The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 147

somewhat to the meaning of the whole. 2. This additional significancy, however, may be variously understood. The preposition ,r{n, may mean (1) that he grieved with o.nd so within himself-in his own spirit; or (2) that his grief was simultaneous with his o.ngcr and accompanied it; or (3) that, angry though he was, he grieved nevertheless or sympathized with them. The ground of this complex feeling was the hardness of their hearts. The root-word denotes e. kind of stone, then a chalkstone, also a callus, or substance exuding from fractured bones and joining their extremities; and the derivative noun, which occurs here, is the process of reuniting by a callus, then hardening, hardness, callousness; while the verb signifies to petrify, harden, or make callous. This hard-heartedness is thus a gradual, not an instantaneous, formation. It is a. process which may commence with some small omission or trifling commission; but in either case it continues unless checked by grace-the once soft becoming hard, and the hard yet harder, till it is consummated in fearful obduracy of heart or complete callousness of the moral nature. IX. THE CURE PERFORMED. " Stretch forth thy hand I " is the command ; and as the aorist imperative, used here, generally denotes a speedy execution of the order given, like our phrase, "Have it done!" the command amounted to "Stretch forth thy hand at once!" How unreasonable this command, at the first blush of the matter, appears! Many a time the attempt had been made, but in vain; many a time before he had tried to i,tretch it out, but that withered hand had refused obedience to the volitions of the will. Was not the Saviour's command, then, strange and unnatural in bidding him extend a hand that bad long lost the proper power of motion ; a. hand crippled and contracted in every joint, shrunken and shrivelled in every part-in a word, completely lifeless and motionless? And yet this man did not cavil nor question; he did not doubt nor delay. Soon as the mandate came he made the effort; soon as the command was uttered, hard as it must have seemed, he essayed compliance; and no sooner is com- pliance attempted than the cure is effected, Divine power accompanying the command, or rather both acting with simultaneous effect. Thus his word was a. word of power, as we read, "He sent his word and healed them." And now the tendons are unbound, the nerves act, the muscles are suppled, the vital fluid flows once more a.long the reopened channel. Thus it was brought back a.gain to what it once was; in power, appearance, and use it was restored to its original condition, whole and sound. X. CONSEQUENT ON THE CURE WAS AN UNNATURAL COALITION. The enemies were filled with folly, wicked arid senseless ,folly (avolas), but not madness, as it is generaUy understood, for that would properly be µ.avlas. They felt humiliated in the presence of so many people. Their pride was humbled, for they were silenced; their logic was shown to be shallow, for with them "to do or not to do "-that was the question; but our Lord showed them that" to do good or not to do good, while not to do good was tantamount to doing evil," was in reality the 'question; and so they were put to shame. They were disappointed, moreover, for they were deprived of any ground whereon to found an accusation, because, in the mode of effecting the cure, thero had been no touch, no con- tact of any kind, no external means used-nothing but a. word, so that even. the letter of the Law had been in no way infringed. In their desperation they communed one with another, held a council, or, as St. Mark informs us more explicitly," took. or made counsel with the Herodians." Misfortune, according to an old saw, brings men into acquaintance with strange associates, and never more so than on this occasion. In theology the Herodians, as far as they held any theological opinions, frnternized with the Sadducees, the latitudinarians of that day; in politics they were adherents of Herod Antipas, and so advocates of the Roman domination. To both these the Pharisees were diametrically opposed. Yet new they enter into a.n unholy alliance with those who were at once their political opponents and religious antagonists. Nor was this the only time that extremes met and leagued themselves against Christ an.d his cause. Herod and Pilate mutually sacrificed their feelings of hostility, and confederated against the Lord and his Anointed. It has been thought strange that Luke, who from his acqua.intanco with Mano.en, the foster-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, had special facilities for know- ledge of the Hcrods, their family relations, and friends, omits this alliance of th8 Herodians with the Pharisees; while it has been surmised that, from that very acquain- tance, sprang a delicacy 11f feeling that made the evangelist loth to record their liostility to Christ. 142 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. [o& m. 1--35.