The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 175

ability; nnd the conaolona wenlmese in and ia at once obeyed. After a final act of thoir exorcism nullified its power, and they defeated m11.lice, the demon quitted his hold oould do no mighty work. of the child. WBB cured from that very Vor. 17.-Jems anawered. Jeans did hour. Never more to fall under the devil'a not direotly respond to the father's appeal, ln8uence, restored wholly in body 11.nd mind. nor repel the Pharisees' sooffs. In sorrow There is something very mysterious in the and indignation he goes at once to the root sufferings of this poor boy, RB there is in those of the evil. 0 faithleaa and pe"eree gene- of infants. It is plain that the description, ration I He seems to Include in this denun- "epileptic mania," will not connote e.11 the cio.tion all who were present-the father, features of this case. The evangelists' nar- soribes, people, apostles, especially the nine. rative and Christ's words and actions con- Want of faith appertained to all. He often olusively prove that it had a demoniacal refers to the genera.I body of his bearers by element, and that this was miraculously the term generatio'II (comp. oh. xi.16; xii. 29, eliminated. For epilepsy, I bdieve, no cnre eto.). Pef'11er,e. The word is used by Moses is known. The suddenness and the perman- in hie gree.t song (Dent. x.xxii. 5, Septua.- ence (Mark ix. 25) of the relief further de- gint) in reference to those who dealt cor- monstrate the reality of the miracle. We ruptly; here it applies to persons who took learn also from this incident that all pos- a distorted view of Christ's work and teaoh- sessed persons were not morally evil, that ing, and against light nnd knowledge obsti- often the possession appertained to the phy- nately persisted in their infidelity. :e:ow sical and psychical nature, and had no long shall I be with you 1 . . . auJfer you 1 ethical relation. The ead question is not the.t of one who Ver. 19.-Apart (,c11.,, /~j..,,). Jesus had wants his work finished and his time of retired to a house (Mark) when the diaciples depe.rture he.etened; rather, it shows bis came to him. The question which they sorrow and regret at the sloWDess of fnith, desired to ask was one that could not be in- the hardness of heart, whiob yet, notwith- vestige.ted in the presenoe of the sneering, standing all hie teaching anti bis miracles, unbelieving crowd. Why aould not we had not been overcome. How much longer (¾µ.•"• emphatic) cast him (alrrb, it) out 1 was this to continue? Was this forgetful- They bad keenly felt their impotence and ness of the past, this dulness of comprehen- failure, so publicly and distressingly dis- aion, to le.et for ever ? Did they wish to wear played, especially as they had received power out his long-suffering, to exhaUBt his condes- to ejeot demons, o.nd had successfully exer- cension? With Divine impatience at me.n'e cised this authority (Luke x. 17). The obduracy, he mo.kes this mournful inquiry. Lord's rebuke (ver. 17) had pnsscd over their Bring (tf>lpeT<, bring ye) him hither to me. heads, and not been understood o.s applicable He speaks to the attendants or the crowd, to themselves. So it was with some bitter- and bids them bring the boy to him, not to ness that they asked the question. The nine the disciples. The prophet's staff in Gebazi's bad not been permitted to witness the Trans- band could not awake the dead; Elisha figuration ; they were not even to be made himself mUBt undertake the work (2 Kings acquainted with this wondrous transaction iv. 81); so if the desired miraol~ had to he at present. More preparation, greater recep- performed, Obrist himself must do il In tivity, was required, before they were fit to spite of his grief and disappointment, he be admitted to the full mysteries of the king- does not withhold relief. In the midst of dom. They had still much to lcuru, were wrath he remembers mercy. still only pupils, and their late failurn wns Ver. 18.--J'esua rebuked the devil (11lrrqi, permitted in order to help them to nttain to him). Some take the pronoun ne me.souline, self-knowledge and more entire self-~ur- and refer it to the diseased boy; but it is render. more natural that the rebuke should be ad- Ver. 20.-l3ooauee of your unbelief. The dressed to the possessing demon. Thie is Revised Version ndopts the reading, littls the first plaoe where St. Matthew mentions faith, in accordance with the best authori- the spiritual aspect of the malady. As the ties ; but it looks like a softening of the , ohild was being brought to Jesus, a terrible originl\l term " unbelief," wbioh corresponds scene ensued, which is desoribed with its better with Christ's own censure, "faithless horrifio details by St. Mark, who e.leo gives generation." Jesus gives two rensons for the Ohriet's oonversatiou with the father, where- apostles' failure, one connected with their by he desired to e1·ouse faith in hie heart, own moro.l condition, and oue (var. 21) de- and to draw that assurance from him which rived £rom the naturo of the demons exor- oould not be obtained from the irresponsible cised. They bad, indeed, shown some fe.i th 1ufforer. He depe.rted out of him. In con- by making oven the attempt at the expulsion trast to the faltering exorcism or the epostleR, of the devil, and were not to be classed with whioh the devil had disregarded, Jesus the unbelieving scribes; but they had 11cted ordere with the oalmuese of aeeurod authority, in a half-hearted manner, and h11d not dilt' IIATTHBW-IL • li8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDIKG TO S1'. MATTllEW. [en. xvu. 1-27.