INTRODUCTION ΤΟ THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. ST. MARK was the son of Mary, a disciple resident at Jerusalem, at whose house the apostles and first Christians often assembled. He is mentioned in 1 Peter v. 13, where the apostle calls him "Marcus my son." There seems little reason for doubting that he was the John Mark of Jerusalem, who travelled for a while as the companion of Paul and Barnabas, and who incurred the displeasure of the former for having left them before the whole tour they proposed was completed. Upon the separation of Paul and Barnabas, on his account, Mark travelled with the latter. That it was nothing which affected the personal or ministerial character of Mark which occasioned this dispute, and St. Paul's refusal to have him as a companion on a second tour, may be gathered from the honourable mention made of him by that apostle in 2 Tim. iv. 11: "Take Mark, and bring him with thee; for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” He finally attached himself to St. Peter, with whom he continued until the death of that apostle. After he had written his Gospel, which was done whilst he was the companion of St. Peter, he is said by Eusebius and Jerome to have laboured in Egypt, and planted the celebrated church of Alexandria. It was so certainly admitted in the earliest times that Mark wrote his Gospel under the eye of St. Peter, that among the primitive Christians it was known as familiarly by the name of the Gospel of St. Peter as the Gospel of St. Mark. Although this Gospel was composed at Rome, the notion of some, that it was written in Latin, is not sustained by sufficient evidence. No ancient author ever affirmed this; and the testimony is uniform that it was written in Greek, the only language which then had any pretence to be universal. That it was designed for the Gentile, not Jewish converts only, is clear from the explanation he subjoins to words and customs which to Jews were sufficiently familiar 444 INTRODUCTION TO ST. MARK'S GOSPEL. Critics have discovered in it many Latinisms; which may be accounted for from Mark having long lived at Rome, and no doubt speaking the Latin tongue. That the Gospel which bears the name of St. Mark was in reality written by him, the testimony of antiquity is uniform and decisive; and equally so, that if he was not the amanuensis of St. Peter, he acted at his suggestion, and embodied his relations of the facts of the history of our Lord, as he had heard them stated by him, and under the inspiration of the same Spirit. Whether he published his Gospel before the death of St. Peter, or only collected the materials, and completed the work after the martyrdom of that apostle, is uncertain. This renders the exact time of its publication a matter of conjecture; but it is evident, from his concluding words, that it was not till after the apostles had left Judea, and had dispersed "everywhere preaching the word." The date may be fixed at from A. D. 60, to A.D. 63. Notwithstanding the strong similarity of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, in many parts, there is no reason to doubt that the latter is not strictly an original work. St. Mark is often more copious and circumstantial than St. Matthew, and sometimes much less so, whilst he introduces several entirely new circumstances and narrations. The longer discourses of Christ are generally omitted; and the whole may be considered in the light, not of a perfect Gospel,-for that is the character of none of them taken separately, and the perfection lies in the COLLECTION of the four,-but as a compendium of the stupendous works of the divine Founder of our religion, and as a most convincing manual of its evidences, as founded upon the character, actions, and miracles of its Author. See the Introduction to St. Matthew's Gospel. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. CHAPTER I. 1 The office of John the Baptist. 9 Jesus is baptized, 12 tempted, 14 he preacheth : 16 calleth Peter, Andrew, James and John: 23 healeth one that had a devil, 29 Peter's mother in law, 32 many diseased persons, 41 and cleanseth the leper. 1 THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. b 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. C 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. a Mal. iii. 1. b Isaiah xl. 3; Luke iii. 4; John i. 23. c Matt. iii. 1. CHAPTER I. Verse 1. The beginning of the gospel, &c.—This may either be regarded as a short title to the book, after the manner of some ancient writers; or it may be joined with what follows, and so the sense will be, that the gospel, the publication, the knμa of Christ's advent, office, and glorious ministry, commenced with the ministry of John Baptist, according to the prophets. The latter view makes the construction elliptical and somewhat harsh; but this is rather the character of St. Mark's style. And as it was his design to begin his account of Christ with his public ministry, so he could not more happily introduce it, than by bringing in his forerunner John, announcing his advent, preparing his way, and surrendering his own disciples to his superior tuition and authority. This was indeed "the beginning of the gospel : " John the herald sounded the trumpet publicly, before his Royal Master, the Prince of Peace, the Redeemer God. Verse 2. In the prophets.-Some мss. and * Or, unto. versions, read in "Esaias the prophet," but the connexion appears to determine the point in favour of the received text; for the evangelist immediately produces quotations from two of the prophets, Malachi and Isaiah. See note on Matt. xi. 10. Verse 3. Prepare ye the way, &c.—See note on Matt. iii. 3. Verse 4. The wilderness.-The wildernesses of Palestine lay often contiguous to populous cities and districts, and were often indeed interspersed with them. This wilderness lay along the Jordan. Baptism of repentance.-The meaning is, that the Baptist enforced repentance, and baptism as a sign and proof of it; and both had respect to the remission of sins, for which, however, his dispensation made no new provision, gave in fact no new promise, but the penitent were referred to him that was to come after John, him mightier than himself, who should baptize them with the Holy Ghost. See the notes on the whole of the third chapter of St. Matthew. 5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. e 6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; 7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. f 9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. g 12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilder ness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 'Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And 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. 20 And straightway he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. k 21' And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, all of which had their appointed periods of time to fulfil, the patriarchal, the prophetic, and finally that of John the Baptist, at the close of which, his own was to commence, never to give place to any other. Now John had fulfilled his great office, he was put in prison, and could no longer bear testimony to Christ, or act as his precursor; and the time was therefore accomplished for Christ to enter more fully and publicly upon his great office as eminently, and above all others, THE TEACHER SENT FROM GOD. This mighty ministry he commenced in Galilee, and filled that whole region with the news of salvation, and the fame of his stupendous miracles. See notes on Matt. iv. 12-25. Verse 16. Simon and Andrew, &c.—See note on Matt. iv. 18. Verse 22. They were astonished at his doctrine, &c. This was also the effect produced upon the multitude after hearing the sermon on the mount; and they also contrasted his teaching with that of the scribes, as possessing authority. It would appear from this, that our Lord had delivered a lengthened discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum, in which he probably refuted the prevalent traditions of the scribes, placed the law o God in the light of its primitive purity, and enforced his own expositions with such direct reference to his AUTHORITY, as to intimate that his was not merely HUMAN instruction, but that he was the great Lawgiver himself. See on this point the notes on Matt. vii. 28, 29. Verse 23. A man with an unclean spirit. -The notable miracle was wrought by our Lord in the same synagogue in which he had so spoken as to astonish his hearers, and to impress them with the authority of his wisdom and dignity. It was designed to give force to the important doctrines which he had been teaching, and to show them that his authority was not an affectation, but real and inherent. He not only SPOKE mira |