The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 371

they <-'ry out and eay, "Have mercy on us, 0 the excited multitudes at Jerusolem shout Son of David;" (4) our Lord, in hie question, out the title at the triumphal entrr ( oh. xxi. we about what he should do; (5) lays 9; of. also 15), yet the multitudes m Galileo only suggest the possibility of his having a stress on their faith (Mark and Luke); (6) right to it (eh. xii. 23), and the only per- and touches their eyes (oh. :u. 34-). The sons who use it when directly addressing points of difference : (1) The place, here in him o.re a heathen woman (oh. xv. 22), and Galilee, there by Jericho ; (2) here in the three, or perhaps four, blind men (here and house, there in the road, but even here they eh. xx. 30, 31). With the remembrance begin to address him in the road; (3) no of what was promised to take place in Messianic days (Isa. xxxv. 5), the blind mention here that he stopped when ad- would be especially likely to accord him a dressed, as there (eh. :u. 32) ; ( 4-) our Lord Meseianio title (cf. also oh. xi. 5, note). here asks about their faith, there about their Haoo mercy (eh. v. 9, note). wish. (5) Observe also that both his charge, Ver. 28.-And when he we.a oome into "See that no man know it" (ver. 30), a.nd the the house. Where he would be undisturbed (cf. eh. xiii. 36). On the later occasion ( eh. statement that they spread a.broad the fame xx. 32) Jesus stood still in the road. The of him, would be quite inconsistent with blind men oe.me to him. Close (-rpounll.8ev the late date of the miracle recorded in almp). _ And Jesus se.ith 1lllto them, Believe eh. :a:. ye that I am able to do this 1 They had professed faith in him, yet their after-con• From a. consideration of these details, the duct (ver. 31) shows that it was none too conclusion seems inevitable that we have, perfect. They said unto him, Yea, Lord. in fact, narratives of two distinct occurrences, Said; say (Revised Version); >,.l-youuw. Tho but it is quite consistent with this conclusion evangelist nses the more vivid present when- to suppose that during the oral transmission ever he can. So in eh. xx. 33 (though not in the parallel passages). of the narratives a certain amount of assimi- Ver. 29.-Then touched he their eyes. So lation took place. Upon this supposition, it also eh. xx. 34, showing his sympathy and further appears probable that, as the nar- helping their faith (eh. viii. 3); cf. also rative in eh. :a:. was the better known, for John ix. 6, and· supra, ver. 18, note. Saying, it was in the Petrina cycle, our narrative According to your faith (ob. viii. 13, note) became assimilated to it rather than the be it ( done, Revised Version ; -Y•"'IB-li-r"') unto yon. reverse. On the other hand, the number Ver. 30.-And their eyes were O:!lened; recorded in eh. :u. (not Mark or Luke) looks and J esns straitly cha.rged them (l,v,{Jp,µ:f,871 much like an assimilation to that of our av-rois). The notion is of" coeroion springing incident (cf. the notes on the section eh. viii. out of displeasure. The feeling is called out by something seen in another which moves 28-3!, v(\r. :n, lllld the section vers. 32-34-). to anger rather than to sorrow 11 (Bishop Westcott, on John xi. 33). Saying, Bee that Ver. 27. - And when Jesus departed no ma.n know it. P,utly to avoid publicity thence. AB he was passing along on his for himself, partly for their own sake, for way tl,.ence, ie. from the honse of Jairus, even the recital of the Lord's mercies towards if the context be pressed. It should be us often becomes an ooce.sion of spirituol noticed that '! thence" ( l,ciiB,v) is found also harm, since it is apt to degenerate into in Mark vi.1, immediately o.fter the healing of "display II with its attendant evils. 'Hµas Jairus' daughter. There it refers to the neigh- 6,6dcr,cn .p,{,-y,w ..-b br,lin,c..-1,cbv &s a1..-rnP bourhood generally. Possibly its presence ..-wv ,ca,cwv (Origen, in Oramer's ' Catena'). in Matthew is ultimately due to his remem- The other occasions ( 1Jide eh. viii. 4, note) bering it in the next succeeding section of on which a similar command was given the oral framework. Two blind men followed seem all to belong, with this, to the earlier him, crying (out, Revised Version; ,cpd.(wr.u, part of his ministry. so also eh. n. 30), and nying, Thon Son of Ver. 31.-But they, when they were David, have mercy on ua. The Revised depa.rted; but they went f ortl,. and (Revised Version rightly reverses the order of the Version). The very moment that they left two last clauses; the stress is on their own the house (cf. ver. 32) they disobeyed him. needs, not on their faith in giving him such Observe that the phrases used in this verse a title. The words are idtntical in eh. x.x. are possibly due to a reminiscence of the 30. Th,ou Son of Da1Jid. The thought has similar phrases found in Mark i. 45 of the been brought out in the genealogy (eh. i. leper. Spread abroad his fame in all that 17), and our Lord lays stress upon it in country; land (Revised Vereion); ver. 26, oh. x.xii. 42, ,qq. Obsene that although note. OIi, rx. 1-38.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 367