■^^ ^^ BS^17 .H36 v.lO The gospel according to bt Mark I^antiftcioits for MMt Classes anU Private ^tutients. EDITED BY REV. MARCUS DODS, D.D., AND REV. ALEXANDER WHYTE, D.D. /iV PREPARATION. THE BOOK OF PSALMS. By Rev. Professor Binnie, D.D., Aberdeen. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. By Rev. George Keith, M.A., Glasgow. THE BOOK OF ACTS. By Rev. George Webster Thomson, M.A., Aberdeen. THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. By Rev. Marcus DoDS, D.D., Glasgow. THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. By Rev. James Mellis, M.A., Southport. THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. By Rev. Simeon R. Macphail, M.A., Liverpool. THE EPISTLES OF ST. JOHN. By Rev. Professor Salmond, D.D., Aberdeen. CHURCH AND STATE. By A. Taylor Innes, Esq., Advocate, Edin- burgh. CHRISTIAN ETHICS. By Rev. Professor Lindsay, D.D,, Glasgow. A LIFE OF ST. PAUL. By Rev. James Stalker, M.A., Kirkcaldy. ^Shortly. THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT. By Rev. Professor Candlish, D.D. A SHORT HISTORY OF MISSIONS. By George Smith, LL.D. {^Shortly, APOLOGETICS. By Rev. James Iverach, M.A., Aberdeen. PALESTINE. By Rev. Arch. Henderson, M.A., Crieff. [/ it down as a rule to guide them in their choice, that an apostle must have had personal knowledge of the life of Jesus between two well- marked points — the Baptism of John and the Ascension. When Peter preached to the household of Cornelius, he gave a short description of the work of Jesus, " which began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached," and ended with His manifestation after the resurrection (Acts x. 37-43). When Paul taught at Antioch in Pisidia, he sketched the details of Christ's life within the same limits (Acts xiii. 23-31). Everywhere we see, in the speeches recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, that the gospel of the first generation of Christians, the spoken sermons of the apostles, was a selection of representative facts from the many deeds and words of Jesus, made in such a fashion as would most clearly set forth the divine purpose of grace in His life and death and rising again. The Resurrection and Ascension were kept conspicuously in the fore- ground, the story of the Passion was told in detail, and a few incidents were selected which would fittingly relate the history of the life which preceded the death and the rising again. This selection of representative facts, which most vividly told the divine meaning of the life of Christ, was the gospel of the apostles, and formed the common groundwork of their teaching. By and by, Luke tells us, many took in hand to write down these representative facts of the life of Christ, as they heard them from eye-witnesses, or as they had themselves seen and heard. In course of time, four of those short memoirs, two of them written by apostles and two by companions of apostles, appeared, and were received by the Church as the inspired apostolic account of the hfe and work of Jesus. The shortest of these memoirs is the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark. A tolerably well-authenticated tradition, dating from immediately post - apostolic times, brings this written Gospel of Mark into direct relation with that selection of representative facts about Jesus which formed the common groundwork of apostolic teach- INTRODUCTION. 1 5 ing, and was the oral gospel of the first generation of Christians. Papias tells us, on the authority of a certain John, who was an elder of the Church, and either a "disciple of the Lord" or of one of His apostles, that Mark committed to writing the oral gospel of Peter. He says of the elder : " And the Presbyter said this. Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I have said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instruc- tions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements."^ Papias, it is said, died about the year 163. He was a hearer of the Apostle John, and knew many who had known Jesus and His apostles. He tells us that Mark's Gospel was made by committing to writing what the author remembered of the fragmentary history of Jesus, which was the oral gospel of Peter. Other early writers repeat in different terms the same tradition, until Tertullian was almost justified in saying, as he did, that " the Gospel of Mark is maintained to be Peter's, whose interpreter he was ; '' and we may believe that this Gospel contains the cycle of representative facts which formed the basis of apostolic teaching, enriched with the additions which the Apostle Peter was wont to make from his personal knowledge of Jesus. The Writer of the Gospel. John Mark (John, whose surname was Mark, Acts xii. 12) was intimately acquainted with Peter, and the apostle calls him in affectionate familiarity his "son" (i Pet. v. 13). He was cousin ^ From Euseb. Hist, Eccl, iii, 39 ; Clark's Ante-Nicene Library, Apostolic Fathers, p, 445. 1 6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MaHK. to Barnabas, the companion of Paul in his earUest missionary travels (Col. iv. lo), and was the son of Mary or Miriam, whose house served as the meeting - place for the disciples at Jeru- salem, and where Peter went after his deliverance from prison. When Paul and Barnabas returned from Jerusalem to Antioch, Mark went with them (Acts xii. 25), and he was chosen to be their attendant, or " minister," on their first missionary tour (Acts xiii. 5). He left them at Perga in Pamphyha (Acts xiii. 13), from home- sickness or some other cause, and returned to Jerusalem. We find him next at Antioch, and in 52 A.D. he went with Barnabas to do missionary work in Cyprus (Acts xv. 39). Eight years later he was with Peter at Babylon (i Pet. v. 13), and four years afterwards he was at Rome with Paul (Col. iv. 10), about to leave it for Asia Minor. The last glimpse of him is given by Paul, when the apostle asks Timothy to come to Rome and bring Mark with him, who, he says, "is useful to me for ministering" (2 Tim. iv. 11). We are told by some of the early Christian writers, that Mark was with Peter at Rome, acting as his secretary, and that he was sent on a mission to Egypt, where he founded the church of Alexandria, became its bishop, and was martyred in 68 A.D. These stories, however, cannot be traced back further than one hundred years after Mark's death, and are very uncertain. The New Testament makes it plain that Mark was so intimately acquainted with Peter, that the story of Papias recorded by Eusebius may be quite correct. The Gospel itself does not throw much light upon the matter. Peter is, indeed, often mentioned without any special occasion for the reference (i. 36, xi. 20-26, xiii. 3, xvi. 7) ; but other passages occur in which Peter's name is unaccountably left out (Mark vii. 17, cf. Matt. xv. 15 ; Mark xiv. 13, cf. Luke xxii. 8), where it is introduced by other evangelists. Mark does not mention the apostle's walking on the sea, the blessing pronounced on him (Matt. xvi. 17-19), and the " bitterness " of his repentance. Canon Westcott finds in the character of Mark, and in his life and work, special reasons why he should be the evangelist selected to write down the oral gospel of Peter in such a fashion as was INTRODUCTION. 1 7 most suitable for the wants of Gentile Christians. Like Peter, his course had been marked throughout by a restless and impetuous energy, which in later years sobered down into steady work and endurance. If he is, as many conjecture, "the young man" of Mark xiv. 51, 52, he followed Jesus at His betrayal with hasty zeal, and afterwards fled with equal precipitancy. He accompanied the first missionaries, and then abandoned the arduous work in which they were engaged. His hasty temperament made him ready, not long afterwards, to take part in the second journey of Paul. " The friend alike of Paul and Peter, working in turn in each of the great centres of the Jewish world, at first timidly sensitive of danger and after- wards a comforter of an imprisoned apostle, himself 'of the circum- cision ' and yet writing to Gentiles, Mark stands out as one whom the facts of the gospel had moved by their simple force to look over and beyond varieties of doctrine in the vivid realization of 'the Son of God.' For him teaching was subordinate to action ; and every trait which Peter preserved in his narrative would find a faithful recorder in one equally suited to apprehend and to treasure it. The want of personal knowledge was made up by the liveliness of atten- tion with which the evangelist recorded, 'without omission or mis- representation,' the words of his Master. The requirements of a Roman audience fixed the outlines of the narrative ; and the keen memory of a devoted apostle filled up the picture with details which might well remain in all their freshness on such a mind as his."^ The oral gospel of Peter could easily pass into the written Gospel of Mark, his " son." Relation to the other Gospels. The Gospel of Mark is not the only written record of the life and work of Jesus. Four separate " Gospels " are contained within the New Testament Scriptures. Three of these are so like each other, and so evidently agree in recording almost the same incidents in somewhat similar language, that they have been called synoptical ^ Westcott, Introduclion to the Gospels, pp. 230, 231. li l8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. (ffyy, together; 01///?, view), because they look at the life of Jesus from a common point of view. In what relation does the Gospel of Mark stand to the Gospels of Matthew and of Luke ? It is natural that there should be differences between them. The oral gospels were spoken, and the written Gospels were committed to writing, that the hearers and the readers " might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing they might have life in His name" (John xx. 30, 31). Peter, and doubtless other evangehsts, were accustomed " to frame their teaching to meet the wants of their hearers." This adaptation of the varied fulness of Christian truth to suit the needs of the widely-different types of hearers in which the old Roman world abounded, is reflected in the different Gospels. Tradition affirms that Matthew wrote his Gospel in Judea, for the use of Jewish converts ; that Mark wrote his, per- haps, at Rome, for Roman Christians ; and that Luke's Gospel was intended for the universal Gentile Church which it was Paul's mission to create. The differences set forth in these traditions imply diver- gencies greater than mere national distinctions ; they bring it about that all the great aspects of human life are represented in the various Gospels, which thus present the one Divine Saviour in different out- lines of His life, taken from different centres of human thought and feeling, and show the one gospel of salvation adaptable to the varied phases of the human mind as these occur in ancient or in modern history. The Gospels were written by diffe7'e7it 7nen. The publican of Capernaum, the son of a lady of Jerusalem, the learned physician and companion of St. Paul, had distinct personalities, and the personal character of the writers of Scripture was never overcome or even obscured by inspiration. The Gospels clearly express the image of the Saviour's life which each writer had caught, remembered, and transmitted ; and this personal colouring is not merely visible, but is an essential part of the Gospel. They were written at diffe7'eiit periods of time widely separated from each other, if the intervals be reckoned by " course of events and not by lapse of years." Mark in all probabiHty penned his INTRODUCTION. 19 narrative while " the disciples went daily to the temple at the hours of prayer ;" John at all events did not write his Gospel until Jerusalem was in heaps, and the temple service impossible. The remarkable thing about the Synoptic Gospels is not their differences, but their similarity, not to say sameness. No attentive reader can avoid observing how very few of the events in Christ's life have been preserved, and what a small number of days contribute all the incidents contained in the Synoptic Gospels. Christ's labours were incessant. Each day had its crowded history of labours, which left no leisure so much as to eat (Mark vi. 31) ; and yet, out of this wealth of material, three different writers have selected for the most part the same events, have arranged them according to one general plan, and have recorded them for the most part with a similarity of language which is marvellous. The problem of the relation between the Synoptic Gospels, is to explain their similarity rather than to account for their differences. Usually, when three men describe the same event, it is wonderful how few words in the separate narratives are the same. When three thoroughly independent biographers condense into three short narratives a life of incessant labour, it is astonishing how they select quite different events as representative, and how seldom they use the same language. The Synoptic Gospels, on the other hand, for the most part record the same representative facts in common words and phrases so curiously interlaced as to suggest that the writers have borrowed from each other or from a common source. Speculations upon the problem suggested, and theories to solve it, are almost as old as theology. Augustine, in his De Consensu Evangelzstancm (i. 4), thought that Mark was "the humble companion and abridger of Matthew ; " for fourteen centuries his opinion was followed by most theologians, and the followers of the Tubingen school and Keim were at one with the most orthodox adherents of seventeenth century theology on this point at least. The criticism which arose in the end of the eighteenth century, and which is still going on, has eventually rejected this opinion ; and the consensus of opinion now seems to be, that Mark's Gospel is the earliest of the three Synoptics, and that which is nearest to the oral 20 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. gospel of the first generation of Christians. The oscillations of New Testament criticism have been so numerous that it may be worth while to notice very briefly the various theories, and to state the grounds for supposing that in Mark's Gospel we have the earhest written description of the words and deeds of Jesus. The various hypotheses framed to account for the sameness of incident and language in the Synoptical Gospels, may perhaps be most shortly and clearly put in a tabulated form. I. That one of otir prese7tt Gospels is the origi7ial and first gospel^ and that the seco7id evangelist borrowed from the firsts a7id the third fro77i 07te or both of his predecessors. The question then arises, Which is the original Gospel ? and it has been answered in the following way : — a. I. Matthew"^ b. i. Matthew^ i >• 3. Luke. \ >• 3. Mark. 2. Mark ) 2. Luke ) (Grotius, Mill, Wetstein.) (Griesbach, Paulus, de Wette.) c. I. Mark d. i. Mark (Either our Gospel or an earlier form.) I I I " " ' I 2. Luke 2. Matthew 3. Luke. ^. \ (Storr.) ^ 3. Matthew. ^ (Wilke, Hitzig, Weisse, Meyer, Reuss.) e. I. Luke") f. i. Luke ") I ^3. Matthew. | V 3. Mark. 2. Mark) 2. MatthewJ (Roediger, Schneckenburger. ) (Busching.) The very statement of the theories shows on what slight arbitrary and unscientific grounds they have been advocated, and indeed it is now almost universally admitted that the manifest relations of the Synoptic Gospels to each other cannot be explained on the supposi- tion that one evangelist borrowed from the others. I I. That all three eva7igelists made use of a7i origi7ial writte7i Gospel mo7'e or less differe7it fro77i a7iy of the three i7i the New Testa77ie7it. Critics differ about the supposed original Gospel. It was, they say : — INTRODUCTION. 21 i. The Aramaic and earlier/^;';;^ of our Gospel of Matthew (Meyer, Bleek). ii. The Gospel to the Hebrews^ an apocryphal Gospel, from which our Synoptic Gospels came — {cC) simply and independently (Niemeyer) ; or {b) in the following way (the Tubingen school) : The Gospel to the Hebrews was the early Ebionite account of Jesus. From it came («) Matthew^ by additions from a document embodying more liberal sentiments. (/3) Liike^ which was (i) a protest against Ebionitism and in favour of Pauline Christianity; (2) re-edited in its present shape in a more conciliatory spirit. (7) Mark, which was a colourless combination of Matthew and Luke. iii. A7t Aramaic original Gospel now unknown, from which our Synoptic Gospels came in the following way : — Either I. (i) The Aramaic Matthew. (2) Luke. (3) Mark. A Greek Version. I The Matthew of the N. T. or 2. The original Aramaic Gospel gave rise to : (A) A Greek version and (B) a shorter Gospel. {a) Matthew is the first recension of the Aramaic Gospel, but has also used (B). {b) Mark is the second recension, but has used (A). {c) Luke is the third recension, and has also used (A) and (B). (This theory, in some one or other of its many forms, is a most popular one in Germany.) iv. Several miconnected collections of the words, deeds, and sufferings of Jesus, written by the apostles or their disciples either in Aramaic or in Greek ; from which the evangelists made their own selections. (This, in various forms, held by Schleiermacher, Credner, Semler, etc.) *• In reality much later than any canonical Gospel. 2 2 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. III. That the writers of the Synoptic Gospels made use of a common oral gospel^ in which a cycle of representative facts about Jesus were deso'ibed in language which had become sto'eotyped by usage. Almost every German scholar of note holds some form of (II.), the " documentary " hypothesis ; almost every English scholar of any eminence upholds (III.), the "oral" hypothesis. The questions arise under this " oral " hypothesis, whether that common oral gospel can be traced, and which of the Synoptic Gospels most nearly approaches it and is the earlier. A means of answering these questions with something like accuracy has been furnished very recently by Mr. Rushbrooke in his Synopticojt : Aft Exposition of the Common Matter of the Synoptic Gospels {hondon 1880), and has been made use of by Dr. Abbott in his article " Gospels " in the 9th ed. of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Mr. Rushbrooke has so arranged the Gospels that the words common to all three Gospels can be seen at a glance, also those common to any two, and those peculiar to each of the three. The result is that a narrative, not perfectly but almost continuous, may be constructed by putting together the w^ords and phrases common to all the three. For example, taking Mark's Gospel and putting down in order the words common to all three evan- gelists, the result is as follows ^ : — The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Even as it is written in Esaias the prophet |I the voi:;e of Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messen- one crying in the wilderness, Make ger before thy face, who shall prepare thy ye ready the way of the Lord, way ; The voice of one crying in the wilder- make his paths straight. ness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight ; John I in the wilderness | John came, who baptized iii the wilderness preached | repent | All went s^\^L preached \}L\^hz.-^\Ssm. oi repentance \xvi\.o forth j to be baptized by him || remission of sins. And there went out unto There cometh | he that is mightier him all the country of Judgea, and all they of than I, the latchet of whose shoes Jerusalem ; and they were baptized of him in I am not worthy | to loose. I the river Jordan, confessing their sins. And 1 The left-hand column gives the common groundwork of the three Synoptic Gospels ; the right-hand column, the Gospel of Mark according to the Revised Version. The words in italics in the first column are added to complete the sense ; | signifies a gap in Mark, || a larger gap. Cf. Encycl. Brit. vol. x. p. 792. INTRODUCTION. 22 baptized you with water | he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost || Jesus zoas baptized 1| The heavens | and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him ; and a voice | out of the heavens | My beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased | The Spirit drives him into the wilderness | forty days tempted of Satan || He came into Galilee Cometh into the house of Simon | step-mother | sick of a fever || And the fever left her | she ministered to them || He healed He preached in the synagogues of GaHlee 1| There cometh | a leper I saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he stretched forth his hand John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did cat locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying. There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose slioes I am not worthy to stoop down and tinloose. I baptized you zvith water ; but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. And it came to pass in those days that Jesjis came from Nazareth of Gahlee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove desce7idi7ig upon him ; and a voice came out of the heavetis, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased. And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth into the xvilderness. And he was in the \rM.&xx\.^z's> forty days tempted of Satan ; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered unto him. Now after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe in the gospel. And straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever ; and straightway they tell him of her: and he came and took her by the hand and raised her up ; and the fever left her, and shs 7ni?iistered tmto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were sick, and they that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick with divers diseases, and cast out many devils ; and he suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. Omit vv. 35-38. Ver. 39. And he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out devils. And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him. If thou ivilt, thou canst 24 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. and touched him, | I will, be thou made clean. And straightway //^^r^ departed from him the leprosy [1 And he saith unto him, | Say nothing to any man, but | show thyself to the priest, and offer | that which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them || And they come bringing unto him a man sick of the palsy || And [ seeing their faith he said | thy sins are forgiven || The scribes said, \ This man ] blasphemeth (| Jesus I saith unto them, Why reason ye \ in your hearts. Whether is easier to say, | Thy sins are forgiven, or to say. Arise, take up thy bed |j go to thy house. And j having taken it up he went || And they glorified God || And I he saw one sitting at the place of toll, and said Tinto him, Follow me ; and he arose and followed him. And he feasted him in his house | and many publicans | were feasting |1 And the fnake me clean. A/id being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, / will, be thou made clean. And stra ightway the leprosy separated fro7n him, and he was made clean. A7id he strictly charged him, and straightway sent him out, and saith rmto him. See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things which Moses commafided, for a testimony unto them. Omit ver. 45- ch. ii. 2. Ch. ii. 3. And they come bringing tinto him a man sick of the palsy, borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was : and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. And Jesus seeiiig their faith, saith unto the sick of the palsy. Son, thy sins areforgive7i. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. Why doth this man thus speak ? He blasphemeth : who can forgive sins but one, even God ? And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, saith Jinto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts ? Whether is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy. Thy sins are forgiven ; or to say. Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee. Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house. And he arose, and straightway took 7ip his bed, and ivent 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 multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. A7id as he passed by, he saio Levi the son of Alphasus sitting at the place of toll, a7id he saith u7tto him, Follow me. A7id he arose and followed him. And it came to pass that he was sitting at meat in his house, and many pttblicans and sinners INTRODUCTION. 25 Pharisees | said to his disciples, sat doivn with Jesus and his disciples ; for Why eat with publicans and there were many, and they followed him. sinners? | He said to them, They And the scribes oi the Pharisees, when they that are whole have no need of a saw that he was eating with the sinners and physician, but they that are sick. publicans, said unto his disciples, He eatetk I came not to call the righteous, and drinketh with pnblica7is and sinners. but sinners. And when Jesus heard it, he saith ttnto them, They that are ivhole have no need of a physi- cian, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. This narrative of the matter common to the three Synoptic Gospels might be carried on to the end, but enough has been quoted to show its character. It is not a perfectly continuous narrative. If it were, it would be a written document, and the theory that the evangelists had used a common original written Gospel would be correct. It is an ahnost continuous narrative, such as an oral gospel might be supposed to have been. Further examination discloses these things about it : — \st. It begins with the Baptism of John and ends with the Resur- rection, the limits of the oral apostolic gospel stated by Peter, p. 14. i7id. It dwells at comparative length on the Passion of Jesus. 3^^. It contains few of the parables and of the long discourses of our Lord. The sayings of Jesus recorded are short, pithy, abrupt, — many of them polemical, some of them revealing the deep spiritual plan of the new kingdom. \th. It is full of the deeds of Jesus, and contains a large proportion of His miraculous cures and manifestations of His power — the feeding of the five thousand, the stilling of the storm, and the transfiguration. 5///. It is rather a collection of dialogues and anecdotes than a set biography. Gih. It contains such a picture of Jesus as may be gathered, in still more condensed form, from the Epistles of the New Testa- ment. In short, this oral gospel, or common synoptic groundwork, has all the characteristics which the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles 26 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. tell US belonged to the proclamation of the gospel made by the apostles. It is most interesting and instructive to notice, that most of the characteristics of this oral gospel are also peculiarities of the Gospel of Mark, and distinguish that Gospel from those of Matthew and Luke. Earlier scholars took this to mean that Mark's Gospel is simply an abbreviation of one or both of the other Synoptics, but this theory is now rejected by almost every critic of note ; and Mr. Rushbrooke's Synopticon furnishes ample materials for an argument which has almost scientific certitude, that Mark did not borrow from Matthew and Luke, and that these two evangelists, though clearly influenced by some form of Mark, yet probably borrowed, not from Mark, but from some original upon which Mark was based.^ If this be the case, then Mark's Gospel, corresponding so closely to the oral gospel of the apostles, is not merely the earhest of the three, but contains that way of presenting the evangel of Christ which was contained in the earliest apostolic preaching. When we read Mark's Gospel, we can almost hear those descriptions of Jesus and His mission, which the apostles gave to the very first generation of the Christian Church, in the very words which were addressed to them. The relation, therefore, in which this Gospel of Mark stands to the other Gospels may be briefly said to be, that it is the earliest, that it comes nearest to the oral gospel of early apostolic preaching, and that the other Gospels are enlargements and rearrangements of this earlier vivid picture of our Lord and His work. The Characteristics of Mark's Gospel. I. Mark's Gospel is confined within the limits of the earlier apostolic preaching, as these are stated by Peter in his speech to Cornelius (Acts x. 36-42), and are laid down in describing the conditions of call to the apostolate (Acts i. 21, 22). It begins with the Baptism of John and ends with the Resurrection. It does not contain the gospel of the infancy or the genealogies of our Lord. 1 Encyd. Brit. 9th ed. vol. x. pp. 790-752. INTRODUCTION. 27 2. Mark gives full and graphic accounts of the deeds of Jesus, while he compresses His words and sermons into the shortest space. In this he follows closely the oral gospel, the common groundwork of the Synoptic Gospels. His aim seems to be to picture Jesus the mighty worker of miracles, and to impress his hearers with the rapid, ceaseless energy of the Saviour as He preached the message of the kingdom throughout crowded Galilee. The phrase Ajtd straightway occurs twenty-seven times in the Go?pcl. 3. Mark's narrative is full of minute graphic touches ; he has seen himself, or been told by an eye-witness, the things he describes. a. His narrative is full of realistic details, which portray the living humanity of Jesus. (i) He makes us see Jesus through the eyes of one who was present : — His look — How He looked round with, slow, searching gaze on the people in the synagogue, where there was a man which had his hand withered (iii. 5, 34) ; how He ttirned Him about and looked round about till His eye lighted on the woman cured of the issue of blood (v. 30-32) ; how He looked up to heaven while He blessed and brake the five loaves and two small fishes (vi. 41), and before He cured the deaf and dumb man in the Decapolis (vii. 34) ; how He / "• i-4, i5j "i- 10-12, vi. 32-33); how the unclean spirits first resisted and then submitted (i. 26, 27, 34, iii. 7-12, ix. 14-27). INTRODUCTION. 29 b. Mark's narrative describes each incident with all the circum- stances that made them impressive to the bystanders, (i) He is at pains to describe the effects of Jesus' words and deeds on the minds of the crowds that thronged Him, and on that of the disciples that followed Him : — How the disciples were azved by His power over the wind and sea : " And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, Who is this," etc. (iv. 41); "And the wind ceased, and they were sore amazed in themselves" (vi. 51) : how they were amazed and astonished exceed- i7igly at His words about riches (x. 24, 26) ; how they were amazed when He walked before them going to His doom in Jerusalem (x. 32). How the crowds that gathered to hear Him were astonished 2X His teaching (i. 22, vi. 2), at His power over unclean spirits (i. 27), at His power to heal the paralytic (" they were all amazed, and glorified God,"ii. 12). (2) He records the thronging and pressing of the crowds, and the way in which they expressed their behef in His miraculous powers of healing : — How, when it was noised that He had returned to Capernaum, so many gathered together to Him that there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door (ii. 2). How as many as had plagues pressed iip07t Hi?n that they might touch Him (iii. 10) ; how the multitude came together, so that they could not so much as eat bread (iii. 20) ; how, when He was going to heal the daughter of Jairus, the multitude thronged Him (v. 31) ; how He was so pressed by the crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that He had to enter into a boat (iv. i) ; how there were so many coming and going that He had no leisure so much as to eat (vi. 31) ; how the people thronged about Him for days (viii. 2) ; how the sick folk came, and how the people brought their friends who were ill with diseases : "They brought unto Him all that were sick, and them that were possessed with devils^'' (i. 32); "And wheresoever He entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the market-places, and besought Him that they might touch if it were but the border of His garment" (vi. 56). 30 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. (3) In his desire to be vivid and graphic, Mark continually uses double words and phrases : — " The Spirit driveth Him forth into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness'^'' (i. 13); "He went out, and began io publish it much, and to spread abroad the matter'''' (i. 45); "When He had looked around with ajtger^ being grieved at the hardening of their heart " (iii. 5) ; " Who had his dwelling in the tombs . . . and always, day and night in the tombs " (v. 3-5), etc. (4) His descriptions of incidents are full of minute details, as : — " In the wilderness . . . with the wild beasts " (i. 13) ; "in the morn- ing, a great while before day'''' (i. 35) ; there being no room, '■'■no, not even about the door^^ (ii. 2) ; taking off the roof, and digging a hole in it (ii. 4) ; "began to make \^€\xv^^.y, plucking the ears of corn^^ (ii. 23) ; "taking Him, eveti as He was, into the ship" (iv. 36); "lying in the stern, 07i the cushion " (iv. 38) ; the Gadarene demoniac had rent asunder his chains, and had broken his fetters iii pieces (v. 4) j the multitude sat down, to be fed, on the greeji grass, and i?i ranks by hundreds and by fifties (vi. 39, 40) ; Christ's garments at His trans- figuration became glistering, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth ca?t whiten them (ix. 3) ; the young man who followed with Christ to Gethsemane had a linen cloth cast about him over his naked body (xiv. 51) ; Jesus took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village, and when He had spit on his eyes, and laid His hands upon him, etc. (viii. 23-25). c. Mark continually uses diminutives : — Jairus said, My little daughter (v. 23) ; damsel, a little maid (v. 41); little dogs or whelps (vii. 27) ; small fishes (viii. 7) ; a little ear (xiv. 47). d. Mark records names and particulars of number, time, and place, which are not given in the other Gospels. (i) He records 7iames^ and ^tszxih^s persoiis with minuteness : — "They entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John " (i. 29) ; " Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him" (i. 36) ; Levi the son of Alphceus sat at receipt of custom, and was called to be a disciple (ii. 14) ; " The Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians^^ (iii. 6); "The scribes which came down from INTRODUCTION. 3 1 yeriisalem " (iii. 22) ; " As He went out from Jericho, with His dis- ciples and a great multitude, the son of TzmcBus, BartuncBus^ a blind beggar, was sitting by the wayside " (x. 46) ; " He went out unto Bethany w/V/i the Twelve'''' (xi. 11) ; ''^ Peter mid James and John and Andrew asked Him privately" (xiii. 3); " The officers received Him with blows of their hands^'' (xiv. 65); "Simon of Cyrene . . . the father of Alexander aftd Rufus^^ (xv. 21) ; 6'rt/(oqergesa 33 p \ / V\<~N~^/$> .-riberia^n \J / \ / \ ( Y <^, Cana /' •Vj'^*' _ 5 \(NazarethQ>^*'^ / /f^ — ^>^'^'^,n y ] <0 VV. I^r'?^/ '^V^ara ^ \ \ ( : N.ain • )^) >j ) 3 \ \ i / ID ESC A P L 1 S \ Caesarea/o \ Vl'ScythopbHs/f 0/^ ^ V > '^"^>JiEethabara / / / J Gmea? A'iN ^ 1 ^ \\ \ <^ j i ^ \ \ -P 1 X • 1\ \ / Samaria \ »,. Jf • <\ Y Sychar,,^ /• ^.v-^^-— <^ ^^ V" / 1 I '"' (; / .' Gerasa T J ? .„£, ^a_i. -I 2 5 / LyddaOQ ^^ \ Ephraim \ J....^ H ^^Emmaus/N^ / Jerfcho' ^ y / / oAzotus ^ oi,//,/0_//'^j^-.'' ^J\ ^ / op J^'^salem Bethany A /y. ^ Bethlehem i > ^ a C / "* /oMachaerus K ^ .^ A e\ rt \^ ^mm^ ^1^ \ /I/ ■■ "■ ■■■■ ^=1 36 , INTRODUCTION. 47 2. From Nazareth to Cana— water turned to wine (John ii. i-ii). 3. From Cana to Capernaum (John ii. 12). 4. First Passover Journey to Jerusalem. (i) From Capernaum or Nazareth through Galilee to Bethshean ford, thence by Jordan valley, east side, to Jericho ford and Jerusalem (John ii, 13-iii. 21), (2) From Jerusalem to ^Enon. Jesus' disciples baptize. Troubles with disciples of John. Goes back to Galilee through Samaria. Sychar and Samaritan woman. Thence to Nazareth (John iii. 22-iv. 45). 5. Nazareth to Cana — nobleman's son cured (John iv. 46-54). 6. Second Passover Journey to Jerusalem. (i) From Nazareth by the same route as before to Jerusalem. There Jesus cm-es impotent man at Bethesda. The Pharisees seek His life. Hears of John's imprisonment (John v. 1-47). (2) Back to Nazareth by the Jordan valley as He had come (Matt. iv, 12 ; Mark i. 14 ; Luke iv. 14). ii. Year of popularity. Five preaching journeys in Galilee, see p. 73. iii. Year of opposition. I. Journeys of Flight in Galilee. (1) First journey of flight. Across Sea of Galilee. (a) From Capernaum to Plain of Butaiha. Feeding of 5000. (5) Back to Galilee, Storm. Jesus walking on water. Land at Gennesaret (Mark vi, 30-53 ; Matt. xiv. 13-34 > Luke ix. 10-17 ; John vi. 1-21). (2) Second journey of flight — coasts of Tyre and Sidon. {a) From Capernaum and Bethsaida through north-west Galilee to Phoenician border — Syro Phoenician woman, (3) Thence to Sidon, thence by Lebanon to upper springs of Jordan, down Jordan east bank to the Decapolis, on south- east shore of Sea of Galilee feeds 4000, back to Galilee to coast of Dalmanutha or Magadan (Mark vii. 24-viii. 10 ; Matt. XV. 21-39), (3) Third journey of flight— Caesarea Philippi. {a) Across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida JuHas. Blind man healed, (C A P L I S -^ i 1 Caesarea/o V V:''Scythopblis;? y/s < V ^ ■* ^o>-j/Bethabara / 1 J Ginea? 'l." T- N ^ 1 / ^ \\ \ <^ 1 ^ 1 ^ V\ \ -^ 1 X 1 j\ V j Samaria \ >. J! • i-\ SycHarC^ / ^U-.^-^'^^ ..^ 1 1 / ^ \J : Gerasa T joppa^o -^ ^Arimathea (: • "7. D" I Lydda q ^Emmaus/'N^ / Jerfcho— - ^ y / oAzotus ^ oMt of Olives..' "\ > 3 Jerusalem" 'Bethany j\ : Bethlehem i } ^ a c,'' / * /o Machaerus T ^ ^ A ^ .^ . _^6 - J INTRODUCTION. 49 2. Journeys to Jerusalem. (i) Journey to Feast of Tabernacles. Secretly by unfrequented and now unknown route — return to Galilee (John vii. 2-x. 21). (2) Last journey to Jerusalem. {a) From Capernaum to Samaritan village (Ginnea) — repulsed, so to an unknown village probably within the Galilean border — there stays to send out the seventy — thence to Perea by Bethabara and Bethshean ford (Luke ix. 51-x. 24). (5) Through Perea slowly — preaching, discussing with Pharisees, working miracles (Mark x. 1-31 ; Luke xi, i-xiii. 35). {c) From Perea by Jericho ford, and by Jericho (parable of good Samaritan) to Bethany and Jerusalem — The Feast of Dedi- cation (Luke X. 25-42 ; John x. 22-38). 3, Journeys of Flight from Jerusalem. (i) First flight from Jerusalem — to Perea. {a) Jews attempt to stone jesus — He retires to Bethany beyond Jordan in the Perea — miracles and various parables (Luke xiv. i-xvii. 10 ; John x. 39-42). {d) Message sent that Lazarus is ill — after delay Jesus goes back to Bethany — raises Lazarus (John xi. 1-46). (2) Second flight from Jerusalem — to Ephraim. {a) Sanhedrin resolves to kill Jesus — He goes to Ephraim and stays till the Passover approaches (John xi. 47-55). {d) From Ephraim across to Jordan valley — joins stream of pilgrims on west side of Jordan — through Jericho (blind Bartimaeus) to Bethany, where our Lord resided during the Passion week (Mark x. 31-52 and xiv. i-ii ; Matt. xx. 17-34 ; Luke xviii. 3i-xix. 28), The Political State of Palestine during our Lord's Ministry. When our Lord was born, Herod the Great ruled over Palestine ; by energy, subtlety, and murder he had built his empire on the ruins of the princely house of the Maccabees or Asmoneans. A glance at the map of Palestine shows traces of the long centuries of suffering and servitude which the Jews had passed through since the captivity. Ptolemais, Neapolis, Scythopolis, and Seleucia are Greek names; Tiberias, Caesarea PhiUppi, Bethsaida Julias, are Roman. 5© THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. They preserve the history of successive conquests. The Persian dominion, beginning during the captivity, lasted till 333 B.C. Then Alexander the Great added Syria and Palestine to his conquests, and at his death the Greek dynasty ot Antioch strove with the Greek dynasty of Alexandria to absorb the Holy Land under their rule. When Jewish sufferings were at their height, a family of deliverers, the Asmoneans, sprung not from the priest - nobles but from the people, arose. One of them, the great Judas, smote the Greeks as the Frankish chieftain Charles smote the Moors, and grateful peoples bestowed on both leaders the same title — the Hammer: Charles Martel, the Hammer of the Moors ; Judas Maccabeus, the Hammer of the heathen Greeks. In the year 69 B.C. the Maccabean family, who for nearly a century had ruled as priest-kings in Jerusalem, were represented by two brothers — Aristobulus the younger, round whom gathered the old priestly aristocratic families now known as Sadducees; and John Hyrcanus, who was supported by the Pharisees, or leaders of the people. The presence of Pompey the Great in the East suggested an appeal to Rome. Pompey decided in favour of Hyrcanus ; Aristo- bulus appealed to arms. After a short, fierce struggle, the Romans conquered the land, and their dominion as over-lords began. The succeeding forty years were crowded with great events. Pompey gave his judgment between the Maccabean brothers in the year when Cicero was consul, when Catiline conspired, when Augustus was born. Then followed the wars of factions, the struggle between Pompey and Caesar, the triumph of Julius Caesar, his assassination, the flight of the conspirators, their defeat at Philippi, the triumvirate of Antony, Lepidus and Augustus, and at length the triumph of Augustus, and the establishment of the empire. These troubled waters were watched by a family of unscrupulous fishers ; these great events served to raise an obscure Arab family to the throne of Palestine. Antipater, an Idumean, who had gained the confidence of Hyrcanus, also gained the support of Pompey, and became the real ruler of Palestine. His son was the Herod who reigned when our Lord was born, who saw the wise men, and who slew the infants INTRODUCTION. ^I of Bethlehem. He was from earliest manhood a bold and skilful general, a splendid horseman, a master of craft, and cruel without remorse. From the first he set himself to win the throne of Palestine by submission to Rome. When Julius Caesar was slain, he purchased the friendship of his murderers. When the conspirators were defeated at Philippi, he won over Antony to his side. When the young Octavius became Augustus, he conciliated the new ruler. In spite of all difficulties, and hoping to gild future usurpation by legal claims, he married Mariamne, the grand- daughter of John Hyrcanus, destined to be the last of the Maccabees, and, in the age which produced Cleopatra, perhaps the most beautiful woman of her time. Herod ruthlessly put down the patriotic freebooters of Galilee; he was slavishly subservient to Rome, and introduced Roman customs hateful to the Jews ; and he degraded the high-priesthood by appointing to the office creatures of his own, who would make it subservient to his political ends. But he strove to reconcile the Jews to his rule by giving the land peace and some measure of material prosperity, by gaining permission for the free exercise of their religion, and by building them a gorgeous temple, more costly than Solomon's. To this end he ruled by Roman force, despised by the Romans who supported him, loathed by the people he governed, endeavouring to free himself from Jewish hatred by humane govern- ment, then madly plunging into some cruel massacre when his suspicious nature was roused. At Herod's death the old disturbances broke out afresh. His sons^ quarrelled for the kingdom, which was in a state of open insurrection. The revolt was put down in ruthless Roman fashion, but broke out again and again. At the Passover, a cohort was stoned by the excited people ; the soldiers turned on the mob and slew 3000 of them within the gates of the temple. Meanwhile the sons of Herod went to Rome to plead their claims before Augustus. Augustus resolved to divide the kingdom. Archelaus, who repro- duced the worst sides of his father's character, was invested with Judea and Samaria ; Philip, who inherited his nobler qualities, got 1 See pp. 58, 59. 52 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. Gaulonitis ; Herod Antipas, " that fox," a meaner edition of his father, received Galilee and the Perea. While these disputes were raging, our Lord, with Joseph and Mary, was safe in Egypt. Archelaus proved a cruel and incapable ruler, and partial revolts and continual complaints to Rome marked his reign. Joseph and Mary were not alone among Jewish families in seeking refuge from the tyranny of Archelaus within the dominions of Herod Antipas. At last the patience of Augustus was wearied out ; and when our Lord was still a child, not eleven years old, a Roman procurator was appointed over Judea, and the Jews had no king but Csesar. They had often before asked for this. They had told Pompey that their government was a theocracy, and brooked no king ; and at last Rome took them at their word, and set a Roman governor over them. At first they thought they had gained more freedom ; but they were soon undeceived. The first decree ordained a new valuation of land, for the purpose of imposing heavy taxation. Judas the Galilean, and Zadok the Pharisee, raised the standard of revolt, with the watch- word, " It is not lawful to pay tribute to C^sar." Again the Romans put down the national uprising, and this time with more than usual severity. The streets of Jerusalem and the temple ran with blood ; and in the end Judas, with the last thousand of his followers, fell on their own swords at Masada, and died free men. Thus Judea and Samaria became incorporated in the Roman Empire. At first the severity of the Roman government did not make itself apparent. It was the policy of Augustus to spare the provinces, and respect the religious beliefs of the conquered peoples. He permitted no acts of tyranny, and changed in quick succession the Roman governors. The religious susceptibilities of the people were respected, save only that two daily sacrifices were offered for the emperor and the Roman people at the cost of the Jewish nation. Augustus died 14 A.D., and Tiberius succeeded him. Then the government gradually changed. His procurator, Valerius Grata?, changed the high priests at pleasure, until he found a pliant tool in the Sadducee Joseph, called Caiaphas ; and otherwise interfered with the religious observances. The rule of Pontius Pilate was still more INTRODUCTION. 53 severe. The Roman cohorts marched through Jerusalem, with the standard surmounted with the image of the emperor, the god of the regiment. The temple was defiled with Roman money and Roman arms. Revolts began. Galileans were slain in Jerusalem, their blood mingling with their sacrifices. Religious agitations were put down with bloodthirsty promptness. Patriotic freebooters again strove to maintain themselves in the country. But, on the whole, while revolt was put down, the Jewish state was not very harshly treated. The feasts were celebrated ; they were ever honoured by the custom of pardoning a criminal, whom the people would. Galilee and the Perea became a separate province, governed by Herod Antipas, as his father had governed Palestine; Philip exercised a similar but milder rule over Gaulonitis ; Judea and Samaria was a Roman province ruled by a governor, who lived usually in the Roman town of Csesarea. The political condition of the country sheds light on much of our Lord's history. The Romans were accustomed to interfere little with the national customs or laws of the conquered peoples. Hence in Judea, which was directly under Roman rule, the national system of government through the Sanhedrin remained in power, only checked at certain well-defined points by Roman control ; while in Galilee and Gaulonitis, native princes were practically unfettered in their government so long as their subjects were quiet, and the tribute was paid. The Sanhedrin were able to persecute Jesus in Judea, and Herod had power to slay Him in Galilee. Before His hour was come, He was able to escape from Herod by crossing the lake to the territories of Philip ; He was able to elude the Sanhedrin by crossing the Jordan to the Perea.^ The Religious Condition of Palestine during our Lord's Ministry. The old religions of the pagan world had lost most of their power in the age in which our Lord appeared. Scepticism, mingled with 1 See pp. 37, 38, 47, 49, 129. 54 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. gross superstition, abounded throughout the Roman Empire. The pagan world was corrupt to the core. In Palestine itself religion had become a profitable profession, a fanatical patriotism, or a dreamy mysticism. The great religious parties were the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. (The last-named are not mentioned in the Gospels.) The distinction between Pharisee and Sadducee had grown out of national differences dating from the time of the Captivity, partly social and partly rehgious. The Jews who returned to Palestine after the Captivity were not in the position of an independent nation. They were the subjects of Persian and then of Greek domination, and the influence exercised by these ruling nationalities was more than political. It affected the thoughts and feelings of large portions of the people. It is almost a commonplace in history, that when a nation is in the position that the Jews were, the native ruling classes are more amenable to foreign influence than the mass of the people, and that patriotic leaders are seldom found among an aristocracy. The Sadducees were nothing more than the Jewish, or rather the sacerdotal, aristocracy ; for the priest-nobles were the only aristo- cracy left to the people. In time of foreign domination, their aim was selfishly to maintain their places of power, and their right to divide among themselves the temple dues, the great source of wealth in Palestine. In time of independence the primary idea of this aristocracy of priests, nobles, and men of wealth — for the three words were in this case synonymous — was conservatism. They aimed at preserving the temple service and the written regulations of the law of Moses. They did so in the spirit of a professional aristocracy, and not with the enthusiasm of religious leaders. In times of national adversity they had witnessed, unmoved, national degradation, and retained their posts and emoluments ; in times of comparative prosperity they seemed to teach a cold Epicureanism, which limited man's existence to this present life, and denied a resurrection and a future retribution. As a natural consequence, notwithstanding their offices and dignity, they were not the leaders of Israel. During the Captivity INTRODUCTION. 55 the Jews, transformed into a nation of Puritans, had learned to stake their national existence on the strict observance of that ceremonial law which separated them from the heathen. After the return, when the priestly aristocracy were complaisant to innovations ordered by their heathen rulers, the people clung more strictly to the ideas of ceremonial separation. If the priestly aristocracy could degrade the temple service, the ceremonial law was wider than that service, and guarded carefully the personal ceremonial purity of each individual Jew. The people found in the instructions of the synagogue, which in times of national calamity and priestly subservience to foreign domination became the dissenting chapel of Judaism, a means of maintaining this separate national existence which carried with it hopes of a glorious future for the people of God. The Pharisees, Separatists, or Puritans had been the leaders of the people in those darker days of Persian and Greek rule, and when Roman domination came they were the unwavering champions of the ceremonial separa- tion, which was an invisible but invincible defence of the separate national existence of the Jewish people. The Romans found it impossible to deal with the Jews as they had dealt with other nations. The separative ceremonial law, partly Mosaic, but in larger part consisting of deductions from and additions to the Mosaic code, lay between them and the conquered people — a barrier they could not pass. They had succeeded in making Gauls, Britons, Iberians, Greeks, feel themselves to be Roman citizens, but they could never plant the same cosmopolitan feelings in the heart of the Jews. The small nation was thoroughly unmanageable, for the ceremonial wall of separation fortified them against all insidious attacks tending to destroy their separate national existence, and the Pharisees were the leaders of the people in this resistance. It is easy to see how the gospel with its heart religion found in Sadducees and Pharisees alike its deadly enemies ; but it is also plain that a large-hearted Pharisee, like Saul of Tarsus, might come to beheve that this gospel, after all, gave him the fulfilment of his religious aspirations. The Sadducean priest - nobles saw in the preaching of Jesus a plebeian revolt to be crushed ; the Pharisees 56 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. saw in it an overthrow of that ceremonial system which the noblest of them believed to be the present safeguard and the future hope of the chosen people. Still the Pharisee did not live only for the present ; he cherished the hope of a future for his people, and the time came when numbers of the Pharisees were among those who believed and learned to see in the crucified Jesus the Redeemer of Israel and of mankind. INTRODUCTION. 57 NOTE I. Mi?w\cLEs AND Parables recorded by Mark. Miracles. 1. The demoniac at Capernaum, 2. Peter's wife's mother, , , 3. The leper, 4. The paralytic, .... 5. Man with withered hand, 6. Stilling of the storm, 7. The Gergesene demoniac, , , 8. Daughter of Jairus, 9. The woman with the issue of blood, 10. Feeding five thousand, . 11. Walking on the lake, 12. Daughter of the Syrophoenician woman 13. The deafand dumb man, 1 . 14. Feeding four thousand, . 15. The blind man at Bethsaida,^ . 16. The lunatic boy, .... 17. Blind Bartimaeus, .... 18. The withering of the fruitless fig-tree. i. 23-28. i. 30. 3i« i. 40-45. ii. 3-12. iii. 1-5. iv. 35-41. V. 1-20. V. 21-43. V. 25-34. vi. 30-44. vi. 45-52. vii. 24-30. vii. 31-37- viii. 1-9. viii. 22-26. ix. 17-20. X. 46-52. xi. 12-14. Parables. 1. The new cloth and the old garment, 2. The new wine and the old wine-skins, 3. The kingdom divided against itself, 4. The sower, . , . . 5. The seed,i .... 6. The mustard seed, 7. The wicked husbandmen, 1 Only found in Mark. 11. 21. ii. 22. iii. 23-27. iv. 3-8. iv, 26-29. iv. 30-32. xii. i-ii. S8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. NOTE GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF Antipas, an Idumean chief, made governor of Idumea under Antipater, at first confidential adviser of John Hyrcanus, I I Phasael, Joint tetrarch with Herod of Judea, 41 B.C. II. Doris. Antipater murdered by his father, B.C. 2. Herod, king of Chalcis, ^. 48A.D. He married — (i) Mariamne. I Aristobulus, who married Salome, daughter of Hero- dias. (2) Bemice, his niece, the daughter of Herod Agrippa 1. Mariamne, grand-daughter of John Hyrcanus, and therefore a Macca- bean or Asmonean Jewish princess. Aristobulus, murdered by his father, 3 B.C. He married his cousin Bemice, daughter of Salome, his father's sister. \ I 1 Herod AgriJ>J>a I. gathered Herodias together gradually most of the lands held by Herod the Great. He succeeded his uncle, Herod Philip II., in the tetrarchy of Iturea and Trachonitis, in 37 a.d. ; his uncle, Herod Anti- pas, in the tetrarchy of Galilee and the Perea in 40 A.D. ; and gained Judea and Samaria in 41 A.D. He married Cyprus, grand-daughter of Phasael, brother of Herod the Great. He was a persecutor, and died eaten up of worms, 44 A.D. [Called in N. T. Herod the king (Acts xii. i), and Herod (Acts xii. 6, II, 19, 20-23).] Mariamne, daughter of Simon the high priest. Herod Philip I. had no public office. He married Herodias.his niece, the daughter of his brother Aristobu- lus, who deserted him for Herod Antipas. [Called in N. T. PMlip(Matt.xiv. 3; Mark vi. 17 ; Luke iii. 19).] Salome, who danced before Herod Anti- pas. She married (i) Herod Philip II. the tetrarch ; (2) Aris- tobulus, king of Chalcis. [Called in N. T. the daughter of Hero- dias (Matt. xiv. 6 ; Mark vi. 22).] Agrippa II., king of Chalcis, 48-53 a.d., tetrarch of Trachonitis, 53-100 a.d. He died in loo a.d., the last of the Herods, and as the descendant of Mariamne the last of the Maccabees. [Called in N. T. King Agrippa (Acts XXV. 13, 24, xxvi. 2, 7, 19, 27) ; Agrippa (Acts XXV. 23, xxvi. I, 28, 32) ; the king (Acts xxvi. 26, 30).] Bemice married Herod, king of Chalcis. At his death she came to live with her brother. [Acts xxv. 13, 23, xxvi. 30.] 1 This table contains only the principal members of the Herod family. The names men- INTRODUCTION. 59 I I. THE HEROD FAMILY.i Jannaeus, and confidential adviser of Queen Alexandra. then made procurator of Judea by Julius Caesar, 47 b,c. Herod the Great, , Joint tetrarch of Judea, 41 B.C. ; sole king, 36 B.C. ; died February or March, i B.C. .[Called in the New Testament Herod the kins: (Matt. ii. i, 3 ; Luke i. 5) ; He') od (Matt. ii. 7, 12, 13, 16, 19, 22) ; the kins: (Matt. ii. 9).] He married ten wives, among whom were — Malthake, a Samaritan. I I Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and the Perea. He married — (i) the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia ; (2) Herodias, the divorced wife of his brother Herod Philip I., and his own niece. He was deposed and banished 40 a.d. [Called in N, T. Herod the tetrarch (Matt. xiv. I ; Luke iii. i, 19, ix, 7 ; Acts xiii. i) ; Herod (Matt. xiv. 3.6; Mark Vi. 16-22 ; Luke iii. 19, viii. 3, ix. 9, xxiii. 7, 8, 11, 12, 15; Acts iv. 27) ; the king (Matt, xiv. 9 ; Mark vi. 22, 25-27) ; King Herod (Mark vi. 14).] Archelaus, ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. De- posed and banished 8-9A.D. [Matt. ii. 22]. Cleopatra of Jerusalem. Herod Philip II., tetrarch of Iturea and Trach- onitis or Gaulonitis. He built Caesarea Phi- lippi (Matt. xvi. 13 ; Mark viii. 27) and Bethsaida Julias. He married Salome, who was at once his niece and his grand-niece, the daughter of his brother Herod Philip I., and of Herodias his niece. [Called in N. T. Philip, tetrarch of Iturea^ Luke iii. i.] Drusilla (Acts xxiv. 24) married (i) Azizus, king of Eme=;a ; (2) Felix, procurator of Judea (Acts xxiii. 26, xxiv. 3, 22, 24, 27). Agrippa, d. 79 A.D. tioned in the New Testament are in italics ; those mentioned in Mark's Gospel, in black lettera, 6o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK, NOTE III. Incidents and Circumstances recorded by Mark only. John the Baptist's statement that he was not worthy to stoop down ze/i?^-^) the high priest, Jesus looked on the scribes with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart, ....... The Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians, and — . Jesus in consequence withdrew from the synagogue to the seaside. People came from Idumea to hear Jesus, .... The people so pressed on Jesus that He and the disciples could not so much as eat bread, ...... It was scribes which came down from Jerusalem who said that Jesus was inspired by Beelzebub, ..... Jesus warned the Pharisees of the sin against the Holy Ghost, because they said, He hath an unclean spirit, . Jesus looJied roufzd on those who sat in a circle arozind Him, when He said. Behold my mother and my brethren, Jesus, when His disciples asked the meaning of the parable of the Sower, said, How then will ye know all parables ? . . The parable of the Seed, . ..... Jesus crossed the lake whe?i eveji was come. The disciples took Jesus across the lake even as He was. While crossing, He fell asleep on the steers^nan's cushio7i in the stern The disciples in the storm said, Carest Thou not that we perish f The Gerasene Demoniac cut himself with stones, 1. 7 1. 12, 13 i. 20 1. 29 1. 33 i. 35 i. 36 i. 45 ii. I ii. 2 ii. 3 ii. 4 ii. 14 ii. 23 ii. 26 iii. 5 iii. 6 i. 7 iii. 8 iii. 30 iii. 34 iv. 13 iv. 26-29 iv. 35 iv. 36 iv. 38 iv. 38 V 5 V. 30 V. 41 vi. 2 vi. 3 vi. 13 vi. 21 INTRODUCTION. 6 1 Tlie Demoniac addressed Christ in the formula of exorcism, / adjure thee, . . . . . . . . . V, 7 The number of swine destroyed was al>out two thousand, . . v. 13 The man out of whom Legion had been cast preached in the Decapolis, . . . . . . . . v. 20 Jesus turned Him about in the crowd when the woman with the issue touched Him, .... Jesus said Talitha cumi to Jairus' daughter, Jesus taught in Nazareth oji the Sabbath day, The people called Him the carpenter. The disciples anointed the sick with oil, . Herod's guests were his lords, high captains, and chief estates, . Salome went out of the room to her mother Herodias to be told what she should ask from Herod, . . . . . . . vi. 24 Jesus asked the disciples to come to a desert place to rest awhile, because there were so many coining and going that there was not leisure even to eat, . . . . . . . vi. 31 The five thousand men sat down on the green grass, . . . vi. 39 And in ranks by hundreds a7id by fifties, . . . . vi. 40 The disciples were amazed at the stilling of the storm ; /or they had not understood concerning the miracle of the loaves. The people laid the sick in the streets to be cured by Jesus, Corban, ....... Purging all meats, ..... Jesus had entered into a hotcse when the Syrophoenician woman came to Him, ......... vii. 24 When the woman went home, she found her daughter laid upon the bed, Jesus returned to Galilee through Sidon and then by the Decapolis, The miracle of the deaf and dumb in the Decapolis, Jesus ca.me to the parts of Daltnanutha, .... The disciples had taken only one loaf in the boat, Jeszis three questions in the boat about the spiritual dulness of the disciples, ....... viii. 17, 18 The miracle of the blind man at Bethsaida Julias, . . viii. 22-26 Jesus openly predicted His Passion on the road to Csesarea Philippi, . viii. 32 When He rebuked Peter, He looked on all the disciples, . . . viii. 33 At the Transfiguration, Jesus' garments were white as no fuller on earth can white them, . . . . . . . ix. 3 The scribes were disputing with the disciples at the foot of the mount, the crowd ran to greet Jesus, and when they saw Him were amazed, . . . . . . . . ix. 15 The demoniac boy was dumb, he gnashed his teeth, he pined axvay, he fell down and rolled about foaming, . . . . . ix. 17, 18 Jesus questioned the father about the case, . . . . . ix. 21 The father s cry for faith, . . . . . . . ix. 24 vi. 52 vi. 56 vii. II vii. 19 VI 1. 30 vii. 31 ii. 32- -37 viii. 10 viii. 14 62 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. The boy fell as dead, and the cry of the people that he was dead, , , ix. 26 Jesus' question about the disciples disputing, . . . . ix. 33 Jesus sat down aitd called the Twelve to Him, . . . . ix. 35 Jesus took the little child in His arms, and spoke to His disciples, . ix. 36 Jesus took the childi-en in His arms to bless them, . . . x. 16 Jesus was much displeased with the disciples rebuking the mothers, . x. 14 The rich young ruler came rumiing and knelt, . . . . x. 17 Among the commandments Jesus places, Defraud ?iot, . . . x. 19 Jesus, beholding the young ruler, loved him, and told him to take up his cross, . . . . . . . , . x. 21 When he had gone, Jesus looked round about on His disciples, . . x. 23 The disciples shall receive an hundredfold, but with persecutions, . x. 30 Leaving Ephraim, Jesiis went on walking before His disciples^ . , x. 32 The blind man at Jericho was Bartimceus the son of Timcsus, . . x. 46 The words of comfort by the crowd, and the leaping up of the blind man, , . . . . . . , . x. 49, 50 The details of the account of getting the colt for the triumphal etitry, . xi. 4 The Hosanna/c?r the kingdom, . . . . , , xi. 10 Jesus saw the fruitless fig-tree afar off, . . . . . xi, 13 Jesus would not suffer any 7na7i to carry vessels through the temple courts, . ........ xi. 16 The chief priests and scribes /^a/ra^ Jesus, . . , . xi. 18 Every evefiing Jesus returned to Bethany with the Twelve, . . xi. 19 Jesus kept walking as well as teaching in the temple, . . . xi. 27 The admirifig respo?ise of the scribe who asked the question about the greatest commandment, ..... xii. 32-34 Jesus in the temple court sat over against the treasury, . . . xii. 41 On the mount of Olives, Jesus sat over agai?ist the temple, . . xiii. 3 The disciples Peter, Jaines, John, aiid Andrew asked an explanation, . xiii. 3 Mary at Bethany broke the alabaster box, .... xiv. 3 Ye have the poor with you always, whensoever ye will ye may do them good, ......... xiv. 7 Abba, Father, ........ xiv. 36 The narrative of the young man with the linen cloth, . . xiv. 51, 52 The officers of the chief priests received Jesus with blows of their hands, ......... xiv. 65 SvmonlhQ CyTeT\\3i-n.\wa.s father of Alexander and Rtf us, . . xv. 21 Jesus was crucified at the third hour, . . . . . x-v. 25 The centurion who had charge of the crucifixion stood over against Jesus, . . . . . . . . . XV. 39 Salome was present at the crucifixion, . . . . . xv. 40 The preparation was the day before the Sabbath, . . . , xv. 42 Pilate marvelled that Jesus had died so soon, and questioned the centurion, ....... xv. 44 Salome went to the sepulchre, ,.,.,. xvi. i INTRODUCTION. 63 NOTE IV. Quotations from the Old Testament found in Mark. Behold, I send My messenger, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, . Seeing ye may see, and not perceive, This people honoureth Me with their lips, Honour thy father and mother, Whoso curseth father or mother, . Where their worm dieth not, God made them male and female, They twain shall be one ilesh, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Hosanna ! Blessed is He that cometh, My house shall be called . . . house of prayer, Ye have made it a den of thieves, The stone which the builders rejected, If a man's brother die and leave, . I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, etc., The Lord our God is one Lord, . Thou Shalt love the Lord thy God, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, . The Lord said to my Lord, Sit Thou on, I will smite the Shepherd, He was numbered with the transgressors, My God ! My God I why hast Thou forsaken Me ? i. 2 — Mai. iii. i i. 3 — Isa. xl. 3 iv. 12 — Isa, vi. 9, TO vii, 6, 7 — Isa. xxix. 13 vii, 10 — Ex. XX. 12 vii. 10 — Ex. xxi. 17 ix. 44 — Isa. Ixvi. 23 x. 6 — Gen. i, 27 x. 7, 8 — Gen. ii. 24 X. 19 — Ex. XX. 13, 14 xi. 9 — Ps. cxviii. 26 xi. 17 — Isa. Ivi. 7 xi. 17— Jer. vii. 11 i. 10, II — Ps. cxviii. 22 xii. 19 — Deut. xxv. 5 xii. 26 — Ex. iii. 6 xii. 29 — Deut. vi. 4 xii. 30 — Deut. vi. 5 xii. 31 — Lev. xix. 18 xii. 36 — Ps. ex. I xiv. 27 — Zech. xiii. 7 XV. 28 — Isa. liii. 12 XV. 34 — Ps. xxii. X THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. Chap. I. i 'T^HE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the i- 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.^ 1 Isaiah the prophet ^ omit before thee I. — The Preparation and Year of Quiet Work in Judea AND Galilee, I. 1-13. I. — JOHN the baptist THE FORERUNNER, i. 1-8 : Matt. iii. I-I2 \ Luke iii. 1-20; John i. 19-28. 1. The first verse is the title of the book. The beginning. Mark omits the genealogies and the gospel of the infancy, and begins with the work of John the forerunner. See Introduction, p. 26. Gospel of Jesus Christ. The glad tidings or good news which tell the words and works of the Saviour. Jesus, Saviour (Matt. i. 21), and Christ, Messiah ox Anointed. Compare Introduction, p. ii. Son of God. Man needs a Divine Saviour, and Jesus is Son of God as well as " Son of man " and " Son of David " (Matt. i. l). Mark's Gospel is singularly full of the deeds of Jesus the Saviour. If the Gospel of Mark be in a special sense the Gospel of Peter (Introduc- tion, p. 15), it is interesting to notice how the statement of the divinity of our Lord, which formed the co7ifessio7t of Peter (Matt. xvi. 16), is put in the very forefront of its teaching, in the title of the book. 2. The better reading seems to be in Isaiah the prophet. The quotation is from Isa. xl. 3 : The voice of him that crieth hi the wilderness., Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. There may also be a reference to Mai. iii. i and iv. 5, 6. With one doubtful exception (xv. 28), this is the only quotation made by Mark himself from Old Testament prophecy. See Introduction, p. 34, where the fewness of £ 66 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l. 3. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye ^ the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in ^ the wilderness, and preach the baptism 5 of repentance for^ the remission of sins. And there wxnt out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all ^ baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing 1 Make ye ready 2 John came, who baptized ^ unto 4 and they were baptized such references is shown to be one of the reasons for supposing that Mark wrote his Gospel for Gentile Christians. 3. Prepare ye. Make ye ready, as if the Baptist listening heard the voice of Old Testament prophecy sounding down the ages, and called the people to hear and obey. God begins and ends the work of grace in the heart ; but there must be a response from man, a making ready on man's part. The imagery in John's message would be quite familiar to an Eastern audience. Previous to a journey of king or sultan, a proclamation is issued, and literally, stones are gathered out of the ways, crooked parts of the road are made straight, and rough places plain. Josephus, when describing a march of Vespasian, says that with the vanguard were ' ' such as were to make the road even and straight, and if it were anywhere rough and hard to be passed over, to plane it, and to cut down the woods that liindered their march, that the army might not be tired." There was also a legend among the Jews that the Pillar of Fire and Cloud levelled the hills, and filled up the valleys before the march of the children of Israel through the desert. John prepared the way for Jesus by telling the people of their sins, and bringing conviction home to their hearts. 4. The wilderness, i.e. the great Jewish desert, which included the whole eastern portion of the tribe of Judah. It was the sloping down of the lime- stone mountain range of Central Palestine into the deep valley of the Jordan. This mountain highland is rugged and dreary beyond description ; full of bare rocks, rich in hollows, in which David of old hid himself from Saul ; full of sandy plains, with scarce a village or even farm-house. John did not continue always in the same place. The principal stations mentioned in the New Testament were near the Jericho ford, near the Beth- shean ford, and in a secluded valley not far from Jerusalem. Compare p. 44. Baptism of repentance. The first word of John's ministry was Repent ; his baptism was for those who had repented, and foretold the purification of mind and heart which comes from the washing away our sins in the blood of Christ. " If the great way-maker do not cast down hills, and raise up valleys, in the bosoms of men, there is no passage for Christ. Never will Christ come into that soul, where the herald of repentance hath not been before Him." 5. All the land. Matthew (iii. 5) says : Thejt went out to him Jerusalem^ and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan. Sadducees and Pharisees, "the people," publicans and soldiers, are mentioned among the crowds who gathered to hear his preaching (Luke iii. 10-14). Josephus, who tells us a good deal about the Baptist's ministry, makes it plain that he I. 8.] THE FORERUNNER. 67 6 their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin^ about his loins; and he did eat 7 locusts and wild honey; and preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me,^ the latchet of whose shoes I 8 am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you ^ with water : but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. 1 leathern girdle 2 There cometh after me he that is mightier than I 3 baptized attracted a great deal of attention not merely from the common people, but from the religious and political leaders of the nation. He says : "John Mas a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism." 6. Was clothed. The Baptist's clothing was like Elijah's (2 Kings i. 8) ; a coarse kind of sackcloth made out of the strongest hairs of the camel. His girdle, commonly in the East a rich sash of silk or cotton embroidered with silver or gold, was of untanned leather like those worn by the labourers or the Bedouin of the present day. HisT^^^ was of the plainest, — locusts, which the poorer people of the district still eat, and honey, which the wild bees store in the crevices of the limestone rocks (Dr. Tristram, The Land 0/ Israel, p. 88). His message, says Dr. Maclear, was (i) that the members of the elect nation were ^//morally unclean, and that a// needed moral and spiritual regeneration ; (2) that One mightier than he was coming ; (3) that He would baptize with the Holy Ghost. It was a gospel sermon, preaching sorrow for sin, pardon, and Christ. 7. Latchet was the thong fastening the sandal to the foot ; our i\\0Q-lace. The sandals of great persons were fastened and untied by their inferior slaves. "John, great prophet as he was, with influence sufficient to make even Herod tremble for his throne, is unworthy to be the meanest slave of the Stronger One — the Son of God" (Carr). Every preacher should be, like John, a messenger who proclaims the coming of the Lord ; and he will do this best when he sinks his own personality, and exhibits Jesus only. "For I determined," said Paul, "not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (i Cor. ii. 2). 8. With water . . . with the Holy Ghost, lit. in zvater . . . in the Holy Ghost. The preposition in Hellenistic Greek may mean — (i) the instrument, or (2) the surrounding influence or element in which an act takes place. Hence with the Holy Ghost may mean by means of, through the instrumentality of, the Holy Ghost, or surrounded by, and influenced by, the Holy Ghost. Westcott and Hort omit the article from the text, but this omission does not alter the sense. John's contrast of himself with Jesus, implies that Jesus could search the heart in a way that His forerunner could not do ; He could penetrate within, beyond the sphere of the material, external life, to the heart and the spirit ; He could act on the spirit with His Spirit ; He gould bestow on man that heavenly influence needed to purify the heart and the life. This baptism of the Spirit, predicted by John, had been foretold by earlier prophets, by Isa. xliv. 3, and by Joel ii. 28. The prediction was fulfilled in a visible ,68 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l, 9. 9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from fashion at Pentecost (Acts i. 5, ii. 3), and in the later outpourings after baptism (Acts xi. 15, 16). It is continually being fulfilled without external visible manifestations in all Christians when they experience that peace in believing, and learn to live that life of new obedience which are among the gifts of the Holy Spirit. " The Baptist started from the Messianic hope as the one thing remaining to the nation promising a better future ; but he perceived what had to be immediately done in connection with it, according to the requirements of the true religion, and he was the first man consistent and daring enough actually to do it. . . . Every individual had to prepare himself for the true kingdom, and as a regenerate man, receptive simply for everything that is pure and good, — as a man who will not start back from the Highest One should He come, — look for the mysterious but certain coming of the Lord. . . . The submersion in the depth of the flowing water by the hand of the Baptist became the most effective, visible, and sensible symbol of the moral purifica- tion of this generation . . . and this deep submersion, by the hand of a con- fessor, with this strict confession of sin, this vow and this absolution, of which it was meant to be the symbol, and this whole preparation for the Messiah, was something which had never before existed, and was the most striking sign of that mighty change of mind which was now about to be wrought in Israel more fully than before" (Ewald). II. — OUR lord's journey to judea to be baptized, i. 9-11; Matt. iii. 13-17; Luke iii. 21, 22; John i. 29-42. 9. In those days, i.e. when John was baptizing, our Lord being then thirty years of age (Luke iii. 23), the time at which the Levite entered on "the service of the ministry." It was about May or June a.d. 29, according to Bosanquet ; about January A.D. 27, according to Andrews. It is somewhat difficult to fix the dates of the principal events in the life of our Lord ; but the researches of Bosanquet and Lauth, published in the Transactions of tht Society of Biblical Archceology, are now almost universally accepted. These in- vestigations have fixed, almost beyond a doubt, the year 3 before the Christian era as the date of the Nativity. The data on which the computation is founded are — (i) the first rule of Quirinus (Cyrenius) in Syria (Luke ii. 2) ; (2) the accession of Tiberius, A.D. 14; (3) the Paschal full moon at the time of the crucifixion, probably A.D. 33 ; (4) the reign of Herod, which began in B.C. 36, and ended in B.C. I. Founding on all these, Mr. J. W. Bosanquet has arranged the following chronological table of our Lord's life : — Birth of Jesus in autumn, . . . B.C. 3 Jesus one year old in autumn, . . B.C. 2 Jesus two years old in autumn, . B.C. i Death of Herod in February or March, Soon after the lunar eclipse, loth January, Jesus three years old in autumn, . a.d. i Jesus ten years old in autumn, . .a.d. 8 Jesus thirty years old in autumn, . a.d. 28 Jesus thirty-one years old in autumn, a.d. 29 " Now, in \ki^ fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Ccesar . . . the word of God came unto John, the son of Zecharias, in the wilderness. ... And The fifteenth year of Tiberius ended in August, . . . . . a.d. 29 Jesus thirty - two years old in autumn, A.D. 30 Jesus thirty -three years old in autumn, A.D. 31 Jesus thirty - four years old in autumn, A.D. 32 Jesus rti^d??^/ thirty-four in April, . a.d. 33 I. 10.] THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. 69 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 Uke a dove descending upon 1 rent asunder Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age on beginning (His work)," Luke iii. I, 23. The fifteenth year of Tiberius ended in August a.d. 29, and Jesus was about thirty years of age between autumn A.D. 28 and autumn A.D. 29. From this Mr. Bosanquet concludes that — The baptism of Jesus took place in May or June, a.d. 29 First Passover — spring (April), . a.d. 30 Second Passover — spring, . .a.d. 31 Third Passover — spring, . . a.d. 32 The crucifixion on 3rd April (old I style) at the full moon on Friday,! a.d. 33 Nazareth of Galilee. " In many respects there was divine fitness in this spot for the human growth of Jesus — ' as a tender plant and a root out of the dry ground.' Apart from the obscurity and evil fame of Nazareth, which were meant to teach lessons similar to those of which we have just spoken, we may notice — (i.) its seclusion. It lies in a narrow cleft in the limestone hills which form the boundary of Zebulon, entirely out of the ordinary roads of commerce, so that none could say that our Lord had learnt either from Gentiles or from Rabbis; (ii.) its beauty and peacefulness. The flowers of Nazareth are famous, and the appearance of its inhabitants shows its healthi- ness. It was a home of humble peace and plenty. The fields of its green valley are fruitful, and the view from the hill which overshadows it, is one of the loveliest and most historically striking in all Palestine " (Farrar). Nazareth is said to mean the protectress (Heb. Natsar). The Saviour, who from eternity had lain hid in the counsel of God until the fulness of time should come, after He did manifest Himself, thought fit to lie hid in Nazareth for the space of thirty years. Baptized in Jordan, either at the ford near Jericho, or more probably at the old ford near Succoth, Bethany beyond Jordan. Jesus without sins to be confessed, repented of, and pardoned, by this act made Himself one with His people whom He came to save. "He that was formerly circumcised would now be baptized. What is baptism but an evangelical circumcision ? What was circumcision but a legal baptism ? One both supplied and succeeded the other ; yet the author of both will undergo both. He would be circumcised to sanctify His Church that was ; and baptized to sanctify His Church that should be, that so, in both Testaments, He might open a way into heaven" (Hall). 10. Straightway. Mark's favourite connecting word, indicating rapid movement. It probably means here, that Jesus did not remain in the water to receive the instruction usually given to proselytes. He saw the heavens opened. Jesus was at prayer, Luke tells us (iii. 21), when the heavens were cleft or rent asunder, the light streamed down, and ' See Transactions of Society of Biblical Archccology for 1872, p. 94, and for 1878, 70 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l. II. 1 1 him : and there came a voice from heaven, saying} Thou art my beloved Son, in whom ^ I am well pleased. 12 And immediately 2 the spirit driveth him into the wilder- 13 ness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan ; and was with the wild beasts ; and the angels ministered unto him. 1 and a voice came out of the heavens 2 j^ thee ' straightway the voice was heard. From a comparison of the narratives, it is probable that either John and Jesus were alone, or that they only saw the vision and heard the voice. The descent was the baptism of the Holy Ghost, of which the other baptism was the sign and promise. It was the formal inauguration of Jesus to His ministry, and the revelation was made to Him in His humanity. "Now that the God of heaven is baptized, the heavens open unto Him, which are opened unto all the faithful by Him" (Hall). II, A voice from heaven came thrice to our Lord: (i) here at His baptism ; (2) at the transfiguration, Mark ix. 7 ; (3) in the temple - court, John xii. 28. This first voice was the call to His work. T/are were present : the One speaking from heaven, the One standing upon the earth, the One coming down from heaven to earth. Different Persons, all Divine ; the Triune God, — Father, Son, Spirit. III. — THE TEMPTATION, i. 12, 13 : Matt. iv. i-i I ; Luke iv. 1-13. Driveth him; vehement impelling; the expression may denote some innocent shrinking of the flesh. The same phrase is used in Matt. ix. 38, '■'' send forth labourers." 13. Tempted of Satan. For details of temptation, Matt. iv. i-ii ; Luke iv. 1-13. This temptation gathered together in one sharp, protracted struggle that lifelong tempting which was ended only in Gethsemane, Mark xiv. 36. Jesus was tempted in order "to direct us whither to go for succour when we are tempted, even to Him who suffered being tempted " (Matthew Henry). " Thou shalt be sure to be assailed by Satan, when thou hast received the greatest enlargements from heaven " (Leighton). It is not in the power either of gifts or seals of grace to deliver us from the assaults of Satan, and these are the more apt to come when we begin some good work for God. " No sooner doth God say, This is my Son, than Satan says, If thou he the Son of God.''^ Hence we may learn that as ill counsel is the fault of the giver and not of the refuser, so what hurts us in temptation is not the presenting of temptations but their entertainment. In the wilderness . . . with the wild beasts. Tradition makes the scene of the temptation a wild region north-west of Jericho, in the centre of which rises Mons Quarantania. Canon Tristram says of the place : " Everywhere around us were the fresh traces of beasts of every kind. . . . The wild boar had been rooting and treading on all sides, the jackals had been hunting in packs on the soft, oozy slime ; the solitary wolf had been prowling about ; and many foxes had singly been beating the district for game ; the solitary hyaena, too, had taken his nocturnal ramble for carcases." This reference to the wild beasts implies that Jesus had been taken into utter solitude far from all, even scattered human habitations. I. 15.] PREACHING THE KINGDOM. 71 14 Now after that John was put in prison,^ Jesus came into 15 Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,^ and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe^ the gospel. 1 delivered up 2 the gospel of God 3 in the gospel Between the events described and those recorded in the following verses, there occurs the whole history of that period which has been called the Year of Obscurity, or more properly the Year of Quiet Preaching in Judea and Galilee, the months between the temptation of our Lord and the imprisojiment of John the Baptist, i.e., according to Andrews reckoning, from January A.D. 27 to April or May A. D. 28; according to Bosanguet, from Mayor June A.D. 29 to May A.D. 30. For the events omitted see Analysis, p. 35. II. — The Year of Popularity — Christ's Ministry in Galilee, I. 14-VI. 30. From the imprisonment of John the Baptist till his death. Our Lord from Capernaum, " His own city,^'' ??iade preaching Journeys through Galilee. I. — FIRST sojourn IN CAPERNAUM, 1. 1 4-34. 1. Preaching the kingdom. Four disciples called, 14-20 : Matt. iv. 12-22 ; Luke iv. 14-41. 14. Put in prison, ch. vi. 17-20. Galilee (see Map, p. 72 ; also Introduction, p. 40) was the richest and most populous part of Palestine, producing wheat, wine, and oil ; so fertile that it was entii^ely cultivated with the spade, like a garden. The people crowded in numberless populous villages, engaged in agriculture, woollen manufacture, dyeing, weaving linen, fishcuring, were hardy, brave, and less bigoted than the Judeans. The Rabbis said, " In Galilee they wade in oil." The gospel of the kingdom of God, i.e. the good news of salvation through Christ. Matthew's phrase is, kingdom of heaven ; Paul's, heavenly kingdom. The phrase kingdom of God, or kingdom of heaven, has several meanings in the New Testament — (i) The presence of Christ upon earth (Matt. iii. 2). (2) The Second Coming of Christ (Matt. xvi. 28). (3) His influence on the heart (Rom. xiv. 17). (4) Christianity as a Church (Matt. xvi. 9). (5) Christianity as a faith (Matt. xiii. ii). (6) The life eternal (Matt. viii. ii). It points out sin to be turned from with sorrow, Christ to be believed in with joy. 15. The time is fulfilled, i.e. the preordained and foretold time of the Messiah. This phrase is not found in the parallel passages of the other Gospels, and suggests Paul's "in the fulness of time " (Gal, iv. 4 ; Eph. i. 10). The kingdom of God is at hand. The thought of a kingdom of God was not a new one to the Jews ; it had found expression continually in the Old Testament, and was connected with the Jewish idea of the theocracy or direct rule of God, shadowed forth in the earthly kingdom. Jesus took the phrase which in the Old Testament had attained its deepest significance in Dan. vii. 14, and gave it a new and yet deeper spiritual significance. This preaching of the kingdom always included the two ideas contained in the last clause : — Repent ye and believe. Repentance in the original means rather more {Continued on p. 74 72 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. 73 MAP OF SEA OF GALILEE. The Sea of Galilee lies in a deep gorge which extends from the foot of Mount Hermon to the foot of Mount Hor. Down this gorge flows the Jordan, through the Waters of Merom, through the Sea of GaHlee to the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is pear-shaped, and is 12^ miles long, 6| broad in its widest part. The surface is 682 "5 feet below the level of the ocean. It has various names in Scripture. It is called — (i) The Sea of Chinneroth, from its harp-like form, or else from a town of that name on or near its shores (Num. xxxiv. ii ; Josh. xii. 3; cf. Josh. xix. 35). (2) The Sea of Galilee, from the province on its western 'shore (Matt. iv. 18 ; Mark vii. 31). (3) The Lake of Gennesarelh, which many think to be a corruption of the old name Chinneroth, but which has also been said to mean the gardens of princes (Luke v. i). (4) The Sea of Tibei'ias, from Tiberias, which, although only recently founded by Herod Antipas in the time of our Lord, had grown to be a large and flourishing town by the time that John wrote his Gospel (John xxi. I). (5) The Sea (Matt. iv. 15). In our Lord's time the western shore of the lake was the busiest and most populous part of Galilee, while the eastern was for the most part a solitude. Jesus' Preaching Journeys in Galilee, p. 45. i. From Capernaum through the neighbouring towns — Chorazin, Bethsaida, Magdala, and then through a portion of Galilee (Mark i. 35-45 ; Matt. viii. 1-4 ; Luke iv. 42-44, v. 12-16). ii. From Capernaum to Mount of Beatitudes— the Sermon on the Mount, Matt. v. -vii. — and back again to Capernaum. The mount either Kar{in Hattin (C)> lying to the west of Magdala, or more probably the high land which rose behind Capernaum (D). The twelve disciples chosen (Matt. x. 1-4 ; Luke vi. 12-16). iii. From Capernaum to Nain, through the neighbouring country, back to Capernaum. Widow's son raised ; message from John the Baptist ; dines with Simon the Pharisee ; makes a circuit in Galilee with the Twelve (Luke vii. 18- viii. 3). iv. From Capernaum to Gergesa and back. To the shore of the lake, parables of the kingdom, across the Sea of Galilee, storm stilled, Gergesa, the demoniac cured, back to Capernaum (Mark iv. i-v. 20; Matt. xiii. 1-53, viii. 18-34; Luke viii. 4-18, 22-39). v. From Capernaum to Nazareth and back. The second rejection at Nazareth ; the mission of the Twelve ; the news of the death of John the Baptist (Mark vi. 1-29 ; Matt. xiii. 54-58, x,, xiv. 1-12 ; Luke ix. I-9). The Galilean journeys of Flight (p. 47) are partly within this map and partly beyond it. (i) To the Plain of Butaiha, where 5000 were fed (A). (2) To Tyre and Sidon . . . Decapolis to S.E. corner of Sea of Galilee, where 4000 were fed ( B) ; across to Dalmanutha. (3) Across the sea to Bethsaida Julias. 74 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l. 1 6. 1 6 Now as he walked by^ the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea : for they 17 were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, 18 and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straight- 1 9 way they forsook ^ their nets, and followed him. And when 1 And passing along by the sea 2 igft than sorrow or regret for sin ; it is rather a change of life, of heart, or of motive of action. Believe in the gospel, not believe the gospel, is the more correct translation. The command is to more than a historical faith or a quiet assent to a proposition ; it is to trust the good news proclaimed. These two keynotes of our Lord's preaching — repentance and faith — are well defined in answers to Q. 86 and 87 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism : — " Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ? — A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the gospel. Q. 87. What is repentance unto life? — A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience." The preaching of the gospel continues as it began. It is still a call to repent and believe ; to live a life of repentance and a life of faith. 16. Walked. He had come from Nazareth, where He had been rejected (Luke iv. 16-31). Sea of G-alilee. See Map, p. 72 and p. 73. Simon or Simeon (see Acts xv. 14 ; 2 Pet. 1. i), a Hebrew name. He was called Peter by Jesus. Casting a net, literally throwing about, the fisher word for using a hand- net, a circular rope leaded with a tent-shaped net attached, which was thrown from boat or land and pulled back by the cord attached ; so in Matt, iv. 18. The net in Matt. xiii. 47, 48 was the large net like our herring-nets ; the net in Luke v. 4-9 was the bag or basket net for fishing deep pools. The phrase used, "casting a net," is one of Mark's vivid and graphic touches. 17. Come ye after me. They had met Jesus before while they were disciples of John, and had followed Him from Bethabara to Galilee, where they had been with Jesus when He manifested forth His glory in His earlier miracles. The phrase. Come ye after me, means. Be my disciples, and refers to the custom of the rabbi or teacher walking before his scholars. " Christ will have followers. If He set up a school. He will have scholars ; if He set up His standard. He will have soldiers ; if He preach, He will have hearers " (Matt. Henry). Fishers of men. The phrase is a condensed parable which our Lord Himself expanded in Matt. xiii. 47-50, where He compared the kingdom of heaven to a net. It is probable that these words were spoken after Jesus had in the miraculous draught of fishes (Luke v. i) shown how He could make them successful fishers of the sea, and therefore had peculiar force. The miraculous draught became a " sign" of what Christ would enable them to do in the work He was calling them to. 18. And straightway. Follow Jesus at any cost, and do it promptly. I. 22.] FISHERS OF MEN. 75 he had gone a ^ little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship 2 20 mending their nets. And straightway he called them : and they left their father Zebedee in the ship 2 with the hired servants, and went after him. 2 1 And they went ^ into Capernaum ; and straightway on the 22 sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And 1 And going on a little farther ^ boat ^ go 19. James the son of Zebedee, From a comparison of texts we learn that the mother of James and John was Salome, frequently and honourably mentioned in the Gospels (Matt, xxvii. 52 ; Mark xv. 40). Mending their nets, broken by the miraculous draught of fishes (Luke v. 4). Ship. The word means any small craft or vessel, moved by sails or oars, such as fishermen use. 20. He called them. The preparation of these two pairs of brotherly brothers was gradual, (i) Disciples of John (John i, 35); (2) directed by him to the Lamb of God (John i. 36) ; (3) invited by our Lord to see where He dwelt (John i. 39) ; (4) witnesses of His first miracle (John ii. 2) ; (5) enrolled now among His followers; and (6) to be formally called after- wards (Maclear). With the hired servants. This information seems to show that Zebedee was in a somewhat better position than most Galilean peasants. He had two boats (Luke v. 7) ; his son John was known to some of the priestly aristocracy of Jerusalem (John xviii. 15), " These disciples did not so wholly and utterly forsake their goods and friends as never afterwards to use them any more upon occasion ; but they forsook them in regard of the ordinary use of them, and so far forth only as they might hinder them in their ordinary conversing with Christ, and following of Him " (Patter). 2. A Sabbath days work at Capernaum — (i) The Cure of the Demoniac ^ i. 21-28 : Luke iv. 33-37. 21. Capernaum. The site of Capernaum is not yet determined. Authorities are almost equally divided in favour of one or other of two places on the north- western shore of the lake, Tell Hnm, about five miles south-west of the entrance of the Jordan into the lake, or Khan Minyeh, two or three miles south-west of Tell Hum. In the Map, p. 72, the former site has been preferred. It was in the very centre of the most populous district in Palestine, and was a place of some importance, as it was a customs station (Matt. ix. 9 ; Luke v. 27), and was the station of a detachment of Roman soldiers (Matt. viii. 5, 9 ; Luke vii. 1,8); on the other hand, it could not have been a very large town, as it had only one synagogue. The synagogue, and their synagogue (23), implying there was only one ; it had been built by the centurion (Luke vii. 5). The synagogue was usually built on the highest ground in the town, and in most cases its position was made known by a tall wooden pole planted like a flagstaff before the door. The worship of the synagogue was meant to serve instead of participation in the temple service for Jews of the dispersion, and for the inhabitants of the provincial towns, and was held at the hour of sacrifice in the temple. At the 76 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l. 23. they were astonished at his doctrine : ^ for he taught them as 23 one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and he 1 teaching time of Jesus every small town in Palestine had at least one synagogue, and it was regarded as a duty enjoined on the rich to build synagogues for the people of the poorer villages (Luke vii. 5). They were for the most part simple rectangular walls with a portico. The men and women sat apart on separate benches. The seats in front were reserved for the elders of the synagogue, and for well-known scribes. The furniture consisted of an ark, or chest for the rolls of Scripture, and a reading desk. The officials of the synagogue were — (i) the college or session of elders, presided over by a chief or ruler; (2) the secretary, messenger or apostle, who communicated either by letter or by visit, when necessary, with other synagogues ; (3) the collectors of alms, or deacons. The worship of the synagogue consisted in— (i) Prayers enjoined by the law, recited by the reader, and joined in by the congregation ; while they were recited the people stood ; on feast days the same prayers were repeated more than once. (2) Reading the Law — a reader read the portion of the law (Pentateuch) for the day, verse by verse, and when each verse was read a translator gave the Targum or Aramaic paraphrase translation ; sometimes in the time of Christ the translation was given in Greek. (3) Reading the Prophets in the same fashion. (4) Sermon, or Midrash, which was usually a practical application of the passage read from the Prophets. There was no singing in the synagogue service. 22. The scribes, called also lawyers (Matt. xxii. 35) and doctors of the law (Luke V, 17), explained the law "according to the tradition of the elders," and their teaching consisted of numerous quotations from learned Rabbis. Christ spoke directly from His heart to the heart and conscience of His hearers. Any well-known teacher was allowed to preach the sermon or Midrash in the Jewish synagogue. 23. With an unclean spirit, lit. in an unclean spirit, as we say " in drink," i.e. within its influence, under its power, so that it was the demon that cried, not the man. The question of demoniac possession suggested by this miracle is too wide to be discussed here. The fact of "possession" is continually referred to in the Gospels, but no explanation is ever given, and the opinions of theologians differ on the subject. On the one hand, it may be gathered from Scripture — (i) that our Lord Himself refers "possession" to Satanic agency (Luke X. 17-19, xi. 14-22); (2) that "possession" of the body by a demon is distinguished from Satanic influence in the soul ; (3) that " possession " is distinguished from disease, and perhaps from lunacy (though the lunacy may really be epilepsy), as in Mark i. 32, "all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils," and in Matt. iv. 24, "those which were possessed M'ith devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy ; " (4) that " possession " was commonly accompanied by infirmity or disease, such as dumbness, blindness, the symptoms of epilepsy or violent insanity (Matt. ix. 32, xii. 22; Mark ix. 17-27, v. 1-5). On the other hand, it must be remembered (i) that the Jews attributed nearly all diseases, and especially all cerebral or mental diseases, to the direct power of Satan, or at least to the I. 27.] THE DEMONIAC OF CAPERNAUM. 77 24 cried out, saying, Let us alone ;^ what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? 25 I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying. Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried ^ with a 2 7 loud voice, he came 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 the unclean spirits, and they 1 saying, What have 2 tearing him and crying immediate action of evil spirits ; (2) that our Lord assents to this ordinary mode of speaking, and ascribes ordinary disease to direct satanic agency, as in Luke xiii. 16, " This woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years ; " (3) that Scripture commonly classes those "possessed" with maniacs. Upon the whole, it seems best to con- clude that there was, in the case of those possessed, the exertion of a unique power of the spirit of evil altogether distinct from what is to be seen either in mental or bodily disease. Physicians assert that there are still cases which cannot be otherwise explained in Eastern lands, as in Syria and in India. May we not see even in our own country some analogy to these cases of possession in the strange and awful fact quite common among us, where sin lays hold on a man's soul by first taking possession of his body, where every tissue of the body becomes a temptation to sin, a chain to bind to sinful habit ? 24. Let us alone. The Greek word so translated is an inarticulate cry, like a criminal's when he feels the hand of the officer of justice on his arm, implying a certain fearful looking for of judgment. The word is omitted in the best MSS. in this place ; it has probably been inserted from the corre- sponding passage in Luke iv. 34. The Holy One of God. At Christ's baptism God had spoken, " Thou art my beloved Son ; " and now Satan through this demoniac also bears witness, and between the two voices there was the rejection at Nazareth. 25. Hold thy peace. Jesus cannot accept the testimony of devils (Acts xvi. 16-18), He cannot give any ground for the accusation that He cast out devils by Beelzebub. The word means ^^ be nmzzled ;''^ the word used by Christ in calming the storm, Mark iv. 39 ; a word for a beast. 26. Had torn him. Convulsing him, epileptically ; for it is clear from Luke's account that the man was not personally injured (iv. 35). " If the devil must give way, yet he rages fearfully." 27. They were all amazed. This miracle of healing the demoniac in Capernaum is the first recorded by Mark and by Luke. The first miracle recorded by Matthew is the healing of a leper by a touch (viii. 1-4) ; the first miracle recorded by John is the turning the water into wine at Cana in Galilee (ii. i-i i). The people who saw the demoniac cured were so astonished that each turned to his neighbour to ask his opinion, and to talk about the deed. They spoke in abrupt interjected sentences, What is this ? a new teaching I With authority He commandeth the unclean spirits ^ and they obey Him I 78 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l. 28. 28 do obey him.^ And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. ^ 29 And forthwith,^ when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered* into the house of Simon and Andrew, with 30 James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a 31 fever, and anon^ they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted ^ her up ; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased,^ and them that were possessed with 33 devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and 1 What is this ? A new teaching ! With authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. 2 And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee round about. 3 straightway ^ came ^ raised ^ gjck 28. His fame, more correctly the report of Him, the report of what He bad done spread like wildfire. Eound about Galilee, more correctly, into all the region of Galilee round about, i.e. round about Capernaum. (2) The Ctire of Peter's wife's fuother, and many others, i. 29-34 : Matt. viii. 14-17 ; Luke iv. 38-41. 30. Sick of a fever. A great fever, Luke says ; typhus, not the low inter- mittent fever. Tell him, "with wistfulness in their hearts, no doubt" (Morison). " Wherever Christ comes, He comes to do good, and will richly pay for His entertainment " (M. Henry). 31. Ministered unto them. The fever gone ; but the woman is not left ^^•eak as when fevers go naturally, she is strong enough to do the house work. 32. When the sun did set. They waited till sunset, when the Jewish Sabbath ended. This passage, with the corresponding one in Matt. viii. 16, is what is called an undesigned coincidence. Matthew tells us it was even, Mark and Luke give the reason why they waited ; they waited till sunset. All that were diseased. " Forthwith began to gather from every street, and from thickly-sown towns and villages around, the strangest assembly. The child led its blind father . . . ; the father came carrying the sick child ; men bore the helpless in swimming hammocks ; all that had any sick brought them. . . . Fevers, convulsions, asthma, consumption, swelling dropsy, shaking palsy, the deaf, the dumb, the brain-affected, and possessed with devils, that last and worst symptom of despairing misery and dark confusion of the times " (Geikie). Jesus healed them all, one by one, working among them far on into the night ; and He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Matt. viii. 17 quotes Isa. liii. 4, "Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." 34. He healed. Luke (iv. 40) tells us that He laid His hands on every one I. 38.] PRAYER IN A DESERT PLACE. 79 cast out many devils ; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. 35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out,^ and departed into a solitary place, and there 36 prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed 37 after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, 38 All 7nc7i seek for thee.^ And he said unto them. Let us go into ^ the next towns, that I may preach there also : for there- 1 In the morning, a great while before day, he rose up and went out 2 All are seeking thee. ^ elsewhere into the next towns of them, and therefore must have worked among them far on into the night. "This night scene of Jesus, moving about with word and touch of healing among the sick and suffering, the raving and tortured crowd, is one of the most striking in the Gospels" (Farrar). II. — FIRST PREACHING JOURNEY IN GALILEE, i. 35-45. I. Retirement to a desert place, 35-39 : Luke iv. 42-44. 35. A solitary place. "A remarkable feature of the Sea of Gahlee was that it was closely surrounded with desert solitudes. These * desert places,' thus close at hand on the tablelands or in the ravines of the eastern and western ranges, gave opportunities of retirement for rest or prayer. . . . The lake in this double aspect is thus the reflex of that union of energy and rest, of active labour and deep devotion, which is the essence of Christianity " (Stanley). Prayed. "Prayer with Him seems to have been not only intimate com- munion with His Father, but a necessary preparation for His ministry. How much more needful for us ! " He had finished a long day of conflict Avith evil, and prepares Himself by this prayer in solitude for a new mission of healing and doing good. The Evangelists frequently call attention to the prayers of Jesus — (i) at His baptism (Luke iii. 21) ; (2) after this night of toil in healing (Mark i- 35) ; {3) after a day of like severe toil (Luke v. 16) ; (4) before choosing the apostles (Luke vi. 12) ; (5) before Peter's great confession (Luke ix. iS) ; (6) when the people would have made Him king (John vi, 15) ; (7) at His transfiguration (Luke ix. 28, 29) ; (8) for Peter (Luke xxii. 32) ; (9) in Geth- semane (Mark xiv. 35) ; (10) for His murderers (Luke xxiii. 34) ; (11) at the moment of death (Luke xxiii. 46). "Those that have most business in public, and of the best kind, must sometimes be alone with God ; must retire into solitude, there to converse with God, and keep up communion with Him " (Matt. Henry). For prayer is a holy conference with God. 36. Followed after him, literally tracked Him or hunted Him, to find Him and bring Him back to Capernaum, where the people had again gathered to see Him ; Peter characteristically impetuous. 38. The next towns, literally country towns or tozvn villages. Distinction was made by separate name between walled towns, unenclosed villages which had a synagogue, and villages or hamlets which had no synagogue. The word used denotes an unenclosed town or village which had a synagogue or 8o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [l. 39. 39 fore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.^ 40 And there came^ a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him. If thou wilt, 41 thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with com- passion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto 42 him, I will ; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was 43 cleansed.3 And he straitly* charged him, and forthwith ^ 1 And he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out devils. ^ cometh 3 And straightway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. 4 strictly ^ straightway place of social worship. " His blessings were not to be confined to Caper- naum. Dalmanutha, Magdala, Bethsaida, Chorazin were all near at hand " (Farrar). 39. AH Galilee. We do not know where Christ went, save that He began with the village towns nearest Capernaum. The lake was called the Eye of Galilee, and regarded as the centre towards which all Galilean life converged, so the circuit need not have been a wide one. The people came to Him from all parts. This was the beginning of Christ's preaching journeys in Galilee. 2. Cleansing of a leper^ i. 40-45 : Matt. viii. 1-4; Luke v. 12-16. 40. There came a leper. The only incident recorded during this journey. R, V. There cometh. A leper, one infected with the most terrible of all diseases to which the Jews were subject, which was called the "Finger of God," "the stroke," which was believed to be incurable, and which was made the special type of sin, the outward and visible sign of inward spiritual corruption, the sacra- ment of death. "Leprosy was nothing short of a living death, a corrupting of all the humours, a poisoning of the veiy springs of life, a dissolution, little by little, of the whole body " (Trench). The disease had various forms. In the worst, ulcers attacked one part of the body after another until the flesh rotted, and parts — the fingers, for example — fell off one after another. The leper bore about him the emblems of death ; the rent garments, the head bare, the lips covered. He had to keep far off from others, and to make known his disease by crying out, "Unclean." Notice how Mark describes the scene so that you see it — the leper beseeching, kneeling at a distance, Christ's pity. His touch, His word, the cure. It was pollution to touch a leper (Lev. xiii. 44-46); "but He, Himself remaining undefiled, cleansed him whom He touched ; for in Him health overcame sickness, and purity defilement, and life death " (Trench). For accounts of Old Testament lepers, see Ex. iv. 6 ; Num. xii. 10 ; 2 Kings v. I, 27. If thou wilt. His faith must have been strong ; leprosy was an almost incurable disease, and hitherto there had been only one recorded case of a leper cured by miracle, the case of Naaman alluded to by Jesus in His sermon at Nazareth (Luke iv. 27 ; 2 Kings v. 1-14). 43. Straitly, i.e. strict ly, commanded with sternness and even violence. 45-] INDISCREET ZEAL, 8l 44 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 Moses commanded, 45 for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish // 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. 1 a city The word used means sometimes the muttered growl of chafed or fretted beasts. The sentence might be translated, Commanding him with violence, and straightway thrust hiiii. forth, and said. Why this abrupt and stern com- mand ? Perhaps because our Lord believed that the Pharisees might have compelled Him to stop His work in order to go through the levitical rites of purification had they known that He had touched the leper. Matthew (viii. 1-4) tells us that Jesus was going first, and the crowd was following ; the touch might have been so instantaneous that no one knew of it but Jesus and the leper. 44. Say nothing. Why? The law had to be fulfilled (Lev. xiv. 1-32). The crowds were already great, and too much excitement might interfere with work, and the leper's disobedience had in fact this result. " Christ's bodily presence could be but in one place at a time ; and those that came to Him from every quarter could not get near Him, but by His spiritual presence He is with His people wherever they are, and comes to them to every quarter. This shows how expedient it was for us that Christ should go away and send the Comforter " (Matt. Henry). Those things which Moses commanded. "Two birds alive and clean, and cedar-wood, and scarlet, and hyssop . . . and on the eighth day two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish, and thi-ee tenth deals of fine flour for a meat-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil." (See Lev. xiv. 1-32.) For a testimony unto them— (i) to the priests, that they might assure them- selves that the miracle was real ; (2) to the people who were following Jesus, to show that Jesus came to fulfil the law. 45. Insomuch that Jesus. The indiscreet zeal and self-importance of the leper cured hindered Christ's work. The moment He was recognized. He was at any moment liable to be surrounded by a surging crowd of ignorant, gaping sightseers who hindered His spiritual work, and, like the crowd, on the day of the miracle of the loaves, might have insisted on proclaiming Him king. •' Unquestionably the majority of Christians are far more inclined to be silent about their glorious Master than to confess Him . . . but there are good men who have more zeal than discretion, and help the enemy of the truth by unreasonable acts and words " (Ryle). Could no more openly enter into the city, or rather into a city ; perhaps because it was known that He had touched the leper, and the authorities, the local Sanhedrin, had forbidden Him. 82 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ll. I. Chap. II. i And again ^ he entered into Capernaum after some 2 days; and it v/as noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together,^ insomuch that there was no room to receive the7n^ no, not so much as 3 about the door : and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which 4 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 // up, they let down the bed 5 wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy. Son, thy sins be 6 forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting ^ And when he entered 2 ^nd many were gathered together 3 no longer room for them * crowd III. — SECOND SOJOURN IN CAPERNAUM, ii. i-iii. 12. [^Beginning of conflict with the Scribes.^ I. The paralytic cured, 1-12 : Matt. ix. 1-8; Luke v. 17-26. I. The house; R. V. margin, at home. Probably Christ made Peter's house his home, iii. 19-21 ; also Matt. viii. 20. 3. One sick of the palsy. Luke says, xvho was paralyzed. 4. They uncovered the roof ; literally, they diig through. To understand the scene, it is necessary to remember that the house was most likely a fisherman's cottage, low and flat-roofed. The roofs were made by laying first large beams, and then across them rude joists. On these were laid flat stones or slabs of tile or dried clay, on which was spread earth or gravel rolled hard with a stone roller kept on the roof for the purpose. The men first dug through the earth, as Mark says, and then pulled up the tile slabs, as Luke tells us (v. 19). " Examine one of the houses in this same region, and you will see at once that the thing is natural and easy to be accomplished. The roof is only a few feet high, and by stooping down and holding the corners of the bed (merely a thickly-padded quilt, as in this region), they would let down the sick man without any apparatus of ropes or cords to assist them " (Thomson, The Land and the Book, p. 358). 5. Son, thy sins ; literally, child, a tender address (Matt. ix. 2), " Son, be of good cheer." Our Lord saw the man's heart, his misery of soul, that he cared most for spiritual blessing, and that he feared his sins which had brought his disease would prevent the Saviour healing him. It was necessary to speak to his soul before healing his body (Luke vii. 48, and John v, 14). "How many in every age can testify that this palsied man's experience has been their own ? . . , Bereavements have proved mercies. . . . Sicknesses have led them to the Great Physician of souls " (Ryle). Christ by His visible miracles taught men to understand His invisible miracles. We may bear our friends to Christ now, in the arms of faith and prayer. 6. Certain of the scribes. Some from Galilee, but others from Judea and Jerusalem (Luke v. 17), who had come down during our Lord's absence from Capernaum. His death had been already decreed at Jerusalem (John v. 18), II. 9.] JESUS CAN FORGIVE SINS. 83 7 there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies ? ^ who can forgive sins but God only ? 2 8 And immediately,^ when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them. Why 9 reason ye these things in your hearts ? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or 1 Why doth this man speak thus ? He blasphemeth. 2 but One, even God? ^ straightway and they had been sent with "gall in their ears" to watch His deeds and find matter for a charge of heresy against Him. Luke tells us, that among the audience were Pharisees and doctors of the law, who had come out of eveiy town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem. Jesus had already come into collision with the scribes of Judea, and with the incidents belonging to this miracle of healing the paralytic. His conflict with the scribes of Galilee began. These scribes formed an exceedingly powerful organization in the time of Jesus. The synagogue services gradually de- veloped a class of zealous scholars who made the study of the law their profession. They were called Sopherim, scribes or writers, because they had been the first Avho wrote out exact copies of the law for the synagogue, and in the times of Jesus the name comprehended all those who made it their profession to study the law and teach their fellows its requirements. This study required a man's whole time, and the scribes had become a special learned class, which charged itself with the care of the law, as the priests and Levites took charge of the temple services. Celebrated teachers collected disciples, and taught them in schools ; and in Jerusalem, where the scribes abounded, several chambers in the forecourts of the temple were set apart for this purpose. The teacher sat on a raised seat, while the scholars were seated at his feet. The teachers or rabbis, as a rule, learned some handicraft wherewith to support themselves, for they charged no fees for their instruc- tions. Rabbi Hillel was a day-labourer, Rabbi Joshua was a needlemaker. Rabbi Judah a baker, Rabbi Simeon a carpetmaker, and Paul a weaver of goat's hair. These common callings did not interfere with the dignity of the teachers. They were allotted the first seats in the synagogue, the upper places at table were reserved for them, and their dress marked their dignity. Their political importance was great, for it was their instructions which enveloped the whole Jewish life from the cradle to the grave in the precepts of the law, and prevented the nation from amalgamating with Gentiles or sub- mitting to be seduced by the cosmopolitan ideas which the Roman conquerors tried to impart to subject nations. They fulfilled the Mosaic law by multi- plying its precepts, and intensifying its minute ceremonial observances, and therefore were instinctively opposed to a Teacher whose aim was to enforce the moral ideas which lay beneath the Mosaic code. This man blasphemeth. The first charge brought by the scribes against Jesus in Galilee, and also the last charge on Avhich He was in the end con- demned. We may imagine that when the paralytic did not rise from his bed as soon as Jesus spoke to him, the scribes who were watching the scene said : This man pretends to God's power when he has not got it ; he blasphemeth. 9. Whether is it easier. More correctly. Why is it easier to say, Thy sins have been forgiven thee, than to say, Arise and walk ? It was not easier ; 84 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ll. lO. 10 to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to for- 1 1 give sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed,i and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. 13 And he went forth again by the seaside; and all the 14 multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as 1 And he arose, and straightway took up the bed for to say these words as Christ said them, was as impossible as to cure the paralytic. Two deeds are contrasted, both impossible to man and alike easy to God. He who had done the one at the pool of Bethesda (John v. 8) to the impotent man, must be God who can do the other. In order to manifest His power to the scribes, our Lord added the words, Arise and walk, and really bids them infer that the hidden work of forgiveness had as surely followed the first words as the manifest cure followed the command to rise and walk. He did the one which was within the sight and observation of all, that they might know that He could do and had done the other which they could not see. 10. The Son of man, not Son of a man. Our Lord's favourite title for Himself during His sojourn on earth; but never, with three exceptions (Acts vii. 56 ; Rev. i. 13, xiv. 14), applied to the Eternal Son of God by His disciples themselves. 11. Arise. The man with paralyzed limbs stands up instantly, and the crowd which could not make way for him to get in, now make way for him to pass out with his mat rolled up on his shoulders. Bed. The three Evangelists use three different words, which have all been translated by the one English word bed. Matthew uses the common Greek word ; Luke employs a more classical term ; Mark says krabbatos {grabalus), and thereby tells us that the bed was merely a pallet or mat— the commonest or poorest kind of bed, a rug which could be spread out in the evening, and rolled up and put aside during the day. 12. Before them all. The crowd, before impenetrable, yields to him; and all see that he is cured, for he not only rises, but shows that he has been quite restored by carrying his bed. The miracle was not merely a manifestation, but an attestation of the divine authority of Jesus. All amazed, and glorified God, Luke v. 26, The scribes as well as the others, for in the intensity of feeling there was a recognition of divinity. " The words they were all amazed should be, amazement seized them all, and amazement in the Greek is a remarkable word ; it is the original of our ecstasy, and is the word rendered trance in Acts x. 10, xi, 5, xxii. 17 " (Stock). 2. The call of a Publican to be a disciple, ii. 13-17 : Matt. ix. 9-13 ; Luke V. 27-32. 13. He went forth again, out from the houses, past the custom-house clown by the shore of the lake, and the people kept coming to Him, and He kept teaching them. II. 1 6.] JESUS WITH PUBLICANS AND SINNERS. 85 he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom/ and said unto him, Follow me. And he 15 arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with ^ Jesus and his disciples : for there were many, 16 and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees^ saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his 1 the place of toll, and he saith 2 that he was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat down with Jesus 3 And the scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw 14. Levi, or Matthew. It was common for Jews to take a new name when they began a new career. Hence the meaning of "the new name" (Rev. ii. 17). At the receipt of custom, R. V, at the place of toll, where the dues were levied on the fish, fruit, and other produce which made the imports and exports at Capernaum, or for the Roman road that ran through the town. The shop of extortion cannot conceal from Jesus a vessel of election. *' What sawest Thou, O Saviour, in that publican that might either allure Thine eye or not offend it? what but a hateful trade, an evil eye, a gripping hand, bloody tables, heaps of spoil ? Yet Thou saidst, Follozv me. . . . What canst Thou see in us, O God, but ugly deformities, horrible sins, despicable miseries ? Yet it doth please Thy mercy to say unto us both live and follow me" (Hall). 15, Publicans and sinners. Publican is a Latin word, meaning, first, the great officers who farmed the Roman revenue, and paid into the public treasury the sum agreed upon by contract with the Government. They sub- let the tax-gathering to agents, who were also bound by contract to pay a certain amount of money. These agents engaged local officers, the publicans of Scripture, to collect the dues. They were chosen from the native popula- tion, that they might know the ways of the people, and generally oppressed and fleeced the taxpaying population. They had to pay a definite sum to their superior officers, and whatever more they could squeeze out of the people belonged to themselves. The Turkish Government has inherited this odious fiscal system. These tax-gatherers were hated all over the Roman Empire. Theocritus said that the worst kind of wild beasts were "bears and lions on the mountains, publicans and pettifoggers in the cities." In Palestine they were doubly hated. It was a common saying among the Jews that "vows made to thieves, murderers, and publicans might be broken." "They were nothing less than renegades and traitors, who for filthy lucre's sake had sided with the enemy, and now collected for a profane heathen treasury that tribute which was the evident sign of the subjection of God's people to a Gentile yoke. This scorn and hate found utterance in a thousand ways ; no alms might be received from their money-chest ; it was not even lawful to change money there ; and their testimony was not received in courts of justice" (Trench). It is touching to notice that Matthew alone styles himself "the publican" in the list of apostles. Christ who cured the leper called Matthew to be an apostle. What sinner can fear to kneel belore Christ when he sees the Lord sitting among publicans and sinners, and calling Matthew the publican to be an apostle ? 86 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ll. 1 7. disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans 17 and sinners? When Jesus heard //, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician,^ but they that are sick : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 2 18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast :^ and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not ? 1 a physician ^ I came not to call the righteous, but sinners ^ were fasting 16. Said unto his disciples. They talked at Jesus, not to Him. Revised Version has certain scribes of the Pharisees, i.e. who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and who were intent to pry into our Lord's private life. According to the customs of the East, they could come into the room where the guests were dining, and, according to their traditions or interpretations of the Mosaic law, such association with publicans Avas lawful, while to eat with them was polluting. "In the room where we v.-ere received (in Damietta), besides the divan on which we sat, there were seats all round the walls. Many came in and took their place on those side seats, iminvited and yet unchallenged. They spoke to those at table on business, on the news of the day, and our host spoke freely to them. We afterwards saw this custom at Jerusalem . . . first one and then another stranger opened the door and came in, taking the seats by the wall. They leaned forward and spoke to those at table" [Scripttire Manners and Ctisto?}is, p. 185). 17. The physician. Our Lord consorted with sinners to heal them. The righteous. There is a touch of sarcasm in the words, "You who are so holy that you cannot defile yourselves even to save your fellow-men." "The spiritual Physician finds the sickness of those sinners wholesome, the health of those Pharisees desperate ; that wholesome because it calls for the help of the physician ; this desperate because it needs not. Every soul is sick ; those most that feel it not, those that feel it complain, those that com- plain have cure. . . . Sin hath made us sick unto death ; make Thou us but as sick of our sin, we are as safe as Thou art gracious " (Hall). 3. Discourse on Fastings ii. 18-22: Matt. ix. 14-17; Luke v. 33-39. 18. The disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast, R. V. were fasting. John was in the dungeon at Machserus, and his disciples, sad at the fate of their master, were carrying out his ascetic commands, and one of their set fasts was going on that day. Moses enjoined one fast on the great day of Atonement (Lev. xvi. 29) ; others were added. The Pharisees fasted "twice in the week" (Luke xviii. 12), on Thursday, the day on which Moses reascended Mount Sinai, and on Monday, the day on which he returned. They ask why Christ does not make His disciples fast. He contrasts being made to fast with voluntary fasting in time of trouble, and implies " that all external acts and exercises should spring naturally out of some pure and deep emotion of the heart." Why should His disciples be made to act as if they were sorry when they were really glad? (Ilanna). The correct text -were fasting implies that Jesus with His disciples were feasting at the house of Matthew or Levi on a fast day. The scribes and the II. 21.] FASTING. 87 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children ^ of the bride- chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them ? as long as 20 they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away 21 from them, and then shall they fast in those days.^ No man i sons 2 in that day- Pharisees had objected to the company Jesus kept, the disciples of John objected to His disregard of the old religious customs or forms of religious life in which they had been trained, and which they had presumably found beneficial. Our Lord seizes the occasion to lay down principles which ought to regulate all religious life and its expression, in three short parables, or suggested parables — the bridegroom and his intimate friends, who have the closest fellowship with him ; old garments and new cloth ; old wine-skins and new fermenting wine. These parables or illustrations were naturally suggested by the feast in which He was then sharing — (i) a wedding feast, (2) a wedding garment, (3) wine. 19. The children of the bride-chamber, lit. the sons of the bride- chamber^ the Jewish name for those wedding guests who accompanied the bridegroom to the house of the bride, who were usually the most intimate companions of the bridegroom. The question put respectfully by the disciples of John, and maliciously by the Pharisees, implied. We acknowledge you to be a religious teacher, able to lead us to truer worship and bring us nearer God ; but why act thus in flagrant violation of our old religious life, with its prescriptions of holy living which we have ourselves found so helpful, and which we have received from our fathers ? Our Lord gently puts all that aside. He gives rules to His own followers. The first requisite for the religious life He has introduced and is proclaiming is union and communion with Himself, and His maxims are meant only for those who have this fellowship, for the children or sons of the bride-chamber, for His disciples. This solidarity with Jesus, this union and communion with Christ, is the first requisite for religious life, and for all its expression in habits of life and worship. Questions of fasting can only be discussed after that has been clearly understood. The bridegroom. There is perhaps a tender appeal to the disciples of John in the use of the illustrative phrase. Jesus reminds them that the Baptist had spoken of Him as the bridegroom, at whose coming he had rejoiced (John iii. 29). Will they not see in Him what their master saw, and become sons of the bride-chamber, and then they will know naturally and by inward experience the life of communion with Himself in which He is training His disciples? 20. Taken away. The word implies a violent death. Our Lord has always the thought of His death before Him, He had hinted it to the Jewish rulers (John ii. 19), to Nicodemus (John iii. 14), and now He says, when that death comes. His disciples will be sad enough, and will show their sorrow without being made to do so. The point on which our Lord insists is the natural expression of religious feeling arising from felt fellowship with the Saviour. This cannot be stimulated by means of a set round of external ceremonies, prescribed with no reference whatever to the feelings of the heart produced by communion with Himself. The religious life, however it shows itself, must do so without artificial promptings. Fasting and sorro"W 88 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ll. 2 2. also seweth a piece of new cloth ^ on an old garment : else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and 2 2 the rent is made worse.^ And no man putteth new wine into 1 undressed cloth ^ else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old, and a worse rent is made, were synonymous terms among the Jews ; they fasted to show their sorrow. The only real sorrow for the Christian is separation from Christ, and when this is felt sorrow and its natural signs will come. The disciples will be sad enough in those days of darkness after Gethsemane, and no ceremonial law will be needed to compel them to show signs of sorrow. The words of our Lord, of course, go far beyond the trifling question raised by John's disciples, and find an echo in all Christian experience. His people are joyous when they feel His presence ; but times do come of despondency and depression when Christ seems taken away, or is felt to be far off, and then sorrow will show itself in signs natural and appropriate. 21. New cloth, i.e. which had not been sent to the fuller, and was not teazled nor shrunk. Christ points to the well-dressed Pharisees and then to the clothes of His disciples. Would their robes be the better of patches from yours ? The garment, the outward walk and conversation, is not bettered by taking a patch of religious observance and sewing it on ; the better way is to take the old garment and transform it thread by thread from within, as if it were a living thing, till old things are passed away. It is not a patch on our old garments, but a new wedding robe that Christ gives, Seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment. The exact meaning of this short parable is better seen when the different versions in Matthew and Luke are compared with Mark's. Luke says, "And He spake also a parable unto them : No man rendeth a piece from a new garment and putteth it upon an old garment, else he will rend the new, and also the piece from the new will not agree with the old ; " and Matthew, "No man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment, for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made." The parable speaks about (i) two garments, a new and an old ; (2) a piece of cloth is cut out of the new to patch the old ; and (3) the result is a treble mischief. For {a) the new garment, rent to patch the old, is spoiled ; (/;) the mend on the old is unsuitable, the new patch is glaringly out of place ; and {c) the rent in the old is increased by the shrinking of the undressed cloth cut from the new garment. Our Lord is referring to the demands of the Pharisees and the disciples of John that He should command His disciples to obey the precepts of the traditional Judaism, and so to make the gospel a mere addition to the Mosaic economy, on a level with Pharisaism, or no higher at least than the reformation of John the Baptist. They asked Him to declare that Christianity was what the Jews "of the sect of the Pharisees who believed" declared it to be in apostolic and post-apostolic times, Mosaism with a new prophet. Our Lord answers that it is impossible to consider His work in this way. Christianity is the new garment. It will not do to cut patches from it to fill up the rents of Judaism. To do so would be to spoil Christianity, to make painful the contrast between Judaism and Christianity, and to hasten the fall of Judaism itself. Christianity must take the outward forms of expression which are natural to it. II. 2 2.] NEW WINE AND OLD BOTTLES. 89 old bottles :^ else the new wine doth burst the bottles,^ and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred i^ but new wine must be put into new bottles.^ 1 old wine-skins 2 and the wine perisheth, and the skins 3 fresh wine-skins 22. New wine into old bottles. " The manufacture of these goat-skin bottles is very simple. The animal is skinned from the neck by cutting off the head and legs, and then drawing the skin back without making any slit in the belly. The skins in this state, with the hair on, are then steeped in tannin, and filled with a decoction of bark for a few weeks. . . . They are then sewn up at the neck and the seams pitched " (Tristram). The parable has usually been explained to mean that new bottles stretch, old ones are hard and dry, cannot give when the wine ferments and expands. So the expansive joy and the then partially-developed freedom of Christianity could not be safely confined in the old unyielding forms of Judaism, but must have new and more elastic ones of their own. Canon Farrar, however, says that this mode of explanation is physically untenable. The bottles are of course skins, and the wine is the juice of the grape, which has not yet been fermented, or "must." He maintains, however, that when " must" begins to ferment, it cannot be kept in any bottle new or old, for the force of fermentation and the expansion caused thereby are sufficient to burst the most flexible wine-skin. He thinks that our Lord is not thinking at all of fermented intoxicating wine, but of the "must " which can be kept for years, and is so kept in all wine countries, and which can be kept with perfect safety in new leathern bottles. It is unsafe to put it in old bottles which have contained *' wine " in the ordinary sense, because in such a case "minute portions of the albuminoid matter would be left adhering to the skin, and receive yeast germs from the air, and keep them in readiness to set up fermentation in the new unfermented contents of the skin." If by any such chance fermentation wei'e accidentally produced, no bottle new or old could stand the pressure. Hence ancient writers on the art of wine-making are careful to say that the unfermented " must" is put into a new vessel. To attempt to combine Judaism and Christianity would raise such fermentation as would destroy both. Our Lord forewarns His disciples against those Hebraizing Christians against whom Paul had to fight his lifelong battle, and who are here innocently anticipated by those disciples of John the Baptist. Our Lord's answer to the questioners is therefore threefold : — (i) Specially as to fasting, Christianity is essentially a life lived in union and communion with Christ, and a time of felt fellowship with the Master is too joyous to find expression in signs of sorrow. (2) Christianity is not a sect of Judaism, and its forms of worship must come naturally from that religious fellowship with Christ which is the essential part of it. (3) No one can be at the same time under the law and under grace ; to combine the systems is fatal. 90 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ll. 23. 23 And it came to pass, that he went^ through the corn fields on the sabbath day ; and his disciples began, as they went, to 24 pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not 1 was going 4. The disciples phick the ears of com on the Sabbath^ ii. 23-28 : Matt. xii. 1-8 ; Luke vi. 1-5. 23. He went, lit. He was going along through the corn-fields. Mark graphically shows us Jesus walking along through the wide stretches of waving corn which covered the plain of Gennesaret and the neighbouring valleys. The roads were only narrow footpaths, and the travellers had all the appear- ance of wading through the corn. On the Sabbath day. Luke says on the second Sabbath after the firsts or on the second-first Sabbath ; but what that means is very doubtful, and is unimportant, for there can be no question about the time of year. The nar- rative has been generally held to mean that the corn was wheat, and not barley, for barley cannot be treated by rubbing in the hands as wheat can. The first ripe sheaf of barley was presented at the Passover (April), and the first ripe sheaf of wheat at Pentecost (fifty days after). The Sabbath was some few weeks after the Passover. His disciples began as they went, the translation of a somewhat difficult sentence, which is better translated — His disciples began to make a way by plucking the corn ears. The parable of the Sower tells us how pathway, stony ground, thorny thicket, and rich soil intermingled in parts of Galilee, and Christ seems to have been in a place where the path went over the good ground and had been sown over, the farmer leaving it to the wayfarers to renew the path his grain had obliterated, by walking in it. The disciples began to walk along this path hidden by the grain, making a way ; they were hungry, and had been long fasting, and as they went they plucked and ate those ears of corn which grew on the old pathway. To plnck the ears of corn. To pluck ears of corn was allowed by custom and by the law (Deut. xxiii. 25 : " When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand ; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn "), but by rabbinical tradition " to pluck ears " was to reap, and to rub ears in the hand was to thresh, and these actions were therefore forbidden on the Sabbath. So it was lawful to wear shoes without nails, but unlawful to have nails, because nails were a "burden," and burdens could not be carried on the Sabbath. "The vitality of these artificial notions among the Jews is extra- ordinary. Abarbanel relates that when in 1492 the Jews were expelled from Spain, and were forbidden to enter the city of Fez lest they should cause a famine, they lived on grass ; yet even in this state religiously avoided the viola- tion of their Sabbath by plucking the grass with their hands. To avoid this they took the much more laborious method of grovelling on their knees, and cropping it with their teeth." INIatthew, as well as Mark, note that the Pharisees spoke to Jesus as soon as the disciples begati to pluck. This seems to imply that they Avere spies on the watch to find matter of accusation against the great Teacher. II. 28.] THE LORD EVEN OF THE SABBATH. 9I 25 lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and 26 they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and 2 7 gave also to them which were with him ? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 28 sabbath: therefore^ the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 1 so that 25. When he was in need and was an hungered. Notice how Jesus lays stress on the necessity of David's deed ; all laws of positive institittion must be accommodated to circumstances from their very nature. This distinguishes them from permanent moral obligations. 26. The house of God, i.e. the tabernacle when it was in Nob, an old priestly town (i Sam, xxii. 19), near Jerusalem (Isa. x. 32). In the days of Abiathar the high priest. Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar, was high priest, and actually gave the bread to David (i Sam. xxi. 1-6). Various explanations of the difficulty have been given, none very satisfactory. The one name has got into the text somehow for the other. The old Persian version has Ahimelech. The shewbread. The twelve cakes of fine unleavened flour, sprinkled with frankincense, and set on a golden table, called also the " continual bread" (Num. iv. 7), reserved for the priests. "It shall be Aai-on's and his sons'." Our Lord quotes a fact^ a deed of David's, their favourite hero, to show that mercy is better than sacrifice. If hunger made David, and them that were with him, blameless in eating the consecrated shewbread, may not the same plea of necessity be urged to justify the disciples, although they had transgressed a rabbinical tradition ? 27. The Sabbath was made for man. "A great principle which must regulate the whole Sabbath question, and settles both the permanent neces- sity of the Sabbath for the temporal and eternal welfare of man, and the true Christian freedom in its observance " (Schafif). The perverse ingenuity of the scribes in multiplying positive rules, to the neglect of ethical principles, was nowhere more exercised than in defining varieties of unlawful work on the Sabbath. The law said that the Jews were io do no maiuier of ivork on the Sabbath day. The scribes, after their usual fashion, set about defining manners of work, and in due time the oral law had set down thirty-nine manners of work — sowing, ploughing, reaping, threshing, baking, washing, cleaning fruit, making knots, cutting wood, writing, and obliterating writing, and so on. From these thirty-nine prohibitions, the ingenuity of later scribes deduced an immense number of derivative rules ; plucking ears of corn, for example, was a kind of reaping. The Rabbis contemplating this vast masr. of commands all coming from the single precept of the Mosaic law, compared it, with professional delight, to a "mountain suspended by a hair," The mountain pressed heavily on the people, and the Sabbath rest given in blessing had become a terrible injury — the word of God had become of none effect by their tradition. 28. The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath ; better, is Lord even of ihe. 92 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ill. I. Chap. III. i And he entered again into the synagogue; and 2 there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath 3 day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the 4 man which had the withered hand,i Stand forth. And he ' his hand withered Sabbath. The scribes maintained that the regulations about the Sabbath were the most important part of the whole law, and that their observance formed the essential contents of religion. Thus Jesus sets Himself above Mosaism, and announces His right to interpret, to fulfil, and to set aside. He declares that the Sabbath is to be used as a gift of God given to further the spiritual and temporal good of man ; and in turn we are bound to observe the Sabbath in such a way that our temporal and spiritual welfare is thereby furthered. "The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath, because He is the divine rest and the divine celebration ; He is both the principle and the object of the Sabbath ; He rests in God, and God in Him ; He is the mediator of proper Sabbath observance, and the interpreter of the Sabbath law " (Lange). Our Lord was careful to show His lordship over the Sabbath by selecting that day over and over again for a time to work miracles ; and two cures which He wrought at Jerusalem on the Sabbath, were carefully made public (John v. 8, ix. 7). He was evidently anxious, disregarding the popular orthodoxy of the day, to bring out the mercy of God in the gift of the Sabbath, to show that the end for which the Sabbath was ordained was that it might bless man. "Jesus chose to do many of His miracles on the Sabbath, that He might do the work of abrogation and institution both at once " (Jeremy Taylor). 5. The man zvith the zvithercd hand^ iii. 1-6 : Matt. xii. 9-14; Luke vi. 6-1 1. 1. A withered hand. His "right hand," Luke says; and an old tradition recorded in the Gospel of the Ebionites adds, that he was a stonemason by trade, and that he asked Jesus to heal him and relieve him from having to beg his bread. He had come on the Sabbath day to be healed, and this act was itself esteemed a sin by some of the stricter scribes of the school of Shammai (Luke xiii. 14), His hand had been injured, and the effect was to wither or dry up the arm. Such cases are incurable. 2. They watched him. The scribes and Pharisees both of Galilee and Jerusalem were tracking Him like bloodhounds. His disregard of the " tradi- tions," whereby they had made the " Sabbath law" of none effect, seemed best fitted to form matter of legal accusation against Him, so they kept "watching Him." They came to the synagogue not to worship, but to watch Him ; and while so particular about Jesus keeping the Fourth Commandment, they broke it themselves by their malice and treachery. 3. Stand forth. Matthew tells us that the Pharisees first asked Him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days ? A crisis had come, and our Lord met it at once. He asked the man to stand forth, and with the eyes of all the people on Him, He points to the withered hand, and asks His counter question — III. 6.] A STONEMASON HEALED. 93 saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil?^ to save life, or to kill? But they held their 5 peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness ^ of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched 6 it out : and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. 1 harm ^ at the hardening 4. Is it lawful to do good, etc. Is it better to have the desire to heal, as I have to this man, or the desire to kill, as you have towards me? He was intending to do good ; they meant, and the people knew that they meant, to do Him as much harm as they could. One of their best maxims was, "He who neglects to preserve life when it is in his power is a murderer." Christ appeals to their own better teaching. They are silent. Mark alone mentions the silence of the Pharisees, and the anger of Jesus. 5. With anger , . . being grieved. Looked slowly round in each Pharisee's face with divine anger, and yet with compassion ; for, as Beza remarks, "By this word anger and grieved, is signified that Christ was offended at their wickedness ; yet so that He also pitied their misery." For the hardness, lit. at the hardening of their hearts. They had set themselves to prove Christ guilty at all hazards, and the result was a gradual hardening of the heart, so that in the midst of wonders of grace no impression could be made on them. There is no more sorrowful sight than the gradual hardening of the heart and searing of the conscience. Stretch forth thine hand. No word of healing, Christ's power could work without breaking even the rabbinical Sabbath regulations. Restored whole as the other. This miracle was remarkable for several reasons : — {a) It was wrought in direct challenge to the scribes to defend, on divine principles, some of their burdensome sabbatical regulations — Jesus publicly separated Himself from the scribes ; {b) it was wrought without the employment of any external means either of word or touch — the disease was not rebuked, nor was the hand touched ; () All the apostles, except Judas Iscariot, who belonged probably to the town of Kerioth in Judea, were Galileans, and the first five came from the village of Bethsaida. (c) None of the lists exactly coincide, and one apostle is designated by at least three names — Jude of James, who has the two surnames Lebbaeus and Thaddseus or Theudas ; none of the lists mention Nathanael (John xxi. 2), who has been identified with Bar- tholomew. (d) It has been conjectured that half of the apostles were relations oi Jesus, and that many were near relations of each other ; that James and John were brothers, and were first cousins of our Lord ; Thomas, Matthew, and James of Alphaus were brothers, and were first cousins of our Lord ; Jude of James was probably son of James of Alphaeus, and therefore nephew to Thomas and Matthew, and first cousin of our Lord once removed ; Peter and Andrew were brothers. For these relationships, many of which are inconsistent with each other, see notes on verses 16-19. (4) TAetr training. They were trained gradually for their work. Some of them had been called more than once in a special fashion to follow Jesus. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist, had heard his first master's witness for Jesus, and had followed Him ; the earliest call of Simon Peter, of Philip and of Nathanael, also belonged to the first weeks of our Lord's public ministry. Peter and Andrew, James and John, had also been called from their occupation as fishers on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (see note on i, 17). From the time of their call onwards the Twelve were always with Jesus ; they heard Him preach, and saw Him work His miracles, and thus manifest forth His glory. They were taught how to work miracles themselves by getting that faith on Him which grew stronger as they lived in His presence, knew Him, and learned His love and power. They were sent short preach- ing journeys, and made reports to their Master. After our Lord's resurrection He continually manifested Himself to them to teach them. At and after Pentecost they received special gifts from the Holy Spirit to fit them to be the first missionaries and the Twelve Pillars of the Church of Christ. 16. Simon or Simeon (John xxi. 16 ; Acts xv. 14), who was surnamed Peter Q 98 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ill. 1 7. 17 and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The (John i. 42), stands first on all the four lists. He belonged originally to Beth- saida (Johni. 44), followed the calling of his father, John or Jonah (John i. 42, R. v.), who was a fisherman, and afterwards lived at Capernaum (Mark i. 16). He was brought to Jesus first by his brother Andrew in such a way as to make it evident that he was one who anxiously awaited the advent of the Messiah (John i. 41). He was called a second time while fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Mark i. 16, 17 ; Matt. iv. 18-20; Luke v. i-ii). He was the most prominent of the apostles during our Lord's lifetime, and continu- ally appears so in the gospel history : when Christ is absent, it is Peter that sets off to find Him (Mark i. 36) ; he speaks in the name of the Twelve (Matt. xix. 27 ; Luke xii. 41) ; he answers when all are addressed (Matt. xvi. 16 ; Mark viii. 29) ; he was the first to make public confession of the Divine Messiahship of Jesus (Mark viii. 27-30) ; our Lord speaks to him as the chief apostle (Matt. xvi. 18 ; Luke xxii. 32) ; strangers recognised him to be the representative of the apostolic community (Matt. xvii. 24) ; during the planting of the Church he assumed a still more prominent position (Acts i. 15, ii. 14, iv. 8, v. 29), and was recognised in the Apostolic and post-Apostolic Church as the apostle of the circumcision, whose work was greater than that of any other missionary save Paul. This pre-eminence was due to natural character and abilities, to his wonderful combination of adoration and activity : there is no trace of official lordship. Simon himself took official rank simply as an apostle and presbyter (l Pet. i. I, v. i). His apostolic name was Peter, — the Rock-ma7i, He was brother to Andrew (John i. 40). 17. James the son of Zebedee, also belonging to Bethsaida (this is in- ferred from John i. 44, and the fact that John and James were partners with Simon and Andrew), was one of the three specially favoured apostles who were witnesses of the Transfiguration (Mark ix. 2), of the raising of the daughter of Jairus (v. 37), and of other manifestations of the glory of Jesus. Pie appears to have been older than John, and in the earlier narrative receives a greater prominence. He was the first of the Twelve to receive the crown of martyrdom, and is the only apostle whose death is recorded in the New Testament. His mother was Salome, who was most probably the sister of the Virgin (compare Matt, xxvii. 56, Mark xv. 40, with John xix. 25), and therefore James and John his brother -wqxq first coiisms of otir Lord. John the brother of James, the young son of Zebedee and Salome, but destined to take higher place than his elder brother, the author of the Gospel and of the Epistles that bear his name, and of the book of Revelation, who never names himself, but calls himself the other disciple (John xviii. 15, XX. 2, 3), the disciple whom Jesus loved (John xiii. 23, xix. 26), was perhaps the most intimate companion of Jesus (John xix, 26, 27, xiii. 23). He had been a disciple of John the Baptist ; was one of the two who first followed Jesus (i. 35-40). It has been conjectured that as his Gospel tells most about the early Judean ministry, and as he had acquaintances among the priestly aristocracy of Jerusalem, John had spent most of his time in that part of the country. Our Lord surnamed the two brothers, John and James, Boanerges, or sons of Thunder, from the fiery, enthusiastic zeal they showed (Mark ix. 38, x. 37 ; Luke ix, 54). John survived all his icllow-apostles (Acts xii. 25 ; John xxi. 22). III. 1 8.] THE TWELVE. 99 18 sons of thunder: and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, 18. Andrew, a native of Bethsaida, the brother of Simon Peter, whom he first brought to Jesus, had been a disciple of John the Baptist, and had heard his witness for Christ (John i. 35-42). He was the first disciple, and was with Jesus in Olivet (Mark xiii. 3). He is not very prominent, but seems to have been of a quiet and practical turn of mind, doing small things which had to be done (John vi, 8, xii. 22). Philip, a native of Bethsaida, one of the earliest disciples, and the first to whom Jesus said. Follow me (John i. 42, 43). The references to him are not very numerous : — At the feeding of the 50CX) (John vi, 5-9) ; when the Greeks wished to see the Lord (John xii. 20-22) ; when he asked to be shown the Father (John xiv. 8). Bartholomew, generally supposed to be the same as Nathanael for these reasons: — John always couples IS'athanael with Philip, just as Bartholomew is in the lists of apostles in the Gospels ; and while the Synoptists never mention Nathanael, John never mentions Bartholomew, but inserts Nathanael instead. He belonged to Cana of Galilee (John xxi. 2) ; was of guileless nature (John i. 47) ; and was one of the seven who saw Jesus by the lake of Gennesaret after His resurrection (John xxi. 2). Matthew, or Levi, the son of Alphaeus or Clopas, had been a tax-gatherer (Mark ii. 14, 15, see notes), and was the author of the Gospel bearing his name. Was his father the father also of James ? The conjecture is com- monly adopted. Thomas, called also Didymus {i.e. Twin), noted for his devotion to Jesus (John xi. 16), for his question about the way (John xiv. 5), for his doubt about the resurrection (John xx. 25), and for his interviews with the risen Christ (xx. 26, xxi, 2). Tradition says that Thomas was twin-brother to James the son of Alphseus, and brother also to Matthew. James of Alphaeus, or Clopas, had for his mother Mary (Mark xv. 40), one of the holy women who stood round the cross, and to whom Jesus appeared after His resurrection (Mark xvi, i). It has been conjecUired that Mary, who was the mother of James, was the sister of the Virgin (comp. John xix. 25 with Matt, xxvii. 56, Mark xv. 40) ; it is also con- jectured that Alphaeus the father of Matthew, was the same as Alphaeus the father of James, and the husband of Mary. Taking these conjectures with the legend that Thomas was the brother of James, — Matthew, Thomas, and James were brothers, the nephews of the Virgin, and first cousins to our Lord. It should be noticed, however, that if Mary the mother of James was sister to tlie Virgin, then Salome was not ; for the phrase on which the relationship is founded, "his mother's sister," cannot apply to Mary and Salome, but to one or other. If James and John were our Lord's first cou'^ins, Matthew, Thomas, and James were not. Thaddaeus, also called Lebbxus (Matt. x. 3), whose real name was Judas, probably a son of James (the "Jude of James," Luke vi. 16; Acts i, 13). The only incident recorded of Judas, is his question about Christ's manifesta- tion of Himself to His people (John xiv, 22). It is conjectured that James the father of Judas was James the son of Alphaeus. This added to previous conjecture makes Judas the nephew of Thomas and Matthew, and our Lord's first cousin once removed. Simon the Canaanite, or Canancean, Simon Zelotes, or llic Zealot (Luke lOO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ill. T9. 19 and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,i and Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him : and they went into an house. 20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they ' Cananosan vi, 15; Acts i. 13), had belonged to the sect of the Zealots, a fierce secret society pledged to exterminate the Romans and traitors who joined them, and which included men of all temperaments, from the heroic leaders of Galilean revolts to the desperate sicarii, or dagger-men, who sought to accomplish their object by the secret assassination of Romans and their supporters. The apostolic company included a tax-gatherer on the one hand, and a member of a patriotic assassination league on the other. 19. Judas Iscariot, i.e. Jtidas the 7nan of Kerioth, Ish-Kerioth, a native of Kerioth, a little village in the tribe of Judah (Josh. xv. 25 ; Jer. xlviii. 24) ; the traitor, and the only disciple not a Galilean. It should be noticed that our Lord's brethren were still hostile to Him, and that therefore none are among the Twelve ; and care should be taken to distinguish between persons with the same name. In the circle which formed the early Apostolic Church there were at least three, and perhaps four, who bore the name James : — (i) the son of Zebedee, (2) the brother of our Lord, (3) the son of Alphseus, and (4) the father of Jude, if distinct from (3). Three Judes should also be distinguished — (i) the brother of our Lord, (2) the Apostle Jude of James, (3) Judas Iscariot. Bettueen the first and second clause ofver. 19 of this chapter there intervcn-'S an interval of several weeks : — (i) Our Lord's return to Capernaum and His third sojourn there^ during %vhich He healed the Centurion's servant [M^it. viii. 5-13; Luke vii. i-io). (2) The third preaching journey through Galilee, during which our Lord {a) Went to A'aiji, zvhere He healed the zuidow's son (Luke vii. 1 1-17). {b) Received a message from John the Baptist (Matt. xi. 2-30 ; Luke vii. 18-35). _ {c) Dined zvith Simon the Pharisee, and was anointed by a woman (Luke vii. 36-50). {d) Continiced His circuit in Galilee, and returned to Capernaum (Luke viii. 1-3). V. — FOURTH SOJOURN IN CAPERNAUM, iii. 1 9-3 5. I. Opposition of His relatives. He is mad, iii. 20-21. 19. And they entered into a house. This begins a new paragraph. Robert Stephens, who first divided the Bible into verses, made these words begin a verse, as they ought to do. Unfortunately Beza added them to verse 19. Henry Stephens followed his example, and unhappily set a fashion which has been adhered to by the translators of our version. These words really begin the account of our Lord's fourth sojourn in Capernaum, which was several weeks after His selection of the apostles. 20. A crowd cometh together again. The excitement recorded in verses 7, 8, had not died out during our Lord's absence. As soon as He returned, the crowds came thronging, eager to see and hear, so that, as Mark says with his usual g-aphic touch, our Lord and His disciples could not so much as eat III. 26.] HOW CAN SATAN CAST OUT SATAN? lOl 21 could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of if, they went out to lay hold on him : for they said, He 22 is beside himself. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the 23 devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out 24 Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that 25 kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against 26 itself, that house cannot stand.^ And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided,^ he cannot stand, but hath an end. 1 will not be able to stand * hath risen up against himself, and is divided bread. What a picture of ceaseless energy Mark gives us — surging crowds, blocked streets, crowded doorways, and no leisure to sleep or to eat ! 21. His friends. His relatives, including "His mother and His brethren," who here go out to Him, and (ver. 31) go to the place where multitudes crowd round Him, Beside himself, in a state of religious excitement which required watchful care. The phrase is used in a good sense (2 Cor. v. 13) or in a bad (Acts xxvi. 24). Many commentaiors are scandalizv^d at Mark's simple statement, and wish to explain the words away. They seem to think that to say that Jesus' kinsfolk wished to lay hands on Him, because they thought Him insane, must prove a stumbling-block in the way of weak believers, and must afford triumph to adversaries. But there is no occasion for their prudential timidity. The prophets were thought to be mad fellows (2 Kings ix. 11), and so have many followers of Jesus since, vi^hose overflowing love and sympathy for those for whom Christ died have prompted them to give their lives for their fallen brethren at home and abroad. 2. Can Satan cast out Satan ? 22-30 : Matt. xii. 22-37 ; Luke xi. 14-26. 22. The scribes took advantage of the fears of His friends, and told the people that His being beside Himself was a case of demoniac possession. Beelzebub, the heathen deity whom the Jews made king of "evil spirits." The Evangelist wrote Beelzebul or Baalzebul, which was an intentional caricature of Baalzebub. Baalzebub meant Fly- God, and the Jews said Baal- zebul, making it Filth- God, and applied the term to Satan. It was the scribes who came down from Jerusalem who made these insinuations. We can see them going among the crowd artfully repeating the fears of Jesus' friends about His sanity, and suggesting in whispers that His power was demoniac. The rude straightforward Galileans could scarcely have invented such an unscrupulous plausible lie; it had the mark of Jerusalem upon it, and came from men who were accustomed to see craft triumphant in the person of the wily Annas. 23. He called them unto him. They had spoken in insinuations in the ears of the crowd. Jesus again brought things to a crisis, and challenged them to meet Him. Parables, These parables are short, pithy metaphors. 26. Satan cast out Satan. Our Lord speaks of Satan here as a personality, a kingdom, a household, a power. If he works against himself, he cannot stand. I02 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ill. 27. 27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man ; and then he 28 will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, All sins^ shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies ^ wherewith 29 soever they shall blaspheme: but he that shall ^ blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in 30 danger of eternal damnation:* because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. 3 1 There came then ^ his brethren and his mother, and, stand- 32 ing without, sent unto him, caUing him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother ' all their sins 2 ^nd their blasphemies ^ but whosoever shall ^ but is guilty of an eternal sin ^ And there came 27. No man . . . strongman. Calvin maintains that the "strongman" represents Satan, and the "man" who binds him is Christ. The strong man's house is this world of sin which Christ entered. 29. Shall blaspheme, "The sin against which these words are a terrible but merciful warning, is not so much an act as a state of sin, on the part of one who, in defiance of light and of set purpose, rejects, and not only rejects \i\x\. perseveres in rejecting the warnings of conscience and the grace of the Holy Spirit" (Maclear). Our Lord intimates that His slanderers were on the brink of that sin from which there was no redemption. There is a limit to divine mercy and forgiveness. " There is such a thing as a sin which is never forgiven. But those who are troubled about it are most unlikely to have committed it " (Ryle). Of eternal damnation ; better, is guilty of an eternal sin. " Forgiven sins are sins that are taken up by God from the burdened conscience of the sinner, and, as it were, ' cast behind His back ' or into the depths of the sea, but unforgiven sins abide for ever on the souls that committed them. The language is, of course, strongly pictorial, but most solemnly significant" (INIorison). 30. Because they said. For in this saying of theirs they rejected every possible element of the divine anxiety to save. No road remained whereby the saving grace of God could enter into their hearts. 3, The true kinsfolk, iii, 31-35 : Matt. xii. 46-50; Luke viii. 19-21. 31. His brethren, Matt, xiii, 55; Mark vi. 3. Perhaps literal brethren; some think sons of Joseph by a former wife ; others sons of Cleophas and Mary, the sister and namesake of Mary the mother of Jesus, The third theory was introduced by Jerome, avowedly in defence of the extreme value set on the virgin life by himself and several of his contem- poraries. It has no ground in tradition, and therefore rests exclusively on what evidence can be adduced for it from Scripture, It proceeds on the idea that James, our Lord's brother, was one of the apostles (Gal. i. 19) ; if so, he must have been James the son of Alphseus. The mother of James and Joses — Mary — was present at the crucifixion, and she must have been the wife of Alphseus, who was father of James; John (xix, 25) tells us that "Mary of Cleophas or Clopas," perhaps the Virgin's sister, was at the crucifixion ; she III. 35.] THE BRETHREN OF THE LORD. IO3 33 and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered 34 them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren ? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, 35 Behold my mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall was the mother of James ; James was therefore the cousin of our Lord. This statement is further supported by asserting that in Scripture brother frequently denotes merely relationship, as when Abraham calls Lot his brother (Gen. xiii. 8) ; by the plausible identification of Alphaeus and Clopas ; by stating the improbability that there could be two sets of brothers called James, Joses, and Simon, the one disciples, the other the brethren of our Lord. On the other hand, it is alleged, and with great truth, that this argument from Scripture is very weak. It is not at all improbable that there were two sets of brothers bearing these names, the commonest among the Jews, more especially if they were cousins. It is almost impossible to believe that the brethren of our Lord were among the twelve apostles, as this theory supposes, because we find (i) that our Lord's brethren were not among His followers after the calling of the Twelve (compare Mark iii. 13-19 with 31-35) ; (2) John tells us that on to near the close of His ministry His brethren did not believe in Him (John vii. 3) ; (3) His brethren were most likely con- strained to believe in Him by our Lord's special appearance to James after His resurrection (i Cor. xv. 7) ; (4) after they did become believers, and were of consequence in the infant Church, they are distinguished from the disciples (Acts i. 14). Our Lord's brethren are always mentioned in connection with Joseph and Mary, never in connection vsdth Clopas and his wife Mary ; and, lastly, it is likely that when the Scripture says brethren, it means brethren and not cousins. As to the other theories. There is no doubt that the one connected with the name of Epiphanius, which makes our Lord's brethren to be the sons of Joseph by a former wife, was very common in the early church, and had its origin in Palestine, where exalted views about the virtue of a virgin life did not prevail to the same extent as in the West. But it is equally clear that this view did attain its popularity because of the assumption and sentiment that the Virgin remained ever virgin. The Epiphanian view derives no direct support from Scripture, and has the defect, though in a less striking form, of not giving to the word brethren its ordinaiy meaning. The only real argument against supposing that the brethren of our Lord were the sons of Mary, and His real brothers, is derived from the words of Jesus on the cross to John, when He gave him charge of the Virgin, His mother. It is argued that if Mary had had other sons able to care for her, she would not have gone to the house of the son of Zebedee, nor would Jesus have sent her there. The whole subject is ably treated in Bishop Lightfoot's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, p. 252. 33. Who is. He who on the cross was so tender towards His mother does not disown her here. "He despises not His mother, but places before her His Father " (Bengel). " The most sacred of earthly ties lost its great- ness before the spiritual kinship in the new deathless communion He was founding" (Geikie), Luke ii. 49. 34. And he looked round about. Matthew says that He stretched forth His hands towards His disciples. 104 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iV. I. do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. Chap. IV. i And he began again to teach by the sea-side : and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship,i and sat in the sea; and the whole 2 multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,^ ^ boat ^ teaching 35. Shall do the will, etc. "Surely it is good to be akin to those who are thus nearly allied to Christ, and to have fellowship with those who have fellowship with Jesus" (Matt, Henry). " Ye are my friends," said our Lord in His last long discourse, "if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John XV. 14; compare John xiv, 21 ; Heb. ii. ii). There is a deeper spiritual relationship than any natural one, a truth continually taught by our Lord, who ever invested natural kinship with holy dignity. He early felt His own spiritual relation to His Father in heaven, even when it separated Him for a time from His earthly parents. " How is it that ye sought me? " He said to His mother when Joseph and Mary returned to seek Him, a boy of twelve, in the temple. " Wist ye not that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke ii. 49). The rule He laid on Himself He applied to His disciples. " He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me " (Matt. x. 37). VI. FOURTH PREACHING JOURNEY IN GALILEE, iv. I-V. 20. I. Parables of the Kingdom^ iv. I -34. 1. He entered into a boat, probably near Bethsaida, where the beach rises rapidly, and there is deep water within a i^\^ yards of the shore. "There is no such natural church along the coast of Gennesaret. " All could see and hear, some on jutting rocks, others in rows on the sloping beach. 2. The parables. This is the first time the word is used in its common meaning in Mark's Gospel. The word means (i) in classical Greek, {a) a placing together, (/;) a comparison, and (<:) the simplest argument from analogy ; (2) in Hellenistic Greek what the Jews called mashal, or similitude. Hence the word parable is used (i) in the Old Testament for {a) A very short provei'b, I Sam. x. 12 : "Therefore it became ?l parable, Is Saul also among the prophets ? " {])) A dark prophetic utteraiice, Num. xxiii. 7-10 : " And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying. Come, curse me Jacob, and come defy Israel," etc. ((t) An enigmatic maxim, Ps. Ixxviii. 2 : "I will open my mouth in a parable : I will utter dark sayings of old." (it) A metaphor expanded into a na^'rative, Ezek. xx. 49 : "Doth he not speak parables ? "■' (2) In the New Testament for {a) A short pithy saying, Luke iv. 23 ; Mark vii. 1 7. (<^) The figurative character of the Levitical ordinances, Heb. ix. 8, 9 : IV. 4.] THE SOWER. 105 3, 4 Hearken; behold, there went out a sower to sow;^ and it 1 a sower went forth to sow "The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while as the first tabernacle is yet standing : which is a parable. " (f) A mere comparison without narrative^ Mark xiii. 28 : *' Now from the fig-tree learn her parable." {d) An earthly story with a heavenly meaning, as the parables of our Lord (Smith's Did. of the Bible). The parables of our Lord differ from fables by their higher spiritual aim and the natural character of their incidents ; from myths by their truthful- ness ; from proverbs by their expanded form ; from allegories in being com- plete and yet not always self-interpreting. Parables have always been popular in the East. The Rabbis commonly began to teach the young dis- ciple in parables. Our Lord reversed their method. He began by the simple words of the Sermon on the Mount, then a change came, and He spoke in parable when He found the hard-heartedness of the people. A Master of the hidden truth, Jesus knew how to make the doctrine of the kingdom touch the mind and thrill the heart of the people, by means of the forms and figures which the lake and the land made familiar to them. *' The lake gave Him the picture of casting the net, which at every throw collected a quantity of fishes, good and bad ; . . . the shore, the oasis with rich black mould . . . here the rocky ground of the hill ranges and the crumbling basalt rocks of the lake-shore, there the irrepressible tropical luxuriance of weeds, and the plunderings of numberless birds. The road which meandered by the lake suggested the seed-corn trodden down by the wayside or fruitlessly sprouting, and the pearls which the passing merchant had brought from Arabia and Persia by Damascus to Galilee. Jesus had musingly watched the wife or maiden busily mixing with skilful hand the wheaten meal and the leaven. As He looked at all these material things He added to them the spiritual leaven, and presented when need arose His nervous pictures before His people as their most nourishing bread " (Keim). (i) The Sowei't iv. 3-25 : Matt. xiii. 1-23; Luke viii. 4-16. 3. Hearken. Our Lord is beginning a new method of teaching, and calls special attention to it at the beginning and at the end of the first parable. Mark, as usual, preserves graphically the first word hearken, inviting attention to something new. Luke tells us that He ended the story by raising His voice when He said, " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Behold, there went out a sower. Some suppose that Jesus pointed from His boat to a man actually sowing in sight of the people. This is highly probable, for a diligent study of the Gospels reveals the fact that very many of our Lord's parables were spoken in sight of the scenes they describe. "In the fields close to the shore may be seen the hard-beaten paths, into which no seed can penetrate ; the flights of innumerable birds ready to pick it up ; the rocks thinly covered with soil, and the stony ground ; the dense tangled growth of weeds and thistles ; and the rich, deep loam on which the harvests grew with unwonted luxuriance " (Farrar). To6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iV. 5. came to pass, as he sowed, some fell ^ by the wayside, and 5 the fowls ^ of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground,^ where it had not much earth; and immediately ^ it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth : 6 but when the sun was up,^ it was scorched ; and because it 7 had no root, it withered away. And some^ fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no 8 fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased ; ^ and brought forth, some 9 thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.^ And he said unto them. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 1 some seed fell 2 birds ^ and other fell on the rocky ground 4 straightway ^ risen ^ other ^ growing up and increasing * thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold 4. By the wayside, i.e. on the hard footpath which passed through the field. Luke adds graphically, and it was trodden upon. 5. Stony ground, perhaps the crumbling basaltic fragments of rock, but also a thin coating of mould covering the surface of a rock. " It is not a soil mingled with stones that is meant here ; for these, however numerous or large, would not certainly hinder the roots from striking deeply downward, as these roots, with the instinct they possess, would feel and find their way, penetrat- ing between the interstices of the stones, and would so reach the moisture below ; but what is meant is ground where a thin superficial coating of mould covered the face of a rock which stretched below it, and formed an impassable barrier, rendering it wholly impossible that the roots should penetrate beyond a certain depth, or draw up any supplies of nourishment from beneath" (Trench). 7. Among thorns, lit. the thorns. Travellers tell us that in the hot valleys on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, where the soil is good, thorns and thistles grow rapidly and luxuriantly. No horse can break through their tangled brakes. The common Oriental custom was to burn them down before sowing the seed ; but the roots often remained. Among these roots some of the seed fell ; they grew up with it and choked the young corn. ' ' Thorns are a good guard to the corn when they are in the hedge, but a bad inmate when they are in the field " (M. Henry). 8. On good ground, lit. 071 the good ground. The different results imply different degrees of fertility. The hundredfold was probably the common expression for an unusually good crop. " Then Isaac sowed in that land and received in that same year an hmtdredfold ; and the Lord blessed him " (Gen. xxvi. 12). There is one degree of unfruitfulness, and three causes of unfruitfulness ; there is one cause of fruitfulness, and three degrees of fruitfulness. 9. He that hath ears to hear. The usual rabbinical phrase for calling the attention of their scholars to something of special importance. Our Lord uses it on six occasions :— (i) "And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, which is to come. He that hath ears," etc. (Matt. xi. 14, 15) ; (2) "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears," etc. (Matt. xii. 43); (3) In this passage; (4) " Neither was anything secret, but that it should come to light. He that IV. 13-] THE SOWER. I07 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with 11 the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the king- dom of God : but unto them that are without, all these things 1 2 are done in parables : that seeing they may see, and not perceive : and hearing they may hear, and not understand ; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins 13 should be forgiven them.^ And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable ? and how then will ye know all parables ? ^ ^ lest haply they should turn again, and it should be forgiven them 2 and how shall ye know all the parables hath ears," etc. (Mark iv. 23) ; {5) Mark vii. 16, but omitted in the Revised Version; (6) "Salt, therefore, is good; but if even the salt have lost its savour . . . He that hath ears," etc. (Luke xiv. 34-35). 11. Mystery. That inner reality or kernel of spiritual truth, which the multitude did not like to think of, and which Christ has made a revealed secret. A mystery was something into which disciples were initiated, and which was, therefore, as well known to them as it was hidden from others. The modern use of the word is quite different from its New Testament meaning. With us it is used to imply something we do not now, and never can understand ; in the New Testament it always means something once hidden, but now revealed (Col. i. 26 ; i Tim. iii. 16 ; Matt. xi. 25, 26 ; Rev. xvii. 5). The disciples were initiated into the mystery of the kingdom, and knew it ; outsiders did not know it. 12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive, etc. A double illus- tration drawn from the two senses of sight and hearing, and conveying a confessedly difficult idea, which is made the more difficult by the additional clause, lest haply they shotdd turn again, and it shotdd be forgiven them. The clause suggests that parables were a means of preventing the gospel of the kingdom being known, and that they were used as such. The clause in Matthew, because seeing they see not, however, shows that what is really in our Lord's mind is the fact that many of His hearers will not, as a matter of fact, either perceive or understand, although they are seeing and hearing His deeds and words. When Peter and John came to the sepulchre, they both saw the empty tomb, but only John perceived that this meant a risen Saviour. The whole multitude to whom Christ spoke His parable followed His gestures, and heard His words ; but whether they were able to perceive and understand His meaning, depended on the way that they saw and heard. Matthew quotes a similar deadening effect of Old Testament prophecy on the Israelites in the days of Isaiah (Matt. xiii. 13-15 ; comp. Isa. vi. 9, 10). Prophecy and parable are meant to be blessings, but, like all misused blessings they may and do become curses ; for they have a hardening effect on those that carelessly hear them. " Unwillingness to see is punished by incapacity of seeing. The natural punishment of spiritual perversity is spiritual blindness." 13. How then will ye know. Mark alone gives this question. It is as if our Lord meant to tell them that He hoped to see in them an ever-growing insight into the mystery of the kingdom cultivated by a long course of teaching in parables, and that this first one was so simple they might well understand it. Io8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iV. 1 4. 14, 1 5 The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown ; but when ^ they have heard, Satan cometh immediately,^ and taketh away the word 16 that was sown in their hearts. And these are they Hkewise which are sown on stony ground,^ who, when they have heard 17 the word, immediately^ receive it with gladness ; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time;* afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, 18 immediately they are offended.^ And these are they which 19 are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,*^ and the I and when 2 straightway ^ are sown upon the rocky f laces * but endure for a while : then when * straightway they stumble 6 and others are they that are sown among the thorns : these are they that have heard 14. The sower soweth the word, or, as Luke says, The seed is the zuord of God. The metaphor is not unusual in the New Testament. '' I planted," said Paul, " Apollos watered ; but God gave the increase" (i Cor. iii. 6; compare also Col. i, 5, 6, and Jas. i. 21). 15. And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown. There is a wayside where the word is sown, the hardened hearers, hardened by a tlull familiarity with divine things, or by worldliness, or by evil habits of life. "The wayside is the heart beaten and dried by the passage of evil thoughts " (Hugh of St. Victor), " If we break not up the fallow ground, by preparing our hearts for the word, and humbling them to it, and engaging our own attention ; and if we cover not the seed afterwards by meditation and prayer ; ... we are as the highway " (Matt. Henry). Taketh away. '' Snatcheth, Matt. xiii. 19. It is done in a moment ; by a smile at the end of the sermon ; by a silly criticism at the church door ; by foolish gossip on the way home. These are the fowls of the air whom the Evil One uses in this task " (Farrar). 16. These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground. The metaphor suddenly clianges, and the hearers become the seed. The stony- ground hearers have shallow, impulsive natures. They exhibit rapid change, strong emotion, a quicker show of saving change than is real. They receive the word straightway with gladness, as Herod heard John (Mark vi. 20), but have no persistence. The verses are a warning against attempting to produce real conversion of souls by mere excitement. When anything comes to test the moral nature, they are offended, i.e. they stumble, or are tripped up. They have no root in themselves, and religion must be a personal matter ; it cannot be forced on by religious machinery from without. 18, And these are they which are sown among thorns. There is some depth of earth and some root, and perhaps some promise of fruitfulness in the green blade ; for the thorns are underground when the seed is sown. "This went farther than the other, for it had root . . . but the good gained by the word is insensibly overcome and overborne by the things of this world. Prosperity destroys the word in the heart, as much as persecution does, and more dangerously because more silently ; the stones spoiled the root, the thorns spoil the fruit" (Matt. Henry). Our Lord instances three kinds of IV. 2 3-] PARABLES. I09 cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it 20 becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground;^ such as hear the word, and receive z/, and bring ^ forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred. 2 1 And he said unto them, Is a candle ^ brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a 22 candlestick?^ For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it 23 should come abroad.^ If any man have ears to hear, let him ^ the good ground ^ and accept it and bear fruit 3 lamp * lampstand * save that it should be manifested : neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light thorns, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things. 19. The cares of this world, lit. distracting anxieties. The deceitfulness of riches. It is not riches, but their deceitfulness which chokes the word ; and riches can only be deceitful when they have been trusted in. The lusts of other things. Mark adds this phrase, as Luke adds tJu pleasures of this life. Lust (i'pn&u/u.ia,) in the New Testament commonly means any desire, not necessarily evil ; it is used of a good and holy longing in Phil, i. 23 and I Thess. ii, 17. The phrase in the text is really t/ie lusts of the other things, and suggests any well-known inclination having the same effects on the spiritual life as the cares of this zuorld, and the deceitfulness of riches. 20. Which are sown on good ground. The one mark which distinguishes the seed sown on good ground is fruitfulness ; according to old theologians, the sign of having saving faith was doing good works (Jas. ii. 18). There is a growth in well-doing — first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear ; and there is variety in well-doing — some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred-fold ; but the growth is making for the fruit, and there is always some fruit-bearing. 21. Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel? Candle and candle- stick should be lamp and lampstand ; bed should be couch. The Jews did not use beds raised from the floor, so that a lamp could be put under them ; their beds were mats or mattresses spread usually on the floor. The word used means a couch. Bushel was a measure of capacity containing about a peck. The meaning of this short parable, and its connection with what goes before, is greatly obscured in our Authorized Version ; it should be read in the Revised Version. 22. For there is nothing hid which shall not be manifested ; better, For there is nothing hid, save that it should be 7nanifestcd. The short parable is a renewed exhortation to fruit-bearing, and a promise that the mystery of the kingdom even was hid in order that it might shine more brightly when it was manifested at last. So, whatever truths Jesus was then sowing in the hearts of no THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iV. 24. 24 hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear : with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you : 25 and unto you that hear shall more be given.^ For he that hath, to him shall be given ; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. 26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should 27 cast seed into the ground ;2 and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth 28 not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself;^ first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle,* because the harvest is come. I and more shall be given unto you 2 upon the earth ' the earth beareth fruit of herself ^ is ripe, straightway he putteth forth His followers, were sown to reappear in fruit. " Do not suppose that what 1 now commit to you in secret, I would have concealed for ever ; the light is kindled in you by Me, that by your ministry it may disperse the darkness of the whole world " (Erasmus). When the Spirit came and brought all those things to the remembrance of the apostles, He filled in all the outlines of truth which they before possessed, and they saw, so as to teach the meaning of the parable. 24, With what measure, etc. " If we do not tise^ we lose'''' (INIatt. Henry). (2) The Seed, iv. 26-29. 26. So is the kingdom of God, This parable is the only one peculiar to Mark. The particle so leads us to look forward to find the one special aspect of the kingdom presented in this little parable. It represents a man casting seed into the ground, and then resting and waiting day after day till the great forces of nature do their work, and the harvest time comes. It seems to be a short sermon on the text, " The kingdom of God cometh not with observation." 27. The seed. It is the power of growth in the seed itself that is to be looked at. Grow up, ''It will come up . . . let but the word of Christ have the place it ought to have in a soul, and it will show itself" (Matt. Henry). Knoweth not how. ' ' We know as little of the growing above ground as of the growing under ground " (Stier) ; but it is an orderly growth both in natural and in spiritual things, 28. Of herself ; of its own accord, Acts xii. 10. Man may do much. He can hinder. He can trample down the growing stalks, or let them be choked with thorns and weeds. He can help iu preparing the soil, in drain- ing, manuring, weeding. But the parable insists there are limits to his power, and when he reaches these he must wait, lying down to rest every evening, getting up every morning, doing nothing for the seed. A higher power than his must do the real work. Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but it is God that gives the increase. The living, growing power of the gospel is the *' power of the living mind and heart of the living God." IV. 36.] PARABLES. Ill 30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of 31 God? or with what comparison ^ shall we compare it? // is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the 32 earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth : but 2 when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches ; so that the fowls of the air may ^ lodge under the shadow of it. 33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto 34 them, as they were able to hear //. But without a parable spake he not unto them : and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.* 35 And the same day,^ when the even was come, he saith unto 36 them. Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was 1 And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God ? or in what parable ? ' though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth, yet when 3 of the heaven can * but privately to his own disciples he expounded all things 5 And on that day (3) The Mtisfard Seed, 30-34: cf. Matt. xiii. 31-32. 31. Less than all seeds. Jewish proverb, "small as a grain of mustard seed. " It was the smallest seed the husbandman was accustomed to sow, and became a plant greater than any garden herb he grew, 32. Great branches. Thomson saw the mustard-tree as tall as a horse and its rider. Hackett tells us of plants from seven to nine feet high, and the birds lighting on their branches. "A stalk of mustard seed," says one of the Rabbis, ** was in my garden, into which I was used to climb, as men do into a fig-tree," The parable teaches what vast power of growth there was in the minute germ of the kingdom of God represented by the disciple company, and also in the divine principle implanted in the human soul. The one has become Christendom, and will go on growing ; the other changes heart, conduct, and life, "The difference between a grain of mustard seed and a great tree is nothing to that between a young convert and a glorified saint in heaven" (Matt. Henry). 2. Stilling the Storm, 35-41 : cf. Matt, viii. 23-27 ; Luke viii. 22-25. 35. The same day. " How busy Jesus had been ! He had healed a demoniac (Matt, xii. 22) ; encountered the opposition of His friends (Mark iii. 20, 21), and of His foes (Matt. xii. 24) ; and probably preached several sermons. No wonder He was weary " (Rice). The other side. " In our Lord's time the contrast of this thinly-inhabited region with the busy and populous towns that lay close together on the plain of Gennesareth, must have been very striking " (Farrar). He not unfre- quently sought rest by putting those six miles of water between Him and the crowds He taught. 36. Even as he was. Another graphic touch of Mark, bringing out the incessant labours of Jesus, that left no time so much as to eat. He left as He 112 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iV. 37. in the ship.^ And there were also with him other little ships.^ 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat 38 into the ship, so that it was now full.^ And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow :* and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we 39 perish? And he arose,^ and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was 40 a great calm. And he said unto them. Why are ye so fearful? 41 how is it that ye have no faith ?*5 And they feared exceed- ingly, and said one to another. What manner of man is this/ that even the wind and the sea obey him ? 1 And leaving the multitude, they take him with them, as he was, in the boat 2 And other boats were with him 3 into the boat, insomuch that the boat was now filling 4 And he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion ^ awoke 6 have ye not yet faith ? ^ Who then is this was, without preparation for the journey, and so wearied that when He lay down in the stern He fell asleep almost at once, as Jonah had done, who went down into the sides of the ship and lay, and was fast asleep (Jonah i. 5). But Jonah was tired with working hard to shirk his duty ; Jesus was exhausted while doing His Father's business. 37. A great storm, z.e. a Inirricane of wind. Luke (viii. 23) uses the same word. Matthew (viii. 24) has a word which usually means earthqtiake, to denote the effect on the sea. The Sea of Galilee lies very low, is sur- rounded by high ranges of hills divided by long, deep glens ' ' like gigantic funnels to draw the cold winds down from the mountains." It is still liable to sudden storms. Cf. Thomson's Land and the Book, p. 374 ; MacGregor's The Rob Roy on the Jordan, pp. 335-339. 38. Pillow. The word is only found in this text. It means the leathern cushion of the steersman. " The high stern made a safe and sloping place, where our Saviour slept in the storm " (MacGregor). 39. Peace, be still. Mark alone gives us the very words Jesus used, and tells us that He spoke to the waves as well as to the wind. He gives details found in no other Gospel. "It was evening — there were other boats — a great storm of wind — the waves beat into the boat — He was asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship." Matthew adds that the boat was being hidden under the waves (Matt. viii. 24). Peace or Hush to silence the roar of the wind (comp. Ps. cvi. 9, " He rebuked the Red Sea"). Be still (comp. note on i. 25), to the angry, threatening, yawning waves. Matthew tells us that Jesus first calmed the disciples, and then stilled the tempest. Calm. After a storm there is usually a long heaving of the waves, not so here. 40. Have no faith; R. V., Have ye not yet faith? Where is your faith? They had faith to go to Christ, but (i) they had not enough of it ; "little faith," and so wQXQfearfoil: they had not the faith which leaves all to Christ. (2) They had not their faith ready for use ; when it was wanted suddenly, it was not there, 41. Obey him. The miracles of Jesus show that the God who lives and V. 4-] THE MANIAC OF GERGESA. II3 Chap. V. i And they came over unto the other side of the sea, 2 into the country of the Gadarenes.^ And when he was come out of the ship, immediately ^ there met him out of the tombs 3 a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs ; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains : 4 because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces : neither could any vian ^ tame him. 1 Gerasenes ^ boat, straightway 3 and no man hath strength to moves and acts in all nature is also the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, "whatsoever evil He sendeth on me in this miserable life, He will turn the same to my salvation : seeing He is both able to do it, as being God Almighty, and willing to do it as being my bountiful Father" {Palatine Catechisf?i). "As certainly as He could not sink with His disciples on that day. He will not suffer His disciples to sink on this " (Schleiermacher). Cf. with whole passage Ps. cvii. 23-30 ; Jonah i. ; Acts xxvii. 3. The Gerasene Demoniac^ v. 1-20 : Matt. viii. 28-34 ; Luke viii. 26-39. 1. Gadarenes, R. V. Gerasenes, belonging to Gergesa, now Khersa, A little south of the town there is a spot answering to the narrative — hill-sides with caves for tombs, pasture which wild hogs still frequent, and a steep slope with very deep water quite close to the shore. Christ is now among the wild hills to the east of the Sea of Galilee, in the district called Gaulonitis, formerly Bashan. 2. A man. The boat was touching the land, when a demoniac, naked (Luke), and so fierce that he had made the roads impassable (Matthew), came leaping towards them, his body covered with scarcely healed wounds (Mark) self-inflicted with stones. "Amid all the boasted civilisation of antiquity, there existed no hospitals, no penitentiaries, no asylums ; and unfortunates of this class, being too dangerous and desperate for human intercourse, would only be driven forth from among their fellow-men, and restrained from mischief by measures at once inadequate and cruel " (Farrar). 3. Chains. The word for any band confining hands or feet, not necessarily metal ; in Ps. cxlix. 8, chains are distinguished from fetters of iron. " Satan, as a master, is bad; his work, much worse; his wages, worst of all. If Satan doth fetter us, it is indifferent to him whether it be by a cable or a hair; nay, the smallest sins are his greatest stratagems" (Fuller), Satan is most tyrannous where he is obeyed most. This man was doubly bound when he was in fetters. The invisible bonds of the Evil One M'ere about him, and held him faster than the chains of his neighbours. When he broke loose, it was to run away from his friends and not from his jailor ; he was never less free than when he had burst his fetters — the picture of a tinner. 4. Because he had been bound. Luke tells us that his neighbours were constantly on their guard against him : " And he was kept bound with chains and in fetters ; " or as it ought to be translated, " And he was bound in chains and fetters, being under guard." Mark, as usual, gives the most graphic description of this homicidal maniac. H 114 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 5. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and 6 in the tombs,^ crying, and cutting himself with stones. But 7 when he saw Jesus afar off,^ he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said,^ What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou- Son of the most high God? I adjure thee 8 by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, 9 Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.^ And he asked him. What is thy name ? And he answered, saying,^ My 10 name is Legion : for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 1 1 Now there was nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine * in the tombs and mountains 2 from afar 3 and crying out with a loud voice, he saith 4 Come forth, thou i;nclean spirit, out of the man 5 And he saith unto him 5. In the mountains and in the tombs ; the restlessness of frenzy ; now sitting in the ghastly solitude of an empty tomb, then rushing wildly to the hill-tops. "On descending from the heights of Lebanon, I found myself in a cemetery . . . The silence of the night was now broken by fierce yells and howlings, which I discovered proceeded from a naked maniac, who was fighting v/ith some wild dogs for a bone " (Warburton, The Crescent and the Cross, ii. 352), Cutting himself with stones, for the body had become as dulled to pain as the soul had to all the higher feelings. 7. What have I to do, etc., i. 24. Torment me not. It is torment to him not to be allowed to torment others. " The worst of all creatures hates punishment, and can say, Lead me not into pain ; only the good heart can say, Lead me not into tempta- tion. If we can as heartily pray against sin for the avoiding of displeasure, as against punishment when we have displeased, there is true grace in the soul " (Hall). Most High God, a name of God frequent in the Old Testament, and some- times, as Gen, xiv. 18, where Melchizedek is called the priest of the Most High God, and Num. xxiv, 16 in Balaam's prophecy, used where there was a point of contact between Jews and Gentiles. Sometimes used in formulas of exorcism, and therefore the name of God oftenest heard by demoniacs, and the one they often used (Luke viii, 28 ; Acts xvi. 17). 9. Legion. Probably to terrify Jesus, for the Roman legion was the fearful instrument of oppression and the sign of terror among the conquered nations. It consisted of 6000 men. The answers show how completely dis- ordered the man's mind was. When Jesus asked his name, probably to soothe him, he confounded himself with the overwhelming force which held him in bondage, and sought to frighten Jesus by threatening Him with the same thraldom. Then his consciousness gets doubled, and he passes with insane inconsequence from singular to plural. For we are many, etc. 10. Out of the country, Luke viii. 31; "into the deep" or abyss of Hades. 11. Great herds of swine. It was not lawful, according to Jewish law, to eat swine flesh or to possess such a herd (Lev. xi. 8). V. 1 6.] THE MANIAC OF GERGESA. II5 12 feeding. And all the devils besought ^ him, saying, Send us 13 into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. ^ And the unclean spirits went ^ out, and entered into the swine : and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand ;) 14 and'* were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they 15 went^ out to see what it was that was done.^ And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed of the devil, and . had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind : ^ 16 and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed of the devil, and also con- 1 and they besought ^ and he gave them leave ^ came * and the herd rushed down the steep into the sea : in nnviber about two thousand ; and they ^ had come to pass 6 and behold the demoniac sitting clothed and in his right mind, even him that had the legion For the question of demoniac possession and the special case described here, see Trench, Notes on Miracles, pp. 161-191 ; Alford, New Testament for English Readers, \. 56-58. " I will only suggest that perhaps we make to ourselves a difficulty here, too easily assuming that the lower animal world is wholly shut up in itself, and incapable of receiving impressions from that which is above it. The assumption is one unwarranted by deeper investiga- tions, which lead rather to an opposite conclusion, — not to a breaking down of the boundaries between the two worlds, but to the showing in what wonderful ways the lower is receptive of impressions from the higher, both for good and for evil. Nor does this working of the spiritual on the physical life stand isolated in this single passage of Scripture, but we are taught the same lesson throughout " (Rom. viii. 22) (Trench). There is no doubt whatever that this miracle suggests very many difficulties which are much more easily raised than answered, which enter upon the most obscure fields of human and animal psychology, and which include the whole range of mysterious sympathies existing between man and the dumb creation. As for the destruction of property, surely to free the neighbourhood from a dangerous maniac was cheaply purchased by the destruction of a herd of infuriated swine. 14. In the city and in the country. They ran shouting, calling out to every one they met. 15. Clothed. Luke tells us that the demoniac was naked. This word of Mark's is one of those undesigned coincidences which prove the accuracy of the Evangelists' narratives. 16. How it befell him. They all saw a maniac recovered whom they had known, whom they had been obliged to defend themselves against, Avho had been the terror of the country-side, his reason restored, peaceable without a fetter, decently clad, listening to the Great Teacher. Had they known it, they saw the presence of a power greater than that of the Evil One exerted to produce conversion of a most striking kind, change from the old evil state to a new life, and to drive out that impurity of life from which unsoundness of mind and body so frequently comes. ri6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 17. J 7 cerning the swine. And they began to pray ^ him to depart 1 8 out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship,^ he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him ^ that 19 he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not,* but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends,^ and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had com- 20 passion on thee.*^ And he departed,'' and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him : and all men did marvel. 1 to beseech ^ and as he was entering into the boat "^ possessed with demons besought him ^ and he suffered him not 5 Go to thy house and unto thy friends ^ and how he had mercy on thee ^ and he went his way 17. To depart, " They felt more selfish vexation at the loss of the swine than grateful pleasure at the cure of the man." The selfishness of unbelief. Their prayer was heard : He did depart : He took them at their word ; when once our unthankfulness grows weary of Christ, who can pity us when we are deprived of His presence ? 18. That he might be -with him. His heart was swelling with grati- tude ; he was ashamed at the conduct of his countrymen ; he could not feel safe far from his Saviour (Matt. xii. 44, 45). Every soul truly delivered from Satan's bondage desires to keep near Christ ; but sometimes nearness to Him means working for Him as well as sitting at His feet. 19. Tell them. " The greatest demoniac became a preacher to ten cities. In the dark land of Gerasa, Christ leaves for a while a representative of Him- self, since they cannot bear His personal presence " (Lange). It is worth noticing how successful the demoniac's ministry was ; for when our Lord returned again to that country, the people came in crowds to hear Him (vii. 31-viii. 9). The time was to come, through the preaching of the demoniac restored, when " E'en the witless Gadarene, Preferring Christ to swine, shall learn That hfe is sweetest when 'tis clean." "Though we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us as his slaves till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny. Naked, torn, and disfigured, we wander about till He restores us to soundness of mind. It remains that, in magnifying His grace, we testify our gratitude ** (Calvin). 20. Decapolis, the country belonging to a league of towns from Damascus to the Arabian desert, joined in alliance, offensive and defensive, against native freebooters and marauding Bedouins. The list of towns varies, but commonly includes (i) Scythopolis (west of Jordan), (2) Hippos, (3) Gadara, (4) Pella, (5) Philadelphia, (6) Gerasa, (7) Dion, (8) Canatha, (9) Raphana, (10) Damasais. V. 2 5-] JAIRUS AND HIS DAUGHTER. I17 2 1 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him : and he was nigh unto 22 the sea.i And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name^; and when he saw him, he fell at 23 his feet, and besought him greatly,^ saying. My little daughter lieth at the point ^ of death : I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed ; and she shall live.'^ 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman,^ which had an issue of blood twelve 1 by the sea 2 beseeching him much ^ is at the point 4 that she may be made whole, and hve ^ ^nd a woman VII. — FIFTH SOJOURN IN CAPERNAUM. I and 2. I'he daughter o/yairus, and the sick woman, v. 21-43 • Matt. ix. I, 18-26 ; Luke viii. 40-56. 21. Unto the other side. To the side on which Capernaum, " His own city " (Matt. ix. i), was situated, i.e. to the western side. Unto him. The words really mean that the people came pressing close upon Jesus, crowding and thronging upon Him as soon as He left the boat. The people of Capernaum could see the boat when it left Gergesa, they waited for it anxiously, and pressed eagerly on Jesus when He landed, some because Jesus had healed them and they were grateful, others, like Jairus, because they anxiously looked for Him to help them. There was to be no rest for Him, the crowds meant more work, and Jesus was ready at once to go about His Father's business. 22. Rulers of the synagogue. Each synagogue (congregation) had a college of elders, or kirk-session, who conducted or superintended the worship and exercised discipline. Jairus. Same name as Jair (Judg. x. 3). He had been to Christ before, when with his colleagues he had pled for the Roman centurion who had built the synagogue. Now on his own account he falls on his knees in Oriental fashion, and bends his forehead towards Christ's feet till it touches the ground. 23. My little daughter. Twelve years old and an only daughter (Luke viii. 42) ; she lay a-dying, all but dead (Matt. ix. 18) ; in despairing faith the father had left her bedside. The young man at Nain was an only son : Lazarus was an only brother. 24. A great multitude followed. For had He not pledged Flimself to raise the dead or the dying ? 25. A certain woman. " Such overflowing grace is in Him the Prince of life, that as He was hastening to accomplish one work of grace and power, He accomplishes another, as by the way. His obiter, in Fuller's words, is to more purpose than our z'/^r " (Trench, p. 188). An issue of blood. The disease unfitted her for all the relationships of life, it made her ceremonially unclean, her touch made the person touched unclean (Lev. xv. 25-27), and the people believed that it was a direct conse- quence of sinful deeds. So she came secretly. She had lived for twelve Il8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 26. 26 years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had sjDent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but 27 rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus,i came in the 28 press 2 behind, and touched his garment. For she said,^ If I 29 may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.* And straight- way the fountain of her blood was dried up ; and she felt in 30 her body that she was healed of that plague.^ And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him,*5 turned him about in the press,^ and said, Who touched 1 having heard the things concerning Jesus 2 crowd ^ For she kept saying 4 made whole 5 her plague ^ And straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding {rom him had gone forth years in solitude, for she could go to no social gathering, to no synagogue service, and she was oppressed by the knowledge that her neighbours thought her a sinful woman justly punished, once rich in friends and in money. She is now poor, ill, and companionless. Twelve years. Her misery was as old as Jairus' daughter. 26. Had suffered. The word denotes passive experience of pain (Matt, xvi. 21), and of pain that had come from the cures and not from the disease. 27. Having heard. She had learned what Christ had done, and His deeds had made her believe that He was full of Divine power, and as loving as powerful. In the press. Through the crushing, pushing throng as only a weak woman or a child could do. Behind. She approached from behind and touched the tassel of His outer robe which hung over His shoulder, thinking to steal a miracle for herself. The tassel had^ a certain sacred significance. She seems to have thought that Christ's miracles wexe a natural and not a gracious outgoing of power. Garment. Hem of His gar7nent (Matt. ix. 20); ^^ border^'' (Luke viii. 44). The hem or border was the fringe or tassel, or " ribbon of blue," which the law of Moses (Num. xv. 37-40 ; Deut. xxii. 12) commanded every Jew to wear at each corner of his tallith or cloak. Those who wished to be thought very religious enlarged the borders of their garments (Matt, xxiii. 5). 28. For she said, i.e. kept saying. The woman, once healthy and wealthy, now diseased and poor, secretly believing in the power of Christ to heal her, kept saying to herself, " If I but," etc., to keep her faith up to the point of touching. " Christ's patients are often trembling when they have cause to be triumphant" (Matt. Henry). Christ is the Saviour for secret suffering and silent sighs. 29. Plague, or scourge. The word means (i) whip or scourge (Acts xxii. 24) ; (2) disease of body. At the touch she is cured, the Great Physician lias healed where others failed ; she steps back thankful, hoping only to get away unobserved ; but she is arrested as instantly as she is healed. 30. Who touched. There may have been superstition mingling with the woman's faith, and Christ meant to bring her to avowal for her good. Im- perfect and yet true faith often underlies a superstitious use of means, but Christ likes to guide to a higher faith. "If He allowed her to go away V. 34-] MANY THRONGING, ONE TOUCHING. II9 31 my clothes ? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me ? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this 33 thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her,^ came and fell down before him, and told 34 him all the truth. And he said unto her. Daughter, thy faith * what had been done to her undetected, the healing filched, as it were, unconsciously from the Healer, this fancy might be confirmed, the superstitious element in her faith enhanced. Therefore it was that He would not suffer the secrecy" (Hanna). Our Lord not only heals but educates. He let her and every one else there, and all since who read the story, know what was the kind of touch that had wrought the cure, what was the connection between her and Him that had brought her relief. It was not that He did not sympathize with the modesty of the shrinking, delicate woman, nor that He did not know the pain it would be to her to be the gazing-stock of the crowd, but this would become a sweet sorrow from the new joy and knowledge that came to her with the words, ** Thy faith hath made thee whole ; go in peace." 31. His disciples. Peter and they that were with Him, Luke tells us ; Peter speaking first with characteristic impetuosity. Thronging thee. "Many throng Him, but only one touches." "The flesh presses, faith touches." Her touch was different from all other touching. She got her blessing because between her disease and Christ's power there was her touch of faith, the bridge between the two. Her hand touched His garment. Her faith touched His divine and saving power. " Many throng Jesus : His in name, near to Him : in actual contact with the sacraments and ordinances of His church ; yet not touching Him, because not drawing nigh in faith " (Trench). "Amidst the pressure of thousands the Lord perceives the silent and gentle touch of a single believer " (Lange). One touch of real faith is better than a thousand professions. 32. He looked round about. He turned round, for the tassel she touched hung down over His shoulder, and His eye wandered over the faces of the crowd till it fell on hers ; trembling she fell before Him and told Him all ; the long illness, the helplessness of physicians, the loss of fortune, her faith and resolve : " We must not be ashamed to own secret transactions between Christ and our souls " (Matt. Henry). 33. Fearing and trembling. For she, an unclean woman, had touched a holy Rabbi, and had made Him ceremonially unclean until evening, an almost unpardonable crime. Told him all the truth. It was easier to tell after she had got the blessing, and our Lord asked her to confess when confession was easiest. He could not altogether spare her the pain of confession, for that was necessary to lead her into the way ; but He spared her as much as He could. The shame which made her wish to remain in concealment was natural enough, but in this crisis of her spiritual life it had to be overcome, and the Lord helped her to overcome it, and to make the overcoming easy for her. She would have missed the blessing of personal communion with Jesus the Healer, had she not been enabled to overcome it. 34. Daughter. The only time Christ so addresses a woman. He speaks X20 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 35. hath made thee whole ; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. 35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said,^ Thy daughter is dead : 36 why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken,^ he saith unto the 37 ruler of the synagogue. Be not afraid, only believe. And he ' they came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying 2 But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, or overhearing the word spoken to her as He spoke to the paralytic (ii. 5). Both had seized their deliverance by force ; the man entered through the roof in robber fashion, the woman came stealthily, forcing down her feminine fears and natural modesty. Tradition says that this woman was Veronica, and that it was she who gave our Lord the handkerchief to wipe His face on the way to Calvary, which afterwards was seen to be impressed with a portrait of Jesus. Thy faith. Faith, the right hand of the soul which lays hold on the Saviour and His rigliteousness, drew her out of her impurity, and brought her in a new life ; not the outward act of touching the tassel. Go in peace. Enter htto peace. A timid, trembling touch of Him not only brought forth the healing power that was in Him, but gained this entrance into peace in which she was henceforth to live. "After a long-continued sorrow, a lasting blessing " (Bengel). " There is not one of all our Saviour's many miracles of healing fuller of comfort and encouragement. For if His mode of dealing with our spiritual diseases be shadowed out in the modes of the bodily cures that He effected, whenever we grow sad or despondent as we think how much of fear, or shame, or error, or weakness, or superstition mingles with the faith we cherish, then let us remember that . . . He who accepted this woman's faith with all its weakening and defiling ingredients will not cast us off " (Hanna). 35. Why troublest. Do not zvorry the Rabbi. The whole phrase suggests ceremonious poUteness. The word translated "to trouble" means {1) to flay, (2) Xo fatigue by length of journey, {3) to harass or zuorjy. Why add an irksome task to the laborious work of the Great Teacher? *' There were more manners than faith in the phrase. Infidelity is all for ease, and thinks every good work tedious " (Hall). But there is a love that is stronger than death, and Jairus was to know its power, 36. Heard the word, R. V. not heeding, or (in the margin) overhearing. Jairus must have felt impatient at the delay. His little daughter lay a-dying, and this woman not nearly so ill first comes and touches Christ, and then puts off time by telling Him her case, and now all is over. Jesus hastened to comfort him. He is not to lose by another's gain. " We have as much occasion for the grace of God when death is in the house as when sickness is " (Matt. Henry). Be not afraid : only believe. Fear and faith are coupled together here by Christ, and the faith is to cast out the fear. Jairus had asked Jesus to save his daughter's life while she still lived ; he is promised the life after it has been overcome by death. For Christ answers us not according to our petitions, but according to our needs. His mercy is always greater than we can ask or conceive. V. 4I-] JAIRUS AND HIS DAUGHTER. 121 suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and ;^S John the brother of James. And he cometh^ to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them 39 that wept and wailed greatly. ^ And when he was come in, he saith unto them. Why make ye this ado,^ and weep? the 40 damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with 41 him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha ' they came 2 and he beholdeth a tumult, and juanj/ weeping and wailing greatly 3 Why make ye a tumult 37. Peter, James, and John. This is the first time we read of the selec- tion of these three. They were to enjoy still closer intimacy, for they were to be Christ's cliosen companions at the transfiguration (Matt. xvii. i), and at the agony in Gethsemane (Matt. xxvi. 37). The longer they abode wiih Christ, and the nearer they came to Him, the more their souls opened to the inflow of His Spirit. 38. Cometh to the house. A word spoken where He was, might have cured the maiden ; but Jesus Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sick- nesses (Matt. viii. 17). He laid His hand on the sick, and went Himself to the house of mourning. His miracles were manifestations of love as well as of power, of sympathy as well as of wisdom. They are ways of showing us that when we do in faith touch the hand of omnipotence, it is a hand of love that we feel outstretched to meet ours. Seeth the tumult. The word commonly denotes the confused noise of an excited public assembly, and here means the wailing raised partly by relatives, but principally by hired women-mourners. The Jews, like other Eastern nations, hired professional mourners whose duty it Avas to indulge in signs of grief; to "beat on their breasts," to utter loud groans, and to shed forced tears (Luke viii. 52-54; Amos v. 16). "There are in every city and community women exceedingly skilful in this business. They are always sent for and kept in readiness. When a fresh group of sympathizers comes in, these women ' make haste ' to take up a wailing that the newly come may the more easily unite their tears with the mourners " (Thomson, Land and Book, p. 103). 39. Sleepeth. So of Lazarus : Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep : hut I go that / may awaken him out of sleep. Sleep, the twin-brother of death. Death and sleep are alike to Jesus ; and death is to Him what sleep is to others ; for He can wake the dead. " For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him," etc. (i Thess. iv. 14-18). 40. Put them all out. Only the real mourners were to be comforted, only those who trusted were to see the miracle of faith. The eyes of those ■who utterly derided Him were not worthy of the honour. Faithlessness keeps us from seeing many a manifestation of the glory of God, and renders us incapable of secret fellowship with the Saviour. 122 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 42. cumi ; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, 42 arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked ; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished 43 with a great astonishment.^ And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. Chap. VI. i And he went out from thence, and came into his 2 own country ; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue : and many hearing hwi were astonished, saying, From whence 1 And they were amazed straightway with a great amazement. 41. Talitha cumi. Introduction, pp. 28, 34. Mark tells us the very words Jesus used. Talitha in the ordinary speech of the people was a term of endear- ment to a little girl. " Little maid, arise ; " in Scotch, " My wee lassie, get up." See how tenderly Jesus acts. He turned out the noisy crowd lest the child should be frightened on waking at the wailing; He took her by the hand; He spoke the very word her mother used to wake her in the morning ; He understood "how sweet to her young fresh appetite after the long abstinence of illness, would be 'something to eat.' Even the child's mother was not so motherly as Jesus " (Morison). 42. The damsel arose. Christ raised the dead from the bed, from the bier, and from the grave (Luke vii. 14; John xi. 44). He did it that all mourning parents might weep the less. Jesus will one day lay His mighty hand upon the children who have died and raise them. He is as able and as willing to help now as He was then, to take us by the hand and raise our soul from the death of sin. They were astonished. Mark is careful to note the effect on the witnesses of the miracle. For other examples, see i. 27, ii. 12, iv, 41, vi. 51, vii. 37. 43. That no man should know it. This injunction to secrecy is again repeated, although only five saw the miracle ; and again the deed cannot be hid. Jesus did not wish the miracle to be perpetually hid, but He seems to have desired to repress the excitement immediately following these wonderful displays of power, which dulled the vision of grace and manifestation of glory, and fostered such belief in natural magical power as marred the faith of the woman with the issue. That something should be given her to eat. Christ's miracles do not take us away beyond the bounds of ordinary everyday life. The command, or rather suggestion, for the word command is too strong, marks the return from the supernatural to the natural and the commonplace. They are the ordinary providence of God made visible when God incarnate walked visibly among men. VIII. FIFTH PREACHING JOURNEY IN GALILEE, vi. 1-2 9. I. The second rejection at Nazardh, vi. 1-6: Matt. xiii. 54-58. VI. I. Into his own country. His fatherland. Nazareth, where He had been brought up, a district comparatively quiet as compared with the densely- crowded region about the lake. VI. 3-] -A^l' NAZARETH. 1 23 hath this man these things ? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought 3 by his hands ?i Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judas, and Simon ? > What is the wisdom that is given unto this man, and what mean such mighty works wrought by his hands? 2. Whence hath this man these things ? — that is, the ivisdom and the •works. For Jesus had never been educated to be a scribe, and His country- men knew it. Mighty ■works ; literally, powers (R. V. margin). The Evangelists use four different words — tvonders, signs, powers or inighty zvorks, and zvorks — to express what we mean by miracle, (i) Wonder, which transfers the astonishment of the beholder to the thing seen and done, is never used alone, always along with sign: " And shall show signs and wonders " (Mark xiii. 22). (2) Sigti implies that a miracle is a wonder with a meaning in it, and that every miracle is a sermon. Sign is frequently used by John. It occurs in Mark xvi. 1 7 : *' And these sigfis shall follow them that believe," and in Mark xvi. 20 : " The Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed." (3) Poxvers implies that the deeds are the results of the great power of God. The word occurs frequently in Mark (v. 30 {viritce), vi. 2, vi. 14, ix. 39). (4) Works is the favourite phrase of St. John (vi. 28, vii. 21, x. 25, xiv. 11). 3. The carpenter ; in Matt. xiii. 55, i/ie carpenter''s son. The village car- penter in our Lord's time held the position of the modern village blacksmith. Almost all agricultural instruments — ploughs, harrows, yokes, etc. — were made of wood. His workshop was the centre of the village life. " He who built heaven and earth, became in His humiliation a carpenter" (Cannstein), Our Lord worked at a handicraft, and has made all honest labour honour- able. *' That Jesus did in fact spring from the labouring class of the popu- lation, is confirmed by the language of His discourses and parables, which everywhere refer to the antecedents and relations of the ordinary workman's life, and betray a knowledge of it which no one could have gained merely by observation. He was at home in those poor, windowless, Syrian hovels in which the housewife had to light a candle in the daytime to seek for her lost piece of silver (Luke xv, 8) : He was acquainted with the secrets of the bakehouse (Matt, xiii. 33, xvi. 6; Luke xiii. 21), of the gardener (MaU. XV. 13), and the builder (Luke vi. 49), and with things which the upper classes never see — as ' the good measure pressed down and shaken together running over ' of the corn-chandler (Luke vi. 38) ; the rotten, leaking wine- skin of the wdne-dealer (Matt, ix, 17) ; the patchwork of the peasant woman (Matt, ix. 16) ; the brutal manners of the upper servants to the lower (Luke xii. 45), — these and a hundred other features of a similar kind are interwoven by Him into His parables. Reminiscences even of His more special handicraft have been found, it is believed, in His sayings. The parable of the splinter and the beam is said to recall the carpenter's shop (Matt, vii, 3) ; the imeven foundations of the houses, the building yard (Matt. vii. 24) ; the cubit which is added, the workshop (Matt. vi. 27) ; and the distinction in the appearance of the green and dry wood, the drying-shed (Luke xxiii. 31)" (Hausrath). The brother, ill. 31. 124 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK, [vi. 4. and are not his sisters here with us ? And they were offended 4 at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but^ in his own country, and among his own kin, 5 and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and 6 healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. 7 And he called trnto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two ; and gave them power ^ over 8 unclean spirits ; and commanded them ^ that they should ' save 2 authority ^ ^nd he charged them Offended at him. Christ's humiliation has been to many a stone of stumbling, and yet it was necessary for our salvation. 4, A prophet, etc, A proverb like our " Familiarity breeds contempt " (Luke iv, 24). Each prophet is set (i) in a family, (2) in the voider circle of kinsfolk, (3) in the still wider circle of fatherland or district where he was brought up, 5, He could there do no. Christ's miracles were not works of magic, they required faith. " Unbelief and contempt of Christ stop the current of His favours " (Matt. Henry). Faith, which is the love that receives, is needed to make us share God's grace, which is the love that imparts. The door was shut upon the Saviour by the people's impiety. 6, He marvelled. " Our Lord does not marvel at other human things generally, but He does marvel on the one hand at faith, when, as in the case of the centurion, it overcomes in its grandeur all human hindrances, and on the other at unbelief, when it can, in the face of numerous divine manifestations, harden itself into a wilful rejection of Himself" (Maclear). 2. The mission of the Tivelve Apostles, vi. 6-13 : Matt. x. And he went round, begins a new paragraph. 7, The twelve, and began to send them. Matthew connects this deed with Christ's thought that the multitudes were like sheep without shepherds. The Twelve are to be trained to be shepherds. Perhaps also there is the thought that Herod, who has slain John, may stop the preaching of Jesus, and other preachers are needed. Two and two. Mark alone mentions the fact, but Matthew (x. 2-4) and Luke (vi, 14-16) name the apostles in pairs. This is an "undesigned concidence." 8, Commanded them. See Matt. x. 5-42 for the full charge. This charge is quite different from that addressed to the seventy who were appointed to go to towns and villages which their Master was about to visit, and herald His approach. It is a scheme of mission work partly intended for the present, and partly prophetic of the future. The mission-field was to be the lost sheep of the house of Israel ; the theme of their preaching, the near- ness of the kingdom ; their credentials, the power of working miracles, even to the raising of the dead ; their equipment, the ordinary dress of a Galilean peasant on a journey ; and a description is given of their manner of approach to, and behaviour in, houses and towns. The future of the Church is fore- shadowed in the mission, character, and work of the apostles, who, in wise harm- lessness, are to go forth into the cruel world : persecution awaits them, but they VI. 31.] THE MISSION OF THE TWELVE. 1 25 take nothing for their journey, save a staff only ; no scrip,i 9 no bread, no money in their purse : ^ but be shod with 10 sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ^ ye enter into an house, there abide 1 1 until ye depart from that place. And whosoever ^ shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.^ Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and 12 Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. And 13 they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them, 1 wallet 2 in their girdle 3 wheresoever ^ And whatsoever place 5 and they hear you not, as ye go forth thence shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony unto them have the consolation that the Father's power and wisdom accompany them, and in the end will bring them the reward of the faithful ; cross-bearing awaits them, and separation from all that earth counts dear, but their losses on earth are gains in heaven ; and their reward is that their work shall not be fruitless. Mark gives only the first portion of the charge, the instructions for their immediate work. Except a staff only. If they had a staff, they were to take it ; if they had not, they were not to provide one (Matt. x. 10). Scrip. A bag slung over the shoulder, a wallet, made in Syria of a kid's skin stripped off whole, and tanned (i Sam. xvii. 40). Purse ; lit. money belt. The purse, however, was usually only a fold in the tunic hanging over the girdle. The whole of the directions imply that the disciples were to go on their journey without preparation, as the ordinary Galilean peasant went (Thomson, Land and Book, pp. 346-357). 9. With sandals. Matthew says neither shoes. The shoe was of a softer, the sandal of a harder, leather. The sandal was a piece of thick, tough leather, roughly the shape of the sole of the foot, but larger every way ; holes were pierced all round the edges, and laces were attached, by which the sandal was tied on to the foot. It was meant to be a protection in walking over rough ground or in thorny paths. 10.. There abide. As Lydia entreated Paul to do : " If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there'''' (Acts xvi. 15). 11. Shake off the dust, as Paul did at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts xiii. 51), and at Corinth (Acts xviii. 6). It was a common Jewish mode of expressing renunciation or excommunication, or "no better than heathen." Mark uses the simple word earth or soil, Matthev/ and Luke say dust. For Sodom and Gomorrha. Compare our Lord's warning to Capernaum (Matt. xi. 24). 12. That men should repent. Their whole preaching had for its end the awakening to conviction of sin, sorrow for sin, and the showing sorrow in honest endeavour after new obedience ; and this ought to be the theme of all preaching. 13. Anointed with oil. This was a common practice among Jewish 126 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 14. 14 And king Herod heard of him ; (for his name was spread abroad :)i and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth them- 15 selves in him. 2 Others said. That it is EHas. And others, 16 That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. But when Herod heard thereof he said, It is John, whom I beheaded : 17 he is risen from the dead.^ For Herod himself had sent ^ for his name had become known 2 do these powers work in him 3 But Herod, when he heard thereof, said, John, whom I beheaded, he is risen physicians. "They used an ordinary medicine, and obtained an extra- ordinary and infallible effect" (Lightfoot). There is no evidence that our Lord used any such instrumentality in His miraculous cures. He healed by a word or by a touch. 3. The imtrder of the Baptist, 14-29 : Matt. xiv. I-I2 j Luke ix, 7-9. 14. King Herod was Herod Antipas, who was tetrarch, i.e. ruler over a fourth part of his father's kingdom, Herod the Great (Matt. ii. i) had ten wives and fifteen children. Four children are mentioned in the Bible : Archelaus (Matt. ii. 22), and Herod Antipas {M.2M. xiv. i; Mark vi. 14; Luke iii. I, ix. 7, xiii. 31, xxiii. 7), sons of Malthake, a Samaritan ; Philip (Matt. xiv. 3 ; Mark vi. 17 ; Luke iii. 19), son of Mariamne, the daughter of Simon the high priest; and Herod Philip, son of Cleopatra (Luke iii. i). Aristobulus, another son not mentioned in Scripture, was the father of the Herod mentioned in Acts xii., and of Herodias. Herodias married (i) her uncle Philip, the son of Mariamne, and (2) Herod Antipas. The marriage was unlawful in three ways : (i) Herod's wife was still living ; (2) Herodias' husband was still living ; (3) it was a marriage between uncle and niece. Herod Antipas was banished to Gaul in 39 A.D., Herodias followed him, and both died in exile. See table of Herod family, pp. 58, 59. Therefore do mighty works. Because he had risen, Herod thought he must have more power. John had not done miracles while alive (John X. 41). 15. It is Ellas. Elijah, according to the prophecy of Mai. iv. 5, was expected to appear to herald the approach of the kingdom. That it is a projihet, or as one of the prophets. These were the rumours of the people that gathered round the expressed thought of Herod. Some declared that Jesus was Elijah, who was not merely a prophet, but, according to current opinion, the great forerunner ; others did not think so highly of Jesus, and said that He was one of the old prophets risen from the dead, Jeremiah perhaps (Matt. xvi. 14) ; while others merely declared that this new teacher was a man like the old prophets. 16. It is John. New^s reached the court of Herod that a great preacher was stirring the people in Galilee. '*A palace is late in hearing spiritual news " (Bengel). The tetrarcli's guilty conscience at once remembered John. The words in the original, John whom I myself ("the pronoun has the emphasis of a guilty conscience," Meyer) beheaded — this is he — he is risen, in their abruptness denote speech influenced by superstitious fears and stings of conscience. "He feared John when he lived, and now fears him ten times worse when he is dead" (Matt. Henry). VI. 2 2.] JOHN THE BAPTIST'S DEATH. T27 forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife : for he had married 18 her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee 19 to have thy brother's wife. 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 21 many things, and heard him gladly,^ And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper 22 to his lords, high captains, and chief es^afes of Galilee; and when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, 1 And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him 2 righteous ^ and kept him safe * and when he heard him, he was much perplexed ; and he heard him gladly 17. Herodias, She is the New Testament Jezebel, as the weak, fickle Herod Antipas is the New Testament Ahab. 18. John had said. It was dangerous to offend Herod, but more dangerous to offend God by not reproving sin. '*If we seek to please men further than is for their spiritual good, we are not the servants of God" (Matt. Henry), i Kings xxi. 19. 19. Would have killed, /lad a settled wish to kill. 20. Herod feared John. John did not fear Herod. "There may be the terror of a strong conviction where there is not the truth of a saving con- version " (Matt. Henry). Matthew (xiv. 5) says Herod feared the people. The two passages show the weak, vacillating character of the king, now fearing John and desirous to protect him, now fearing Herodias and anxious to kill him, and always fearing the people till a drunken fit put courage in him to brave all and please his vindictive, resolute wife. Observed ; rather, consei-ved ; Revised Version, kept him safe. Heard him gladly, as Felix heard Paul (Acts xxiv. 24). Did many things. His conscience was touched, and he tried to make a bargain with it by doing many good deeds he would not otherwise have done ; but he did not do the one thing — put away his brother's wife. 2 1 . Convenient, for Herodias to carry out her plot against John. Birthday. The Jews disapproved of such " keeping of birthdays," because they thought it part of idolatrous worship. The Herodian princes imitated the Roman emperors in this and other matters. 22. Daughter of Herodias . . . danced. Salome, daughter of Philip. She married afterwards — (i) Herod Philip the tetrarch; (2) Aristobulus, king of Chalcis. " A luxurious feast of the period was not regarded as complete unless it closed with some gross pantomimic representation ; and doubtless Herod had adopted the evil fashion of his day. But he had not anticipated for his guests the rare luxury of seeing a princess — his own niece, a grand-daughter of Herod the Great and of Mariamne, a descendant there- fore of the great line of Maccabean princes — a princess who afterwards became the wife of a tetrarch and the mother of a king — honouring them by degrading herself into a scenic dancer " (Farrar). 128 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 23. and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will 23 give it thee. And he sware unto her. Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give // thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I 25 ask ? And she said. The head of John the Baptist. 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 26 head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry ; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat 27 with him,2 he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner,^ and commanded his head to be 28 brought : and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel : and 29 the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it^ they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. ^ forthwith 2 but for the sake of his oaths and of them that sat at meat 3 strai.8:htway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard 23. Unto half my kingdom. Oriental magniloquence, said with some dignity by Ahasuerus (Esth. v. 3, vii, 2), but in one without supreme power it was idle and boastful enough ; for Herod was only tetrarch by permission of Rome, and when he afterwards begged permission to call himself king, he was banished to Gaul for presumption. 25. Charger, a large dish ; that on which anything is laid. The Old English " charge," to load, is still used of guns. 26. Exceeding sorry. The Greek word is used of the rich young ruler (Luke xviii. 23), and of our Lord in Gethsemane (Mark xiv. 34). Herod was perhaps troubled in conscience ; he certainly feared the people, and besides it was deemed unlucky to cause death on one's birthday. The Herods were all superstitious. The devil is remorseless to his servants. Herod is horrified, but the code of honour must be obeyed. 27. A soldier of Ms guard. The word in the original is speculator^ one of the Latin words peculiar to Mark. See Introduction, p. 34. In prison. Herod Antipas' first wife was the daughter of Aretas. She fled to her father ; and the divorce caused a war in which in the end Herod was thoroughly defeated, the rout being regarded by the Jews as a punishment for the Baptist's murder. Josephus tells us that John was imprisoned in INIachcerus, Herod's black fortress on the rocky shores of the Dead Sea. It is likely that Herod was there near the frontier, superintending preparations for the campaign ; and his absence from Galilee may account for his not hearing of Jesus until after the Baptist's death, and also the delay in the tidings of the death reaching Galilee. VI. 32.] RETURN OF THE APOSTLES. 1 29 30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what^ they had done, and what^ 31 they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye your- selves apart into a desert place, and rest a while : for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so 32 much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by 1 whatsoever IX. — SIXTH SOJOURN IN CAPERNAUM, vi. 30. The return of the Apostles., 30. 30. Apostles. The only instance in which Mark uses the word. They came to tell Jesus what they had done. Another company of disciples came also (Matt. xiv. 12). The disciples of John came to tell Him of their master's death. "It reminded Him of a7iother murder that should be committed. Yet it is because of that death that a place in glory was ready for John, and is ready for every other 'faithful witness' like him (Col. i. 12-14)" (Stock). Jesus knew what the *' leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod " (Matt. xvii. 12) would bring forth in the end ; but His time was not yet come. Here begin, therefore, His journeys of flight. He left Capernaum, within Herod's dominions, and crossed the lake into those of Philip. III. — Year of Opposition, vi. 30-x. 52. A. — PERIOD OF SECLUSION IN GALILEE — JOURNEYS OF FLIGHT. From the Passover to Feast of Tabernacles^ six months. L FIRST JOURNEY OF FLIGHT, vi. 30-56. I. Retirement to a desert place — Feeding of the five thousand, vi. 30-44 : Matt, xiv, 13-21 ; Luke ix. 10-17 ; John vi. 1-14. 31. Come ye yourselves apart. Was this a journey of flight, or only one in search of rest after labours? It is somewhat difficult to say : probably a journey of flight, when we remember how, before the Pharisees had taken counsel with the Herodians to slay Jesus, He had known of the plot ; and now He knew that Herod, the patron of those Herodians, who had slain John, was inquiring after Him. 32. Desert place, near Bethsaida (Luke ix. 10). This place of retirement has presented some difficulties. Mark tells us simply that it was a desert place, to which our Lord and His disciples went by boat. Luke tells us that it was a desert place belonging to the city of Bethsaida (there are great varia- tions in the MSS., but the best reading undoubtedly has the words city of Bethsaida). On the other hand, Mark says that after Sh^ miracle the disciples were sent across the sea to Bethsaida ; and it is said that John (vi. 23) declares that the place where the miracle was wrought was near Tiberias. There must, therefore, have been two places called Bethsaida, or the text of the Gospels has been corrupted. Critics who assert that there was only one Bethsaida, point out that in the Sinaitic MS. the words in Luke ix. 10, belonging to the city of Bethsaida, are omitted, and that the verse in John reads, " "When, there- fore, the boats came from Tiberias, which was nigh unto the place where they did eat bread." The one Bethsaida is therefore Bethsaida Julias, to which I 130 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 33. 33 ship privately.^ And the people saw them departing, and many knew him,^ and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and 34 outwent them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd : and he began to teach them many things. 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 1 And they went away in the boat to a desert place apart. 2 theiii the disciples crossed from near Tiberias, where the miracle took place. There are, however, very grave difficulties connected with this view. The readings of the Sinaitic MS. have not been received either in Luke ix. 10 or in John vi. 23. There was a Bethsaida of Galilee (John xii, 21), which could not have been Bethsaida Julias ; and Luke ix. 10 speaks of a Bethsaida on one side of the lake, while Mark vi. 45 refers to a Bethsaida on the other. We may therefore conclude that there were two Bethsaidas : one in Galilee, the other in Gaulonitis. The latter is meant here. This Bethsaida (fish-town) was enlarged and adorned by Herod Philip shortly after the birth of Christ, and called by him Julias in honour of the emperor's daughter. 33. Ean afoot. It was Passover time, and the roads were full of people (John vi. 4). They went round the north side of the lake, crossing the Jordan. " He who is in earnest to go to Christ will let no trouble hinder him." 34. Came out, perhaps out of the boat, but more probably Jesus had landed and had gone up one of the hill-sides (John vi. 3) to a quiet place. The people gathered ; He came forth to them, taught them, and healed the sick (Luke ix. ii). The Lord sacrificed for men His retirement. Moved with compassion. Mark alone records the thoughts of Christ on the occasion, imparted perhaps to Peter, and communicated by him to the evangelist. As sheep not having a shepherd. The country where they were was not merely unenclosed, but was full of rugged, dangerous defiles, the abode of wild animals, bare of pasture. This must be remembered to understand the full meaning of the metaphor. 35. His disciples. Comparing the various passages, the course of events seems to have been : — (i) Jesus taught and healed ; then (2) He asked Philip, Whence shall toe btiy bread that these may eat ? Philip had not the faith to accept the partnership in a miracle which the word "we" invited him to, and answered (3) that two hundred pence would not buy bread enough (John vi. 5-7) ; (4) our Lord went on teaching and healing ; (5) at even the apostles asked Him to send the multitudes away ; (6) He asked them to feed them ; (7) they answered as Philip had done ; (8) He told them to go and see what bread could be had ; a boy offers what he had ; and (9) Andrew brought it to Jesus. When the day was far spent. When it 7vas ez'ening, ALatthew says (xiv. 15). There were two evenings in the Jewish day, and a space of time probably between three o'clock and five o'clock was called "between the evenings." From Matthew it can be gathered that the disciples asked Jesus to send the multitudes away about three o'clock, and that He ascended to the hill-top when all was over between five o'clock and six o'clock ; see verse 47. VI. 4I-] FIVE THOUSAND FED. 131 36 is far passed:^ send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy them- 37 selves bread : for they have nothing to eat.^ 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, 38 and give them to eat? He saith unto them. How many loaves have ye ? go and see. And when they knew, they say, 39 Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all 40 sit down 2 by companies upon the green grass. And they sat 41 down in ranks,* by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he ' The place is desert, and the day is now far spent 2 and buy themselves somewhat to eat 3 to recline ■* in groups or in garden-heds. 36. Send them away. There was more charity than faith in the request. The disciples had their compassion also for the people ; the crowd was on the desert side of the sea, in a rugged, desolate country, and the short Eastern twilight would soon be upon them. The famished multitude might come to harm. Their charity and compassion were rightly called into exercise. "Those preachers which are so intent on their spiritual work, that in the meantime they overstrain the weakness of their people, holding them in their devotions longer than human faith will permit, forget not themselves more than their pattern, and must be sent to school to these compassionate disciples who, when evening was come, sue to Christ for the people's dis- mission " (Hall). It was their faith that was at fault. 37. Give ye them to eat, God sometimes asks us to do for Him more than we can, as when He commands us to keep His whole law, but always in order to show us how easy it is to rest on Himself. " As when the mother bids the infant come to her, which hath not yet the steady use of his legs, it is that he may cling the faster to her hand and clothes for support." Pennyworth. A penny, denarius, was a day's wage of a labourer in Palestine (Matt. xx. 2). It was famine price for a measure of wheat (Rev. vi. 6). " It so happens that in almost every case where the word daiarivs occurs in the New Testament, it is connected with the idea of a liberal or large amount ; and yet in these passages the English rendering names a sum which is absurdly small " (Bishop Lightfoot). 38. Five and two fishes. The loaves were barley-cakes (John vi. 9), and it was Andi-ew who had found the lad, a little boy {paidarion) who carried them in his basket-wallet. These barley-cakes were the food of the poor, and a barley-cake was a most insignificant thing (Judg. vii. 13). The fishes were small dried fish usually eaten as something tasty with the barley-bread. The five small cakes and the two fishes were the remains of the boy's day's provisions. 39. The green grass. " During the great part of the year there is not such a thing as a blade of green grass to be seen on the slopes that ascend from the eastern shores of the Sea of Tiberias ; all the grass that remains is burned and scorched. But, as we learn from John, it was now spring-time, just before the passovcr " (John vi. 4) (Morison). 40. In ranks; literally, in beds (as of a garden), in group. *' As they sat 132 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 42. had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave thej7i to his disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes divided 42 he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of 44 the fishes. 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,i and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, 1 the boat in those orderly groups upon the grass, the gay red and blue and yellow- colours of the clothing which the poorest Orientals wear, called up in the imagination of St. Peter a multitude of flower-beds in some well-cultivated garden " (Farrar). By hundreds and by fifties. Each group consisted of two rows of 100, a shorter one of 50 persons. The fourth side remained open, as was the custom at the feasts of the ancients. There were twenty groups of 250. The women and children (Matt. xiv. 21), according to Oriental fashion, ate by themselves. 41. Blessed. It was Passover time, and these multitudes got their paschal feast in the wilderness with Christ. Our Lord blessed, brake, and distributed in the way that the father of the household did at the Passover feast. He who makes the corn seed bring forth sixtyfold, by the same creative power multi- plied the bread. The multiplication of grain and of loaves are acts of the same omnipotence. Our Saviour supplied at once that creative force of nature which the farmer has to wait for, and which comes to his aid every year in the miracle of harvest. 42. And were filled. For Christ's love is as great as His power. None were forgotten, and all had enough. Jesus gave to the disciples, and they, keeping nothing to themselves, as freely handed to the people. Even Judas forgot to hoard. 43. Baskets. The word denotes the small wicker-basket in which each Jew carried his day's food to avoid pollution. The Jew was called " basket- carrier " by the Romans. At the feeding of the four thousand the basket w^as the large rope-basket. The presence of Christ will change a desert place into a paradise, and a place where there is no bread into a fruitful garden. This miracle is the only one related by each of the four evangelists. It is used by John as the text of Jesus' sermon on the Bread of Life (John vi. 22-65). John also records the effect on the people ; they wished then and there to crown Jesus their Messiah King, and His refusal was a distinct crisis in His earthly ministry. 2. Walking on the sea, vi. 45-52 : Matt. xiv. 22-33 ; John vi. 15-21. 45. To Bethsaida. The disciples started from the grassy narrow plain of El Batihah (or Butaiha), lying to the south of Bethsaida Julias, and their course was to Bethsaida of Galilee. They had rowed twenty-five or thirty furlongs (John vi. 19), and were about two-thirds across, " in the midst of the sea," when the squall came down on them out of the high gorge called the VI. 48.] THE STORM ON THE SEA. 1 33 46 while he sent away the people.^ And when he had sent them 47 away,2 ^g departed into a mountain ^ to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he 48 alone on the land. And he saw them toiling * in rowing ; for » and to go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he himself sendeth the multitude away 2 And after he had taken leave of them 3 the mountain ^ distressed Valley of Doves, sweeping across the sea, blowing right on the stem of the ship. They were driven somewhat south, and landed at Gennesaret some miles below Bethsaida. See Map, p. 72. 46. A mountain, R. V. the mountain, the adjoining high land. The whole region is very hilly. "On the east side of the Sea of Galilee the banks are nearly 2000 feet high, destitute of verdure and of foliage, furrowed by ravines, but flat along the summit from which the plain of Bashan extends eastward " (Porter). To pray. The picture given is a beautiful one. The disciples leave the shore in their boat to row across the lake ; the crowds gradually disperse, returning on foot, for the most part, across the plain to regain the western shore by going round the north margin of the lake. Jesus retires to the high ground to spend the calm Eastern night in solitary communion with His Father, in lonely prayer for the disciples on the sea and the crowds on the land. He who had constant communion with the Father even in the most crowded throng, was yet so much man that He yearned for silent prayer and lonely fellowship. He who was incapable of distraction went aside to pray. 47. Even. The Jews had two evenings, the early and the late : the first began at 3 p.m., our afternoon ; the second, at sundown. Both are mentioned by Matt. xiv. 15, 23. Here it is the late evening, extending from sundown onward. The ship (boat) was in the midst of the sea. As the disciples rowed across the lake, they could see the slope on which the multitudes had been miraculously fed only an hour before, and the hill-top where the Master was at prayer, praying for them, they knew. Darkness came down on them rowing, and shut out first the place of fellowship, and then the place where Jesus was. And still the scene repeats itself in the Christian life. Spiritual darkness comes down upon us, and we cannot see either where we lately had fellowship with Him, or the hill-top of heaven where the risen Saviour is making intercession for us. When they had lost sight of the Master, then the wind came down on them, and they felt the need of His presence. 48. Toiling. The word toiling is translated torjnent in Matt. viii. 6, 29. The disciples had to make violent and distressing efforts, almost beyond their strength, to keep the boat with her head steady to the blast. "We may have Christ for us, and yet wind and tide against us ; but it is a comfort to Christ's disciples in a storm, that their Master is in the heavenly mount interceding for them." He saw them. " How much more dost Thou now, O Saviour, from the heights of Thy glorious advancement, behold us, Thy wretched servants, tossed on the unquiet sea of this world, and beaten with the troublesome and threatening billows of affliction ! Thou foresawest their toil and danger 134 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [VI. 49. the wind was contrary unto them : and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, 49 and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit,^ 50 and cried out : for they all saw him, and were troubled, And immediately he talked with them,^ and saith unto them, Be of 5 1 good cheer : it is I j be not afraid. And he went up unto 1 supposed it was an apparition 2 But he straightway spake with them ere Thou dismissedst them and purposely didst send them away, that they might be tossed. Thou, that couldst prevent our sufferings by Thy power, wilt permit them in Thy wisdom, that Thou mayest glorify Thy mercy in our deliverance, and confirm our faith by the issue of our distresses " (Hall). Fourth watch, "The proper Jewish reckoning recognized only three watches. . . . (i) The first or beginning of the watches, from sunset to lO P.M. (Lam. ii. 19) ; (2) the middle watch ^ from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M. (Judg. vii. 19); (3) the morning watch, from 2 A.M. to sunrise (Ex. xiv. 24; I Sam. xi. ii). After the Roman supremacy the number was increased to four, sometimes called first, second, etc. , as here ; sometimes by the terms even, closing at 9 P.M., midnight ; cock-crowing, at 3 A.M. ; morning, at 6 A.M." (Maclear). Cometh to them. The Son of God came from the Father to save His people, and Jesus came down from the hill-top communion with God to help His disciples toiling on the sea. This coming down to His disciples on the sea was a picture of the incarnation and humiliation of the Saviour. He came from communion with the Father. He came to save His people in trouble, and He did so by coming among them and making their troubles His. The wind on the lake smote Him as it smote them ; the spindrift wet His face and drenched His garments as it did theirs. 49. It had been a spirit, an apparition. Their minds were full of the usual fisher or sailor superstitions, of storm spirits who raise and direct the blasts. The spirit of the glen who had sent the storm down suddenly on the lake, was coming to complete his work of wrath. 50. Were troubled. There was more dread than joy in the presence of the Saviour. They would not have been so much afraid had they been expecting Him, but the troubles of the night had made them forget His promise. Their terror is not, however, a thing altogether uiiknown in the deeper religious experience. For when trouble comes upon the pious Chris- tian, what is felt most sorely is not the outward calamity which his neighbours see, but an inward wound which comes from the conviction that God has actually forsaken him and delivered him over to the assaults of an unknown hostile spirit-power armed against him. There is no lesson harder to under- stand than that troubles are not signs of the wrath of God. Had the disciples seen that it was Jesus who was coming to them through the storm, they would not have been troubled ; could we know that behind the storms of life there is the Saviour Himself near us, we should not have that vague yet bitter sense of the presence of a spirit of evil who is seeking to over- whelm us. It is I, be not afraid. It was time for the Saviour to speak when the disciples were almost lost with fear. He was present before, but they did VI. 55-] MIRACLES IN GENNESARET. I35 them into the ship ; and the wind ceased : and they were sore 52 amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves : for their heart was hardened.^ 53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land 54 of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. ^ And when they were 55 come out of the ship,^ straightway they knew him, and ran 1 were sore amazed in themselves ; for they understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart was hardened 2 and moored to the shore ^ boat not know it, and were afraid. It is enough for us to be assured of the Saviour's presence. The voice was token enough to those who knew its tones. Matthew tells us that it not only revived them, but prompted the impetuous Peter to venture across the waters to go to Jesus (Matt. xiv. 28) ; for true faith does not rest content with great and good desires, or even with peaceful contentment, it longs to act for Jesus. 51. The wind ceased. It fell as if exhausted, for that is the meaning of the word, just when the Lord went into the boat (Matt. xiv. 32). He did not rebuke the wind and sea this time. He willed a calm, and it came. He made the storm a calm (Ps. cvii. 29). 52. They considered not, R. V. understood not. "They ought to have inferred from the bread to the sea. The move exercised faith is, the more it becomes accustomed to discern the marvellous works of God" (Bengel). Hardened. The phrase implies sluggish intellect rather than callous feeling. The disciples were still unable to respond to the appeals of the Saviour working wonders of grace. They were able to worship Him when He came into the boat, and to say, Of a truth, Thou art the Son of God (Matt, xiv, 33) ; but they did not know what that meant : they were unable to take it all in and apply it to their everyday wants and experiences. 3. In the land of Gennesaret, vi. 53-56 : Matt. xiv. 34-36. 53. Gennesaret. A crescent-shaped plain on the north-west shore of the Sea of Tiberias, about two miles and a half in length and about one in breadth, watered by three streams. Josephus tells us that its soil was so fruitful that all sorts of trees could grow, and were planted in it. Walnuts, which require cold air, flourish there in great abundance ; palms, which grow best in heat ; olives and figs, which prefer a temperate climate, "One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it constrains those plants which are naturally enemies to each other to agree together. It is a happy strife of the seasons, as if every one of them laid claim to this country," Modern travellers also speak of "its charming bays and its fertile soil, rich with the scourings of the basaltic hills." This was the portion of the western shore to which the disciples came after their night of storm. For their course, see Map, p, 72, Drew to the shore ; lit. moored the boat. 54. Straightway they knew him, Mark gives a most vivid description of the stir of the neighbourhood and the eagerness of the people as soon as they recognized Jesus, The friends of sick people ran to the houses, and seizing the pallet beds, carried their invalids to the great Healer, following 136 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 56. through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds^ those that were sick, where they heard he 56 was. 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. Chap. VII. i Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and 2 certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled,^ 3 that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands 1 on their beds ^ jn the market-places ^ common Him wherever He went, if He had gone before ; laying the diseased people in such places of pubHc resort as they thought it likely He would pass through. 55. Beds. Compare note on ii. 4. 56. In the streets ; really in the vtarket-places, which corresponded to our village greens, and sometimes inside the town or village, sometimes outside, were the places of common resort for the inhabitants. Border of his garment. See note on Mark v. 27. The garment was the outer robe, the tallith worn over the tunic. At each corner was a tassel with a thread or ribbon of blue. They asked leave to touch this^ because of the peculiar sanctity supposed to belong to it. They asked to do what the woman with the issue did. II. — SEVENTH SOJOURN IN CAPERNAUM. The traditions about eating, vii. 1-23 : Matt. xv. 1-20. 1. From Jerusalem. Our Lord was at Capernaum not long after His return to the western side, for He delivered there His sermon on tke bread of life (John vi. 22-65), During the Passover the Jewish and the Galilean rabbis had held consultations at Jerusalem ; the feast over, scribes from Jerusalem came down to Galilee to watch, and if possible entrap Christ. He held this discussion with them, which contrasts the true religion and the false, "the righteousness which is of the law, and the righteousness which is of God by faith " (Phil, iii. 9) ; and then took refuge in a second journey of flight. 2. Unwashen hands. The Jews had two kinds of washing : (i) for cleanliness sake ; (2) to remove ceremonial impurity. Here the unwashen refers to the second use of the word, and means, therefore, not " dirty," but ceremonially unclean. The Jews, like all Oriental nations who eat with their fingers, wash their hands before eating ; but, besides, there was a ceremonial washing which the Pharisees insisted on, no matter how clean the hands. They found fault. The words plainly mean that this inquisitorial com- mittee of Jerusalem and Galilean scribes waited till they had caught the disciples in some act of ceremonial uncleanness, such as eating with "common " hands, with hands unconsecrated by the prescribed ceremonial washing. 3. Wash their hands oft. The word translated oft means literally with the fist (R.V. margin), and has been felt a difficulty. Some hold that when the Jews washed their hands in ceremonial washing, the hand was clenched VII. 4-] TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS. 1 37 4 oft/ eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash,^ they eat not. 1 diligently, or up to the elbow, or with the fist 2 wash themselves and so immersed (up to the elbows, some say) ; others hold that the word means diligently. For a careful statement and criticism of the various explanations, compare Morison, in loco. Eat not. Rabbi Akiba, it is said, when imprisoned and given only enough of water to preserve life, preferred to die of starvation rather than eat food without ceremonial washing. The tradition of the elders. The elders were the leading Jewish teachers, who expounded the law and applied its precepts to actual life. The tradi- tions of the elders was that complicated code of rules for action which these teachers had deduced from the Mosaic law. According to their views, the law of Moses was a system of precepts which surrounded the whole of man's life, and enveloped every part of human existence in its embrace. This com- prehensiveness was due not to the general principles of conduct which were embodied in the law, but to the fact that in their belief the Lawgiver, as Josephus says, "had left «c»M2>z^ undetermined or in suspense . . . beginning immediately from the earliest infancy and the details of the domestic life of every one, he left nothi^tg, even of the very smallest consequence, to the disposal and judgment of those for whom he gave laws. Accordingly, he made a fixed rule of life what sorts of food they should use," etc. Every action was thus looked on as legal or illegal, and only one course of conduct was permissible. But human life is infinitely complex, and this completeness of the Mosaic law was only obtained by the addition of a host of supplemen- tary laws framed by well-known teachers ; and as new courses of conduct were continually being evolved out of the workings of individual and social life, it was the business of the elders to arrange each separate occupation, new or old, under a category of forbidden or not forbidden. This, of course, gave rise to a casuistry which at times bordered on folly, and frequently gave decisions at variance with the spirit of the legislation they were meant to expound and enforce. Jesus on more than one occasion with some sarcasm points this out, as in this passage, or as when He refers to the much-argued question about what should be done with a sheep that had fallen into a water-tank on the Sabbath day ; was it to be pulled out, or left in? Some distinguished authorities held that it should be left in, but that food should be given it ; while others argued that it should be pulled out. 4. Wash here means take a bath, to baptize, to wash oneself. In the market-place, or place of public assembly, the Jew might chance to meet a heathen, and become unclean by contact ; for the market-places or bazaars were crowded, and a large amount of personal contact was inevitable, while it was impossible to know what was the ceremonial condition of the persons touched. So, to avoid chance defilement, the Jew bathed himself when he got home. This bathing or baptizing was not immersion, for we do not hear of private baths even in wealthy houses ; and immersion in a public bath, if there was such, would not have cleansed from, but might have been a new means of contracting, ceremonial uncleanness. It was sprinkling, the common mode of purification among the Jews, done usually by hyssop. Indeed, in the Sinaitic and in the Vatican MSS., the word is not baptize, but sprinkle. 138 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vil. 5. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and 5 of tables.^ Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him. Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, 6 but eat bread with unwashen 2 hands ? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied ^ of you hypo- crites, as it is written. This people honoureth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit, in vain do they worship me. Teaching /^r doctrines the commandments of men.'* 8 For, laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups : and many 9 other such like things ye do.^ And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep 10 your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and * couches 2 common ^ Well did Isaiah prophesy of you 4 But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men 5 Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men Cups and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. The cup is any drinking vessel. The word translated pot {xesies) is a contraction for the Latin word scxtarius^ and its use is one of Mark's Latinisms ; compare Introduction, p. 34. The brazen vessel might be translated copper ; these coppers were the large cooking vessels still common in Syria. Tables ought to be couches or beds, and is a mistranslation ; the best MSS., however, omit the word altogether. 5. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him. Then ought to be and. Vers. 3-4 are a parenthesis, and this verse naturally carries on the description of the attempt of the Pharisees to bring Christ into conflict with the Mosaic law. 6. Well hath Esaias. Calvin remarks that Jesus does not mean that Isaiah was actually looking forward to the scribes of His time when He uttered the words quoted by our Lord, but that the prophet's phrases depict them to the life as if he had seen them. This is implied in the word well, or to perfection^ to the life. The quotation is from Isa. xxix. 13, but does not exactly follow either the Septuagint or the Hebrew text. With the lips . . . with the heart. The contrast is between a religion of external observances and of inward sentiment and motive. 7. Teaching for doctrines ; rather, teaching as their doctrines the command- ments of ??ien. Their teachings, which they regarded as of such supreme importance, their forbidden and unforbidden, were nothing but the decisions of men, had no divine sanction, and therefore might be disregarded. 8. As the washing of pots, etc. These words are omitted in the best MS. authorities. 9. Full weU ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep, etc. Our Lord proceeds to give a notorious instance in which those traditions of the elders not merely are of simple human origin, but are of sinful human device ; for it actually contradicts or furnishes worshippers with a means of evading one VII. 14.] THE CASUISTRY OF THE PHARISEES. 1 39 thy mother ; and, Whoso curseth ^ father or mother, let him 1 1 die the death : but ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever 12 thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.'^ And ye suffer him no more ^ to do ought for his father or his mother; 13 making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered : and many such like things do ye. 14 And when he had called all the people unto hm, he said unto ^ And he that speaketh evil of 2 That wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God ^ we no longer suffer him of the solemn ten words, the very core of Mosaic moral teaching. The casuistry of Jewish elders had made it possible that, by a dexterous use of the law of vows, a Jew might keep the law blameless, and yet allow his father or mother to starve. The fifth commandment says, " Honour thy father and thy mother ;" and other precepts forbid a son to speak evil of his parents on pain of death ; but a dexterous casuistry can evade all that by the use of the law of Corban. II. It is Corban; R. V., If a man shall say to his father or his niother^ That wherezuith thoti mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God ; ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his mother. Corban means an offering of any sort made to God, and its special meaning is an offering made in fulfilment of a vow. Vows, according to the Mosaic law, could be positive or negative, i.e. the worshipper might devote to God an animal or some portion of his property, or he might vow to refrain from using things in themselves lawful ; the Nazarite vowed not to use wine. Founding on this, the Rabbis taught that worshippers might interdict themselves from using a particular thing for a particular use by vowing it to God, and calling it Corban. A man might interdict himself from assisting his parents by calling the particular sum required to aid them Corban, and so making it unlawful to use it in that particular way. The words he shall be free, are not in the original either here or in the corresponding passage in Matthew. Our Lord seems to have stopped short, allowing the words to be filled up by the indignation of the hearers. 13. Traditions of the elders were that unxvritten lazu which it was said God delivered orally to Moses, who in turn transmitted it orally to the elders. It was written down in the Talmud, or "doctrine," which consists of (i) the Mishna, or "repetition" of the law; and (2) the Gemara, or "supplement" to it. See ver. 3. Making the word of God of none effect. Annulling or repealing the word of God is the strict meaning of the verb used. The same word is found in Gal. iii. 17, and is there translated disattnul. Many such like things. For what Jesus had said about Corban was only an illustration of a whole method of false treatment of the law of God. 14. And when he had called all the people unto him. The interview with the scribes and Pharisees had probably been in the house ; they had been on the watch, and had surprised our Lord and His disciples at table eating. Jesus now breaks up the conference, and appeals, as usual, to the 140 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vil. 1 5. them, Hearken unto me every one of you^ and understand : 15 there is nothing from without a man, that entering^ into him can defile him : but the things which come out of him, those 16 are they that^ defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, 17 let him hear. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. t8 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also ? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from with- 19 out entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out 20 into the draught, purging all meats?* And he said, That ^ And he called to him the multitude again, and said unto them, Hear me, all of you 2 going 3 are those that ^ This he said, making all meats clean people. They know about the question disputed, and Jesus proceeds to lay before them the general principle which should rule all such cases as that brought forward by the Pharisees. 15. There is nothing from without a man. The whole case discussed, with the general principle embodying it, is put in one short, pithy saying, fitted to stick in the memory. It is significant how our Lord turns from the scribes to the people, even when He is about to enunciate a great principle. His theology is not for the closet, but for the pulpit ; it is an appeal to the broad, popular sympathies rather than to hair-splitting intellects. The funda- mental spring of all impurity is within, in self— that is the great moral truth to be laid hold on and kept. 16. If any man have ears. This verse has been deleted in the Revised Version, and the weight of evidence is greatly against it. 17. His disciples asked. Peter was the questioner (Matt. xv. 15). The parable, in the sense of short pithy saying. Note on iv. 2. 18. Without understanding. The disciples, notwithstanding their daily intercourse with Jesus, made slow advance in knowledge. The pharisaical idea that religion was a matter of observing certain rules of external conduct, and the performance of certain acts such as " washing," etc., was so engrained in them that they could not easily understand what was meant by heart- religion. Christ's simple statements, commonplaces in New Testament religion, were " dark sayings," or parables, to them. 19. Purging all meats. A difficult phrase, only found in Mark. Perhaps the best explanation is to make the word purging agree with He saith (18) : *' He saith this . . . and in so saying, cleanseth all meats." This has been adopted by the Revisers, and is defended by Farrar {Expositoj; 1876), Scrivener, EUicott, and Plumptre. It is the explanation which was first suggested by Chrysostom. Alford, Meyer, and Morison connect it with the draught, and make it refer to the purification which comes from the removal of the useless portion of food from the body. The former seems to be the better explanation, but the construction is very obscure. If we take Chrysostom's suggestion, then the Evangelist means to say that Jesus, both by the general principle He enunciated of the contrast between external, artificial purity, and the purity of conscience and will, and by the special VII. 24.] CASUISTRY AND MORALITY. I4I 2 1 which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, 22 adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wicked- ness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy,^ pride, 23 foolishness : all these evil things come ^ from within, and defile the man. 24 And from thence he arose, and went ^ into the borders of 1 railing 2 proceed ^ went away illustration He used, actually ended the old ceremonial distinction between meats clean and unclean. The phrase is only found in Mark's Gospel, and, it may be, was suggested by Peter. If so, does it not recall Peter's dream at Joppa, and the voice, " What God hath cleansed make not thou common " (Acts X. 15) ? Our Lord by this general principle of the thorough distinction between ceremonial and heart-religion had made clean all meats, even those forbidden by the Mosaic law, and had justified the command given to Peter in the dream, " Kill and eat," even animals classed as ceremonially unclean. 21. Heart. Every man has within him the root of every sin, " Our care must be to wash our hearts from wickedness " (Matt. Henry). God desires inward purity, and the heart is the source whence all inward purity or impurity flows. Evil thoughts. "Thirteen forms of evil are here noticed as proceeding from the heart. The first seven, in the plural number, are predomiJtant actions ; the latter six, in the singular, dispositions {Q^X. v. 19-21)." — Maclear. 22. Covetousness is not merely the love of money, but that vice which, a mean between theft and rapine, aims to induce your neighbour by various artifices to give you something you ought not to take from him. Wickedness {-rovyipion, from •rovos, hard labour), wickednesses (R. V.), Matt, xxii. 18; Luke xi. 39; Rom. i. 29 ; I Cor. v. 8; Eph. vi. 12. The word means properly knaveries, rascalities, villanies. It has the same root and meaning as those equivalent words, — actions to be looked for from slaves. Deceit means here any contrivance to get an advantage over one's neigh- bour. Lasciviousness, translated wantonness in Rom. xiii. 13 ; 2 Pet. ii. 18. An evil eye. The most malignant kind of envy (Matt. xx. 15). Pride, vTip(pa,via. (Rom. i. 30 ; 2 Tim. iii. 2). Foolishness (Eph. v. 17; i Pet. ii. 15). That folly which consists in absence of the fear of God. "Foolishness is placed last of all, inasmuch as it is that which renders all the rest incurable " (Bengel). 23. All these evil things come from within. The list of evil things, says Matthew Henry, begins with ill-thinking, which is the spring of all our commissions, and ends with unthinking, which is the spring of all our omissions. The lesson repeated again is, that the heart is the chief source of impurity, and that what God requires is inward purity or a cleansing of the heart. III. — SECOND JOURNEY OF FLIGHT. I. Retirement to coasts of Tyre and Sidon, vii. 24: Matt. xv. 21. 24. From thence he arose. The "Galilean ministry," properly so called, ended (vi. 30) with the r.lurn of the apostles from their preaching 142 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vil. 25. Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have 25 no man know //.• but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit,^ heard of 26 him, and came and fell at his feet : the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he 27 would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled : for it is not * But straightway a woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit mission. The crowds following Him to the coasts of Bethsaida Julias in Passover time prolonged it somewhat ; but what followed seems to have finally determined our Lord to retire until His time was fulfilled. The Pharisees of Western Galilee had long been offended ; their opposition was now strengthened by alliance with tlie Pharisees of Jerusalem. Herod's suspicions were aroused, and the people, angry at some of His sermons, were full of doubts. Our Lord saw in all these things signs of the end, and His disciples had to be prepared for it in retirement. He spent most of His time with them on the borders of Phoenicia, in the half-heathen Decapolis, or on the slopes of Lebanon, for the most part either keeping out of the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas or residing where He could easily cross the frontier. When He did pass through Galilee, His movements were carefully concealed (viii. 26, ix. 30). Tyre and Sidon, Two Phoenician cities which had been famous for cen- turies as centres of trade and of wealth. Phoenicia was a long, narrow strip of plain between the mountains and the sea. It is probable that our Lord went into the Phoenician land, for, according to R. V. (31), He went through Sidon after leaving the borders of Tyre. 2. Healing the Syrophxnician woman's daughter, 25-30 : Matt. xv. 22-28. 25. Heard of him. Jesus had not been there before, but people of the region had been in Galilee and seen Him (Mark iii. 8), and had carried back the news. 26. Greek by education, Phoenician born, Sy^-ian by political division. The Syrophoenicians were the Phoenicians living in Syria ; they called themselves Canaanites (Matt. xv. 22). Other Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, living in Africa, were called Liby-Phoenicians, from Libya, the name for North Africa. 27. Jesns said. When Matthew and Mark are combined, the scene was — (i) As Jesus and His disciples were walking she accosted Him, crying out, "Have mercy upon me, O Lord, Thou Son of David : my daughter is vexed with a devil," and was answered hy silence; (2) the disciples suggest that Jesus should cure her daughter, aiid they are answered by refusal: I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel ; (3) she follows to the house ; Jesus again refuses to cure a Canaanite, and this time with an implied reproach: "Let the children first be filled; for it is not meet to take the children's loaf and to cast it unto the dogs ; " (4) she persists, and gets the blessing. Let the children first he fillecl. Tins sentence is omitted in Matthew, and Mark in preserving it shows us the gleam of hope given by Jesus, VII. 30-] ABRAHAMIC FAITH. I43 meet to take the children's bread/ and to cast it unto the 28 dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord : yet^ 29 the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her. For this saying go thy way; the devil is 30 gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her 1 loaf 2 even which encouraged the woman to persist. This is one of the numerous passages where Mark's narrative seems to be the description of an eye-witness. Peter heard the words, and saw the effect on the woman. The term "dogs "was commonly used by the Jews to denote all Gentiles who lived outside the institutions of the ceremonial law, for the dog all over the East is regarded as the symbol of impurity. When Paul (Phil. iii. 2) calls his opponents, the judaizing teachers, " dogs," he uses the usual epithet of his nation to denote those who are outside the true Israel, which in his view was the Christian Church. For Scripture use of the word "dog" as a term of reproach, compare I Sam. xvii. 43, xxiv, 14; 2 Sam. xvi. 9; 2 Kings viii. 13; Matt. vii. 6; Rev. xxii. 15. It has been noted by several com- mentators that Jesus softens the term of reproach by using the diminutive " little dogs," " whelps." 28. Yes, Lord. Notice how the woman varies her address. She first calls on Christ, as Matthew tells us, by the name of the Messiah of Israel, and then she beseeches Him as the sovereign Lord of all, whether Jew or Gentile. " Child of a doomed, rejected race, v/ell mightest thou have taken tlie Saviour's words as a final sentence cutting off all hope, sending thee back without relief to thy miserable home to nurse thy frenzied child in the arms of dull despair. But there was in thee a depth of affection for that poor child of thine, and a tenacity of purpose that will not let thee give up the case till effort after effort be made" (Hanna). "Yes, Lord. Was not that a master-stroke ? She snares Christ in His own words " (Luther). 29. For this saying. Matthew tells us that Jesus added, O -woman, great is thy faith. For that faith, expressed in that saying, she got her answer in the cure of her daughter. This miracle must be taken along Avith that wrought on the Roman centurion's servant. In both cases, in this one in particular, Jesus went beyond the commonwealth of Israel in His work of founding the new kingdom. In both cases, there was a wonderful mani- festation of faith given by those at whose request the cure was wrought. Here we find an explanation of Jesus' harshness. He was about to disclose the mystery hid for ages, that the Gentiles were to be fellow-heirs of the promises which had come to them through Abraham's faith, and He made clear the ground of this partaking in the heritage. The new children of the promise had that same faith by which Abraham won for his children by descent the Messianic hope, and won their share in the same way as did the father of the faithful. Hence Jesus gave repulse after repulse, that He might show in the end how strong that faith ^vas which triumphed over every difficulty. Abrahamic faith obtained Abraham's blessing. 30. The devil gone out. The girl, like the centurion's servant (Luke vii. 6) and the nobleman's son (John iv. 46-53), was cured at a distance. " The paralytic broke through outward hindrnnces (ii. 4), blind Bartimseus through the hindrances opposed by his fellozu-vien ; but this woman, more heroically 144 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vil. 3 1. house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.^ 3 1 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto ^ the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the 32 coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech, and they beseech 33 him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude,^ and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, 34 and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he ' And she went away unto her house, and found the child laid upon the bed, and the demon gone out. 2 And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and went through Sidon unto 3 And he took him aside from the multitude privately than all, through apparent hindrances even from Christ Himself" (Trepch). The first act of salvation in the Gentile world was an answer to persistent prayer. There are other lessons also in this miracle, especially for those who, like this Gentile woman, are striving for others' good. Her faith was not only rightly directed, but persevering, and that persevering faith came out in patient exertion. We are too apt to think that outcasts can be brought to Christ by making them go through a syllogism ; there must be prolonged patient work for them if we are to get them to and keep them near the Saviour. 3. Miracles in the Decapolis ^ vii. 31-viii. 9. ( I ) Healing the deaf and dumb man, 31-37. ( Only found in Mark. ) 31. Coasts of Tyre and Sidon; R. V., And again He went out from the borders of Tyre and came through Sidon unto the Sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. Our Lord went northward to Sidon, then eastward from Phoenicia, skirting the borders of Northern Galilee, from the foot of Lebanon through the gorge of the Leontes to the sources of the Jordan ; thence southward on the eastern side through Gaulonitis to the mountains east of the lake, always keeping out of the dominions of Herod. Map, p. 45. Decapolis ; note on v. 20 ; a region full of foreigners who were heathen. 32. Had an impediment. The Greek w-ord means that he could hardly articulate. 33. And he took him. This cure is effected by a succession of acts all suited to stir up a lively expectation of a blessing. The man was deaf and could not be spoken to, Jesus speaks in signs — (i) takes him aside from the multitude— fl/^«nent 3 be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak 4 ofnit neither do ye premeditate ment was administered in presence of the judges, and the local Sanhedrin sat in the synagogues. It will always happen that worldly ecclesiastics will persecute true Christians, the best friends of the Church. Paul was scourged five times by the Jews (2 Cor. xi. 24). Ye shall be brought before rulers and kings, Roman governors, pro- consuls, and procurators, Paul was brought before Claudius Lysias (Acts Kxi, 34-37), before Felix (Acts xxiv, 10-22), before Festus (Acts xxv. i-ii). Kings, whether tributary kings or emperors. Paul stood before Agrippa (Acts xxvi. 1-23) and before Nero (2 Tim. iv. 16). Multitudes of Christians in the Apostolic and post-Apostolic Church had the same experience. 10, The gospel must be first published among all nations. Matt. xxiv. 14 : ift all the ivorU. Before the destruction of Jerusalem the gospel had been preached in almost all parts of the Roman Empire, from Spain to Syria, and from Arabia to Italy. Our Lord encourages Flis disciples by telling them that however severe their trials, the gospel will have fairly taken root in the world before the crisis comes. 11. Take no thought beforehand ; R. V,, Be not anxiotis beforehand, or have no tindue care or anxiety. Let it not be that — " The native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.' Christ's advocates will be furnished with full instructions. When we are engaged in the service of Christ, we may depend upon the aid of the Spirit of Christ (comp. Matt. x. 19, 20). 13. Endure, The word means more than passive endurance; it includes the idea of heroic perseverance, w^hich in the end triumphs over temptations, persecutions, and hindrances, and so wins that everlasting salvation which leads to endless life in glory. Perseverance gains the crown. The salvation promised in the text is more than a mere deliverance from evil ; it is an ever- lasting blessedness which shall be an abundant recompense for all services and sufferings. The years that the locust has eaten will be restored (Jcel ii. 25 ; comp. also Ps. xc. 15). XIII. 1 4-] THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 205 14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet/ standing where it ought * 07nit spoken of by Daniel the prophet 14. But when ye shall see. The earlier portion of this chapter is more easily understood when the reader knows the outline of history of Palestine between our Lord's crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem. Our Lord was crucified in the year 33 A.D., and in 36 a.d. Pilate was recalled to Rome and deposed from his governorship. In 41 a.d. Herod Agrippa was per- mitted by the Emperor Claudius to gather together in one kingdom the dominions of his grandfather Herod the Great. He fortified Jerusalem, but was not allowed to complete the works. At his death, a.d. 44, the kingdom was abolished, and Roman governors were appointed. They were rapidly changed, and oppressed the people beyond measure, provoking partial insur- rection. In 53 A.D., Felix, before whom Paul was brought, was appointed procurator, and, as Tacitus said, "wielded the power of a king in the spirit of a slave." His cruelties were notorious. He was succeeded in 60 a.d. by Festus, an upright and wise ruler, who was in power for two years. Albinus was made procurator in 62 A.D., and his cruelty and greed made the people almost ripe for revolt. Gessius Florus, who succeeded in 65 a.d., was even more cruel and rapacious. The unfortunate Jews, unable any longer to bear his tyrannical rule, rose in rebellion in 66 a.d. At the time, however, when united action was supremely necessary, furious conflicts arose between the factions, until at length the Zealots overcame all the more moderate parties, and dominated the nation. The Roman prefect of Syria, Cestius Gallus, advancing with an army, laid siege to Jerusalem, when the Christians, fore- warned by these words of our Lord, fled to the mountains to Pella. The Zealots repulsed the attack, and following up their advantage, pursued and completely defeated the Romans at Beth-horon. The war was then conducted for three years with imexampled ferocity on both sides. The Romans under Vespasian set themselves to reduce the whole country by almost exterminating the people. In the spring of 70 A.D., Titus, the son of the Emperor Vespasian, had completed the conquest of the country, and proceeded to invest Jerusalem. The city was strongly fortified, and well provided against a siege ; but the wretched defenders were divided into three hostile factions, who slaughtered each other in the streets of Jerusalem, and even in the temple courts. They burned the grain and other provisions in their mad violence. Meanwhile the Romans had carried the first and second walls by the month of April. A trench and rampart of earth was constructed all round the city, and the wretched inhabitants were reduced to the most frightful extremities of starva- tion. In the second week of June the Castle of Antonia was taken by surprise, and the Romans were able to pour troops into the temple and into the streets of Jerusalem. From June 23 to July 15, the besiegers and defenders fought hand to hand in the temple courts and narrow streets. On July 15 the temple was accidentally burnt. The Jews still defended the upper city or Zion until September 1 1, when the Romans carried the place by assault and massacred the defenders. The abomination of desolation (Dan. ix. 27, xi. 31, xii. 11). This passage has been variously explained. Two ideas may guide us : (i) It is given as a sign of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, and as a warning to the Christians to fly, and therefore cannot mean the final desecration of the 206 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XIII. 1 5. not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be 15 in Judea flee to the mountains : and let him that is on the house-top not go down into the house, neither enter therein, 16 to take any thing out of his house :^ and let him that is in the 17 field not turn back again for to take up his garment.^ But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck 1 8 in those days ! And pray ye that your flight be not in the 19 winter.^ For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created 1 not go down nor enter in to take any thing out of his house ^ nor return back to take his cloak 3 that it be not in the winter temple by Roman armies after the siege ; (2) Luke xxi. 20 implies that it is connected with a siege of Jerusalem. During the first siege under Cestius (68 A.D.) the Zealots got possession of the temple, and they made the holy place " a garrison and stronghold " of their tyrannous and bloody rule. The outrages of lust and murder perpetrated by the Zealots in the holy place are probably what our Lord refers to. Flee to the mountains. The Christians remembering these words of the Lord fled, at the raising of the first siege by Cestius Gallus, away from Judea to the hilly country opposite Bethabara and the Bethshean ford, to Bella, one of the cities of the Decapolis, which continued for long years to be the seat of the "Church of Jei-usalem." "Somewhere on the slopes of Gilead, near the scene of Jacob's first view of the land of his descendants, and of the capital of the exiled David, was Pella, so called by the Macedonian Greeks from the springing fountain, -which likened it to the birthplace of their own Alexander. . . . From these heights Abner in his flight from the Philistines, and David in his flight from Absalom, and the Israelites on their way to Babylon, and the Christian Jews of Pella, caught the last sight of their familiar mountains " (Stanley). 15. House-top. The houses in Jerusalem streets were built in a con- tinuous line with flat roofs, and some had stairs from the roof by outside wall to the ground. 16. Not turn back again for to take up Ms garment. Not return back (to his house) to take his cloak or abba, which he did not need when at work, but which he was accustomed to use when he slept in the fields or anywhere in the open air. 17. Them that give suck (Luke xxiii. 28). Tlie heart of Jesus feels Uiost for them that suffer most ; and in time of insurrection or conquest it is not the man but the woman and the child that suffer most. 18. In winter. The disciples no doubt prayed. The siege was not in winter. The Roman troops first environed the city in October, v/hen the •weather is still mild ; and the final siege began in April or May. 19. Such as was not from the beginning of creation. The siege of Jerusalem exceeded in accumulated horrors any other. The city was peopled by three factions, who left off" guard on the walls against the Romans to siiy each other within the city; and the frightful famine caused by the suicidal burning of the granaries, drove every human emotion, save vindic- XIII. 23. J THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 207 20 unto this time, neither shall be.^ And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved : but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the 21 days. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is 22 Christ ;2 or, lo, /le is there ; believe /lim not : for false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and 23 wonders, to seduce,^ if// were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed : behold, I have foretold you all things. » shall be tribulation such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be 2 the Christ ^ lead astray live passion, out of the breasts of the inhabitants. "Every kind feeling, love, respect, natural affection, were extinct through the all-absorbing want. Wives would snatch the last morsel from husbands, children from parents, mothers from children. They would intercept even their own milk from their pining babes . . . old men were scourged till they surrendered the food to which their hands clung desperately, and even were dragged about by the hair till they gave up what they had. Children were seized as they hung upon the miserable morsels they had got, whirled around and dashed on the pavement. . . . Tortures which cannot be related were employed against those who had a loaf or a handful of barley." If any miserable wretches crawled for food near the Roman lines, they were seized, and if they defended themselves in the slightest, they were crucified by the Roman troops. Some- times as many as five hundred miserable beings were seen from the walls, writhing on crosses erected within the Roman lines. Other sieges and defences have been as heroic ; what makes this one unparalleled is the mingling of heroic defence with the most fiendish cruelties practised by the defenders on each other. Well might Josephus, unconsciously repeating the words of our Lord, say : "All calamities, from the beginning of time, seem to me to shrink to nothing in comparison with those of the Jews." (For the dreadful story of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, see Josephus' Wars of the Jeivs ; Wxlmtin's History of the Jezus, ii. 16.) 20. Shortened those days. They were shortened— (i) by the order of Claudius forbidding Herod Agrippa from completing the fortifications ; (2) by the wars of factions within the city ; (3) by the burning of the stores of provisions which were sufficient for a siege of several years ; (4) by the abandonment of the towers of the fortifications by the Jews on the approach of Titus ; (5) by the vigorous storming of the city by the Romans. Titus, the Roman general, who commanded at the siege, was surprised at. his com- paratively speedy success. "God has fought for us; Avhat could human hands or engines do against these towers?" For the elect's sake. "And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to His purpose" (Rom. viii. 28). 22. False Christs. This sign, which is to be more fully fulfilled before the Second Coming of Christ, was also seen at the destruction of Jerusalein, when, as Josephus tells us, impostors prevailed on crowds to follow them to the wilderness by promises of miracles. 208 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xill. 24. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be 25 darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall,^ and the powers that are in heaven ^ shall 26 be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming 27 in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the utter- most part of heaven. 28 Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; When her branch is yet tender,^ and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is 29 near: so ye, in like manner, when ye shall see these things ' shall be falling out of the heavens 2 in the heavens 3 Now from the fig-tree learn her parable : When her branch is now become tender (2) The Second CoJiiing of Christ, xiii. 24-31. 24. In those days. "He to whom 'a thousand years are as one day, and one day as a thousand years,' to whom there is no past or future, but one eternal present, passes from one chapter to another in the history of the world with the ease of One Avho seeth all things clearly revealed " (Maclear). The sun shall be darkened. Our Lord is speaking here language as apocalyptic as that in Revelation, and hence His words need not be taken literally any more than the words "the outlook is gloomy" of a man on whom trouble has come; but still there is a reference to the "new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (compare 2 Pet. iii. 7-13 ; Rev. xxi.). 25. The powers that are in the heaven; rather, in the heavens. The powers of the heavetis (Matthew). This obscure phrase, found only here and in the parallel passages in Matthew and Luke, probably denotes the physical forces which control the movements of the heavenly bodies. 26. Then shall they see the Son of man coming. The words of our Lord may be taken throughout to refer to more than one event ; for prophecy sees in one world-crisis the premonition of others, and finally of the end of all things. The Son of man comes in every great world-crisis (Matt. xvi. 17 and 28), and each coming, seen like all spiritual events, by the soul and not by the senses, is a foreshadowing of His coming when every eye shall see Him (Rev. i. 7). Our Lord, when speaking of those comings of His, uses the name which most thoroughly shows Him to be in communion with mankind He comes to save. "For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son, . . . And gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of man'" (John v. 27). 27. Four winds, i.e. from all the quarters. 28. Learn a parable of the fig-tree ; rather, Fi-o^ji the fig-tree learn its parable, the parable that it is always speaking if men have only ears to hear, that the sequence of events is as sure in the world of history, and in the sphere of moral order and conscience, as it is in nature. When her branch is yet tender, Whe7t its branch is now become tender, or as soon as its bra^ich becomes tender, or ready to sprout into buds. The sprouting of the fig-tree twigs was a recognized sign of ripening of the barley XIII. 37-] WATCH ! 209 30 come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all 3 1 these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away : 32 but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in -i^l heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, 34 watch and pray : for ye know not when the time is. For the Soft of 7na?i is as a man taking a far journey,^ who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man 35 his work, and commanded the .porter to watch. Watch ye therefore : for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in 36 the morning : lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. 1 It is as when a man, sojourning in another country- harvest, and of the presence of summer ; the signs our Lord had given were as sure indications of the fall of Jerusalem and of future world-crises. The dis- ciples are told to read the signs and not be like the Pharisees (Matt. xvi. 2, 3). 30. This generation shall not pass. Our Lord has been speaking of two things,, the one the sign and foreshadowing of the other, and the double view-point is in this verse also : (i) Some of those with Him will see in their time the. destruction of Jerusalem ; (2) the race of men will last till the end of all things come. (3) Be watchful, 32-37. 32. Neither the Son. As Son of man, our Lord knew only what the Father revealed to Him ; as So7i of God He is omniscient. 33. Take ye heed, watch and pray. Our Lord's discourse on the last things is full of solemn warning to be prepared for their approach, and the continual repetition of the words take heed and zvatch, is a characteristic of this Gospel. This exhortation to watchfulness is enforced in Matthew's Gospel by four parables : The good-man and the thief, the unfaithful upper- servant, tlie teji virgins, and the talents. Luke in a different connec- tion (xii. 37-40) prefaces Matthew's second parable with a fifth, the xvaiting- scrvants, and Mark adds a sixth parable, the porter. The six parables all spoken at the same time repeat in picturesque variety the solemn warning •watch, while the parable of the talents adds and work. . 35. At even, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing, or in the morning. These are the Roman and not the earlier Jewish modes of reckoning time (vi. 48). Our Lord here takes His language from the usual descriptions of the work of the priest, whose duty it was to superintend the night-guard at the temple, and see that they were w^atching. The " captain of the temple " went his rounds during the night. He came suddenly and un- expectedly, no one knew when ; sometimes at one hour, sometimes at another ; at even, midnight, cock-crowing, or morning. He came and knocked, and they opened to him. If any guard was found asleep on duty, he was either beaten or his clothes were set fire to. O 2IO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XIV. I. Chap. XIV. i After two days was the feast ^the passover, and of unleavened bread •} and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to 2 death. But they said, Not on the feast day^ lest there be an uproar ^ of the people. 3 And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box ^ Now after two days was tlie feast (?/'the passover and the unleavened bread 2 tumult or riot IV. — WEDNESDAY, xiv. I, 2, and lO, II. Jesus in quiet in Bethany ; Judas the traitor at Jerttsalem. I. After two days. From the Mount of Olives. After the mysterious night-discourse with His disciples our Lord went back to Bethany and spent Wednesday in calm seclusion, preparing Himself for the supreme agony of the two following days. On the way as He entered Bethany, He told His disciples plainly what was before Him. *'Ye know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified " (Matt. xxvi. 1,2). Of the passover and of unleavened bread. The Passover was held on the 14th Nisan ; the feast of Unleavened Bread began on the 15th, and lasted seven days (Ex, xii. 15-20). They were commonly spoken of as one feast. The chief priests and scribes. While our Lord was in retirement on the Wednesday, the Sanhedrin met at Jerusalem to plot His death. Jesus spent His nights at Bethany, *and when He came to Jerusalem was always in the temple surrounded by the people. His seizure in public would pro- voke a tumult. Pilate had come down from Cffisarea, and the Roman guard was increased as was usual during the great festivities. On the first sign of an uproar among the people, the Roiuans would interfere. Hence they schemed how to take Him by craft, for they had found it impossible to entrap Him by subtle argument (xii. 18-37), to alarm the Roman Government (xii. 13-17), or to take Him by force (xiv. 2). They were prepared to wait until after the feast, when the treacheiy of Judas (10, 11) gave them an opportunity not to be neglected. {The anointing at Bethany, 3-9: Matt, xxvi. 6-13; John xii. 1-8.] 3. And being in Bethany. This incident took place on the evening of the Saturday (Jewish Sabbath, which ended at sunset) previously, and is doubt- less inserted here out of its place in order to prepare the way for the account of the treachery of Judas. Simon the leper. One who had been a leper, but was cured. John tells us that "they made Him a supper there ; and Martha served : but Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with Him " (John xii. 2). Simon was probably a near relative of Lazarus. The conjecture that he was the father of Lazarus, and that Lazarus was the rich young ruler who went away sorrowful from Jesus in the Perea, although plausible, has no real foundation. A woman. Mary the sister of Lazarus (John xii. 2, 3). Alabaster box; lit., an alabaster of perfume (Herodotus iii. 20). Small XIV. 9-] ANOINTED FOR BURIAL. 211 of ointment of spikenard very precious ; and she brake the 4 box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this 5 waste of ointment made ? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the 6 poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said. Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good 7 work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good : but me ye have 8 not always. She hath done what she could : she is come 9 aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. i Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached through- out the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. * she hath anointed my body aforehand for the burying vases or flasks for holding rare ointments or perfumes were manufactured at Alabastron in Egypt out of a stone found in the neighbourhood, and the word alabaster came to be used for all vessels for holding scents, wherever made or of whatever material. Spikenard ; R, V., margin, pis tic nard or pitre nard. This perfume was probably that gathered in the hilly parts of India in Nepaul and the neigh- bourhood, brought down the Ganges and thence into the Roman Empire. It was one of the costliest ointments known to the ancients. 4. There were some. The hardy Galileans thought the act wasteful extravagance, and Judas having begun the murmuring (John xii. 4), others joined him. They grudged Mary the joy of ministering to her Lord. Greed, on Judas' part, in its demoniacal greatness growing to betrayal ! INIary's offering cost "more than three hundred pence," and the denarius vA-ixoh is translated penny was the day's wage of a labourer in Palestine (equivalent therefore to at least half a crown). Mary's offering would therefore amount to about £T)^. 6. A good work. A noble deed, beautiful in its insight and courageous faith. She knew that He was destined to die, and yet she treated Him as a king. The Messiah, although going to death, let me lavish my all on Him, was Mary's thought ; going to death, and therefore not the Messiah, let me make what I can out of Him, was Judas' thought. 7, Me ye have not always. They had no thought of that immediate parting, that death of agony which was filling our Lord's mind during these days. After His death, and awakened by it, there would be the ages of Christian philanthropy. 9. Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached. From henceforth Mary's anointing and the gospel of the cross and the rising again are to be inseparably joined; because — (i) in our Lord's mind death and burial were so near, that the action of this loving woman is the anointing of His Body for the tomb ; (2) in her mind He was the Saviour who had raised her brother, and for whom she could not do too much ; (3) historically, she did what she could for Him ; but little, yet all she could lavishlv devote at the very time 212 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XIV. lO. 10 And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief 11 priests, to betray ^ him unto them. And when they heard //, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray ^ him. 12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover ? 1 deliver him unto them when He was about to do "what He could, all that was necessary for her and our salvation. "Christ never rode in triumph into Jerusalem but when He came there to suffer, nor had ever His head anointed but for His burial" (Matt. Henry). Think of the two there at supper, Mary and Judas. 10. Judas Iscariot, the only Judean Jew among the twelve. Both Matthew and Mark connect the treachery of Judas with Mary's anointing of Jesus at Bethany. He had not understood the many predictions of suffering and death, but at last the word burial, spoken at the supper-table, to justify a waste of money which his besetting sin made him grudge, and which fixed his attention, struck on his ear and made him see that the hopes of a coming kingdom on which he had fed his avarice were doomed to disappointment. 11. Money. Thirty pieces of silver. Four months' wages of a labouring man in Palestine. A piece of silver was a silver shekel, equal to four denarii. According to old Jewish usage, thirty shekels was the price of a slave. V. — THURSDAY, xiv. I2-52. I. The p-eparation for the Passover, xiv. 12-16: Matt. xxvi. 17-20; Luke xxii. 7-14. 12. When they killed the passover. The paschal lamb which was eaten at sunset had to be killed in the temple on the same day according to our reckoning [on the day previous according to Jewish, for with the Jews the day began when the first stars were seen in the evening sky]. The lamb had, according to ancient prescription, — not, however, binding in the times of Christ, — to be bought on the loth Nisan (Ex. xii. 3), i.e. at this time on the Monday on which Christ had made His triumphal entry. On the afternoon of Thursday the disciples, Peter and John (Luke xxii. 8), took it to the temple, crowded with people bringing lambs to sacrifice, and there slew it with the usual ceremonies. The whole history of our Lord's Passover is full of difficulties. Upon the whole, it seems best to believe that the Lord's Supper was not partaken on the Passover day, but on the evening before. Our Lord, knowing that His "time was at hand" (Matt. xxvi. 18), and with desire desiring to eat the Passover with His disciples before He suffered (Luke xxii. 15), anticipated the prescribed time by a day. The order of events was therefore as follows. On the evening of the 13th Nisan according to our reckoning, or rather on the 14th Nisan which began at sunset according to Jewish reckoning, our Lord sent two of His disciples to prepare the Passover for the disciple company for that evening, not for the evening following, which was the legal day. Then followed a paschal feast and the institution of the Lord's Supper ; the betrayal and capture. On the early morning of the I4lh Nisan the XIV. l6.] THE PASSOVER. 213 13 And he sendetli forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man 14 bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house. The Master saith, AVhere is the ^ guest-chamber, where I shall eat 15 the passover with my disciples? And he will show^ you a large upper room furnished atid prepared \^ there make ready 16 for us. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them : and they made ready the passover. 1 my 2 And he will himself show 3 and ready- irregular meeting of the Sanhedrin was held, then its formal sitting, the trial before Pilate, and finally the crucifixion, which, as John positively says, was on the preparation. The lamb was offered in the temple at the evening sacrifice on the preparation^ which was usually at 1.30 p.m., but if on a Friday, at 12.30. Our Lord therefore hung on the cross at the very time when the paschal lamb was offered in the temple. 13. Two of his disciples. Peter and John (Luke xxii. 8). A man bearing a pitcher of water. Women usually carried the water, and so this man would be easily observed. 14. The guest-chamber. This word is rendered inn in Luke ii. 7. It might have been a hired room, for the inhabitants of Jerusalem were accus- tomed to give up freely rooms in their houses to strangers who flocked into the city to the Passover ; or it might have been a room in a disciple's house. From the phrase in Matthew, "Go into the city, to such a man," it is inferred that the house belonged to a disciple ; some say to Mary the mother of Mark, for in her house the disciples were accustomed to assemble after the resurrection. 16. Made ready the passover. The preparation included not merely the purchase and slaughter of the paschal lamb, but providing some unleavened cakes, three or four cups of wine mixed with water, the charoseth or sauce, and the bitter herbs. The house had to be carefully purged of leaven, but this purging was probably included in what the master of the house had done (ver. 15). The passover was observed among the Jews in the time of our Lord in the following fashion. The company having taken their places, two or three flat cakes or thin biscuits of unleavened bread (Ex. xii. 18), and four cups of red wine mixed with water, being on the table before the Master of the feast — (i) He took one of the cups, called the cup of consecration, and "gave thanks," tasted the cup, and passed it round. (2) Water was then brought in, and first the president and then the others washed. (3) The table was then set with the bitter herbs (lettuce, endive, beet, succory, and horehound), the sauce called charoseth (made of dates, raisins, figs, vinegar, etc., pounded and mixed together), and the paschal lamb. (4) After thanksgiving the president took a portion of the bitter herbs, about "the size of an olive," and dipping it in the sauce ate it, as did the others. 214 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. FxiV. 1 7. 17,18 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, (5) The second cup of wine was filled, and then followed the haggadah or showmg forih (i Cor. xi. 26). A child or proselyte present asked, What mean ye by this service (Ex. xii. 26)? and the president answered in pre- scribed fashion at great length. The first part of the Hallel (Ps. cxiii.-cxiv.) was sung, and the second cup was solemnly drunk. (6) The president again washed his hands, and taking two of the cakes of unleavened bread, broke them, gave thanks, and distributed them to the company, each of whom took a portion, dipped it in the sauce and ate it. Some authorities maintain that if any stranger was present he was presented with a portion, but had no other share in the meal, a custom which sheds light on Jesus giving the sop to Judas. (7) The paschal lamb was then eaten. (8) After thanksgiving, the third cup or atp of blessing (i Cor. x. 16) was handed round, (9) Thanks were given for the food received, the fourth cup, the cup of joy was drank, the second part of the Hallel (Ps. cxv.-cxviii. ) was sung, and the company separated. 2. The Passover and the Lord's Supper, y^\s. 17-25. 18. And as they sat and did eat. The table was really three tables arranged thus | ] , the fourth side being left open. Couches almost as high as the tables were placed outside on which the guests reclined, each leaning on his left arm, his feet extended outward. John was next to Jesus, with his back to our Lord, "lying on Jesus' breast," so that by bending his head backwards he could whisper to our Lord, "Who is it?" (John xiii. 25). Judas was probably next our Lord on His other side, so that Jesus could whisper to him, "Thou hast said" (Matt. xxvi. 25). The order of events seems to have been as follows : — (i) Jesus took the cup of consecration, and having given thanks, tasted it and passed it round, saying that He had desired to eat this Passover (Luke xxii. 15-18). (2) The v/ater was brought in, and as there had been some strife among them who should do the service and wait upon the others, our Lord read them a lesson of humility by washing their feet soiled with the dust of the Bethany road (John xiii. 2-12, R. V.), and thereafter discoursed on humility (Luke xxii. 25-30 ; John xiii. 12-20). (3) The table was then set. (4) The bitter herbs were eaten. Judas dipping his hand into the common dish of charoseth (Matt. xxvi. 23). (5) When the time for the haggadah or shoiving forth came, our Lord seems to have turned from the usual talk about the Exodus to describe His own departure, and to say plainly that one of the Twelve who had been dipping his hand in the dish with Him should betray Him. The disciples anxiously asked, Is it I ? John, at a sign from Peter, whispered an inquiry to Jesus, and was told that a sop, a piece of the bread wrapped in the herbs, and dipped in the sauce, would be given to the traitor (John xiii. 23-26). (6) The unleavened bread was then broken and distributed, and Jesus took a piece, and, wrapping it in a portion of the bitter herbs, clipped it in the XIV. 2 1.] THE TRAITOR WARNED. 215 19 One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it 20 I ? and another said, /i" it I ? ^ And he answered and said unto them, // is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me - 21 in the dish. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written 1 and to say unto him one by one, Is it I ? 2 he that dippeth with me sauce and gave it to Judas as to a stranger, saying, That thou doesf, do quickly. Judas left, and our Lord, no longer oppressed with the presence of the traitor, broke forth into a triumphant strain (John xiii. 31). (7) The paschal lamb was then eaten, and immediately afterwards the order was interrupted. Our Lord {a) again took tip the unleavened bread, ajid giving thanks, brake and distributed it, and then {b) took the ^' ctip of blessing" \^ave thanks, and distributed it to them. Then followed the long discourses, the singing of the hymn, the second part of the Hallel, and the departure to Gethsemane. Of the nine separate actions in the Passover (i), (2), (4), (5), (6), are dis- tinctly mentioned by one or other of the Evangelists. The Jewish feast passed over into the Christian when, after the seventh action, the eating the paschal lamb, our Lord again took bread, which was not done at the Pass- over feast, and gave a new meaning to the third cup or "cup of blessing." It should be noticed that the Lord's Supper, with the bread and wine, represented in outline the universal sacrificial rites, whether Pagan or Jewish, with the sacrificial victim omitted. It was the framework of a sacrifice, and the victim was to be the crucified risen Saviour, not brought down on any earthly altar, but exalted to the right hand of God ; and thus the seen and the unseen, the disciple company and the Master, who was at once the Sacrifice and the risen King, are brought into near and abiding fellowship. One of you which eateth -with me shall betray me ; rather, One of you shall betray me, even he that eateth with me. The traitor's presence was a weight upon His heart, and constrained Him to speak. In earlier predictions of what awaited Him, He had spoken of betrayal (Mark ix. 31, x. 33) ; now He says plainly that the traitor is in the room with them. 19. They began to be sorrowfuL John's account is the most graphic, " Then the disciples looked on one another, doubting of whom He spake " (John xiii. 22). Is it I ? The words, And another said. Is it I? are omitted in the best MSS. It was characteristic of the frank and open nature of the disciple company that none sought to accuse his neighbour. They were more sus- picious of themselves than of each other. No one said, Is it he ? all said, Is itl'i 20. It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. This answer is just a repetition of what Jesus had previously said, and does not single out any one of the Twelve. There was but one dish of sauce, and all dipped their morsels in it ; but two of the apostles were told who the traitor was. At a signal from Peter, John whispered a question to Jesus, who answered, "He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it" • (John xiii. 26) ; a symbolic action, signifying that he who received the sop was a stranger. 21. The Son of man goeth, as it is written of him. This is the first 2l6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiV. 2 2. of him : but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! good were it for that man if he had never been born. 2 2 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it} and gave to them, and said, Take, eat r^ this is my 23 body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, 24 he gave it to them : and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament,^ which is 25 shed for many. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 1 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread ; and when he had blessed, he brake it 2 Take ye ^ This is my blood of the covenant direct statement that the Passion of Jesus was foretold in the Old Testament. Notice how Peter, re-echoing the words of his Master, speaks of the guilt of Judas (Acts i. 16-18) and of the scribes and Pharisees (Acts iv. 26-28). Probably while Jesus was speaking, Judas, in reckless defiance, whispered. Is it I? and Jesus calmly whispered back, in a tone low enough to be heard by him only, "Thou hast said." 22. This is my body. This is the body of me. Luke adds, " which is being given for you ; " and Paul says, '* which is being broken for you." For all Christ's life was part of His work, and His sacrifice included His active as well as His passive sufferings, — His life as well as His death. It was not the first time that Jesus had spoken of His disciples eating His flesh and drinking His blood (John vi. 56-60). 24. This is my blood of the new testament. The best MSS. omit new, and covenant is a more exact translation than Testament : hence. This is juy blood of the covenant : but the word 7iexv was said by our Lord, for it is found undoubtedly in Luke xxii. 20. There is an evident reference to Jer. xxxi. 31-34 (comp. Epistle to the Hebrews viii. and ix.), and to Ex. xxiv. 4-8. As Moses, after reading the "book of the covenant" in the audience of the people, had taken blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, " Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with me concerning all these things, " so the blood of Christ, to be shed for the sins of His people, was to have a new and deeper purifying influence. It was to be the sign and instrument of that new promise vi^hich declared that the law of God was to be piit in their imvard parts — was to be not merely an instrument of external or ceremonial separation and sanctification, but of a true, deep, and living know- ledge of God as their living Father, resting on an experience of His fatherly forgiveness of sin. This new promise of an inward life of new obedience was to be translated out of the realm of ideal life, out of the region of pro- mise, into the realm of fulfilment or actual living experience in the hearts of His people, the new Israel, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, the blood of the new covenant or promise. Thus Matthew adds to Mark's which is shed for many the words yt?;' the rejuission of sins (Matt. xxvi. 28), and Paul, This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in reme77ibrance of me (i Cor. xi. 25). 25. Until the day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Matthew (xxvi. 29) says, Until . . . I drink it new with you in my Father'' s kingdom. XIV. 30.] ON THE WAY TO GETHSEMANE. 217 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said unto them, All ye shall be offended ^ because of me this night : for it is written, I will smite the 28 shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I 29 am risen,2 I will go before you into Gahlee. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended,^ yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto you. That this day, even in this night,^ before the cock crow twice, thou shalt ' made to stumble 2 Howbeit after I am raised up 3 That thou to-day, even this night Jesus had on a previous occasion compared the kingdom to new wine (ii. 22), but then He used a word (vsos) which contrasted mtist with ripe wine; the word in this passage (xa/va^) means nezv in the sense of belonging to an altogether new dispensation of things. Hence most commentators make the passage refer to the Second Coming of our Lord, when the new kingdom shall be thoroughly established in all its fulness of glory and communion between God and man. But may not the words also refer to that real fellowship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit which is the special characteristic of the Christian dispensation, and which is most vividly represented in that act of worship which is often called the Communio7t, the Lord's Supper, where He has most intimate fellowship with His people through the Holy Spirit? EUicott says suggestively : " Even the mocking taunt of the multitude on the day of Pentecost, These men are full of neiv wine (Acts ii. 13), may have recalled the mysterious promise to the mind of the apostles, and enabled them to comprehend that it was through the gift of the Spirit that they were entering, in part at least, even then into the joy of their Lord." 3. To the Mount of Olives. Peter's protestation, xiv. 26-31 : Matt. xxvi. 30-35 ; Luke xxii. 31-39 ; John xiii. 33, xiv. 31. 26. Sung an hymn. The second part of the Hallel, Ps. cxv.-cxviii. Into the Mount of Olives. This 26th verse is out of its order, and should come after ver. 31; see the parallel passages in Luke and John. 27. All ye shall be offended, shall be made to stumble. The words were spoken while at table, and provoked Peter's indignant protestation. It is written. The words are quoted from Zech. xiii. 7, " Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered ; " and the quotation is all the more suggestive that the context contains the promises of " a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem," and of a final victory won by Jehovah on the Mount of Olives. 28. I will go before you into Galilee; lit., I tvill lead you as a shepherd. The sheep were to be scattered for a little while ; but after the resurrection had crowned the crucifixion and made the victory visible, then the flock would come together again, guided by the Shepherd. Comp. xvi. 7. 29. Yet will not I. Peter's assurances of constant fidelity are given more fully in Matt, xxvi, 33 and John xiii. yj. 30. That this day, even in this night. To-day ^ this night; for the day began at sunset. 2l8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiV. 3 1. 31 deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise.^ Likewise also said they all. 32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane : and he saith to his disciples. Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and 34 began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy ;2 and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrov/ful unto death : tarry 35 ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell ^ omit in any wise 2 to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled Before tlie cock cro\7 twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. Mark alone inserts the word twice^ and the twice and thrice occur again in ver. 72. This was the form of our Lord's warning which had sunk most deeply into Peter's memory. 31. If I should die with thee. Peter was not the first apostle to express a love for their Master stronger than death. Thomas had done so before (John xi. 16). The disciples all join in Peter's protestation. 4. Gethsemane^ 32-42 : Matt. xxvi. 36-46 ; Luke xxii. 40-46. 32. Gethsemane. The word means oil-press. They went out of the room, through the city gate (always open on the Passover night), down the steep bank of the Kedron, across the winter torrent to this garden or olive orchard at the foot of Olivet, where "Jesus ofttimes resorted with His disciples," and which Judas knew (John xviii. I, 2). 33. Takelh with Mm Peter, James, and John. They had seen the transfiguration, and they were to see the arrest, and to be near Him in His agony. To be sore amazed (ix. 15, and xvi. 5, 6). The idea is, stunned with astouish?}ient. To be very heavy. The word used is not a common one. It occurs also in Phil. ii. 26, "For He longed after you all, and was fu/l 0/ heaviness." The Greek word is used to express the very deepest kind of sorrow, grief that distracts and frenzies. The weight of the world's sins were being borne by Him alone. 34. Exceeding sorrowful. The idea is, sorrowful all round and rotind ; not a ray of light to comfort Him in that hour of darkness, and the weight of woe crushing out His very life. " Plow many thousands of Thy blessed martyrs have welcomed no less tortures with smiles and gratulations ! . . . Whence had they their strength but from Thee? If their weakness were thus undaunted and prevalent, what was Thy power? It was the sad weight of the sin of mankind : it was the heavy burden of Thy Father's wrath for our sin, that thus pressed Thy soul, and wrung from Thee those bitter expressions " (liall). Tarry ye here, and watch. Our Lord had first retired with the Three ; but as His agony increased. He felt that He must be alone with His Father. Observe how Jesus retires — first to the garden with the Twelve, then into some secluded r-pot with the Three, then with only the humanity which He XIV. 39-] GETHSEMANE. 219 on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour ^6 might pass frcm him.^ And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee ; take away this cup from me : never- 37 theless not what I will, but what thou w^ilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, 38 sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter 2 into temptation. The spirit truly 39 t's ready, but the flesh is weak.^ And again he went away, ^ pass away from him 2 that ye enter not ' The spirit indeed is wilHng, but the flesh is weak wore alone into the presence of His Father. No one could be with Him in the agony, none on the altar. He had to tread the wine-press alone. Yet His followers can be near Him in His agony. Remain here. He said. They can quiver in sympathy with His sorrow. Watch, He said. And yet the Lord could not be alone in the presence of His Father : He would fain with shrinking of soul have let the cup pass from Him, and divested Himself of that humanity which now accompanied Him into the presence of the Father as it w^as afterwards to be taken by Him up into the highest heavens. But He had come to finish a work given Him to do. 35. The hour might pass. The temptation which confronted our Lord in the wilderness (Luke iv. 6, 7), which met Him on the road to Caesarea Philippi (Mark viii. 33), — Messiahship without the cross, salvation without atonement, — met Him here for the last time with gathered and overwhelming force. 36. Abba, Father. Mark preserves the very word. The spirit of the Son clung to the Father in the agony ; therefore we, even in trouble, can know that we are not separate from God, who is, through it all and while sending it upon us, our Father. 37. He cometh. There was an intermission in the agony. Luke tells us in two verses whose authenticity is somewhat doubtful— (i) that in the inter- mission an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Him ; (2) that He was in an agony, and that the sweat dropped from Him like blood gouts. Unto Peter. He had promised to die for Jesus, and he could not keep awake for Him ; small temptations are often harder than great ones. Watch one hour. An hoicr of agony. " If eternal death be unsuffer- able, if every sin deserve eternal death, what was it for Thy soul in this short time of Thy bitter Passion, to endure those millions of eternal deaths, which all the sins of all mankind had deserved from the just hand of Thy Godhead ! " (Hall). 38. The flesh is weak. The disciples and Jesus Plimself are included in the thought ; but while He prayed, they slept. ' ' The consideration of the weakness and infirmity of our flesh should quicken us to prayer and watch- fulness when we are entering into temptation " (Matt. Henry). 39. And again he went. The agony returned, perhaps heightened by the sleep of the Three. The helpless, sin-ridden, salvation-needing world lay asleep around Him heedless of the morrow ; He was alone in the midst ; and the Satanic world, false, traitorous, and despairing, was advancing to lay hold on Him, all the powers of hell behind it. I'he agony heightened by the solitude again fell on Him. 220 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XIV. 40. 40 and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again ; (for their eyes were 41 heavy;) neither wist they what to answer him. And he Cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest : it is enough, the hour is come ; behold, 42 the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go ; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. 43 And immediately,^ while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great^ multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the 44 elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying. Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he ; take him, 45 and lead Jmn away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him,^ and saith. Master, master ; and 1 straightway 2 Q„iit great 3 And when he was come, straightway he came to him 40, Their eyes were heavy; R. V., very heavy for sorrow (Luke xxii. 45), the eyelids closing. 41. The third time. "The temptation of the garden divides itself, Hke that of the wilderness, into three acts, following close on one another " (Maclear). It is enough. The agony in the garden had no outward cause. Why was it? (i) He knew what was coming; (2) Satan was tempting Him in one last desperate struggle ; (3) He never felt so much alone, His faithful disciples asleep, and the traitor only awake and at work. (4) All these per- haps, but above all He was then bearing the sins and sorrows of the world. His death was not mere martyrdom ; it was atonement. He saw and was feeling the extent, inveteracy, and malignity of that sin of man for which He was about to suffer. 5. The arrest, xiv. 43-52 : Matt. xxvi. 47-56 ; Luke xxii. 47-53 ; John xviii. 3-1 1. 43. One of the twelve. All the synoptic Gospels have these words. The Evangelists seem to be unable to get rid of the horror in the fact, one of the Iwelve bringing this armed multitude to seize the Master. A great multitude, consisting of — (i) some members of the Sanhedrin, "the chief priests and elders" (Luke xxii. 52); (2) the officers and some of the temple guard of Jews under the command of the Sanhedrin (Luke xxii. 52 ; John xviii. 12) ; (3) a Roman cohort and its captain, ** the band " (John xviii. 12 ; Acts xxi. 31) ; ^4) servants, those doubtless armed with staves or cudgels (vers. 43, 47). 45. Kissed him ; R. V. margin, kissed H'nn ?muh, kissed Him ferve?itly (Luke vii. 38-45, xv. 20 ; Acts xx. 37). *' Wouldst thou know what Satan can do, and God can bear, what the basest of mankind can do, and the best of mankind can bear ? Behold the lips of Judas who kisses, and the cheek of Jesus which receives the kiss" (Stier). XIV. 51.] THE ARREST. 221 46 kissed him.^ And they laid their hands on him, and took 47 him. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and 48 smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them. Are ye come out, as 49 against a thief,^ with swords and with staves to take me ? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me 50 not : but the scriptures must be fulfilled.^ And they all for- sook him, and fled. 51 And there followed him a certain young man, having a 1 kissed him much 2 j-obber or bandit 3 but this is done that the scriptures might be fulfilled 46. And they laid their hands on him, and took him. The other Evangelists have preserved the words of Jesus at His arrest. To Judas He said, Frieud, wherefore art thoii co??ie? or rather, in allusion to Judas' word Master, Thott^ my disciple, wherefore art thou co?ne ? (Matt. xxvi. 50). And then, "Jt/das, betrayest thou the Son of 771 an with a kissf' (Luke xxii. 48). While John (xviii. 8) records the calm self-surrender of Jesus, "/ told y on that I a 771 He; if the7-efore ye seek 7ne, let these go their rcay." 47. One of them. Peter (John xviii. 10), whose courage did not fail him, if his vigilance did. The servant's name was Malchus ; Jesus healed the wound, and calmly rebuked Peter. He can at once accept our mean- ings and censure our deeds ; and while He rebukes a servant, can heal an enemy. 48. As against a thief, as against a ba7idit. The words thief and robber are distinguished from each other in John x. I ; the word there translated robber is here translated thief in the A. V. A 7'obber or bandit^ one of those many freebooters with which Palestine swarmed in those evil days. 49. But the scriptures must be fulfilled, the scriptures of the p7-ophets (Matt. xxvi. 56). Before His death, as after at Emmaus (Luke xxiv. 27), He tried to make His disciples see that all the prophets from Moses downwards looked forward to a suffering Messiali. 50. And they all forsook him, notwithstanding their protestations (ver. 31), and He is left alone with His foes, one of the Tivelve urging with cruel words, Hold Hi77ifast (Matt. xxvi. 48). 51. A certain young man. Who he was can only be conjectured. Ellicott urges that he was Lazarus, on the following very inadequate grounds. That the young man had been sleeping or watching near Gethsemane, and Lazarus lived not far off; that he was one that had courage enough to remain near Jesus when crucifixion was the fate confronting the Master, and that Lazarus, if he was the rich young ruler, had been told to be ready to take up his ci'oss and follow Christ ; that he wore a " linen sheet " or si7tdon, which was commonly used as a winding-sheet, and might be worn by Lazarus as a memorial of his resurrection ; that he was evidently one whom those in authority wished to secure after they had let the disciples go, and the chief priests had been anxious to get hold of Lazarus (John xii. 10). Others, and probably the larger number, think that Mark was the young man, and this is founded on what perhaps is the only reason of any weight, the full details given of such a seemingly unimportant event by the Evangelist. 222 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiV. 52. linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men 52 laid hold on him : and he ^ left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. 53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest : and with him were assembled all the ^ chief priests and the elders and the ^ having a linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body ; and they laid hold on him : but he 2 and there came together with him all the 52. Linen cloth. The Greek word issinddjt, from Sind or India, and was applied to a fine muslin, in which the Egyptians wrapped their mummies (Herodotus, II. 86), and the Jews their dead. The word was also used to denote a sheet under which a man slept (Herodotus, II, x. 95), probably an Indian mosquito curtain. VI. FRIDAY, xiv. 53-XV. 47. I. The Jeivish trial, 53-65 : Matt. xxvi. 57-68; Luke xxii. 54, 63-71 ; John xviii. 12-24. 53. And tliey led Jesus away. The order of events seems to have been — (i) Jesus was taken to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, and the high priest according to Jeivish law, who questioned Him about His teaching, His disciples, etc. During the examination He was struck by the officer in charge (John xviii. 13, 19-24). (2) Annas sent Him to Caiaphas, Avho examined Him in another part of the palace, before a hastily-convened and irregular meeting of the Sanhedrin (Mark xiv. 53-65 ; Matt. xxvi. 57-68 ; Luke xxii. 54, 63-65). (3) A formal meeting of Sanhedrin was called at daybreak, the sentence of the previous meeting confirmed, and Jesus was sent to Pilate (Mark xv. i ; Matt, xxvii, ; Luke xxii. 66-71). To the high priest. To Caiaphas the high priest (Matthew). John (xviii. 19-23) records a preliminary investigation before Annas, who briefly ques- tioned Jesus. Annas or Hanan, the son of Seth, had been appointed high priest in 7 A.D., and had been deposed in 14 A.D. by the arbitrary caprice of Valerius Gratus, the Roman procurator, but was universally looked on as the leader of the Jewish Sadducean aristocracy. He was the most astute man of his time, the real political chief of his people, and the determined opponent of the Pharisees. Hence in the Talmud he is loaded with opprobrious names. His son Eleazar had been made high priest in 15 A.D., and now Caiaphas, his son-in-law, whom each successive Roman procurator had found a pliant tool, had been high priest since 17 A.D. Annas lived to see five sons and a son- in-law high priests, and for nearly fifty years enjoyed the real power of the high-priesthood. Joseph Caiaphas, a Sadducee, like his father-in-law, equally astute, un- scrupulous, and unpatriotic, who consented to be high priest on the terms the Romans allowed, and was used by them as the Greek patriarchs of Con- stantinople are now by the Turks, to keep his countrymen in firmer thraldom. He had already committed himself to the policy of the death of Jesus (John xi. 49, 50). All the chief priests, and the elders and the scribes. The Sanhedrin, XIV. 62.] THE JEWISH TRIAL. 223 54 scribes. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of ^ the high priest : and he sat with the servants, and 55 warmed himself at the fire.^ And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to 56 death ; and found none. For many bare false witness against 57 him, but their witness agreed not together. And there arose 58 certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without 59 hands. But neither so did their witness^ agree together. 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these 61 witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto 62 him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And * the court 2 jn the Hght ofiJiefire 3 And not even so did their witness It was against the Jewish law to hold a night session of the Sanhedria to try capital offences, but they kept themselves within the letter of the law by trying Jesus informally at night and then summoning a formal meeting at daybreak. The private examination and this irregular meeting revealed their diffi- culties. What charge could they bring against Him ? The Sadducees were most incensed at His clearing the temple courts and preventing them making money by skilfully raising the price of pure animals for sacrifice. Annas himself had once forced up the market so high that a pair of doves could not be bought for less than a piece of gold. But they could not make zeal for the purity of the temple a charge, for every Pharisee approved of it. 54. Peter ... sat with the servants. His entering to temptation (ver. 38). 55. To put him to death. They were judges bound by their law (Deut. xvi. 18) to give just judgment, and their whole thought was that He must die somehow. Murder in their hearts. Besides, it was death according to Jewish law to suborn false witnesses. 56. Agreed not. Their law required two witnesses who agreed with each other. 58. I will destroy this temple. The words which Jesus had used were, ** Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," not I will build it. The accusers hoped by this witness to get two charges — (i) of conspiring to destroy the temple, the pride and the support of the people of Jerusalem j and (2) of pretending to possess a wizard's power. A capital charge might follow if either was proved. 59. Neither so did their witness agree together. This statement that even these witnesses did not agree, and could not therefore be legally used as evidence, is peculiar to Mark. Caiaphas saw that he could not get a "case " from evidence, and he resolved to put the Prisoner on His oath. 61. Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? ^^ 1 adjure Thee by the living God"" (Matt. xxvi. 63) was the legal formula for administering 224 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiV. 6$. Jesus said, I am : and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need 64 we any further witnesses ? Ye have heard the blasphemy : what think ye ? And they all condemned him to be guilty 65 of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy : and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. ^ 66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace,^ there cometh 67 one of the maids of the high priest : and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou 68 also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.^ But he denied, saying, I 1 and the oflficers received him witli blows of their hands 2 in tlie court ^ ^yith the Nazarene, Jesus oaths. Jesus answered, " /am," for the first time in solemn speech declaring that He was the Messiah. ^ 62. Thou Shalt see the Son of man. The Son of man whom Caiaphas saw is the Son of God whom he could not see. 63. Rent his clothes. A formal act to be done in the presence of one convicted of blasphemy, like the putting on the black cap by a judge. Mark uses the word for the inner garment ; Matthew, the word for the outer ; both garments were rent, for according to rabbinical rules, all the garments were to be torn, and not sewn up again, "even if there were ten of them." 65. Began to spit upon him, etc. The wild beast element, too easily stirred in man, was roused in these Jewish dignitaries, unconsciously fulfilling the prophecies about the Messiah (Isa. 1. 6) ; and the officers of the Jewish guard, following the example of the members of the Sanhedrin, received their Prisoner with blows. 2. Peter'' s denials ofjestis, xiv. 66-72 : Matt. xxvi. 69-75 > Luke xxii. 54-62 j John xviii. 15-18, 25-27. 66. Beneath in the palace ; R. V., in the cotirt. An Oriental house is usually built round a rectangular court, and raised above it there arc frequently chambers supported not on a wall, but on pillars, sometimes screened with a curtain, sometimes open. We may suppose the crowd of servants and followers, Peter among them, in the court gathered round the fire of coals, while in the room, open on one side and lighted by torches, were the members of the council and Jesus. 67. Thou also wast. The portress had admitted John, and she recognized a second, and expressed it by the word also. With Jesus of Nazareth; R. V., with the Nazarene, Jesus. The order of events seems to be — (i) Shortly after Peter's entrance, the maid that kept the door accosted him, looked at him stedfastly (Luke xxii. 56, R. V.), and declared that he had been with Jesus ; he, confused with the glances of the bystanders, stam- mered out \i\% first denial. (2) Peter retired towards the darkness of the porch, and there (Matt. XIV. 72.] PETER DENIES HIS MASTER. 225 know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he 69 went out into the porch ;i and the cock crew. And a maid^ saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by. This 70 is one of them. And he denied it again. And a Httle after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them : for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.^ 7 1 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this 72 man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew.^ And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. 1 fore-court 2 the maid 3 omit and thy speech agreeth thereto 4 And straightway the cock crew the second time xxvi. 71, 72) the maid (Mark) or another (Matthew), or the two, accused him again, and he again denied. Then the cock crew for the first time (ver. 68). (3) Peter came back to the fire, and to disarm suspicion, conversed with the soldiers and servants, when after the lapse of an hour the third accusa- tion was made, and Peter, assailed by the bystanders and by the kinsman of Malchus, denied with oaths (John xviii. 26). (4) Then the cock crew a second time, and Peter remembered, and glancing towards the room where Jesus was, caught his INIaster's glance, and went out weeping tears of repentance. Jesus, though waiting His death, had a glance for Peter, and that glance subdued Satan in him, 70. For thy speech bewrayeth thee. The best MSS. omit the phrase, but it is preserv^ed in Matt. xxvi. ^1. The Galileans spoke with a rough burr, and had many other peculiarities of speech, which were regarded by the Judeans as rendering them unfit to read the Scriptures in the Judean synagogues. Amongst other things they pronounced sh as if it were th^ and this may have been the peculiarity which betrayed Peter. When he said, " I know not the man," he probably said ith instead of ish. 71. Began to curse and to swear. The moral tragedy in the court below corresponding to the scene in the council-room. "Those that are shy of Christ are in a fair way to deny Him." Matthew Henry says : "We have reason to suspect the truth of that which is backed with oaths and rash imprecations. None but the devil's sayings need the devil's proofs." 72. When he thought thereon, he wept. Luke tells us that the Lord ttirned and looked on Peter, and the look as well as the warning by the cock crowing made him go out into the night weeping bitterly (Luke), and lueeping repeatedly (Mark). "It was thou, O Peter, that buffetedst thy Master more than these Jews ; it was to thee that He turned the cheek from thcni, as to view him by whom He smarted most ; He felt thee afar off, and answered thee with a look ; such a look as was able to kill and revive at once" (Hall). 2 26 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XV. I, Chap. XV. i And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council/ and bound Jesus, and carried ///;;/ away, and delivered 1 the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the whole council, held a consultation 3. The Roman trial, xv. 1-14 : Matt, xxvii. i, 2, 11-26; Luke xxiii. 1-25; John xviii. 28-xix. 4. I, In the morning. The night meeting of the Sanhedrin was informal, and a meeting was held in the morning, to give legal sanction to what had been done. The council had no power to ini:ict the punishment of death. It could only state to the Roman procurator that a criminal was in its opinion worthy of death. And bound Jesus. To signify that He was a criminal already condemned by their law. Pilate. Pontius Pilate^ a Roman knight, had been made the sixth Roman procurator of Judea and Samaria by the Emperor Tiberius. He succeeded Valerius Gratus in 26 a.d. His headquarters were at Csesarea (Acts xxiii. 23) ; be had a cohort for bodyguard (Matt, xxvii. 27) ; as Roman judge he sat on a portable tribunal or Be7na placed on a tesselated pavement {Gab- hatha, John xix. 13) ; at the great festivals he came up to Jerusalem ; he had been a rapacious governor (Luke xiii. I, 2), who could not afford to be accused to Caesar, and had more than once been rebuked by the suspicious tyrants who ruled in Rome. To Pilate. The order of events is somewhat obscure, but seems to have been as follows : ' — (i) After the night meeting of the Sanhedrin, Jesus remained in the high priest's palace, exposed to the insults of the judges and of their servants (Matt. xxvi. 67, 68 ; Mark xiv. 65 ; Luke xxii. 63-65). (2) The Sanhedrin met again at daybreak. Our Lord was brought before them, and again declared that He was the Christ ; they formally con- demned Him to death (Luke xxii. 66-71 ; Matt, xxvii. I, 2 ; Mark xv. 1). (3) Jesus was then led bound to Pilate, who refused to punish till he knew the crime (John xviii. 28-33 5 Matt, xxvii. 1,2; Mark xv. 1 ; Luke xxiii. i). (4) Jesus formally accused before Pilate of sedition, perverting the nation, refusing tribute, calling Himself a King (Luke xxiii. 2). (5) First conversation between Pilate and Jesus (John xviii. 33-38 ; Mark xv. 2). (6) Acquittal by Pilate, whereupon the Jews bring forward further charges, including that of preaching sedition in Galilee ; Jesus silent (Matt, xxvii. 12-14; Mark xv. 3-5; Luke xxiii. 4, 5). (7) Pilate fastens on the word Galilee, and sends the Prisoner to Herod Antipas (Luke xxiii. 6-1 1). (8) Jesus sent back to Pilate. Formal acquittal pronounced by Pilate in the most solemn fashion (Luke xxiii. 13-15). (9) Pilate's first attempt at a middle course ; will scourge but not kill (Luke xxiii. 16). (10) Pilate's second attempt at a middle course. He pronounces Him a * The portion of the narrative found in Mark is indicated by black letters. XV. 5-] JESUS AND PILATE. 227 2 him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he, answering, said unto him, Thou sayest 3 it. And the chief priests accused him of many things : but 4 he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing ? behold how many things they 5 witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing ;i so that Pilate marvelled. ^ no more answered anything criminal, but hopes to release Him. The Jews accept the decision, for they know their power to persuade the mob to choose Barabbas. "Jesus or Barabbas." Message from Pilate's wife. Barabbas chosen (Matt, xxvii. 15-21 ; Mark xv. li; Luke xxiii. 17-19 ; John xviii. 39, 40). (11) Pilate in despair appealed to the mob; "Crncify Him!" (Matt. xxvii. 22, 23 ; Luke xxiii. 20-23 ; Mark xv. 12-14). (12) Pilate washed his hands (Matt, xxvii. 24, 25). (13) The sentence; Barabbas released; Jesus scourged and mocked (Malt, xxvii. 26 ; Mark xv. 15 ; Luke xxiii. 24, 25 ; John xix. 1-3). (14) Pilate appealed to the Jews ; second conversation with Jesus ; further efforts of Pilate ; final sentence ; Jesus led away (John xix, 4-16). 2. And Pilate asked him. The Jews had brought Jesus bound to the palace where Pilate lived during the Passover, either Herod's palace or the Castle of Antonia. They could not enter a house where in all probability there was leaven, and so remained outside. Pilate came down to meet thera. The tesselated pavement, Gabbatha, was laid down in front of the palace, and the judgment-seat was placed on it, and Pilate sat down as judge. He ordered the Jews to state the charge, and then seems to have taken Jesus up into the palace, and questioned Him in private. This was hisjirst conversa- tion with Jesus, Art thou the King of the Jews ? We learn from Luke that the Jews made three formal charges against Jesus, all of them different from the one on which they had previously condemned Him. " We found this fellow (i) perverting the nation ; (2) forbidding to give tribute to Coesar ; (3) saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." The charge was treason against Rome, a terrible crime. Pilate with Roman directness goes straight to the third charge, which involved the other two. Thou sayest it. The common formula of assent in Palestine and in Greece. But while Jesus declared that He was King of the Jews, He explained at length to Pilate, John tells us (John xviii. 33-37), what sort of kingdom His was. It was not a kingdom of this world, and therefore did not threaten the Empire of Rome ; He did not gather soldiers, and therefore did not provoke rebellion ; His kingdom was a spiritual one, founded on and manifesting truth. The defence was complete ; and Pilate acknowledged it, "There are secular kingdoms, there are spiritual; neither of these trenches on the other ; Pilate's rule is secular, Christ's is spiritual ; both may, both must stand together. His laws are divine, yours civil ; His reign is eternal, yours temporal ; the glory of His end is inward, and stands in tlie graces of sanctification, love, peace, righteousness, joy in the Holy Ghost, yours in outward pomp, riches, magnificence ; His enemies are the devil, the world, 228 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XV. 6. 6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, 7 whonasoever they desired. ^ And there was one named Bar- abbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. ^ 8 And the multitude, crying aloud, began to desire ^ him to do 9 as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews ? 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for 1 1 envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should 1 2 rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do tinto ^ Now at festival time he was accustomed to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. 2 x^q^l who in the insurrection had 3 And the multitude went up and began to ask and the flesh ; yours are bodily usurpers, and external peace-breakers ; His sword is the power of the word and Spirit, yours material ; His rule is over the conscience, yours over bodies and lives" (Hall). Pilate acquitted Him. '■'■ I find no fault in Him." 6. He released . . . whomsoever they desired. He used to release or it was customa7y for him to release 07ie prisoner 7uhom they were wont to ask of him. There is no trace of such a custom in Jewish documents. It has been conjectured that Herod the Great, who was fond of aping Roman manners, had imitated the Roman custom of releasing prisoners at certain festivals, and that the Roman governors had continued the practice. Luke's words, of necessity he must release, and John's, ye have a custom, seem to imply that the usage was older than Pilate's rule ; on the other hand, some have argued from Mark's phrase, as he had ever done, that this act of clemency had been introduced by Pilate himself. The words at that feast should be at feast times. 7. Barabbas, the 07ie nained Barabbas, the well-known or notorious Bar- abbas, probably a member of one of those secret societies which sprang out of the earlier Galilean rebellions. 10. For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. John's Gospel alone tells us of the strenuous endeavours which the vacillating Pilate made to save Jesus. His Roman sense of justice pulled one way, and his fear of his gloomy master Tiberius drew him the other. Had he been an upright governor he would not have acted as he did ; but he knew, and the Jews knew that he knew, that his deeds in Palestine wotild not bear investigation. Here as elsewhere we see how past sins are the spurs to new crimes. For Pilate's efforts to save Jesus see comments on vers. I and 14. 11. The chief priests moved the people. It is probable that Barabbas had been brought out and presented to the people along with Jesus. The appeal was not to the Sanhedrin, but to the populace, who by command were gathej-ed together (Matt, xxvii. 17). At this juncture the messengers of Claudia Procula, Pilate's wife, according to tradition, a proselyte of the gate, came to urge Pilate, when it was too late, to release Jesus. The chief priests used the opportunity to persuade the people to '■^ deny the Holy One and the Just, and to desire a mtirderer to be granted to them " (Acts iii. 14). XV. 1 7-] JESUS AND PILATE. 229 13 him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out 14 again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil Hath he done ? And they cried out the more exceed- 15 ingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him^ to be crucified. 16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Pree- 17 torium;^ and they called together the whole band.^ And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, 1 led him away within the court which is the Prastorium 2 cohort 13. Crucify him. Provoked by Pilate's question. All hope of justice ■was past ; the mob ruled the governor. The cry was raised again and again by the crowd, mad with excitement, who pressed round the steps of the house they dared not enter for fear of becoming ceremonially unclean. Murder in their hearts and on their lips, they were yet afraid of coming within a few yards of leaven, 14. Why, what evil hath he done? This was the third time Pilate had expostulated with the Jews by declaring the innocence of Jesus. "It is note- worthy that he took step after step to secure the acquittal of Jesus, (i) He emphatically and publicly announced His perfect innocence ; (2) he sent Him to Herod ; (3) he made offer to release Him as a boon ; (4) he tried to make scourging take the place of crucifixion ; (5) he appealed to compassion. John shows still more clearly how, in successive stages of the trial, he sets aside — (i.) the vague general charge of being 'an evil-doer' (xviii. 30); (ii.) of being in any seditious sense 'a king' (xviii. 39); (iii.) of any guilt in His religious claims (xix. 12). He only yields at last through fear, which makes him release a man guilty of the very crime for which he delivers Jesus to a slave's death " (Farrar). 4. The scourging, mocking, and crucifixion of Jesits, xv. 15-36: Matt, xxvii. 27-49 '■> Luke xxiii. 26-45 5 Jo^in xix. 16-29. 15. Delivered Jesus. Formally handed Him over to the centurion, and to the cohort of soldiers who had charge of the execution. Scourged him. The Roman scourging was a very terrible punishment. Our Lord endured it in its full severity, for the brutal soldiers mocked while they scourged. This punishment usually preceded crucifixion. 16. Into the hall called Praetorium ; R. V., luithin the court which is the Prcctoriiim or palace. It is the same word which the A. V, translates common hall in Matthew. It meant — (i) the general's tent in the encamp- ment ; (2) the governor's palace, which seems to be the meaning here and in Acts xxiii. 25, where Paul was commanded to be kept in Herod's prce- torium ; (3) the barracks of the Praetorian guard at Rome ; and (4) the Praetorian guard, in which sense it is used in Phil, i. 13 (R. V.), ^'' So that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the zvhole Fratorian guard or in the ivhole Prcctorium." 17. With purple. The word is often used to denote any brilliant colour. Matthew more precisely says, 'M scarlet or criinson robe." The soldiers mocked our Lord by dressing Him in imitation of the emperor, an old 230 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XV. 1 8. 1 8 and put it about his head} and began to salute him, Hail, 1 9 King of the Jews ! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and, bowing their knees, wor- 20 shipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. 21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, 1 about him military cloak for the purple, a reed for the sceptre, a crown of thorns for the laurel chaplet. A crown of thorns. The word used is so vague that it is impossible to tell what kind of thorns were used. Most writers have thought that the plant was the thorny ndbk {Zizyp/ws Spuia Christi), which has flexible branches, and ivy-shaped glossy dark green leaves, with large and sharp thorns. It still grows in dwarf bushes outside the walls of Jerusalem ; it was most fit for the purpose intended, and it grew in quantities near at hand. 19. And they smote him on the head. The words used imply a continual repetition of the acts. The whole cohort first indulged in rough horse-play, and then in acts of brutal cruelty. And He who suffered all these indignities was God, and He suffered for us. *' Those who pretend subjection to Christ, but at the same time give themselves up to the service of the world and the flesh, do, in effect, the same that they did, who bowed the knee to Him in mockery, and abused Him, with Hail, King of the Jews " (Matt. Henry). 20. Led him out to crucify him. Malefactors were executed without the gate, and Jesus was led forth ; but from what place, and by what road, and to what spot, are all matters of conjecture. An old tradition points to a path which has been called the Via Dolorosa, the way of pain and sorrow ; if the tradition is correct, it is implied also that Pilate was living in the Castle of Antonia, and that Golgotha was where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands at present. If the trial was in Herod's palace, the procession could not have gone along that street, and Calvary was probably to the north and not to the west of the city, (See I\Iap, p. 184.) 21. They compel. The word was talcen over from the Persian into Greek, to denote the compulsory service which a despotic government required at the hands of its subjects. The Romans were accustomed to compel the natives of conquered countries to do various kinds of forced labour without payment, to impress them or their slaves or their beasts of burden. The cohort *' impressed" Simon. Simon a Cyrenian. Cyrene was a flourishing city in North Africa, not far from the modern Tripoli. It contained a large colony of Jews, W'ho had settled there, as in other Egyptian cities, to avoid the persecutions of the kings of Syria. The Cyrenians had a synagogue in Jerusalem (Acts vi. 9). Simon was coming from the country, probably ignorant of all that had happened, and he was impressed to bear the cross, which our Lord was too weak to carry. The narrative of Mark makes it quite plain that the meeting with Simon was accidental, and that his seizure was an act of wanton tyranny by the Roman cohort ; but it is evident, too, that he became a Christian well known in the Apostolic Church. Many, like Simon, when they meet Christ, XV. 25.] CALVARY. 23 1 coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and 22 Rufus, to bear his cross.^ And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. 23 And they give him to drink wine mingled with myrrh : but 24 he received // not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man 25 should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified 1 And they compel one passing by, Simon a Cyrenian, coming from the country, to go -with them, that lie might bear his cross. would fain pass by Him ', but they are caught and made to bear His cress iox' some short time, and become His for ever. The father of Alexander and Eiifus ; one of Mark's additions. The men are mentioned in such a way that they must have been well known in the Church. Rufus is probably the Christian mentioned by Paul in Rom. xvi. 13, whose mother had treated him with great kindness. If so, Simon tlie Cyrenian must have had some connection with Antioch as well as with Rome and Jerusalem. The Cyrenian Jews were prominent on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 10) ; they disputed with Stephen (Acts vi. 9) ; and some of them who became Christians were active preachers of the gospel and acted as missionaries to Antioch (Acts xi. 20). To bear his cross. It was customary to ct)mpel those who were condemned to crucifixion to carry on their shoulders to the place of crucifixion two pieces of wood out of which the cross was formed. Jesus did so carry his cross (John xix. 17); but he had had no sleep during the previous night, — spent partly in the agony in Gethsemane, partly at the Jewish examination and trial, — and He may have fallen in His weakness ; and then Simon was seized to bear the wood for the cross. 22. Unto the place Golgotha . . . The place of a skull. The name is supposed to mean that the place was a low rounded eminence, skull-shaped. Calvary, the word found in Luke, is the Latin or Vulgate translation of Golgotha. The site cannot be identified : all that can be known is, that it was near Jerusalem (John xix. 20), but outside the walls ; that it was near a public road where men were passing to and fro (Matt, xxvii. 39) ; and that was near to a garden (John xix. 41). There is nothing to warrant us in calling it a hill. (See Map, p. 184.) 23. Mingled with myrrh. A drink mercifully offered to those about to be crucified, which produced stupefaction. It is said that some of the ladies of Jerusalem belonged to a guild or society for the purpose of preparing this anodyne for criminals who might be punished by this horribly cruel death. Jesus refused to drink. He was suffering for our sins, and He bore the full burden. 24. They parted his garments. For a more detailed account, see John xix. 23, 24. Matthew quotes Ps. xxii. 18. 25. The third hour, z.^. nine o'clock. John's statement that Jesus was still in the presence of Pilate at the sixth hour, or at twelve o'clock (xix. 14), has caused some difficulty. The common explanation is that he used another mode of calculating time ; but this is not very satisfactory. Canon Farrar thinks that the hour mentioned in John is due to an error which might easily 232 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 26. 26 him. And the superscription of his accusation was written 27 over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves ;i the one on his right hand, and the 28 other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which 29 saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.^ And * robbers or bandits 2 omit verse 28 creep into the text, and that r' (third) was altered by transcribers into s-' (sixth). When the Jewish day was divided into hours, day meant daylight. The day contained twelve hours, and the length of the hour varied with the amount of daylight to be divided ; and only one hour, that of noon, was always the same, and corresponded to our hour of sixty minutes. The Jewish first hour began at sunrise, and corresponded with our six o'clock only during the equinoxes. The Jewish sixth hour always ended at our twelve noon. 26. The superscription of his accusation. The crime was usually written on a white tablet, which, in the procession to the place of execution, was hung round the neck of the criminal, and was at the execution nailed to the top of the cross. Was written over, that is, was nailed to the cross over Jesus' head. From this the shape of the cross on which our Lord suffered has been inferred. Three different crosses were in use — (i) {he a-ux decussata, or St. Andrew's cross (X) ; (2) the crnx co}nmissa (T")> St. Anthony's cross ; and (3) the crux immissa, or ordinary Roman cross (■^). The third alone had space for the superscription. The King of the Jews. The superscription was written in three languages, and this \yov\(\ partly account for the various forms recorded in the four Evan- gelists— (i) This is Jesus, the King of the Jews (Matt, xxvii. 37) ; (2) The King of the Jeivs (Mark xv. 26) ; (3) This is the King of the Jeivs (Luke xxiii. 38) ; (4) Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jetus (John xix. 19). Rex Judaeorum hie est Oil TO! iirriv ^l-z^ffov; f^ccfftXih; reov 'loudcduv Rex Judaeorum John. Mark. Luke. John. Luke. Mark. 27. Two thieves ; lit. brigands, probably companions of Barabbas. 28. And the scripture. This verse is not found in the best MSS., and was probably a marginal note afterwards incorporated in the text. The reference is to Isa. liii. 12, and was quoted by our Lord as a prophecy that would be fulfilled in Him (Luke xxii. 37). XV. 35-] CALVARY. 233 they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it 30 in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross. 3 1 Likewise also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves, with the scribes,^ He saved others ; himself he cannot save.^ 32 Let Christ^ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.^ 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness 34 over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? which is, being interpreted. My God, my God, 35 why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood * mocking him among themselves with the scribes, said ^ can he not save himself ^ the Christ ^ reproached him 29. They that passed by railed on him. The mockery to which our Lord was exposed came from four classes of persons : — (i) The passers-by who had come from the city, who were told of the popular accusation, and who derided Him as the pretended destroyer of their temple. (2) The chief priests, who referred to His many challenges to them in the signs or miracles which He had done. (3) The soldiers (Luke xxiii. 36), who had heard that He called Himself a king ; and (4) The bandits crucilied along with Him, who derided Him for not being able to save them and Himself. 31. Himself he cannot save. The sneer given in mockery was never- theless true. He had come into the world to save others. It had been His chief temptation to save Himself, but He could not save Himself and finish the work His Father had given Him to do. He sacrificed Himself. 32. Christ the King of Israel. Jesus had confessed before the Sanhedrin that He was the C/wisf, before Pilate that He was a King ; His revilers put the two claims together. 33. Sixth hour . . . until the ninth hour, i.e. from twelve till three o'clock. Just as the supernatural darkness veiled the crucified Christ from the people, so the Gospel narratives tell us nothing of our Lord's agonies during these three hours of mysterious gloom. "The sun set over Christ and rose for me." 34. The ninth hour, that is, about the time of the evening sacrifice. My God, My God. This is the only one of the seven woi'ds from the cross that Mark gives. They were : — (i) Father f forgive thcjn^for they know not what they do (Luke xxiii. 34) ; of the soldiers as they were nailing Him to the cross. (2) Verily I say unto thee, To-day shall thott, be with Me in Paradise (Luke xxiii. 43) ; to the penitent thief. (3) Woman, behold thy son I . . . Behold thy mother (John xix. 26, 27) ; to Mary and John. 234 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 36. 36 by, when they heard //, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.^ And one ran and filled a sponge full of vmegar, and put // on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see 37 whether Elias^ will come to take him down. And Jesus 38 cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the 1 Elijah (4) My God, My God, ivhy hast Thou forsaken Me? (Matt, xxvii. 46; Mark xv. 34). (5) I thirst (John xix. 28). (6) // is finished (John xix. 30). (7) Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit (Luke xxiii. 46). The first three were for others; the next two describe His own sufferings — (i) mentally, (2) bodily ; in the last two Jesus triumphantly closes His mission and surrenders Himself to His Father, having finished the work given Him to do. Three are recorded by Luke only, and three by John only. 35. Behold, he calleth Elias, or Elijah. Many commentators believe that these words were spoken in mockery ; if so, the irony is graver than in the earlier sneers. The darkness had awed all men ; the coming of Elijah was expected ; moreover he, next to Moses, was the prophet of the Old Testament to which our Lord had constantly appealed. It is as if they said, ' ' He still appeals to the Old Testament, let us see whether it will yet save Him." In his descriptioii of the crucifixion Mark has oviitted several incidents recorded by Lnke — (i) the great co7npany of people and of women, ** datighters of Jeriisaleni,'''' who follozved fesns to the place of exectition ; (2) our Lord's tender address to the luotnen who wept to see Him suffer ; (3) His last warning of the trilndations coming on Jerusalein ; (4) the fact that the two malefactors xvere led along with Hi7n ; a)id (5) the incident of the petiitent thief 5. The death, xv. 37-41 : Matt, xxvii. 50-56 ; Luke xxiii. 45-49 ; John xix. 31-37. 37. Loud voice. This is noted by all the Evangelists. What Jesus said was the last of the seven words (note on p. 34 ; Ps. xxxi. 5) ; or else an inarticulate cry. Gave up the ghost. Ghost is spirit, and the phrase is surrendered His spirit. All the Evangelists prefer some expression like this to the simpler one died. They seem to imply that the act was voluntary, and they connect Jesus' surrender of life with His last cry. 38. The veil of the temple was rent in twain. The veil which sepa- rated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The fact must have been made known by the priests, of whom "a great company were obedient to the faith" after Pentecost (Acts vi. 7). The h.t^Ny parocheth, splendid with embroidery, always hung between men's eyes and the Holy of Holies where God dwelt, to show that God could not be approached because of man's sin. But when sin was got rid of by the death of Christ, the Holiest could be entered '"'by a new and living way," and God made this plain by the rent veil of the temple (compare Heb. x. 19, 20). XV. 43-] JESUS DIES. 235 39 bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and ^ gave up the ghost, he 40 said, Truly this man was the Son of God. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of 41 Joses, and Salome; (who also, when he was in Gahlee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. 42 And now when even was come, because it was the pre- 43 paration, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor,^ which also waited for 1 omit cried out, and " a councillor of honourable estate 39. The centurion in command of the soldiers who had charge of the execution. Truly this man -was the Son of God. The better translation is probably was a Son of God. Luke relates that the centurion said, "Truly this was a righteous man." Farrar conjectures that the sentence recorded by Luke was uttered before the earthquake mentioned by Matthew, and the sentence recorded by Mark and Matthew after that awe-inspiring event. The words do not necessarily mean a recognition of the divinity of Jesus, but they may mean that ; at all events, they bring the centurion very near the kingdom of God. What power there was in the dying Saviour, dying the most disgrace- ful death known, may be seen in this, that in His last agonies He drew to acknowledge Him a Jewish bandit and a Roman officer. He who in His lifetime reconciled the publican and the zealot, in His death brought together the Jewish patriotic freebooter, and the centurion whose business it was to hunt down all such bandits as one would beasts of prey. 40. There were also v/omen. Not the " daughters of Jerusalem " men- tioned by Luke (xxiii. 28), but mostly Galileans. Among them were — (i) Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala, whom the Lord had cured of an aggravated form of demoniacal possession. She is not to be identified with the nameless "sinner" who anointed Jesus' feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luke vii. 36-50). (2) Mary the mother of James the less. She was the Mary of Clopas of John xix. 25 ; Matt, xxvii. 56. James the little, to distinguish him from the son of Salome and Zebedee. (3) Salome, the mother of James and John (Matt, xxvii. 56). (4) Other women who had come from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke xxiii. 49). Among them were Mary the Virgin, the mother of Jesus (John xix. 25). Mark omits to mention several incidents — (i) the earthquake (Malt, xxvii. 51) ; (2) the rising of the saiiUs (}Ji7)X\.. xxvii. 52) ; (3) the fact that all Jesus' acquaintance stood round and were in sorroio (Luke) ; (4) the piercing of Jesus' side, and breaking the malefactors' legs (John). 6. The burial, 42-47 : Matt, xxvii. 57-61 ; Luke xxiii. 50-56; John xix. 38-42. 43. Joseph of Arimathea. It is difficult to identify this place. Some make it Ramathaim-zophim of Mount Ephraim, where Samuel was born 236 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XV. 44. the kingdom of God,^ came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, 44 and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead : and, calling unto hwi the centurion, he 45 asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.^ 46 And he bought fine linen,^ and took him down, and wrapped* him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the 47 sepulchre. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. 1 who also himself was looking for the kingdom of God 2 And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 3 a linen cloth or sindon ^ wound (l Sam. i, i); others, Ramah in Benjamin (Matt, ii. 18). Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, and a rich man (Matt, xxvii. 57) ; he either had not been at the meeting of the Sanhedrin which condemned Jesus, or had protested against it. He *'had not consented to the deed or counsel" (Luke xxiii. 51) which condemned Jesus. Like Nicodemus, who was also a member of the Sanhedrin, lie had been a secret disciple. Craved the body of Jesus. According to Roman practice, the bodies of those crucified remained on the cross till they rotted away, but a concession was made in favour of the Jews, whose law forbade a man hanging on a tree all night (Deut. xxi. 23). Joseph's request, however, in the circum- stances, was a bold one. Pilate granted it readily, in accordance with his previous anxiety to release Jesus. Had Joseph not got leave from Pilate, the body of Jesus would have been put in a burying-place set apart by the Sanhedrin to receive criminals. The peculiar circumstances attending our Lord's death, notably the loud cry, and the rush of blood and water from the great gash made by the soldier's spear, the blade of which was an hand- breadth wide, have made many trustworthy authorities suppose that Jesus died of an actual rupture of the heart. See Hanna's Last Day of Oicr Lonfs Passion. 44. Pilate marvelled, that Jesus was so soon dead. Those who suffered crucifixion often lingered for days on the cross. Jesus had been exhausted by the agony in the garden, and by the subsequent events ; He was bearing the world's sins as well as bodily pains. 46. Fine linen, a sindon or sheet of Indian muslin, a linen sheet or cloth. John tells us that Nicodemus was with Joseph, and that they brought also "a mixture of myrrh and aloes" in which to wrap the body (John xix. 39-41). In a sepulchre. It was in a garden near Golgotha (John xix. 41), was hewn out of a rock, probably out of the face of the rock near the ground, and was Joseph's own sepulchre, which had never been used before. It wns therefore easy to prove that the body which came out of it was the one \^•hich had been put in. 47. Beheld where he was laid. They followed to the sepulchre (Luke xxiii. 55), and during the burial "sat over against the tomb" (Matt, xxvii. 61). XVI. 2.] IN THE TOMB. 237 Chap. XVI. i And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought 2 sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And VII. — THE JEWISH SABBATH, XVI. I. The rest of Jesus m the tomb, i. I. "When the Sabbath was past. In Jewish reckoning of days, every part of a day is counted. Jesus remained in the tomb on Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night — three days. V. — The Resurrection and Ascension, xvi. 1-20. I. The visit of the Maries and of Salome, xvi. 1-3 : Matt, xxviii. i ; Luke xxiv. I ; John xx. i. I. When the Sabbath was past. The order of events seems to have been — (i) Soon after our Lord's death the chief priests begged that the bodies be removed from the cross ; the two malefactors were killed ; Jesus was found to be dead (John xix. 31-37). (2) Joseph is allowed by Pilate to take away and bury the body of Jesus, Nicodemus aiding him (Matt, xxvii. 57-60 ; Mark xv. 42-16 ; Luke xxiii. 50-54 ; John xix. 38-42). (3) Certain women follow the body to the tomb, see where He was laid, and buy spices to anoint Him when the Sabbath is over (Luke xxiii. 55-56 ; Matt, xxvii. 61 ; Mark xv. 47). (4) During the Sabbath the Sanhedrin are allowed to seal up the sepulchre, and to place a guard (Matt, xxvii. 62-66). (5) As the first day began to dawn there was an earthquake ; an angel descended ; the soldiers fled (Matt, xxviii. 2-4). (6) Immediately after came Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (Matt., Mark), Salome (Mark), and Joanna (Luke) to the tomb (Matt. xxviii. I ; Mark xvi. 1 ; Luke xxiv. i-io). (7) When they see the stone rolled away, Mary Magdalene runs back to tell Peter and John, the others enter and see the angel (John xx. 1,2; Mark xvi. 2-8; Luke xxiv. 2-8; Matt, xxviii. 5-8). (8) Peter and John come with Mary (John xx. 3-10; Luke xxiv. 12, 24), they enter the sepulchre, and John believes. (9) Mary lingers and sees the angels, then Jesus (John xx. ii-i8j Mark xvi. 9-11; Matt, xxviii. 9, 10; Luke xxiv. 9-1 1). Mary Magdalene. The devout women who came to the sepulchre were Mary Magdalene ; Mary the wife of Clopas ; Salome, wife of Zebedee (Mark) ; Joanna, wife of Chuza, chamberlain to Herod Antipas ; and other women (Luke). Bought sweet spices. They had watched the place of burial on Friday (Mark xv. 47), and on the same evening, or on Saturday after sunset, they had bought spices (Luke xxiv. i), not to embalm, for that was the work of physicians, and embalming was not commonly practised among the Jews, but to anoint the body as Mary of Bethany had done before the crucifixion (Mark xiv. 2-9 ; John xii. 2, 3). 238 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XVI. 3. very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came 3 unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.^ And they said among themselves,^ Who shall roll us away the stone from 4 the door of the sepulchre.? And when they looked, they saw ^ that the stone was rolled away : for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment ; 1 when the sun was risen 2 ^nd they kept saying among themselves ^ And looking np they see 2. Very early in the morning ... at the rising of the sun, or ivhen (he stin had risen. Luke (xxiv. i), describing when they left the house, says, Very early in the morning, or at deep daivn, and John, While it zvas yet dark (xx. i); Matthew and Mark, noting when they reached the tomb, say, Whefi the sun had risen. There is scarcely any twilight in Palestine. It was the morning of the first day of the week, thenceforth to be called the Lord's day (Rev. i. 10). 3. They said among themselves. They kept saying in whispers to each other as they stole out of Jerusalem. Who shall roll ns away the stone. They had evidently heard nothing of the guard of Roman soldiers which the chief priests, who in their hearts had rightly enough interpreted the meaning of Christ's reference to the temple of His body, however they chose to mislead the people about it, had asked from Pilate to keep watch over the sepulchre (Matt, xxvii. 62-66). Their only anxiety was lest the stone should be too heavy for them to turn. 2. The resurrection, xvi. 4-8: Matt, xxviii. i--S ; Luke xxiv, 1-12; John XX, i-io. 4- When they looked, they saw, or looking jcp, they see. These words of Mark seem to imply that the tomb was somewhat raised above the ground, and John's expression that the stone was lifted iip {ripfiivov) seems to say that the entrance was horizontal and not vertical. But these are mere conjectures. For it was very great. Tombs of rich men like Joseph were frequently spacious rock-hewn chambers with an outer corridor or vestibule, which was separated from the inner space by a large stone {GdlaT), which either moved on a pivot or was simply rolled against the rock aperture or door. The stone which closed Jesus' tomb had been rolled against the door by Joseph and Nicodemus. The stone was found rolled away, and the entrance into the tomb was open. 5. A young man sitting ... in a long white garment. The accounts of the vision of the angels are various, A young man sitting on the right side clothed in a long ivhite garment, evidently the first object seen (Mark) ; two men standing by them in glistering garmotts, who were not at first seen, but flashed on them suddenly as they stood in perplexity seeing the empty tomb (Luke) ; one angel who had rolled back the stone and sat upon it, affrighting the keepers, whose face glanced as the lightning, and whose raiment was white as snow (Matthew) ; the tomb empty at first when the women came, itill empty when Peter and John entered , then two angels sitting one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain, appeared to INIary Magdalene on her second visit (John). XVI. 9-J HE IS RISEN. 239 6 and they were affrighted.^ And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted : ^ ye seek Jesus of Nazareth,^ which was crucified : he is risen ; he is not here : behold the place where they laid 7 him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee : there shall ye see him, as he 8 said unto you. And they went out quicklyj and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed ;^ neither said they any thing to any 7/1 a ft ; for they were afraid. 9 Now when /esus was risen early the first day of the week, ' amazed ^ the Nazarene 3 from trembling and ecstasy, or a trance had come upon them "Cold discrepancy-mongers, do ye not then see that the Evangelists do not count the angels ? . . . There were not only two angels, there were millions of them. They appeared not always one and the same, not always the same two ; sometimes this one appeared, sometimes that ; sometimes in this place, sometimes in that ; sometimes alone, sometimes in company ; sometimes they said this, sometimes they said that " (Lessing, quoted by Farrar). 6. Be not affrighted, ox amazed. In Matthew, " Fear not jj/^. " Perhaps the soldiers had not yet found courage enough to go away, and there was a contrast between them and the women. " Ye, His friends, have no need to fear." ^ He is risen. No one saw Jesus rise. The angels sent to announce the fact stated it, the empty sepulchre witnessed it, and the subsequent appear- ances of Jesus confirmed it to the apostles. 7. And Peter. A special message to Peter, who had denied his Master, and in his repentance might fancy himself outside the circle of disciples. Christ does not break the bruised reed. That he goeth before you, leadeth you as a shepherd. The message of the angels was a renewal of the promise of Jesus at the Last Supper (Mark xiv. 28). Christ never forgets His appointments. The Last Supper was to be the framework of a sacrifice without a victim, the empty space showing that the Lamb which had been slain was the living risen Saviour, who in spirit and power is always present in the midst of His people, and especially at His Communion Table. The empty tomb, with the promise that the Saviour was still near them to shepherd them, was another sign that He had but exclianged His bodily presence, limited by time and constrained by space, for a spiritual presence which knows no such con- finements. 8. They were afraid. For the first vision of the glory often brings a holy fear. They were in a tumult of commotion. Trembling and ecstasy had seized them. They were in a trance. 3. Appearances after the resurrection. (i) To Mary Magdalene, 9-1 1 : John xx. 11-18. 9. Now when Jesus was risen. Vers. 9-20 are omitted in a large number of MSS., and the question arises, Are they part of the original and authentic Gospel of Mark ? 240 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [XVI. lO. he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had 10 cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had 1 1 been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. The critical facts are as follows :— (i) The Gospel of Mark closes very abruptly at the end of the 8th verse with the words i(pofhovvTo yup (for they were afraid), in the Sinaitic and Vatican MSS., the two oldest MSS., in one MS. of the old Latin version, and in several MSS. of less importance; while vers, 9-20 are found in the Alexandrian MS., in the Codex Ephrccmi Syri Kescriptiis, and in the Codex Bczce, with a very large majority of the minor MSS., and in all the most important ancient versions. (2) Jerome, following Eusebius, has assured us that they did not belong to Mark's Gospel in many important MSS. of his day ; on the other hand, they are acknowledged as genuine by Irenaeus, Hippolytus, and Augustine. Critical opinion is much divided. Tischendorf, Alford, and Weiss do not believe that these verses formed part of the original Gospel of Mark ; Scrivener accepts them as part of the original Gospel ; Tregelles has no decided opinion; Westcott and Hort look on them as an early supplement, which was added to complete the mutilated or unfinished Gospel. Most critics are of opinion that if these verses are not part of the original Gospel, there must have been some other conclusion which has been lost ; the abrupt \i .V shean ford. 250 SUMMARY OF LIFE OF CHRIST FROM THE Events ln Palestine. Jesus goes to Galilee ; Phflip.Nathanael, Nazareth to Cana — Water turned to wine, Cana to Capernaum, J cuts s^ocs to Jerzcsalem. — First Pass over, First cleansing of the temple. Miracles at Jerusalem — Disciples, Nicodemus comes to Jesus, From Jerusalem to ^non — Troubles with the disciples of John — Witness of John, Returns to Galilee through Samaria, Interview with woman of Samaria, . In Galilee — Nobleman's son, Jesus goes to JerusaleiJt—^QCOvA Pass- over, The paralytic at Bethesda — The Pharisees and the Sabbath — Jeivs seek to kill Jesus, .... Jesus hears that John is imprisoned— He returns to Galilee, . III.— Ministry in Galilee— Year OF Popularity. First sojourn in Capernaum — Preach- ing the kingdom — Miraculous draught of fishes — Call of four disciples, Demoniac cured in synagogue. Cure of Peter's wife's mother and others, First preaching tour through Galilee, A leper cleansed on the journey. Second sojourn in Capernautn — Begin- ning of conflict with Galilean scribes. Cure of paralytic, . . . . Call of Matthew or Levi, Discourse on Fasting, . Plucking ears of corn on the Sabbath, The man with withered hand healed, Open-air preaching— Miracles, Second preachingtour through Galilee— Choice of apostles, .... Sermon on the Mount, . Matthew. Mari IV. 13-22 vui. 14-17 iv. 23-25 IX. 2-8 IX. 9-13 1.:. 14-17 xn. 1-8 xu. 9-14 xn. 15-21 X 2-4 V. I -viii. I 1. 14 1. 14-20 i. 21-28 1. 29-34 i. 35-39 1. 40-45 ii. 1-12 ii. 13-17 ii. 18-22 ii. 23-28 iii. 1-6 iii, 7-12 iii, 13-19 Luke, IV. 14 1V.14, V. I-II iv, 31-37 iv. 38-41 iv. 42-44 V, 12-16 V. 17-26 V. 27-32 V. 33-39 vi. i-s vi. 6-1 1 VI. 12-19 vi. 20-49 FOUR GOSPELS, WITH CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EVENTS. 25 1 John. Place. 1. 43-51 i-ii 1-12 13 14-22 23-25 1-2 1 22-36 IV. 1-4 iv. 5-42 iv. 43-54 V. 2-47 Bethabara, near Beth- shean ford. Can a. Capernaum. Jerusalem. yEnon. Sychar. Nazareth, Cana, etc. Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Nazareth. [naum Near Caper- Capernaum, Through Galilee. Capernaum. Capernaum. Capernaum. Capernaum, Capernaum, Capernaum, Near Capernaum, High land behind Capernaum. Date. Contemporary Events OUTSIDE Palestine. July A.D. 29 July- August A.D. 29 April A, D. 30 May-Dec. A.D. 30 Dec. A.D, 30 Dec, -March A.D. 30-31 April A.D. 31 April-May A.D. 31 A.D. 31 A.D. 31 Summer A.D, 31 Summer A.D. 31 Through his intrigues, the younger Drusus was disgraced and murdered. Execution of Asinius Callus, and other friends of Agrippina. Sejanus is betrothed to Livilla. Sejanus and Tiberius consuls. Tiberius suspicious of Sejanus ; premonitions of the minister's disgrace. Sejanus plots to murder the emperor. The conspiracy dis- covered. 2^2 SUMMARY OF LIFE OF CHRiST FROM THE Events in Palestine. Matthew. Mark. Luke. T/tlrd sojourn in Capernaum — Healing the centurion's servant, viii. 5-13 •.. vii. i-TO Third preaching tour through Galilee- To Nain — Widow's son raised, ... ... vii. 11-17 Message from John the Baptist, xi, 2-30 ... vii. 18-35 Jesus dines with Simon the Pharisee —Anointed, .... ... ... vii. 36-50 Continues His circuit in Gahlee, . ,,. viii. 1-3 Fourth sojourn in Capernaum — Heals a blind and dumb demoniac, xii. 22-45 iii, 20-30 xi. 14-36 Hypocrisy of scribes and Pharisees, xi. 37-54 The true kindred, .... xii. 46-50 iii. 31-35 viii. 19-21 Fourth preachi7ig tour in Galilee — Parables of the Kingdom— The Sower, . xiii. 1-23 iv. 1-25 viii. 4-18 The Tares, . xiii. 24-30, 34-43 ... ... The Seed, . iv. 26-29 ... The Mustard Seed, xiii. 31, 32 iv. 30-34 ... Leaven, .... xiii. 33 ... The Pearl— The Net, . xiii. 44-53 ... ... Stilling the storm, .... viii. 18-27 iv. 35-41 viii. 22-25 The Gerasene demoniacs, viii. 28-ix. I V. 1-21 ... Fifth sojourtt at Capernaum — The daughter of Jairus — Woman with issue, ix, 18-26 v. 22-43 viii. 40-56 Two blind men and dumb demoniac, ix. 27-34 ... Fifth preachiiig tour in Galilee — Second rejection at Nazareth, xiii. 54-58 vi. T-6 Mission of the Twelve, . X. I, 5-42 vi. 6-13 ix. 1-6 News of murder of John the Baptist, xiv. 1-12 vi. 14-29 ix. 7-9 Sixth sojourti at Capernaicm — Return of the Twelve, . ... vi. 30 ix. 10 IV.— Year of Opposition. A, Seclusion in Galilee— Journeys of Flight. First flight into dominions of Philip — Across sea — Feeding five thousand. xiv. 13-21 vi. 30-44 ix. 10-17 Walking on the water, . xiv. 22-36 vi. 45-56 ... Return to Caper)iaum (seventh sojourn) Teaches in synagogue — Many are offended, ,,, ... ... Scribes from Jerusalem— Traditions about eating XV. 1-20 vii. 1-23 ... Second flight to Tyre and Sidon — Syro-Phoenician woman, XV. 21-28 vii. 24-30 ... Through Decapolis — Miracles — vii. 31-37 ... Deaf and dumb man — Four thousand fed XV. 29-38 viii. 1-9 ... Across the lake to Dalmanutha, XV. 39 viii. 10 ... FOUR GOSPELS, WITH CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EVENTS. 253 John. Place. Date. CONTEMrORARY EVENTS OUTSIDE Palestine. ... Capernaum, Nain. Nain. Mid-Summer A.D. 31 ... Near Nain. Galilee. .. ... Capernaum. Capernaum. Capernaum. Autumn A. 0,31 By the Lake. ;; Sejanus arrested and put to death, October 31, A.D. ... The Lake. Gergesa. Capernaum. Capernaum. ... Nazareth. ... At Machaerus. ... ... Winter A.D. 31-32 vi. 1-14 vi. 15-21 Plain of Butaiha. S. Lake. April A.D. 32 Livilta put to death privately. vi. 22-vii. I Capernaum. Capernaum. Tyre and Sidon Near Gergesa, Early Summer A.D. 32. Summer A.D. 32 Tiberius leaves Caprese for Rome, but has not courage to enter the capital : goes back to Capre3^, and lives there his wretched life. •t* S.E, ofLake, "a.d. 32" 254 SUMMARY OF LIFE OF CHRIST FROM THE Events in Palestine. Matthew. Mark. Luke. Return to Capernaum (eighth so- journ) (?), ... ... ... The Pharisees ask a sign, xvi. 1-4 viii. II, 12 Third flight to territories of Philip, . ... ... ... Across the lake to Bethsaida-Julias, xvi. 5 viii. 13 ... Leaven of the Pharisees, xvi. 6-12 viii. 13-21 ... Blind man healed, .... ... viii. 22-26 ... To Coesarea Philippi, . xvi. 13 viii. 27 Peter's confession, .... xvi. 13-20 viii. 27-30 ix, 18-21 First clear prediction of the Passion, xvi. 21-28 viii, 31-ix. I ix. 22-27 Transfiguration, .... xvii. 1-13 ix. 2-13 ix. 28-36 The demoniac boy, xvii. 14-21 ix. 14-29 ix. 37-43 Return through Galilee ; Second prediction of the Passion, . xvii. 22, 23 ix. 30-32 ix. 44, 45 Return to Capernaum (ninth sojourn). xvii. 24 ix- 33 Stater in fish's mouth, . xvii. 24-27 ... Disciples taught humility and toler- ance, xviii. 1-35 ix. 33-50 ix. 46-50 B, Period of Work in Perea and Judea. /esus goes secretly to Jerusalem — To feast of Tabernacles, ... ... ... Discourses in the temple ; attempt to arrest, ... Nicodemus tries to protect Jesus, . ... Retirement to Mount of Olives, ... ... [The adulteress], .... ... ... ... Discourses ; threatened stoning, . ... ... BUnd man healed ; discourses. ... ... ... Christ the Door, and the Good Shepherd, ... ... ... Rel2crn to Galilee. Last Journey to Jerusalon — Feast of Dedication, ... ... ... Attempt to go through Samaria, . ix. 51-56 Incidents on road, .... ... ix. 57-62 Mission of Seventy, ... ... X. 1-24 First preaching journey in the Perea, ... X. I ... The lepers healed, .... ... ... xvii. 11-19 Parables : Unjust judge ; Pharisee and publican, .... ... ... xvii. 20- xviii. 14 Marriage and divorce, . xix. 3-12 X. 2-12 ... Blessing little children, . xix. 13-1S X. 13-16 xviii. 15-17 The rich young ruler, . xix. 16-22 X. 17-22 xviii. 18-23 Temptations of the rich, and dis- ciples' reward, .... xix. 23-xx. 16 X. 23-31 xviii. 24-30 The Lord's Prayer, ... xi. 1-13 FOUR GOSPELS, WITH CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EVENTS. 255 John. Place. Date. Contemporary Events OUTSIDE Palestine. ... Bethsaida- Julias. Near Caesarea Philippi. A.D. 32 1 ... M'tain range of Hermon. Ft. of Hermon Galilee. Capernaum. Capernaum. >» vii. i-io Jerusalem. A'tumnA.D. 32 vii. 11-46 vii. 47-52 viii. I [viii. 2-1 1] viii. 12-59 ix. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. 'Olivet. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. X. 1-21 Jerusalem. X'. 22 Ginea. Ginea & Perea. Winter 32 ... ... n z Perea. »» »> ii ... }» >} 1 256 SUMMARY OF LIFE OF CHRIST FROM THE Events in Palestine. The dumb demoniac healed, . Pharisees accuse Him, . Dines with a Pharisee ; hypocrisy, Leaven of the Pharisees, The rich fool ; discourses, l^arable of barren fig-tree. Heals on Sabbath a woman ill for eighteen years, . Discourses ; warned against Herod From the Perea to Jerusalem, . Upon the way : Good Samaritan Bethany ; Martha and Mary, In Jerusalem : Second attempt to stone Him, .... Flight to the Perea. Dines with Pharisee on Sabbath miracle, .... Parables: Supper, lost sheep, lost piece of silver, prodigal son wasteful steward, rich man and Lazarus ; discourses, . The message that Lazarus is ill, Raising of Lazarus, Jewish council summoned ; resolves on Jesus' death, . Flight to Ephraim, . From Ephraim to Bethany, . Third clear prediction of Passion, Place in the Kingdom, . Jericho ; Blind Bartim?sus, . Zaccheus ; parable of pounds, At Bethany: Supper with Simon the Leper ; Mary anoints Jesus, Rulers conspire to slay Lazarus, v.— Events of the Passion Week, First day of the week, Triumphal entry, , Back to Bethany, . , Monday, .... The fruitless fig-tree withered The temple cleansed, , Back to Bethany, . Tuesday, .... ' lesson of withered fig-tree, Matthew. 17-19 20-28 29-34 6-13 XXI. 1-17 xxi. 17 xxi. 18, 19 xxi. 12-16 Mark. Luke. X. 31 X. 32-34 X. 35-45 X. 46 52 XI. I-I! xi. II xi. 14-26 xi, 27-36 xi. 37-54 xii. 1-12 xii, 13-59 xiii. 1-9 xiii. 10-17 xiii. 22-35 X, 25-42 xiv. 1-6 XIV. 7-XV11. 10 XVHl, 31-34 xvm. xix. 35-43 1-28 XIX. 29-44 XI. 12-14 xi. 15-18 XIX. 45- xi, 19 xi. 20-26 FOUR GOSPELS, WITH CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EVENTS. 257 John. Place. 1 Date. Contemporary Events OUTSIDE Palestine. ... Perea. Winter 32 X. 22-24 Jericho. '"• X. 25-39 X. 40-42 Jerusalem. Near Jericho Ford. Perea. Dec. 32 xi. 1-6 xi. 7-46 " Early 'spring A.D. 33 xi. 47-53 xi. 54. 55 erusalem. " iphraim. Jericho. March A.D, 33 xii. 9 xii. lo-ii Bethany. xii. 1-8 . xii. i2-!i9 Jerusalem. Bethany. Jerusalem. Mar. 29 (Old Style) A.D. 33 Mar. 30 A.D. 33 Mar. 31 A.D. 33 258 SUMMARY OF LIFE OF CHRIST FROM THE Events in Palestine. Matthew. Mark. Luke. Greeks ; prediction of Passion, Discourses in the temple, xxi. 23- xxiii. 39 xi. 27-xii. 44 xix. 49- xxi. 4 Discourse on way to Olivet, . xxiv. I- xxvi. 2 xiii. 1-37 xxi. 5-38 Wedfiesday ... ... ... Jesus at Bethany ; Judas at Jeru- salem, xxvi. 14-16 xiv. I, 2, 10, II xxii. 1-6 Thursday, ...... ... ... Preparation for the Passover, . xxvi. 17-20 xiv. 12-16 xxii. 7-14 The Passover and the Lord's Supper xxvi. 21-29 xiv. 17-26 xxii. 15-30 Jesus' farewell discourses and inter- cessory prayer, .... ... ... Foretells the fall of Peter, xxvi. 31-35 xiv. 26-31 xxii. 31-38 Gethsemane, xxvi. 30, 36-46 xxvi. 47-56 xiv. 32-42 xxii. 39-46 Jesus taken prisoner, xiv. 43-52 xxii. 47-53 Friday ... ... ... The Jewish trial, .... xxvi. 57-6S xiv. 53-65 xxii. 54, 63-71 Peter's denials, .... xxvi. 69-75 xiv. 66-72 xxii. 54-62 Roman trial xxvii. I, 2, 11-26 XV. 1-14 xxiii. 1-25 Remorse of Judas, .... xxvii. 3-10 Scourging, mocking, and crucifixion of Jesus, xxvii. 27-49 XV. 15-36 xxiii. 26-45 The death of Jesus, xxvii. 50-56 XV. 37-41 xxiii. 46-49 The Burial xxvii. 57-61 XV. 42-47 xxiii. 50-56 The Jewish Sabbath. The rest of Jesus in the tomb, ... xvi. I VI.— The Resurrection and Ascension. The Resurrection, .... xxviii. 2-4 The visits of the women, _xxviii. I, 5-8 xvi. 1-8 xxiv. 1-8 Peter and John at the tomb, etc., . xxiv. 9-12 The guards report the resurrection, xxviii. 11-15 Appearances after the resurrection : — I. To Mary Magdalene, xvi. 9-1 1 2. To the other women. xxviii. 9, 10 3. To Peter, ... xxiv. 34 4. To two disciples, ... xvi. 12, 13 xiii. 13-35 FOUR GOSPELS, WITH CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EVENTS. 259 John. xii. 20-50 Place. xiii 1-38 xiv. I- xvii. 26 xviii. 1, 2 xviii. 3-12 xviii. 12-24 xviii. 15-18, 25-27 xviii. 28- xix. 15 xix. 16-29 xix. 30-37 xix. 38-42 xix. 42 Jerusalem. Olivet. Bethany. Jerusalem. Olivet. Jerusalem. Jenisalem. XX. 1, 2 XX. 3-10 Emmaus. Date. Contemporary Events OUTSIDE Palestine. April I a. D. 33 Apr. 2 A.d. 33 April 3 (Old Style) a.d. 33 Agrippina starves herself to death. The cruelties, mad suspicion, and licentious life of the emperor suggest that he is insane. April 3 (Old Style) A.D. 33 Apr. 4 A.D, 33 Jerusalem. Apr. 5 A. D. 33 26o SUMMARY OF LIFE OF CHRIST FROM THE Events in Palestine. Matthew. Mark. Luke. 5. To the Ten — Thomas absent, . 6. To the Eleven — Thomas pre- sent, 7. To seven apostles, . 8. To five hundred disciples, 9. To James (i Cor. xv. 7). 10. At the Ascension, The last charge and the Ascension, ... xxviii. 16-20 ... xvi. 14-18 xvi. 19 xvi. 15-19 xxiv. 36-49 xxiv. 50, 51 Events in Palestine. Descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, -Conversion First Persecution— Martyrdom of Stephen- ofSaul Herod Agrippa I. succeeds to Gaulonitis, . to Galilee and Perea (Herod Antipas banished), and to Judea and Samaria, .... First preaching to the Gentiles, Second Persecution— /^w^j beheaded— Herod Agrippa dies Paul's first missionary journey (one year) (i and 2 Thessalonians), ........ Paul's second missionary journey (three years), . Felix procurator, Paul's third missionary jourjiey (four years) {Galatians, I and 2 Corinthians, Romans) Revolt of the Sicarii, headed by an Egyptian, Festus procurator (Paul brought before him), . Acts of Apostles. Acts ii. Acts vii.-ix. Acts x. Acts xii. Acts xviii. 23-xxi. Acts xxi. 38 Acts XXV. Paul a prisoner at Rome {Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians), ' Acts xxvii.-xxviii. Paul released by Nero Gessius Florus procurator (65 a.d.) — Revolt of tlie Jews (66 A.D.), Vespasian general in Palestine —J osephus commands | Jewish army, Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, FOUR GOSPELS, WITH CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL EVENTS. 26 1 John. Place. Date. Contemporary Events OUTSIDE Palestine. XX. 19-24 XX. 25-29 xxi. 1-24 Sea of Galilee. Galilee. Bethany. May A.D. 33 Date. Contemporary Events outside Palestine. June A.D. 33 A.D. 34 .. 36 .. 37 ,, 40 ., 41 Pilate recalled. Caligula emperor on the death of Tiberius. Invasion of Britain by Aulus Plautius, Claudius emperor on the assassination of Caligula. Banishment of Seneca. .. 44 War in Britain (43-51). .. 45 .. 51 War with Caradoc in Britain. >• 51 ., 52 Jews banished from Rome. .. 54 .. 59 ,, 60 Nero emperor. Nero murders Agrippa. M 61 War with Boadicea in Britain. .. 63 i .. 64 „ 67 „ 68 „ 69 .. 69 " 70 Great Fire at Rome— First Roman Persecution of the Church. Galba emperor |^ Empire convulsed with civil Otho and Vitellius emperors J war. Vespasian emperor. INDEX. Abba,^ 179, 182, 206. Abba Father, 219. Abbott, article on the Gospels, 22. Abiathar and the shewbread, 91. Abomination 0/ desolation, 205. Adultery, when committed, 169 ; woman taken in, 165. ^non, Jesus at, 35, 47 ; one of John's places of baptism, 44 ; site of, 44. Agony in the garden, 218, 231 ; rela- tion to temptation, 70 ; to Jesus' life struggle, 152. Ahimelech. See Abiathar. Alabaster box, 210. Alexander and Rufus, 34, 231, Alphasus, father of Levi, 85, 99 ; same as Cleophas or Clopas, 99, 102, 103 ; husband of Mary (?), 99. Amazement at Jesus, 29, yj, 84, 122, 123, 145, 158, 189. Andrew, called, 74 ; various calls, 75 ; an apostle, 99 ; events recorded about, 99. Andrews, on date of Jesus' baptism, 68. Angels, at the sepulchre, 238 ; mini- stered to Jesus, 70, 219. Annas, who he was, 222 ; our Lord's examination before, 222 ; mentioned, loi, 223. Antipater, 50, 58. Apostle, 96. Apostles, to preach the gospel, 11 ; training, 12, 97 ; call, 95 ; its occa- sion, 95 ; their functions, 96 ; lists of, 96 ; mission, 124 ; return from mis- sion, 129 ; primacy among, 162. Apostolic gospel, 12 ; an oral gospel, 13 ; its contents and limits, 13, 14 ; its relation to Mark's, 15. Appearances of Jesus after the resurrec- tion, 239, 241. Arabs in Galilee, 41 ; in the Perea, 43- Archelaus, 51, 59. Aretas, ruled Idumea, 94 ; daughter married Herod Antipas, 128. Arimathea, site of, 235. Aristobulus, the Maccabee, 50. Ascension, Mark's account of the, 243. Asmoneans, 50. Ass, 181. Atonement, various descriptions of, 178 ; always present to our Lord, 87 ; to avoid it the temptation of His life, 152, 219 ; salvation without, our temptation, 152 ; what it does, 186, 216, 220. Augustine, Mark an abridger of Mat- thew, 19. Augustus Caesar, 5a Babylon, Mark at, 16. Baptism, John's, 66 ; places of, 44 ; implied repentance, 66 ; with water, 67 ; its meaning, 68, 191 ; Jesus', 66 ; of Holy Ghost, 67, 70 ; Christian, 242 ; relation to circumcision, 69 ; of blood, 176. Baptize, 137. Barabbas, 227, 228. Barnabas, connection with Mark, 16. Bartholomew. See Nathanael, Bartimseus, 34 ; cured, 178. Baskets, different kinds of, 132, 146, 148 ; use of, by the Jews, 132. Batanea, 40, 43. Baxter, on losing one's soul, 153 ; on sacrificing one's members, 164. Beds, Eastern, 82, 109; words to de- note, 84. Beelzebub, loi. Italics denote a word or phrase explained in the notes. 362 INDEX. 263 Beginnings of sorrows, 203, Bengel, on Jesus and His mother, 103 ; Herod hears of Jesus, 126 ; on folly, 141 ; on the Transfiguration, 157. Beside Himself, loi. Bethabara, 44, 206. Bethany, meaning of, 180 ; Jesus went to, every evening of Passion week, 186, 210 ; the anointing at, 210 ; men- tioned, 174, 201, 210. Bethesda, miracle at pool of, 84. Bethhoron, Romans defeated at, 205. Bethphage, meaning of, 180 ; site of, 180. Bethsaida of Galilee, 80, 98, 99, 129, 132, Bethsaida Julias, site and history of, 49, 129, 130, 148, 149. Bethshean Ford, 44, 47, 49, 166, 206. Beza, 100 ; on apostolic primacy, 162. Bill of divorcement, 166. Birthday feast, disapproved of by Jews, 127 ; Herod's, 127, Blasphemy, our Lord accused of, 83, 224. Bleak, relation of Mark's to other Gos- pels, 21. Blue ribbon, 118. Boadicea, 203. Boaiierges, 34, 98. Border of garmefit, 118, 136. Bosanquet, chronology of Christ's life, 68. Bottles, 89. Bower, on Christian work, 164. Branches, 182. Brenz, on the Transfiguration, 155. Brethren of our Lord, opinions about the, 102 ; did not believe in Jesus, loi, 103. Bride-chamber, children of the, 87. Bridegroom, Jesus the, 87. Bruce quoted, 193, 194. Biisching, relation of Mark's to other Gospels, 20. Bush, in the, 197. CiESAREA Philippi, history of, 150 ; our Lord at, 150 ; mentioned, 49, 154, 161, 162. Caesarea vStratonis, 150 ; seat of procu- rator, 210, 226. Caiaphas, character, 222 ; son-in-law to Annas, 222 ; made high priest, 52. Call, of disciples, 74, 75 ; of the apostles, 95. Calvary, meaning of, 231. See Gol- gotha. Calvin, on the strong man, 102 ; the demoniac, 116 ; the use of prophecy, 138 ; mistakes about Jesus, 150. Camel, 173. Cana, miracle at, 'j'j ; home of Natha- nael, 99. Cananite, Simon the, 99. Cajidle, 109. Capernaum, description and site of, 75 ; Jesus at, 71, 82, 100, 117, 129, 136 ; miracles at, the demoniac, 75 ; Peter's mother in-law, 78 ; at door of Peter's house, 78 ; paralytic, 82 ; withered hand, 92 ; Jairus' daughter, 117 ; woman with issue, 117 ; mentioned, 80, 85, 95, 125, 148, 161. Carpenter, 123, Carr, on John the Baptist, 6^ ; on triumphal entry, 182 ; on immortality, 197. Casting a net, 74. Catechism, Shorter, quoted, 74 ; Pala- tine quoted, 113. Census, 34, Centurion, 34 ; who had built a syna- gogue, 117; at the cross, 235. Chaitis, 113. Charger, 128. Charoseth, 213, 214. Chief priests, meaning of term, 188; reject Christ, 152, 190, 228. Chief seats, 200. Children, blessed, 169 ; disciples called, 172 ; type of humility, 163. Chinneroth, sea of, 73. Christ, false Christs, 207. .S^^ Jesus. Christianity, not Judaism, 89, 92. Cicero, 50. Clement of Alexandria, on Mark, 33. Cleopas or Clopas, 102, 103. See Al- phaeus. Cloth, parable of new, 88 ; hnen, 221, 236. Clothes, rending of the, 224. Cock-crowifig, 209, 225. Coincidences, undesigned, 78, 115, 124. Comforter, mission of the, 81. Commandments, depths of fulfilment in the, 171 ; which is the first, 198. Confession, of Peter, 65, 151. Corban, 34, 139. Corn, plucking ears of, 90. Cornelius, Peter preaching to, 14. Corner-stone, 194. Council, Jewish. See .Sanhedrin, 264 INDEX. Covenant, 216, Covetous7iess, 141. Credner, relation between the Synoptic Gospels, 21. Cross, shape of, 232 ; malefactors had to carry their, 231 ; Roman customs about the, 153 ; early mention of the, 153 ; disciples to bear the, 153, 172. Crown of thorns, 230. Ctip, 176 ; at the Passover, 213, 214. Customs (taxes), 85, Dalmanutha, site of, 146 ; men- tioned, 80. Damascus, 41. Darkened, sun shall be, 208. Darkness, at the crucifixion, 233. Daughter, 119. David and the shewbread, 91. Day, divisions of the Jewish, 130, 134, 209, 231. Deaf and dumb healed, 144. Decapolis, a trading league of cities, 40, 43 ; cities of the, 116 ; Jesus retires to the, 142, 144 ; crowds fol- low Jesus in the, 145 ; demoniac a preacher in the, 145, 206. Defraud not, 171. Demoniac, possession, 76, 115 ; healed, at Capernaum, 76 ; at Hermon, 158 ; at Gergesa, 113, 145; witness for Christ, 77 ; adjure Christ, 114 ; treat- ment of, 113 ; modern, yj, 159. Denari7is, 131, 195, 211. Den of thieves, 188. Desolatio7i, nbom.inatio7i of, 205. Devil. See Satan. Dinner customs, 86. Disciples, called, 74, 85 ; pluck ears of corn, 90 ; in a storm, 112, 134 ; amazed at Jesus' power, 135, 189 ; slow to understand, 135, 140, 148, 241 ; cannot understand the death of Christ, 157, 161 ; could not heal, 160 ; taught humihty, 162, 214 ; rebuke mothers with children, 169 ; will be rewarded, 173 ; dispute about pre- eminence, 177 ; in Gethsemane, 218 ; do not beheve the resurrection, 241. Discourses of Jesus, the gospel of the kingdom, 71 ; in the synagogue at Capernaum, 75 ; in the synagogues of Gahlee, 80 ; in a house in Caper- naum, 82 ; by the lake side, 84, 104 ; on fasting, 86 ; on Sabbath observ- ance, 90 ; in parables, 104, 192 ; at Nazareth, 122 ; at the mission of the Twelve, 124 ; on the plain of Butaiha, 130 ; on ceremonial impurity, 136 ; on His Passion, 152, 161, 175 ; on self-sacrifice, 163, 173 ; on marriage and divorce, 166 ; on the temptations of the rich, 172 ; on faith, 189 ; on tribute, 195 ; on immortality, 197 ; on the end of all things, 203 ; at the Last Supper, 214. Divorce, when lawful, 168, 169 ; Mosaic law of, 167. Dogs, 143. Ears, he that hath, ic6. Earthquakes, before fall of Jerusalem, 203. Egypt, Mark in, 16. Elders, Jewish, who they were, 137, 191 ; traditions of the, 137, 139, 196 ; reject Christ, 152. Ehas (Elijah), Jesus supposed to be, 126, 150 ; at the Transfiguration, 155 ; has come, 157, 234. EUicott, quoted, 217 ; Lazarus, the young man with the linen cloth, 221. Endure, 204. Ephphatha, 28, 145. Ephraim, Jesus retires to, 174 ; leaves for Jerusalem, 174, 175. Epilepsy and demoniac possession, 76, 159- Epiphanius, on the Brethren of the Lord, 103. Erasmus, quoted, no, 196. Esdraelon, plain of, 40. Eucharist. See Supper. Even, Evening, 130, 133. Ewald, on John the Baptist, 68 ; on the Hosannas, 185. Executioner (soldier of his guard), 128. Faith, thekeynote of our Lord's preach- ing, 71, 74 ; necessary in those healed, 80, 120 ; the disciples lacked, 112, 161 ; Abrahamic, 143 ; how to test, 171 ; its power, 161, 189. Farrar, on Nazareth, 69 ; miracles at Capernaum, 80 ; wine and bottles, 89 ; the sower, 105 ; desert side of the sea. III ; demoniacs, 113 ; Herod's feast, 127 ; on iti ranks, 132 ; Rabbi Chamina, 171 ; Jesus leaving Eph- raim, 175 ; on Pharisees, 200 ; Pilate's anxiety to save Jesus, 229 ; time of Christ's death, 231 ; the centurion at the cross, 235. INDEX. 265 Fasting, Jewish custom of, 86 ; Jesus on, 86. Fat. See Wine-fat. Fellowship with Jesus, need of, 87. Figs, time of, 186. Fig-tree, withered, 186, 188 ; parable of, 208. First shall be last, 174. Fishers of men, 74. Five thousand fed, 130 ; site of miracle, 129, 132 ; at Passover time, 130, 132. Flesh, one, 167. Follow me, 74, 172. Four thousand fed, 145. Fuller, on Satan's thrall, 113. Fuller, a, 155. Gabbatha, 227. Galilee, description of, 40, 71 ; life in, 41 ; people of, 41 ; Jesus' ministry in, 71 - 129 ; Jesus' seclusion in, 129- 165 ; mentioned, 90, 94, 128 ; dialect of, 225. Galilee, sea of. See Gennesaret. Garment, hem of the, 118, 136. Gaulonitis, 40, 43, 144. Gehenna, 34, 164. Geikie, miracles at Capernaum, 78 ; Jesus and Mary, 103 ; the ass in the East, 181. Gemara, 139. Generation, this, 209. Gennesaret, lake of, the eye of Galilee, 41 ; described, 73 ; names of, 73 ; liable to storms, 112. Gennesaret, land of, described, 135 ; mentioned, 90, 133. Gergesa, site of, 113 ; demoniac of, 113. Gethsemane, meaning of word, 218 ; site of, 218 ; our Lord's agony in, 218 ; foreshadowings of, 70, 152 ; mentioned, 88, 121. Ghost, Holy, See Spirit. Golgotha, meaning, 231 ; site, 230, 231, 236. Gospel, meaning of word, 11 ; un- written at first, 13 ; disciples and the, II, 12; of the Apostles, 12, 13; its limits, 14 ; its relation to Mark's, 17 ; in the epistles, 13 ; the oral gospel, 13 ; common original of synoptics, 22 ; can be traced, 22 ; specimen of, 22 ; characteristics of, 25 ; relation to Mark's, 26 ; written Gospel, 14 ; of Jesus Christ, 11, 65 ; of the kingdom of God, II, 71 ; will be preached everywhere, 204, 242. Gospel of Ebionites, 92. Gospel to the Hebrews, 21. Gospel of Mark, relation to Apostolic, 14 ; inspired by Peter, 15, 65 ; Papias' account of, 15 ; when written, 33 ; written at Rome, 33 ; for Romans, 34, 138 ; the earhest Gospel, 20 ; hkest the oral gospel, 26 ; full of details by an eye-witness, 27, 29, 30 ; dwells on humanity of Jesus, 27, 28 ; His looks and gestures, 27 ; His very words, 27 ; how the crowds behaved, 29 ; uses diminutives, 30 ; the chrono- logical Gospel, 32 ; analysis of, 35 ; contains Latinisms, 34 ; list of Old Testament quotations in, 63 ; list of miracles in, 57 ; incidents peculiar to, 60 ; incidents supplied by Peter, 65, 130, 132, 141, 143, 147, 181 ; authen- ticity of conclusion, 240. Gospels, the Synoptic, meaning of word, 17, 18 ; differences, 18 ; a problem to explain similarity, 19 ; various solu- tions, 19-22. Governor, Roman. See Procurator. Grabatus, 34, 84. See Beds. Grass, green, 131. Greek of Mark's Gospel, 34. Griesbach, on relation of Mark to Synoptists, 20. Grotius, on relation of Mark to Synop- tists, 20. Guard, temple, 209 ; employed to take Jesus, 220. Gtiest-chamber, 213. Hall (Bishop), on Jesus' baptism, 69, 70 ; on Matthew's call, 85 ; Jesus with publicans, 86 ; more manners than faith, 120 ; more devotion than compassion, 131 ; Jesus sees His people in trouble, 134 ; on the Trans- figuration, 155 ; apostolic ambition, 176 ; the disciples' cross, 177 ; the triumphal entry, 182 ; on the agony, 218 ; on Peter's denial, 225 ; Jesus' kingdom, 228. Hallel, the, 185. Hanna, on fasting, 86 ; the sick woman, 119 ; the Syrophenician, 120, 143. Haram, map, 1S4, 202. Hardness of heart, 135. Hausrath, on Galilee, 41 ; Jesus a man of the people, 123. Head of the corner, 194. Heavenly voice. See Voice, Heavy, to be vci^y, 218. 266 INDEX. Hebraizing Christians, 89. Hedge, 192. Hem of garment, 118, 136. Henry, Matthew, on the Temptation, 70 ; call of the disciples, 74 ; cure of Peter's mother-in-law, 78; Jesus' bodily and spiritual presence, 81 ; spiritual kinship, 104 ; thorns, 106 ; using or losing, no ; the seed show- ing itself, no ; mustard seed, in ; trembling believers, 118 ; secret faith, 119; need of Jesus in death, 120; Herod's fear of John, 126, 127 ; the heart the seat of sin, 141 ; divorce, 169 ; God's power, 197 ; on Peter's denial, 225 ; mocking Jesus, 230. Hermon, described, 40, 154 ; scene of the Transfiguration, 154. Herod Antipas, character, 52, 94 ; tetrarchy, 53 ; built Tiberias, 73 ; marriage, 58, 126 ; nominal head of the Herodians, 94 ; murdered John the Baptist, 127 ; suspicious of Jesus, 126, 142; Pharisees try to make Jesus attack, 166 ; fate, 59 ; mentioned, 95, 129, 144. Herod the Great, ruled all Palestine, 40, 49; origin, 50; pohcy, 51, 228; family, 58, 126. Herod Agrippa, 205, 207. Herodians, a political party, 93 ; op- position to Jesus, 94 ; combine with the Pharisees against Jesus, 94, 129, 195. Herodias, marriages, 58, 59, 126 ; hatred of John, 127, Herods, the, 58, 59. High Priest, 222. Hillel, Rabbi, 83 ; on divorce, 166. Hitzig, Mark's Gospel the earliest, 20. Hold thy peace., 77. Holy Ghost. See Spirit. Hooper, on losing hfe, 153. Hor, Mount, 40. Hosanna, 183. Houses, construction of Eastern, 82, 206. Idumea, the country of the Herods, 94 ; people come to Jesus from, 94. Ignatius, the child in Jesus' arms, 162. Inscription on the cross, 232. Issiie of blood, 117, Jairus, 117 ; his daughter healed, 121. James of Alphseus, 99 ; mentioned, 102. James, brother of our Lord, 102, 103. James, son of Zebedee, called to be a disciple, 75 ; to be an apostle, 98 ; events recorded about, 98 ; probably cousin to Jesus, 97 ; mentioned, 100, 121, 154, 175. iericho, 178, 180. erome, on brethren of Jesus, 102. erusalem, over-populated, 42 ; why the centre of Jewish fanaticism, 43, 187 ; Jesus journeys to, 47, 49, 165, 174 ; destruction of, foretold, 202 ; signs of it, 203 ; siege of, 206. Jesus Christ, relation to political state of Palestine, 53 ; to the religious, 56 ; John's witness for, 67 ; birth and baptism, 68 ; dwelt at Nazareth, 69 ; temptation, 70 ; preaching jour- neys, 44, 73, 79, 95, 100, 104, 122, 166 ; journeys of flight, 47, 73, 129, 141, 147 ; calls disciples, 74. — Active Ministry in Galilee, 71- 129 : First sojonrn in Capernaum, 71-79 ; in synagogue, 75 ; Peter's mother - in - law cured, 78 ; many miracles, 78 : First preaching jour- ney, 79-81 ; in a desert place, 79 ; cures a leper, 80 ; cannot enter cities, 81 : Second sojourn, 82-95 ; the para- lytic, 82 ; at Peter's house, 82 ; con- demned from beginning by Jerusalem scribes, 82 ; watched by them in Galilee, 82 ; accused of blasphemy, 83 ; preaches in open air, 84, 94 ; calls Matthew, 85 ; eats with publi- cans, 86 ; the Physician, 86 ; on fasting, 87 ; the Bridegroom, 87 ; parables of bride-chamber, new cloth, new wine, 87 ; on Sabbath laws, 91 ; above Moses, 92 ; rejected by scribes of Galilee, 93 : Second preaching journey, calls the Twelve, 95 : Fourth sojotcrn, 100-104 ; beside Himself, loi ; accused of demoniac posses- sion, loi ; the unpardonable sin, 102 ; spiritual kinship, 104 : Fourth preaching joutney, T04-116 ; parables of the kingdom, 104 ; the sower, 105 ; the candle, 109 ; seed, no ; mustard seed, in ; stills storm, in ; cures Gerasene demoniac, 113 : Fifth sojourn, 117-122 ; Jairus' daughter, 117; sick woman, 118: Fifth preach- i7ig journey, 122-128 ; at Nazareth, 123 ; a man of the people, 123 ; mission of the Twelve, 124 ; what the people thought of Him, 126 ; told of John's death, 129 : Sixth sojourn. INDEX. 267 129. — Seclusion in Galilee, 129- 165 : First flight, across the sea, 129; five thousand fed, 130 ; saw the dis- ciples toiling on the sea, 133 ; walking on the waters, 134 ; His presence sometimes brings trouble, 134 : Seventh sojourn, 136-141 ; ceremonial and real defilement, 137 ; appeals from Pharisees to the people, 140 : Second flight, 141-146 ; close of Gali- lean ministry, 141 ; in Tyre, 142 ; the Syrophoenician, 142 ; through Sidon, 144 ; deaf and dumb man in Decapolis, 145 ; four thousand fed, 145 : Eighth sojourn {?), refuses to give a sign, 147: Third flight, 147- 162 ; the leaven of the Pharisees, 147 ; the blind man of Bethsaida, 149 ; rejected by people of Gali- lee, 150; Peter's confession, 151 ; clear predictions of the Passion, 152, 161 ; transfigured, 154 : Nitith sojourn, 162 - 165 ; humility, 163 ; tolerance, 163 ; self-sacrifice, 165. — Active Ministry in the Perea AND IN JUDEA, 166-180: In the Perea, 166-174 ; marriage and di- vorce, 166 ; blesses little children, 169 ; the young ruler, 170 ; tempta- tions of the rich, 172 ; disciples' rewards, 173 : In Judea, 174-180 ; leaves Ephraim, 174 ; predicts details of the Passion, 175 ; place in the kingdom, 176 ; Blind Bartimeus, 178. —The Passion Week, 180-236 : First day, 180-186 ; triumphal entry, 180; back to Bethany, 186: Second day , 186-188 ; the fig-tree, 186 ; cleanses the temple, 187 : Third day, 188- 209 ; the fig-tree, 188 ; attacked by the Sanhedrin, 190 ; parables, 192 ; wicked husbandmen, 192 ; lawfulness of tribute, 195 ; immortality, 196 ; the greatest commandment, 198 ; the Son of David, 199; the Pharisees described, 200; hberality, 200; the fall of Jeru- salem, 201 ; second coming, 208 : Foiirth Day in Bethany, 210 ; His feet anointed, 210 : Fifth Day, 212-221 ; at the Last Supper, 215 ; in Geth- semane, 219 : Sixth Day, 222-236 ; before the Sanhedrin, 222 ; before Pilate, 227; crucified, 229-235 ; words on the cross, 233 : Seve?ith Day, 237, —The Resurrection, 237; appear- ances after, 241 ; last charge, 2^2 ; Ascension, 243. John the Baptist, preaching, clothing, food, 66, 67 ; mission, 68 ; places of baptizing, 44, 69 ; disciples fasted, 86 ; imprisoned in Machasrus, 128 ; murdered, 128 ; Jesus supposed to be, 126, 150. John, surnamed Mark. See Mark. John, the son of Zebedee, a disciple, 75 ; an apostle, 98 ; events recorded about, 98 ; mentioned, 107, 121, 154, 175, 218. Jordan, described, 40 ; Jesus baptized in, 69 ; valley described, 40. Joseph of Arimathea, 235. Joseph, husband of Mary, 52, 103, 104. Josephus, on Galilee, 40 ; on march of an army, 66 ; on John, 66 ; on Gen- nesaret, 135 ; on Temple stones, 201 ; on siege of Jerusalem, 207. Joshua, Rabbi, 83. Journeys of Jesus, 44, 73 ; in Galilee, 79, 95, 100, 104, 122, 166 ; of flight, 129, 141, 147. 174. Juda, Rabbi, 83. Judas (Thaddeus, Lebbaeus), 99. Judas of Galilee, his insurrection, 52, 19s. Judas Iscariot, an apostle, 100 ; native town, 100 ; betrays Jesus, 210, 220 ; angry at waste of spikenard, 211, 212. Judas Maccabseus. See ISIaccabees. Judea, described, 42 ; part of Roman empire, 52 ; scribes from, 82. Julius Caesar, 51. Keim, relation of Mark to the Synop- tists, 19 ; characteristics of Mark's Gospel, 32 ; the parables. 105. Kerioth, town of Judas, 100. Khan Minyeh, 75. Kingdom of God [oi heaven), 71 ; gospel of the, II, 71 ; coming of the, 154, 183 ; place in the, 169, 175, 177, 199, 216 ; nature of, 227. Kinship, spiritual, 104. Lange, on Jesus and the Sabbath, 92 ; the demoniac, 116 ; the touch of faith, 119 ; the demand for a sign, 147 ; on Bartimaeus, 179. Lasciviousness, 141. Latchct, 67. Lauth, on the date of Jesus' birth, 68. Lazarus, the young ruler, 172 ; raised, 174 ; with Jesus, 180, 210 ; the young man with the linen cloth, 221. 268 INDEX. Leaven, of the Pharisees, 129, 147 ; to be removed before the Passover, 213. Lebbasus, 99. Leoion, 114. Le'ighton, on the Temptation, 70. Leper, leprosy, 80 ; purification for, 81. Lessing quoted, 239. Let us alone, 77. Levi. See Matthew. Lightfoot, on brethren of the Lord, 103 ; value of denarius, 131. Linen cloth, 222, 236. Loaves, 131. Locusts, 67. Looking, up to heaven, 144 ; on him, 171. Lord, Lordship, 177, 181. Lose his soul, 153. Lowering, 172. Lusts, 109. Luther, on Syrophoenician, 143 ; on Jesus' sighs, 145. Maccabees, conflict with Samaritans, 42 ; family and name, 50 ; overthrown by Herod, 50. Maclear, on John, 67 ; call of sons of Zebedee, 75 ; the Twelve, 95 ; the un- pardonable sin, 102 ; Jesus marvelled, 124; the heart the source of sin, 141 ; temptation, 164 ; scriptural law of marriage, 167. Magdala, site, 146 ; mentioned, 80. Magdalene, Mary. See Mary. Malchus, 221. Man, Son of. See Son, Mark, history of, 15 ; resembled Peter, 16; the young man with the linen cloth, 17, 221 ; Gospel of, — j^^ Gospel. Market-places, 136, 200. Marriage, Bible doctrine of, 167. Mary, sister to Barnabas, 16. Mary of Clopas, 99 ; the Virgin's sister (?), 102; mother of James and Joses, 99, 102, 103; at the cross, 235; at the sepulchre, 237. Mary of Bethany, 174, 180, 186, 211. Mary Magdalene, 179 ; at the cross, 235 ; at the sepulchre, 237. Mary, the mother of Jesus, 52, loi, 102, 103, 104, 235. Mashal, 104. Matthew (Levi), called, 85 ; son of Alphasus, 85, 99 ; an apostle, 99 ; his Gospel, 18. Messiah, Jesus the, 150-153, 157, 179, 185, 203, 223. Meyer, Mark's relation to the Synop- tists, 20, 21 ; Herod and Jesus, 126. Midrash, 76. Mighty works, 123, 126. Millstone, 164. Miracle and Miracles, names for, 123 ; makes Providence visible, 112; mani- festation of love, 120, 122 ; of crea- tive power, 132 ; hst of, recorded in Mark, 57 ; wrought on the Sabbath, 93 ; first recorded in each Gospel, 77 ; invisible, 82 ; some wrought gradu- ally, 149 ; wrought at a distance, 143 ; many at a time at Capernaum, 78 ; by sea-side, 94 ; in Gennesaret, 136 ; on demoniac, 'jj; Peter's mother-in- law, 78 ; leper, 80 ; paralytic, 82 ; withered hand, 92; storm, 112; Gerasene demoniac, 114; sick woman, 119; Jairus' daughter, 121 ; five thousand fed, 130 ; walking on water, 134; Syrophoenician woman, 143; deaf and dumb man, 144; demoniac boy, 159 ; four thousand fed, 146 ; blind man at Bethsaida, 149 ; bhnd beggar, 180 ; fig-tree, 187. Mission, of Twelve, 124; of Seventy, 166. Mite, 201. Money-changers, 187. Morison, quoted, 78 ; impardonable sin , 102; Jairus' daughter, 122; green grass, 131 ; power of faith, 161 ; self- sacrifice, 165, 177. Mosaic law, leprosy, 80, 81 ; fasting, 86 ; divorce, 166 ; Sabbath, 91. Mourners, professional, 121. Must, 89. Mustard seed, tree, iii. Myrrh, 231. Mystery, 107. N A AM AN, the leper, 80. Name, the new, 85. Nathanael, 99. Nazareth, site, 69 ; Jesus at, 69, 74 ; rejected at, 77, 123 ; miracles at, 124. Neapolis, 49. Net, kinds of, 74. New cloth, 88 ; wire, 88. Nicodemus, 165, 236. Night, divisions of Jewish, 134, 209. Olives, Mount of (Olivet), described, 202 ; mentioned, 180, 201, 210, 217, Oral gospel. See Gospel. Ought, 149 INDEX. 269 Palestine, description of, 40 ; politi- cal condition, 49 ; religious, 53 ; history of, before the fall of Jerusa- lem, 205. Palsy, healed, 82. Panea, 40, 43. Paneas, Panium, 150. Papias, on Mark's Gospel, 15. Parable, meaning, 104; relation to Jewish life, 41 ; Jesus preaches in, loi, 104, 192, 209 ; popular in East, 105 ; list of, in Mark, 57 ; bride-chamber, new cloth, new wine, 88 ; kingdom divided, loi ; sower, 105, 108 ; candle, 109 ; seed, no ; mustard seed, in ; wicked husbandmen, 192 ; corner-stone, 194 ; the porter, 209 ; fig-tree, 208. Paralytic healed, 82. Passion. See Sufferings. Passover, preparation for the, 212, 213 ; the Last Supper a, 212 ; order at observation of the, 213 ; at time of barley harvest, 90 ; five thousand fed at time of, 130 ; numbers at, 187. Paul, relation to Mark, 16, 17. Pella, 206. Penny, 131, 195, 211. Perea, 40 ; its people, 43 ; Jesus in the, 43, 166, 174. Perga, Mark leaves Paul at, 16. Persecutions, the lot of disciples', 174. Person, 195. Pestilences, before the fall of Jerusalem, 203. Peter, relation to Mark, 14, 15, 16, 17 ; influence on Mark's Gospel, 15, 16 ; incidents due to, 65, 130, 132, 142, 147, 181 ; his Gospel, 14; called, 74; tracking Jesus, 79 ; Jesus lived in his house, 82 ; an apostle, 97 ; events recorded about, 98 ; Jairus' daughter, 121 ; confesses the Christ, 151 ; tempts Jesus, 152 ; at the transfiguration, 155 ; boasts his discipleship, 173, 217 ; at the fig-tree, 189 ; on Olivet, 202 ; in Gethsemane, 218 ; in the palace, 224, 239. Petter, call of the disciples, 75. Pharisees, historical position, 55 ; watch Jesus in Galilee, 83, 90, 92 ; criticise His conduct, 85, 90, 136 ; unite with Herodians against Jesus, 94, 147, 195 ; say that Jesus is possessed, loi ; com- pel Jesus to leave Galilee, 142 ; ask Him for a sign, 147 ; try to embroil Him with Herod, 166; their hypocrisy, Philip, husband of Herodias, 126. Philip, the apostle, 99. Phoenicians in Galilee, 41. Physician, Jesus the, 86. Pilate, character, 226 ; Jesus brought before, 226 ; private intendew with Jesus, 227 ; desire to save Jesus, 229, 236 ; his policy in Judea, 53 ; men- tioned, 195, 210 ; his wife, 228. Pillar of fire, 66. Pillow, 112. Plagues, 95, Pompey the Great, 50. Porter, the hills by the Sea of Galilee, 133. Pots, 138. Powers, 123 ; that are in heaven, 208. Prcetoriutn, 34, 229. Prayer, duty of, 79, 209 ; postures at, 189. Prayers of Jesus, 69, 79, 95, 133, 151, 155, 219. Procurator, powers of, 226 ; head- quarters, 210 ; insignia, 226 ; first appointed in Judea, 52 ; Christians to be brought before, 204. Prophets, Jesus thought to be one of the, 126, 150. Ptolemais, 41, 49. Publicans, 85. Purging all meats ^ 140. Purple robe, 229. Purse, 124. QUADRANS, 34. Quarantania, Mons, 70. Rabbi, Rabboni, 179. See Scribes. Rafiks, in, 131. Renan , contradiction in Jesus' teaching, 163. Repentance, keynote in Jesus' preach- ing, 74 ; in John's, 6j ; baptism of, 66 ; meaning of word, 71. Resurrection, 237. Reuss, Mark and the Synoptists, 20. Rice, Jesus' labours, in. Riches, a source of temptation, 172. Roman, conquest of Palestine, 50, 52 ; poUcy in the provinces, 52, 53 ; governors, — see Procurator ; punish- ments, 153, 164 ; soldiers, 220, 229. Romans, Mark's Gospel written for, 34 ; in Samaria, 42 ; take Jerusalem, 205. Rome, Mark at, 16, 33, 51 ; Herod subservient to, 51. 270 INDEX. Roofs, of peasant houses, 82 ; of Eastern, 206. Rooms, 7ippermost, 200. Ruler, of synagogue, 76; rich young, 170. Rushbrooke's Synopticon, 22. Rutherford, on cross-bearing, 153. Ryle, indiscreet zeal, 81 ; comfort in bereavement, 82 ; the unpardonable sin, 102 ; humility in work com- mended, 163. Sabbath, Jewish, began at sunset, 78 ; disciples pluck corn on, 90 ; Jewish laws about, 90, 91 ; Jesus on, 91 ; lawful to do good on the, 93 ; list of miracles on the, 93. Sadducees, historical position, 54 ; the aristocratic party, 54, 196 ; the leaders in the Sanhedrin, 222 ; active in Jesus' condemnation, 222 ; mentioned, 197. Salome, wife of Zebedee, 75, 98 ; her request for her sons, 176, 182 ; at the cross, 235 ; at the grave, 237 ; men- tioned, 99, 175. Salome, daughter of Herodias, 127 ; her marriages, 58, 59. Salt, sal (less, 165. Salted with fire, 165. Samaria, described, 42 ; Jesus in, 36, 47, 165 ; woman of, 47. Samaritans, Bible, 42 ; hostility to the Jews, 42. Sandals, 124. Sanliedrin, constitution and powers, 190 ; under the Romans, 53 ; resolu- tion about Jesus, 174 ; deputation to Jesus, 190 ; at the arrest of Jesus, 220 ; trial of Jesus before the, 222, 223, 236 ; disciples to be brought before the, 203 ; local, 190, 203 ; met in synagogues, 204. (ra«| fJ''i»', 167. Sat doiun, 162. Satan, loi, 113, 116 ; Peter addressed as, 152. Savour, 153. Schleiermacher, stilling of the storm, 113 ; miracle on bhnd man, 149. Scopus, 202. Scourging, 229. Scribes, a special learned class, 83 ; teaching, 76, 83 ; watch Jesus, 82, loi ; pohtical importance, 83 ; 0/ the Pharisees, 86 ; on Sabbath legislation, 91, 92 ; traditions about eating, 136 ; reject Jesus, 152 ; mock the disciples, 158 ; attack Jesus, 198. Scrip, 124. Scythopolis, 49. Sea, 73. See Gennesaret. Seats, chief, 83, 200. Seleucia, 49. Semler, Mark and the S3fnoptists, 21. Sepulchre, 236 ; the holy women at the, 238 ; angels at the, 238. Sermon on the Mount, 95. Servants, hired, Zebedee had, 'j^. Seventy, mission of the, 165. Shammai, on divorce, 166. Shcchi?iah, 156. Shekel, 212. Shining, 155. Ship, 94. Shortened those days, 207. Sidon, 142 ; our Lord went through, 144; mentioned, 94. Sighs of Jesus, 145, 147. Signs, 123 ; the Pharisees seek, 146, 147 ; expected from the Messiah, 152 ; following the preaching of the apostles, 242. Simeon, Rabbi, 85. See Peter. Simon. See Peter. Simon of Cyrene, 230. Simon, the leper, 179, 180, 210. Simon Zelotes, 99. Sindon, 221, 236. Sir ion, 154. Son, Jesus addresses the pai-alytic, 82. Son of David, 179, 199. Son of God, Peter confesses Jesus to be the, 151 ; Jesus declared to be, 70, 156. Son of man, 84, 150, 175, 215, 224. Sopherim, 82. See Scribes. Sorrows, the beginnings of, 203. Sorry (sorrowful) exceeding, 128, 218. Sower, parable of the, 105, 108. Speculator (soldier of his guard), 34, 128. See Executioner. Spices, sweet, 237. Spikenard, 211. Spirit, a, 134, 159. Spirit, the Holy, witness of the, 12 ; baptism of the, 67, 70 ; sin against, 102 ; aid of, promised, 204. . Spirits, unclean. See Demoniac. Stanley, Sea of Galilee, 79 ; the tri- umphal entry, 183 ; Christians at Pella, 206. Stier, the seed, no; scene at the foot of Hermon, 158. Stone, comer, 194; at door of sepulchre, 238. INDEX. 271 Stony ground, 106. Storm, of wind, 112. Storr, Mark's Gospel the oldest, 20. Straightway, 69, 74, 93, 135. Straitly commanded, 80. Streets, sick laid in the, 136. Sufferings, our Lord's predictions of His, obscure, 87, 152 ; clear, 151, I53> i57j 17s ; growing fulness of prediction, 175, 215 ; meaning in, 178. Supper, the Last, 214 ; relation to Passover, 215 ; a sacrificial rite with- out a victim, 215, 239. Swine, destruction of, 114, 115. Synagogue, constitution, ']6, 117 ; wor- ship in, 75 ; one in every village, 79 ; local Sanhedrin sat in, 204 ; punish- ments given in, 203 ; relation to Temple worship, 55. Synoptic Gospels. See Gospels. Synopticon, 22. Syrians, in Galilee, 41 ; in Perea, 43. Syrop/uvnician, 142 ; woman's daughter healed, 142. Tabernacles, 155 ; feast of, 165. Taken away, 87. Talitha Cumi, 34, 122. Tallith, 118. Targiim, 76. Taxation, Roman system of, 52, 85. Taylor, Jeremy, on Jesus and the Sab- bath, 92. Tel Hum, 75. Temple, built by Herod, 51, 201 ; mag- nificence of, 201 ; centre of Judean life, 43 ; Jesus entered, 186 ; cleansed, 187 ; Jesus questioned in the, 190 ; accused of wishing to destroy, 223 ; guard of the, 209 ; employed to take Jesus, 220 ; veil rent, 234, Temptation, Jesus', 60, 70 ; scene of, 70 ; same temptation followed Jesus through life, 147, 152, 219 ; of be- lievers, 152, 153, 172. TertuUian, on Mark and Peter, 15, Testament, 216. Thaddeus, 99. Theocritus, on publicans, 85. Thieves, 188, 221 ; crucified with Christ, 232 ; den of, 188. Thomas, 99. Thomson, roof of peasant houses, 82. Thorns, in Palestine, 106 ; crown of, 230. Thought^ take no, 204. Tiberias, town, 49, 73 ; Sea of, — see Gennesaret. Tiberius Csesar, 52, 68, 195, 228. Title, on the cross, 232. Titus, at siege of Jerusalem, 205, 207. Toiling, 133. Tombs, haunt of demoniacs, 114. Tower, T.cj'z, Towns, various kinds of, 79. Trachonitis, 40, 43. Traditions of the elders, 137, 139 ; against God's law, 138 ; rejected by Sadducees, 196. Transfiguration, 154. Treasury, in the Temple, 200. Trench, on publicans, 85 ; leprosy, 80 ; stony ground, 106 ; demoniacs, 115 ; overflowing grace of Jesus, 117 ; the touch of faith, 119 ; the Syrophce- nician, 144 ; the transfiguration, 155, 156 ; demoniac boy, 160 ; hindrances, 179. Tribute, 195, Trinity, manifestation of the, 70. Tristram, locusts, 67 ; scene of tempta- tion, 70 ; wine-skins, 89. Triumphal entry, 180. Trouble, 120. Tyre, 142 ; Jesus in, 142 ; mentioned, 94. 144. Ulatha, 40, 43. Upper room, 213. Uppermost rooms, 200. Valerius Gratus, 52. Veronica, 120. Vespasian, 203 ; in Palestine, 205. Voice, the heavenly, at baptism, 70, 'j'j ; at Transfiguration, 156. Warburton, scene with a demoniac, • 114. Wars, a sign of end of Jerusalem, 203. Washings, 136, 137. Watch, command to, 209, 219 ; parables, 209. Watches, the Jewish, 134. Ways met, where two, 182. Wayside, 106. Weiss, Mark's the earliest Gospel, 20. Wesley, 94. Westcott, the apostolic Gospel, 13 Mark's character, 16, Westminster Shorter Catechism quoted 74. 272 INDEX. Wetstein, Mark and the Synoptists, 20. Whelps, 143. Wickedness, 141. Wilderness of Judea, 66 ; John in the, 66 ; scene of temptation, 70. Wilke, Mark's Gospel the earliest, 20. Wine, fat, 192 ; parable of new, 89 ; skins, 89. Wist, 156. Withered hand, 92, Witness of the Spirit, 12. Woman, sick, 117 ; Syrophoenician, 94. 142. Wonder. See Amazement. Wonders, 123. Words, the seven, 233. Worm dieth ?tot, 164. Wycliflfe, 94. Xestes, 34, 138. Zeal, indiscreet, 81. Zealot, Zelotes, 100 ; at siege of Jeru- salem, 205. See Simon. Zebedee, 75, 98. Zwingle quoted, 189. THE END. MORRISON AND GIBB, EDINBl'RGH, >RINTERS TO HER MAJESTY's STATIONERY OFFICE. T. and T. Clark's Publications. In crown 8vo, price 6s., THE INCARNATE SAVIOUR: A LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. By Eev. W. R. NICOLL, M.A. ' It commands my warm sympathy and admiration. 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Just published, in crown 8vo, price 6s., CHRISTIAN CHARITY IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH. By G. UHLHORN, D.D. 'The historical knowledge this work displays is immense, and the whole subject is wrought out with great care and skill; it is a most readable, delight- ful, and instructive volume.' — Evangelical Christendom. 'This is a work of iutrinsic worth and world-wide interest,' — Homilist. Just published, in demy 8vo, price 10s. 6d., THE LORD'S PRAYER: ^ Practical iJHetJitatfon* By Rev. NEWMAN HALL, LL.B. ' We congratulate the author on this excellent work. There is no better practical exposition of the Lord's prayer in our language.' — Outlook. Just published, in demy 8vo, price 9s., OUTLINES OF THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. By Rev. T. G. CRIPPEN. In demy 8vo, price 9s., A CHRONOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFE OF CHRIST, BY C. E. CASPARI. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN, WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES, BY M. J. E\^ANS, B.A. Revised by the Author. ' The work is handy and well suited for the use of the student. It gives him, in very reasonable compass, and in well-digested forms, a great deal of information respecting the dates and outward circumstances of our Lord's life, and materials for forming a judgment upon the various disputed points arising out of them.' — Guardian. T. and T. Clark's Publications. HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. By PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D. ^ i^cto tuition, ^fjDrnttgfjIg 3Kpbisrti anti ^nlargeti. APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANITY, A.D. 1-100. In Two Divisions, ex. demy, 21s. ANTE-NICENE CHRISTIANITY, A.D. 100-825. In Two Divisions, ex. demy, 21s. 'No student, and indeed no critic, can with fairness overlook a wo-.k like the present, written with such evident candour and, at the same time, with so thorough a knowledge of the sources of early Christian history.' — Scotsman. 'It is a work of almost unequalled merit. This we say notwithstanding our knowledge of many other works on the same theme. 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'An elaborate, ino:enious, and very able book.' — London Quarterly Review. ' The subject is discussed with much ability and learning, and the style is sprightly and readable. It is candid in its tone, and original both in thought and illustration.' — Wesleyan Methodist Magazine. T. and T. Clark's Publications. In Three Volumes, 8vo, price 31s. 6d., Volumes I. and II. now ready. THE LIFE OF CHRIST. By De. BERNHARD WEISS, PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY, BERLIN. ' This book seems destined to hold a very distinguished, if not absolutely- unique place in the criticism of the New Testament. Its fearless search after truth, its independence of spirit, its extent of research, its thoughtful and discriminating tone, must secure for it a very high reputation.' — Congregationalist. BY THE SAME AUTHOR. In Two Volumes, 8vo, price 21s., BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 'The work which this volume completes is one of no ordinary strength and acumen. 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' It is no ordinary book, and we commend it to the study of all who are interested in Christian Ethics, as one of the most able treatises on the subject which has ever yet appeared.' — Watchman. T. and T. Claries Piiblications. HERZOG'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA. In Three Volumes, Imperial 8vo, Price 245. eacJi. VOLUME III. In the Press. ENCYCLOPAEDIA OR DICTIONARY OF BIBLICAL, HISTORICAL, DOCTRINAL, AND PRACTICAL THEOLOGY. Based on the Keal-Encyklopadie of Herzog, Plitt, and Hauck. EDITED BY Professor PHILIP SOHAFF, D.D., LL.D., UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, NEW YORK. * It is certain that this Encyclopaedia will fill a place in our theological literature, in which, for a long time, it will have no rival.' — Prof. Hodge, P7-i7iceton. ' This Encyclopaedia is exceedingly well done. . . . We hope that this new enterprise will be successful, and that no minister's library will long remain without a copy of this work. ... 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' Here we have a really great book on an important, large, and attractive subject— a book full of loving, wholesome, profound thoughts about the fundamentals of Christian faith and practice.' — British and Foreign Evangeli- cal Review. ' It is some five or six years since this work first made its appearance, and now that a second edition has been called for, the author has taken the oppor- tunity to make some alterations which are likely to render it still more accept- able. Substantially, however, the book remains the same, and the hearty commendation with which we noted its first issue applies to it at least as much now.' — Roch. BY THE SAME AUTHOR. In demy 8vo, Second Edition, price 10s, 6d., THE HUMILIATION OF CHRIST, IN ITS PHYSICAL, ETHICAL, AND OFFICIAL ASPECTS. SIXTH SERIES OF CUNNINGHAM LECTURES. * These lectures are able and deep-reaching to a degree not often found in the religious literature of the day; withal, they are fresh and suggestive. . . . The learning and the deep and sweet spirituality of this discussion will com- mend it to many faithful students of the truth as it is in Jeans.'— Congreffa- tionalist. ' We have not for a long time met with a work so fresh and suggestive as this of Professor Bruce. . . . We do not know where to look at our English Universities for a treatise so calm, logical, and scholarly.' — English Independent, 10 T. and T. Claries Publications. Dr. LUTHARDT'S WORKS. In Three handsome croion 8vo Volumes, price 6s. each. ' We do not know any volumes so suitable in these times for young men entering on life, or, let us say, even for the library of a pastor called to deal with such, than the three volumes of this series. We commend the whole of them with the utmost cordial satisfaction. They are altogether quite a specialty in our literature.'— TFeeA;??/ Review. Apologetic Lectures on the Fundamental Truths of Christianity. Sixth Edition. By C. E. LUTHARDT, D.D., Leipzig. 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In crown 8vo, price os., THE LEVITIGAL PRIESTS. A CONTEIBUTION TO THE CEITICISM OF THE PENTATEUCH. By SAMUEL IVES CURTISS, Jr., PROFESSOK OF THEOLOGY, CHICAGO, 'A real contribution to the criticism of the Pentateuch, and a storehouse of arguments against that neological school which expends its confessedly great powers in splitting hairs and weaving sophistries, and which tries by arrogant assertion to compensate for weakness of proof.' — Literary Churchman. 12 T. and T. Clark's Piiblications. PROFESSOR DELITZSCH'S WORKS. Just published, in crown Zvo, price 4i". 6^., OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY OF REDEMPTION, LECTURES By PROFESSOR DELITZSCH. EranglatetJ (rom i^anusctfpt N0t£0 BY PEOFESSOR S. I. CURTISS. 'We have read this book with great pleasure and with equal profit. It is written by the hand of a master, and contains multum in parvo.'' — Watchman. 'We prize this work as a devout attempt of a profound and profoundly spiritual mind to trace anew through Old Testament History the central truths of the Christian faith,' — British and Foreign Evangelical Review. In One Volume, 8vo, price 12s., A SYSTEM OF BIBLICAL PSYCHOLOGY. By F. DELITZSCH, D.D. ' This admirable volume ought to be carefully read by every thinking clergyman. There is a growing gnosticism which requires to be met by philosophical explanations of the Christian system, quite as much as, and even more than, by dogmatic statements of received truths ; and we know no work which is better calculated as a guide to minds already settled on lines of sound theological principle, than the one we are about to bring before the notice of our readers.' — Literary Churchman. Just published, in crown 8vo, price 4s., OUTLINES OF BIBLICAL PSYCHOLOGY. By J. T. BECK, D.D., PROF. ORD. THEOL., TUBINGEN. SEranslateU from tlje S^fjirU EnlargcU anti ffl^orrecteti German (IHlJttion, X877. ' The smallness of the work should not lead to its being undervalued ; it well deserves a place side by side with Delitzsch and Heard. . . . We do warmly recommend this volume as one of the most fresh and valuable contri- butions to theological literature of recent date.' — Wesley an Methodist Maga- zine. ' We quite endorse Bishop Ellicott's statement that, for many readers, Beck's \\\\\ be found to be the most handy manual on the subject.' — Church Bells. T. and T. Clark's Publications. 13 ' I feel satisfied that If the whole is completed after the same manner, it will be the Commentary par excellence in the English language. Indeed, as a Commentary for popular use, I know nothing equal to it in any language.'— Rev. Professor Lindsay Alexander, D.D. In Four VolumeSi imperial Svo, handsomely bound, price 18s. each, COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT. With Illustrations and Maps. Edited by PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D., LL.D. Volume I. THE SYNOPTICAL GOSPELS. By Philip Schaff, D.D., and Matthew B. 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In Two Volumes, demy 8vo, price 21s., A CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. ' The Commentary of Dr. Gloag I procured on its first appearance, and have examined it Avith special care. For my purposes I have found it unsurpassed by any similar work in the English language. It shows a thorough mastery of the materia], philology, history, and literature pertaining to this range of study, and a skill in the use of this knowledge which (if I have any right to judge) place it in the first class of modern expositions.' — H. B. Hackktt, D.D. ' Dr. Gloag's work is very acceptable. ... The volumes are scholarly, earnest, trustworthy, and supply materials for the refutation of the specula- tions of the critical school.' — British Quarterly Review. T. and T. Clark's Publications. 15 lu crown 8vo, price 6s., SERMONS FOR THE CHRISTIAN YEAR, ADVENT-TRINITY. By Professor ROTHE. ' The volume is rich in noble thoughts and wholesome lessons.' — Watchman. 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Princeton Theoloqjcal Seminary-Speer Librar 1 1012 01146 1672 DATE DUE -m^^ w^r:^ ■ • 1 GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A