appears to refer to the common desire expressed by the Jews to see miracles and signs, as a proof of His Messiahship. " Cannot you believe unless you actually see with your own eyes a miracle worked ? Is your faith so small, that except you see something you cannot believe ?" — No doubt our Lord knew the heart of the man before Him. He wished to test his faith, and to draw out from him more earnest desires after the mercy that he wanted. The resemblance between our Lord's first answer to the noble- man and His first answer to the woman of Canaan, who came to Him about her daughter, deserve comparison. (Matt. xv. 24.)
Chrysostom remarks, " Christ's meaning is, Ye have not yet the right faith, but still feel towards me as only a prophet. He r6buketh the state of mind wiih which the nobleman had come to Him, because that before a miracle he believed not strongly. Thus too He drew him on the more to belief — That the noble- man came and entreated was nothing wonderful, for parents in their great affection are wont to resort to, and talk with physi- cians. But that he came without any strong purpose appears from this, that he only came to Christ when Christ came into Galilee, whereas, if he had firmly believed, he would not have hesitated, when his child was at the point of death, to go into Judaea."
Glassius thinks that our Lord, in these words, intends to con- trast the faith of the Samaritans with the unbelief of the Gali- leans. The Samaritans believed without having seen any signs or wonders at all.
Chemnitius thinks that our Lord, in this verse, spoke with spe- cial reference to the state of mind in which He found the inhabi- tants of Cana upon His second visit. He thinks that He found them aroused to a state of expectation and curio.^ity, by H s miracle of changing water into wine, but still destitute of any real saving faith.
Poole compares the nobleman to Naaman, who had faith enough to come to Elisha's door to be healed of his leprosy, but was stumbled because Elisha did not put his hand on the diseased place, but only sent him a message. (2 Kings v. 11.)
id. — [The nobleman saith, t&c] This verse shows the earnestness of the nobleman's desire for relief, quickened and sharpened by the apparent rebuff contained in oin- Lord's reply to his fiist application. Yet it was a saying exhibiting much ignorance. It is dear that he did not discover what our Lord hinted at, that possibly he might be helped without His coming down to S3e hia sick son. He neither denies the iruth of our Lord's words, nor enters into argument. He only knew that he felt in grievous distress, and begged our Lord to "come down ere his child died." That our Lord could heal him he did not doub\ Bat that He