CHAPTER XVIII.

THE MESSIAH, RETURNING FROM THE PASSOVER, ENTERS ON HIS SECOND CIRCUIT IN GALILEE AND OTHER PLACESPASSING THROUGH THE CORN FIELDS HE DECLARES HIMSELF TO BE LORD OF THE SABBATH -CURES A MAN WITH A WITHERED HAND IN THE SYNAGOGUE-THE PHARISEES TAKE COUNSEL WITH THE HERODIANS TO DESTROY HIM HE RETIRES TO THE LAKE THE MULTITUDES THRONG HIS PATH.

Matt. xii. 1-21. Mark, ii. 23-28; iii. 1-12. Luke, vi. 1-11.

It would appear that after this Passover the Messiah returned no more to Jerusalem for eighteen months; that is, not until the Feast of Tabernacles, in the following year. During that interval we shall follow Him in His Second and Third Circuits through Galilee, and other distant parts of Canaan. In all the cities and villages He will bestow His blessings with an unsparing hand, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom in many Discourses and beautiful Parables, and working Miracles among the people. These are principally recorded by St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke; not always in exact agreement of chronological order, nor clearly marking in what places the several events happened. The Gospel of St. Matthew, from the beginning of chapter VIII., to chapter XIII., is less regular than the other two in the thread of the narrative, and gives several circumstances in a different order of succession from St. Mark and St. Luke. In a collection of such manifold facts, occurring at various times and places, this is of no real moment in regard to the truthfulness of the

sacred writings.1 It may go some way to show the independent knowledge which each historian had of the facts, so far as it relieves him from any suspicion of being merely a copyist, whilst it adds to the charm of varied and close enquiry, by which we are now drawn to compare one with the other, making the industrious student of Scripture more and more familiar with the exalted attributes of the Saviour. Their history of particular events may be told in different words, and with some variety of minor circumstances: but we find a close agreement between them in all the essentials; a pervading concordance in their reports of His teaching and miracles; a connected chain of narrative, the links of which are supplied, sometimes by all four, sometimes by three, or two, or one. If occasionally there is an absence of chronological order in their records of Christ's wonderful works of power, and words of wisdom, they are not therefore less trustworthy. The declaration of St. John, that "if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written," shows that each and all the Evangelists made their selection from a vast mass of facts.

The old Scriptures were "given by inspiration of God;" Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others were inspired; and the Evangelists, on whom the Holy Ghost descended from Heaven, equally wrote according to the dictates of the Spirit, the Source of all inspiration: they arranged their several narratives as the most fitting contributions to such a history of their Lord's Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, His teaching, and His miracles, as the Divine Wisdom chose to leave with the Church on Earth.

Even if it be supposed that St. Mark was acquainted with the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Luke with the Gospels of both, and St. John with all three, they would not therefore have less claim to an independent knowledge of the facts which they record. They would still be original heralds of a great

See this forcibly illustrated by St. Augustin, “Quid autem interest quis quo loco ponat, sive quod ex ordine inserit, sive quod omissum recolit, sive quod postea factum antè præoccupat, dum tamen non adversentur eadem vel alia narranti, nec sibi, nec alteri ?" &c., &c. De Consensu Evang., lib. ii. cap. 21. 2 John, xxi. 25.

message to mankind, speaking as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. Their several variations will be found to join in one key of a Divine harmony,1 unfolding the real character of their Lord, the Son of God, as exemplified in the supernatural events of His Life, and corresponding with all the ancient prophecies. Let us only in a humble spirit, diligently study the Gospels, as they are given to us, and obediently practise the precepts which they contain; then they will be clear enough to make us wise unto salvation. Had much more been handed down to us, it would not have satisfied the heart of unbelief. Had there been a more exact agreement between the four Gospels, unbelievers would have charged the inspired penmen with collusion,-making the very want of varieties a ground for cavil. As it is, we gather from the whole an assurance that "God hath spoken unto us by His Son," Who is "the brightness of His Glory, and the express Image of His Person;" that He was born into the world for us all, died for the sins of all, rose again for our justification, ascended into Heaven to prepare a place for the faithful in the mansions of His Father's House, and that He will come again with His holy angels to receive them unto Himself. Take away those blessed truths of God's Revelation, and what assurance remains to sorrowful suffering man that he has an immortal soul, for which a joyful future is reserved in realms of glory?

But to resume the narrative: Jesus returned from Jerusalem to Galilee, and there entered on His Second Circuit. It was near the time of harvest,-the month of April: already the first sheaf of barley harvest had been consecrated in the Temple on the second day of the Passover, as an offering to God, according to the Mosaic law.3 We know not in what part of Galilee it

1 Their history is very properly called, "Evangelical Harmony," as Osiander says, "For as in musical harmony our ears are sometimes delighted with the variations of a single instrument, or voice, sometimes with a double, treble, or fourfold concord; so in the Gospel, events are sometimes described at great length by one Evangelist, sometimes shortly by two, sometimes accurately by three, and even occasionally with great fulness by all four." Osiandri, Harm. Evang., Præfatio, a 4. Folio Ed., 1561.

2 Heb. i. 3.

3 Lev. xxiii. 10, 11.

was; but " on the second sabbath after the first," He went through the corn fields; and His disciples, being an hungered, began to pluck the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. Even there, in His retired walks in the country, the Pharisees followed His footsteps, watching Him with a malignant jealousy, intruding upon Him with their accusations and reproaches; and now they charged Him with breaking the sabbath. But their malice is quickly turned to their own confusion; for He shows that their sabbath observances were not in the spirit of the Divine Lawgiver. He reminds them how David, flying from Saul, went into the house of God, and did eat of the shew-bread from the hands of the priest, and gave it to his followers, which was an act not strictly legal, but justified by the necessity of the moment: also how the priests usually performed the proper work of the Temple on the sabbath, and were blameless.3 But beyond this, He asserted His supremacy over all things as the One Great Lawgiver. Who but Himself first sanctified the seventh day, when He rested from His work of Creation, and the Heavens and the Earth were finished? He added, "I say unto you, that in this place is One greater than the Temple;" "The Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath." The Pharisees made no answer; but doubtless they treasured up this claim to Divine power for a future day of account.

It would appear that there were constant spies set over Him, acting perhaps under orders from the Rulers in Jerusalem; and it was not long ere they found a further occasion of reproach for soon afterwards, on another sabbath, as He taught in the synagogue of some town in Galilee, “ there

:

1 According to Lightfoot, vol. ii. p. 184, the sabbath following the miracle at the Pool of Bethesda. But see Greswell's Dissertations, Harmony, vol. ii. pp. 311-316. Toletus adopts the opinion of Theophylact and Chrysostom, that this sabbath was that which followed the sabbath of some great festival; and he considers that it was after a Passover. "Certum est inter Pascha et Pentecostem fuisse hoc sabbatum, tunc enim messes erant, ut spicæ colligi possint." Toletus, in Evang. Lucæ, p. 384.

21 Sam. xxi. 6.

3 "Unum exemplum datum regiæ potestatis de David, alterum sacedotalis de iis qui per ministerium templi sabbatum violant: ut multo minùs ad ipsum evulsarum sabbato spicarum crimen pertineat, qui verus rex et verus sacerdos est, et ideo Dominus sabbati." Aug. Quæst. Evang. in Matt., quæst. 10.

was a man whose right hand was withered. And the Scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the sabbath day, that they might have accusation against Him." But their malice could not hinder the Divine compassion. St. Luke says, "He knew their thoughts, and said to the man, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst:"" then turning to the Pharisees, He added, "I will ask you one thing: is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?" "What man shall there be amongst you that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?" They made Him no answer, for they knew that such acts were permitted by the Rabbis. Any answer, indeed, would only have covered them with confusion: for by denying that the man ought to be healed they would have exposed their want of feeling before the people, of whom they delighted to receive honour; or by their assent, they must have borne witness to the wisdom and mercy of Christ, Whom they hated. This poor man before them, as a helpless sheep of the fold of Israel, awakened the sympathies of the Good Shepherd: and who could gainsay the compassion which would lift him out of the pit of his misery even on the sabbath day? "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He said unto the man, 'Stretch forth thy hand.' And he stretched it forth." The very act proved that he was already cured.3

'Lightfoot, vol. ii. p. 187. "Our Lord, by action and miracle, here enforced what He had already urged, the superiority of the spirit of the law to the traditions of the elders. It is lawful to do good on the sabbath-day,' appears to be in direct opposition to the very extraordinary decision of the school of Shammai, Let no one console the sick, or visit the mourning on the sabbathday. It is plainly against the decisions of this school that our Lord spake ; for the school of Hillel had in some respects decided otherwise. By some canons of the Jewish law it was permitted to the people to prepare medicine, and to perform any service which was required for the actual preservation of life." Townsend's New Test., p. 121.

"Chrysostomus (Hom. 41 in Matt.) existimat Christum circumspexisse illos, nt aspectu suo ad misericordiam erga hominem illos provocaret. Euthymius autem dicit circumspexisse, ut eos confunderet: accomodatius videtur, [circumspexisse] ut ad respondendum excitaret, ac provocaret, ut fieri solet." Toletus, in Luca Evang., p. 390.

3 "Effectus virtutis verbi Christi ostenditur : ille enim extendit, ipsa exten

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