And as John announced the coming Christ, who was to baptize with the Holy Ghost, i.e. to enlighten, change, and purify the heart, that the reform might be complete, both outward and inward, he may be said, in the strictest sense of the word, to have fulfilled the prophecy: and that he was the Elijah mentioned by Malachi, the words of Gabriel to the virgin Mary prove; [Luk 1:17]. And he (John) shall go before him (Christ) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, etc.; and that his ministry was powerfully effectual for this purpose, we have already seen.
Verse 12
Knew him not - Or, ουκ επιγνωσαν αυτον, They have not acknowledged him. That is, the Jewish rulers have not acknowledged him, did not receive him as the forerunner of the Messiah. But it appears that all the rest acknowledged him as such; and some, from the power and demonstration of his preaching, were inclined to think he was more, even the Messiah himself: see [Luk 3:15].
Verse 13
Then the disciples understood - When he spoke of the sufferings of this prophetic Elijah, and also of his own, which had been the subject of the conversation on the mount, during the transfiguration, they clearly apprehended that he spoke of John the Baptist.
Verse 14
When they were come to the multitude - It appears that a congregation had been collected during our Lord's stay on the mount: how great must have been the desire of these people to hear the words of Christ! The assembly is self-collected, and no delay on the preacher's side discourages them - they continue to wait for him. In the present day how rare is this zeal! How few by the most pathetic invitation can be brought together, even at the most convenient times, to hear the same doctrines, and to get their souls healed by the same wonder-working Christ!
Kneeling down to him - Or falling at his knees, γονυπετων. The ancients consecrated the Ear to memory; the Forehead to genius; the Right Hand to faith; and the Knees to mercy: hence those who entreated favor fell at and touched the knees of the person whose kindness they supplicated. See Wakefield's Commentary; and see the note on [Exo 9:29]; where the subject is largely explained.
Verse 15
My son - is lunatic - Σεληνιαζεται. One who was most affected with this disorder at the change and full of the moon. See on [Mat 4:24] (note). But this lunacy was occasioned by a demon, see [Mat 17:18], and [Mar 9:17]; [Luk 9:38]. In this case, the devil intended to hide himself under the appearance of a natural disorder, that no supernatural means might be resorted to for his expulsion. See a remarkable account on [Luk 9:39] (note).
Falleth ofttimes into the fire, and oft into the water - The paroxysms of his disorder frequently recurred; and among his numerous falls, some were into the fire and some into the water: so that, on this account, his life was in continual danger. Those who are under the influence of the devil are often driven to extremes in every thing. Such are often driven into the fire of presumption, or the waters of despair. Satan takes advantage of our natural temper, state of health, and outward circumstances, to plague and ruin our souls.
Verse 16
Thy disciples could not cure him - No wonder, when the cure must be effected by supernatural agency, and they had not faith enough to interest the power of God in their behalf, [Mat 17:20]. A spiritual disorder must have a spiritual remedy: natural means, in such cases, signify just - nothing.
Verse 17
O faithless and perverse generation! - These and the following words may be considered as spoken:
1. To the disciples, because of their unbelief, [Mat 17:20].
2. To the father of the possessed, who should have brought his son to Christ.
3. To the whole multitude, who were slow of heart to believe in him as the Messiah, notwithstanding the miracles which he wrought.
See Kypke.
Perverse, διεστραμμενη, signifies -
1. Such as are influenced by perverse opinions, which hinder them from receiving the truth: and,
2. Such as are profligate in their manners.
Kypke. This last expression could not have been addressed to the disciples, who were certainly saved from the corruption of the world, and whose minds had been lately divinely illuminated by what passed at and after the transfiguration: but at all times the expression was applicable to the Jewish people.
Verse 18
Jesus rebuked the devil - Deprived him of all power to torment the child; and obliged him to abandon his present usurped habitation.
There are some souls whose cure God reserves to himself alone, and to whom all the applications of his ministers appear to be utterly ineffectual. He sometimes does all without them, that they may know they can never do any good without him. Quesnel.
Verse 19
Why could not we cast him out? - They were confounded at their want of success - but not at their want of faith, which was the cause of their miscarriage! When the ministers of the Gospel find their endeavors, with respect to some places or persons, ineffectual, they should come, by private prayer, to Christ, humble themselves before him, and beg to be informed whether some evil in themselves have not been the cause of the unfruitfulness of their labors.
Verse 20
Because of your unbelief - Are we preachers of the Gospel? Do the things of God rest upon our minds with a deep and steady conviction? Can we expect that a doctrine which we do not, from conviction, credit ourselves, can be instrumental in our hands of begetting faith in others? So we preached, end so ye believed. The word preached generally begets in the people the same spirit which the preacher possesses. Instead of απιϚιαν, unbelief, the famous Vatican MS. and Cod. Cyprius, six others, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, and Arabic, Origen, and Chrysostom, read ολιγοπιϚιαν, littleness of faith. The disciples had some faith, but not enough - they believed, but not fully.
As a grain of mustard seed - Some eminent critics think this a proverbial expression, intimating a Great Degree of faith, because removing mountains, which St. Paul, [1Cor 13:2], attributes to All Faith; i.e. the greatest possible degree of faith, is attributed here, by our Lord, to that faith which is as a grain of mustard seed. However this may be, there can be no doubt that our Lord means, as Bishop Pearce well remarks, a thriving and increasing faith; which like the grain of mustard seed, from being the least of seeds, becomes the greatest of all herbs; even a tree in whose branches the fowls of the air take shelter. See Wakefield's Comment, and the note on [Mat 13:32] (note).
Verse 21
This kind goeth not out but by prayer, etc. - Τουτο το γενος, this kind, some apply to the faith which should be exercised on the occasion, which goeth not out, doth not exert itself, but by prayer and fasting; but this interpretation is, in my opinion, far from solid. However, there is great difficulty in the text. The whole verse is wanting in the famous Vatican MS., one of the most ancient and most authentic perhaps in the world; and in another one of Colbert's, written in the 11th or 12th century. It is wanting also in the Coptic, Ethiopic, Syriac, Hieros., and in one copy of the Itala. But all the MSS. acknowledge it in the parallel place, [Mar 9:29], only the Vatican MS. leaves out νηϚεια, fasting. I strongly suspect it to be an interpolation; but, if it be, it is very ancient, as Origen, Chrysostom, and others of the primitive fathers, acknowledged it. But while candour obliges me to acknowledge that I cannot account for the fact here alleged, that a certain class or genus of demons cannot be expelled but by prayer and fasting, while others may be ejected without them, I can give a sense to the passage which all my readers will easily understand: viz. that there are certain evil propensities, in some persons, which pampering the flesh tends to nourish and strengthen; and that self-denial and fasting, accompanied by prayer to God, are the most likely means, not only to mortify such propensities, but also to destroy them. For other remarkable circumstances relative to this case, see the notes on [Mar 9:17], etc.
Verse 22
They abode in Galilee - Lower Galilee, where the city of Capernaum was.
The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men - Μελλει - παραδιδοσθαι εις χειρας - The Son of man is about to be delivered into the hands, etc. I am fully of the mind of two eminent critics, Grotius and Wakefield, that παραδιδοσθαι should be here translated delivered, or delivered up, not betrayed; and that the agency, in this case, should be referred to God, not to Judas. Jesus was delivered up, by the counsel of God, to be an atonement for the sin of the world. See [Act 4:27], [Act 4:28]. Against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed to do what thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done, Herod and Pontius Pilate were gathered together.
Verse 23
They were exceeding sorry - Since the conversation on the mount, with Moses and Elijah; Peter, James, and John could have no doubt that their Lord and Master must suffer, and that it was for this end he came into the world; but, while they submitted to the counsel of God, their affection for him caused them to feel exquisite distress.
Verse 24
They that received tribute - This was not a tax to be paid to the Roman government; but a tax for the support of the temple. The law, [Exo 30:13], obliged every male among the Jews to pay half a shekel yearly; for the support of the temple; and this was continued by them wherever dispersed, till after the time of Vespasian, see Josephus, War, book 7. c. 6, who ordered it afterwards to be paid into the Roman treasury. The word in the text, which is generally translated tribute - τα διδραχμα, signifies the didrachma, or two drachms. This piece of money was about the value of two Attic drachms, each equal to fifteen pence of our money. The didrachma of the Septuagint, mentioned [Exo 30:13], was twice as heavy as the Attic, for it was equal to a whole shekel, this being the value of that piece of money at Alexandrina, the place where the Septuagint translation was made; for the half shekel mentioned in the above passage, they render ημισυ του διδαχμου, the half of a didrachma.
Verse 25
He saith, Yes - From this reply of Peter, it is evident that our Lord customarily paid all taxes, tributes, etc., which were common among the people wherever he came. The children of God are subject to all civil laws in the places where they live - and should pay the taxes levied on them by public authority; and though any of these should be found unjust, They rebel not, as their business is not to reform the politics of nations, but the morals of the world.
Verse 26
Then are the children free - As this money is levied for the support of that temple of which I am the Lord, then I am not obliged to pay the tax; and my disciples, like the priests that minister, should be exempted from the necessity of paying.