The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 63

ried in their arms or led by the hand " carry out their own plans on hie behalf to (Meyer). attend to only one expression of his wish. Vers. 22-38.-Ohrist's power over the Ver. 23.-And when he had sent the elements. He walks on the we.ter and multitudes away. Matthew speaks merely of the dismissal as such ( ,bro,\ocra• .,..1,, slays the storm. St. Peter's attempt to txl\ov•); Mark refers to his parting words we.lk on the water is successful so long as (l,:,ro-ra!d.µ,vo• a.~-ro,s, i.e. probably to the he exeroises fo.ith on Obrist. Jesus receives multiturle). He went up into a mountain- homage e.s Messie.h. Parallel passages : the mountain (Revised Version); eh. v. 1, Mark vi. 45-52; John vi. 15-21. It iii note--apart. Ka.,r' l6fav is to be joined with the preceding, and not to the following strange that the incident of St. Peter is words (cf. ver. 13; eh. xvii. 19). And when recorded in Matthew only, and not in Mark, the evening was come (ver. 15, note), he for it serves to emphasize what is a leading was there alone. For some eight hours, if thought of the preceding narrative, even in it was spring or e.utnmn (ver. 25). Mark, viz. the power that believers receive Ver. 2-!.-But the ship; boat (Revised Version); ver. 22. Was now; rather, by virtue of faith on Christ (vers. 16, 19). already, when the following incident hap- With Ohrist in the boat, difficulties cease pened. In the midst ot the sea. So also (ver. 32); they that believe on him can the text of the Revbed Version (with triumph as he did (vers. 28-31; of. the practice.Uy Mark vr. 47), bnt its margin, thought of John xiv. 19, end). For St. "was many furlongs distant from the land." Westcott and Hort prefer the latter, with John's purpose the mention of St. Peter Codex B and the Old Svriao. It some- we.a not necessary; since, by way of intro- what resembles John vi. i9. Tossed; dia- duction to the following discourse, he tressed (Revised Version). For /Ja.o-a.v,- desired rather to familie.rize his readers (&µ.,vov suggests not physical motion, but with the idee. of Christ's body being trium- pa.in and anguish, the idea being trans- ferred in figure to the boat. In Mark it phant over ee.rthly limitations (of. ver. 19, ls applied more strictly to the disciplea. note). With waves; 1Yy the waves (Revised Version). Ver. 22.-And stre.ightwe.y JeBUB oon- The agents of the torture ( Vll'O -row 1<vµ.a.-ro,v). strained his disoiples. It was not their For the wind was oontre.ry. Yet he came wish to lee.ve him, especially when the not at once, for he would teach 118 to bear multitudes seemed likely to elect him king !.roubles bravely (cf. Chrysostom). (John vi. 15). But from the temptation to Ver. 25.-And in the fourth watoh of the side with the multitudes our Lord desired night. Therefore some nine hours after now to shield them. Separo.tion and phyei- sunset (ver. 23, note). They had been ce.l work (ver. 24) would ce.lm their exoitA- battling for hours, and had only gone about ment, and the object-lesson that their three miles and a llalf (John vi. 19). Jesus Me.ster already ruled over wind e.nd see. went j came (Revised Version); ,'\1'0,, not would lead them to more perfect trust in ,i,r:;,M,, with Received Text. Unto them, hie methods. Another ree.son for his send- walking on the sea (,,r! .-:i,., 0a1'a.crcra.v); ing them forwe.rd may have been that they contrast ver. 26 (!,rl .-~s tlt%l\acr0'17•). Here should use the foiling light; e.nd yet there is more thought of motion (cf. ver. 29), another, that he himself desired time for but in the next verse the advance is almost pre.yer. To get into a ship; a boat (iµ.1311va., forgotten, and the fact of Christ being on els 1rl\oiov); cf. eh. viii. 23 (the boat, Revised the water is all-important; "they saw him Version, reading ds .-b 1rl\oiov). And to go on the sea, walking." before him (1rpo6.-y«v ,.,;.-&.,: oh. H. 9; xxi. Ver. 26.-And when the disoiples saw 9). For he would follow. He fulfilled his him~walking on the sea, they were troubled, promise muoh more literally the.n they saying, It is a spirit-an apparition (Revised anticipe.ted. Unto the other side, "Unto Version, q,&vra.o-µ.ci olcr-rw)-and they cried Bethse.ida" (Mark); "unto Ce.peme.um" out for fear. (John). Probe.bly they lnnded e.t the Ver. 27.-But stre.ightway Jesus spake western Bethsaida (ver. 13, note), in Gen- unto them (1,,\cl,\1/0'EI', not (,cpac,v). He nesaret (ver. 34), and went on to Oaper- was evidently near them. Baying, Be of naum, where our Lord again addressed the good oheer ( Ba.per,,.-,, oh. ix. 2); it is I ; be people (John vi. 24-26). While he sent- not afraid. Encoure.gemenl, self-manifesta- till he ehould ,end (Revised Version); f.,s tion, recall from present terror. But the oli dTol\vo-11, oh. xiii. 33-the multitudes absence of 9a.po-,h• in John vi. 20 suggests away, Why should this take up time? that it is, perhaps, a duplicate rendering or Why did he not dismiss them then and the Aramaic for µ.'I, q,o{3,icr0,. For the there? Possibly they were too eager to LXX. commonly translates " fear ye not" MA'f'l'HEW-ll, F 66 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. xiv. 1-36.