ye for his father or his mother; making the word of God of none 13 effect through your tradition, which have delivered: and many such like things do ye. And when he had called all the peo- 14 ple unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand. There is nothing from without a man, 15 that entering into him, can defile him but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man 16 have ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was entered 17 into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without 18 understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him: be- 19 cause it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That 20 which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from 21 within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, 22 lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all 23 these evil things come from within, and defile the man. And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre 24 and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have no man know it but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose 25 young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet (the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician 26 13. Delivered. The verb, which, in the form of a noun, is rendered just before, tradition. The tradition which you have traditioned, so to speak, which you have helped to perpetuate. 19. Wakefield's translation of this verse is as follows: "For it goeth not into the heart, but into the belly, and proceedeth to that part of the body that cleareth all the food." 20-23. A profound elucidation 24-31. Mat. xv. 21-29, and the comments. 26. Greek, i. e. Gentile. All who of the nature and origin of sin. It were not Jews were called Gentiles. by nation,) and she besought him that he would cast forth the 27 devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, 28 and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's 29 crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying, go thy way; the 30 devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. 31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of 32 Decapolis.. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his 33 hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue : 34 and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, 35 Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake 36 plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but 29. "Who can sufficiently admire the firm faith and deep humility of this woman? How strongly did our Saviour draw out these qualities, that his disciples might behold them, and be taught that goodness might exist even in a Gentile! How entirely different were their present feelings towards her, from those they entertained when they first beheld her! Nor was it on the minds of his immediate disciples alone, that his conduct to this woman exerted a beneficial influence. Wherever the gospel has been preached, wherever the gospel will be preached, this incident will be known; and from it men cannot but learn to think better of Christ and of his religion." 30. Laid upon the bed. The usual posture of sickness, but indicating here that she was composed and quiet, contrary to her general custom, and was healed of her malady. 32. Deaf, and had an impediment in his speech. Or, stammered. Deafness and dumbness commonly go, hand in hand, by a natural connexion.- Matthew gives here a general statement, xv. 30, 31, while Mark narrates a particular case. 33, 34. Sighed. The expression of that fellow-feeling for the suffering, which ever beat warmly in the heart of Jesus. Heb. v. 2. The employment of various means, of an external character, in this miracle, is to be regarded, perhaps, as symbolic, just as when he breathed on his disciples, as if to convey a physical impression of the descent of the Holy Spirit. He thus connected himself with the effect, enlivened, by touch, the faith of the disordered person, exhibited variety in the mode of performing his miracles, and demonstrated that he resorted to no magical arts or incantations.- Ephphatha. See note on Mark v. 41. the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He 37 hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. CHAPTER VIII. Jesus continues his Miracles and Instructions. IN those days, the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have 2 now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat and if 3 I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way for divers of them came from far. And his disciples 4 answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many 5 loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded 6 the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And 7 they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled and 8 they took up of the broken meat that was left, seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent 9 them away. And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and 10 came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came 11 37. The natural aim and result of the miracles were an appeal to the wonder of the beholders, and this proved a powerful summoning forth of their deeper principles and sentiments. It broke up the stagnation of their sensual existence, by flashes of light from a higher world, and turned their attention, as if with the concentration of a focal glass, to the moral teachings and manifestations of the new Comer. CHAPTER VIII. 2. I have compassion. Heb. v. 2. The beauty of Jesus' celestial character shines with a mild light, not to dazzle, but to guide. His sympathy for sinning, suffering man makes us, so to speak, feel at home with him. Point high as may one pole of his nature, towards the infinite and eternal, we feel happy as soon as we learn, that the other is turned to his younger, weaker brethren in the flesh. 10. Dalmanutha. In Matthew, it is Magdala. The location of these 1-21. See Mat. xv. 32–39, xvi. places is now conjectural. Robin1-12, and the notes. son supposes Dalmanutha to have forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign 12 from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily, I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they 15 in the ship with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of 16 the leaven of Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, 17 saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet 18 hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye 19 not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye 20 up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? 21 And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand? 22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man un23 to him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him 24 if he saw aught. And he looked up, and said, I see men as 25 trees walking. After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man 26 clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. been on the western side of Lake Gennesaret, a little north of Tiberias, and near Magdala. 12. He was deeply affected, because he saw that they were demanding evidence, which, from the very nature of his kingdom, never could be afforded them. No sign could be given them, such as they desired. 14. One loaf. Such particulari ties, naturally introduced, mark the true historian. 15. See note on Mark iii. 6. 22. Besought. Should be in the present tense, beseech, corresponding with the verb bring, in the preceding clause. 24. I see men as trees walking. Or, as Campbell renders it, or rather paraphrases it, "I see men, whom I And 29 And 30 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cesa- 27 rea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Who do men say that I am? And they answered, John 28 the Baptist but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. he charged them that they should tell no man of him. And 31 he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he 32 spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about, and looked on his 33 disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan : for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. And when he had called the people unto 34 him, with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; but 35 whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the 36 whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give 37 distinguish from trees only by their walking." Indistinctness and confusion of vision are described in terms so individual and original, as to leave no doubt of the reality of the fact. The man also could not have been born blind, for he intimates his knowledge of the forms of some objects. 27-38, and chap. ix. 1. Compare Mat. xvi. 13-28, the notes, and Luke ix. 18-27. 30. He would not have a revolution made in his behalf, for his kingdom was not of this world. Furthermore, he would not have the people believe him to be the Messiah, because they were told so, but because they had witnessed the moral and miraculous proofs, that he was the great Teacher from God. To those proofs he would have them give their atten tion, undisturbed by worldly views and ambitious desires. 31. After three days. Better rendered, within three days. 35. For. This word, as Newcome states, refers to some foregoing clause, understood, not expressed, e. g. 36, 37. For here refers to something understood, as that "life is the most valuable consideration," for, &c.- Soul. The primitive meaning of this word, in the original, was life, the secondary one, soul or spirit. So that our Lord here not only speaks |