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house, many publicans and sin- that

filled it up, taketh away ners sat also together with Jesus from the old, and the rent is and his disciples; for there were made worse. many, and they followed him.

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

17 When Jesus heard it, 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.

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?

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

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 pluck the ears of corn.

24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath-day that which is not lawful?

25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was a hungered, he and they that` were with him?

26 How he went into the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the show-bread, which is not lawful to eat, but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

27 And he said unto them,

20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those The Sabbath was made for days. man, and not man for the Sabbath:

21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece

23-28. Compare Matt. 12: 1-8. In the days of Abiathar the high priest. It appears from 1 Sam. 21st ch., that Ahimelech was the high priest from whom David obtained the showbread. Abiathar became high priest after this event. The word translated in the days of may have a very extended signification, corre

28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. sponding to our phrase about the time of; and as Abiathar continued in office a large number of years, his term of office might have been selected, as marking a certain period in Hebrew history, rather than Ahime lech's. Again; the word used in the original may be regarded only as a method of referring to that portion of

A

CHAPTER III.

unto the man, Stretch forth

ND he entered again into thy hand. And he stretched the synagogue; and there it out: and his hand was rewas a man there which had a stored whole as the other. withered hand.

2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath-day; that they might accuse him.

3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4 And he 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 peace.

6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judea,

8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre 5 And when he had looked and Sidon, a great multitude, round about on them with an- when they had heard what great ger, being grieved for the hard-things he did, came unto him. ness of their hearts, he saith

the sacred history in which the account of Abiathar occurs; and the whole portion respecting Ahimelech and Abiathar would be included under such a reference. The Jews were in the habit of quoting, or referring to, their sacred books by the use of such a word as here occurs in the original.

CHAPTER III.

1-12. Compare Matt. 12: 9-21. 4. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath-days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? These questions might be understood as meaning, Is it right to do good, or not to do it, on the Sabbath? to save life, or not to save it? A similar manner of expression occurs in Mal. 1: 2, 3, quoted in Rom. 9:13-Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated; that is, Esau have I not loved, comparatively speaking. The form of the questions was such, also, as might very naturally suggest to the minds of his opponents a comparison between themselves and him. He was bestowing blessings on the aflicted; they were plotting his de

9 And he spake to his discistruction. To their consciences he might have intended to appeal, by presenting the inquiry, whether he was pursuing a justifiable course on the Sabbath, or they. 5. With anger; with displeasure at their perversenessa feeling which was consistent with the utmost tenderness, and which arose from a view of their perverseness and their willingness to put a bad construction even on his most benevolent acts. 6. The Herodians. See on Matt. 22:16. 8. Idumea. This is properly the_name of the country south-east of Palestine. It is called Edom in the Old Testament. Its inhabitants were hostile to the Jews, and were conquered by David. 2 Sam. 8: 14. They fre quently revolted, and in the reign of Jehoram gained their independence. 2 Kings 8: 20. During the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, the Idumeans, that is, the Edomites, took possession of the southern part of Palestine, as far as the city Hebron; so that that part of the country was subsequently called Idumea. The name

ples, that a small ship should 15 And to have power to wait on him, because of the mul- heal sicknesses, and to cast out titude, lest they should throng

him.

10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

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,

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 a 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

is here applied by Mark to that part idea of appointing, or designating, is of the land. The Idumeans were here expressed, without reference to afterwards again subdued, and be- the manner in which the appointment came, at least those who lived in Pal- was made. Jesus doubtless merely estine, a part of the Jewish nation. made known to them his desire that Tyre and Sidon. See Matt. 11: 22. they should be habitually with him 10. Plagues; sicknesses,called plagues, for instruction, and for being emor scourges, as being sent in the righ- ployed by him in announcing the teous providence of God, in conse-Messiah's having come. Compare quence of sin. 11, 12. Compare the following words.

1: 34.

13. Up into a mountain; or, as we sometimes say, up a mountain, or up on a mountain. Here Jesus spent much time in prayer, as he was now about to select a few who were ultimately to be his apostles. See Luke 6: 12.

It is gratifying and instructive to NOTICE with what assiduous prayer our Saviour proceeded in every step of his progress. Let him be our example.

16-19. Compare Matt. 10: 2—4. 17. Boanerges; a word compounded of two words used in the Hebrew dialect of that time. Why this name was applied to James and John, cannot be decided. There might have been something remarkable in their manner of speaking; or perhaps the impetuosity of their disposition (see Luke 9:54) might have occasioned the use of this name.

20, 21. His friends; some of those who were associated with him. The expression here used, in the original, is sometimes explained as meaning 14. He ordained; appointed. The strictly his relatives; but there is sat

lay hold on him: for they said, | mies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme :

He is beside himself.

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 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphe

isfactory evidence that it is employed in a wider sense. To lay hold on him; not violently, but in a suitable manner, taking hold of his hand, endeavoring to induce him to come into the house. He is beside himself. An exaggerated remark, doubtless, occasioned by the fervid devotion which Jesus felt to his official work, and which made him disregard his personal convenience and comfort.

22-30. Compare Matt. 12: 24

-37.

31-35. Compare Matt. 12: 46— 50. It would seem that the friends who went out to persuade Jesus to come into the house, did not prevail with him. The occasion was a very important one. A man possessed

29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation :

30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.

32 And the multitude sat about him; and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.

33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?

34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

with a demon, it seems (Matt. 12: 22, &c.), was brought to him, and he immediately, without taking food (Mark 3: 20), attended to the application. The scribes and Pharisees at once began to speak against his miraculous operations, and Jesus was occupied in meeting their cavils. Thus he could not yield to the solicitations of his friends. Afterwards, his mother and brethren (or kinsmen) made an effort to secure his return to the house.

NOTICE, here, the readiness of Jesus to be engaged in his appropriate work, both in season and out of season. Compare John 4: 34.

CHAPTER IV.

8 And other fell on good

AND he began again to teach ground, and did yield fruit that

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 doctrine,

3 Hearken: Behold, there went out a sower to sow;

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5 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 had no root, it withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

CHAPTER IV. 1-9. Compare Matt. 13: 1-9. 10. When he was alone; that is, in the absence of the people; when there were present only the twelve disciples and a few others, who felt specially interested in the Saviour's instructions. | Asked of him the parable; the explanation of the parable. 11. Them that are without; them that do not belong to my company, who do not seek and do not enjoy intimate familiarity with me, as being deeply interested in my teaching.

12. In order to understand this verse, it is desirable to read Matt. 13: 11-15, with the notes on those verses. The more copious language

sprang up and increased, and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.

9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 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 should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

of Matthew in those verses furnishes aid in explaining the more brief language of Mark in this. That. The Greek particle thus rendered has sometimes the same meaning as the particle used by Matthew (13: 13), and signifying for that, or because. By the aid of this remark, the idea contained in the verse under consideration may be thus expressed: "for that (or because) though they see, yet they do not perceive; though they hear, yet they do not understand; so that they are not converted, [so that they do not turn from their sins,] and their sins are not forgiven them.' Lest. See on Matt. 13: 15. The original word thus rendered

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