The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 372

Vera. 82-34.-The demon cast out of tlui Ver. 33.-And when the devil we.a cast dumb man. TM 118to11ishment of the multi- out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes tudes and their oonfe,sion. [77ui accuaation marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel In eh. xii. 23 they have advanced by the Pharisee,.] The whole narre.tive a stage further, and Bllggest that Jesus ia greatly resembles the cure of the blind e.nd Messiah (" the Son of De.vid;" cf. rupra, dumb man possessed with e. devil (eh. xii ver. 27). 22-24 ; Lake xi. 14, 15), 118 mo.y be seen Ver. 34.-But the Pharisee■ said (1n<U1 from the fact that the following words are aupra). If the veree be genuine here, the thought, of course, ia that the only effect common to both passages, the brackets indi- of Christ'a miracles upon the Pbariseea was cating a want of exact correspondence in the to drive them to open blasphemy and wanton original. "They brought to him one pos- opposition to the evidence of pie.in facts, as sessed with a devil, dumb, and the [dumb is brought out at length in eh. xii. 24-32. spe.ke]. And the multitudes [said) ... He casteth out devils through the prince But the Pharisees, He casteth out the devils of the devils ; by the prince of the detifla easteth he out dem"u (Revised Version)· by ... the prince of the devils." which indicates the true order of the word; One explanation is the.t the two narratives in the Greek. Through. The Revised are taken from different sources, but repre- Version margin, in, is more literal The sent the so.me incident ; another, that 118 in Pharisees assert not only the.t J eeus effected vers. 27-31, so also here, the narratives of this cure by the instrumentality of Satan, but by mee.ns of union with him. two similar incidents have become assimi- lated. At e.ny rate, in the case of ver. 3! Ver. 35-ch. xi. 1.-Tim AGENCY THAT there has probably been assimilation, and CHRIST ESTABLISHED TO ENCOURAGE AND that since the writing of the Gospel. For: GUIDE THE SPIRIT Ol!' INQUIRY THAT lliD (1) Ver. 34 is wanting in D, the Old Lalin DEEN EVOKED, AND HIS COMMISSION TO BIS manuscripts a e.nd k, Hilo.ry and J uvencus, AGENTS. He spares no pa.ins himself (ver. and is therefore rightly bracketed by West- 85). Yet his work is insufficient, and be cott .and Hort as perhaps" a Weetem non- sends forth others (ver. 36-ch. x. 1). A interpolation" (ii. § 240). (2) The verse po.renthesis, the names of the a.gents (eh. x. seems to be hardly in complete accordance 2-4). The commission to the agents (eh. with the o.im of the whole section, which ends x. 5-42). He still teo.chcs e.nd preuche.s much more suitably with the eft'eot on the (ob. xi. 1). multitudes. In eh. xii. 24 the verse forms Observe that in this section we have not, a climax (of. oh. xii. 2, 10, 14). But here properly speaking, an account of the call or there bas been no opposition mentioned since choosing of the twelve (Mark iii. 13, 14 ; the very beginning of the chapter (for the Luke vi. 12, 13), but of their appointment as disobedience of the blind men c~nnot be so missioners (parallel p118sagea: Murk vi. 7; called), so that the monstrous accuse.tion o.nd especially Luke i:r.. I). For (I) the cull comes in quite unexpeotedly. • is placed much earlier, chronologi.cully, in Observe that this is not a oase in which Mark and Luke; (2) eh. u. 35 is equiva- subjective difficulties are in themselves a lent to Me.rk vi 6, long after the oall of the primd fae:ie argument for the genuineness twelve; (3) ob. ix. 86 (end) is eqnivo.lent of a phrase, for the early copyists troubled to Me.rk vi. 34, where it refers to what took themselves very little about questions of the place immediately after the return from the inteme.1 arrangement and the general aim mission; (4) the pe.ro.llel passo.ges agree that of the· eeotions. the charge wus given at the mission itsel.~ not o.t the oo.11. Ver. 32.-(And, Revised Version) as they went out (forth, Revised Version; ver. 31). Further, it may even be doubted whether They were still on the threshold (11bnli11 H the twelve received •the no.me of apostles i(fpxoµ.lv..,11). Behold, they brought to him. at the call, whether, in fo.ot, they did not 'fhe rendering of the Revised Version, mtbor receive it only after the commission "there was brought to him," is awkward, rele.ted here. We find, indeed, that Mark but avoids the implication that the blind men brought him this fresh oase. A dumb (iii 14; cf. Luke vi. 13) says, "whom he man poHeaaed with a devil, In oh. xii, 22 also named apostles," adding, "that they the mo.n was blind also. might be with him, and that he might send  S68 'rITE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [oR. rx. 1-38.