Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of Matthew — John Shaqi
Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of MatthewGibson, John Monro
Religion
Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of Matthew
Gibson, John Monro
Bible. Matthew -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Where was ever a weaker thing in this world than the beginning of
this kingdom? It would be difficult to imagine any commencement that
would have seemed weaker in worldly eyes. Stand by once again and look
at it with only human eyes; say, is it not all weakness
together?--weakness in the leader to imagine He can set up a kingdom
after such a fashion, weakness in the followers to leave a paying
business on such a fool's errand. But "the foolishness of God is wiser
than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." And now that
we look back upon that scene, we recognise it as one of the grandest
this earth has ever witnessed. If it were painted now, what light must
there be in the Leader's eye, what majesty in His step, what glory of
dawning faith and love and hope in the faces of the rest--it must
needs be a picture of Sunrise, or it would be utterly unworthy of the
theme!
Now follow them: where will they go, and what will they do? Will they
take arms and call to arms the country-side? Then march on Jerusalem
and take the throne of David, and thence to Rome and snatch from Cæsar
the sceptre of the world? "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and
healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the
people." Teaching--preaching--healing: these were the methods for
setting up the kingdom. "_Teaching_"--this was the new light;
"_preaching_ the Gospel of the Kingdom"--this was the new power, power
not of the sword but of the Word, the power of persuasion, so that the
people will yield themselves willingly or not at all, for there is to
be not a shadow of constraint, not the smallest use of force or
compulsion, not the slightest interference with human freedom in this
new kingdom; and "_healing_"--this is to be the great thing; this is
what a sick world wants, this is what souls and bodies of men alike
are crying out for--"healing all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease among the people." Heavenly light, heavenly power, heavenly
healing--these are the weapons of the new warfare; these the regalia
of the new kingdom. "And the report of Him went forth into all Syria;
and they brought unto Him all that were sick, holden with divers
diseases and torments, possessed with devils, and epileptic, and
palsied; and He healed them" (R.V.). Call to mind, for a moment, how
in the extremity of hunger He would not use one fraction of the
entrusted power for His own behoof. "Himself He cannot save." But see
how He saves others. No stinting now of the heavenly power; it flows
in streams of blessing: "They brought unto Him all that were sick, ...
and He healed them."
It is Daybreak on the shores of Galilee. The Sun of Righteousness has
risen with healing in His wings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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