Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
MAEK VI.
Jairm' Daughter Raised to Life.
John the Baptist's Tmprisonmenl and Death. rather, simply, ' laughed at Him'—" knowing that she WM dead" (Luke 8. 53) ; an important testimony this to the reality of her death. But when lie had put them all out— The word is strong—'when he had put,' or' turned them all out;' meaning all those who were making this noise, and any others tliat may have been there from sympathy, tliat only those might be present who were most nearly concerned, and those whom He had Himself brought as wit nesses of the great act about to be done—he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him—(Peter, and James, and John)—and enteretii In where the damsel was lying. 41. And lie took the damsel by the hand—as He did Peter's inolherin-law (ch. 1. 31)—and said unto her, Talitha cumi—The words are Aramaic, or Syro-Chaldaic, the then langu.age of Palestine. Mark loves to give such wonderful words just as they were spoken. See ch. 7. 34 ; 14. 36. 43. And straightway the damsel—The word here is dit Terent from tlial in iQSomuch that by her bodily sensations she irametliately knew herself perfectly cured. 30. And Jesus Immediately knowing In Iilmgelf tlint virtue—or ' eflicaey' —had gone out of Ulm—He was conscious of t he forthgoing of His healing power, which was not—as in propliets and apostles—sometliing fm-eiyn to Himself and imparted merely, but what He had dwelling within Him a.s "His own fulness"—turned lilm about In tUe press or 'crowd'—and salfl, AVlio touched my clothes I 31. And his disciples said unto him—Luke says (S. 451, " When all (U-nied, Peter and they that were with Him said. Master"—Thou seest the multitude thronging tlkee, and sayest thou, Who touched me J—'Asliest thou. Lord, who touched Thee? Rather asli who touclied Thee not in such a throng.' "And Jesus said. Somebody hath touched me"—'a certain person has touched Me' " for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me" (Luke 8. 46). Yes, tlie multitude "thronged and pressed Him"—they jostled against Him, but all involuntarily; they were merely carried along ; but one, one only—"a certain person—touched Him," with the conscious, voluntary, dependent touch of faith, reaching forth its hand expressly to have contact with Him. This and this only Jesus acknowledges and seeks out. Even so, as Augustin long ago said, mu Uitudes still come similarly close to Christ in the means of grace, but all to no purpose, being only sucked into the a-otcd. The voluntary, living contact of faitli is that electric conductor which alone draws virtue out of Him. 3^. And he looked I'ound about to see her that had done tills thing—not for the purpose of summoning forth a culprit, but, as we shall presently see, to obtain from the healed one a testimony to what He had done for her. 33. Hut tlie woman, fearing and trembling, knowing wliat was done in her—alarmed, as a humble, slii'inkiug female would naturally be, at the necessity of so public an exposure of herself, yet conscious that she had a tale to tell which would speak for her—came and fell down Iiefore him, and told him all the truth—In Luke (8. 47) it is, " When the woman saw that she was not hid, slie came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what CiUise site had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately." This, though it tried the modesty of the believing woman, was just what Christ wanted in dragging her forth, lier public testimony to the facts of her case the disease, with her abortive eflbrts at a cure, and the instantaneous and perfect relief which her touching the Great Healer had brought her. 34. And he said unto her, Daughter-"be of good comfort" (Luke 8. 4S)—tliy
V. 39, 40, 41, and signifies 'young maiden,' or 'little girl'— arose, and walked—a vivid touch evidently from an eyewitness—for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment—The language here is the strongest. 43. And he charged tliem strnitly—or strictly—that no man should know it—The only reason we can assign for this is His desire not to let the public feeling regarding Him come too precipitately to a crisis—and commanded that something should be given her to eat—in token of perfect restoration.
CHAPTER VI.
Ver. 1-6. Christ Rejected AT Nazareth. (=Matthew
13. 54-58; Luke 4. 16-30.) See on Luke 4. 16-30.
7-13. Mission OF THE Twelve Apo.stles. (=Matthew
10. 1, .5-15; Luke 9. 1-6.) See on Matthew 10. 1, 5-15.
14-29. Herod thinks Jesus a Resurrection of the Murdered Bapti.st—Account of his Death. (=Matthew 14. 1-12; Luke 9.7-9.)
Herod's Vieiv of Christ {v. 14-16). 14. And King Herod— i. e., Herod Antipas, one of the three sons of Herod the Great, and own brother of Archelaus (Matthew '2. 22), who ruled as Ethnarch over Galilee and Perea—heard of him ; (for his name was spread abroad) ) and he said—" unto his servants" (Matthew 14.2), his councillors or courtministers—That John the Baptist was risen from the dead—Tlie murdered prophet haunted his guilty bre.ast likea spectre, and seemed to him alive again and clotlied with unearthly powers, in theperson of Jesus, l.'j. OUiera said, That It Is Eliag. And others, Tliat it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets—See on Matthew 16.14. 16. But wlien Herod heard thereof, he said. It is John, whom I beheaded; he is risen from tiic dead—'Himfaitti hntli miide tiiee whole; go in peace, and be whole of fliy pliiguc—Though healed as soon as she believed, it seemed to her a stolen cure—she feared to acknowledge it. Jesus therefore sets His royal seal upon self has risen;' as if the innocence and sanctity of his faithful reprover had not suffered that he should lie long dead. it. Hut what a glorious dismissal from the lips of Him who is "our Peace" is that "Go in peace!"
Jairus' Daughter raised to Life {v. 35-43). 35. Thy daughter is dead ; wliy troublegt thou the Master — ' the Teacher"—any furllierl 36. he saitli unto tiie niler of Account of the Baptist's Tmprisonmcnt and Death (v. 17-29). 17. For Herod himself had sent fortli, and laid hold upon John, and bound htm in prison—in the castle of Machasrus, near the southern extremity of Heroil's dominions, and adjoining the Dead Sea. [JosEi'llu.s, Antitlie synagogue. Be not afraid, only believe — .Tesus, knowing how the heart of the agonized father would sink at llie tidings, and the reflections at the delay which wouUl 1)0 apt to rise in his mind, hastens to reassure hlin, and in His accustomed style: "lie not afraid, only believe"—words of unchanging preclousness and power! How vividly do such Incidents bring out Christ's knowledge of the human heart and tender sympathy! (Hebrews 1. 15.) .37. And he suflered no man to follow htm, save Peter, and James, and .Tolin tlie lirotlier of James—See on ch. I. 29. 38. And lie comet li — rather, Mliey coine'—to the house of the rtiler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and tliem tliat wept and wailed greatly—"the minstrels and the people making a noise" (Mattliew 9. 21?)—lamenting for the dead. (See quities IS. ,5, 2.] for Herod las' sake—She was the granddaughter of Herod the Great—his brother Philip's wife —and therefore the niece of both brothers. Tliis I'liilip, however, was not the tetrarch of that name mentioned in Luke 1 (see there), but one whose distinctive name was 'Herod Philip,' another son of Herod the Great—who was disinherited by his father. Herod .\ntipas' own wife was the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia; but he prevailed on Herodias, his half-brother Philip's wife, to forsake her husband and live with him, on condition, says Josei'HUS {Antiquities 18. 5, 1), that he shoulii put away his own wile. This involved him afterwards in war with .Vn'tas, who totally defeated him and destroyed his army, from the 2 Chronicles 35.2.5; Jeremiah 9.20; Amos 5.1(1.) 3'.). And when he was come in, he saith unto tliem, AVIiy make ye this ado, and weepT the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth—so brief her state of death as to be more like a Bhoit bleep. 40. And they laughed him to scorn 72 efl'ects of whicli he was never able to recover iiimself.
18. For Joliii had said unto Herod, It Is not lawful for thee to have tliy brother's wife. Noble (Idelity!
It was not lawful, because Herod's wife and Herodias' husband were both living; and further, because the par-