The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 352

at this time Mntthew selecls these two, of the leper 11nd the centurion's servant, that w~ may see the readiness and tho potency of the will of Christ to heal. II. In THE CENTURION we meet with a high type of man; a kindly, generous, devout nature; a humility not to be expected in one accustomed to command and to represent a ruling race. But, as our Lord reminds us, there are humble, unselfish, right-minded men in all ages and in all countries, In the centurion he saw promise of a far richer harvest than Israel could afford-myriads of earnest men pressing from every quarter of the globe to hear the words of his kingdom, The exhilarating prospect has, how- ever, its dark background. 'l'he earnest and humble devoutness c.f spirit which spring up, one cannot tell how, in those outside the kingdom may be lacking to those within. These men glorified Christ, showed him in a right light and reflected honour upon him by their conduct. We have known more about him, have clearer views of his Person and methods; but, were our dealings with him recorded, would there be the same fair record of simple, unmurmuring faith, of humble dependence on Christ's will, and undoubting worship? Bot the distinctive feature of the centurion's application to our Lord is bis persuasion that Christ's will can work at a distance as easily as at hand. He reasons from his own experience. He had but to give the word of command, and hi1 whole troop obeyed him; and he could not suppose the word of Christ was in his peculiar sphere less potent and authoritative. Perhaps this idea had been suggested to him by his feeling the contrast between his own power on the battle-field and help- lessness at the bedside of bis servant. Was there not some one who bad power even here-some one whose will could quicken even that inert body? The soldier, the law- abiding Roman, felt there must be. Two injunctions were laid upon the healed leper. 1. To tell no man. This is an instance of what our Lord very commonly did, enjoining the healed person to keep silence about bis cure, partly from regard to the person's own best interests, partly from a regard to the proper work of Christ. If this man went and published his cure, many would come merely by way of experiment, as they would try a new doctor. But what was our Lord to do with such people, who merely wished for the physical benefit, and bad no regard for bis Person and no serious faith in him? And it would seem not improbable that this is the reason why we ourselves, even when we pray, get so little from Christ, Our faith is not serious enough; it is not the deeply rooted conviction that .grows up in a man's self by the working of bis own mind and the course of bis own expeiience; it is second-band faith, We ask from him not because we are sure we shall receive, but because other people think it right to do so. 2. The man is ,ent fo the priest that bis cure might be verified, The cure was real and substantial, and our Lord shrank from no official examination, but rather courted it. Another reason was simply because this was commanded. This man was not to suppose that, because bis cure was extraordinary, he was to be exempt from the customary regulations. Now, the significance of this for all who derive benefits from Christ is obvious. 'l'hey must approve themselves healed and sound-hearted persons beforo that court that tries us all, and in which the judges are the ordinary duties of life, 11.nd the persons with whom or for whom we work. The character formed by Christ is fit for all the practical work and service of life; and be who fancies that because bis cure has been wrought in a miraculous, supramundane, heavenly fashion, it is to be followed only by an ethereal, supramundane goodoess that can do none of the rough work of the world, may well suspect he bas not been cured at all. But the main impression of these incidents is meant, no doubt, to be a deep conviction of the «3uick response our Lord ever shows to true dependence on him,-D. Vers. 1-4.-.77ie leper. Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, spake with 11.n authority that asserted bis Divinity. He claimed to be the King and Judge of men. Coming down from the mount, followed by the multitudes who were astonished at bis doctrine, he wrpught a miracle which proved his authority to be no assumption. The miracles of Christ were not only miracles of power; they were, moreover, miracles of wisdom- parables of omnipotence. I. LEPROSY 18 AN EMBLEM OF BIN. 1. It is a most loathsome disease. (1) Mungo Park thus describes it as he witnessed it amongst the negroes in Africa : "It appears at the beginning in scurfy spots upon different parts of the body; which finaUy settle  348 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [oe:. vm. 1-34.