On the healing of a leper.

Matthew 8:1 When He came down from the mountain, many people followed Him.

Mt.8:2 And a leper came up, bowed before Him, saying: “Lord, if you want, you can cleanse me.”

Matthew 8:3 And stretching out his hand, He touched him and said: “I want to, cleanse yourself!” And immediately is he cleansed from leprosy.

Matthew 8:4 And Jesus said to him: “Look, do not tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and bring the gift that Moses prescribed, as a testimony to them.”

About the centurion's faith.

Matthew 8:5 When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him and asked Him, saying:

Matthew 8:6 "Lord, my servant lies paralyzed at home, and suffers terribly."

Matthew 8:7 And he said to him: "I will come and heal him."

Matthew 8:8 And answering, the centurion said: “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under the roof of my house, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.

Matthew 8:9 For I, too, am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to one: "Go" - and goes; to another: "Come," - and it comes. And to my servant: "Do it, and it does."

Matthew 8:10 Hearing This Jesus was surprised and said to those who were walking: “I tell you the truth, I have not found such great faith in anyone in Israel!

Matthew 8:11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 8:12 And the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 8:13 And Jesus said to the centurion: “Go! According to your faith, let it be for you.” And his servant was healed in that hour.

About the healing of many sick people.

Matthew 8:14 When Jesus came to Peter's house, then had seen, what his mother-in-law is in a fever.

Matthew 8:15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve Him.

Matthew 8:16 And when evening came, they brought to Him many who were possessed by demons. And He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick,

Matthew 8:17 so that what was said through the prophet Isaiah, who says: "He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses," would be fulfilled.

About those who want to follow Jesus.

Matthew 8:18 When Jesus saw that a lot of people had gathered around Him, he ordered them to cross over to the other side.

Matthew 8:19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I I will follow You wherever You go.”

Matthew 8:20 And Jesus said to him: “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:21 Another of the disciples said to Him: "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

Mt.8:22 Jesus says to him: "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."

About calming the storm.

Matthew 8:23 And he entered into the boat, and his disciples with him.

Mt.8:24 And behold, a great storm began in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves. He did sleep.

Matthew 8:25 The disciples came up and woke Him up, saying: “Lord, save us, we are perishing!”

Matthew 8:26 And he said to them: “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then He arose, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was complete silence.

Matthew 8:27 And the people said in astonishment: “Who is this Man that the winds and the sea obey Him!?”

About the expulsion of demons into a herd of pigs.

Matthew 8:28 And when He arrived on the other side, in the country of Gadara, two demon-possessed people came out of the tombs to meet Him, very angry that no one could pass that way.

Matthew 8:29 And they cried out, saying, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us!?”

Matthew 8:30 And a large herd of pigs pastured far from them.

Matthew 8:31 The demons entreated Him, saying: “If you cast us out, then send us to the herd of pigs."

Matthew 8:32 And He told them: "Go!" They went out and entered into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed off the cliff into the sea and perished in the waters.

Matthew 8:33 Those who feed pigs they fled and, arriving in the city, told about everything and about those possessed by demons.

Matthew 8:34 And behold, the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and seeing Him, they asked Him to leave their borders.

1–4. Healing a leper. – 5–13. Healing of the centurion's servant. - 14-17. Healing of Peter's mother-in-law and many other sick people. - 18-22. A story about people who wanted to follow Christ. - 23-27. Taming the storm on the lake of Galilee. – 28–34. Healing of the Gadarene possessed.

Matthew 8:1. When He came down from the mountain, many people followed Him.

"Many people" (ὄχλοι πολλοί). Explaining this expression, John Chrysostom says that now Christ was followed not by any of the rulers and scribes, but only by those who were alien to slyness and had a sincere disposition. Throughout the Gospel it can be seen that only these latter clung to Him. So when He spoke, they silently listened and did not add anything to His words, and did not look for an opportunity to catch Him, like the Pharisees, and after the end of the sermon they followed Him with amazement. The people in the New Testament are also called πλῆθος, which means "multitude", sometimes with the addition of πολύ (Mk. 3:7), which means "great crowd" or "many people" (πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ), or "the whole multitude" (πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος), and as in the present case ὄχλος. For an explanation of this word, see the comments on Matt. 5:1.

Matthew 8:2. And then a leper came up and, bowing to Him, said: Lord! if you want, you can cleanse me.

(Compare Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12.)

Mark tells about the same healing of a leper (Mk. 1:40-45) as Matthew, with significant digressions and in a slightly different connection. Luke (Luke 5:12-14) says that the leper was healed in the city, not just on the way down the mountain. Therefore, it is assumed that these events took place in that order. When Jesus Christ came down from the mountain, he went to Capernaum. On the way, He entered a city, which, unknown, a leper met Him there and He healed Him. Then He continued His journey and arrived in Capernaum. The leper probably wasn't on the mountain and didn't hear Him preach. This idea is actively supported by Chrysostom and other interpreters. According to his “prudence” and “faith,” the leper “did not interrupt the teachings, did not try to force his way through the meeting, but waited for a convenient time, and comes already when Christ came down from the mountain. And not just, but with great ardor, he fell on his knees before Christ, as Luke tells about it, and asked Him for healing.

Leprosy was a terrible disease that still occurs today, and not only in hot countries. In ancient times, it was considered incurable, although laws were established "on the cleansing of lepers", which, of course, would not need to be established if all lepers were irrevocably sentenced to death. Leprosy belonged, in any case, to the most serious diseases. Some consider it not contagious, and prove this by the fact that Naaman was a leper and, however, served as a military leader under the Syrian king; Gehazi, though a leper, is talking to the king of Israel (2 Kings 8:4-5). The priests were supposed to examine the lepers carefully, but nowhere is it seen that they were infected with leprosy. The opinions of modern scientists are also cited to prove the non-contagiousness of leprosy. However, the precautions against it, taken by both Jews and residents of other countries, show that it cannot be considered completely non-contagious. The disease affected the members of the body, they rotted and fell off, the teeth loosened and fell out, the palate collapsed. During life, every leper was considered a living death, had to behave like a dead person, and everyone was supposed to treat him like a dead person. Every leper was unclean.

Christ, as usual, treated the leper with love. Some explain the meaning of his request as follows: if you want, then cleanse me; You can do it. This is allegedly required by the conditional particle ἐάν, which indicates the future tense or some possible event. According to Tsang, the expression: “if you will, indicates the doubt of the leper in the inclination of Jesus Christ to heal. Doubt was due to the very nature of his illness. It is difficult, of course, to judge how it was in reality, the original does not give any right to speak either for or against such interpretations. Origen explains the request of the leper better and more artlessly: “Lord! Everything is done through You; for if You will, You will be able to purify me. Your will is the deed, and everything obeys Your will. You cleansed Naaman the Syrian of leprosy even before, and if you wish, you can cleanse me too.”

Matthew 8:3. Jesus, stretching out his hand, touched him and said: I want to be cleansed. And he was immediately cleansed of leprosy.

(Compare Mark 1:41-43; Luke 5:13.)

The last expression is literally: "and immediately his leprosy was cleansed." Luke's expressions are almost literally similar to those of Matthew (in the Greek text); Mark adds: "having mercy on him." To heal a leper, the Savior reached out His hand and touched him, which was forbidden by Jewish law. But Jesus Christ is here to prove that He “heals not as a slave, but as the Lord, touches” (St. John Chrysostom). Elisha, according to John Chrysostom, did not go out to the leper Naaman, keeping the law. But the hand of the Lord did not become unclean through touching the leprosy, while the body of the leper became clean from the holy hand. The Lord, speaking in words spoken by the leper himself, answers: "I want, be cleansed." In the first case, the verb "cleanse" was used by the leper himself exactly in the active voice, in the last two - in the passive voice. Jerome notes that one cannot read together with "many Latins": "I want to purify" (volo mundare), but separately; First Christ said: “I want,” and then commandingly says: “Be cleansed.” We must look at the healing of a leper, quick, miraculous, as a real historical fact, and not as an allegory that had a symbolic meaning. Christ now passes, according to Matthew, from teaching to miracles. Much has been said about the fact that miracles were performed by Christ in order to confirm His teaching. But here, at least, the command to the leper to say nothing about the miracle is evidence to the contrary.

Matthew 8:4. And Jesus said to him: Look, do not tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and bring the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

(Compare Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14.)

The healed man was simply to silently go to the priest. Not words, but the deed itself, the very miracle of the healing of a leper, had to bear witness to Christ both before the people and before the priests. This was a direct command. Indirectly, the leper kept silent about the miracle. “Indeed, what was the need for a leper to speak out what his body testified to?” (Jerome). The Savior requires the announcement of a miracle by deed, not by word - and above all to the priests, in order to gain access to Israeli society, in accordance with the legal regulations set forth in the book of Leviticus (Lev. 14).

The leper had to go to Jerusalem, where he presented himself to the priests for examination and offered the prescribed sacrifices. The expression "as a testimony to them" is not clear, because it is not known who exactly is meant by "them." Some say that here they mean in general all the people who could see a leper and with whom he could enter into communication. A much larger number of interpreters accept that only the priests are meant here. This is the opinion of St. John Chrysostom and many others, and the testimony of the healed person should have consisted either in the fact that Jesus Christ observed the lawful regulations, or simply in the declaration of recovery. That the plural "them" refers to the class of priests is considered natural and grammatically indisputable by Tsang (cf. Luke 23:50, next - βουλευτὴς αὐτῶν; also 2:22; Rom. 3:1-2). In Jerome, the indeterminacy of speech is eliminated by introducing into the text and interpretation of the word sacerdotibus (priests).

Matthew 8:5. When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him and asked Him:

(Compare Luke 7:1.)

In the reports of Matthew and Luke there is a strong contradiction here. Augustine and Calvin give the best explanation of this contradiction. The first is in the sense that Matthew's goal was to bring the centurion's faith to the fore. Therefore, historical details and accurate transmission of events were not important for him. Luke, on the contrary, aimed to convey exactly the historical fact itself. Calvin remarks that the difference in the stories is simply insignificant (nihil), although it certainly exists, as can be seen from his own words, because an insignificant difference is still a difference. According to Morison, Matthew did not want to give a scientific description of the fact. For the eye of the evangelist, the centurion "was really present near the Lord through his subjects."

We will here stick to the story in the form in which it is given in Matthew. The centurion, apparently, approached the Savior on His way through the streets of Capernaum. You can even think that it was not at the beginning, but at the very end of the journey, when Christ was already near the centurion's house. The Evangelist missed the words of the messengers and was forced to put them into the mouth of the centurion himself. That this does not in the least impair the accuracy of the historical narrative is evident from the fact that in both Matthew and Luke the words belong to the centurion himself.

Little can be said about the personality of the latter. Since there is no news that at that time there were Roman troops in Capernaum, one must think that the centurion served with Herod Antipas, whose troops, according to Josephus Flavius, consisted of mercenaries. Centuries are called in the Gospels and Acts ἑκατοντάρχος, χης or κεντυρίων (centurio, Mark 15:39, 44–45). The Roman legions were divided into 10 cohorts (Acts 10:1), or regiments, each cohort had three maniples, and each maniple consisted of a hundred; if this number decreased, a hundred did not cease to be a hundred. Each legion had 60 hundreds. The centurion was obviously a pagan. This, according to Tsang, is self-explanatory and constitutes the essence of the story. They even think that Matthew deliberately put two stories side by side - about the healing of a leper and a pagan servant, who were both unclean from a ritual point of view. The centurion could be unclean even if he were a Jew, because the Jews, if they joined the troops, consisting of foreign soldiers, then, according to Josephus Flavius, they were considered as publicans. But he probably belonged to the pagans who leaned towards Judaism and took an active part in the worship of the synagogue. The ruins of the synagogue built by the centurion in Capernaum are pointed out even now.

Matthew 8:6. God! my servant lies at home in relaxation and suffers severely.

Matthew 8:7. Jesus says to him: I will come and heal him.

Literally: "my boy is struck in the house, paralyzed, terribly tormented." Concerning the Greek word "boy" (παῖς), it should be said that it is also used in the sense of "son" - this is how it is translated in other places (John 4:51; Acts 3:13, 26), and "slave" or Luke's "servant" (Luke 12:45, 15:26). In the place under consideration, this word undoubtedly means "slave", because it is explained in Luke (Luke 7-δοῦλος). The name of the disease is uncertain. Referring to 1 Mac. 9:55–56, Alford says it may have been tetanus, which the ancient physicians confused with paralysis. Such a disease is more common in hot countries than here. According to Luke, the boy was near death. They thought that this was the reason why the centurion himself did not come to Christ with a request for his healing. But John Chrysostom does not agree with this explanation, believing that the non-arrival of the centurion was as much a matter of his faith as his words. It was, according to Jerome, the first paralytic, healed by Christ. Matthew's description of the disease does not contradict Luke's testimony (Luke 7:2), but Matthew's is somewhat more detailed and precise.

Matthew 8:8. The centurion, answering, said: Lord! I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed;

(Compare Luke 7:6-7.)

In Luke, the “unworthiness” of the centurion is presented as the reason not only for not asking Christ to come to his house, but also for the fact that he himself did not come to Christ.

Matthew 8:9. for I am also a subject man, but, having warriors under my command, I say to one: go, and he goes; and to another: come, and it comes; and to my servant: Do this, and he does.

(Compare Luke 7:8.)

Already ancient interpreters paid attention to the arrangement of words (in the Greek text). If in the Slavic text a comma is placed after “I am a man” (ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι), then it should be translated as follows: I am a man who has warriors under his authority, etc.; if, after the expression “under power”, then the expression will mean that the centurion himself is under power (“subject to”, as in Russian), and, being under power, has “under him” (in Russian translation - “subordinate” ), i.e. also under his authority, and warriors. The latter opinion is shared by St. John Chrysostom. The meaning of the centurion's speech will be more understandable if we relate the beginning of verse 9 to the λόγῳ ("word") of verse 8 and consider verse 9 as a continuation of this expression. The centurion thought that the "word" of Christ was subject to Him. It is under His control and He rules over it. Thus the continuation becomes clear. The "Word" of Christ is under His authority or in His authority, for I am also under the authority... The centurion compares himself not with Christ Himself, but with His Word. It is more difficult to explain "because" (γάρ). It has a very subtle and almost imperceptible meaning here. We can state the speech of the centurion in such a common paraphrase: “Your word is under Your authority, You dispose of it according to Your arbitrariness. Why? Because (γάρ) I know this from my own experience. You are not under power, I am under power. However, if I say only one word, they obey me.

Matthew 8:10. When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who followed him: Truly I say to you, even in Israel I did not find such a faith.

(Compare Luke 7:9.)

There is no exaggeration in Christ's words, because the centurion was one of the firstfruits of the Gentile harvest, which will be plentiful and surpass that of Israel. Part of the explanation of the words can be found in Mt. 11:11; OK. 7:28. Here "Christ already makes it known to all that salvation is by faith, and not only by the works of the law."

Matthew 8:11. I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

It is rightly noted that the Savior here did not directly mention the Gentiles, which would be insulting to the Jews, but expressed himself descriptively: “many from the east and west” (literally: “from the east and west”). This particular case gives rise to a prophetic look into the future, when pagans will crowd into the Church of Christ. This prophecy has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled literally. The faith of only one pagan who lived among Israel gave occasion to pronounce it. Further - the image of the messianic feast, of course, only metaphorical. This metaphor of the messianic feast, as Edersheim and others show, was common among the Jews. The features that depict the messianic feast are borrowed by Christ from contemporary customs when arranging feasts. It does not say "sit down", but - "they lie down". Reclining at a feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the highest happiness that a Jew could imagine in the days of the Messiah, and it was not so much worldly as spiritual.

Matthew 8:12. but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 8:13. And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and, as you believed, be it to you. And his servant recovered in that hour.

The preaching of the kingdom began among the Jews, and in this sense they were the recognized sons of the kingdom (ὑιοί), but since they did not want to enter into it, they were rejected. The expression "outer darkness" is found only in Matthew (cf. Matt. 22:13, 25:30). Under outer darkness, one can most closely understand "darkness outside the house" - this figurative expression indicates the dark street of a dirty eastern city and the position of a person outside the kingdom. The expression "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" is characteristic of Matthew (cf. Matt. 13:42, 50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30) and occurs only once in Luke (Luke 13:28). The article before the words "weeping" and "grinding", according to Bengel, is significant: in real life, grief is not yet grief. The article stands because, probably, it refers to some real facts available for general observation in the then Jewish life. It is clear that this expression has a figurative meaning here: in the next world there will be no crying and gnashing of teeth, but only torment.

Matthew 8:14. Arriving at the house of Peter, Jesus saw his mother-in-law lying in a fever,

Matthew 8:15. and touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose and ministered to them.

(Compare Mark 1:29-30; Luke 4:38.)

Literally: "I saw his mother-in-law, defeated and suffering from a fever." The time when this was, Matthew does not indicate exactly, and, reading his Gospel, anyone can think that it was after the descent of Christ from the mountain and departure to Capernaum; on the way, a leper approached him, then the centurion asked for the healing of the slave, and, finally, He arrived in Capernaum and immediately entered Peter's house. The correction made by Mark makes it possible to see that the healing of the centurion's servant and Peter's mother-in-law are events told by Matthew not in chronological order and not closely related in time. According to Mark, the miracle in Peter's house took place "immediately" or "soon" (εὐθύς) after Jesus Christ left the synagogue where he taught (Mk. 1:21-22) and healed the possessed man (Mk. 1:23-28 ). Luke's story agrees with this, although the expressions are different (Luke 4:31-39). The last mentioned events took place, according to Mark, immediately after the calling of some of the disciples (Mark 1:17-20; cf. Matt. 4:19-22). By saying "soon" (Mark 1:29), Mark also meant to indicate the time. Matthew only spoke about the miracle, without indicating the time (St. John Chrysostom). Another difference is that Christ was asked to come to Simon's house (Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38), but Matthew is silent about this.

Regarding the fact that Peter had a mother-in-law and that, therefore, he was married, Theophylact notes that "marriage does not interfere with virtue, for the first of the apostles had a mother-in-law." In the same house, besides Peter, his wife (whom the evangelists do not mention) and mother-in-law, lived his brother Andrew (Mark 1:29). If John (John 1:44) says that Peter and Andrew were from Bethsaida, then there is no contradiction with the present story. There were two Bethsaida, one (Julia) - on the northeastern side of the Lake of Galilee, the other, Galilean, on the western, or, better, northwestern. The latter, according to Edersheim, was a suburb of Capernaum, and the name means "house of fishing", i.e. fishing town or fish settlement. There will be no contradiction even if Capernaum is identified with Khan Miniya, and Bethsaida with the modern village of Ain Tabiga, about two-thirds of a mile (about one verst) north of Khan Miniya, because even then Bethsaida would have been almost a suburb of Capernaum ( Tell-Khum).

The illness that Peter's mother-in-law suffered from is not clearly indicated. The description of the disease in Matthew is stronger than in Mark (the latter had κατέκειτο instead of βεβλημένη). The word πυρέσσουσα from πύρ - fire, has a connection with the Latin word febris - fever, but this disease, obviously, was in a strong degree, and it is better to translate the word "fever", in general, some kind of inflammatory process that made the patient suffer greatly (which explains the treatment to Christ) and be cast down on the bed - βεβλημένη.

Matthew 8:16. When evening came, many demoniacs were brought to Him, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick,

(Compare Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:40-41.)

Matthew's speech is abbreviated compared to Mark and Luke. From the reports of the last two evangelists, it can be deduced that it was the evening of the day when Jesus Christ taught in the synagogue. It was on the Sabbath (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31). This explains why the sick were brought or brought to Christ only in the evening, since on the Sabbath itself neither treatment nor treatment was allowed. To Matthew's words, "when evening came," Mark adds, "when the sun was setting"; also that all the people were gathered to the "doors" (to the door); that the sick suffered "various diseases" and that Christ "did not allow demons to say that they knew that He was the Christ." Luke also has additions, partly the same as Mark, and partly different: Christ laid hands on the sick, and demons came out (not from all), but “from many”, and exclaimed: “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” This last addition, albeit indirectly, throws light on the reason why the Savior forbade the demons to call Himself that way. It obviously consisted in not wanting to be proclaimed the Son of God by the demons. As for the reason why Matthew first of all mentions the possessed, this is due to the fact that on this Sabbath morning Christ healed the possessed (Mark 1:23-27), and this aroused a great movement among the people. Thus, from a comparison of the testimonies of the evangelists, a more or less complete picture of what the Evangelist Matthew briefly narrates in the passage under consideration is obtained. It is very important to note that for the true and omnipotent Healer there were apparently no restrictions in the manifestation of His miraculous power. The expression of Luke (Luke 4:41) ἀπὸ πολλῶν (“from many”, but not all, possessed demons came out) is not in itself evidence of the limitation of the manifestation of divine power, and should be interpreted in accordance with the testimony of other evangelists who claim that Christ healed "all" (πάντας) the sick, actually "having bad" or feeling bad. And among ordinary people there are healers, but usually not all who resort to them receive healing, so in some cases it is quite possible to explain healings even by natural causes. But it is a different matter when not only "many", but also "all" are healed; such a fact cannot be explained by any natural causes, and as if the unintentional reference to it by the evangelists can serve for apologetics as one of the strongest proofs of the presence in Christ of an extraordinary divine miraculous power.

Matthew 8:17. May it be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who says: He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.

The place is borrowed from Deutero-Isaiah 53:4, whom the evangelist calls Isaiah, in the language of his time. The circumstance that the passage from the Evangelist is borrowed from Deutero-Isaiah 53:4 does not "have no" but must be significant for scientific exegesis. All exegetes agree that the place of Isaiah is given here not according to the translation of the Seventy, but according to the Hebrew text, and, moreover, "regardless" of any translations and interpretations. In Isaiah, this place is read like this: “Truly, He lifted up our diseases and our sufferings (torments) bore them.” In translating this passage, the Seventy replaced the Hebrew expression "our diseases" (halayna) with the word "sins" (ἁμαρτίας). Whether the reason for this was a misunderstanding of the Hebrew text by the translators, or whether it was due to the difficulty of translating the Hebrew words ("chalaynu" and "poppy"), which have almost the same meaning, cannot be said with certainty at the present time. But the evangelist did not mention “sins” in his translation, but translated the word “chalaynu” through “weaknesses”, while the Hebrew word “our”, which means to lift on oneself, translated through ἔλαβεν - took, in contrast to having the same with “our ” the meaning of the Hebrew “sabal”, which he translated with the word “carried” (ἐβάστασεν). But no matter how we translate this passage, the difficulty lies not in the translation, but in the application of this passage to the circumstances just described by the evangelist. He has just told about the healings of the demon-possessed and the sick by Christ, and this gives him reason to quote the said prophecy of Isaiah. In what sense can we understand that by healing the sick, Christ took upon Himself our infirmities and diseases? Did He Himself suffer and become ill, or was it just the sight of human suffering that caused Him His own suffering? Or is the prophecy given by the evangelist in the sense that His own power was spent on healing and He suffered from fatigue and exhaustion? All these questions were raised at different times and resolved, as one would expect, in different ways - in the affirmative sense. One exegete solves the problem this way: Jesus Christ healed the sick, as the healings just narrated show. In doing so, He "took and bore" sickness in every sense that can be said of a physician. The translator chooses two colorless words λαμβάνειν and βαστάζειν to express the Hebrew text.

In order to clarify this matter somewhat, let us say that the words of the Evangelist are a conclusion and generalization of what he said earlier. If, then, he used to state the details, now he expresses a general view, bringing the particulars to unity. If the evangelist, which is likely to have been an eyewitness to the deeds of Christ, then this evening, in connection with the subsequent activities and sufferings of the Savior, reminded him of the words of the prophet Isaiah. The Evangelist did not understand them scientifically, as modern critics, who see in the "Man of Sorrows" of the prophet Isaiah a person responsible for the people before the avengers, demanding for insulting the extradition of one person as a defendant for common guilt, with the threat, in case of failure to comply with this requirement, to exterminate all, as required by ancient notions of revenge. The Evangelist, citing the prophecy from Deutero-Isaiah, first of all points to the ideal sufferer - the Servant of Jehovah, foretold by the prophet. But the Personality predicted by the prophet is not something abstractly ideal for the evangelist; it is fully embodied in the Servant of Jehovah, whom the evangelist saw before him, in Jesus Christ. The ideal Servant of Jehovah, predicted by Isaiah, is the Savior of His people in the literal sense. By His sufferings He saves, delivers from torment and suffering His tribe, His people, who would have to perish if there were no such replacement. The incarnation of the ideal Sufferer, predicted by the prophet, in the person of Christ has not one or two, but many sides, and the evangelist wants to present these sides prominently before his readers. As we have seen, before the Savior enters the work of public service, a messenger appears before Him, “a voice crying in the wilderness,” exactly corresponding to φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ (Is. 40:3, see comments on Matt. 3:3). The rapprochement of Christ with the Servant of Jehovah depicted in Isaiah can be observed further, in the circumstances of baptism and temptation. Now the same Servant of Jehovah appears before us, but only from completely new sides, coming into contact with human infirmities, illnesses and sufferings, from which He frees people. Since the Servant of Jehovah is undoubtedly portrayed by the prophet as such a Person Who takes our infirmities and bears our illnesses, this gives the evangelist, upon a new approach of the Servant of Jehovah predicted by Isaiah to the real Christ, to attribute to Christ the same features that were characteristic of the Servant of Jehovah in Isaiah. The meaning of this was that if Christ healed diseases, then this meant that He took upon Himself the responsibility for them before God, made people innocent and, therefore, not subject to diseases and infirmities, transferring the guilt of the people onto Himself and thus exposing Himself its consequences. From the passage of Matthew under consideration, this is not yet quite clear. Here, one can say, only the beginning of the illnesses of the Messiah is depicted, which should end with the literal fulfillment of the prophecy - in His sufferings and death on the Cross. Thus, in the 3rd, 4th, and 8th chapters of Matthew, we can observe a very subtly, but clearly carried out main idea - about the Servant of Jehovah suffering for humanity. This idea is also carried out, but not so clearly in the 1st and 2nd chapters of Matthew, where the origin and stay in Egypt of the same Servant of Jehovah is actually depicted; and, perhaps, even in the Sermon on the Mount, which depicts the “strength of the spirit” characteristic of Him. The Servant of Jehovah is also indicated by the whole further gospel story, set forth in Matthew. The rapprochement of Servant Isaiah with Christ in the verse under consideration is thus not mechanical, but has a deep inner and hidden meaning, corresponding to the idea of ​​the Gospel. The Evangelist now sees in the activity of Christ a participation in our infirmities and illnesses, and in this sense he applies the prophecy of Isaiah to Him in view of the great resemblance of the ideal sufferer to Christ. With this interpretation, it becomes clearer why the Seventy replaced the "sicknesses" of the prophet with "sins." The servant of Jehovah, as a redemptive Sacrifice, is actually responsible not for illnesses, but for sins that bring revenge on people over the offended “truth” (cf. Matt. 3:15).

Matthew 8:18. When Jesus saw a multitude of people around Him, He ordered [the disciples] to sail to the other side.

(Compare Mark 4:35-36; Luke 8:22.)

According to Mark and Luke, the departure was the evening of the day when Jesus Christ spoke to the people in parables. The fact itself is reported by all the evangelists in agreement, although each has differences in details. The simple “commanded,” found in Matthew, is replaced by the original speech of the Savior in Mark and Luke, indicating that it was at the onset of evening.

Matthew 8:19. Then a certain scribe came up and said to Him: Master! I will follow You wherever You go.

(Compare Luke 9:57.)

The verbs indicating "departure" in verses 18 and 19 are the same, but in different tenses - ἀπελθεῖν and ἀπέρχῃ. The Russian translators rendered the verb in verse 18 ἀπελθεῖν more in meaning than in its actual meaning, because this verb does not actually mean "to set sail", but simply "to depart" or "to set off". But if the path is water, then, of course, the verb also means "to sail away." The scribe who came up to Christ used the same Greek verb, which means that he asked Christ to take him into the boat with Him when leaving for the other side. In Luke, the same circumstance is transmitted, but again in a different connection, and at the same time it is indicated that it was on the “path”, that is, on the road to the lake. A formal but not real contradiction that cannot be eliminated. That there really is no real contradiction here is well shown by Augustine when he says: “If, according to Matthew, this (i.e., the request of the scribe) was when Christ ordered to cross the lake, and according to Luke, when they (t i.e. Christ and the disciples) walked along the road, there is no contradiction here, because in both cases they walked along the road to come to the lake. In any case, it cannot be decisively concluded from Matthew's testimony that the request was not on the way, but at the lake itself. But one can also think that verses 19-22 are inserted here by Matthew without connection and that Luke has the correct connection. It could be that the thought of the Savior as the bearer of diseases inspired or reminded Matthew of the words of Christ about the homelessness of the Son of Man, and in order to prove this, he cites one incident from the life of the Savior, and in connection with him another (verse 21), somewhat different from the first. It must be added to what has been said that Luke reports not about two persons who wished to accompany the Savior, but about three (Luke 9:61-62 - the third).

The word "one" has an obvious relation to the "other" of verse 21 and is a simple enumeration of the persons who came to Christ with a request. However, Blass (Gram., S. 140) and Wiener Schmiedel (S. 243) believe that “one” is used here in the sense of the indefinite pronoun “some” (τις), which is quite understandable, since numerals are often used in this particular sense. . The scribe calls the Savior the Teacher, a Greek word taken from ordinary Hebrew (Aramaic), which expressed respect for persons who knew how to teach or taught well. The reasons that prompted the scribe to turn to Christ with a request for permission to follow Him are determined differently. Hilarius of Pictavius, in whose interpretation there is a lot of allegorical, gives here, however, an interesting and witty explanation. “This scribe is one of the teachers of the law, he asks whether to follow it; as if there were no indication in the law that this was the Christ who could be usefully followed. Thus the scribe expressed his unbelief in an incredulous question, because the believer was not supposed to ask, but to follow. This opinion has its reasons. The scribes, the Jewish scholars, devoted themselves to the study of the scriptures. But by studying their letter, they lost the understanding of their spirit. The further speech of Christ shows that He did not believe the sincerity of the scribe.

Matthew 8:20. And Jesus said to him: Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

(Compare Luke 9:58.)

In Luke, “says” is replaced by the word “said”, otherwise the verse is literally similar to that considered in Matthew. From this verse, more clearly than from the previous one, we can see why the Savior rejected the scribe. The latter saw the greatness of the miracles performed by Christ, and wanted, as Jerome, Theophylact and others believe, to follow Him in order to profit from this, wanting just the same thing that the sorcerer wanted to get from Peter and Simon. That the scribe really had earthly benefits in mind can be deduced from the very words of Jesus Christ, in which they justly find an indication of His poverty - "Son of Man." This name is often found in the New Testament, according to Tsan - in Matthew 30 times (according to others - 33 times), in Mark 13 times (according to others - 14, and Mark 8 is no exception), in Luke 24 times, in John 12 times (according to others - 11). Such a name is not found at all in the Apostle Paul; in Acts only once (Acts 7:56). When looking at the places related to this, one can see that other people have never called Jesus Christ the Son of Man, with the only exception (John 12:34), where the people only repeat the expression of Christ Himself. He calls Himself the Son of Man only Himself. The name is never used as a predicate, but always either as a subject or as an object. The meanings in which it is used can be divided into three groups:

1) it points in general to the earthly life of Jesus Christ (examples: Mark 2:10, 2:28; Matt. 8:20; Luke 19:10);

2) His suffering life and death (examples: Mark 8:31, 9:31, 14:21);

3) to His glory in the present and future (examples: Matt. 24:30, 25:31).

At the present time, after the work of numerous scholars who have studied this subject, it can be considered proven that the expression "Son of Man" in the days of Christ was not a popular name for the Messiah. But the expression was well known in the Old Testament and was used there either to denote human weakness, imperfection, helplessness, dependence on God, etc. (for example, Ps. 8 and often in Ezekiel, in whose book this title is applied to the prophet up to eighty times), or greatness (Dan. 7:13-14). If, as has been said, the expression "Son of Man" was not in the days of Christ the name of the Messiah, then it could, however, pass into popular speech and, being popular, could be borrowed by Christ and applied to Himself. In what sense? Many theories have been proposed in response to this question. But the most probable and better than others explaining the matter seems to be that according to which the work of Christ on earth was the foundation and establishment of the Divine Kingdom on earth; He Himself proclaimed Himself as the King of this Kingdom. The ideal King was presented in Daniel (Dan. 7:13-14), but this idea of ​​Christ, who was given power, glory and kingdom, was combined with the idea of ​​the Man of Sorrows or the suffering Servant of Jehovah in the prophet Isaiah. Christ applies all these ideas to Himself – the Old Testament idea of ​​human weakness, helplessness and dependence on God, the idea of ​​the glorious and powerful King of the prophet Daniel, and the idea of ​​the suffering Servant of Jehovah Isaiah, expressing all these three ideas in the words “Son of Man”. For the direct listeners of Christ, such a name could not seem like the name of the Messiah, but was associated with expressions familiar to Jewish ears. Hebrew idioms include the use of the words "son" ("ben", "bar") and "daughter" ("bat"), "house" ("bet") in cases where in other languages ​​these words do not at all are used. Thus, the expression "ben-adam" (the same as the Son of Man) might not contain anything unusual for outsiders. But in the mouth of Christ, it was a covert title of Him as the Messiah and a designation of His messianic dignity, and precisely in the three senses indicated, as a representative of humanity, the King of the Kingdom and the suffering Servant of Jehovah. The best evidence that this was really so, that Christ, calling Himself the Son of Man, proclaimed Himself precisely as the Messiah, is that later this expression was really and understood in the messianic sense by His disciples.

Matthew 8:21. Another of His disciples said to Him: Lord! let me first go and bury my father.

(Compare Luke 9:59.)

Why such a request was addressed to Christ is not clear in Matthew. It becomes clearer from Luke's addition. According to Luke, Christ Himself said to one of His disciples (αὐτοῦ is missing, however, in some codices): “follow me.” In response to this, the student and said the words given almost equally both that of Matthew and Luke (instead of ἐπίτρεψόν μοι πρῶτα ἀπελθεῖν καὶ θάψαι ἐπίτρεψόν μοι πρῶτον ἀπελθόντι θαι (and so on). and there it is said that the Lord spoke these words to Philip, but such an addition can hardly be considered accurate. the disciple did not ask Christ if he should follow Him, but only asked Him to allow him to delay his following, because he did not doubt that he should follow (Hilary). on the eastern shore of the lake, his request was, according to Alford, very reasonable and honorable, if the word πρῶτον (before) is omitted.

Matthew 8:22. But Jesus said to him: Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.

(Compare Luke 9:60.)

“Come (follow) Me,” the words omitted in verse 21 and found in Luke, Matthew places here. It could be that the disciple followed Christ to the shore of the lake, but when he saw that Christ wanted to cross over to the other side, he asked Him for permission to return to bury (θάψαί) his father. To this natural and legitimate request, the Savior answers, apparently, with a callous refusal. But it should be noted that in other cases, the Savior also placed love for Himself above love for one's father, mother, and closest relatives. This is also mentioned in Matthew (cf. Matt. 19:29, 12:48–50). If Jesus Christ invited the disciple to follow Himself, leaving the deceased (as is clear from the speech itself) father and giving his burial to other persons, then by this he did not in the least eliminate or weaken filial feelings, but only replaced them with higher ones - love for Himself. Thus, the invitation of the Savior does not give rise to any moral difficulties on our part.

Much more difficult is the question of what He means by "dead" in the first case ("Let the dead ἄφες bury their dead"). The second word "dead" is not difficult, it can be taken literally. But what does the first word mean? This question is answered in different ways. Theophylact says that the petitioner's father was "unbeliever" or "infidel" (ἄπιστος) and that this is clear from the words "leave for dead", i.e., Theophylact explains, "unbelievers". But if the “unbelievers” were those who buried them, then how does it follow from this that the father was also “unbelieving”? Augustine explains the answer of the Savior somewhat differently. The Savior said something like this: “Your father is dead; there are also (autem) other dead who will bury their dead, because they are disbelievers.” Here unbelief is attributed not to the father of the suppliant, but only to the burying. The latest exegetes repeat this thought of Augustine in various ways. Thus, Meyer believes that in the first case, νεκρούς means "spiritually dead" (cf. Mt. 4c John 5:21, 25 and Luke 15:24) and cites a passage from Origen, according to which ψυχὴ ἐν κακίᾳ οὖσα νεκρά ὐ the soul that is in evil is dead. Alford and others agree with Meyer. This interpretation can be considered generally accepted and widespread. But if in both cases, or only in one of them, we replace the "dead" with the word "unbelievers", then should it not be inferred from this that Christ's speech was contemptuous and insulting to the disciple whom He had just invited to follow Him? Could this disciple understand it in the sense that Christ by "dead" means "spiritually dead", "those who are in evil" and "unbelievers"? The way out of this difficulty is hardly possible even on the assumption that the expression of Christ was a "proverb", the meaning of which is: "Turn away from the past when the present demands attention from you." If we accept such an interpretation, then it means that we can think that Christ did not speak about the dead at all. But this is hardly the case. Further, there is no evidence to assert that the expression in question was a proverb. It seems to us that the matter is explained by the fact that instead of the word "dead" in the first case we put the word "mortal". The Greeks, apparently, little distinguished between these concepts. The word that can be translated through "mortal" is θανατόεις and θνητός. Although it cannot be proved that νεκρός in the first case here means "mortal", the meaning of Christ's words will be fully understood only if this word is interpreted in the indicated sense. In any case, "spiritually dead" - this concept was more wiser for the ears of the then disciples of Christ than simply "mortal" - this concept, moreover, is almost identical with "spiritually dead." According to the word usage in the New Testament, νεκρός sometimes means not the dead, but the living, although he was dead (see Luke 7:15, 15:24; Acts 20:9; 1 Thess. 4:16).

Matthew 8:23. And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

(Compare Mark 4:35-36; Luke 8:22.)

This verse resumes the thread of the story, interrupted from verse 19 by an interpolation about persons who wanted to follow Christ, and this brings the testimony of Matthew closer to the testimony of Mark and Luke. It is necessary to present the matter in such a way that the Savior was the first to enter the boat, the very one that was prepared according to His command (verse 18), as indicated by the article before the word “boat” (τὸ πλοῖον), however, omitted in some codes and editions. Judging by the fact that in addition to Christ, His disciples and, as they think, other persons entered the boat (ἄνθρωποι - verse 27), it was quite roomy. Mark: "They took Him with them, as He was in the boat." By disciples, some do not mean the 12 apostles on the grounds that they are called in the Gospel of Matthew οἱ δῶδεκα (Matthew 10:1-2, 5, 11:1, 20:17, 26:14, 20, 47). But in the following speech, those who entered the boat are also called disciples (cf. Mt. 10 - τοὺς δῶδεκα μαθητάς; Mt. 11 the same; Mt. 12 - simply οἱ μαθηταί, etc.). If, according to the testimonies of other evangelists, the journey was after the utterance of a parable, then there is nothing incredible that exactly 12 disciples entered the boat. Theophylact even says that the Savior "retained only one of the disciples so that they could see a miracle." Origen notices that, having performed great and wonderful miracles on land, Jesus Christ crosses over to the sea in order to show even more excellent deeds there, insofar as here He shows Himself to be the Lord of the earth and the sea.

Matthew 8:24. And behold, there was a great commotion on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves; and he slept.

Matthew 8:25. Then His disciples, coming up to Him, woke Him up and said: Lord! save us, we are dying.

Matthew 8:26. And he says to them: Why are you so fearful, you of little faith? Then, rising, he forbade the winds and the sea, and there was a great silence.

(Compare Mark 4:39-40; Luke 8:24-25.)

In Matthew, the reproach to the disciples for lack of faith is expressed before the calming of the storm, in the other two weather forecasters - after. This distinction is not of great importance, since, in general, the evangelists, speaking about events, sometimes string fact after fact in their speech, caring little about the exact timing and chronological sequence.

Matthew 8:27. And the people, wondering, said: Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

(Compare Mark 4:40; Luke 8:25.)

Literally: “the people were amazed, saying: from where is He, like the winds and the sea,” etc. The word "people" is translated from the Greek οἱ ἄνθρωποι. The article before this word indicates that these were the people who were in the boat. But why are they called "people" here, and not "disciples"? This expression has long given interpreters difficulties, which are increased by the fact that other weather forecasters (Mk. 4:40; Lk. 8:25), talking about the event, do not mention either the disciples or the people. An attempt to resolve the question of who was in the boat is found even in Origen, who asks: “But what kind of people were surprised?” - and answers: “Do not think that the apostles are indicated here, because there is never such a name for the disciples of the Lord that does not correspond to their dignity, but they are always called either apostles or disciples. Therefore, the people who sailed with Him marveled, to whom the boat belonged. Jerome speaks more clearly about this subject, saying that it was not the disciples who were surprised, but the boatmen and those who were in the boat. But if anyone argues against this and says that the people who were amazed were disciples, then we will answer that people are named here who did not yet know about the power of the Savior. Similar views are held by many of the latest exegetes. However, this explanation should be recognized as not quite natural. According to him, it turns out that the miracle, in any case, was not the subject of surprise for the disciples, but only for other people, and this is because the disciples were already familiar with the miracles of the Savior and could not ask now: who is this? But why couldn't the disciples be surprised? Why couldn't they ask "who is this" about the Face Whom they did not yet know as the all-powerful tamer of the storm? It is possible to assume that there were other people in the boat with Christ and the disciples. But, not wanting to indicate that only some disciples were surprised, or only other people, the evangelist brought them all into one category - οἱ ἄνθρωποι - all the men who were in the boat, and even, perhaps, those who were in the boats that sailed near (Mark 4:36).

Matthew 8:28. And when He arrived on the other side in the country of the Gergesins, He was met by two demoniacs who came out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one dared to pass that way.

(Compare Mark 5:1-6; Luke 8:26-27.)

The place where the Savior arrived, Matthew calls ἡ χώρα τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν, the country of Gadarene. In ancient times there were three cities from which the evangelists could borrow their names for this area.

1. Gerasa - this city was located far southeast of the Lake of Galilee, on the border with Arabia, two days' journey from the southern shore of the Lake of Galilee, somewhat north of the Jabok River, a tributary of the Jordan. From the city remained the most significant ruins in that area. It stood on the site of the current Jerash. It is assumed, however, that he could not give the names of the locality near the Lake of Galilee and that the name γερασνῶν found in some manuscripts is only a corrupted γεγρεσηνῶν.

2. Closer to the lake was Gadara, south of the Yarmuk River, also a tributary of the Jordan. Josephus says that Gadara was the fortified capital of Perea. The words of Eusebius are not clear, he reports that Gadara was opposite (ἀντικρύ) Scythopolis and Tiberias to the east, on a mountain where hot healing springs existed. The ambiguity here is that Tiberias was somewhat north of Gadara on the other (eastern) side of the Jordan, and Scythopolis (Beosan) was much further south. Gadara was famous for its hot springs far beyond the borders of Palestine, this, by the way, is mentioned by Strabo. This city was destroyed by the Jews, but then rebuilt by Pompey, and many coins remained of it. Gadara was inhabited mostly by pagans, and Joseph calls it πόλις ἑλληνίς - a Greek city. It was one of the ten cities of the so-called Decapolis. Currently called Um-Keys. The district of Gadara bordered on the west with the district of Scythopolis, and on the north - Ippona. Gadara owned part of the strip on the east side of the lake. It is difficult to say what relation this Gadarian strip had to the Ippon strip, which also owned the lake shore in the middle eastern part of the lake, and this difficulty is the main one.

3. According to both Origen and Eusebius, Gergesa existed, of which no trace remained (the area is now known under the name of Kersa). It is difficult to say whether, and if so, in what way, Gergesa belonged to Gadara, if only the district of Ippona was between them, and why this district was not named after the last city. Tsang, however, confidently assumes that this entire district was called Gadaryan, including the place where Gergesa was located. This explains the differences in the testimonies of the evangelists, of which one (Matthew) calls the area (according to a more likely reading) the country of the Gadarians, and the other two weather forecasters (also according to a more likely reading), Mark - γερασηνῶν (Mk. 5:1), and Luke - γεργεσηνῶν (Luke 8:26; in the Russian Bible, Matthew says “to the country of Gergese”, and Mark and Luke say “Gadarene”). Thus, it must be assumed that the Savior came ashore near Gergesa and wanted to head from here along the road to Gadara, if only there was such a road.

Further communication is even more difficult. According to Matthew, two demoniacs came out to Christ, but according to Mark and Luke, only one. There is no other way to reconcile the evangelists than by the assumption that Matthew drew attention to two persons, and other weather forecasters - only to one, comparatively even more ferocious than the other. This second, less ferocious, does not appear clearly in Matthew, as it were, somewhat obscured. However, some expressions of Mark (Mk. 5:9) “because we are many” are interpreted in the sense that in that world there were not many demons, but demon-possessed ones. There was one demoniac, or there were two of them, or even several, this cannot be decided with accuracy. It is only known that they lived in coffins. Travelers and now on the way to Gadara meet tombs (cemeteries) carved into the mountains. The reason why the possessed lived in tombs was explained by the fact that it was a Jewish superstition, according to which demons had a predominant stay in tombs and cemeteries, and the possessed only followed this superstition. But it is most natural to explain the life of the possessed in the graves by the fact that they were expelled from cities and villages. What did they eat? Again, this question is difficult to answer precisely. Maybe plants and herbs, or maybe some people brought food to them, although this last, of course, is doubtful. The expression of the Evangelist Matthew: “no one dared to pass that way”, should hardly be understood only in a conditional sense, namely, that the path was dangerous for one or several persons, and not that all communication between Gadara or Gergesa and the lake had ceased due to the presence of the demoniac. That they were not dangerous for everyone is evident from the fact that they even tried to bind at least one demoniac (Mark 5:4; Luke 8:29). The danger of the possessed was that they were χαλεποὶ λίαν, not simply, but too ferocious.

Matthew 8:29. And behold, they cried out: What have you to do with us, Jesus, the Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us.

(Compare Mark 5:7-10; Luke 8:28-31.)

Literally: “what is to us and to you” (cf. Judges 11:12; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13). In the Russian text, the meaning of the words is well expressed: “What is your business with us?” - i.e., therefore, with their question, the demons simply asked Christ not to touch them. According to Augustine, the demons called Christ the Son of God more out of suspicion. The words "before the time" can be combined either with the word "came" or with the word "torment". In both cases, the possessed wanted to say that Jesus Christ came before His messianic glorification, until His final victory over hell and death, to torment them. The word "Jesus" is not found in many of the best codices, and is believed to have been inserted here from the margin of a manuscript, following the pattern of the expressions of Mark and Luke. The speech of the possessed to Jesus Christ shows that they were Jews, not Gentiles.

Matthew 8:30. Far away from them, a large herd of pigs grazed.

Matthew 8:31. And the demons asked Him: if you cast us out, then send us into a herd of pigs.

(Compare Mark 5:11-12; Luke 8:32.)

The expression "from them" is vague; it is not known whether it is from Christ and His disciples, or from the possessed, or from all of them. But since the speech in verses 29-31 is mainly about the demon-possessed, it is more correct to understand "from them" in the sense of "from the demon-possessed."

"Away" (μακράν) should be understood in a relative sense: not too far away, so that the herd could be seen. Under such an assumption, there will be no contradiction between Matthew, on the one hand, and Mark and Luke, on the other, who say that the pigs pastured "there", i.e. where the demons were. If the latter were Jews, then the owners of the pigs, the inhabitants of the Gadarene country, most likely were pagans. Keeping pigs was prohibited by Jewish law. And among other peoples, the pig was also considered an animal unclean and filthy, for example, among the Egyptians. But the latter had swine herds and shepherds. Herodotus reports about the Egyptians that they “consider the pig an unclean animal, and this is to such an extent that, firstly, if someone, passing by, accidentally touches the pig even with his clothes, then immediately goes to the river and bathes in it and, secondly, the pig herders, although natural Egyptians, are the only inhabitants of Egypt who cannot enter the temple. And no one marries their daughters to them and does not take their daughters as wives, so that pig herders marry only in their own class” (“History”, XI, 47). Among the Jews, only the “lower classes” were engaged in pig-breeding, and especially those who were in more or less close communion with the Gentiles. Travelers report that there are a lot of pigs in the indicated area and at present, they graze there in the wild and eat what they have, being in a “wild state”. Pigs were also the subject of Jewish trade.

Matthew 8:32. And He said to them, go. And they went out and went into the herd of swine. And so, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the steep into the sea and perished in the water.

(Compare Mark 5:13; Luke 8:32-33.)

Why did Christ allow the demons to enter the pigs when they left the people? Answering this question, Chrysostom points to three reasons for the permission given by the Savior. He did this, not because the demons convinced Him, but, firstly, to show the people freed from the evil spirits the extent of the harm that they inflicted on them, and secondly, so that everyone would learn that the demons would not dare to enter the pigs without Him permission, thirdly, that the demons would have done much worse with the people in which they were, if, by a lucky chance, they had not got rid of them as a result of God's providence. This answer does not solve the question in essence, because Christ could have taught people all this without resorting to the destruction of the whole flock. But it is the only one that can be given without going into any too subtle reasoning. Theophylact notes that Christ wanted to show what bitterness (πικρίαν) demons inflict on people, and that if they have power and no one interferes with them, then they treat people worse than pigs. Christ protects the possessed so that the demons do not kill them.

It should be noted that some exegetes try to find a way out of the difficulty, arguing that the Greek word ἐπέτρεψεν, found in Mark and Luke, does not mean "allowed", but only "did not prevent." This is the meaning (concedo, sino) of the verb, and thus in the present case Christ did not give any positive command. Matthew uses the word ὑπάγετε, which, apparently, also does not express a positive command. When thinking about this event, one should not lose sight of the fact that for the sake of capturing some moral truth both in Holy Scripture and in life itself, not only plants, animals, but also people are often sacrificed. The repeated extermination of people in the Old Testament would not have made sense if each time after that some new idea or moral truth did not come forward, indicating, on the one hand, a deviation from the correct order, and on the other, outlining it. Life and death, therefore, probably do not mean as much in the sight of God as they do for men. He who created life can restore it, and therefore uses death for human admonition. Thus, the question in the present case can only be what moral lessons can be drawn from the fact in question, and not why it had such and not another appearance. The first moral lesson is that God loves people more than animals, and for demons both have the same dignity. They enter both people and animals with equal pleasure, just to stay in the country. The second lesson is about the power of God in possession of demons.

Matthew 8:33. The shepherds ran and, having come to the city, told about everything, and about what had happened to the demoniacs.

Matthew 8:34. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they asked Him to depart from their borders.

(Compare Mark 5:14-20; Luke 8:34-39.)

“Notice,” says St. John Chrysostom, “the meekness of Jesus Christ, united with might. When the inhabitants of that country, so favored by Him, forced Him to leave, He withdrew without resistance and left those who showed themselves unworthy of His teaching, giving them mentors freed from demons and grazing pigs, so that they would learn from them about everything that had happened.

1 And when He came down from the mountain, many people followed Him.

2 And behold, a leper came near, and bowing to him, said: Lord! if you want, you can cleanse me.

3 Jesus, stretching out his hand, touched him and said: I want, cleanse yourself. And he was immediately cleansed of leprosy.

4 And Jesus said to him, Be careful not to tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.

5 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came up to him and asked him:

6 Lord! my servant lies at home in relaxation and suffers severely.

7 Jesus says to him: I will come and heal him.

8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord! I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed;

9 For I am also a subject man, but having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another: come, and it comes; and to my servant: Do this, and he does.

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, even in Israel I did not find such faith.

11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

12 And the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and, as you believed, be done to you. And his servant recovered in that hour.

14 When Jesus came to the house of Peter, he saw his mother-in-law lying with a fever,

15 and touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose and ministered to them.

16 And when evening came, many demoniacs were brought to him, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick,

17 May it be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah, who says: He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.

18 And when Jesus saw a multitude of people around Him, He bade (the disciples) sail away to the other side.

19 Then a certain scribe came up and said to him, Master! I will follow You wherever You go.

20 And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

21 Another of his disciples said to him, Lord! let me first go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said to him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24 And behold, there was a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves; and he slept.

25 Then his disciples came up to him and woke him up and said, Lord! save us, we are dying.

26 And he said to them, Why are you [so] fearful, you of little faith? Then, rising, he forbade the winds and the sea, and there was a great silence.

27 And the people, wondering, said, Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

28 And when He arrived on the other side in the country of the Gergeses, He was met by two demoniacs who came out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one dared to pass that way.

29 And behold, they cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us.

30 Far from them, a large herd of pigs pastured.

31 And the demons asked him: If you cast us out, then send us into the herd of pigs.

32 And He said to them, Go. And they went out and went into the herd of swine. And so, the whole herd of pigs rushed down the steep into the sea and perished in the water.

33 And the shepherds ran and, having come into the city, told about everything, and about what had happened to the demoniacs.

34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they asked Him to depart from their borders.

2 And behold, a leper came near, and bowing to him, said: Lord! if you want, you can cleanse me.

3 Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said, I want you to be clean. And he was immediately cleansed of leprosy.

4 And Jesus said to him, Be careful not to tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded as a testimony to them.

5 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came up to him and asked him:

6 Lord! my servant lies at home in relaxation and suffers severely.

7 Jesus says to him: I will come and heal him.

8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord! I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed; 9 For I am also a subject man, but having soldiers under me, I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another: come, and it comes; and to my servant: Do this, and he does.

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, even in Israel I did not find such faith.

11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 And the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and, as you believed, be done to you. And his servant recovered in that hour.

14 When Jesus came to the house of Peter, he saw his mother-in-law lying in a fever, 15 and he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose and ministered to them.

16 And when evening came, many demoniacs were brought to him, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick, 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might come true, who says: He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.

18 When Jesus saw a multitude of people around him, he commanded students sail to the other side.

19 Then a certain scribe came up and said to him, Master! I will follow You wherever You go.

20 And Jesus said to him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

21 Another of his disciples said to him, Lord! let me first go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said to him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

24 And behold, there was a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves; and he slept.

25 Then his disciples came up to him and woke him up and said, Lord! save us, we are dying.

26 And he said to them, What are you So fearful, distrustful? Then, rising, he forbade the winds and the sea, and there was a great silence.

27 And the people, wondering, said, Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

28 And when He arrived on the other side in the country of the Gergeses, He was met by two demoniacs who came out of the tombs, very fierce, so that no one dared to pass that way.

29 And behold, they cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here before the time to torment us.

In the previous chapter the evangelist gave us a sample of our Lord's preaching, now he proceeds to describe some of the miracles He performed, proving that He is a Teacher who came from God and the Great Healer of a sick world. This chapter describes:

I. Cleansing a leper, v. 1-4.

II. Healing of the centurion's servant and mother-in-law of Peter, v. 5-18.

III. Christ's conversation with those who were disposed to follow him, v. 19-22.

IV. Taming the Storm, Art. 23-27.

V. Casting out demons, v. 28-34.

Verses 1-4. The first verse of this chapter refers us to the final part of the previous sermon: the people who listened to Christ marveled at His teaching, so when He came down from the mountain, many people followed Him. Despite the fact that He was such a strict lawgiver and such a faithful reprover, the people followed Him and did not want to disperse. Let us note: those to whom Christ has been revealed cannot but strive for a closer acquaintance with Him, who already know much about Christ, want to know Him still more; and we shall know, if we so follow, that we may know the Lord. It's nice to see people so drawn to Christ as if they're afraid they'll never hear him again; so drawn to good that they flock in droves to hear a good sermon, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jacob about the Messiah: To Him is the obedience of the nations. However, these crowds that gathered around Him did not cleave to Him in their hearts. Few were close to Him, few were those who walked with Him constantly, compared to the multitude of those who were only occasional followers.

The first four verses describe how Christ cleansed the leper. Comparing this passage with Mark 1:40 and Luke 5:12, we can assume that this miracle took place before the Sermon on the Mount, although Matthew placed it after it, since he wanted to first convey the teaching of Christ, and then describe His miracles; however, this is not essential. This miracle is described first,

1. Because leprosy among the Jews was regarded as a sign of God's special disfavor; we read how Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah were punished with leprosy for their specific sins. Therefore, Christ, wishing to show that He came in order to turn away the wrath of God from people, to take the sin of the world upon Himself, begins His miracles precisely with the healing of a leper.

2. Because it was believed that this disease was sent by God Himself, and healing from it was expected directly from His hand. They did not try to treat him with the help of doctors, but the patient was sent under the supervision of priests, servants of God, who were waiting for what God would do. The appearance of this ulcer on clothes, on the walls of the house was always a supernatural phenomenon. It was probably a disease of a completely different kind than the one we now know by that name. The king of Israel said to Naaman's servant, "Am I God that he sends me to cure my leprosy?" (2 Kings 5:7). Christ showed himself to be God by healing many of leprosy, and to his disciples he gave authority to do the same in his name (ch. 10:8);

this was one of the proofs that he was the Messiah, ch. 11:5. In addition, He showed Himself in this and as the Savior of His people from their sins, for although every disease is a consequence of sin and a prototype of it, as a disorder in the soul, yet leprosy occupies a special position in this sense, since it made a person more than all other diseases. unclean and separated him from all that is holy. Therefore, according to the law (Lev. 13 and 14), leprosy was not considered a disease, but an uncleanness. The priest, depending on the signs of the disease, declared the leper clean or unclean, but the honor of making the lepers clean was left to Christ, who was to do this as the High Priest of our confession. He came to do what the law, weak by the flesh, was powerless to do, Rom. 8:3. The law revealed sin (for the law knows sin), declared the sinner unclean, it imprisoned him, as the priests imprisoned lepers, but he could do nothing more, he could not make those who came to him perfect. Christ takes away sin, cleanses us of it, and thus perfects those who are sanctified. So here we have:

I. Conversion of the leper to Christ. If this happened, as presented here, after the end of the sermon, then we can assume that the leper, although he was cut off by his illness from the cities of Israel, nevertheless found himself within earshot of the preaching of Christ, and this sermon encouraged him, prompted him to turn to Him, - after all He who spoke as having authority could heal with the same authority. Therefore, he approached and bowed to Him as clothed with divine authority and turned to Him with the words: “Lord, if you want, you can cleanse me.” The cleansing of a leper can be considered:

1. As a temporary mercy, a mercy shown to his body, deliverance from an illness that, although not threatening his life, nevertheless caused much grief. This teaches us not only that we should turn to Christ with requests, but also how we should turn to Him: with confidence in His power, believing that He can heal us from illness now, as well as when was on earth, and with obedience to His will: Lord, if You will, You can. As regards temporal mercies, we cannot be as sure of God's desire to bestow them on us as of his power to perform them, for his power is not limited by considerations of his glory and our good; when we cannot be sure of God's will, we can still be sure of his wisdom and his goodness to us, so we can trust him with joy: Thy will be done; this will make our expectation easy and the result comforting.

2. As a type of mercy. Sin is the leprosy of the soul. He cuts us off from fellowship with God, and in order for this fellowship to be restored, it is necessary to cleanse ourselves of this leprosy, and this should be our main concern. Observe, then, that when we turn to Christ as the great Physician, it is a great consolation to us that, if He will, He can cleanse us, and we must, with humble, yet bold, faith, come to Him and ask about it. That is, we must:

(1) To trust in His power, to be sure that Christ can purify us. There is no guilt so great that His righteousness is not sufficient to atone for it; there is no corruption so great that His grace would not be sufficient to suppress it. God would not appoint a doctor in His hospital who would be mepar negotio - not capable of everything.

(2) Count only on His mercy. We cannot demand healing from Him, as if He should, is obliged to heal, but we must humbly ask for it as a mercy: “Lord, if You want. I am at Your feet, and if I die, let me die.”

II. Christ's answer to the conversion of the leper was most merciful, v. 3.

1. And he stretched out his hand and touched him. Leprosy is a disgusting disease, a leper exudes a fetid smell, and yet Christ touched the sick, for He does not disdain to communicate with tax collectors and sinners and do good to them. In addition, touching lepers made them unclean, defiled, but Christ, communicating with sinners, wanted to show by this that He was not in danger of defilement, for the prince of this world had nothing in Him. If we touch the unclean, we are defiled, but Christ was separated from sinners even while living among them.

2. He said: "I want, cleanse yourself." He did not say, as Elisha did to Naaman, "Go, bathe in the Jordan." He did not subject the patient to a difficult, tedious, unpleasant course of treatment, but only spoke the word and healed him.

(1) It was a word of mercy: I want I want to help you as much as you yourself want it. Note, Whoever in faith turns to Christ for mercy and grace can be sure that He wants, willingly wants, to grant him the mercy and grace for which he came to Him. Christ is the Physician who does not need to be sought, for He is always on the way, who does not need to be pleaded, for He hears us while we are still speaking. He does not need to pay, He heals for free, not for a price or reward. He gave all kinds of evidence that he was willing and able to save sinners.

(2) It was a word of power: Cleanse yourself. This word manifested strength both in the sense of power and in the sense of power. Christ heals us with a word of command: Cleanse yourself. “Wish to be cleansed and use all means for this, cleanse yourself of all filth.” But along with this word of command addressed to us, there is a word that does healing: I want you to be cleansed. Such a word is necessary for healing and quite sufficient for it; the almighty grace that pronounces it will be quite sufficient for the one who really desires it.

III. Happy change that happened to the leper: "And immediately he was cleansed." Nature acts gradually, but the God of nature acts instantly - He speaks, and does, and effectively - He commanded, and appeared. One of the first miracles performed by Moses was that he healed himself of leprosy (Ex 4:7), for according to the law the priests had to offer a sacrifice for their sin first. One of the first miracles of Christ was the healing of the leprosy of another, for He Himself had no sin and needed no redemption.

IV. Instruction given to him by Christ after his healing. He who has received healing from Christ, befits afterwards to be in everything obedient to the will of Christ.

1. Look, don't tell anyone. “Do not tell anyone until you show yourself to the priest and until he declares you clean. Then you will have legal evidence that you were once a leper and are now completely cleansed.” Christ wanted His miracles to be perfectly clear and obvious, so that they would not be publicized before they became such. Note, Those who preach the truths of Christ must be able to prove them, defend what they preach, and rebuke those who oppose. “Do not tell anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, so that, having learned in advance who healed you, he would not refuse out of his malice to give you a certificate of healing and would not keep you in isolation.” Such were the priests in the time of Christ - whoever dealt with them had to be wise as a serpent.

2. "Go, show yourself to the priest, as the law requires" (Lev. 14:2). Christ took care to keep the law so as not to give rise to temptation and to show that He is a supporter of order, discipline, that He respects those who are in the ministry. For those who have been cleansed from the leprosy of sin, it may be useful to turn to Christ's servants and tell them about yourself so that they can help them in the study of their spiritual condition, give them advice and comfort, and pray for them.

3. Bring the gift that Moses commanded, as a token of gratitude to God, as a reward to the priest for his labors, and also as a testimony to them. It means either:

(1.) The gift which Moses commanded as a testimony. The ceremonial laws were evidence of God's authority over them, His care for them, and the grace that was to be revealed later. Or:

(2) “Bring your gift as a testimony, and let the priests know who and how cleansed you, this will testify to them that there is someone among them who can do things that the high priest cannot do. Let it remain in their books as evidence of My power, evidence in their favor if they want to use this power and be convinced of it, or against them if they do not want to accept it. The words and deeds of Christ are His testimonies.

Verses 5-13. It describes how Christ healed the centurion's servant from paralysis. This took place at Capernaum, where Jesus now dwelt, ch. 4:13. Christ went about doing good, and now has come home to do good also; every place He went was suitable for Him. The people Jesus dealt with:

1. Centurion. He made a request to Christ. He was a pagan, a Roman, an army officer, perhaps the commander-in-chief of that part of the Roman army that lodged in Capernaum and kept a garrison there.

(1.) Although he was a warrior (and people of that rank are not usually distinguished by piety), he was nevertheless a pious man, and in this sense he was an outstanding person.

Note: God has His people in all walks of life. Neither the title of a person, nor the position that he occupies in this world, can be an excuse for his unbelief and wickedness, no one will say on the great day: “I would be pious if I were not a soldier,” for among those who have been delivered by the Lord there are warriors. Sometimes grace wins exactly where the victory seems incredible. This warrior was pious, very pious.

(2.) Although he was a Roman soldier, and his very presence among the Jews indicated that the Jews were under the Roman yoke, Christ, the King of the Jews, nevertheless showed him favor. Thus, He teaches us to do good to our enemies, there is no need for us to be drawn into national enmity.

(3.) Although the centurion was a Gentile, yet Christ approved of him. Christ really did not enter any pagan cities (this was the land of Canaan, the land of Immanuel, Isaiah 8:8), but he accepted requests from the pagans. Thus, the prediction of the pious elder Simeon began to come true, that He would be a light to the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of His people Israel. Matthew, as it were, alludes to this, adding the healing of the centurion to the healing of the leper, who was a Jew. Christ healed the leper Jew by touch, for He personally preached to the Jews, and He healed the paralyzed pagan at a distance, for He did not come to the Gentiles personally, but sent His word and healed them. However, in the Gentiles He became more famous.

2. Servant of the centurion. It was the patient himself. Here it is once again confirmed that God has no partiality, for just as in Jesus Christ there is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, so in Him there is neither slave nor free. Christ was ready to heal both the poorest servant and the richest master, for He took upon Himself the form of a servant in order to give attention to the most insignificant.

In the story of the healing of the centurion's servant, we can notice remarkable manifestations of mutual goodwill between Christ and the centurion.

I. The location of the centurion to Christ. What good could be expected from a Roman soldier, and even more worthy of praise? Go and see, and you will discover many good qualities in the behavior of this centurion. Note:

1. Full courtesy of the centurion to Christ, revealing:

(1) His reverence for our great Teacher as the only one who can and is ready to help the unfortunate in their requests. He approached Jesus and asked Him, not like Naaman (also a centurion) came to Elisha with an air of importance, demanding healing and expecting a respectful attitude towards himself, but respectfully, like a humble petitioner. This suggests that he saw something more in Christ than could be seen in Him at first sight, saw in Him something requiring respect, although for more short-sighted people His appearance was more insignificant than any other person. The officers of the army who controlled the city were undoubtedly important persons, nevertheless, this centurion, turning to Christ, did not think about his high position and asked Him.

Note, The greatest men must become poor as they draw near to Christ. Recognizing the supreme authority of Christ, the centurion calls Him Lord and betrays Him, His will and His wisdom, his work, modestly asking, without official appeal. He knew that he was dealing with a wise, good Physician, Whom it was enough just to say, and this would be tantamount to the most zealous intercession. The humble confession of our spiritual needs and infirmities will not go unanswered on His part. Pour out your complaints before Him, and His mercy will be poured out on you.

(2.) His merciful attitude towards his poor servant. We read about many who came to Christ with requests for their children, but this is the only case when they turned to Him with a request for a servant: “Lord! my servant lies at home in relaxation.

Note: Masters are obligated to take care of their servants when they are in trouble. Paralysis deprived the servant of the ability to perform his duties, made him a burden for others, as usually happens in the case of any illness, but the centurion did not drive him away (as the Amalekite did with his servant, 1 Samuel 30:13), did not send him to his friends, did not leave neglected him, but tried his best to help him. This servant could not have done more for his master than what the master has done for him now. The centurion's servants were very obedient to him (v. 9), and here we see why, he was very kind to them, and this moved them willingly, gladly, to obey him. Just as we must not neglect the rights of servants when they have a dispute with us (Job 31:13,15), so we must not neglect their position when God disputes with them, we must not keep them with the dogs of our flocks, for we also, and they are created in the same image, with the same hands, and are equal before God. The centurion turned not to sorcerers and sorcerers, but to Christ. Paralysis is a disease against which medical art is usually powerless. Therefore, the centurion's appeal to Christ for healing, which was impossible to achieve by any natural means, testified to his faith in the power of Christ. Notice how touchingly he presents the plight of his servant: he lies in a state of relaxation—in an illness that ordinarily renders a man insensible to pain—but this man suffers severely; the young body was strong enough to fight the disease. (It was not a paralysis simplex, but a scorbutica.) This is how we should take care of the souls of our children and servants who are suffering from spiritual relaxation, deadly relaxation, dumbness, insensitivity to spiritual evil, inactive in regard to spiritual good, and bring them to the means that give healing and health.

2. Notice the centurion's deep humility and self-abasement. After Christ expressed his willingness to come and heal his servant (v. 7), he shows even greater humility.

Note, Humble souls are more humble when Christ graciously comes down to them. Notice in what words the centurion's humility was expressed: “Lord! I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof” (v. 8). These words show that he thought modestly of himself, but highly of the Lord. He does not say, "My servant is not worthy that You should enter his room, because it is in the attic," but, "I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof." The centurion was a great man, but he recognized his unworthiness before God.

Note, Humility gives special dignity to a person of high position. The appearance of Christ was very modest, and yet the centurion, considering Him a prophet, and more than a prophet, showed Him reverence.

Note, We must value and honor all that is of God, even in those who are inferior in outward position to us in all respects. The centurion came to Christ with a petition, and therefore spoke with such humility.

Note: With every approach we draw to Christ and to God through Christ, it behooves us to humble ourselves and bow down to the dust, recognizing ourselves as worthless creatures and worthless sinners, unworthy either to do something for God, or to receive any good from Him, or to have with Him some business.

3. Notice the centurion's great faith. The more humility, the more faith, the more insecure we are, the stronger will be our confidence in Jesus Christ. The centurion was sure not only that Christ could heal his servant, but also, (1.) That he could heal him at a distance. There is no need for any physical contact, as with conventional treatments, nor any touching of the affected part of the body. The centurion believed in healing, which could take place without the patient meeting with the doctor. On the following pages of the Gospel we will read about how four people brought a paralyzed man to Christ and, having overcome many obstacles, laid him at the feet of Christ, and how Christ praised their faith, for it was a working faith. The centurion did not bring a relaxed servant, but Christ also praised his faith - for its gullibility. Christ accepts all true faith, however varied it may be. Christ interprets in the best light the various manifestations of godliness in men, and teaches us the same. The centurion believed - and this is true - that the power of Christ knows no bounds, so distance does not matter to Him. The remoteness of the place cannot interfere with His knowledge or His action, for He fills all in all. Am I God only near, says the Lord, and not God even far away? (Per 23:23).

(2.) That He could heal with one word alone, without any medical means, and, even more so, without conspiracies. "Say only the word, and I have no doubt that my servant will recover." He thus acknowledges that Christ has both divine power and divine authority to command all creation and the forces of nature, to do whatever pleases him in the kingdom of nature, just as in the beginning he raised that kingdom with his almighty word, saying: Let there be light. With people, word and deed are two different things, but with Christ it is not so. He is the Arm of the Lord, because He is the eternal Word. His words, warm yourself, eat (Pak 2:16) and be healed warm, nourish and heal.

The centurion illustrates his faith in the power of Christ by the example of his power as a centurion over the soldiers and as a master over the servants. He will say to one: Go, and he goes, and so on. They were all under his control and at his disposal, so that he could act through them at a distance, his word was for them the law of dictum factum. Well-disciplined soldiers know that the commander's orders are not discussed, but carried out. In the same way, the word spoken by Christ should be fulfilled, He had the same power over all bodily ailments that the centurion had over the soldiers, although he himself was a man subject, not a commander in chief, but a junior officer. All the more, Christ should have had such authority, for He is the supreme and sovereign Lord of all creation. The centurion's servants were very helpful, they were ready to go and come at the slightest hint of the master.

We are all obliged to be the same servants of God - to go and come at His command, according to the directions of His word and His providence, to run where He sends us, to return when He commands, and to do what He commands. What does my Lord say to His servant? If His will interferes with ours, then we should take precedence over His will, and ours should back down.

The bodily infirmities of His servants are to serve to the glory of Christ. They take possession of us when He sends them, and leave us when He calls them back. They act on us, on our body, on our souls at His command. It is a great comfort to all who belong to Christ, for whose good this power is exercised, that every sickness of theirs has authority from Him, and does His command, and serves His good intentions for them. They have no need to fear disease or its consequences, for they see that all disease is in the hand of their good Friend.

II. The favor of Christ in relation to the centurion (with the merciful He acts mercifully).

1. Christ immediately fulfills his request. The centurion had just managed to tell about his servant and was about to ask Christ for his healing, when Christ warns him with a kind and comforting word: “I will come and heal him” (v. 7). He does not say, "I will come and see him," which would testify of Him as a merciful Savior, but, "I will come and heal him." This shows that He is a powerful, all-powerful Savior. It was a great word, but no greater than what He could do, for He brings healing on His wings, His very coming is already healing. Those who work miracles with the power they have received cannot speak so confidently as Christ, who worked miracles in His own power as having authority. When a minister is asked to come to a sick person, he can only say: "I will come and pray over him", but Christ says: "I will come and heal him." It's good that Christ can do more for us than our servants. The centurion wanted Him to heal his servant, and Christ answered, "I will come and heal him." Thus He favors him more than what the centurion asked or could think of.

Note, Christ often exceeds the expectations of poor petitioners. See how Christ humbled Himself - He wanted to visit a simple soldier. He did not want to go with the courtier to his sick son, although he insisted on it (John 4:47-49), but the centurion expresses his readiness to visit his sick servant. Thus, He shows respect to people of low standing and shows greater concern for the less perfect. The humility of Christ, who expressed such a readiness to come, sets an example for the centurion, prompts him to humbly acknowledge himself unworthy of Christ's visitation.

Note, Christ's gracious condescension to us should lead us to greater humility before Him and self-humiliation.

2. Christ commends the centurion's faith, and uses it as an occasion to speak a word of approval to the Gentiles, v. 10-12. This is what a strong but self-sacrificing faith can earn from Christ - a great approval of national significance.

(1.) As for the centurion himself, Christ not only approves and accepts him (this honor is given to all true believers), but admires and praises him. Great believers receive the same honor that Job received: There is none like him on earth.

Christ admires the centurion, not for his high position, but for his faith. Hearing this, Jesus was surprised, not because it was something new and amazing for Him, He knew about the faith of the centurion, for He produced it, but because it was great and excellent, rare and unusual. Christ spoke of this as something wonderful to teach us what we should admire: not worldly glory and its frills, but the beauty of holiness and those ornaments that are precious in the sight of God.

Note, The miracles of grace must impress us more than the miracles of nature or Providence, and spiritual achievements more than any other achievements in this world. Of those who are rich in faith, and not in gold and silver, we must speak of those who have received all this glory. But no matter how amazing someone's faith is, it must contribute to the glory of Christ, who will soon be glorified in His saints, as having done wonderful things in them and for them.

Christ praises the centurion, turning to those who follow him. Christ recognizes all believers before people in the other world, when He appears in glory to them and with them, and some in this world. I tell you truly, I have not found such faith in Israel. It's said

First, to the honor of the centurion, because although he was not descended according to the flesh from Abraham, he inherited his faith, and Christ recognized this.

Note, Christ seeks faith, and wherever it is, finds it, even if it is only the size of a mustard seed. Until now he had not found such faith, considering everything, including the proportion of means, just as it is said of the poor widow, that she put in more than all others, Luke 21:3. Although the centurion was a Gentile, he nevertheless received praise.

Note, Not only should we not be unkind to those who are not of our denomination or our society, but, on the contrary, we should be ready to give them the praise they deserve.

Secondly, It is said to the shame of Israel, to whom belonged the adoption, the glory, and the covenant, which had every support and encouragement in the faith.

Note, When the Son of Man comes, He will find little faith, and therefore little fruit. The spiritual achievements of those who have had little help for their souls aggravate the sin and punishment of many who had the means of grace in abundance, but did not use them properly. Christ said this to those who followed him, desiring by any means to incite them to holy contending, as Paul said, Rom. 11:14. They were descendants of Abraham. Jealous of this honor, let them not allow the pagans to surpass themselves, especially in the faith for which their father Abraham was so famous.

(2) Speaking to others, Christ uses this occasion as an occasion for drawing a comparison between Jews and Gentiles, and says something that could not but surprise those who are used to thinking that salvation is from the Jews.

That a great multitude of the Gentiles would be saved, v. 11. The faith of the centurion was only the first example of the conversion of the Gentiles and the prelude to their acceptance into the Church. Our Lord Jesus touched on this topic often. He confidently states: I say to you, "I say, who knows all people." He could not say anything more pleasant to Himself and more unpleasant to the Jews. Sayings of this kind made the inhabitants of Nazareth furious against him, Luke 4:27. Christ gives us here

First, the concept of those who will be saved: Many will come from the east and west. Above He said (ch. 7:14), "There are few who find the way of life," and yet here He says that many will come. A little at one time, a little from one place, but when they are all together, there will be a great multitude. Now we see one saved here, another there, but soon we shall see the Author of our salvation, who has brought many sons to glory, Heb. 2:10. He will come with thousands of saints (Jude 14), with such a multitude of people that no one could count (Rev. 7:9), he will come with saved nations, Rev. 21:24. They will come from the east and from the west, from places very distant from each other, and yet they will all gather at the right hand of Christ as the center of their unity.

Note, God has his remnant in every place, from the rising of the sun to the west, Mal. 1:11. The elect will be gathered from the four winds, ch. 24:31. These are the essence sown into the ground, and some of them were scattered in the corners of the field. The pagan world extends from east to west, and this is what is meant here; though at one time he was a stranger to the covenants of promise, and for quite a long time, yet who knows how many secret worshipers God had among them then? As in the days of Elijah in Israel (1 Kings 19:14), when shortly thereafter the people came to the church in great numbers, Isaiah 60:3,4.

Note, When we come to heaven we shall not see many there whom we thought they should go there, and we shall see many whom we did not expect to meet.

Secondly, Christ gives us here the concept of salvation itself. They will come, they will come together, they will come together to Christ, 2 Thess. 2:1.

1. They will be received into the kingdom of grace here on earth, in the covenant of grace made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they will be blessed with faithful Abraham, whose blessings extend to the Gentiles, Gal. 3:14. This is what made Zacchaeus the son of Abraham, Lu. 19:9.

2. They will be accepted into the kingdom of glory in heaven. They will joyfully gather there, like doves to their windows. They will lie down there to rest from their labors, like those who rest at the end of the day's work. Reclining implies the duration of the position; while we are standing, we are still walking; when we are sitting, this means that we have already stopped. Heaven is an unchanging rest, it is an eternal city. They shall lie there as at a table, they shall sit as on a throne, Rev. 3:21. This is a metaphor for a feast, which symbolizes both the fullness of fellowship, and the freedom and simplicity of it, Luke 22:30. They will lie down with Abraham. Those who in this world were so distant from each other in time and space or in external position will all meet together in heaven - the inhabitants of the ancient world and the modern, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor. The rich man, who has fallen into hell, sees Abraham, and the poor Lazarus reclines with him, resting at his chest.

Note, Holy company is a part of heavenly happiness. Those who have reached the most recent centuries and the most obscure will share the glory along with the famous patriarchs.

That a great multitude of Jews should perish, v. 12. Notice:

First, what a strange sentence is passed here: but the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness. Jews who persist in their unbelief will be rejected from the visible church, even though they are by birth sons of the kingdom. That very kingdom of God, of which they professed to be children, and boasted of it, will be cut off from them, and they will become no people, they will receive no mercy, Rom. 11:20; 9:31. On that great day, it will not help people to enter the number of the sons of the Kingdom by their title of Jew or Christian, for then people will be judged not by what they were called, but by who they really were. If children, then heirs. But many are children only according to their confession, according to their apparent belonging to a family, but they are not from this family, therefore they are deprived of the right to inherit. Being born of believing parents ranks us among the sons of the Kingdom, but if we rest on this and cannot imagine anything in heaven but this, then we will be cast out.

Secondly, what a strange punishment is intended for those who do iniquity - they will be cast out into outer darkness, into the darkness of those who are outside, that is, the Gentiles who are outside the Church. It was into this darkness that the Jews were thrown, even into a worse one - they were blinded, hardened and filled with fears, as the apostle showed in Rom. 11:8-10. Thus, a people excommunicated from the Church, given over to spiritual judgments, is already in outer darkness. But something more is meant here - a hell in which condemned sinners will find themselves, in comparison with which that darkness is only a gloomy threshold. They will be cut off from God, from all true comfort, and cast into darkness. There is fire in hell, but there is no light, there is absolute darkness, extraordinary darkness, the highest degree of darkness, without a trace or admixture of light, without any hope of light, darkness without the slightest ray or glimmer of light. This darkness is the result of their being outside the sky, the realm of light; those outside are in the realm of darkness. But this is not the worst, except for the darkness there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

1. There will be great tribulation in hell, streams of tears will be shed there for a reason; torments of the spirit from the consciousness of the wrath of God will forever gnaw at the condemned, this is what the torments of hell consist of.

2. Great indignation. Condemned sinners will gnash their teeth in anger and vexation, filled with the wrath of the Lord, will look with envy at the blessedness of others, realizing with horror that in the past they too had the opportunity to receive blessedness, which they do not have now.

3. Christ heals the centurion's servant. He not only commended the centurion for how he approached him, but gives him what he asked for, that was the real answer, v. 13. Notice:

(1.) What Christ said to him. He said something to him that made healing as great a favor to himself as it was to his servant, and even greater: "As you believed, so be it to you." The servant was healed of his illness, and his master was strengthened and encouraged in his faith.

Note, Christ often gives encouraging answers to the prayers of his children when they intercede for others. When He hears prayers for others, it shows His goodwill towards us. God delivered Job out of trouble when he prayed for his friends, Job 42:10. Christ did great honor to the centurion, saying: Let it be done to you according to your faith. What more could he have? However, what was said to him is also said to all of us: "Believe, and you will receive, only believe." Here we see the power of Christ and the power of faith. As Christ could do what He wanted, so the living believer can have what he wants from Christ; the oil of grace is multiplied and continues to be poured out until there is no shortage of vessels of faith.

(2) What was the result of Christ's words. The prayer of faith has won, it has always been and always will be the prayer of victory. The instantaneous healing of the servant proves that it was a miracle, and its full correspondence with the words of Christ - that it was Christ's miracle: He said - and it happened; it was also proof of His omnipotence, that His hand was not short. Doctors note that the diseases that Christ healed were classified as intractable, and especially paralysis. Omnis paralysis, praesertim vetusta, aut difficilis curatu, etiam pueris: atque soleo ego dicere, morbos omnes qui Christo curandi fuerunt propositi, difficillimos sua matura curatu esse - Every kind of paralysis, and especially prolonged paralysis, is either incurable or treatable with great difficulty even in young patients, so that it can be noted that all the diseases with which they turned to Christ were the most intractable and hopeless. Mercurialis De Morbis Puerorum, lib. 2 cap. 5.

Verses 14-17. Those who allow themselves to criticize the harmony among the evangelists place this story and everything that follows it up to the end of the ninth chapter before the Sermon on the Mount, in accordance with the sequence of the story in Mark and Luke. Dr. Lightfoot believes that only the healing of Peter's mother-in-law took place before the Sermon on the Mount, and everything else - later. So here we have:

I. A detailed description of the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, who suffered from a fever.

1. There was nothing out of the ordinary in this illness, fever was the most common illness at that time, but since the patient was related to Peter, this case was recorded as an example of Christ's special care and mercy towards the families of His disciples. Here we learn that:

(1) Peter had a wife and yet was called to be an apostle of Christ. The fact that Christ showed such kindness to the wife's relatives shows that He approved of the marital state. Therefore, the Roman Catholic Church, by forbidding its ministers to marry, goes against the apostles, from whom they inherited, in their opinion, their infallibility.

(2) Peter had a house when Christ had no house, v. 20. Thus, the disciple was provided better than his Master.

(3) Peter's house was in Capernaum, although he was from Bethsaida. He probably moved to Capernaum after Christ retired there, making this city His main residence.

Note: sometimes it is worth changing your apartments in order to be closer to Christ and have the opportunity to communicate with Him. When the ark was moved to another place, all Israel had to follow it.

(4) Peter's mother-in-law was a member of his family, which is a good example for spouses: they should be as kind to the relatives of the other half as to their own. Apparently, this kind woman was already in old age, and yet she was respected, she was taken care of with all the tenderness, as one should treat the elderly.

(5) This woman was sick with a fever. Neither strong youth nor feeble old age are immune from diseases of this kind. Paralysis is a chronic disease, and fever is an acute disease, but both were brought to Christ.

2. Healing, v. fifteen.

(1.) How the healing came about - He touched her hand, not to determine the disease by the pulse, as doctors do, but to heal. This testifies to His kindness and tenderness - He sympathizes with us in our infirmities; it also shows us the way to spiritual healing through the power of Christ's word and His touch on us. Holy Scripture speaks the word, and the Holy Spirit touches us, our heart, our hands.

(2) As it was proved, the fever left her, she got up and served them. From these words it appears:

That this mercy was perfect. Those who naturally recover from fever usually remain weak and incapable of any work for a long time. The supernatural nature of this healing is proved by the fact that the woman immediately became completely healthy and could do household chores.

That this grace was sanctified; mercies of this kind are indeed perfect. Although this woman received special favor, this did not make her put on airs, but she was ready to wait at the table like a simple maid. Those to whom Christ has given special honor must be humble. Having received healing from the disease, the woman realized that she should repay for it. All who have been healed by Christ should serve Him all the days of their lives, be His humble servants.

II. Description in general terms of a large number of healings performed by Christ. The healing of Peter's mother-in-law led to a large confluence of the sick to Christ. “He healed her, why shouldn't He heal me too? If He is someone's friend, then why not me? So what it says here is

1. What He did, v. sixteen.

(1.) He drove out the spirits, drove out the evil spirits with his word. In illnesses attributed to natural causes, there may be a large part of Satan acting on the permission of God, as was the case with Job; this is especially true of mental illness. But during the earthly life of Christ, those possessed by demons who possessed the bodies of people and tormented them, it seems, were more than usual. Satan manifested himself with particular fury, knowing that his time was short. This was permitted by the wisdom of God so that Christ might have more opportunities to reveal His power over Satan and show the purpose of His coming into the world, which was to disarm Satan and deprive him of what he had, destroy his power and destroy him. affairs. And Christ's success was as glorious as His intention and purpose were good.

(2) And healed all the sick. Everyone, without exception, no matter how insignificant the patient may be and no matter how bad his illness may be.

2. How the Scripture was fulfilled in this, v. 17. The fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament was the great purpose of Christ and the great proof of His Messiahship. Among other things, Christ was written to take our infirmities and bear our sicknesses, Isaiah 53:4. Peter also refers to the same passage (1 Peter 2:24), rendering it as follows: He Himself bore our sins on the tree. Here it says: He bore our sicknesses. Our sins cause our sickness and our infirmities. Christ, by His death, delivered us from sins, and by the miracles performed during life, He freed us from diseases. Moreover, although those miracles have already ceased, we can say that He bore our sicknesses when He bore our sins on the tree, for sin is both the cause and the sting of sickness. Our body is subject to many different diseases and infirmities, and in this one line of the Gospel we are given more encouragement and comfort than in all the writings of philosophers: He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. He carried them before us; although He was never sick, nevertheless He was hungry, thirsty, tired, afflicted in spirit, mourned, and very hard; He bore them for us in His torments on the Cross, He bears them with us in His compassion for us, for He has compassion on us in our infirmities and thus delivers us from them, makes them easy, unless they overtake us through our own fault. . Notice how much power there is in these words: He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. As our Physician, He was able and willing to solve this problem and deliver us from our infirmities and diseases. This part of the afflictions of human nature was the subject of His special care, as is shown by His willingness to heal sickness. And now His power and love have not diminished, for we are sure that we will not be harmed by anything, following the path to heaven.

Verses 18-22. I. Christ retires to the other side of the Sea of ​​Tiberias, and orders his disciples, who served him with their boats as vehicles, to prepare them, v. 18. The influence of the Sun of Truth was not to be limited to any one place, but spread throughout the whole country. He must go to do good everywhere; needy souls call him to them: "Come and help us" (Acts 16:9). He departed, seeing a multitude of people around Him. Although this multitude of people around him testified that they very much desired him to be with them, yet he knew that there were others who also desired to have him at home, and these others also had a right to their share in him. The fact that He was accepted and His help was needed in one place did not prevent Him from going to other places, but, on the contrary, prompted Him to do so. In this way, He wanted to test the multitude of the people that were around Him, whether they were so zealous to follow Him and accompany Him when He retired to preach at some distance from them. Many would be glad to have help if it can be found at the next door, but they are unlikely to want to follow it to the other side. Thus Christ got rid of less diligent listeners and revealed His true followers.

II. Christ's conversation with two people who did not want to lag behind Him when He gathered on the other side, and who decided to follow Him, not like others, as volunteers, but as constant disciples, which most people avoided, because it was associated with such severity, which they did not like, with which they could not reconcile. But here are two who seemed to want to enter the apprenticeship, and yet they were wrong. This case is given as an example of the obstacles that keep many from close fellowship with Christ, prevent them from clinging to Him, and as a warning to us to begin our following of Christ in such a way as to achieve the goal, to lay such a foundation for our house that it will stand firmly.

Here we see how Christ is handled with two different characters: one was fast and hot, the other slow and heavy on the rise. The instructions that Christ gave them are very instructive for us.

1. The first one was too quick to promise. There was a certain scribe (v. 19), a learned, educated man, one of those who studied and interpreted the law. As a rule, they are characterized in the Gospels as unkind people, they usually united with the Pharisees as enemies of Christ and His teachings. Where is the scribe? (Cor 1:20). It is very rare that any of them followed Christ, but in this case there was one who quite sincerely asks to be accepted among the disciples of Christ Saul among the prophets. Consider here:

(1.) How he expresses his willingness to follow Christ: "Master, I will follow you wherever you go." I don't know who could have put it better. His declaration of consecration to Christ was:

Very impetuous and seemed to proceed ex mero motu - from an unprejudiced attraction: Christ did not call him, none of the disciples persuaded him to do so, but it was his own disposition - to offer himself as a follower of Christ; no one forced him to do this, he was a volunteer.

Very decisive. As if he had already made a final decision on this issue: "I have decided, I want to do it."

It was unconditional and irrevocable: “I will follow You wherever You go. Not only to the other side of the sea, but also to the most remote part of the world.” We would have confidence in such a person, but the answer given to him by Christ reveals that his decision was rash, and his goals were low, carnal. Either he didn't think at all, or he didn't think about what he should have. He saw the miracles performed by Christ, and hoped that He would restore the earthly kingdom of Israel, and desired to join him in time.

Note: There are many such hasty decisions in favor of religion, taken in a moment of sudden and acute consciousness of one's sinfulness without proper reasoning, and then it turns out that these decisions were premature, that they end in nothing: they quickly ripened and quickly rotted.

(2.) How Christ tests his readiness to follow him, whether sincere or not, v. 20. He makes him understand that the Son of Man, whom he so zealously seeks to follow, has nowhere to lay his head. From what Christ said about His deep poverty, we can observe the following:

In itself, it is strange that the Son of God, having come into this world, placed Himself in such low conditions that he did not even have a comfortable place to rest, which even the most insignificant of God's creations usually have. If He wanted to take our nature upon Himself, then, I think, He should have taken it in its best condition and in the best circumstances. But no, He chooses the worst. Pay attention here

First, how well the lower creatures are provided for: foxes have holes, although they not only do not benefit man, but, on the contrary, harm him, and yet God provides them with holes in which they take refuge. Man hunts them, but they are protected in these holes, these are their shelters. The birds of the air, though they take no care of themselves, yet are not left without care; they have nests (Ps. 113:17), nests in the field, nests in the house, in the house of God, Ps. 83:5.

Secondly, the poverty in which Jesus lived. If the birds and beasts are so well provided for by God, then we too can rely on him; and if we are deprived of what is necessary, then we can take comfort in the fact that our Teacher experienced the same thing before us.

Note, Our Lord Jesus, while living on this earth, was subject to the misfortunes and troubles of an extremely poor condition. For us He became poor, very poor. He had no possessions, no resting place, no home of his own to lay his head on, no pillow of his own to rest it on. He lived with his disciples on the donations of well-to-do men who served him with their possessions, Luke 8:2. Christ submitted to these conditions in order not only to humble himself in everything and fulfill the Scriptures, which spoke of Him as poor and needy, but also to show us the vanity of worldly wealth, to teach us to look at it with holy contempt; to gain something better for us, to make us rich in His poverty, 2 Corinthians 8:9.

It is strange that this statement of Christ was made precisely in connection with the appeal of the scribe to Him. When the scribe wanted to follow Christ, it would seem that He should have encouraged him with the words: "Come, and I will take care of you." For one scribe could do Him more service and more honor than twelve fishermen. But Christ saw the man's heart and answered his thoughts; thus He teaches a lesson to all of us how we should come to Him.

First, the scribe's decision was probably sudden, and Christ wants to teach us that when we are about to make a decision to follow Him, we first sit down and count the costs (Luke 14:28), that is, do it wisely, judiciously, and choose the path piety, not because we do not know another, but because we do not know a better one. There is no use for religion to take people by surprise before they realize everything. Those who make a decision in a fit of contrition will reject it in a fit of irritation, so let them drive more quietly, then they will go further. The one who wants to follow Christ must prepare for the worst - sleeping hard and eating poorly.

Secondly, the decision of the scribe, apparently, came from worldly selfish motives. He saw how many healings Christ performed, and could conclude from this that He had a large income and would soon become a very wealthy man, and decided to follow Him in the hope of becoming rich with Him. But Christ corrects his mistake and tells Him that not only is He not rich, but He does not even have where to lay His head, and that if he follows Him, then let him not count on a better life than His.

Note, Christ will not accept as his followers anyone who seeks worldly gain in following him, or intends to gain by faith anything but heaven. We have reason to believe that this scribe went away saddened, disillusioned with a deal which he wished to turn to his advantage. He does not want to follow Christ if he cannot achieve something through Him.

2. The second of those who wanted to follow Christ was too slow in fulfilling the promise. Procrastination in carrying out a decision is just as bad as recklessness in making it. After we have thought everything over and come to some kind of decision, we will not say that we will do it tomorrow, if we can do it today. This candidate minister was already one of Christ's disciples (v. 21), of His volunteers. Clement of Alexandria, based on ancient tradition, believes that this is about Philip. He seemed to be more fit and more inclined to follow Christ than the scribe, because he was not so self-confident and arrogant. Self-confidence, ardor and haste are not promising qualities in the matter of faith: sometimes the last are first, and the first are last. So let's notice here:

(1.) The excuse used by this disciple for refusing to immediately follow Christ: “Lord, let me first bury my father. Before I go and become Your constant and close follower, let me do my last duty to my father, and in the meantime, let me occasionally, when I have free time, be Your hearer. His father (some believe so) was at that time ill, or lying on his deathbed, or already dead. Others believe that he was simply advanced in age and did not have long to live, so this disciple wanted to look after him during his illness, be present at his death and bury him, and then become a servant of Christ. This apology might have seemed reasonable, but it was wrong. The student did not have the zeal, zeal for work that was required of him, and therefore referred to a reason that seemed plausible.

Note, There is never a shortage of excuses for those who do not want to work. The expression Non vacat means Non placet, that is, the lack of time is the lack of desire. We assume that his refusal was most likely due to his sincere filial love for his father, but Christ should always be preferred.

Note: All-consuming cares for the family prevent many from embarking on the path of piety, and those who have embarked on it from following it. These perfectly legitimate concerns are ruining us: we neglect our duty to God and delay its performance under the pretense of fulfilling our worldly duties; therefore here we must be doubly on our guard.

(2) Christ does not accept this excuse (v. 22): Jesus said to him, Follow me, v. 22. There was undoubtedly power in these words, as in His other appeals to His disciples: he followed Christ and clung to Him, as Ruth clung to Naomi, while the scribe, like Orpah, left Him. The scribe said, "I will follow you," but Christ said to him, "Follow me." From a comparison of these statements, we can conclude that we are drawn to Christ by the power of His call to us, and not our promise to Him. Mercy does not depend on the one who wants it and not on the one who strives, but on God who has mercy, He calls whom He wants, Rom. 9:16. And further we note: although the chosen vessels may refrain from immediately agreeing with God's call, nevertheless Christ finally convinces them, overcomes their reluctance and brings them to His feet. When Christ calls, He prevails, His call is always effective, 1 Sam. 3:10. The disciple's apology is dismissed as insufficient: Let the dead bury their dead. This is a proverb: “Let one dead person bury another, that is, it would be better if they remain unburied than you neglect the service of Christ. Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead, leave worldly affairs to worldly people, do not burden yourself with them. The burial of the dead, and especially the dead father, is a good thing, but it is not your business at the moment, it can be done just as well by others who are not ready for the service of Christ and are not called to it; but you must do something else, and you must not put it off.”

Note, Though the honor of parents is a great and obligatory duty of the believer, yet the honor of God must come first. According to the law, the Nazarenes were not to mourn their dead parents, because they were holy to the Lord (Num. 6:6-8), likewise the high priests were not to approach any dead person, not even a dead father, Lev. 21:11,12. And Christ requires those who follow Him to hate their father and mother (Luke 14:26), to love them less than God. We must, to some extent, neglect our immediate family ties when they come into competition with Christ, with our labor for Him, or with our suffering for Him.

Verses 23-27. Christ had already commanded His disciples to cross over to the other side of the Sea of ​​Tiberias (v. 18), to the country of Gadara in the lot of Gad, located east of the Jordan. He wanted to go there to save an unfortunate man possessed by a legion of demons, although he foresaw that he would meet opposition there.

1. He decided to cross the water. The sea route was not shorter than the land route, but He chose it precisely in order to have a reason to reveal Himself not only as the God of the earth, but also as the God of the sea, and to show that He was given all power on earth and in heaven. What a consolation it is for those who go to sea in ships and often endure distress there, to think of the Savior, trust in Him and pray to Him, the One Who knows what the sea is and what it means to fall into a storm. But notice, when Christ went out to sea, He had neither a yacht nor a boat, and He used the fishing boats of His disciples, so poor was He in every way.

2. His disciples followed Him. The twelve disciples kept close to Him, while all the rest stood behind, on the terra firma, where there was a secure foothold.

Note, Those, and only those, will be recognized as true disciples of Christ who are ready to follow Him in the sea, and in dangers, and in difficulties. There are many who agree to take the dry road to heaven and would rather stand or turn back than risk the dangerous sea passage. But those who want to rest with Christ in heaven must follow Him on earth wherever He leads them, to the sea or to prison, as readily as to the palace. Note here the following:

I. While the disciples were traveling, a storm came upon them, and this caused them great confusion, and in this was revealed the truth of what Christ had just said, that whoever follows him must count on a collision with difficulties, v. 20.

1. And behold, there was a great commotion on the sea, v. 24. Christ could have prevented this storm and arranged for the disciples a pleasant sea voyage, but this would not have contributed to His glory and strengthen their faith in the same way as deliverance from the storm. This storm was tolerated for their sake, as in the case described in John 11:4-15. The presence of Christ in the boat, it would seem, should have provided them with a favorable wind, but it turned out to be quite the opposite, for Christ wanted to show them that, sailing with Him across the sea of ​​this life to the other side (to the other world), they will meet storms on the way. The church is tossed by storms (Isaiah 54:11), we will enjoy permanent rest only in heaven, and here from time to time we will be overtaken by shocks and excitements.

2. Jesus Christ slept during the storm. We never read of Christ sleeping except on this occasion; He was often awake and spent the whole night in prayer. It was not a carefree sleep like that of Jonah on a ship during a storm, but a serene sleep of a soul trusting in its Father. He slept, thus showing that He was really a man, subject to the sinless infirmities of our nature: He was tired of His labors and fell asleep, and no inner fears and feelings of guilt disturbed His rest. Whoever can lay his head on the pillow of a clear conscience can sleep peacefully and sweetly even in a storm (Ps. 4:9), like Peter in prison, Acts 12:6. Christ slept to test the faith of His disciples, whether they would trust in Him, when He seemed to have forgotten them. He fell asleep not so much with the desire to rest, but with the intention of being awakened.

3. The poor disciples, though accustomed to the sea, were seized with great fear, and in this fear they turn to their Master, v. 25. Where else could they turn? It's good that He was with them. They woke Him up with a cry: "Lord, save us, we are perishing."

Note: Whoever wants to learn how to pray, let him go to sea. The proximity of imminent danger encourages people to turn to the One Who alone can help in the hour of trouble. Their prayer was fervent: "Lord, save us."

(1.) Their petition: Lord, save us. They believed that He could save them and asked Him to be willing to do so. Christ came into this world to save, but only those who call on the name of the Lord are saved, Acts 2:21. Those who by faith have accepted Christ's eternal salvation can, with the humble boldness of faith, turn to Him for temporal deliverance. Notice that they first call on Him, Lord, and then ask Him to save us.

Note, Christ saves only those who are ready to acknowledge Him as their Lord, for He is King and Savior.

(2) Their argument: We are perishing.

This is fear speaking, they considered their situation hopeless, and themselves lost, they had a sentence of death within themselves and cited this as an argument in their appeal: “We will perish if You do not save us, have pity on us.”

This spoke of their zeal: they prayed zealously, like those who ask for the preservation of life. So we must struggle and struggle in prayer. That is why Christ slept, because he wanted to evoke this perseverance in his disciples.

II. The power and goodness of Jesus Christ came to their aid: the Lord Jesus rose up like a giant, Ps. 77:65. Christ may sleep when his church is in a storm, but he will never sleep: the time appointed for pardoning his suffering church will certainly come, Ps. 112:14.

1. He rebukes the disciples (v. 26): "Why are you so fearful, you of little faith?" He reproaches them not because they disturbed Him with their prayer, but because they deprived themselves of peace with their fear. Christ first reproved them, and then delivered them. This is His method - first to prepare us for mercy, and then to give it to us. Note:

(1.) His disapproval of their fear: "Why are you so fearful? Are you my students? Let the sinners in Zion fear, let the Gentiles tremble with fear in the storm, but not you. Look into the causes of your fear and weigh them."

(2) Revealing the cause and source of the disciples' fear: O you of little faith. Many have true faith, but are weak in it, such faith is not capable of great things.

Note:

The disciples of Christ, in times of danger, tend to lose their rest from fear, to torment themselves with suspicions and forebodings of even worse troubles.

The fact that fear takes possession of us during stormy days is due to the weakness of our faith, which should be an anchor for the soul and diligently work with the oar of prayer. By faith we can see a calm shore through the storm and console ourselves with the hope that we will endure everything and achieve the desired goal.

The fear of the disciples, which took possession of them during the storm, and their unbelief, the cause of fear, are displeasing to the Lord Jesus, because they dishonor Him and deprive them of rest.

2. He forbade the winds and the sea. In rebuking the disciples, Christ acted as the God of grace and the Ruler of hearts, who works in us what pleases Him. Now He acts as the God of nature, the Ruler of the world, who can do for us whatever He pleases. The same power that subdues the sound of the seas calms the troubled feelings of the soul, Ps. 64:8. Look:

(1.) How easily He did it, with just one word. Moses, in commanding the water, used the rod, Joshua the ark of the covenant, Elisha the mantle, and Christ the word. He has absolute power over all creation, which is an honor to Him and a blessing to those He protects.

(2) How effectively it was done. And there was a great silence, all of a sudden. Usually, after a storm, a wave remains on the surface of the sea, and it takes quite a long time before it completely calms down. But when Christ speaks the word, the storm stops, leaving no trace behind. The great storms of doubt and fear raised in the soul by the spirit of slavery sometimes end in a wonderful calm produced by the Spirit of adoption.

3. This surprised them, v. 21. People, wondering, spoke. They were well and long familiar with the sea and never in their entire lives had they seen a storm so instantly turn into complete calm. It was a sign of an obvious miracle. This is from the Lord, and it was marvelous in their eyes. Note:

(1.) Their admiration for Christ: "Who is this?"

Note: Christ is the height of perfection, everything in him is worthy of admiration, no one is so wise, so powerful, so ungracious as he is.

(2.) The reason for their admiration: And the winds and the sea obey him. Christ, according to this, is worthy of special admiration, because he has power over the sea and the wind. Others claimed to heal the sick, but He alone commanded the winds. We do not know the ways of the wind (John 3:8), much less can control it, but He who brings the wind out of His storehouses (Ps. 114:7) can collect it in His handfuls, and it stops, Prov. 30:4 . If he can do this, he can do everything else, can do everything to encourage our trust in him and give rest in him during the most violent storms, whether internal or external, Isaiah 26:4. The Lord sat over the flood, His voice is stronger than the sound of many waters. Christ, commanding the seas, showed that He is the one who created the world, and from whose rebuke the waters fled (Ps. 113:7), just as now they flee from His prohibition.

Verses 28-34. In this passage we read about how Christ cast out demons from two possessed men. The purpose of this whole chapter is to show the divine power of Christ by examples of its manifestation over bodily ailments that are beyond our control, over winds and seas that are still less subject to our control, and, finally, over unclean spirits, our most terrible enemies. Christ not only has all power in heaven and on earth and under the earth, but also has the keys to hell. Every principality, and authority, and power, and dominion were subject to him, even in the state of his humiliation (as a pledge of the future, when he enters into glory, Eph. 1:21), he deprived them of power, Col. 2:15. In general, it has already been noted that Christ cast out demons by word (v. 16), but here a specific example of exorcism is described in detail, which is distinguished by more remarkable circumstances than the rest of the cases. This miracle was performed in the country of the Gergesins, where, as some believe, the remnants of an ancient people lived, the Gergeses, Deut. 7:1. Although Christ was sent mainly to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, nevertheless He visited the border areas with Israel, as in this case, to defeat Satan, which was a model for defeating his legions in the pagan world.

So, besides the general example of the power of Christ over Satan with the aim of disarming him and depriving him of his possessions, in this case we are given an example of how evil spirits act in their enmity towards man. Notice what the demons did to the one in whom they dwelt, and to those into whom they then entered.

I. What they did in the people in which they were. Their presence was manifested in the terrible state of the people possessed by them. Some believe that these two were husband and wife, because another evangelist speaks of one possessed.

1. These unfortunates lived among the tombs, whence they came out when they met Christ. Satan, who has the power of death, not as a judge, but as an executioner, loves to be among the trophies of his victory - dead human bodies. But precisely where he felt himself at the pinnacle of triumph, as later on at Golgotha, the place of the skull, Christ defeated him and subdued him to His power. Being among the tombs increased the melancholy and madness of these poor victims of Satan, increased his power over them and made them even more terrible for other people, who are usually afraid of any movement among the tombs.

2. They were quite ferocious. They not only could not control themselves, control themselves, but were also dangerous for those around them; they frightened many, harmed some, so that no one dared to pass that way.

Note: The devil harbors malice towards the human race, and this is proved by the fact that he sows hatred and malice among people. Mutual enmity instead of mutual support and help is the result and proof of satanic enmity towards the entire human race, it makes man become a wolf, a bear, a devil - Homo homini lupus. Where Satan has spiritual dominion, he governs the soul of man through the lusts warring in his members—pride, envy, malice, vindictiveness; all this makes a person unfit for human society, unworthy of it, an enemy of its well-being, such as these unfortunate obsessed were.

3. The demons act defiantly towards Christ, and declare that they have nothing to do with him, v. 29. The power of God over demons was manifested in the fact that, despite all the evil caused to these unfortunate people, and through them to other people, the demons could not keep them from meeting Jesus Christ, Who arranged everything in such a way as to meet them. By His almighty hand, He brought the demons into His presence, which they feared most, for His chains could hold them, while human-made chains could not. But when they were before Him, they began to protest against His right to judge them and burst into anger: “What have you to do with us, Jesus, the Son of God?” Wherein:

(1) The devil said one word like a saint: he addresses Christ, calling Him Jesus, the Son of God. It was a good and great word, because it expressed the truth, not yet proved then, which was not revealed to Peter by flesh and blood, ch. 16:17. Even demons know, believe, and confess Christ as the Son of God, and yet they remain demons, and this makes their enmity against Him even more impious, and their own torment even more intense, for how could it be otherwise if they oppose Him Who do they themselves know is the Son of God?

Note: It is not knowledge of God, but love of God, that distinguishes saints from demons. Whoever knows Christ and yet hates Him, does not submit to Him and His law, he is the firstborn of hell. We may remember how, not long before, the devil expressed doubt whether Christ was the Son of God, and wanted to make Christ doubt it (ch. 4:33), but now he readily acknowledges Him as such.

Note, Though in hours of temptation Satan may confuse the children of God with doubts as to their belonging to God as their Father, yet the Spirit of adoption dispels all these doubts, so that their sonship to the Father is made beyond the reach of all the denials of the devil.

(2) The two words he spoke as the devil.

The first word was a challenge: What have you to do with us? (English what do you and I have in common? - Translator's note.).

Firstly, it is true that demons have nothing in common with Christ as the Savior, for He does not accept fallen angels, He did not take on their nature (Heb 2:16), they never had and do not hope to have any benefit from Him. Oh, how deep is this mystery of Divine love, that fallen man has so much in common with Christ, while fallen angels have nothing in common with Him! Of course, it was premature torment for them to be forced to recognize the superiority of Christ and at the same time that they had nothing to do with Him.

Note: People can also call Jesus the Son of God and yet have nothing to do with Him.

Secondly, it is true that the demons desire nothing to do with Christ as Ruler, they hate him, are full of enmity towards him, oppose him, and openly rebel against his crown and dignity. Consider the language of those who want nothing to do with the gospel of Christ, with His laws and commandments, who reject His yoke, break His bonds and do not want to submit to Him, who say to the Almighty Jesus: "Depart from us." These are the sons of the devil, they act according to their own lusts and speak his language.

Thirdly, but it is not true that demons have nothing to do with Christ as Judge, and they know it. These demons could not say: “What will you do with us?”, could not deny that the Son of God is the Judge of unclean spirits, that until the day of His judgment they are bound by the bonds of hellish darkness, which they would like to throw off from themselves, would like not to think about them.

The second word expresses their fear and indignation: "Did You come here before the time to torment us, drive us out of these people and deprive us of the opportunity to do the evil that we want?"

Note: to be banished, bound, deprived of the opportunity to do evil is a torment for the devil, all his joy and consolation lie in human suffering and their death. Should we not consider it our bliss to be able to do good and suffer when we encounter internal or external obstacles to do so? So you came to torment us before the time.

Note:

First, there is a certain time in which the demons will suffer more than now, and they are aware of this. The great judgment of the last day is the time when they will be determined for their final torment in Topheth, of old arranged for the king, the devil and his angels (Is 30:33; ch. 25:41), for this judgment they are observed, 2 Peter 2: 4. The spirits of malice, which, by God's permission, walk the earth like released prisoners, are even now chained, their power is limited to a certain limit and does not extend beyond it. But then they will be imprisoned prisoners. Now they have been given some relief, but then nothing will ease their torment. They take it for granted and do not ask that they never be tormented (the absence of any hope of deliverance is the horror of their position), but only that they should not be tormented ahead of time, for although they did not know when the day of judgment would come but knew that he had not yet come.

Secondly, at every approach of Christ, at every limitation of their power and fury, they experience a certain fearful expectation of judgment and the fury of fire. Every look of Christ and every command of His to come out of a person causes them torment. Thus the demons believe and tremble, Jas. 2:19. Their own hostile attitude towards God and man puts them on the rack and torments them before their time. The most desperate sinners, whose sentence has already been signed, cannot completely harden their hearts against sudden fear when they see that day approaching.

II. Now let us see what the demons did, after they had been cast out of those possessed by them, where they went, and what happened to the herd of pigs that were grazing afar off, v. 30. The inhabitants of the country of the Gergesins, although they lived on the other side of the Jordan, were Jews. Why did they need these pigs, which were considered unclean animals according to the law, because they could not be eaten or even touched? Among those living on the outskirts of the country there were many pagans, it was to them that this herd of pigs probably belonged; or the Jews themselves kept them for sale to the Romans, who loved pork and with whom the Jews had a strong business relationship. Note:

1. How the demons took possession of the pigs. Although the pigs were grazing in the distance and seemed to be in complete safety, nevertheless, the demons, who wanted to do them harm, noticed them, for they go around looking for someone to devour, looking for opportunities for this, and they do not have to look long.

(1) The demons ask to be allowed to enter into these pigs (v. 31): And the demons asked Him, they asked Him very much - if you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs. In this they:

They discovered their inherent tendency to do harm and find pleasure in it. All those who cannot sleep unless they do evil are their children who are like them, Prov. 4:16. "Let us enter the herd of pigs, send us to any other place, but not to a place of torment, anywhere where you can do evil." If they are not allowed to harm people's bodies, they will harm their property, and through this, their souls, making Christ a burden to them. Such are the evil intentions of the ancient serpent!

They acknowledged the power of Christ over them, they recognized that without His permission and permission, they cannot do any harm even to pigs. The children of God should take comfort in the fact that although the power of the devil is very great, yet it is limited and not equal to his wickedness (what would happen to us if they were equal?), but especially that it is under the control of our Lord Jesus, our most faithful, powerful Friend and Savior, Satan and his helpers cannot do more than He allows them - here is the limit of haughty waves

(2) They got permission, Christ said to them, "Go" (v. 32), just as God gave permission to Satan to smite Job.

Note, God often, in wise and holy intentions, allows Satan to exercise his wrath and mischief as he pleases, and even cause them to serve his purposes. Unclean spirits are not only Christ's captives, but also His vassals. His power over them is manifested in the evil that they do, as well as in the prohibition to do it further. Thus, even their rage serves to the glory of Christ, and the rest of it He limits. Christ allowed demons to enter the swine herd:

For the sake of persuading the Sadducees who were among the Jews, who denied the existence of spirits and were unwilling to acknowledge them only because they could not see them. Christ wanted in this way, as clearly as possible, to show them these beings, the multitude, the power, and the wickedness of the evil spirits, so that, if this did not convince them, they would lose forgiveness for their stubborn unbelief. We do not see the wind, but it would be foolish because of this to deny its existence when we see houses and trees that have been blown down by it.

For the sake of punishing the inhabitants of the country of the Gergesins, who, being Jews, probably allowed themselves to eat pig meat, contrary to the law; even keeping a herd of pigs was already on the verge of a crime. He also wanted to show them what a vicious gang they had been spared. If He had allowed it, she would have killed them as well as those pigs. The demons, in obedience to the command of Christ, came out of the people and, using His permission, immediately entered the herd of pigs. See what a zealous and agile enemy Satan is, he does not waste time, but hurries to do evil. Note:

2. Where did the herd of pigs rush when the demons entered them. They were not ordered to spare the life of the pigs, so they forced them to throw themselves down a steep slope into the sea, where all of them, up to two thousand in number (Map 5:13), perished.

Note: The devil takes possession in order to destroy. He pushes people to sin, pushes them into what they resist, into what they know will bring them shame and misfortune. With what power do evil spirits work in the sons of disobedience, if they force them, by means of many foolish and harmful lusts, to act directly contrary not only to piety, but to sound reason and their own interests in this world! Thus he pushes them to destruction, for he is Apollyon and Abaddon, the great destroyer. Satan's purpose is to consume and destroy; how deplorable is the condition of those whom he has entrapped into his will! He drives them into a lake more terrible than this, into a lake that burns with unquenchable fire.

3. What impact did this event have on pig owners. It was reported to them by the shepherds of the flock, who seemed to be most concerned about the destruction of the pigs, for they went to tell what had happened to the possessed only after the death of the pigs, v. 33. Christ did not enter the city, but the news of his presence in those places reached him. Christ wanted to know how the inhabitants of the city would react to what had happened, what impression it would make on them, in order to act accordingly.

So, (1) Curiosity led the people to come out to meet Jesus: And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus, to say later that they had seen a man do such a marvelous deed. So many go out to meet Christ in company, with no real attraction to Him, no desire to know Him.

(2) Moved by greed, pity for the dead pigs, they try to get rid of Him. Instead of inviting Him to their city or bringing their sick to Him to heal them, they ask Him to depart from their borders, as if echoing evil spirits: What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? The demons achieved what they wanted when they threw the pigs into the sea: they themselves did it, and then they made people believe that Christ did it, and thus turned them against Him. Satan deceived our forefathers, instilling in them bad thoughts about God, and he also kept the Gadarenes away from Christ, instilling in them the suspicion that He came to their country in order to destroy their livestock, that He did more harm than good: having healed two sick people, He killed two thousand pigs. So Satan sows tares in God's fields, does evil in the Christian Church, and then blames Christianity for this and sets the people against it. The inhabitants asked that Christ leave them, so that, like Moses, He would not bring other plagues on their city.

Note, There are many who prefer their swine to Christ, and thereby forfeit Christ and the salvation that He brings with Him. They ask that Christ depart from their hearts, they do not want to give place in their hearts to His word, because He Himself and His words will destroy their gross lusts, those pigs that they feed in themselves. Christ will rightly reject those who are thus weary of His presence, He will say, "Depart, you damned ones," to those who now say to the Almighty, "Depart from us."