16 began to speak: and he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his 17 people. And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about.

18

And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 19 And John, calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for 20 another? When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that 21 should come? or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits; 22 and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering, said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the 23 poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall 24 not be offended in me. And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed 25 shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A

man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gor26 geously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, 27 and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which

son not to be neglected by his followers in the intercourse of social life.

16, 17. The effect of this miracle was what we should naturally expect. Awe and wonder fell upon the minds of men, and the most distant places caught the rumor of the amazing deed. It even penetrated penet the dungeon of John, in a remote fortress, and might have been the proximate cause of his sending an embassy to Jesus, as verse 18 would seem to imply.

19-35. Compare comments on Mat. xi. 1 – 19.

shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you, Among 28 those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God, is greater than he. And all the people that heard him, and the 29 publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God 30 against themselves, being not baptized of him. And the Lord 31 said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting 32 in the market-place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came 33 neither eating bread, nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye 34 say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But Wisdom is justified of all her 35 children.

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with 36 him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, 37 when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house,

some of

xiv., and John xii., though
the facts are remarkably alike, as the
name of the host, Simon, and other
particulars. But the conversations,
which grew out of the anointing, are
totally dissimilar. Sat down to
meat. Or, placed himself at table,
or, reclined.

37. Which was a sinner. Which had been a sinner. Nothing at all is said of the nature of her offences, though wild conjecture has not been wanting. Perhaps she was an idolatress. There is no evidence that this was Mary Magdalene; still less is there any proof, that she was a woman of loose character, or any reason for that cruel stigma upon her name, which has been inflicted, by calling the asylums for penitent females by the term, 38 brought an alabaster-box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and 39 anointed them with the ointment. Now, when the Pharisee which had bidden him, saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who, and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a 40 sinner. And Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor, which had two debtors: the one 42 owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me 43 therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he 44 said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs 45 of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman, since 46 the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my 47 feet with ointment. Wherefore, I say unto thee, Her sins, which

Magdalene houses. - Alabaster. A soft and beautiful kind of marble. Ointment. Unguent of balsam. The orientals make a free use upon their persons of various aromatic and perfumed oils.

38. At his feet behind, &c. The usual position, in reclining at meals, placed the feet on the outside of the couch from the table. - Did wipe them. Or, kept wiping them; and so of the other verbs, kissed and anointed. She showed the deepest humility and reverence.

39. The strict formality of the Pharisee took alarm, at seeing his guest approached so familiarly by a woman of bad character.

41. Five hundred pence - fifty, i. e. about seventy, and seven, dollars, respectively. This parable illustrates

the free mercy of God to the sinner, without the price of blood, or the satisfaction of a substitute.

44-46. It was the custom of the east to furnish water to wash the feet, and oil to anoint the head, and to salute guests with a kiss when they entered - usages, which the ceremonious Pharisee had perhaps neglected from some scruple respecting Jesus.

47. Jesus would justify his receiving the offices of the woman, by showing the rigid Pharisee, that she had that faith and love, which are of great price in the sight of God, and that her sins, though many, were forgiven. She was the debtor of five hundred pence, while Simon was one of only fifty. Her greater affection and enthusiasm, therefore, and earnare many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy 48 sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him, began to 49 say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And 50 he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Parable of the Sower, and other Instructions, and Miracles of Jesus.

AND it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the

est offices of kindness, were attributable to the great forgiveness of which she had been the object. Since the greater are one's sins, the more cause there is for gratitude and love, when they have been cancelled by divine mercy. For she loved much. Or, therefore she loved much. Her love was the effect, not the cause, of her forgiveness. The order of the process was faith, penitence, forgiveness, and then love. Carpenter observes, that "the word many, in the preceding clause, is emphatic. Jesus acknowledges to the criticising Pharisee that the sins of the woman were many, and that her great and devoted love, when they were forgiven, was an evidence of that fact. But he now pronounces them forgiven; and the proud formalist need not shrink from her company."

"Drop, drop slow tears!

And bathe those beauteous feet,
Which brought from heaven
The news and Prince of peace.
Cease not, wet eyes,
For mercy to entreat:

To cry for vengeance

Sin doth never cease.

In your deep floods

Drown all my faults and fears;

Nor let his eye

See sin, but through my tears."

them to be forgiven. In a similar way, his apostles also were to forgive sins. Mat. xvi. 19, xviii. 18; John xx. 23.

50. Thy faith hath saved thee, &c. Our Lord would still further defend this deeply penitent woman against the rebuffs of the cavilling Pharisee. This whole narrative is a beautiful exemplification of the humanity and tenderness of Jesus to the contrite, and of the cheering encouragement, which his gospel extends to those, whose sins are many and deep-dyed, that, if they repent, they shall find mercy and grace to help in time of need. May we not learn from this history, what should be our disposition of heart in meeting and associating with those, who have strayed from the path of virtue? Mercy, pity, sympathy, are the proper sentiments. Gal. vi. 6.

"Thou that with pallid cheek,
And eyes in sadness meek,

And faded locks that humbly swept the ground,
From their long wanderings won,
Before the all-healing Son,

Didst bow thee to the earth, O, lost and found!

"Did he reject thee then,

While the sharp scorn of men

On thy once bright and stately head was cast?

No, from the Saviour's mien,
A solemn light serene

48, 49. Thy sins are forgiven. Bore to thy soul the peace of God at last."

Jesus does not say, I forgive your

sins, but, with an intimate knowledge

of the divine will, simply pronounces

CHAPTER VIII.

1-3. See Mat. ix. 35.

2 kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, 3 Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were 5 come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured 6 it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung 7 up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit a hundred-fold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He 9 that hath ears to hear, let him hear. - - And his disciples asked 10 him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and 11 hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: 12 The seed is the word of God. Those by the way-side, are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out 13 of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in 14 time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns, heard, go forth, and are choked Herod here spoken of was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch of Galilee. - Ministered unto him of their substance. Or, contributed of their possessions for his subsistence. An act, to which they were impelled by gratitude for his great services, and which they could perform, according to the customs of the country, without scandal.

are they, which, when they have

2. Out of whom went seven devils. Or, more properly, demons. Seven was the indefinite round number of the Jews, as ten is with us. She was probably cured of a raving insanity or a most violent frenzy. There is no reason to believe, that she was any other than a virtuous woman; see remarks on chap. vii. 37.

3. Joanna - Susanna. Little is known of these women, except their praiseworthy mention in this connexion. It appears that one of them was of respectable standing, being the wife of Herod's steward, or manager of his private affairs. The

4-18. See an explanation of this parable in Mat. xiii. 1-23, and and Mark iv. 1-25.

10. That seeing they might not see, &c. Or, since seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not understand.