What an interesting sight must it have been to have seen Jesus thus engaged, preaching the doctrines of grace, and confirming the word with ministering to all the wants of nature. And I beg the Reader not to overlook what is said of Jesus on those occasions: he was moved with compassion, that is, the compassions of Jesus were the compassions of God-Man, the divine and human nature blended. It is most essential to the proper apprehension of Jesus' feelings of our infirmities, always to keep this in view. For the Lord Jesus, having the same human nature as we have, hath the same affections, the same feelings as we have. And therefore, though the infinite perfections of his divine nature give all that dignity and power which make his mercies divine, yet from his human nature being united to the Godhead, his compassions are no less human mercies also, Oh! the blessedness of such views of Jesus. See Hebrews 4:15-16. The similitudes of a shepherd, and harvest, are too plain to need a comment. But as Christ alone is the shepherd of his flock, and the Lord of the harvest, the only One who can authorize to the ministry in the labors of it; we are to pray, but it is the Lord who must send suited servants to the harvest.
REFLECTIONS
READER! behold your God and SAVIOR in this chapter. See how he manifests who he is by what he wrought. As God! he pardons sin, as in the instance of the Paralytic! He reads the thoughts and reasonings of men's hearts, as in the case of the Scribes. He cures the souls, gives health to the bodies, raiseth the dead, casts out devils, and as man, yea the God-Man Christ Jesus, he is moved with compassion, and his bowels yearn over the lost estate and misery of our poor, ruined, and diseased nature. Oh! who that had seen his grace; to Matthew; to the woman with the bloody issue; the ruler of the synagogue, and his dead child; to the blind and the dumb; but must have said with the Prophet, behold your God is come to save you! And who that had seen him, at the table of Matthew, encircled with Publicans and Sinners, but must have said, was ever grace like this, in the unequalled condescension of the SON of God!
Oh! blessed Lord Jesus! do thou now still regard thy people, still behold them in all the miseries and sorrows of a state of nature and sin, in their palsied, blind, dumb, dead, and dying circumstances. Oh! thou Great Shepherd of thy blood-bought flock! Exalted as thou now art, at the right hand of the Majesty on high, send forth thine underpastors in thy fold, and let thine heritage be no longer scattered. Yea! dearest Lord Jesus! come thyself and visit them as thou hast said with thy great salvation, and bring them home to thy fold in heaven, from all places whither they are now scattered in the dark and cloudy day! Amen.