day; and the Son of man, Christ, as Mediator, is always to be looked upon as Lord of the Sabbath. This argument he largely insists upon in his own justification, when he was charged with having broken the Sabbath. John v. 16. CHAPTER III. 1 Christ healeth the withered hand, 10 and many other infirmities: 11 rebuketh the unclean spirits: 13 chooseth his twelve apostles: 22 convinceth the blasphemy of casting out devils by Beelzebub: 31 and sheweth who are his brother, sister, and mother. AND "he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there C 7 But which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would a Matt. xii. 9; Luke vi. 6. d Luke vi. 17. Or, rushed. d † Gr. Arise, stand forth, in the midst. Or, blindness. b Matt. xii. 14. c Matt. xxii. 16. g Chap. i. 25, 34; Matt. xii. 16. e Chap. i. 23, 24; Luke iv. 41. f Matt. xiv. 33; Chap. i. 1. He entered again into the synagogue (ver. 1); he improved the opportunity he had there, of doing good, and having, no doubt, preached a sermon, he wrought a miracle for the confirmation of it, or at least for the confirmation of this truth-that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath-day. We had the narrative, Matt. xii. 9. The patient's case was piteous; he had a withered hand, by which he was disabled to work for his living; those that are so, are the most proper objects of charity; let those be helped that cannot help themselves. The spectators were very unkind, both to the patient and to the Physician; instead of interceding for a poor neighbour, they did what they could to hinder his cure: for they intimated that if Christ cured him now on the Sabbath-day, they would accuse him as a Sabbath-breaker. Christ dealt very fairly with the spectators, and dealt with them if possible, to prevent the offence. He laboured to convince their judgment. He bade the man stand forth (ver. 3), that by the sight of him, they might be moved with compassion towards him, and might not for shame, account his cure a crime. And then he appeals to their consciences; Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath-days, as I design to do, or to do evil, as you design to do? Whether is it better to save life or to kill? What fairer question could be put? And yet, because they saw it would turn against them, they held their peace. When they rebelled against the light, he lamented their stubbornness (ver. 5); he looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts-their insensibility to the : evidence of his miracles and their inflexible resolution to persist in unbelief. He was provoked by the sin; he looked round upon them; for they were so many, and had so placed themselves, that they surrounded him and he looked with anger; his anger, it is probable, appeared in his countenance; his anger was like God's, without the least perturbation to himself, but not without great provocation from us. The sin of sinners is very displeasing to Jesus Christ; and the way to be angry, and not to sin, is to be angry as Christ was, at nothing but sin. Let hard hearted sinners tremble to think of the anger with which he will look round upon them shortly, when the great day of his wrath is come. He pitied the sinners; he was grieved for the hardness of their hearts; as God was grieved forty years for the hardness of the hearts of their fathers in the wilderness. It is a great grief to our Lord Jesus, to see sinners bent upon their own ruin, and obstinately set against the methods of their conviction and recovery, for he would not that any should perish. This is a good reason why the hardness of our own hearts and of the hearts of others, should be a grief to us. Christ dealt very kindly with the patient, he bade him stretch forth his hand, and it was immediately restored. Now, Christ has hereby taught us to go on with resolution in the way of our duty, how violent soever the opposition is that we meet with in it. We must deny ourselves sometimes in our ease, pleasure, and convenience, rather than give offence even to those who causelessly take it; but we must not deny ourselves the satisfaction of serving God, and doing good, though offence may unjustly be taken at it. None could be more tender of giving offence than Christ; yet, rather than send this poor man away uncured, he would venture offending all the scribes and Pharisees that compassed him about. The enemies of Christ dealt very barbarously with him. Such a work of mercy should have engaged their love to him, and such a work of wonder their faith in him. But, instead of that, the Pharisees, who pretended to be oracles in the church, and the Herodians, who pretended to be supporters of the state, though of opposite interests one to another, took counsel together against him how they might destroy him. While his enemies sought to destroy him, he quitted the place. He was followed into his retirement. When some had such an enmity to him, that they drove him out of their country, others had such a value for him, that they followed him wherever he went; and the enmity of their leaders to Christ did not cool their respect to him. Great multitudes followed him from all parts of the nation; as far north as from Galilee; as far south as from Judea and Jerusalem; nay, and from Idumea; as far east as from beyond Jordan; and west, as from Tyre and Sidon, vers. 7, 8. What induced them to follow him, was the report they heard of the great things he did; some wished to see one that had done such great things, and others hoped he would do great things for them. They pressed upon him to touch him as many as had plagues, ver. 10. Diseases are here called plagues, corrections, or chastisements; so they are designed to be, to make us smart for our sins, that thereby we may be made sorry for them, and may be warned not to return to them. Those that were under these scourgings came to Jesus. The errand on which sickness is sent, is to quicken us to inquire after Christ, and apply ourselves to him as our Physician. They pressed upon him, each striving which should get nearest to him, and which should be first served. They fell down before him (so some translate it), as petitioners for his favour; they desired leave but to touch him, having faith to be healed, not only by his touching them, but by their touching him; which no doubt they had many instances of. He made ready to attend them (ver. 9); He spoke to his disciples, who were fishermen, and had fisher-boats at command, that a small ship should constantly wait on him, to carry him from place to place on the same coast; that, when he had despatched the necessary business he had to do in one place, he might easily remove to another, where his presence was requisite, without pressing through the crowds of people that followed him for curiosity. He wrought abundance of good in his retirement. He did not withdraw to be idle, nor did he send back those who rudely crowded after him when he withdrew, but took it kindly, and gave them what they came for; for he never said to any that sought him diligently, Seek ye me in vain. Diseases were effectually cured; he healed many; divers sorts of patients, afflicted with divers sorts of diseases. Devils were effectually conquered; those whom unclean spirits had got possession of, when they saw him, trembled at his presence, and they also fell down before him, not to supplicate his favour, but to deprecate his wrath, and by their own terrors were compelled to own that he was the Son of God (ver. 11). It is sad that this great truth should be denied by any of the children of men, who may have the benefit of it, when a confession of it has so often been extorted from devils, who are excluded from having benefit by it. Christ sought not applause to himself in doing those great things, for he strictly charged those for whom he did them, that they should not make him known (ver. 12); that they should not be industrious to spread the notice of his cures, that they should 42 leave his own works to praise him, and let the report of them diffuse itself, and make its own way. Let not those that are cured, be forward to divulge it, lest it should feed their pride who are so highly favoured; but let the standers-by carry away the intelligence of it. When we do that which is praiseworthy, and yet covet not to be praised of men for it, then the same mind is in us, which was in Christ Jesus. h 13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite. 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him and they went into an house. 20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: 'for they said, He is beside himself. h Matt. x. 1; Luke vi. 12, ix. 1. i John i. 42. I Or, home. k Chap. vi. 31. Or, kinsmen. John vii. 5, x. 20. Christ makes choice of the twelve apostles to be his constant followers and attendants, and to be sent abroad as there was occasion, to preach the gospel, ver. 14. He went up into a mountain, and his errand thither was to pray. Ministers must be set apart with solemn prayer for the pouring out of the Spirit upon them; though Christ had authority to confer the gifts of the Holy Ghost, yet, to set us an example, he prayed for them. The His own good pleasure was the rule he went by in his choice. He called unto him whom he would. Christ calls whom he will; for he is a free agent, and his grace is his own. call was efficacious. He called them to separate themselves from the crowd, and stand by him, and they came unto him. Christ calls those who were given him (John xvii. 6); and all that the Father gave him, shall come to him, John vi. 37. Those whom it was his will to call, he made willing to come; "his people shall be willing in the day of his power." Perhaps they came to him readily enough, because they were in expectation of reigning with him in temporal pomp and power; but when afterward they were undeceived in that matter, yet they had such a prospect given them of better things, that they would not say they were deceived in their Master, nor repented their leaving all to be with him. He ordained them that they should be with him constantly, to be witnesses of his doctrine, manner of life, and patience, that they might fully know it, and be able to give an account of it; and especially that they might attest the truth of his miracles; they must be with him, to receive instructions from him, that they might be qualified to give instructions to others. It would require time to fit them for that which he designed them for; for they must be sent forth to preach; not to preach till they were sent, and not to be sent till by a long and intimate acquaintance with Christ they were fitted. He gave them power to work miracles; and hereby he put a very great honour upon them, beyond that of the great men of the earth. He ordained them to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. This showed that the power which Christ had to work these miracles was an original power; that he had it not as a servant, but as a Son in his own house, in that he could confer it upon others, and invest them with it. He that is only deputed himself, cannot depute another; but our Lord Jesus had life in himself, and the Spirit without measure; for he could give this power even to the weak and foolish things of the world. He ordained twelve, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are here named not just in the same order as they were in Matthew, but as there, so here, Peter is put first and Judas last. Here Matthew is put before Thomas, probably being called in that order; but in that catalogue which Matthew himself drew up, he puts himself after Thomas; so far was he from insisting upon the precedency of his consecration. But that which Mark only takes notice of in this list of the apostles, is, that Christ called James and John Boanerges, The sons of thunder; which appellation denotes the zeal and fervency of their spirits, which would make them active for God above their brethren, These two were to be special eminent ministers of the gospel, which is called a voice shaking the earth, Heb. xii. 26. Yet John, one of those sons of thunder, was full of love and tenderness, as appears by his epistles, and was the beloved disciple. Continual crowds attended Christ's motions (ver. 20); The multitude cometh together again, unsent for, and unseasonably pressing upon him, some with one errand and some with another; so that he and his disciples could not get time so much as to eat bread. Yet he did not shut his doors against the petitioners, but bade them welcome, and gave to each of them an answer of peace. They whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with great inconveniences to themselves, in the prosecution of it, and will rather lose a meal's meat at any time than slip an opportunity of doing good. It is happy when zealous hearers and zealous preachers thus meet, and encourage one another. Now the kingdom of God was preached, and men pressed into it, Luke xvi. 16. This was a gale of opportunity worth improving; and the disciples might well afford to adjourn their meals, to lay hold on it. When his friends in Capernaum heard how he was followed, and what pains he took, they went out to lay hold on him, and fetch him home, for they said, He is beside himself (ver. 21). Some understand it of an absurd preposterous care which had more in it of reproach to him than of respect; and so we must take it as we read it, He is beside himself. Either they suspected it themselves, or it was suggested to them, and they gave credit to the suggestion, that he was gone distracted, and therefore his friends ought to bind him and keep him in confinement. His kindred, many of them, had mean thoughts of him (John vii. 5), and were willing to hearken to this ill construction which some put upon his great zeal. Others understand it of a well-meaning care; He fainteth, he has no time to eat bread, and therefore his strength will fail him; he will be stifled with the crowd of people, and will have his spirits quite exhausted with constant speaking; and, therefore, let us use a friendly violence with him, and get him a little breathing-time. In his preaching-work, as well as his suffering-work, he was attacked with, Master, spare thyself. They who go on with vigour and zeal in the work of God, must expect to meet with hindrances, both from the groundless disaffection of their enemies, and the mistaken affections of their friends, and they have need to stand upon their guard against both. 22 And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, "He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 "And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 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 will spoil his house. 28 P Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation : 30 Because thev said, He hath an unclean spirit. m Matt. ix. 34, x. 25; Luke xi. 15; John vii. 20, viii. 48, 52, x. 22. n Matt. xii. 25. o Isa. xlix. 24; Matt. xii. 29. p Matt. xii. 31; Luke xii. 10; 1 John v. 16. How impious was the insinuation of the scribes in regard to Christ's casting out devils, that they might evade and invalidate the conviction of it, and have a poor excuse for not yielding to it. They could not deny but that he cast out devils, which plainly bespoke him sent of God; but they insinuated that he had Beelzebub on his side, was in league with him, and by the prince of the devils cast out devils, ver. 22. Christ answers to this objection, demonstrating the absurdity of it. Satan is so subtle, that he will never voluntarily quit his possession; If Satan cast out Satan, his kingdom is divided against itself, and it cannot stand, ver. 23-26. He called them to him, as one desirous that they should be convinced; he treated them with all the freedom, friendliness, and familiarity that could be; he vouchsafed to reason the case with them, that every mouth might be stopped. It was plain that the doctrine of Christ made war upon the devil's kingdom, and had a direct tendency to break his power, and crush his interest in the souls of men; and it was as plain that the casting of him out of the bodies of people confirmed that doctrine; and, therefore, it cannot be imagined that he should come into such a design; every one knows that Satan is no fool, nor will he act so directly against his own interest. Christ is so wise, that, being engaged in war with him, he will attack his forces wherever he meets them, whether in the bodies or souls of people, ver. 27. It is plain, Christ's design is to enter into the strong man's house, to take possession of the interest he has in the world, and to spoil his goods, and convert them to his own service; and therefore it is natural to suppose that he will thus bind the strong man, will forbid him to speak when he would, and show that he has gained a victory over him. Christ gives them a solemn warning to take heed how they spoke such dangerous words as these, however they might make light of them, as being only conjectures; if they persisted in such conduct, it would be of fatal consequence to them; it would be found a sin against the last remedy, and consequently unpardonable, for what could be imagined possible to bring them to repentance for their sin in blaspheming Christ, who would set aside such a strong conviction with such a weak evasion? It is true, the gospel promises, because Christ has purchased, forgiveness for the greatest sins and sinners, ver. 28. Many of those who reviled Christ on the cross (which was a blaspheming of the Son of man, aggravated to the highest degree), found mercy, and Christ himself prayed, "Father, forgive them;" but this was blaspheming the Holy Ghost, for it was by the Holy Spirit that he cast out devils, and they said, it was by the unclean spirit. By this method they would outface the conviction of all the gifts of the Holy Ghost after Christ's ascension, and defeat them all, after which there remained no more proof, and therefore they should never have forgiveness, but were liable to eternal damnation. They were in eminent danger of that everlasting punishment, from which there is no redemption. 31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, q Matt. xii. 46; Luke viii. 19. Now, as at other times, Christ put a comparative neglect upon his mother, which seemed purposely designed to obviate and prevent the extravagant respect which men in aftertimes would be apt to pay to her. Our respect ought to be guided and governed by Christ's; now the Virgin Mary, or Christ's mother, is not equalled with, but postponed to, ordinary believers, on whom Christ here puts a superlative honour. He looked upon those that sat about him, and pronounced those of them that not only heard, but did, the will of God, to be to him as his brother, and sister, and mother; as much esteemed, loved, and cared for, as his neareast relations, vers. 33-35. This is a good reason why we should honour those that fear the Lord, and choose them for our people; why we should be not hearers of the word only, but doers of the work, that we may share with the saints in this honour. Surely it is good to be akin to those who are thus nearly allied to Christ, and to have fellowship with those that have fellowship with Christ; and woe to those that hate and persecute Christ's kindred, that are his bone and his flesh; for he will with jealousy plead their cause, and avenge their blood. CHAPTER IV. 1 The parable of the sower, 14 and the meaning thereof. 21 We must communicate the light of our knowledge to others. 26 The parable of the seed growing secretly, 30 and of the mustard seed. 35 Christ stilleth the tempest on the sea. 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, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his a Matt. xiii, 1; Luke viii, 4, b Chap, xil, 38, |