Matthew 15:30

Having healed the d aug hter of this Chananaean, the Lord returns into Judaea, as it follows, "And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee."

This sea is called by various names; the sea at Galilee, because of its neighbourhood to Galilee; the sea of Tiberias, from the town of Tiberias. "And going up into a mountain, he sat down there."

It should be considered that sometimes the Lord goes about to heal the sick, sometimes He sits and waits for them to come; and accordingly here it is added, "And there came great multitudes unto him, having with them those that were dumb, lame, blind, maimed, and many others."

What the Latin translator calls "debiles" (maimed), is in the Greek κυλλους, which is not a general term for a maimed person, but a peculiar species, as he that is lame in one foot is called "claudus," so he that is crippled in one hand is called, κυλλος.

These shewed their faith in two points especially, in that they went up the mountain, and in that they believed that they had need of nothing beyond but to cast themselves at Jesus" feet; for they do not now touch the hem even of His garment, but have attained to a loftier faith; "And cast them down at Jesus" feet." The woman's d aug hter He healed with great slackness, that He might shew her virtue; but to these He administers healing immediately, not because they were better than that woman, but that He might stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews; as it follows, "and he healed them all." But the multitude of those that were healed, and the ease with which it was done, struck them with astonishment. "Insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak."

He said nothing concerning the maimed, because there was no one word which was the opposite of this." [ed. note: The Vulgate and old Italic have no clause to κυλλους υγιεις, (the maimed to be whole) of the Greek, which is also wanting in many ancient versions.]

Mystically; Having in the d aug hter of this Chananaean prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, Ho came into Judaea; because, "when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then shall all Israel be saved." [Rom 11:25]

ap Anselm: The sea near to which Jesus came signifies the turbid swellings of this world; it is the sea of Galilee when men pass from virtue to vice.

He goes up into the mountain, that as a bird He may entice the tender nestlings to fly.

Thus raising his hearers to meditate on heavenly things. He sat down there to shew that rest is not to be sought but in heavenly things. And as He sits on the mountain, that is, in the heavenly height, there come unto Him multitudes of the faithful, drawing near to Him with devoted mind, and bringing to Him the dumb, and the blind, &c. and cast them down at Jesus" feet; because they that confess their sins are brought to be healed by Him alone. These He so heals, that the multitudes marvel and magnify the God of Israel; because the faithful when they see those that have been spiritually sick richly endued with all manner of works of virtuousness, sing praise to God.

ord.: The dumb are they that do not praise God; the blind, they who do not understand the paths of life; the deaf, they that obey not; the lame, they that walk not firmly through the difficult ways of good works; the maimed, they that are crippled in their good works.

“ And Jesus departed thence, ”, manifestly, from what has been said before, from the parts of Tyre and Sidon, “ and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee, ” which is commonly called the Lake of Gennesaret, and again went up into the mountain where He went up and sat. We may say, then, that into this mountain where Jesus sits, not only the sound in health go up, but along with the sound, those also who were suffering from various disorders. And, perhaps, this mountain to which Jesus went up and sat is that which is more commonly called the Church, which has been set up through the word of God over the rest of the world and the men upon it; whither go not the disciples only, leaving the multitudes as in the case of the beatitudes, but great multitudes who were not accused themselves of being deaf or suffering from any affection, but who had such along with themselves. …

104. Matthew proceeds with his narrative in the following terms: “And when Jesus had departed from thence, He came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them; insomuch that the multitudes wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. …