184
I Gh. xv. 14 εἰς ' βόθυνον, οὐχὶ κρατήσει αὐτὸ καὶ ἐγερεῖ; 12. πόσῳ οὖν διαφέρει z ‘! 39- - - Lal mhereand ἄνθρωπος προβάτου; ὥστε ἔξεστι τοῖς σάββασι καλῶς orev.”
in parall. au a
insame 13. Τότε λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ““Ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρά aout” Καὶ sense, Ch. ς a
xvii. tz. ἐξέτεινε, καὶ "' ἀποκατεστάθη 3 ὑγιὴς ὡς ἢ ἄλλη. 14. οἱ δὲ Mk. iy. 12
(torestore Φαρισαῖοι > συμβούλιον * ἔλαβον kar αὐτοῦ ἐξελθόντες ὃ ὅπως αὐτὸν
social
state), Heb. xiii. 19 (to friends).
' SQBL have σου before την χειρα. 2 ager. in ΔΒΙ ΔΣ al.
n Ch. xxii. 15; xxvii. 1,7; xxviii. τα.
D has αποκ. as in T. R.
3 KSBCDE place εξελθοντες at the beginning of the sentence (= with καν before
εξελθοντες). ἳ
infer so from the fact that Jesus argued on such questions ¢z concesso. In that case the theory and practice of con- temporary Pharisees must have been miider than in the Talmudic period, when the rule was: if there be no danger, leave the animal in the ditch till the morrow (vide Buxtorf, Syn. Jud., c. xvi.). Grotius suggests that later Jewish law was made stricter out of hatred to Christians, —Ver. 12. πόσῳ οὖν διαφέρει, etc. This is another of those simple yet far-reaching utterances by which Christ suggested rather than formulated His doctrine of the infinite worth of man. By how much does a human being differ from a sheep? That is the question which Christian civilisation has not even yet adequately answered. This illustra- tion from common life is not in Mark and Luke. Luke has something similar in the Sabbath cure, reported in xiv. 1-6. Some critics think that Matthew com- bines the two incidents, drawing from his two sources, Mark and the Logia.—éove, therefore, and so introducing here rather an independent sentence than a depen- dent clause expressive of result.—kxadds ποιεῖν : in effect, to do good = εὖ ποιεῖν, i.¢., in the present case to heal, θερα- πεύειν, though in Acts x. 33, 1 Cor. vii. 37, the phrase seems to mean to do the morally right, in which sense Meyer and Weiss take it here also. Elsner, and after him Fritzsche, take it as = preclare ageyé, pointing to the ensuing miracle. By this brief prophetic utterance, Jesus sweeps away legal pedantries and casuistries, and goes straight to the heart of the matter. Beneficent action never unseasonable, of the essence of the Kingdom of God; therefore as per- missible and incumbent on Sabbath as on other days. Spoken out of the depths of His religious consciousness, and a direct corollary from His benignant
er of God (vide Holtz., H. Ο., Ρ. 91).
Vv. 13, 14. The issue: the hand cured, and Pharisaic ill-will deepened. Ver. 13. τότε λέγε. He heals by a word: sine contactu sola voce, quod ne speciem quidem violati Sabbati habeve poterat (Grotius).—Extewév σου τ. x. Brief authoritative word, possessing both physical and moral power, conveying life to the withered member, and in- spiring awe in spectators.—xat ἐξέτ. καὶ ἀπεκατ. The double καὶ signifies the quick result (‘‘celeritatem miraculi,”’ Elsner). Grotius takes the second verb as a participle rendering: he stretched out his restored hand, assuming that not till restored could the hand be stretched out. The healing and the outstretching may be conceived of as contemporaneous. --ὑγιὴς ὡς 7 ἄλλη: the evangelist adds this to ἀπεκατ. to indicate the complete- ness. We should have expected this addition rather from Luke, who ever aims at making prominent the greatness of the miracle, as well as its benevolence. —Ver. 14. ἐξελθόντες: overawed for the moment, the Pharisaic witnesses of the miracle soon recovered themselves, and went out of the synagogue with hostile intent.—ovpBovAtov ἔλαβον, consulted together = συμβουλεύεσθαι.--κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ, against Him. Hitherto they had been content with finding fault; now it is come to plotting against His life—a tribute to His Ροννετ.-- ὅπως, etc.: this clause indicates generally the object of their plotting, viz., that it concerned the life of the obnoxious one. They consulted not how to compass the end, but simply agreed together that it was an end to be steadily kept in view. The murderous will has come to birth, the way will follow in due course. Such is the evil fruit of Sabbath contro- versies.