The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 361

Ver. 17.-Bearing others' woes by sympathy. "Himself took our infirmities, nnd bare our sicknesses." The evangelist is here pointing out that our Lord actually suffered with those_ who suffered. His po"!e~ to heal was directly connected with his pow~r to sympath1~e; and sue~ sympath1z1ng was necessarily followed by extreme wean1;1ess and physical exhaust1?u· If yre can got a true and worthy idea of the way rn which our Lord bore the suffenngs which he removed, we shall be in a fair way to understand how he could bear the sins from which he came to deliver us. This passage, quoted from Isa. liii. 4, "does not mean that Christ literally took into his body and bore himself all the fevers, pains, lamenesses, blindnesses, leprosies, he healed but simply that be took them upon his sympathy, bore them as a burden upon his ~om- passionate love. In that sense exactly he assumed and bore the sins of the world ; not that he became the sinner, and suffered the due punishment himself, but that he took them on his love, and put himself, by mighty throes of feeling and sacrifice and mortal passion, to the working out of their deliverance. The sins were never his, the cleserved pains never touched him as being deserved, but they were upon his feeling in so heavy a burden as to make him sigh, 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful.' And just because the world in sin took hold of his feeling in this manner, was he able in turn to get hold of the feeling of the world, and become its true Deliverer and Saviour. In this fact lay bosomed the everlasting gospel" (Bushnell). l. Hu1u.N SYMPATHY BEARING THE WOES OF OTHERS. 'l'ake illustrative cases, such as the mother, who bears the disabilities, or sufferings, of her child. Let it be a ciipple- child, see how sympathy finds expression in tireless ministries. Or take the doctor, whose sympathy leads him to take his patient up into thought, study, anxiety, and sets him upon every effort to preserve life, or relieve pain. In what a full and true sense the pain we take up by sympathy becomes ours I Yet more striking is a mother's sympathy when her boy brin2:s on himself sufferings through his sins. Then her bearing mean.s effort to get him delivered from both sufferings and sins. II. Drvn."E SYMPATHY BEARING THE WOES OF OTHERS. We may learn of God from our best selves. But this we may confidently say, if God takes up our woes, he will be most concerned about the sins which are the real causes of all the woes.-R. T. Ver. 20.-The testi11g of would-be disciples. These cases are more fully given by Luke (iL 57-62). Our Lord did not aim to be the founder of a sect, and ha never showed any interest in mere numbers. He made each offer of discipleship either a test of the real religious condition of the individual, or else an opportunity for laying down or illustrating tho great principles, responsibilities, and dut.Ies of his kingdom. 'l'wo cases are before us in connection with this text. Both men illustrate the general e, il of the divided heart,-..the heart not wholly given to the Lord God. But we may see the form this general evil may take in the case of a precipitate disciple, and in the case of a procrastinating disciple. L THE TESTING OF A PBEOIPITATE DISCIPLE. With very forcible figures of speech, Christ replies to the precipitate disciple, who gusbingly says," I will follow thee whither- soever thou goest,"-" Stop; sit down quietly; count the cost; calmly anLicipate; wor!Jly honours do not crown this profession which you are so hurriedly takmg up; earthly riches do not lay their treasures at the feet of those who beo.r this name; th, servants are likely to be as the Master; and while 'foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.' Are you honestly and heartily prepared to take up your cross, and to take up that cross d_aily, and follow Christ, not ashamed even though your Lord should be treated as a crucified malefactor, aud your brethren be regarded as those that turn the world upside down?" II. THE TESTING OF THE PBOOBASTINATING DISCIPLE. In language rather more difficult to understand, our Lord in effect says to him, "'Now is the accepted time ; now ie tbe day of salvation.' I called thee-I who am thy Lord, t.hy Redeemer• .Not.Ling cac excuse delay in replying to the call of thy Lord and th,- Ooil Thy Lord cu. vm.1-34.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 357