Biblical commentary on the New Testament - The Christian ...

492 Matthew XIII. 10-17.
in the sense of " to become unfeeling or insensible." It stands a6
parallel to the issh and sitn which in the Grreek are rendered fSapeug
aKoveiv, Kofinvsiv. Kafiiiveiv is a barbarous form for KaranvELv=^
KXeieiv rovg ocpOaXiiovg. The verb tmaTQ^cpeiv = a^«j to abandon a
path which had been already entered on, denotes here, as frequently
elsewhere the turning of the soul from darkness to light. In the
last clause, Kal ldoo)fiac avrovg, a various reading, Idooiiai, is found,
which certainly has been transferred from the LXX. in order to
soften the passage by giving to the words the sense of " but I will
heal them." This interpretation however does not agree with the
connexion of the Hebrew, in which Nsni a'*j, holds a position entire-
ly parallel. In Mark accordingly, the whole force of the idea is
preserved, though the figure of " healing" (Idaoimi), is explained
by the words " that their sins may not be forgiven them," a render-
ing transferred also to the Chaldee version.) In its original connex-
ion, the passage Isa. vi. 9, 10, refers primarily to the contemporaries
of Isaiah. Matthew sees in it a reference to the contemporaries of
Jesus, not judging capriciously, but taking a profound view of its
real import. For the phenomena of the prophetic times did not
differ from those of the age of our Saviour ; regarded in their es-
sential relations, they were identical. Divine truth, ae disclosed in
the discourse of Isaiah, was met by the insensibility of the people
whom he summoned to spiritual effort, and the curse of their sin
was that they did not even recognise the evidences of divinity. In
the time of Jesus the same nation went through the same experience,
with only this difference, that in Jesus there was exhibited to the
people the purest manifestation of Divinity, of which Isaiah pre-
sented but a faint reflection. Inasmuch then, as even this splendour
of divine light was unrecognised by them, the curse of sin was ex-
hibited in all its magnitude, and the prophet's words met here their
entire fulfilment. [The great body of the people were carnallyminded.
Hence Jesus was compelled to select his discij)les, and
hence also to reveal trutb in the enigmatical form of parables, intelligible
to the spirituaJly-minded disciples, but destined to remain
inexplicable to the carr.f>l populace—to all, in fact, who are carnally-
minded.]
Ver. 16, 17.—In contrast with the curse, which strikes these
hardened hearts, follojirs the blessing which is imparted to the be-
lieving and receptive spirits of the disciples. The d(()OaXnot, ura,
eyes, ears, are mentioned as the organs of reception in general,
which have theii oialogies in the inner man. At Luke x. 23, these
words occur in an entirely different connexion, to which we shall
attend hereafter. He adds, that Jesus addressed these words to the
disciples when by themselves (Ka-' Idiav = Karaiiovaq, Mark iv. 10,
34), a ^twit which might have been inferred even from their contents.