Verse 48. not believe."

Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will

The only answer the nobleman could make to this was

49. Sir, come down ere my child die."

His heart was full of grief and fear, but his hope in Jesus grew stronger every moment. He has not reproached me, He has spoken of signs and wonders, He will surely then save my child. O come quickly, before it be too late ;-come, or my Ichild will die.

50. "Go thy way (said the Saviour) thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way."

It is written that the power of the Spirit was with Jesus, and what but the power of the Spirit could so change this father's fears for his son, into certainty of his cure? He be lieved the word the Lord had spoken, for he now made no haste to return to his home.* Capernaum, where he had left his son at the point of death, was not so far off but that he might have reached it that night. But now he was sure that he would live, and he made no haste. Perhaps he stayed to hear more of the gospel of Jesus. Certainly he did not reach home till the next day.

51-53. "And as he was now going down, his servants met him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed and his whole house."

* Luke iv. 14.

Do you remember the words of Christ to Nicodemus, when He said, the power of the Spirit was like the power of the wind? None could see it, none could tell from whence it came or whither it went, but all could see the things it did. A power like a mighty wind, had come upon this nobleman's family, and had thrown down all their prejudices. The father had gone to ask that his son should be cured of his illness. He returns to his home, and behold, not only has the fever left his son, but he, and all belonging to him, by the power of the Spirit of God are made Christians. They believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God. He has shown by a word spoken at a distance, that He has only to command and He will be obeyed. That life and death come and go at his will. That He is Lord of all. And is it not often so with ourselves? We know the name of Christ. We believe that he is able and willing to help in every time of need, but we care and think little about him. Sickness and danger come upon us. Then we remember that He is indeed a Saviour. Then our hearts turn to him for help and for comfort, and the time of our distress has been blessed by him, and has become the beginning of eternal life to our souls. But O let us not forget him when the danger and the sorrow is over. Let our hearts cling to him with grateful love, and let our whole lives prove that we and all our house are the true servants of Christ the Lord.

In this family of the nobleman of Capernaum the power of Satan was at an end. He might distress and disturb them, but he could not destroy them. The "seed of the woman was come." The first promise made to Adam and to Eve, when by sin they had lost their first state of happiness, was now kept, Jesus had begun to bruise the head of the serpent Satan, and He will never leave off till He has quite destroyed his power.

Prayer.

O Lord, our God and Saviour, thou didst turn the grief and

fear of this father's heart into lasting peace and joy. The illness of one was by thee made to bring a blessing upon a whole family, grant that it may be always so with us. When sickness or any kind of danger comes upon us, or upon those we love, grant that we too may seek help from thee, our Saviour, that we may go to thee for comfort, and we shall assuredly find it. Grant that every kind of danger and of sickness may end in spiritual blessings being brought upon our whole family, by our faith becoming more clear, and our love more true, so that our lives may be more entirely devoted to thy service, our God and Saviour. Amen.

LUKE iv. 15.

XXXV.

"And Jesus taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all."

These synagogues were places in which the Jewish people met together to hear the word of God read and explained, and to pray. They were quite distinct from the temple of God in Jerusalem, where the sacrifices were offered. The word synagogue, means a house of assembly,* or meeting together. Not only the Priests and Levites read and explained the Scrip tures in the synagogues, but it was the custom for them to invite any one they thought proper to do the same.† Now we read, that the Lord Jesus, as soon as He came into Galilee, preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God, "saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand repent ye, and believe the Gospel." In this way the glad tidings were spread, that the Messiah men had been so long looking for, He was going to set up his kingdom, and the way

was come.

* See Olshausen on the Gospels, Vol. I. p. 200.

+ Beza in Scott.

Mark i. 14, 15.

to get into that kingdom was to repent of sin and to believe his Gospel. The people of Galilee gladly listened, and Jesus was glorified of all, that is, all men rejoiced in the words He spoke, and praised and blessed Him for the good news He brought.

It was now time for the Lord Jesus to visit Nazareth, where He had lived from the time that He was a little child

Verses 16-19. "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

These words which our Lord read from the Prophet Isaiah, the Jews themselves agreed in believing that they spoke of the Messiah. He was come to heal the broken-hearted, to bring comfort for every sorrow, deliverance from every affliction. The Spirit of the Lord was indeed upon him; and He was appointed to preach the good news of salvation to the poor; so

20, 21. "Closing the book, he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears."

No doubt He said to them much more than this; no doubt He showed them how He was come to fulfil these blessed pro

mises written so long before of him by the prophet Isaiah, for it is said, that

Verse 22. "All bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.”

They wondered, for they remembered that He had been a child among them, and they said, "Is not this Joseph's son ?" Jesus knew what was in their hearts; He knew how much of pride and sin was there, and that though they despised him for being, as they thought, the Son of Joseph the carpenter, yet that they would gladly receive him if He would flatter their pride by making their town Nazareth famous for if He would make it the chief place for working his wonderful works, men would no more despise Nazareth as they had done; it would become famous through his miracles. But the Lord Jesus was come to humble pride, and not to flatter it. The principal work He had to do in his life, was to show men the secret sin of their hearts, that they might seek him as the Saviour from the power of sin.* He would not have them admire or seek him from any worldly wish. The people of Nazareth had wondered at the gracious words He had spoken. The next words He spoke, in a moment brought to light the secret pride and sinful feelings of their hearts

23-27. "And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;‡ But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, 1 Kings xvii. 1-9; xviii. 2.

* Luke ii. 34.

+ Elijah.