And the people rose up, to see what had happened. And they came to Jesus, and saw him that was possessed with the devil, how he (calmly) sat there, clothed, and in his right mind, the same who had had the legion (in him). This sight filled them with fear. And those who had been the witnesses of it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also what had happened to the swine. And now could those men begin (dare) to ask Him that He would depart out of their coasts. And when He was come into the ship (at once responding to their petition), he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might remain with Him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not; but said unto him, 'Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.' And he departed, and began to publish in the territory of the ten cities how great things Jesus had done for him, so that all men were filled with astonishment.

Thus, even in those dark regions, in which they had deprecated a visit from Him, Christ was proclaimed as the royal Ruler over the kingdom of demons, as the all-powerful Subduer of the demoniacally possessed, as the terror of the demons themselves, and as the Deliverer of the souls bound and tormented by them.

And now, when Jesus returned again in the ship to the nearer shore, He was received by a great multitude of people, with whom He still lingered on the sea-shore. And, behold, there came one of the rulers of the synagogue, a man thus of eminence in that party, which everywhere showed enmity towards Him,-Jairus by name; and when he saw Him, he threw himself down at His feet, and with the most urgent expres-sions besought Him, 'My little daughter lieth at the point of death: come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and live.' Jesus went with him, a great multitude of people following, so that they thronged Him. And a woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered much of many physicians, and had spent thereby all her substance, without deriving any benefit, nay, rather grew ever worse, this woman-so entirely discouraged by all previous experiences when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. For she said, If I may

touch but His clothes, I shall be whole! And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up (the issue, which burst forth as from a fountain of the blood, entirely ceased, as when a fountain is dried up); and she felt at once in her body that she was healed of her plague. And Jesus, who was immediately conscious in Himself of the power already going out of Him (so that both the going out of the power and the consciousness of it concurred, with the suddenness of lightning, in the same instant of time), turned Himself about in the press, and said, 'Who touched My clothes?' His disciples remarked to Him, 'Thou seest that the multitude throng Thee, and Thou sayest, Who hath touched Me?' And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman came full of fear and trembling-for she well knew what had happened to her and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. And he said, 'Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.' He had not yet finished speaking these words, when there came people from the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and announced, 'Thy daughter is dead why troublest thou the Master further?' As soon as Jesus had heard this word, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Be not afraid-only believe.' And He suffered no one (of the disciples) to follow Him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. He thus formed in the disciples who remained behind, a natural dam against the swelling tide of the people surging behind Him. He now comes to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and sees (already before the door) the tumult, and them that wept and made great lamentations for the dead. And when He was come in, He saith unto them, 'Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.' And they laughed Him to scorn. And when He had put them all out, He taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and His attendants, and entereth into the chamber where the damsel lay. And taking the damsel by the hand, He saith unto her, "Talitha cumi!' which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise! And straightway the damsel arose, and walked about; for she was already twelve years old. And He charged them straitly that no man should know these proceedings; and then commanded that something should be given her to eat.

The life-like concatenation of the two last miracles serves to bring out each in its full significancy.

Jesus is about to hasten to the bed of a dying child, and on His way, in the throng, He feels behind His back the pulling of His garment by a poor woman in need of help. He renders help at once silently in spirit, and then helps her also publicly to confess the truth, and lovingly lingers for this end, although it is the moment in which the child, whom He goes to heal, dies, or is just dead. Thus He reveals the calm freedom of His soul in the midst of the greatest excitement.

He thus here becomes manifest, in the first place, as Prince in the kingdom of secret suffering, of deep silent sighs, of mute sorrow, and as the Saviour of all in this domain who turn to Him for deliverance, helping them in deepest silence amidst the tumult of the world, until they are enabled publicly before the world to confess their trouble and their Deliverer, and to glorify Him with their praises. Thus, even in His flesh, He appears as the impalpable ghostly archangel, who has a listening ear for all the sighs of the most timid, refined, and deep-seated sorrow, and imparts His aid with a heavenly tenderness of disposition.

Nevertheless He does not allow Himself, through the homage of a soul which has experienced His help, or by the admiration of the people, to be detained from hastening to the bed of death. He removes to a distance the wild, faithless wailings of the mourners, establishes a holy silence of spiritual concentration and prayer around the body of the dead, and then recalls her to life. This last miracle is the greatest: it glorifies Him as Lord over the domain of death, as the Prince of the resurrection.

NOTE.

The descriptions, especially of the stilling of the tempest, and of the healing of the demoniac of Gadara, have many pictorial features peculiar to Mark. He tells us that the daughter of Jairus lay at the point of death when the latter left the house. Of the sufferings of the woman who had an issue of blood, he gives the fullest account. According to his delineation, her suffering was to be compared to a flowing fountain of blood. The wailings of the mourners were in his eyes a noise, a tumult. He alone has preserved the original summons by which the damsel was restored to life-Talitha cumi.

SECTION IX.

THE RESTRAINT LAID ON THE POWER OF CHRIST IN HIS NATIVE CITY OF NAZARETH, AND HIS KINGLY DOINGS AMONGST THE PEOPLE OF ALL GALILEE.

(Chap. vi.)

By such acts of Christ, it became manifest that all things were possible to Him. But we have already remarked, that His divine power subjected itself to a condition or limitation, at one time imparting and announcing, at another withdrawing and 'concealing itself, according to the measure of human susceptibility; for it discovered itself as the omnipotence of love, as the administration of the Holy Spirit, which animated Him.

This free, self-conditioned limitation of the power of Christ manifested itself, in an important occurrence, on the occasion of His visiting His native city, accompanied by His disciples. Here also He went on the Sabbath-day into the synagogue; and when He opened His mouth to teach, many who heard Him were greatly astonished, and said, 'From whence hath this man. these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are (can be) wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses, and of Judah and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?" Thus they were offended at Him. But Jesus said unto them, 'A prophet has nowhere so little honour as in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.' And He could not do there a single mighty work, save that He laid His hands on a few sick folk and healed them. And He Himself could not but marvel because of their unbelief.

1

It is worthy of remark, that it is Mark who so strongly

1 According to Weisse, i. p. 504, this passage is inconsistent with the supposition of the extraordinary events which preceded and attended the birth of the Saviour. In this assertion, many things have been overlooked. (1.) The difference between Bethlehem and Nazareth. (2.) The difference between the announcement of the conception, and the announcement of the birth of Christ. (3.) The difference between the believers who surrounded the new-born Saviour, and the unbelievers who surrounded the prophet of thirty years.

brings out this fact,―he, who had so strong a feeling of the lioncourage and power of the Lord in His miraculous works, and especially that he mentions it just here, after he has described a series of His greatest deeds. More emphatically could he not invite us to recognise the holy limitation and free self-conditioning of the power of Christ.

But the same Christ who felt Himself so restrained in His native city that He could not perform there even one of His greater works, who thus in Nazareth was held in the lowest esteem, ruled nevertheless in Galilee more and more with a power of the Spirit, which adorned Him with a heavenly and regal splendour, and made Him appear as the spiritual, true Prince of the people, over against their political prince, Herod.

With undiminished courage He left Nazareth, and journeyed through the villages all around, and taught. And He called unto Him the Twelve for their first mission. He began to send them forth by two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only-no scrip, no bread, no money in their girdle; on the feet only sandals (not heavy travelling shoes); also they should not put on two coats.1 To these instructions He added the following: Into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide till ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear you, depart thence, and shake off the dust under your feet, for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city. And the disciples went, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them (comp. Jas. v. 14).

A report of these great works of Jesus was brought even to king Herod (for His name was now spread abroad over the land).

' Regarding the relation of this passage to the synoptists, comp. vol. iii. p. 63. Gfrörer remarks here (die h. Sage ii. 148): 'The expression an' úñodeδεμένους σανδάλια is manifestly a milder interpretation of the expression μndè úrodńμata in Matthew. The same holds good of the following words: καὶ μὴ ἐνδύσησθε δύο χιτῶνας (Luke ix. 3), which modify and soften the order, μήτε ἀνὰ δύο χιτῶνας ἔχειν ; and it is also so in reference to the instruction concerning the staff.' In this, perhaps, there is so much of truth, that Mark corrects the misunderstandings which were arising, through a too literal interpretation of the original expressions.