The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 398

!lad the ruler a firmer faith, it would have prevented the death of hls child. Yet did not Jesus resent this halting by abandoning his case. Never will Jesus forsake the seeker who does not first forsake him. II. THAT JESUS WILL STRENGTilEN THE WEAK, TRUE FATI'H. 1. By the sfronger faith of others in his company. (1) The ruler saw the noble faith of the poor woman who "said within herself, If I do but touch bis garment, I shall be made whole." The conception was credit.able. She believed in that fulness of his grace presaged in that oil of gladness which flowed down to the skirts of Aaron's robe (cf. Ps. cxxxili. 2 ; John i. 16). (2) Her faith was admirable in action. She made her way through the crowd and touched the fringe of his garment. Yet it was her spiritual contact with Christ that saved her. The physical, however, was & sign of the spiritual (see Eph. ii. 8). (3) In that touch there is a sermon. The poor woman, through her malady, was ceremonially unclean, and whoever she touched was made unclean (see Lev. xv. 25). The doctrine of salvation through the vicarious sin-suffering of Jesus is set forth. The same was set forth again when Jesus took the dead hand of Jairus's daughter (ver. 25). The Levitical priesthood leave the dead in their uncleanness. The unclean are not forbidden to come to Jesus. (4) !low encouraging is his com- mendation! "Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath saved thee." • The believer ie comforted in the assurance of adoption. 2. By enco'l/lra:gements personally given. (1) Messengers of discouragement came to the ruler from hie house. The report Wlll!, "Thy daughter is dead." The advice accompanying it was, "Why troublest thou the Master any further?" (see Mark v. 35). "A man's foes"--often unwillingly, how- ever-" are they of his own household." When Jesus works Satan counterworks, (2) "But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith to the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe" (Mark v. 36). Jesus had not raised the dead before this. But the dead had been raised by the old prophets in the Name of the Lord. Why should not the Lord also raise the dead in his own Name? (3) 'l'hus by works and by word we.s the faith of the ruler strengthened by Jesus that it might also be honoured, How faith may turn calamities into blessings I IIL TH.AT JESUS YIELDS NO CONCESSIONS TO UNBELIEF. 1. He discovered the wnbelief of the professwn.al, mO'll,rners. (1) He found these in the ruler's house, Flute-players and wailers were making a tumult. The true mourners were silent. Deep grief is sti!L How unseemly are many of the customs of society I (2) The professional weepers were ready to laugh. Vvhen Jesus said, "Give place "-you are out of place here--" for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth," they "laughed him to scorn." They had no doubt that the damsel was dead. '1.'his fact was strongly testified in the pro- fessional scorn. (3) The laughter of scorn is the reasoning of unbelief. The senseless can laugh when they cannot reply. The professionals were too carnal to apprehend the spiritual meaning of the Saviour's words. 2. He ordered that the wnbelievers should be t'lll1"'M(], out. (1) He would not have his miracle-working hindered by their unbelief. It would be the first step to a revival in some Churches if the unbelievers could be expelled. (2) He would not have unbelievers honoured as witnesses of glorious works. Pearls should not be cast before swine. (3) In the resurrection at the last day the wicked will be treated with ignominy. The sceptical scorners will then awake out of the dust to "shame and everlasting contempt" (cf. Dan. xii. 2). 3. The faithful only shall have honour from Christ. (1) The witnesses chosen were the ruler and his wife, and the three favoured disciples-Peter, James, and John (see Mark v. 37--40). These disciples were afterwards chosen sole witnesses of the Transfiguration, and of the agony in the garden. (2) To them Jesus verified his deep words, '' The damsel is not dead, but eleepeth." Hodil.l". death is not essenti~l deat_h, but ;n ~is hands is sleep. . To alee{> is a co=on euphemism for death, and rn Scripture pornts to a resurrection. (3) From the bed the daughter of J airUB was raised; the widow's son from the bier (Luke vii. 14) • Lazarus from the grave (John xi. 44). "An ascending scale of difficulty, which ba.s one stage more-the final summoning of all the dead by the same voice of quickening" (Trench). (4) The faithful will not oniy be witnesses, but also partakers of the better resurrection.~. A. M. Ven. 27-31.-0ompanionahip. Here we meet two men in company, between whom there are notable points of agreement. oa. Ix.1-88.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 395