7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

See on 4: 24. Luke (7: 2) speaks of the servant as very near to death.

9. Under authority; a subordinate officer, under the authority of superior officers.

10. Marvelled; wondered at him, beheld him with admiration. So great faith; so great confidence in me. But how had the centurion manifested any remarkable degree of confidence in the power of Jesus? In the language which he had employed. (1.) He had expressly declared, that if Jesus would only give command, the servant's sickness would leave him; and that there was no necessity for him to come to the house where the servant was. It may be interesting to compare this case with 2 Kings 4: 30-33. (2.) His language contained a tacit contrast of Jesus with himself, greatly to the advantage of Jesus: I, only a subordinate officer, issue my orders, and they are promptly obeyed. How much more readily will thy command be obeyed, shouldst thou speak the healing word! In Israel; among the people of Israel, the Jews. See on 2: 21. It might have been expected, that the Jews, instructed in religious truth, would have a just confidence in the power of the Messiah; but that one, not a Jew, placed not in the most favorable circumstances, should express so strong confidence, was indeed remarkable.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

11. From the east and west; from foreign countries, from all parts of the earth. || Sit down. The happiness of the future state of glory is likened to a company of intimate friends enjoying one another's society at an entertainment. Rev. 19: 9. The phrase sit down is not strictly like the original. It was not the practice, in the time of our Saviour, for persons to sit at table, but to recline at their meals, to place themselves at table in a recumbent posture; and this is expressed by the word translated sit down. || The kingdom of heaven; the state of future glory, the consummation of the Messiah's reign. The perfection of bliss, in Jewish representation, would be to recline at an entertainment with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the distinguished fathers of the nation, in the world of glory. From the remarkable faith of this centurion, who was not a Jew, Jesus takes occasion to say that many, belonging to other nations whom the Jews regarded only as candidates for destruction, would attain to the bliss of heaven.

12. The children of the kingdom. The word sons or children is used in a manner somewhat peculiar in the Bible. Being united to another noun, it frequently expresses such a relation to that noun as possession, participatión, desire, desert, title, &c. For instance, children of this world, in Luke 16: 8, are those whose desires

:

and the fever left her and she arose and ministered unto them. 16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils:

stances might have led him to remove his residence to Capernaum, a place equally well situated for Peter's occupation, namely, fishing. || Laid; lying down.

15. Ministered; attended upon, waited upon. Compare, as parallel passages, Mark 1: 29-31. Luke 4: 38, 39.

16. When the even was come. In Mark 1: 21, it appears that the day on which the event just related took place was the Sabbath. A regard to the Sabbath induced the people to wait till sunset (Mark 1: 32), in order to bring the sick to Jesus. || The spirits; evil spirits, the devils, that is, demons, just mentioned. Matthew appears to have regarded these persons as being really afflicted by evil spirits. It has been made a question, whether the sacred writers themselves believed in the reality of an influence on the bodies and minds of men by evil spirits, or whether they merely accommodated their language to the superstitious notions of the common people. But when we consider the great variety of ways in which they speak of this subject, we can hardly avoid the conclusion, that the evangelists were also of the opinion that there was a real possession, in some cases, by an evil spirit. There might have been, among the multitude, a disposition to ascribe more to evil spirits than was proper, and more than the sacred writers would themselves ascribe to them. But that there were real possessions by evil spirits, seems evidently to have been believed by the evangelists. Again, it has been made a question, whether, even if the evangelists themselves believed that certain disorders of body and mind were to be traced to the influence of evil spirits, their belief was a correct one, and ought to regulate our opinion; or whether we may

and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias regard such cases as being cases of mere derangement, or epilepsy, such as occur at the present day, and which we do not commonly ascribe to evil spirits. On this question it should be considered, that if we regard the sacred writers as mistaken here, it is not easy for us to determine the limits beyond which they were not in a mistake; so that all their accounts, especially of miraculous doings, would be liable to exception. To adopt their opinions on this point, as on others, is, to say the least, the safer and the wiser course. Before the Gospels were written, the apostles were divinely qualified to be the guides of men as to religious opinions; and therefore, if they have expressed themselves in such a way as shows they believed in the reality of a demoniacal influence, we ought to submit to their judgment. Besides, Jesus himself spoke and acted in a way that perfectly accorded with such a belief. Nor is it possible for us to disprove the reality of such possessions. Nor does it become us to affirm, that, at the present day, no cases of derangement proceed from the influence of evil spirits. It is an interesting consideration, that while our Lord was on earth, he furnished so manifest evidence of his superiority to the powers of darkness, as the Lord of the new dispensation. Matt. 12: 28.

17. See Is. 53: 4. The prophet used expressions more general in their signification than the terms which Matthew has here employed. The prophet predicted, that the promised Messiah would signally relieve the woes of men. This idea Matthew very naturally illustrated by the benevolence of our Saviour in healing the sick, and thus applied, in a partial manner, that is, to a particular class of benevolent actions, what is capable

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whither soever thou goest.

of a general application, that is, to all the benevolent operations connected with the Messiah's office, relating both to this world and to the coming world. The signal benefits which Jesus conferred on the sick and on others, were so many assurances of the power and love by which benefits, adapted to the spiritual wants of men, would be bestowed by him. The expression that it might be fulfilled, simply signifies that the language of the prophet received a happy accomplishment; though, as is stated above, only a partial one. Compare 1 Pet. 2: 24. 18. The other side; namely, of the sea of Galilee. Compare v. 28

19. A certain scribe. See INTRODUCTORY EXPLANATIONS, III. 3. Master; in the original, Teacher.

20. The Son of man; the Messiah, in the lowly circumstances in which he appeared on earth. See Phil. 2: 7, 8. This epithet the Saviour frequently employed, and it occurs in some places as an official title. The application of this term to the Messiah might have originated from Daniel 7: 13. The phrase "the Son of man," in Daniel, simply means, a man, one in human form. The person there spoken of was doubtless the Messiah; and he is represented as a man, in distinction from the various forms that had before been seen by the prophet. If this term had thus come to signify the Messiah, it was, as used by Jesus, a modest and humble way of speaking, It amounted to an official title, and yet the language had nothing, in itself, expressive of superiority or dignity.

The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.

Jesus intended to test the sincerity of this scribe, by stating that he could promise nothing alluring as to this world; but that his followers must hold themselves prepared for all sorts and degrees of self-denial. The scribe probably indulged the common opinion, that the Messiah was to acquire great glory, and to distribute great rewards among his followers on earth. Compare Luke 9: 57, 58.

21. Disciples. This word here merely signifies those who attended on the Saviour's instructions. || First. By comparing Luke 9: 59, we shall see that Jesus had invited this man to become his follower; that is, to give himself up to an attendance on him as a constant follower. But he requested leave to bury his father, before he should comply with this invitation.

22. Jesus did not assent to his request, but informed him that immediate obedience was due, and that nothing, however binding or gratifying it might appear, must be allowed to interfere with obedience to his call. Let the dead, &c.; let the spiritually dead, those who have no true perception of their spiritual wants and interests, and of those of their fellow-men, be employed in these acts pertaining to this world. The particular form of expression was suggested by the person's speaking of burying. Adapting his reply to this remark, Jesus said, Let dead ones bury the dead: I call you to other duties; go to the performance of them without delay, and others, who can be of no service in my spiritual kingdom, will bury

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm.

the dead. The idea clearly is, Let nothing hinder you from engaging in my service without delay. The Saviour was not unmindful of the claims of filial duty; but he wished to meet the spirit of delay and of excuse, which this man cherished, and to bring clearly to his view the fact, that he was in danger of regarding other things as more binding than his duty to the Messiah. By comparing Luke 9: 59, 60, we shall see that, after thus rebuking his spirit of procrastination, Jesus commanded him to go forth and announce the glad tidings of the Messiah's having come. Even if this man's father were at that time dead, and preparations for the funeral must be immediately made, the persons concerned in the burial would contract uncleanness for seven days. Num. 19:11, 12. He would naturally understand the Saviour, then, as cautioning against delay. But perhaps the father was not dead, and only on account of his age or infirmities, it was expected that funeral services would ere long be required. Then the Saviour's remark was still more forcible.

23. A ship; the fishing-boat. Jesus had given directions for crossing the sea of Galilee. v. 18. For a similar account of the transaction recorded in 8

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27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

28 And when he was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes,

there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

23-27, see Mark 4: 36-41. Luke 8: 22-25.

28. The other side; that is, of the sea of Galilee. || Country of the Gergesenes. In Mark 5: 1, and Luke 8: 26, we read "the country of the Gadarenes.' It is believed that the two places, Gergesa and Gadara, belonged to the same district, namely, the region east of the Jordan, and the part of that region along the sea. The event here related probably took place in the vicinity of the two cities; and thus, while one of the evangelists speaks of the Gergesenes, the other two speak of the Gadarenes. || Coming out of the tombs. Tombs, among the Jews, were very spacious places; frequently they were natural caverns, or caverns dug by human labor, containing different apartments and cells for the reception of the dead.

29. What have we to do with thee? An expression frequently used among the Hebrews, implying either very strong disapprobation and indignation, or being a mild suggestion of impropriety, according to the circumstances of the case, and the tone of voice. Here, it expresses strong indignation. Compare 2 Sam. 16: 10. John 2: 4.

Son of God. Compare 3: 17. || Before the time. Compare 2 Pet. 2: 4. Jude 6. Matt. 25: 41.