h 14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad :) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 'But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, ' It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and * observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; powers, and it would therefore be absurd to use the sign without possessing the means of giving it import by realizing its meaning. But extreme unction, is by the confession of the papists themselves, an essentially different rite. It is not given for healing; it is postponed until there is no hope of life; and is an absurd and senseless anointing unto DEATH, which neither as a symbol, nor as a means of benefit, bears any resemblance to the unction mentioned in the text, and in the Epistle of St. James, or that practised by the primitive Christians. Verse 14. And king Herod heard of him, &c. See the notes on Matt. xiv. 1, &c. Verse 20. Feared John.—He revered him for his eminent sanctity, and observed him; either he had regarded his advices for *Or, an inward grudge. merly, or, which is the more probable sense, he had guarded him from injury and persecution. These verbs are all, as Grotius observes, to be understood in the plusquam perfect, as frequent with the Hebrews and Hellenists. It was this reverence of Herod for John which had prevented Herodias from previously compassing his death. On account of his having spoken plainly to Herod on the unlawfulness of his marriage with Herodias, she had o quarrel against him, she was violently angry with him, and would have killed him, but she could not. She could not prevail upon Herod to put him to death; and so she resolved upon accomplishing that by stratagem which she had failed to accomplish by direct entreaty. Verse 21. A convenient day. - Ημερα 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. k 30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32' And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34 m And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and *Or, one of his guard. k Luke ix. 10. EUK100, a leisure or vacant day, that is, a festival: but the sense of convenient or opportune is perhaps to be preferred, as marking a design on the part of Herodias, to accomplish her wicked project on Herod's birth-day; so that the danc 1 Matt. xiv. 13. m Matt. ix. 36. ing of her daughter, and Herod's entanglement in a rash vow, were less accidents of which she promptly availed her self, than parts of the plot previously laid, and foreseen as probable consequences. But see the notes on Matt. xiv. 6—12. he was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. n 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred 'pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. n Matt. xiv. 15. • The Roman penny is sevenpence halfpenny, as Matt. xviii. 28. Verses 35-40. This is a desert place, &c. On this miracle of feeding the five thousand, see the notes on Matt. xiv. 14 -21. To this account, however, St. Mark adds several circumstances, in his own vigorous and graphic method. He introduces the disciples saying, in answer to Christ, (who had said, Give ye them to eat,) Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? This Lightfoot has shown was with the Jews an expression for a considerable sum. He brings us also upon the spot, to see, as it were, the ORDER in which the Master of the feast had placed his guests, that he might distribute to them his bounty, and all might partake of it in a composed and thankful manner, as became so great an occasion. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies, σνμпoσla σчμжоσiα, in rows, as at table; for to express distribution the Hebrews double the words; upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, рaσia прaσial, in squares, behind one another, like the beds of a garden, as the word signifies, by hundreds and by fifties; so that they could be thus most conveniently served, and accurately counted. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. 45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 47 ° And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out : 50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. * Or, over against Bethsaida. Verse 47. The ship was in the midst of the sea.-See the notes on Matt. xiv. 24-33. Verse 52. For their heart was hardened. -This is given either as a reason for the excessive fear of the disciples in the storm, or for the excessive wonder they expressed when the wind was stilled by the word of Jesus. In either application it is apposite. Had they rightly considered the miracle of the loaves, they could scarcely have doubted of Christ's care for them in the storm, or his ability to help them; and had they properly reflected upon the stupendous character of the miracle by which the five thousand were fed,-how that it proved that he possessed an absolute power over the ele o Matt. xiv. 23. ments of matter, they would have been equally impressed with that miracle as with the stilling of the storm. Right views, arising from calm and discerning consideration, would have rendered the miracle of the loaves more astonishing, and the calming of the wind and the sea, somewhat less so; for at the latter, says St. Mark, they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure: for their heart was hardened; that is, dull of apprehension, not wickedly insensible, the sense in which the same word is sometimes used; but inapt to learn, and slow to receive conviction,-a fault which the evangelists several times record against themselves and their fellow-discipies with the utmost simplicity and humility. 53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. 54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him, 55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. 56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. CHAPTER VII. 1 The Pharisees find fault at the disciples for eating with unwashen hands. 8 They break the commandment of God by the traditions of men. 14 Meat defileth not the 24 He healeth the Syrophenician woman's daughter of an unclean spirit, 31 and one that was deaf, and stammered in his speech. man. 1 THEN 'came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. Or, it. a Matt. xv. 1. p Matt. xiv. 34. Verses 53-56. Came into the land of Gennesaret. This district extended about four miles along the north-western shore of the sea of Galilee, and was a most fertile, beautiful, and very populous tract of country. St. Matthew states the powerful impression made upon the people by this visit of our Saviour; (see notes on Matt. xiv. 34—36 ;) but St. Mark is more circumstantial, and his description unites wonderful vigour and graphic delineation with brevity. Messengers run through the whole region round about to announce Christ's arrival; to whatever place he was come, the people carry about the sick on couches; and through whatever city, village, or country he passes, they lay the sick in the streets, the market-places, and roads, that is, by the way-side on which he was travelling, ranged, it should seem, on either hand; whilst their friends, or + Or, common. the sick themselves, beseech him that they 66 CHAPTER VII. Verse 1. Certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.— See notes on Matt. xv. 1, &c. Verse 2. Defiled hands.-Koivos, common; that is, when opposed to holy; ritually polluted or defiled. |