The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 113

that his menne were respectable; that, if not very wealthy, he was at least in comfortable circumstances ; that by consequence the sacrifice he made for the Master was very cons_idemble, and. that hi~ attachment was proporti?nately great. 6. Further ob:ject of Levi's feast. This complimentary feast to the Saviour was at the same time a farewell feast to his former associates, and a fea.~t, moreover, by which he brought them into close contact with all that was spiritually good, in hope, no doubt, that they too might share the benefit and enjoy some measure of the same blessing which he himself ha,l received. 7. His humility. Besides the self-sacrificing generosity of Levi who, nc doubt, assumed the name of Matthew on his conversion, and his love to the Saviour as also to the souls of his brethren, he manifests a beautiful humility and an entire absence of ostentation. Acting on this principle, "Let another praise thee and not thine own lips," he makes no mention of the feast, more especially of the fact that it was himself, in his own house (so St. Luke), that gave at his own expense this great feast or reception (Box~v µe-yd.A.7111), as St. Luke terms it; while in the list of the names of the twelve apostles St. Mattthew alone, in his Gospel, speaks of himself as the pu,blican. 8. A seeming tautology. In the fifteenth verse of this second chapter there appears to be a redundancy, for first we read that many publicans and sinners sat at meat, or reclined ( t1u11a.vl1e•111To), with Jesus and his disciples; and then it is a<lded. "for there were many, and they followed him." This seeming tautology is partially avoided by the reading of 1ea.l of codex D, or by the rendering qui of the Italic and Vulgate; while some understand the first part of the clause as a justification of the former statement about "many publicans and sinners," and a further affirmation of its being literally and exactly true, the expression" followed" being joined, as is done by some editors, to the next verse, that is, " And there followed him also scribes and Pharisees." These expedients are unnecessary, for if we take io-a.v in the sense of -ra.p~t1a.v, which it some- times has, the words assign an appropriate reason, or account properly for the large number referred to; thus," Many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples, for many were present [i.e. in Levi's house], and had followed Jesus [viz. thither]." 9. Exception taken to such company. "How is it that he eateth with publicans and sinners?" rather," Why is it that he consorts with such?" the full expres- sion being .,-l lt1n11 g.,.., or.,., -yl-yo11•11 liT1 as in John xiv. 22. This complaint was addressed to the disciples, as though these separatists and sectaries still stood in salutary awe of the Master himself; but Jesus heard or overheard it, if the reading ,r11pa.1eo6t1as be admissible, and made reply by the aphorism, "They that are whole or strong," according to St. Matthew and St. Mark, but more precisely and perhaps professionally, according to St. Luke, "in sound health (b-y1a.C11011Tu) "" have no need of the physician." He then applies the maxim to the particular case before him in the words, " I came not to call righteous [persons] but sinners to repentance." 10. The objects of the SaviO'Urs mission. Theo- phy lact understands by " the righteous " here those who think or speak of themselves as righteous, and imagines that our Lord terms them so by way of irony (1e11-r' dpo,11.Ca.11). This explanation of Theophylact, and others who hold with him, that by" righteous" ia this passage are meant those who think themselves righteous, who are so in their own estimation, presents only one aspect of the matter. While there are many degrees in unrighteousness, self-righteousness is but one of those degrees, and, as such, is not a characteristic of the class, viz. the righteous which our Lord excludes from the objects of his missiou. The meaning is rather that, as there is none by nature righteous-none righteous till made so by the Saviour himself, none really aud perfectly righteous-the unrighteous (and all in their natural state are such, notwithstanding certain differences in degree); the sinful (and all belong to this category, for all have sinned though in vary- ing grades)-these are the very objects of his search and saving power. In a word, the morally unhealthy are those on whom the skill of the great Physician needs to be exer- cised, and who most require its exercise. Those that are such and feel themselves to b~ such are just the persons contemplated in his mission, and to whom on his errand ot' mercy he comes and calls. 11. The Saviour's proper place, Instead, then, of going out of his way, or his presence being found in the wrong place, our Lord, in consorting with publican-3 and sinners-sinners the vilest and the worst, as the objectors at least esteemed them-was just among those lost ones whom he came to seek and save, those sorely diseased ones whom he meant to restore to spiritual health and moral vigour. As in a hospital or lazar-house the physician's work is most abundant, so among such  ill0 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [err, II, 1-28.