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MATT. VIII.

and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

MATT. IX.

MARK V.

concerning the swine. 37
17 And they began to

pray him to depart
out of their coasts.
18 And when he was
come into the ship, he
that had been possess-
ed with the devil pray-
ed him that he might
19 be with him. Howbeit 38
Jesus suffered him not,
but saith unto him, Go
home to thy friends,
and tell them how
great things the Lord
hath done for thee, and 39
hath had compassion
20 on thee. And he de-
parted, and began to
publish in Decapolis
how great things Jesus
had done for him: and
all men did marvel.

And he entered into 21 a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. [See in § 34.]

§ 58. LEVI'S FEAST.2 MATT. IX. 10-17.

And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

And when Jesus was 40
passed over again by
ship unto the other
side, much people ga-
thered unto him: and
he was nigh unto the

sea.

LUKE VIII.

healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and publishedthroughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

DISCOURSE CONCERNING FASTING.-Capernaum.

MARK II. 15-22.

15
And it came to pass, 29
that, as Jesus sat at
meat in his house,
many publicans and
sinners sat also toge-
ther with Jesus and
his disciples for there
were many, and they
And when 16 followed him. And 30

His own city, i. e. Capernaum, where he generally tarried after removing from Nazareth: see Matt. 4. 13.

2 The call of Levi or Matthew is placed by the three evangelists immediately after the healing of the paralytic in Capernaum: see §§ 34, 35. Very naturally, too, they all three connect with his call an account of the feast which he afterwards made for Jesus; in order to bring together and present at once all that was personal to Matthew. But from Matt. 9. 18 [see § 59] it appears, that while our Lord was reclining and discoursing at that feast, Jairus comes to beseech him to visit his daughter lying at the point of death; and Jesus goes with him. Now this transaction,

:

LUKE V. 29-39.

And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

But their scribes

according to Mark and Luke, did not happen until immediately after the return from the eastern shore of the lake. Hence the narrative of the feast is also to be transferred to this place; and that too with the more certainty, because the twelve appear to have also been present at it: see Matt. 9. 10; Mark 2. 15.

3 Sinners. There is no good reason for supposing that Gentiles are meant by this word, as used here and in similar places. Jews rather are intended who were in bad reputation, as transgressors of the law in its ceremonial, and perhaps in some of its moral precepts, and so passing for scarcely better than heathens.

MATT. IX.

the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:1 for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.2

14

15

16

17

Then came to him 18 the disciples of John,3 saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?

But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

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And the disciples of 33
John and of the Phari-
sees used to fast: and
they come and say
unto him, Why do the
disciples of John and
of the Pharisees fast,
but thy disciples fast
19 not? And Jesus said 34
unto them, Can the
children of the bride-
chamber fast, while
the bridegroom is with
them? as long as they
have the bridegroom
with them, they can-
not fast. But the days 35
will come, when the
bridegroom shall be
taken away from them,
and then shall they
fast in those days. 36
No man also seweth a
piece of new cloth on
an old garment: else

20

No man put- 21 teth a piece of new cloth unto an old gar

5

1 Hos. 6. 6; comp. 1 Sam. 15. 22. 2 Luke 15. 8-10; 1 Tim. 1. 15. 3 The disciples of John. Here it appears many of these did not follow the counsel of their master, by becoming the disciples of Jesus, and acknowledging him as the Messiah, but remained a distinct sect, with a leaning towards the Pharisees. A very notable trace of this peculiar sect is again found in Acts 19. 3-5, where several of its adherents receive baptism under the direction of the apostle Paul, their former baptism being not recognised as proper, inasmuch as it had been administered not by John himself in Judea, (some twenty years before,) but by some propagator of

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And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John 3 fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?

And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber 4 fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

But the days

will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of

the sect in Asia. Even now some followers of the party are said to be found in the East under the name of Sabii or Natsoreans. See Neander's Kirchengeschichte, I. 646.

4 Comp. Judges 14. 10, 11.

5 New cloth, properly cloth unfulled (äyvados), which is apt to shrink much when wet, and so would rend the old cloth around it. In Luke the illustration is quite different. Our Lord may have used both. A better rendering of Luke's words would be this: "No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old garment; but if otherwise, both he cuts the new and the piece from the new does not match the old."

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LUKE V.

a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles,1 and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. [See in § 37.]

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Bottles, not of earthenware or glass, but of may account for her timid and almost stealthy skins, and so liable to be rent (pýyvovται). 2 Comp. Josh. 9. 4.

3 A woman-diseased, &c. Her disorder was one of those maladies which, according to the law (Lev. 15. 25-27), defiled by contact; and this

manner of approaching Christ, for her doing no more than touching the hem of his garment, and also for her alarm on being discovered. But in the midst of all, she had faith, and was accordingly healed and blessed.

MATT. IX.

27 came be

hind him, and touched the hem of his gar- 28 21 ment: for she said

within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.22 And the woman was made whole from that hour.

29

MARK V.

cians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may_touch but his clothes, I shall bewhole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she

was

44

healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immedi- 45 ately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest 46 the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched 32 me? And he looked 47 round about to see her that had done this 33 thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

22 But Jesus turned him 34

about, and when he
saw her, he said,
Daughter, be of good
comfort; thyfaith hath
made thee whole.-

35

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

48

While he yet spake, 49 there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said,Thydaughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master 50 36 any further? As soon

as Jesus heard the
word that was spoken,
he saith unto the ruler
of the synagogue, Be

LUKE VIII.

neither could be healed of any,

came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

:

While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

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and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,' 24 he said unto them,

Give place for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they 40 laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people

were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid 26 arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

man

MARK V.

53

not afraid, only be-
38 lieve. And he cometh
to the house of the rul- 51
er of the synagogue.-
37 And he suffered no
to follow him,
save Peter, and James,
and John the brother
38 of James. And he 52
seeth the tumult, and
them that wept and
39 wailed greatly. And
when he was come in,
he saith unto them,
Why make ye this
ado, and weep? the 54
damsel is not dead, but
sleepeth. And they
laughed him to scorn.
But when he had put
them all out, he taketh
the father and the
mother of the damsel,
and them that were
with him, and entereth
in where the damsel
41 was lying. And he
took the damsel by the
hand, and said unto
her, Talitha cumi;
which is, being inter-
preted, Damsel, I say
42 unto thee, arise. And 55
straightway the dam-
sel arose, and walked;
for she was of the age of
twelve years. And they 56
were astonished with
a great astonishment.
43 And he charged them

straitly that no man
should know it; and
commanded that some-
thing should be given
her to eat.

LUKE VIII.

And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out,

and took

her by the hand, and called, saying,

Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.

§ 60. TWO BLIND MEN HEALED, AND A DUMB SPIRIT CAST OUT.—Capernaum ?

27

MATT. IX. 27-34.

And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him,' crying, 28 and saying, Thou Son of David,3 have mercy on us. And when he was

1 Minstrels and people making a noise. It was customary to have a kind of funereal music and mourning women to wail for the dead (comp. 2 Chron. 35. 25; Jer. 9. 17, 18).

2 Comp. Matt. 20. 30-34.

3 Son of David. This appears to have been the favourite title among the people for designating the Messiah; but as it might seem to favour the

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