto them;
either, (1.) Which Moses commanded for a testimony: the ceremonial
laws were testimonies of God's authority over them, care of them,
and of that grace which should afterwards be revealed. Or, (2.) Do
thou offer it for a testimony, and let the priest know who cleansed
thee, and how; and it shall be a testimony, that there is one among
them who does that which the high priest cannot do. Let it remain
upon record as a witness of my power, and a testimony for me to
them, if they will use it and improve it; but against them, if they
will not: for so Christ's word and works are testimonies. JAMISO ,
"Mat_8:1-4. Healing of a leper. ( = Mar_1:40-45; Luk_5:12-16). The
time of this miracle seems too definitely fixed here to admit of
our placing it where it stands in Mark and Luke, in whose Gospels
no such precise note of time is given. When he was come down from
the mountain, great multitudes followed him. CALVI , "Matthew
8:1.And when he had come down from the mountain Matthew now returns
to the course of the history. He had formerly said, that Christ
went up into a mountain, (verse 1) then he threw, as it were, into
one heap, many leading points of the doctrine of Christ; and now he
adds that, about the time when he preached on the mountain, he
healed a certain leper The same event is related by Mark and Luke,
though they do not mention the time. It was a striking display of
the divine power of Christ, that, by his word alone and a touch of
his hand, he suddenly cleansed the mans leprosy. ow, though leprosy
was a different kind of disease from elephantiasis, (488) ( ,) it
is plain enough that it was difficult to cure. When it had CO TI
UED long and become deeply seated, it rarely happened that any
person recovered. Granting that physicians might, by their
professional skill, have given some relief, it is manifest that
there was nothing human about this miracle. COFFMA , "And when he
was come down from the mountain, great multitudes 5. followed him.
(Matthew 8:1) The first result of the Sermon on the Mount was to
establish the popularity of Jesus on a vast scale. To be sure, it
did not occur to the great multitudes that followed him that the
strict principles he advocated would, in fact, be rejected by the
vast majority of them who so eagerly followed. BE SO , ". 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 Christs
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 HEALI G 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. BARCLAY, "LOVE I ACTIO (Matthew 8:1-34) Of all the gospel
writers Matthew is the most orderly. He never sets out his material
haphazardly. If in Matthew one thing follows another in a certain
sequence, there is always a reason for that sequence; and it is so
here. In Matthew 5:1-48; Matthew 6:1-34; Matthew 7:1-29 Matthew has
given us the Sermon on the Mount. That is to say, in these chapters
he has given us his ACCOU T of the words of Jesus; and now in
Matthew 8:1-34 he gives us A ACCOU T of the deeds of Jesus. Matthew
5:1- 48; Matthew 6:1-34; Matthew 7:1-29 show us the divine wisdom
in speech; Matthew 8:1-34 shows us the divine love in action.
Matthew 8:1-34 is a chapter of miracles. Let us look at these
miracles as a whole, before we PROCEED to deal with them in detail.
In the chapter there are seven 6. miraculous happenings. (i) There
is THE HEALI G of the leper (Matthew 8:1-4). Here we see Jesus
touching the untouchable. The leper was banished from the society
of men; to touch him, and even to approach him, was to break the
Law. Here we see the man who was kept at arm's length by all men
wrapped around with pity and the compassion of the love of God.
(ii) There is THE HEALI G of the centurion's servant (Matthew
8:5-13). The centurion was a Gentile, and therefore the strict
orthodox Jew would have said that he was merely fuel for the fires
of hell; he was the servant of a foreign government and of an
occupying power and therefore the nationalistic Jew would have said
that he was a candidate for assassination and not for ASSISTA CE;
the servant was a slave and a slave was no more than a living tool.
Here we see the love of God going out to help the man whom all men
hated and the slave whom all men despised. (iii) There is the
healing of Peter's wife's mother (Matthew 8:14-15). This miracle
took place in a humble cottage in a humble home in Palestine. There
was no publicity; there was no admiring audience; there was only
Jesus and the family circle. Here we see the infinite love of the
God of all the U IVERSE displaying all its power when there was
none but the circle of the family to see. (iv) There was the
healing of all the sick who were brought to the doors at evening
time (Matthew 8:16-17). Here we see the sheer universality of the
love of God in action. To Jesus no one was ever a nuisance; he had
no hours when he was on duty and hours when he was off duty. Any
man could come to him at any time and receive the willing, gracious
help of the love of God. (v) There was the reaction of the scribe
(Matthew 8:18-22). On the face of it this little section appears to
be out of place in a chapter on miracles; but this is the miracle
of personality. That any scribe should be moved to follow Jesus is
nothing less than a miracle. Somehow this scribe had forgotten his
devotion to the Scribal Law; somehow although Jesus contradicted
all the things to which he had dedicated his life, he saw in Jesus
not an enemy but a friend, not an opponent but a master. It must
have been an instinctive reaction. egley Farson writes of his old
grandfather. When Farson was a boy, he did not know his
grandfather's history and all that he had done, but, he says, "All
I knew was that he made other men around him look like mongrel
dogs." That scribe saw in Jesus a splendour and a magnificence he
had never seen in any other man. The miracle happened, and the
scribe's heart ran out to JESUS CHRIST. (vi) There is the miracle
of the calming of the storm (Matthew 8:23-27). Here we see Jesus
DEALI Gwith the waves and the billows which threaten to engulf a
man. As Pusey had it when his wife died, "All through that time it
was as if there was a hand beneath my chin to bear me up." Here is
the love of God bringing peace and serenity into tumult and
confusion. 7. (vii) There is the healing of the Gerasene demoniac
(Matthew 8:28-34). In the ancient world people believed that all
illness was due to the action of devils. Here we see the power of
God dealing with the power of the devil; here we see God's goodness
invading earth's evil, God's love going out against evil's
malignancy and malevolence. Here we see the goodness and the love
which save men triumphantly overcoming the evil and the hatred
which ruin men. The Living Death (Matthew 8:1-4) 8:1-4 When Jesus
had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and,
look you, a leper came to him, and remained kneeling before him.
"Lord," he said, "you can cleanse me, if you are willing to do so."
Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. "I am willing," he
said, "be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And
Jesus said to him: "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself
to the priest, and bring the gift which Moses ORDERED, so that they
will be convinced that you are cured." In the ancient world leprosy
was the most terrible of all diseases. E. W. G. Masterman writes: "
o other disease reduces a human being for so many years to so
hideous a wreck." It might bean with little nodules which go on to
ulcerate. The ulcers develop a foul discharge; the eyebrows fall
out; the eyes become staring; the vocal chords become ulcerated,
and the voice becomes hoarse, and the breath wheezes. The hands and
feet always ulcerate. Slowly the sufferer becomes a mass of
ulcerated growths. The average course of that kind of leprosy is
nine years, and it ends in mental decay, coma and ultimately death.
Leprosy might BEGI with the loss of all sensation in some part of
the body; the nerve trunks are affected; the muscles waste away;
the tendons contract until the hands are like claws. There follows
ulceration of the hands and feet. Then comes the progressive loss
of fingers and toes. until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot
may drop off. The duration of that kind of leprosy is anything from
twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death
in which a man dies by inches. The physical condition of the leper
was terrible; but there was something which made it worse. Josephus
tells us that lepers were treated "as if they were, in effect, dead
men." Immediately leprosy was diagnosed, the leper was absolutely
and completely banished from human society. "He shall remain
unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall
dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp" (Leviticus 13:46).
The leper had to go with rent clothes, dishevelled hair, with a
covering upon his upper lip, and, as he went, he had to cry:
"Unclean, unclean" (Leviticus 13:45). In the middle ages, if a man
became a leper, the priest donned his stole and took his crucifix,
and brought the man into the church, and read the burial service
over him. For all human purposes the man was dead. In Palestine in
the time of Jesus the leper was barred from Jerusalem and from all
8. walled towns. In the synagogue there was provided for him a
little isolated chamber, ten feet high and six feet wide, called
the Mechitsah. The Law enumerated sixty-one different contacts
which could defile, and the defilement involved in CO TACT with a
leper was second only to the defilement involved in contact with a
dead body. If a leper so much as put his head into a house, that
house became unclean even to the roof beams. Even in an open place
it was illegal to greet a leper. o one might come nearer to a leper
than four cubits--a cubit is eighteen inches. If the wind was
blowing towards a person from a leper, the leper must stand at
least one hundred cubits away. One Rabbi would not even eat an egg
bought in a street where a leper had passed by. Another Rabbi
actually boasted that he flung stones at lepers to keep them away.
Other Rabbis hid themselves, or took to their heels, at the sight
of a leper even in the distance. There never has been any disease
which so separated a man from his fellow-men as leprosy did. And
this was the man whom Jesus touched. To a Jew there would be no
more amazing sentence in the ew Testament than the simple
statement: "And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched the
leper." Compassion Beyond The Law (Matthew 8:1-4 CO TI UED) In this
story we must note two things--the leper's approach and Jesus'
response. In the leper's approach there were three elements. (i)
The leper came with confidence. He had no doubt that, if Jesus
willed, Jesus could make him clean. o leper would ever have come
near an orthodox scribe or Rabbi; he knew too well that he would be
stoned away; but this man came to Jesus. He had perfect confidence
in Jesus' willingness to welcome the man anyone else would have
driven away. o man need ever feel himself too unclean to come to
JESUS CHRIST. He had perfect confidence in Jesus' power. Leprosy
was the one disease for which there was no prescribed rabbinic
remedy. But this man was sure that Jesus could do what no one else
could do. o man need ever feel himself incurable in body or
unforgivable in soul while Jesus Christ EXISTS. (ii) The leper came
with humility. He did not demand healing; he only said, "If you
will, you can cleanse me." It was as if he said, "I know I don't
matter; I know that other men will flee from me and will have
nothing to do with me; I know that I have no claim on you; but
perhaps in YOUR divine condescension you will give your power even
to such as I am:" It is the humble heart which is conscious of
nothing but its need that finds its way to Christ. (iii) The leper
came with reverence. The King James Version says that he worshipped
Jesus. The Greek verb is proskunein (Greek #4352), and that word is
never used of anything but worship of the gods; it always describes
a man's feeling and action in presence of the divine. That leper
could never have told anyone what he thought Jesus was; but he knew
that in the presence of Jesus he was in the 9. presence of God. We
do not need to put this into theological or philosophical terms; it
is enough to be convinced that when we are confronted with JESUS
CHRIST, we are confronted with the love and the power of Almighty
God. So to this approach of the leper there came the reaction of
Jesus. First and foremost, that reaction was compassion. The Law
said Jesus must avoid CO TACT with that man and threatened him with
terrible uncleanness if he allowed the leper to come within six
feet of him; but Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. The
medical knowledge of the day would have said that Jesus was running
a desperate risk of a ghastly infection; but Jesus stretched out
his hand and touched him. For Jesus there was only one obligation
in life--and that was to help. There was only one law--and that law
was love. The obligation of love took precedence over all other
rules and laws and regulations; it made him defy all physical
risks. To a good doctor a man sick of a loathsome disease is not a
disgusting spectacle; he is a human being who needs his skill. To a
doctor a child sick of an infectious disease is not a menace; he is
a child who needs to be helped. Jesus was like that; God is like
that; we must be like that. The true Christian will break any
convention and will take any risk to help a fellow-man in need.
True Prudence (Matthew 8:1-4 CO TI UED) But there remain two things
in this incident which show that, while Jesus would defy the Law
and risk any infection to help, he was not senselessly reckless,
nor did he forget the demands of true prudence. (i) He ordered the
man to keep silence, and not to publish abroad what he had done for
him. This injunction to silence is common on Jesus' lips (Matthew
9:30; Matthew 12:16; Matthew 17:9; Mark 1:34; Mark 5:43; Mark 7:36;
Mark 8:26). Why should Jesus command this silence? Palestine was an
occupied country, and the Jews were a proud race. They never forgot
that they were God's chosen people. They dreamed of the day when
their divine deliverer would come. But for the most part they
dreamed of that day in terms of military conquest and political
power. For that reason Palestine was the most inflammable country
in the world. It lived amidst revolutions. Leader after leader
arose, had his moment of glory and was then eliminated by the might
of Rome. ow, if this leper had gone out and published abroad what
Jesus had done for him, there would nave been a rush to I STALL a
man with powers such as Jesus possessed as a political leader and a
military commander. Jesus had to educate men's minds, he had to
change their ideas; he had somehow to enable them to see that his
power was love and not force of arms. He had to work almost in
secrecy until men knew him for what he was, the lover and not the
destroyer of the lives of men. Jesus enjoined silence upon those he
helped lest men should use him to make their own dreams come true
instead of waiting on the dream of God. They had to be silent until
they had learned the right things to say about him. 10. (ii) Jesus
sent the leper to the priests to make the correct offering and to
receive a CERTIFICATE that he was clean. The Jews were so terrified
of the infection of leprosy that there was a prescribed ritual in
the very unlikely event of a cure. The ritual is described in
Leviticus 14:1-57 . The leper was examined by a priest. Two birds
were taken, and one was killed over running water. In addition
there were taken cedar, scarlet and hyssop. These things were
taken, together with the living bird, and dipped in the blood of
the dead bird, and then the living bird was allowed to go free. The
man washed himself and his clothes, and shaved himself. Seven days
were allowed to pass, and then he was re-examined. He must then
shave his hair, his head and his eye-brows. Certain sacrifices were
then made consisting of two mate lambs without blemish, and one ewe
lamb; three-tenths of a deal of fine flour mingled with oil; and
one log of oil. The restored leper was touched on the tip of the
right ear, the right thumb, and the right great toe with blood and
oil. He was finally examined for the last time, and, if the cure
was real, he was allowed to go with a CERTIFICATE that he was
cleansed. Jesus told this man to go through that PROCESS. There is
guidance here. Jesus was telling that man not to neglect the
treatment that was available for him in those days. We do not
receive miracles by neglecting the medical and scientific treatment
open to us. Men must do all men can do before God's power may
cooperate with our efforts. A miracle does not come by a lazy
waiting upon God to do it all; it comes from the co-operation of
the faith-filled effort of man with the illimitable grace of God.
CO STABLE, " THE MA IFESTATIO OF THE KI G 8:1-11:1 "Matthew has
laid the foundational structure for his argument in chapters one
through seven. The genealogy and birth have attested to the legal
qualifications of the Messiah as they are stated in the Old
Testament. ot only so, but in His birth great and fundamental
prophecies have been fulfilled. The King, ACCORDI G to protocol,
has a forerunner preceding Him in His appearance on the scene of
Israel's history. The moral qualities of Jesus have been
authenticated by His baptism and temptation. The King Himself then
commences His ministry of proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom
and authenticates it with great miracles. To instruct His disciples
as to the true character of righteousness which is to distinguish
Him, He draws them apart on the mountain. After Matthew has
recorded the Sermon on the Mount, he goes on to relate the King's
presentation to Israel (Matthew 8:1 to Mat_ 11:1)." OTE: Toussaint,
Behold the . . ., p. 121.] Verses 1-4 The cleansing of a leprous
Jew 8:1-4 (cf. Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16) Verses 1-17 1. Jesus'
ability to heal 8:1-17 This first group of four miracle EVE TS
apparently all happened on the same day (Matthew 8:16). 11. Verses
1-34 A. Demonstrations of the King's power 8:1-9:34 Matthew
described Jesus' ministry as consisting of teaching, preaching, and
healing in Matthew 4:23. Chapters 5-7 record what He taught His
disciples: principles of the kingdom. We have the essence of His
preaching ministry in Matthew 4:17. ow in Matthew 8:1 to Matthew
9:34 we see His healing ministry. He demonstrated authority over
human beings, unseen spiritual powers, and the world of nature.
Matthew showed that Jesus' ability proves that He is the divine
Messiah. He possessed the "power to banish from the earth the
consequences of sin and to control the elements of nature". OTE:
The ew Scofield ..., p. 1003.] The King authenticated His claims by
performing messianic signs. In view of this the Jews should have
acknowledged Him as their Messiah. "The purpose of Matthew in these
two chapters [8 and 9] is to OFFERthe credentials of the Messiah as
predicted in the Old Testament." [ ote: Walvoord, Matthew: . . .,
p. 63.] Matthew did not record Jesus' miracles in strict
chronological order. The harmonies of the Gospels make this clear.
[ ote: See, for example, A. T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Gospels
for Students of the Life of Christ; or, for the Greek text, E.
Burton and E. J. Goodspeed, A Harmony of the Synoptic Gospels in
Greek.] His order is more thematic. He also selected miracles that
highlight the gracious character of Jesus' signs. As Moses' plagues
authenticated his ministry to the Israelites of his day, so Jesus'
miracles should have convinced the Israelites of His day that He
was the Messiah. Moses' plagues were primarily destructive whereas
Jesus' miracles were primarily CO STRUCTIVE. Jesus' miracles were
more like Elisha's than Moses' in this respect. Matthew recorded 10
instances of Jesus healing in this section of his book (cf. the 10
plagues in Egypt), half of all the miracles that Matthew recorded.
Some regard Matthew 8:16-17 as a miracle distinct from the previous
healings in chapter 8, resulting in 10 miracles. Others regard
Matthew 8:16-17 as a summary of the preceding miracles, resulting
in 9 miracles. Both explanations have merit since Matthew 8:16-17
records other miracles, but it does not narrate one specific
miraculous healing. Matthew presented these miracles in three
groups and broke the three groups up with two discussions
(narrative sections) concerning His authority. The first group of
miracles involves healings (Matthew 8:1-17), the second,
demonstrations of power (Matthew 8:23 to Matthew 9:8), and the
third, acts of restoration (Matthew 9:18- 34). Together the section
presents "a slice of life" out of Jesus' overall ministry. [ ote:
D. J. Weaver, Matthew's Missionary Discourse, p. 67.] Miracles of
healing Matthew 8:1-17 Demonstrations of power 12. Matthew 8:23 to
Matthew 9:8 Acts of Restoration Matthew 9:18-34 Jesus' authority
over His disciples Matthew 8:18-22 Jesus' authority over His
critics Matthew 9:9-17 "The provision of interludes on discipleship
in order to divide the nine stories into three groups of three is
also closely parallel to the ARRA GEME T of the parables of ch. 13
into groups of three with intervening explanatory material, an
arrangement which is equally peculiar to Matthew [among the Gospel
writers]." [ ote: France, The Gospel . . ., p. 302.] ISBET, "The
mount from which our Lord descended to work this miracle of healing
was the Mount of the Beatitudes. I. The two mounts.As the scene of
that sermon rises before us, in all its sweet attractiveness, we
are reminded, by contrast, of another mountain and another
lawgiving; the mount even to approach which was death; the mount on
which stood, in solitary, isolated, unseen community with God, the
great lawgiver of the Jews, and from which he descended, but not,
as Christ, to heal and to bless, but to denounce and punish. II.
Points of difference.What is it, then, that constitutes the real
difference between these two scenes? ot that Christ has proclaimed
to us an easier law than that of Moses. On the contrary, His laws
are far harder of fulfilment, setting before us a higher ideal of
life. Why should the one be pictured as a law of misery and terror,
and the other of blessing and attractiveness? Consider the laws
(equally Divine) of the kingdom of ature. ot one of these can be
braved or broken with impunity. But there is this difference
between these great laws of ature and the law of righteousness in
Christs kingdom, that, when we understand the former, we can obey
them. But this is just what we cannot do as regards the law of
righteousness. Do we not know that we are constantly transgressing
and falling SHORT of the perfect law of God? III. ot law, but
life.What the world needs, and has ever needed, is not law, but
life; the grace and power faithfully to fulfil the moral law. And
this it was that Christ came to give us (St. John 10:10). He came
not merely to give Himself for us, but to give Himself to us; to
dwell in us. This it is which makes the essential difference
between His law and that of all other law-givers. IV. We must come
down to others.And ought we not to learn from this scene the great
secret of all work for Him?that it is not enough that His disciples
should preach to mennay, that it is not enough that we should set
the example of what we preach, but that we should do as He did,
come down to othersas He alone of all TEACHERS came down, and that
from the highest place, to mingle with the suffering multitudethat
we should strive to seek and save that which is lost. 13.
Archbishop Magee. Illustration We are told in the Gospel to come to
Jesus, to believe on Jesus, to live the life of faith in Jesus; we
are encouraged to lean on Him, to cast all our care on Him, to
repose all the weight of our souls on Him. We may do so without
fear: He can bear all; He is a strong rock; He is Almighty. It was
a fine saying of an old saint, My faith can sleep sound on no other
pillow than Christs omnipotence. He can give life to the dead; He
can give power to the weak; He can increase strength to them that
have no might. Let us trust Him and not be afraid. The world is
full of snares: our hearts are weak. But with Jesus nothing is
impossible. BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And, behold, there came a leper.
The lepers cure I. The lepers faith. II. Christs treatment or the
leper. 1. That this disease is a type of moral corruption. 2. Gods
grace alone can effect a cure. 3. We see the power of prayer. (W.
Wight, M. A.) The healing of the leper I. The lepers opportunity.
Let every hearer of the word follow Jesus Christ till he finds Him
in secret. II. The lepers defiliment. 1. The disease of leprosy
seems to have appeared first in Israel while in the land of Egypt,
the earliest notice of it being in the leprous hand of Moses. Sin,
like leprosy, is deeply hereditary. It spreads corruption and
dissolution through the entire body. It was viewed with the
hopelessness of death. 2. The leprosy, selected by God as the
special type of sin, as more than other diseases sent immediately
from heaven as the express punishment of sin. Thus with Gehazi. 3.
The leper, alone of all the sick, was shut out from the camp of
Israel. The sinner excluded from holy fellowship. 4. The leper was
appointed to bewail himself as one already dead; he was to become
his own mourner (Lev_13:45). These were three of the chief symbols
of sorrow for the dead. The leprous sinner is dead, while he lives.
III. The lepers prayer. 1. He was convinced of Christs ability to
heal him. This the chief element of saving faith. 2. There is an
appeal to the compassionate will of Jesus. 14. IV. The lepers
cleansing. 1. Jesus is moved with compassion, touches, and
cleanses. 2. The thanksgiving is seasonable and acceptable in one
case; the gratitude, unwise and not obedient in the other. The case
of the ten lepers. (A. Moody Stuart.) I. The individual referred
to-a leper. No condition more awful and distressing. Striking
representation of sin. Leprosy was generally hereditary; small in
its first appearance, deep-seated and inveterate in its nature,
universal in its prevalence, loathsome in its appearance, excluded
from society, incurable by human power, and generally produced a
most awful death. II. His address to the redeemer. It was an
address of humble respect, associated with faith, affecting appeal
to his misery and Christs goodness. III. The conduct of the
saviour. Responded to his appeal; His word was omnific and conveyed
His healing power; He put forth His hand to testify to his
cleanness; He sent him to the priest that his recovery might be
duly attested; He was to present a gift unto the Lord. See how you
are to obtain healing and purity. See the way in which Christ will
receive you. 1. Bless God for health of body. 2. Especially be
anxious for health of soul. 3. Praise God for the means of
spiritual health and felicity. 4. Come and be healed. (J. Barnis,
LL. D.) Healing of the leper I. His lamentable condition. II. His
appropriate prayer. III. His complete restoration. IV. His instant
dismissal. (J. T. Woodhouse.) Christs healing touch It was a touch
(1) of purity; (2) of sympathy; (3) of power. (G. Shrewsbury.) The
touch of Christ cleanseth Blessed are the merciful, so our Lord had
said; now the act follows the word. 15. I. How truly humble and
lowly was Jesus. Free from ostentation He walked among men. Christ
can heal the leprosy of pride. II. Though lowly, the Saviour was
not fearful. With all our pride, how many things we fear. We fear
labour, difficulty. Let us learn from Christ what courage is. He
can cleanse from the leprosy of fear. III. Impurity is another form
of leprosy. IV. Indolence, too, is a leprosy. Christs is an active
Spirit, by feeling the influence of which we shall be healed of
sloth. V. Selfishness is leprosy. VI. We shall see in discontent an
irritating leprosy, eating into our minds health and our souls
peace. These are instances of our moral disease. The Saviours band
can heal. (F. W. P. Greenwood, D. D.) Christs healing touch Notice
in Christs touch of the sick. I. His fixing and confirming faith in
himself the healer. It is in condescension to human weakness that
He lays His hands on sick folk; we believe in little that we cannot
see. Naaman said, Behold, I thought, etc. Pain and sickness are
sensible; we look for equally sensible tokens of the energy of the
Restorer. Thus we are touched into attention. II. His answer to our
craving for sympathy. Had Jesus held aloof from the diseased they
would never have trusted Him. His touch was healing; some touches
irritate. In the Incarnation Christ touches us in sympathy. It is a
comfort to be touched by Christ. III. The symbol of His bearing our
infirmities and carrying our sins. He touched our nature in all its
pollution. He is not ashamed to call us brethren. (A. Mackennal, B.
A.) Touching the loathsome A good Christian lady living in Sweden
opened a home for crippled and diseased children-children whom
nobody really cared about but herself-and received about twenty of
them into it. Amongst them was a little boy of three years old, who
was a more frightful and disagreeable object than you ever saw, or
are ever likely perhaps to see in your life. He resembled skeleton.
His poor skin was so covered with blotches and sores that he could
not be dressed. He was always crying and whining, always peevish,
and the poor little fellow gave more trouble almost than all the
others put together. The good lady did her best for him; she was as
kind as possible-washed him, fed him, nursed him; but the child was
so repulsive in his look and ways, that she could not bring herself
to like him, and her disgust, I suppose, occasionally appeared in
her face. One day she was sitting on the verandah-steps with the
child in her arms. The sun was shining warm, the scent of the
autumn honeysuckles, the chirping of the birds, the buzzing of the
insects, lulled her into a sort of sleep; and in a half-waking,
half-dreaming state, she thought of herself as having changed
places with the child, and lying there, only more foul, more
disagreeable than he was. Over her she saw the Lord Jesus bending,
looking intently and lovingly into her face, and yet with a sort of
expression of gentle rebuke in it, as if He meant to say, If I can
love and bear with you, who are so full of sin, surely you ought,
for 16. My sake, to love that guiltless child, who suffers for the
sin of his parents. She woke up with a start, and looked in the
boys face. He had waked up too, and she expected to hear him begin
to cry; but be looked at her-poor little mite!-very quietly and
earnestly for a long time, and then she-sorry for her past disgust,
and feeling a new compassion for him, and a new interest in
him-bent her face to his, and kissed his forehead as tenderly as
she had ever kissed any of her own babes. With a startled look in
his eyes, and a flush in his cheeks, the boy, instead of crying,
gave her back a smile so sweet, that she had never seen one like it
before: nor will, she thinks, till it will light up his angel
features some day on their meeting in heaven. From that day forth a
perfect change came over the child. Young as he was, he had
hitherto read the feelings of dislike and disgust in the faces of
all who approached him, and that had embittered his little heart;
but the touch of human love, swept all the peevishness and
ill-nature away, and woke him up to a new and happier life. (G.
Calthrop, M. A.) Christian reserve in words modified by deeds (ver.
4):-Why was this reserve insisted on? What would have led the
restored leper to act at variance with Christs command? Two
motives-a desire of bearing personal witness to the miraculous
power of his Benefactor: or a wish to draw the eyes of men on the
favour he had received. Both these we can conceive our Lord would
be likely to prohibit-the one, because it was needless; the other,
because it was exposed to harm. 1. The first of these objects was
prohibited for reasons of our Lords showing. He did not wish to be
the idol of strong excitement. 2. It was not His purpose to take
mens minds, as it were, by force. He would lay no compulsion on
faith. 3. Then there was also the fact itself, clear and patent to
the observation of all men. Then see, on the other hand, how the
injunction of our Lord seems to have borne on the personal case of
the leper himself. Go show thyself to the priest. As if our Lord
had said, Be not occupied with thine own self, make no display of
what I have clone, let not that distract thee from what thou
oughtest to do, thy duty is more than words, more than even
magnifying thy blessings. Thus our Lord prohibited words that He
might enjoin actions. The full heart can seldom find adequate vent
in words; deeds do not fail us. This is a comfort to the poor. (J.
Puckle. M. A.) The prudence of Jesus (ver. 4):-Why did Jesus give
this charge? I. It may be observed that though our Saviours
injunctions of silence and secresy were frequent, they were by no
means constant. Many of His miracles were wrought in public. Jews
expected a temporal Messiah. He wished to prevent popular
rebellion. Fear did not suggest the injunction; but it was the
course of courage, benevolence, and wisdom. He guarded Himself
against the imputation of political intentions and of turbulence.
II. Our Lord desired To avoid all idle and unprofitable
excitements. A love of display formed no part of His character.
Quiet faith was the grace He loved to see. He desired obedience
rather than profession. Is all need for caution gone? A due regard
to circumstances and consequences no proof of a timid spirit. (F.
W. P. Greenwood, D. D.) 17. A picture of true faith (ver. 1-13):-
I. What it sees in Christ. 1. Both of these ,applicants assigned to
Him the character of a Great Healer. Saving faith sees in Christ
the attributes of a great Physician. 2. They both saw in Christ a
superhuman Power. Saving faith never thinks meanly of Christ. 3.
They both saw in Christ a most encouraging beneficence. True faith
sees in Christ a Rewarder of them that seek Him. II. What are the
affections with which it moves toward him. 1. It despairs of help
in any one but Christ. 2. True faith is also attended with feeling
of great unworthiness. 3. True faith is attended with earnest and
practical interest in others. III. The manner in which the Saviour
met the faith of these men. 1. He graciously entertained their
applications. 2. He mercifully granted their requests. 3. He
introduced them into another empire. They were to sit down with
Abraham, etc. (J A. Seiss, D. D.) Human leprosy and its Divine cure
I. The leper. 1. He comes. 2. He worships. 3. He pleads. II. The
healer 1. He puts forth His hand. 2. He touched him. 3. He spoke.
(1) It is the voice of love; (2) of authority; (3) of power. (Dr.
Bonar.) In the leper two things are remarkable-the weakness of his
body; the virtues of his mind. I. The weariness of his body.
Weakness proceeds from wickedness. The weakness of his body brought
him to the Physician of his soul. He felt his misery great; but
hoped 18. Christs mercy was greater. II. The virtues of his mind.
1. Faith. 2. Adoration. 3. Wisdom in selecting place, not on Mount,
but in valley; time, not interrupting His sermon. 4. Patience.
Content to stay Gods leisure. 5. Confession. III. Now look at the
physician. 1. His mercy. 2. His might. (1) Christ touched the
leper, which was forbidden by Moses. Hence He was greater than
Moses. (2) Moral duties superior to ceremonial observances. (3)
This intimates that Christ was very man in touching, but more than
a man in healing with a touch. (4) To demonstrate that Himself and
none other cured him. (5) Christs humility in touching a leper. 1.
The leper was commanded to tell no man. We must temper zeal with
knowledge and obedience. 2. It was needless to tell it since his
whole body, made clean, was a tongue to tell it. 3. It was absurd
that he should boast he was clean, before he was so judged. (J.
Bogs, D. D.) The lepers prayer I. The characteristics of leprosy as
set forte in scripture. Loathsome-helpless-hopeless. 1. The
position of this leper was one of shame and disgrace. He inspired
repugnance in those around him. Sin is a disgrace. It ought to fill
with shame. 2. Other maladies healed by Christ invited sympathy and
help and society. The leper was reminded by everything that he was
alone in the world. Each one of us alone before God. II. His faith.
1. There was a thorough consciousness of his own misery and a
perfect conviction of his own helplessness. But he knew it was not
too bad for Christ to deal with successfully. 2. The concentrated
force which resides in the lepers petition. His entire resignation;
he is willing to leave the matter in the hands of Christ. 3. What a
Divine concentration there is in the answer-I will; be thou clean.
What a 19. majestic utterance. Christ accepts the recognition of
His power. The main point of the answer is, not His power, but His
will. (Dean Howson, D. D.) The lepers loneliness as indicating the
souls solitude Each one of us is alone before God. However great
may be the human crowd in which we live, however closely we may be
connected with one another by affection, by interest, by duty, each
soul is solitary in its relation to God. Just as in those great
American forests, which stretch in vast succession over mountain
and plain-whatever be the interlacing of the foliage-whatever be
the beauty which comes from the blending of sunlight and
shade-whatever havoc may be done on a great and extensive scale by
storm and tempest- each tree, rising from its own root, with its
one stem, and with the outgrowth of its own branches, is a solitary
tree. So is the human soul, with the outgrowth of its own words and
deeds, a solitary soul. No other human soul can share its
responsibility. (Dean Howson, D. D.) Secret leprosy I have seen a
fair and well-built house, lifting its head proudly above its
neighbours, and having a goodly outside presence. And I have looked
within, and found that the dry rot had eaten away rafter and beam,
and that the house was ready to fall to ruin. During the Crimean
War, our ships suffered far more from the dry rot within their
timbers, than from the outside attacks of shot and shell. How many
lives there are like that grand house, or those stately ships!
Outside they are fair to look upon, men envy their wealth, or
position, or good fortune, and all the while the foul leprosy is
within, eating away the moral nature, making that life a ruin.
(Wilmot Buxton.) The mark of the leper Is it the leprosy of an
impure life, or a selfish nature, or a cruel tongue, or a proud,
rebellious spirit? Whatever it be, once more, are you willing to be
made clean? Before you can find pardon, you must see your sin and
hate it. (Wilmot Buxton.) EBC, "THE SIGNS OF THE KINGDOM REFERRING
to Mat_4:23, we find the work of Christ at the beginning of His
ministry summarised as teaching and preaching and healing all
manner of diseases. Of the teaching and preaching we have had a
signal illustration in what is called the Sermon on the Mount; now
the other great branch of the work is set before us in a group of
miracles, filling up almost the whole of the eighth and ninth
chapters. The naturalness of the sequence will be at once apparent.
If men had needed nothing more than counsel, guidance, rules of
life, then might the Gospel have ended when the Sermon on the Mount
was concluded. There are those who think they need nothing more;
but if they knew themselves they would feel their need not only of
the Teachers word, but of the Healers touch, and would hail with
gladness the chapters which tell how the Saviour dealt with the
poor leper, the man with the palsy, the woman-with the fever, those
poor creatures that were vexed with evil spirits, that dead damsel
in the 20. rulers house. We may well rejoice that the great Teacher
came down from the mountain, and made Himself known on the plain
and among the city crowds as the mighty Healer; that His stern
demand for perfect righteousness was so soon followed by that
encouraging word, so full of comfort, for such as we: "I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mat_9:13) The healing, then,
is quite as essential as the teaching. The Sermon points out the
way, unfolds the truth; but in the touch and word of the King
Himself is found the life. The Christ of God had come, not as a
mere Ambassador from the court of heaven to demand submission to
its laws, but as a mighty Saviour, Friend, and Comforter. Hence it
was necessary that He should make full proof of His mission in this
respect as well as in the other; and accordingly the noble ethics
taught on the mount are followed by a series of heavenly deeds of
power and lovingkindness done in the plain. The group in chaps, 8.
and 9. is well fitted to give a comprehensive view of Christs power
and willingness to save. If only they were looked at in this
intelligent way, how the paltry prejudices against "miracles" (a
word, let it be observed, not once to be found in this Gospel)
would vanish. Miracles, wonders, prodigies-how incredible in an age
of enlightenment! Yes; if they were introduced as miracles,
wonders, prodigies; but they are not. They are signs of the kingdom
of heaven-just such signs of it as the intelligent reason demands;
for how otherwise is it possible for One Who comes to save to show
that He is able to do it? How could the people have been expected
to welcome Him as a Saviour, unless He had taken some means to make
it evident that He had the power as well as the will to save?
Accordingly, in consonance with what enlightened reason
imperatively demands of such a One as He claims to be, we have a
series of "mighty deeds" of love, showing forth, not only His
grace, but His power-power to heal the diseases of the body, power
over the realm of nature, power over the unseen world of spirit,
power to forgive and save from sin, power to restore lost faculties
and conquer death itself. Such are the appropriate signs of the
kingdom spread before us here. Let us look first at that which
occupies the foremost place, - power to heal disease. The diseases
of the body are the outward symptoms of the deep-seated malady of
the spirit; hence it is fitting, that He should begin by showing in
this region His will and power to save. Yet it is not a formal
showing of it. It is no mere demonstration. He does not seek out
the leper, set him up before them, and say, "Now you will see what
I can do." All comes about in a most simple and natural way, as
became Him Who was no wonder- worker, no worker of miracles in the
vulgar use of that word, but a mighty Saviour from heaven with a
heart of love and a hand of power. THE LEPER. (Mat_8:1-4) "And when
He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.
And behold, there came to Him a leper." What will He do with him?
Should He say to him, "Poor man, you are too late-the sermon is
done?" or should He give him some of the best bits over again? No,
there is not a sentence in the whole of it that would be any answer
to that cry, "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." What
does He do, then? "Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him,
saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was
cleansed." Is it, then, a great stumbling-block in your way, O
nineteenth-century critic, that you are expected to believe that
the Lord Jesus actually did heal this leper? Would it take the
stumbling-block away to have it altered? Suppose we try it, amended
to suit the "anti- supernaturalism" of the age. "And behold, there
came a leper to Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me
clean. And Jesus put out His hand, and motioned him 21. away,
saying, Poor man, you are quite mistaken, I cannot help you. I came
to teach wise people, not to help poor wretches like you. There are
great laws of health and disease; I advise you to find them out,
and obey them: consult your doctor, and do the best you can.
Farewell." Oh, what nonsense many wise people talk about the
difficulty of believing in Divine power to heal! The fact is, that
if Christ had not proved Himself a healer, men could not have
believed in Him at all. There could have been no better
introduction to the saving work, of the Christ of God. Leprosy was
of all diseases the most striking symbol of sin. This is so
familiar a thought that it need not be set forth in detail. One
point, however, must be mentioned, as it opens up a vein of tender
beauty in the exquisite simplicity of the story-the rigorous
separation of the leprous from the healthy, enforced by the
ceremonial law, which made it defilement to touch a leper. Yet
"Jesus stretched forth His hand, and touched him." "He was holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners"; therefore He could
mingle with them, contracting no stain Himself, but diffusing
health around Him. He could take no defilement from the lepers
touch; the current was all the other way: "virtue" went out of Him,
and flowed in healing streams through the poor lepers veins. O
lovely symbol of the Saviours relation to us sinners! He has in His
holy Incarnation touched our leprous humanity; and remaining
stainless Himself, has set flowing a fountain of healing for all
who will open to Him hearts of faith and let Him touch them with
His pure heart of love. Those were most wonderful words spoken on
the mount: they touch the conscience to the quick and fire the soul
with heavenly aspiration; but this touch of the leper goes to our
hearts, for it proves to us that, though the time is coming when He
shall sit as Judge and say to all the sinful, "Depart from Me," as
yet He is the loving Saviour, saying, "Come unto Me, ye weary," and
touching the leprous into health. That our Saviour was totally
averse to anything at all sensational, and determined rather to
repress than encourage the mere thirst for marvels, is evident from
the directions given to the leper to say nothing about what had
happened to him, but to take the appointed method of giving thanks
to God for his recovery, at the same time registering the fact, so
that while his cure should not be used to gather a crowd, it might
be on record with the proper authorities as a witness to the truth
of which it was a sign. THE CENTURIONS SERVANT. (Mat_8:5-13) This
case, while affording another valuable illustration of the Masters
willingness and power to save, differs in several important points
from the first, so that the lesson is widened. First and chiefly,
the application was from a Gentile; next, it was not on his own
behalf that the centurion made it, but on behalf of another, and
that other his servant; and, further, it was a request to heal a
patient out of sight, out of knowledge even. as it would seem. Each
of these particulars might suggest a doubt. He has healed this Jew;
but will He listen to that Gentile? He has responded to this mans
own cry; but will He respond when there is no direct application
from the patient? He has cured this man with a touch: but can he
cure a patient miles away? The Saviour knew well the difficulties
which must have lain in the way of this mans faith. He has
evidence, moreover, that his is genuine faith, and not the
credulity of superstition. One could readily imagine an ignorant
person thinking that it made no difference whether the patient were
present, or a thousand miles away: what difference does distance
make to the mere magician? But this man is no ignorant believer in
charms and incantations. He is an intelligent man, and has thought
it all out. He has heard of the kingdom of heaven, and knows that
this is the King. Reasoning from what he knows of the Roman
kingdom, how orders given from a central authority can be
despatched to the outskirts, and be executed there with as great
certainty as if the Emperor himself had gone to do it, he 22.
concludes that the King of the spiritual world must in like manner
have means of communication with every part of His dominion; and
just as it was not necessary, even for a mere centurion, to do
personally everything he wanted done, having it in his power to
employ some servant to do it, so it was unreasonable to expect the
King of heaven Himself to come in person and heal his servant: it
was only necessary, therefore, that He should speak the word, and
by some unseen agency the thing would be done. At once the Saviour
recognises the mans thoughtful intelligence on the subject, and,
contrasting with it the slowness of mind and heart of those of whom
so much more might have been expected, "He marvelled, and said to
them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so
great faith, no, not in Israel." The thought of this immediately
suggests to Him the multitudes that shall exercise a similar faith
in ages to come, and in lands far off; and, as on the mount, when
He looked forward to the great future, His heart yearned over the
mere hearers of the word shut out at last: so here He yearns with a
great yearning over His unbelieving countrymen, whose exclusion at
last from the heavenly kingdom would be felt with all the sharper
pain that such multitudes from far less favoured lands were safe
within - at home, with the patriarchs of the chosen nation - while
they, the natural heirs of the kingdom, were exiles from it for
evermore. Hence the wail and warning which follow His hearty
appreciation of the centurions faith: "And I say unto you, that
many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the
sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." How fared it with
the centurions appeal? Was it any hindrance that he was a
foreigner, that he made it not for himself but for a servant, and
that the patient was so far away? None whatever. As he rightly
judged, the King of heaven had resources in abundance to meet the
case. Without the least hesitation, Jesus said to the centurion,
"Go thy way: and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.
And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." THE FEVER
PATIENT. (Mat_8:14-15) The leprosy and palsy were symbols of sin
wholly possessing its victims: the one suggestive of the state of
those who are positively defiled by sin, the other of the condition
of those who, though sound to all outward appearance, are simply
wanting in inward life, paralysed in that part of their being which
constitutes life. These two cases, then, were most suitable for
setting forth the saving power of the Christ of God as regards the
unconverted, be they Jew or Gentile. This third cure is within the
circle of the disciples. It is a case of fever in the home of
Peter. It therefore fitly suggests the diseases to which those are
still liable who have come to Christ and been healed of their
leprosy or palsy, the chronic disease which defiled or paralysed
them in time past; but who are still liable to contagion, still
exposed to attacks of fever, acute diseases which, though
temporary, are most dangerous, and, just as certainly as the
others, need the touch of the Great Physician for their healing.
These fevers separate us from Christ and unfit us for His service;
but they need not continue to do this, for if only we allow Him to
enter the house and touch us, the fever will cease; and, like this
patient in the home of Peter, we may at once arise and minister
unto Him. The three specific cases which have been so appropriately
selected and given in detail are followed by a general enumeration
of a number of similar ones dealt with in like manner, "when the
even was come" - the whole experience of that eventful day leading
to the joyful recognition of the fulfilment of a grand prophetic
word spoken long ago of the 23. Messiah that was to come: "Himself
took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." The quotation is
most suggestive. It raises the question of our Lords personal
relation to disease. We have seen reason to believe that disease
could not contaminate His holy flesh; and certainly we never read
of His suffering from any sickness of His own. Did He then know
nothing personally of disease and fleshly infirmity? If not, how
could He be tempted in all points like as we are? The solution
seems to lie in this most interesting quotation. It is not a
literal citation from the Septuagint, but it is a thoroughly fair
and true reproduction of the idea of the prophet; and it clearly
suggests to the mind that the Christs relation to human sickness
was of the same kind as His relation to human sin. Though
personally He had no sin, yet "He was made sin for us," so that He
felt the intolerable weight pressing Him down as in the garden, and
the awful darkness wrapping Him round as on the cross. In the same
way, even though His flesh may never actually have been subjected
to physical disease, He nevertheless could not remove diseases from
others without bearing them Himself. Ah! it cost Him far more than
we are apt to think, to say, "I will, be thou clean." It was only
by the sacrifice of His life that He could take away the sin of the
world; and we believe that it was only by the sacrifice of a part
of His life that He could take away the disease of a sufferer. When
He said, "Somebody hath touched Me, for virtue has gone out of Me,"
we may be sure it was no mere jostling of the crowd: it was an
outflow of His life, a partial shedding, so to speak, of His
precious blood. Just as later, in the words of St. Peter, "He bare
our sins in His own body on the tree," so already "Himself took our
infirmities and bare our sicknesses." THE IMPULSIVE SCRIBE.
(Mat_8:18-20) The two incidents which follow, though at first sight
apparently different in character from the great majority of the
group, are quite in place among the mighty deeds of the Master,
manifesting, as they do, His penetrating insight into character. To
all appearance there could have been no better offer than that of
the impulsive scribe - "Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever
Thou goest"; and, had it been made with a full understanding of all
it meant, it would beyond all question have been at once accepted;
but He Who "knew what was in man" saw at once what manner of man
this was - how he was quite unprepared for the hardships he would
have to undergo; and therefore, while by no means declining the
offer, He gives him fair warning of what he might expect, in these
memorable words: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head."
There is infinite pathos in the words. Moreover, the form in which
the truth is put, while fitted effectually to deter the selfish and
faint-hearted, would be no discouragement to a truly devoted and
courageous soul, but would rather fire it with a holier ardour to
follow the Son of man anywhere, at whatever cost, rejoicing to be
"counted worthy to suffer shame" and loss "for His name." THE
HESITATING DISCIPLE. (Mat_8:21-22) This case is one of the opposite
description. Judging from the way in which the scribe had been
dealt with, it might have been expected that when this disciple
asked to be excused for a time, in order to discharge a duty which
seemed so urgent, the answer would have been one not only allowing
but even enforcing the delay. But no. Why the difference? Again,
because the Master saw "what was in man." This was no impulsive,
impetuous nature which needed a word of caution, but one of those
hesitating natures which need to be summoned to immediate decision.
It would seem also, from the peculiar expression, "Leave the dead
to bury their own dead" (R.V), that he belonged to an ungodly
family, to associate again with whom at such a critical time in his
history would be most prejudicial; and it must be remembered that
it would not have been the mere attending of the funeral; there
were the laws of uncleanness, which would oblige 24. him, if he
went, to stay many days; and meantime the golden opportunity might
be gone. Thus are we guarded against the two opposite dangers - the
one besetting the eager and impulsive, the other the halting and
irresolute. In neither case are we told what the result was. We may
surmise that the scribe disappeared from view, and that the other
joined the party in the boat; but "something sealed the lips of
that Evangelist"; from which we may perhaps infer that his main
object in relating the two incidents was, not to give information
of them, but to show forth the glory of the Master as the Searcher
of hearts; to signalise the fact that He was no less Master of the
minds than of the bodies of men. THE STORM STILLED. (Mat_8:23-27)
It was not enough that the Saviour of mankind should have power to
grapple with disease and skill to search the hearts of men: He must
be Master not only of life, but of its environment too. That He is
becomes apparent before the boat which carries the little company
reaches the other side of the lake. One of those tempests which
often lash the Sea of Galilee into sudden fury has burst upon them,
and the little boat is almost covered with the waves. Here is a
situation beyond the reach even of the Great Physician, unless
indeed He be something more. He is something more. He is Lord of
nature, Master of all its forces! Must He not be? He has come to
reveal the unseen God of nature; must He not then make it manifest,
now that the occasion calls for it, that winds and waves are
"ministers of His, that do His pleasure?" Again, it is no mere
"miracle," no mere marvel which He works in the salvation of His
terrified disciples - it is a sign, an indispensable sign of the
kingdom of heaven. The story is told with exquisite simplicity, and
with all the reality of manifest and transparent truthfulness. "He
was asleep" - naturally enough after the fatigues of the day,
notwithstanding the howling of the storm; for why should He fear
wind or wave? Is there not a promise here for all His followers
when tempest-tossed: "So He giveth His beloved sleep"? His
disciples let Him sleep as long as they dare; but the peril is too
imminent now. So they come to Him and awake Him, saying, "Save,
Lord; we perish!" Though no concern for Himself would ever have
disturbed His slumber, the first cry of His disciples rouses Him at
once to action. The resources of His human nature, beyond which He
never went for the purpose of meeting His own personal needs, had
been completely exhausted; but there is no diminution of His power
to save those who call upon Him. Without any trace remaining of
weariness or weakness, He hastens to relieve them. First, He quiets
the tempest in the disciples hearts, rebuking their unbelief and
calming their fears; then He stills the storm without, rebuking the
winds and the sea; "and there was a great calm." It reads like the
story of creation. No wonder the astonished disciples exclaimed:
"What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey
Him?" DEMONS CAST OUT. (Mat_8:28-34) Visible nature is not mans
sole environment. There is an unseen universe besides; and He Who
would be Saviour of mankind must be Master there as well. That this
also is sure is now proved beyond a doubt. For it is important to
observe that this is not an ordinary case of healing, otherwise its
true place would have been with the group of bodily diseases at the
beginning of this series. When we consider its salient features, we
see that it is just in its right place, closely following, as it
does, the stilling of the storm. There are storms in the spiritual
world, more terrible by far than any in the realm of 25. nature;
and it is necessary that these darker storms be also subject to the
control of the Saviour of mankind. "The prince of the power of the
air" and all his legions must be subject to the "Son of man." And
this subjection, rather than the cure of the individual sufferers,
is the salient feature of the passage. It is not the men, but the
demons possessing them, who cry out, "What have we to do with Thee,
Jesus, Thou Son of God? art Thou come hither to torment us before
the time?" Well did these evil spirits know who He was; and well,
also, did they know that He was mightier than they, and that the
time was coming when they would be put entirely under His feet:
"Art Thou come to torment us before the time?" The sequel has been
the occasion of much cavil. It has been represented as entirely
beyond the bounds of rational belief; but why? The whole subject of
demoniacal possession is a most difficult one; but many of the
calmest and deepest thinkers, quite apart from the testimony of the
Gospel, have found themselves unable to explain a multitude of dark
facts in history and experience apart from the reality of
demoniacal influence. If a spirit can exercise a malign influence
on a man, why not on an animal? Moreover, seeing that the keeping
of these swine was an open breach of the law, what difficulty is
there in supposing that Christ should allow their destruction,
especially when we consider that this transference of the malign
influence not only made more apparent His absolute control over the
spirits of evil, but taught a most striking and instructive lesson
as to their affinities? For certain persons there is no more
instructive and no more needful passage in Scripture than this. The
difficulty is, that those who prefer to keep their swine will not
welcome the mighty Exorcist, but, like these people of old, beseech
Him to "depart out of their coasts." SINS FORGIVEN. (Mat_9:1-13)
Master of disease-Searcher of hearts-Master of the forces of
nature-Master of the powers of the Unseen: is not this enough? Not
yet; He must make it evident that "the Son of man hath power on
earth to forgive sins." To heal the diseases of the body was a
great and blessed thing to do, but it was not thorough work; for
what are all these varied diseases- leprosy, fever, palsy-but
symptoms of one great disorder which has its roots, not in the
flesh, but in the soul, a disease belonging to that region of the
unseen, in which He has now made manifest His power-the dark
disease of sin. The time has now come to show that He can deal
effectually with it; and immediately on His return to His own side
of the lake, the opportunity presents itself. "They brought to Him
a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed." As a case of palsy, it is
not new. The centurions servant was a palsy case; and though from
His treatment of it, as of the leprosy and fever, it might fairly
have been inferred that He could deal also with that which was
deeper, it was not enough to leave it to inference-it must be made
manifest. It may have been that the disease of this man had been in
some special manner connected with previous sins, so that his
conscience may have been the more exercised as he looked back over
his past life; but whether this was so or not, it is obvious that
his conscience was at work, -that much as his palsy may have
troubled him, his guilt troubled him much more. Why, otherwise,
should the Saviour have addressed him as He did, making no
reference to the disease, but dealing directly with his spiritual
condition? Moreover, the special affection shown in the Saviours
mode of address seems to indicate His recognition of that broken
and contrite spirit with which the Lord is well pleased. It would
scarcely be too strong to translate it thus: "My dear child, be of
good cheer; thy sins are forgiven." The Saviour is coming closer
and closer to human need, dealing more and more thoroughly with the
worlds want and woe. If we look at it aright, we cannot but 26.
recognise it as really a greater thing to heal the deep disease of
the soul, than to heal any or all of the diseases of the body,
greater even than to still the storm or rule by superior power the
spirits of evil. For here there is something more needed than power
or skill, even though both be infinite. We have already had a
glimpse of the need there was, even in taking away human sickness,
that the Healer Himself should suffer. But deeper far is this
necessity if the disease of the soul is to be reached. It is only
the Lamb of God that can take away the sin of the world. These
scribes were right for once when they made more of this claim than
of any that had gone before, saying within themselves, "This man
blasphemeth"; "Who can forgive sins but God only?" How could He
prove to them His power actually to forgive the mans sins? A
demonstration of this is quite impossible; but He will come as near
to it as may be. He has already recognised the faith of the
bearers, and the penitence of the man himself; just as quickly He
discerns the thoughts of the scribes, and gives them proof that He
does so by asking them, "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?"
Then, answering their thought (which was, "He is only saying it"),
He replies in effect, "It is indeed as easy to say one thing as
another, if saying is all; but that you may be sure that the saying
of it is not all, I shall not repeat what I said before, the result
of which from the nature of the case you cannot see, but something
else, the result of which you shall see presently"; whereupon,
turning to the sick of the palsy, He said: "Arise, take up thy bed,
and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house."
With characteristic reticence, the sacred historian says nothing of
the feelings of the happy man as he hied him home with a double
blessing beyond the power of words to tell. Is it possible to
imagine any better proof that could have been given of Christs
authority to forgive sins? Let those who have a horror of anything
extraordinary suggest some way in which this assurance could have
been given without any manifestation of superhuman power. If they
cannot, why continue those unreasoning objections to the kind of
proof He did give, when no other proof can be even suggested that
would have at all suited the purpose? The purpose was accomplished,
so far at least as the people were concerned. Whether the scribes
found some way of evading the conclusion, the Evangelist does not
say; but he does say that "when the multitudes saw it, they
marvelled," or, as the probably more correct version of the
Revisers gives it, "they were afraid." This is true to nature, for
now they knew that they stood in the presence of One Who could look
them through and through, and touch them in their sorest spot; so
it was natural that their first feeling should be one of awe.
Still, they could not but be thankful at the same time that there
was forgiveness within their reach; so quite consistently the
narrative proceeds-And they "glorified God, which had given such
power unto men." Now that His power to deal with sin is made so
apparent, it is time to let it be known that all sinners are
welcome. Hence most appropriately there follows the call of one
from among the most despised class to take a place among His
closest followers. We can well understand how the modest Matthew,
who never mentions anything else about himself, was glad to
signalise the grace of the Master in seeking out the hated and
despised publican. Not only does Christ welcome him, but consents
to sit at meat with his former associates; (Mat_9:10) and when the
self-righteous Pharisee complains, He takes occasion to speak those
memorable words, so full of warning to those who think themselves
righteous, so full of comfort to those who know themselves sinners:
"They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick I
am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." 27.
DEATH VANQUISHED. (Mat_9:14-26) The focal point of the passage is
the chamber of death in the house of Jairus. There we earn that He
Who had shown Himself to be Lord of nature and of human nature,
Master of the spirits of evil, and Saviour from sin, is also
Conqueror of Death. He needs no preparation for the encounter. The
summons comes to Him in the midst of a discourse, yet He asks not a
moments delay, but sets out at once; on the other hand, He is in no
haste, for He has time to attend to another sufferer by the way;
and there is no exhaustion afterwards, for He deals with another
case, and still another, on His way back. The question with which
He was engaged when the summons came was one raised by the
disciples of John, who, as we learn from the other accounts, were
prompted by the Pharisees in the hope of exciting antagonism
between the followers of John and of Jesus. Perhaps also they had
the hope of setting Him at variance with Himself, for had He not
declared that one jot or one tittle should not pass from the law
till all was fulfilled? Why, then, did not His disciples fast? To
this it might have been answered that the frequent fasts observed
by Pharisees, and also by the disciples of John, were not really
appointed by the law, which prescribed only one day of fasting in
the year-the great atonement day. But the Saviour gives an answer
of much wider scope and farther-reaching significance. There was
involved, not the question of fasting only, but of the entire
ceremonial law; and He disposes of it all by a series of
characteristic illustrations, each of them as good as a volume on
the subject could have been. The first of these illustrations sets
the true principle of fasting in full, clear light by a simple
question-"Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as
the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the
bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they
fast." There is here much more to think of besides the answering of
the question. There is a treasury of valuable suggestion in His
calling Himself the Bridegroom, thus applying to Himself the rich
imagery of the Old Testament on this theme; while at the same time
He adopts the very figure which John himself had used in order to
mark his relation to Jesus as the Bridegrooms friend; (cf.
Joh_3:29) and it is especially worthy of note how this keeps up the
Gospel idea, -the great joy, as of a marriage, in the yielding of
the heart to Christ. No less striking is His touching reference to
the dark days coming, the first distinct foreshadowing of the
Cross. It has been well said by a German writer, "What man has ever
looked so calmly, so lovingly (lieblich), from such a height into
such an abyss!" from the position of the Bridegroom of humanity to
that of the outcast on the Cross. Ah! the shadow of that Cross is
never off Him, not even when He is exulting in His bridegroom joy.
But these are only incidental suggestions; the main idea is the
true principle of fasting, which, like all the observances of the
New Testament, must be the expression of that which is in the
heart. Let the heart only be true, and when the Bridegroom of the
heart is present, fasting will be entirely out of the question; but
when He is absent no rule will be needed-they will fast as the
natural expression of their sorrow. The two companion illustrations
which follow set in the clearest light the large subject of the
relation of the new dispensation to the old in respect of forms. As
to substance, He had already made it plain that the old was not to
be destroyed, nor even superseded, but fulfilled, to its last jot
and tittle, as harvest fulfils seed-time. But as to form, the case
was entirely different. The new life, while losing nothing which
was in the old, was to be larger and freer, and therefore must have
new garments to match. To try to piece out and patch the old would
be no improvement, but much the reverse, for a worse rent would be
the only result. The second illustration, suggested like the first
by the associations of the marriage feast (the Saviours
illustrations are never far-fetched-He always finds exactly what He
needs close at hand, thus proving Himself Master of the imagination
as of all 28. else), is to the same purpose. The new wine of the
kingdom of heaven, though it retains all the excellence of the old
vintage, yet having fresh properties of its own, must have fresh
skins to hold it, that its natural expansion be not hindered; for
to attempt to confine it in the old vessels would be to expose them
to destruction and to lose the wine. What a striking illustration
of these suggestive words of warning has been the history of
doctrine and of form in those churches which cling to the worn-out
ritualism of the Old Testament! Old Testament forms were good in
their time; but they are not good to hold the new wine of spiritual
life: and to attempt to combine them, as modern ritualists do, is
to injure both, to do violence to the forms by subjecting them to a
strain for which they were never intended, and to lose the greater
part of the life by trying to put it in moulds which were never
intended for it. There is now no longer the excuse which our Lord
was so ready to make, at that time of transition, for those who
were slow to recognise the superiority of the new-a point which is
brought out in the pendant to this illustration which the
Evangelist Luke records: "No man also having drunk old wine
straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better"; or
rather, according to the more correct reading, "the old is good."
Thus. while the true principle was laid down for all time, excuse
was made on behalf of John and his disciples, for clinging with a
natural fondness to that which had done good service in the past. A
very needful lesson this for too ardent reformers, not considerate
enough of what is in many respects wholesome and praiseworthy
conservatism. It was in the midst of these important teachings that
the message came from the chamber of death, to which we must now
again direct our thoughts: "While He spake these things unto them,
behold, there came a ruler, and worshipped Him, saying, My daughter
is even now dead: but come and lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall
live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did His disciples."
This promptness is a most precious revelation of the Divine
readiness to help at any moment. No need of waiting for a
convenient time. Any moment is convenient for Him, to Whom the
affairs even of the infinite universe are no burden. The same
lesson is still more strikingly taught by His manner of dealing
with the case which met Him on the way to the rulers house. So
hastily had He set out, in response to the rulers appeal, that one
would have thought this of all times the most inconvenient-
especially for a chronic invalid-to gain a hearing. Here is a woman
who has had a disease for twelve years, and who therefore might
surely be asked to wait a few hours at least, till the Physician
should be at leisure! And the case is not at all forced on His
attention; she does not stand in front of Him, so that He cannot
pass without noticing her, - she only "came behind Him"; nor does
she take any means that seem likely to arrest His attention, - she
only "touched the hem of His garment." But it is enough. Slight as
the indication is that some one needs His help, He at once observes
it; nor does He exhibit the least sign of impatience or of haste;
He turns round, and speaks in the kindest manner, assuring her, as
it were, of her right to enjoy the great blessing of health, which
had just come to her, for as soon as she had touched Him He had
cured her of her long and weary ailment. What encouragement to the
most timid soul! And what a revelation of the large sympathy and
ever-ready helpfulness of our Saviour Christ, and of our heavenly
Father Whom He so gloriously reveals! The scene is now changed to
the chamber of death. There are most interesting details given in
the fuller account by the Evangelist Mark, but our scope is large
enough here without endeavouring to bring them all in. The maid had
been at the point of death when the father