(15) He touched her hand . Here he mentions the cure. Chrysostom asks why he cured the centurion's servant with a mere word, but her with a touch. And he answers on account of acquaintanceship; and in this he also shows his humility better. Therefore, he gave help by touch: "You have held my right hand" (Ps 73:23). And she rose . People with a fever are ordinarily weaker when they begin to improve than they were in the course of the sickness; but this was not the case here, because the Lord restored her to complete health: for "God's works are perfect" (Dt 3:4). Indeed, the Lord cures in one way and nature in another. Therefore, he says, she served him .
(16) That evening... Here God's power is confirmed: first, the evangelist mentions the multitude; secondly, he quotes a text of scripture. He says, therefore, that he cured demoniacs and sick people. By demoniacs can be understood those who sin from malice; by the sick, those who sin from ignorance. Hence he says, that evening ; consequently, note that this was not on the Sabbath day, when they held it was not fitting to cure, but in the evening when the Sabbath was over. They brought to him many who were possessed with demons . Or, it is called evening, because our Savior came in the evening: "The sun rises and sets," i.e., Christ (Ec 1:5). He cast out merely with a rebuke; hence at the mere sound of his voice the demons fled. And all who were sick , so that the words of Acts (10:38) apply to him: "He freed all possessed by the devil.
(17) It should be noted that the evangelists have not recounted all of Christ's miracles, but the better known. And because it seemed marvelous to cure so many, he supports it with a text from Isaiah (53:4): " He took our infirmities and bore our diseases. " And although it does not follow the order of the text, let us explain it as presented. He took our infirmities , where infirmities refer to light sins; and diseases , i.e., greater sins, he bore , i.e., carried away. Or, since he is the power and wisdom of God, our infirmities of suffering and death. Hence he assumed a body subject to suffering, in order to take away our infirmity and sickness: "He bore our sins in his body, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness" (1 Pt 2:24). But since the text from Isaiah spoke of sins, why does this quotation speak of bodily infirmities? The reason is that very often bodily infirmities arise from spiritual sins.
(18) Now when Jesus saw great crowds... After the miracles against internal sins the evangelist mentions miracles against external sins, namely, a storm. First, he mentions the prologue to the miracle, namely, the embarkation; secondly, the miracle, (v. 26b); thirdly, the effect (v. 26c).
In regard to the first he mentions the command; secondly, its fulfillment (v. 21).
In regard to the first he does three things: first, he tells them to follow; secondly, he turns away a person who intruded himself (v. 19); thirdly, he makes something clear to another disciple (v. 21).
He says, therefore, When Jesus saw great crowds around him... But why did he enter a ship? For two reasons: first, to indicate the weakness of human nature; secondly, to please the disciples. Hence sometimes he climbs a mountain with the disciples, sometimes he goes into the desert, sometimes into a boat. Also to give us an example not to seek the favor of men. Finally, to remove the envy of the Jews: "A smoking wick he will not quench" (Is 42:3).
(19) He continues, and a scribe came up . And it seems he came very devoutly; so why does he turn him away? Jerome: "Because he did not have good faith." And this is clear, because he merely called him master; but true disciples called him Lord. Hence John (13:13): "You call me Master and Lord." Again, he wanted to follow him from an evil intent, because he heard that a sign had been performed; so he wished to follow, in order that he, too, might perform signs, as is said of Simon Magus. Chrysostom says that he sinned in another way, namely, by pride, because he drew apart from the others. Hence he regarded himself worthier than the rest. Hilary interprets his words as a question: "Master, shall I follow you?" His fault was that he asked something about which he was certain, and put in doubt something he was supposed to do.
(20) He continues, Foxes have holes... Jerome explains that God responds to the intention, as he often does. He wished to follow, but his eye was on gain. Against this the Lord stresses poverty: Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head ; as it says in 2 Corinthians (8:9): "Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor." According to Augustine he notes three vices in him: the vice of deceit, because he had honey on his lips and venom in his heart, as it says in Psalm 12 (v. 2). Secondly, pride, when he said, The birds of the air , by which is understood pride. Or, by birds , demons, as below (13:4): "And the birds of the air came and ate it up." Thirdly, unbelief, because he was not in the state of charity, which is in us through faith.
(21) He continues, Another of the disciples said to him . The first intruded himself, but this one excuses himself. The reproval of this one is indicated, when he says, Jesus said to him, "Follow me..." Lord, let me first go and bury my father . There is a great difference between this one and the other. He calls him Lord, the other called him Master. The first revealed deceit, the other piety because of the commandment to honor one's father; hence he begged for a delay. Something similar is found in 1 Kings (19:20) concerning Elijah.
(22) The reproof follows: Follow me , for one who wishes to follow Christ must not postpone it for some temporal matter; hence Ps 45 (v. 10): "Forget your people and your father's house." He commanded this, because there were others who could bury him. Consequently, he said, Leave the dead to bury their own dead . Furthermore, it often happens that one prevented by one matter soon runs into another, since one brings on another. Thus, if he had gone to bury his father, he might then have thoughts about the will; as a result he would possibly withdraw altogether: "Woe to you who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood" (Is 5:18). Hence there was no cruelty here. Thus, if we see someone over-affected by the death of his father, he is banned from the funeral on account of the danger suggested in Sirach (30:25): "Sorrow has killed many." But he says, dead , in the plural, because he was dead in two ways, namely, the death of unbelief and bodily death. Hence he was dead both in body and in soul.
Therefore, he gives four admonitions:
first, that a person called to the state of perfection should not regard his father with excessive affection: "You have one Father, who is in heaven: (Mt 23:9).
The second is that family affection be set aside: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:26). This is true, when father and mother withdraw one from God.
The third is that no commemoration of unbelievers be made by the saints.
The fourth is that everyone living outside Christ is dead, according to Gregory.
(23) And when he got into the boat... We have mentioned the Lord's command to pass over to the other side. Here the execution of the command is mentioned. For his miracles on land had been seen; now he wishes to manifest himself on water, in order to show that he is Lord of earth and sea. By this boat is understood the Church, or the Cross of Christ; hence Wisdom (14:5) can be applied to it: "Men trust their lives even to the smallest piece of wood." The Lord's disciples follow him in the Church by submitting to the commandments. They also follow him ascending the Cross: "Through him the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal 6:14).
(24) Then the miracle is described: first, the impending danger; secondly, the disciples' pleading (v. 25); thirdly, the response. There arose a great storm on the sea . The saints say that the storm did not arise from the inclemency of the air, but by divine arrangement. And it happened for a number of reasons:
first, in order that the disciples, who had been loved and selected in a special way, might experience something humiliating and not extol themselves. This signified the coming danger they would experience at the time of the Passion. After this, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians (1:8): "We were so utterly crushed, that we despaired of life itself."
Secondly, in order that they might learn to live in danger and overcome: "In all these we overcome on account of him who loved us" (Rom 8:37).
Thirdly, Chrysostom explains that they were destined to preach what they had witnessed about Christ; consequently, in order that they have more experience with miracles and be more certain, the Lord wished them to undergo this. Hence Psalm 66 (v. 5): "Come and see what God has done." For they could more easily recall things in which they were involved.
But he was asleep . This was in order to show that he was true man; in all cases where he wished to show that he was God, he also showed something of his humanity. He also slept, because "He was born in the likeness of man' (Phil 2:7). For he was not asleep in regard to his divinity: "He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps 121:4). Also, he slept in order that they be placed between fear and hope. Another reason was that he might show his uniqueness, because he remained undisturbed in such a storm: "When he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command" (Pr 8:29).
(25) He continues with the disciples' pleading: They went and woke him . For the wind was so violent, that he should have been awakened. Now all this was said in a figure of Jonah, because Jonah was asleep on a boat and the sailors woke him to call on his God, but the disciples to save themselves. Hence they say, "Save us, O Lord, we are perishing." First, they confess his power, when they say, Lord : "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them" (Ps 89 (v. 9). They seek help, because they know him to be the Savior: "He will come and save us" (Is 35:4). Likewise, they express the danger in earthly things. Here in Christ's sleep is signified his death, and he was roused by the resurrection. Or, he is said to be asleep during the trials and tribulations of the saints and is awakened by their prayers. Hence Psalm 41 (v. 10): "O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up." He is also asleep in the slothful; hence he must be roused, as Paul advises in Ephesians (5:14): "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light."
(26) Then he tells how he helped: Why are you afraid, O men of little faith? It seems that they were not men of little faith, because they said, Save us ; but they really were of little faith, because they did not believe that he could save them even when sleeping. Or, of little faith , because if they had great faith, they could have commanded the sea. Then he rose and rebuked the winds ; for a storm arises from winds as from an efficient cause, and from water as a material cause. And he commanded both: "He made the storm be still" (Ps 107:29). And that is what is stated here, and there was a great calm . But ordinarily, when there is a storm, the sea is not completely calm even after two days. Therefore, in order that the miracle appear perfect, the great calm occurred immediately, because "God's works are perfect" (Dt 32:4).
(27) And the men marveled... Here is mentioned the effect, namely, the men's admiration. When he says, men , it does not mean the apostles, because they are never referred to in that manner, but it refers to the sailors. Or, according to Jerome, even if it refers to the apostles, it might be that they could doubt as the men did, saying, What sort of man is this? Chrysostom: "They say, man ; for since they saw him sleeping, they called him a man, but because they saw a sign of his divinity, they were confused. Even winds and sea obey him , because every creature obeys its Creator: "Fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfill his command" (Ps 148:8); not because they have a rational soul, but because they behave after the manner of one who is obedient, as the hands and bodily members obey the soul, for they are moved immediately at its pleasure, so all things obey God.