And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from 9 Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the 10 heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art 11 my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 12 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of 13 Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, 14 preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The 15 time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.- -Now as he walked by the Sea of Gal- 16 ilee, he saw Simon, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come 17 ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And 18 straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And 19 when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them and they 20 East. The sense is couched in figures; as if he had said, "I am not worthy to perform the most menial service for the Coming One, he is so much my superior." 9-11. See notes, Mat. iii. 1317. — Straightway. It is remarked by critics, that Mark uses this word in the original about forty times in his Gospel, which is as many as in all the rest of the New Testament. Peculiarities like this are interesting to trace, as individualizing the writer. 12, 13. See notes, Mat. iv. 1-11, in which it is maintained that the temptations of Jesus were similar to ours; that they were chiefly inward; that appetite, vanity, and ambition, sought to convert his divine gifts into instruments of selfishness, and make him forget his high calling and destiny. Was with the wild 14-20. See Mat. iv. 12-22, and 4 21 left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, went after him. and And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the 22 Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one 23 that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who 25 thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, say26 ing, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came 27 out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even 28 the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately 21. Capernaum. A town on the west shore of the Lake of Galilee, where Jesus lived after he left Nazareth.- Taught. It was customary to invite persons, particularly strangers, who attended at the synagogue, to address or exhort the people. Acts xiii. 15. 22. Taught them as one that had authority. See note on Mat. vii. 29. 23, 24. A man with an unclean spirit. See note on Mat. iv. 24. The Jews attributed sickness and insanity to possession by evil spirits. This appears to have been a case of epilepsy, if we may judge from the convulsions into which he was thrown, ver. 26; Luke iv. 34. Let us alone. By some construed as an interjection, ah!-Art thou come to destroy us? See on Mat. viii. 29. — The Holy One of God, i. e. the Prophet or Messiah. 26. Torn him. As the disease left him, he was thrown into violent spasms, such as accompany that disorder. 27. What thing is this? We may see here the use of miracles in one respect. They arrested attention, they stimulated curiosity, they made the senses instruments of good to the soul. The people beheld in one, who could cure the most inveterate disorders, a being whose words were to be listened to with the most profound interest. The proofs of Jesus' miraculous power were indubitable. He did not choose objects upon which to exert it, but cured whoever was brought. He restored all without exception, and was never defeated. His cures were at the same time sudden and perfect, and extended to every kind of disorder. formed his wonders in broad day, in the presence of multitudes, under every variety of place and circumstance. Well might the spectators be amazed! The impulses communi He per his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, 29 they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and 30 anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the 31 hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did 32 set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered to- 33 gether at the door. And he healed many that were sick of 34 divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morn- 35 ing, rising up a great while before day, he went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon, 36 and they that were with him, followed after him. And when 37 they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I 38 may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he 39 cated to them have never ceased to vibrate on the human soul. Jesus has vindicated his right to teach and command us, by doing the works which no man could do, except God were with him, as well as by speaking the words of the Father. 29-34. See on Mat. viii. 14-17. 32. At even, when the sun did set. Was set. It was the Sabbath, verse 21. The Jewish day ended at sunset, and accordingly after that hour, they would not be guilty of violating the Sabbath by bringing the sick. Devils, in this connexion, should always be rendered demons. No Jew supposed any one was possessed with devils, in our sense of that word, but with demons, the spirits of bad mena superstition which corresponds to the belief in witchcraft and ghosts of modern times. 34. To speak, because they knew him. Margin reads, to say that they knew him. It was not yet time for his Messiahship to be proclaimed. To set up such a claim now, would equally embarrass his ministry, with the officiousness of aspiring friends, and the hate of exasperated enemies. 35-38. Departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. Luke iv. 42, 43. We have a glimpse here into the more retired hours of our blessed Saviour, when the crowds had withdrawn, and diseases no longer vanished at his touch. While his habits of private devotion reveal to us the lustre of his piety, they indirectly recommend to us the imitation of his delightful example. If his pure spirit required prayer, and thirsted for communion with God, can it be viewed as any thing short of folly or madness in us, so imperfect and sinful as we are, to reject the high exercises of devotion, and never, or but rarely, address our Father in heaven? For therefore came I forth. The object 40 preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst 41 make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou 42 clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy 43 departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly 44 charged him, and forthwith sent him away; and saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which 45 Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter. CHAPTER II. The Paralytic. Conversations of Jesus. AND again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and 2 it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached 3 the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one 4 sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let of his coming was to proclaim every where his glad tidings. 39. Compare Mat. iv. 23.- Cast out devils, i. e. cured diseases and insanity, attributed to demons. 40-45. See Mat. viii. 1-4. The miracle here recorded occurred after the Sermon on the Mount, which Mark has entirely omitted. - Jesus could no more openly enter into the city. The healed leper, contrary to the strictest charge from Jesus, blazoned his cure abroad so as to embarrass his benefactor. If too great popular excitement were produced, the seditious spirit of the Jewish people, or the quick jealousy of the priests and Romans, might be aroused, and the gospel perish in its embryo state. CHAPTER II. 1-14. Compare Mat. ix. 1-9, and the comments thereupon. 4. The press. The dense crowd. Uncovered the roof-broken it up A knowledge of the construction of houses in Judea is here necessary. down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus 5 saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting 6 there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus 7 speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And 8 immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the 9 sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the 10 Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, 11 and go thy way into thy house. And immediately he arose, 12 took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. And he went forth again by the sea-side; and all the multi- 13 tude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed 14 by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, that as Jesus sat at meat in 15 his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with 16 publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When 17 Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole, have They brought the sick man on a litter, and, finding it impossible to approach Jesus below, they went up by the stairs, usually placed in the gateway of the house, to the flat roof. They then rolled back the awning, which was spread over the court, and which is called the roof in the text, and broke up, or removed, a part of the balustrade, or parapet, and let down the couch, by the tiling, directly into the midst of the place where Jesus was teaching. Their perfect confidence in his healing power was thus most strikingly manifested. 10. Power on earth to forgive sing. The same power which God had delegated to his Son, was also given to the apostles. Mat. xvi. 19, xviii. 18; John xx. 23. 14. Levi, supposed to be the same as Matthew, for two names were not uncommon among the Jews. 15-22. See notes on Mat. ix. 10 -17. |