00200
 \\The multitudes were astonished\\ (\\exeplssonto hoi ochloi\\). They
 listened spell-bound to the end and were left amazed. Note the
 imperfect tense, a buzz of astonishment. The verb means literally
 "were struck out of themselves."

00201
 \\And not as their scribes\\ (\\kai ouch hs hoi grammateis autn\\).
 They had heard many sermons before from the regular rabbis in the
 synagogues. We have specimens of these discourses preserved in
 the Mishna and Gemara, the Jewish Talmud when both were
 completed, the driest, dullest collection of disjounted comments
 upon every conceivable problem in the history of mankind. The
 scribes quoted the rabbis before them and were afraid to express
 an idea without bolstering it up by some predecessor. Jesus spoke
 with the authority of truth, the reality and freshness of the
 morning light, and the power of God's Spirit. This sermon which
 made such a profound impression ended with the tragedy of the
 fall of the house on the sand like the crash of a giant oak in
 the forest. There was no smoothing over the outcome.

00202
00203
 \\If thou wilt\\ (\\ean thelis\\). The leper knew that Jesus had the
 power to heal him. His doubt was about his willingness. "Men more
 easily believe in miraculous power than in miraculous love"
 (Bruce). This is a condition of the third class (undetermined,
 but with prospect of being determined), a hopeful doubt at any
 rate. Jesus accepted his challenge by "I will." The command to
 "tell no one" was to suppress excitement and prevent hostility.

00204
00205
00206
 \\Unto him\\ (\\auti\\). Dative in spite of the genitive absolute
 \\eiselthontos autou\\ as in verse
 # 1
 a not infrequent Greek idiom, especially in the _koin_.

00207
 \\Grievously tormented\\ (\\deins basanizomenos\\). Participle present
 passive from root \\basanos\\ (
 See note on "Mt 4:24"
 ). The boy (\\pais\\), slave (\\doulos\\,
 # Lu 7:2
 was a bedridden (\\bebltai\\, perfect passive indicative of \\ball\\)
 paralytic.

00208
 \\I will come and heal him\\ (\\eg elthn therapeus auton\\). Future
 indicative, not deliberative subjunctive in question (McNeile).
 The word here for heal (\\therapeus\\) means first to serve, give
 medical attention, then cure, restore to health. The centurion
 uses the more definite word for healing (\\iathsetai\\
 # 8:8
 as Matthew does in
 # 8:13
 (\\iath\\). Luke
 # Lu 9:11
 like a physician, says that Jesus healed (\\iato\\) those in need of
 treatment (\\therapeias\\), but the distinction is not always
 observed. In
 # Ac 28:8
 Luke uses \\iasato\\ of the miraculous healings in Malta by Paul
 while he employs \\etherapeuonto\\
 # Ac 28:9
 apparently of the practice of Luke the physician (so W. M.
 Ramsay). Matthew represents the centurion himself as speaking to
 Jesus while Luke has it that two committees from the centurion
 brought the messages, apparently a more detailed narrative. What
 one does through others he does himself as Pilate "scourged
 Jesus" (had him scourged).

00209
00210
 \\For I also am a man under authority\\ (\\kai gar eg anthrpos hupo\\
 \\exousian\\). "Also" is in the text, though the \\kai\\ here may mean
 "even," even I in my subordinate position have soldiers under me.
 As a military man he had learned obedience to his superiors and
 so expected obedience to his commands, instant obedience (aorist
 imperatives and aoristic present indicatives). Hence his faith in
 Christ's power over the illness of the boy even without coming.
 Jesus had only to speak with a word
 # 8:8
 say the word, and it would be done.

00211
 \\So great faith\\ (\\tosautn pistin\\). In a Roman centurion and
 greater than in any of the Jews. In like manner Jesus marvelled
 at the great faith of the Canaanitish woman
 # Mt 15:28

00212
 \\Sit down\\ (\\anaklithsontai\\). Recline at table on couches as Jews
 and Romans did. Hence Leonardo da Vinci's famous picture of the
 Last Supper is an anachronism with all seated at table in modern
 style.

00213
 \\The sons of the kingdom\\ (\\hoi huioi ts basileias\\). A favourite
 Hebrew idiom like "son of hell"
 # Mt 23:15
 "sons of this age"
 # Lu 16:8
 The Jews felt that they had a natural right to the privileges of
 the kingdom because of descent from Abraham
 # Mt 3:9
 But mere natural birth did not bring spiritual sonship as the
 Baptist had taught before Jesus did.

 \\Into the outer darkness\\ (\\eis to skotos to exteron\\). Comparative
 adjective like our "further out," the darkness outside the limits
 of the lighted palace, one of the figures for hell or punishment
 # Mt 23:13; 25:30
 The repeated article makes it bolder and more impressive, "the
 darkness the outside," there where the wailing and gnashing of
 teeth is heard in the thick blackness of night.

00214
00215
 \\Lying sick of a fever\\ (\\biblmenn kai puressousan\\). Two
 participles, bedridden (perfect passive of \\ball\\) and burning
 with fever (present active). How long the fever had had her we
 have no means of knowing, possibly a sudden and severe attack
 # Mr 1:30
 as they tell Jesus about her on reaching the house of Peter. We
 are not told what kind of fever it was. Fever itself was
 considered a disease. "Fever" is from German feuer (fire) like
 the Greek \\pur\\.

00216
 \\Touched her hand\\ (\\hpsato ts cheiros auts\\). In loving sympathy
 as the Great Physician and like any good doctor today.

 \\Ministered\\ (\\dikonei\\). "Began to minister" (conative imperfect)
 at once to Jesus at table in gratitude and love.

00217
 \\When even was come\\ (\\opsias genomens\\). Genitive absolute. A
 beautiful sunset scene at the close of the Sabbath day
 # Mr 1:21
 Then the crowds came as Jesus stood in the door of Peter's house
 # Mr 1:33; Mt 8:14
 as all the city gathered there with the sick, "all those who had
 it bad" (
 See note on "Mt 4:24"
 ) and he healed them "with a word" (\\logi\\). It was a never to be
 forgotten memory for those who saw it.

00218
 \\Himself took our infirmities and bare our diseases\\ (\\autos tas\\
 \\astheneias elaben kai tas nosous ebastasen\\). A quotation from
 # Isa 53:4
 It is not clear in what sense Matthew applies the words in Isaiah
 whether in the precise sense of the Hebrew or in an independent
 manner. Moffatt translates it: "He took away our sicknesses, and
 bore the burden of our diseases." Goodspeed puts it: "He took our
 sickness and carried away our diseases." Deissmann (_Bible
 Studies_, pp. 102f.) thinks that Matthew has made a free
 interpretation of the Hebrew, has discarded the translation of
 the Septuagint, and has transposed the two Hebrew verbs so that
 Matthew means: "He took upon himself our pains, and bore our
 diseases." Plummer holds that "It is impossible, and also
 unnecessary, to understand what the Evangelist understood by
 'took ' (\\elaben\\) and 'bare' (\\ebastasen\\). It at least must mean
 that Christ removed their sufferings from the sufferers. He can
 hardly have meant that the diseases were transferred to Christ."
 \\Bastaz\\ occurs freely in the papyri with the sense of lift,
 carry, endure, carry away (the commonest meaning, Moulton and
 Milligan, _Vocabulary_), pilfer. In
 # Mt 3:11
 we have the common vernacular use to take off sandals. The Attic
 Greek did not use it in the sense of carrying off. "This passage
 is the cornerstone of the faith-cure theory, which claims that
 the atonement of Christ includes provision for _bodily_ no less
 than for spiritual healing, and therefore insists on translating
 'took away'" (Vincent). We have seen that the word \\bastaz\\ will
 possibly allow that meaning, but I agree with McNeile: "The
 passage, _as Mt. employs it_, has no bearing on the doctrine of
 the atonement." But Jesus does show his sympathy with us.
 "Christ's sympathy with the sufferers was so intense that he
 really felt their weaknesses and pains." In our burdens Jesus
 steps under the load with us and helps us to carry on.

00219
00220
 \\A scribe\\ (\\heis grammateus\\). One (\\heis\\)="a," indefinite article.
 Already a disciple as shown by "another of the disciples"
 (\\heteros tn mathtn\\) in
 # 8:21
 He calls Jesus "Teacher" (\\didaskale\\), but he seems to be a
 "bumptious" brother full of self-confidence and self-complacency.
 "Even one of that most unimpressionable class, in spirit and
 tendency utterly opposed to the ways of Jesus" (Bruce). Yet Jesus
 deals gently with him.

00221
 \\Holes\\ (\\phleous\\). A lurking hole, burrow. \\Nests\\ (\\katasknseis\\).
 "Roosts, i.e. leafy, \\sknai\\ for settling at night (_tabernacula,
 habitacula_), not nests" (McNeile). In the Septuagint it is used
 of God tabernacling in the Sanctuary. The verb (\\kataskno\\) is
 there used of birds
 # Ps 103:12

 \\The Son of man\\ (\\tho huios tou anthrpou\\). This remarkable
 expression, applied to himself by Jesus so often, appears here
 for the first time. There is a considerable modern literature
 devoted to it. "It means much for the Speaker, who has chosen it
 deliberately, in connection with private reflections, at whose
 nature we can only guess, by study of the many occasions on which
 the name is used" (Bruce). Often it means the Representative Man.
 It may sometimes stand for the Aramaic _barnasha_, the man, but
 in most instances that idea will not suit. Jesus uses it as a
 concealed Messianic title. It is possible that this scribe would
 not understand the phrase at all. Bruce thinks that here Jesus
 means "the unprivileged Man," worse off than the foxes and the
 birds. Jesus spoke Greek as well as Aramaic. It is inconceivable
 that the Gospels should never call Jesus "the Son of man" and
 always credit it to him as his own words if he did not so term
 himself, about eighty times in all, thirty-three in Matthew.
 Jesus in his early ministry, except at the very start in
 # Joh 4
 abstains from calling himself Messiah. This term suited his
 purpose exactly to get the people used to his special claim as
 Messiah when he is ready to make it openly.

00222
 \\And bury my father\\ (\\kai thapsai ton patera mou\\). The first man
 was an enthusiast. This one is overcautious. It is by no means
 certain that the father was dead. Tobit urged his son Tobias to
 be sure to bury him: "Son, when I am dead, bury me" (Tobit 4:3).
 The probability is that this disciple means that, after his
 father is dead and buried, he will then be free to follow Jesus.
 "At the present day, an Oriental, with his father sitting by his
 side, has been known to say respecting his future projects: 'But
 I must first bury my father!'" (Plummer). Jesus wanted first
 things first. But even if his father was not actually dead,
 service to Christ comes first.

00223
 \\Leave the dead to bury their own dead\\ (\\aphes tous nekrous thapsai\\
 \\tous heautn nekrous\\). The spiritually dead are always on hand to
 bury the physically dead, if one's real duty is with Jesus.
 Chrysostom says that, while it is a good deed to bury the dead,
 it is a better one to preach Christ.

00224
00225
 \\But he was asleep\\ (\\autos de ekatheuden\\). Imperfect, was sleeping.
 Picturesque scene. The Sea of Galilee is 680 feet below the
 Mediterranean Sea. These sudden squalls come down from the summit
 of Hermon with terrific force (\\seismos megas\\) like an earthquake.
 Mark
 # Mr 4:37
 and Luke
 # Lu 8:23
 term it a whirlwind (\\lailaps\\) in furious gusts.

00226
 \\Save, Lord; we perish\\ (\\Kurie, sson, apollumetha\\). More exactly,
 "Lord, save us at once (aorist), we are perishing (present
 linear)."

00227
00228
 \\Even the winds and the sea obey him\\ (\\Kai hoi anmoi kai h\\
 \\thalassa auti hupakouousin\\). A nature miracle. Even a sudden
 drop in the wind would not at once calm the sea. "J. Weiss
 explains that by 'an astonishing coincidence' the storm happened
 to lull at the moment that Jesus spoke!" (McNeile). Some minds
 are easily satisfied by their own stupidities.

00229
 \\The country of the Gadarenes\\ (\\ten chran tn Gadarnn\\). This is
 the correct text in Matthew while in
 # Mr 5:1
 and
 # Lu 8:26
 it is "the country of the Gerasenes." Dr. Thomson discovered by
 the lake the ruins of Khersa (Gerasa). This village is in the
 district of the city of Gadara some miles southeastward so that
 it can be called after Gerasa or Gadara. So Matthew speaks of
 "two demoniacs" while Mark and Luke mention only one, the leading
 one. "\\The tombs\\" (\\tn mnmein\\) were chambers cut into the
 mountain side common enough in Palestine then and now. On the
 eastern side of the lake the precipitous cliffs are of limestone
 formation and full of caves. It is one of the proofs that one is
 a maniac that he haunts the tombs. People shunned the region as
 dangerous because of the madmen.

00230
 \\Thou Son of God\\ (\\huie tou theou\\). The recognition of Jesus by the
 demons is surprising. The whole subject of demonology is
 difficult. Some hold that it is merely the ancient way of
 describing disease. But that does not explain the situation here.
 Jesus is represented as treating the demons as real existences
 separate from the human personality. Missionaries in China today
 claim that they have seen demons cast out. The devil knew Jesus
 clearly and it is not strange that Jesus was recognized by the
 devil's agents. They know that there is nothing in common between
 them and the Son of God (\\hmin kai soi\\, ethical dative) and they
 fear torment "before the time" (\\pro kairou\\). Usually \\ta daimonia\\
 is the word in the New Testament for demons, but in
 # 8:31
 we have \\hoi daimones\\ (the only example in the N.T.). \\Daimonion\\ is
 a diminutive of \\daimn\\. In Homer \\daimn\\ is used synonymously with
 \\theos\\ and \\thea\\. Hesiod employed \\daimn\\ of men of the golden
 age as tutelary deities. Homer has the adjective \\daimonios\\
 usually in an evil sense. Empedocles considered the demons both
 bad and good. They were thus used to relieve the gods and
 goddesses of much rascality. Grote (_History of Greece_) notes
 that the Christians were thus by pagan usage justified in calling
 idolatry the worship of demons. See
 # 1Co 10:20; 1Ti 4:1; Re 9:20; 16:13
 In the Gospels demons are the same as unclean spirits
 # Mr 5:12,15; 3:22,30; Lu 4:33
 The demons are disturbers (Vincent) of the whole life of man
 # Mr 5:2; 7:25; Mt 12:45; Lu 13:11,16

00231
00232
00233
 \\Rushed down the steep\\ (\\hrmsen kata tou krmnou\\). Down from the
 cliff (ablative case) into the sea. Constative aorist tense. The
 influence of mind on matter is now understood better than
 formerly, but we have the mastery of the mind of the Master on
 the minds of the maniacs, the power of Christ over the demons,
 over the herd of hogs. Difficulties in plenty exist for those who
 see only folk-lore and legend, but plain enough if we take Jesus
 to be really Lord and Saviour. The incidental destruction of the
 hogs need not trouble us when we are so familiar with nature's
 tragedies which we cannot comprehend.

00234
00235
 \\That he would depart\\ (\\hops metabi\\). The whole city was excited
 over the destruction of the hogs and begged Jesus to leave,
 forgetful of the healing of the demoniacs in their concern over
 the loss of property. They cared more for hogs than for human
 souls, as often happens today.

00236
 \\His own city\\ (\\tn idian polin\\). Capernaum
 # Mr 2:1; Mt 4:13

00237
 \\They brought\\ (\\prosepheron\\). Imperfect, "were bringing," graphic
 picture made very vivid by the details in
 # Mr 2:1-4
 and
 # Lu 5:17
 "\\Lying on a bed\\" (stretched on a couch), perfect passive
 participle, a little bed or couch (\\klinidion\\) in
 # Lu 5:19
 "a pallet" (\\krabatos\\) in
 # Mr 2:4,9,11
 \\Thy sins are forgiven\\ (\\aphientai\\). Present passive indicative
 (aoristic present). Luke
 # Lu 5:21
 has \\aphentai\\, Doric and Ionic perfect passive indicative for the
 Attic \\apheintai\\, one of the dialectical forms appearing in the
 _Koin_.

00238
 \\This man blasphemeth\\ (\\houtos blasphmei\\). See the sneer in "this
 fellow." "The prophet always is a scandalous, irreverent
 blasphemer from the conventional point of view" (Bruce).

00239
00240
00241
 \\That ye may know\\ (\\hina eidte\\). Jesus accepts the challenge in
 the thoughts of the scribes and performs the miracle of healing
 the paralytic, who so far only had his sins forgiven, to prove
 his Messianic power on earth to forgive sins even as God does.
 The word \\exousia\\ may mean either power or authority. He had both
 as a matter of fact. Note same word in
 # 9:8
 \\Then saith he to the sick of the palsy\\ (\\tote legei ti\\
 \\paralutiki\\). These words of course, were not spoken by Jesus.
 Curiously enough Matthew interjects them right in the midst of
 the sayings of Jesus in reply to the scorn of the scribes. Still
 more remarkable is the fact that Mark
 # Mr 2:10
 has precisely the same words in the same place save that Matthew
 has added \\tote\\, of which he is fond, to what Mark already had.
 Mark, as we know, largely reports Peter's words and sees with
 Peter's eyes. Luke has the same idea in the same place without
 the vivid historical present \\legei (eipen ti paralelumeni)\\ with
 the participle in place of the adjective. This is one of the many
 proofs that both Matthew and Luke made use of Mark's Gospel each
 in his own way. \\Take up thy bed\\ (\\ron sou tn klinn\\). Pack up at
 once (aorist active imperative) the rolled-up pallet.

00242
00243
00244
 \\At the place of toll\\ (\\epi to telnion\\). The tax-office or
 custom-house of Capernaum placed here to collect taxes from the
 boats going across the lake outside of Herod's territory or from
 people going from Damascus to the coast, a regular caravan route.
 "\\Called Matthew\\" (\\Maththaion legomenon\\) and in
 # 10:3
 Matthew the publican is named as one of the Twelve Apostles. Mark
 # Mr 2:14
 and Luke
 # Lu 5:27
 call this man Levi. He had two names as was common, Matthew Levi.
 The publicans (\\telnai\\) get their name in English from the Latin
 _publicanus_ (a man who did public duty), not a very accurate
 designation. They were detested because they practised graft.
 Even Gabinius the proconsul of Syria was accused by Cicero of
 relieving Syrians and Jews of legitimate taxes for graft. He
 ordered some of the tax-officers removed. Already Jesus had
 spoken of the publican
 # 5:46
 in a way that shows the public disfavour in which they were held.

00245
 \\Publicans and sinners\\ (\\telnai kai hamartloi\\). Often coupled
 together in common scorn and in contrast with the righteous
 (\\dikaioi\\ in
 # 9:13
 It was a strange medley at Levi's feast (Jesus and the four
 fisher disciples, Nathanael and Philip; Matthew Levi and his
 former companions, publicans and sinners; Pharisees with their
 scribes or students as on-lookers; disciples of John the Baptist
 who were fasting at the very time that Jesus was feasting and
 with such a group). The Pharisees criticize sharply "your
 teacher" for such a social breach of "reclining" together with
 publicans at Levi's feast.

00246
00247
 \\But they that are sick\\ (\\alla hoi kaks echontes\\). Probably a
 current proverb about the physician. As a physician of body and
 soul Jesus was bound to come in close touch with the social
 outcasts.

00248
 \\But go ye and learn\\ (\\poreuthentes de mathete\\). With biting
 sarcasm Jesus bids these preachers to learn the meaning of
 # Ho 6:6
 It is repeated in
 # Mt 12:7
 Ingressive aorist imperative (\\mathete\\).

00249
 \\The disciples of John\\ (\\hoi mathtai Ianou\\). One is surprised to
 find disciples of the Baptist in the role of critics of Christ
 along with the Pharisees. But John was languishing in prison and
 they perhaps were blaming Jesus for doing nothing about it. At
 any rate John would not have gone to Levi's feast on one of the
 Jewish fast-days. "The strict asceticism of the Baptist
 # 11:18
 and of the Pharisaic rabbis
 # Lu 18:12
 was imitated by their disciples" (McNeile).
