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THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO
MARK
Commentary by DAVID BROWN
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CHAPTER 1
@Mr
1:1-8. THE PREACHING AND BAPTISM OF JOHN. ( = @Mt
3:1-12 Lu 3:1-18).
1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God--By the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ here
is evidently meant the blessed Story which our Evangelist
is about to tell of His Life, Ministry, Death,
Resurrection, and Glorification, and of the begun
Gathering of Believers in His Name. The abruptness with
which he announces his subject, and the energetic brevity
with which, passing by all preceding events, he hastens
over the ministry of John and records the Baptism and
Temptation of Jesus--as if impatient to come to the Public
Life of the Lord of glory--have often been noticed as
characteristic of this Gospel--a Gospel whose direct,
practical, and singularly vivid setting imparts to it a
preciousness peculiar to itself. What strikes every one
is, that though the briefest of all the Gospels, this is
in some of the principal scenes of our Lord's history the
fullest. But what is not so obvious is, that wherever the
finer and subtler feelings of humanity, or the deeper and
more peculiar hues of our Lord's character were brought
out, these, though they should be lightly passed over by
all the other Evangelists, are sure to be found here, and
in touches of such quiet delicacy and power, that though
scarce observed by the cursory reader, they leave
indelible impressions upon all the thoughtful and furnish
a key to much that is in the other Gospels. These few
opening words of the Second Gospel are enough to show,
that though it was the purpose of this Evangelist to
record chiefly the outward and palpable facts of our
Lord's public life, he recognized in Him, in common with
the Fourth Evangelist, the glory of the Only-begotten of
the Father.
2, 3. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send
my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way
before thee--(@Mal
3:1 Isa 40:3).
3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight--The
second of these quotations is given by Matthew and Luke in
the same connection, but they reserve the former quotation
till they have occasion to return to the Baptist, after
his imprisonment (@Mt
11:10 Lu 7:27). (Instead of the words, "as it is
written in the Prophets," there is weighty evidence
in favor of the following reading: "As it is written
in Isaiah the prophet." This reading is adopted by
all the latest critical editors. If it be the true one, it
is to be explained thus--that of the two quotations, the
one from Malachi is but a later development of the great
primary one in Isaiah, from which the whole prophetical
matter here quoted takes its name. But the received text
is quoted by IRENĈUS, before the end of the second
century, and the evidence in its favor is greater in amount,
if not in weight. The chief objection to it is, that if
this was the true reading, it is difficult to see how the
other one could have got in at all; whereas, if it be not
the true reading, it is very easy to see how it found its
way into the text, as it removes the startling difficulty
of a prophecy beginning with the words of Malachi being
ascribed to Isaiah). For the exposition, see on Mt
3:1-6,11; Mt 3:11.
@Mr
1:9-11. BAPTISM OF CHRIST AND DESCENT OF THE SPIRIT
UPON HIM IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER. ( = @Mt
3:13-17 Lu 3:21,22).
See on Mt 3:13-17.
@Mr
1:12,13. TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. ( = @Mt
4:1-11 Lu 4:1-13).
See on Mt 4:1-11.
@Mr
1:14-20. CHRIST BEGINS HIS GALILEAN MINISTRY--CALLING
OF SIMON AND ANDREW, JAMES AND JOHN.
See on Mt 4:12-22.
@Mr
1:21-39. HEALING OF A DEMONIAC IN THE SYNAGOGUE OF
CAPERNAUM AND THEREAFTER OF SIMON'S MOTHER-IN-LAW AND MANY
OTHERS--JESUS, NEXT DAY, IS FOUND IN A SOLITARY PLACE AT
MORNING PRAYERS, AND IS ENTREATED TO RETURN, BUT DECLINES,
AND GOES FORTH ON HIS FIRST MISSIONARY CIRCUIT. ( = @Lu
4:31-44 Mt 8:14-17 4:23-25).
21. And they went into Capernaum--(See on Mt 4:13).
and straightway on the
sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught--This
should have been rendered, "straightway on the
sabbaths He entered into the synagogue and taught,"
or "continued to teach." The meaning is, that as
He began this practice on the very first sabbath after
coming to settle at Capernaum, so He continued it
regularly thereafter.
22. And they were astonished at his doctrine--or
"teaching"--referring quite as much to the
manner as the matter of it.
for he taught them as
one that had authority, and not as the scribes--See on
Mt 7:28,29.
23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an
unclean spirit--literally, "in an unclean
spirit"--that is, so entirely under demoniacal power
that his personality was sunk for the time in that of the
spirit. The frequency with which this character of
"impurity" is ascribed to evil spirits--some
twenty times in the Gospels--is not to be overlooked.
and he cried out--as
follows:
24. Saying, Let us alone--or rather, perhaps,
"ah!" expressive of mingled astonishment
and terror.
what have we to do with
thee--an expression of frequent occurrence in the Old
Testament (@1Ki
17:18 2Ki 3:13 2Ch 35:21, &c.). It denotes entire
separation of interests:--that is, "Thou and we
have nothing in common; we want not Thee; what wouldst
Thou with us?" For the analogous application of it by
our Lord to His mother, see on Joh 2:4.
thou Jesus of Nazareth--"Jesus,
Nazarene!" an epithet originally given to express
contempt, but soon adopted as the current designation by
those who held our Lord in honor (@Lu
18:37 Mr 16:6 Ac 2:22).
art thou come to destroy
us?--In the case of the Gadarene demoniac the question
was, "Art Thou come hither to torment us before the
time?" (@Mt
8:29). Themselves tormentors and destroyers of their
victims, they discern in Jesus their own destined
tormentor and destroyer, anticipating and dreading what
they know and feel to be awaiting them! Conscious, too,
that their power was but permitted and temporary, and
perceiving in Him, perhaps, the woman's Seed that was to
bruise the head and destroy the works of the devil, they
regard His approach to them on this occasion as a signal
to let go their grasp of this miserable victim.
I know thee who thou
art, the Holy One of God--This and other even more
glorious testimonies to our Lord were given, as we know,
with no good will, but in hope that, by the acceptance of
them, He might appear to the people to be in league with
evil spirits--a calumny which His enemies were ready
enough to throw out against Him. But a Wiser than either
was here, who invariably rejected and silenced the
testimonies that came to Him from beneath, and thus was
able to rebut the imputations of His enemies against Him
(@Mt
12:24-30). The expression, "Holy One of
God," seems evidently taken from that Messianic Psalm
(@Ps
16:10), in which He is styled "Thine Holy
One."
25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and
come out of him--A glorious word of command. BENGEL
remarks that it was only the testimony borne to Himself
which our Lord meant to silence. That he should afterwards
cry out for fear or rage (@Mr
1:26) He would right willingly permit.
26. And when the unclean spirit had torn him--Luke
(@Lu
4:35) says, "When he had thrown him in the
midst." Malignant cruelty--just showing what he would
have done, if permitted to go farther: it was a last
fling!
and cried with a loud
voice--the voice of enforced submission and despair.
he came out of him--Luke
(@Lu
4:35) adds, "and hurt him not." Thus
impotent were the malignity and rage of the impure spirit
when under the restraint of "the Stronger than the
strong one armed" (@Lu
11:21,22).
27. What thing is this? what new doctrine--teaching
is this?--The
audience, rightly apprehending that the miracle was
wrought to illustrate the teaching and display the
character and glory of the Teacher, begin by asking what
novel kind of teaching this could be, which was so
marvellously attested.
28. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout
all the region round about Galilee--rather, "the
whole region of Galilee"; though some, as MEYER and
ELLICOTT, explain it of the country surrounding Galilee.
29. And forthwith, when they were come out of the
synagogue--so also in @Lu
4:38.
they entered into the
house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John--The
mention of these four--which is peculiar to Mark--is the
first of those traces of Peter's hand in this Gospel, of
which we shall find many more. The house being his, and
the illness and cure so nearly affecting himself, it is
interesting to observe this minute specification of the
number and names of the witnesses; interesting also--as
the first occasion on which the sacred triumvirate of
Peter and James and John are selected from among the rest,
to be a threefold cord of testimony to certain events in
their Lord's life (see on Mr 5:37)--Andrew being present
on this occasion, as the occurrence took place in his own
house.
30. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever--Luke,
as was natural in "the beloved physician"
(@Col
4:14), describes it professionally; calling it a
"great fever," and thus distinguishing it from
that lighter kind which the Greek physicians were wont to
call "small fevers," as GALEN, quoted by
WETSTEIN, tells us.
and anon--immediately.
they tell him of her--naturally
hoping that His compassion and power towards one of His
own disciples would not be less signally displayed than
towards the demonized stranger in the synagogue.
31. And he came and took her by the hand--rather,
"And advancing, He took her," &c. The
beloved physician again is very specific: "And He
stood over her."
and lifted her up--This
act of condescension, most felt doubtless by Peter, is
recorded only by Mark.
and immediately the
fever left her, and she ministered unto them--preparing
their sabbath-meal: in token both of the perfectness and
immediateness of the cure, and of her gratitude to the
glorious Healer.
32. And at even, when the sun did set--so @Mt
8:16. Luke (@Lu
4:40) says it was setting.
they brought unto him
all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with
devils--the demonized. From @Lu
13:14 we see how unlawful they would have deemed it to
bring their sick to Jesus for a cure during the sabbath
hours. They waited, therefore, till these were over, and
then brought them in crowds. Our Lord afterwards took
repeated occasion to teach the people by example, even at
the risk of His own life, how superstitious a straining of
the sabbath rest this was.
33. And all the city was gathered together at the door--of
Peter's house; that is, the sick and those who brought
them, and the wondering spectators. This bespeaks the
presence of an eye-witness, and is one of those lively
examples of word-painting so frequent in this Gospel.
34. And he healed many that were sick of divers
diseases, and cast out many devils--In @Mt
8:16 it is said, "He cast out the spirits with
His word"; or rather, "with a word"--a word
of command.
and suffered not the
devils to speak, because they knew him--Evidently they
would have spoken, if permitted, proclaiming His
Messiahship in such terms as in the synagogue; but once in
one day, and that testimony immediately silenced, was
enough. See on Mr 1:24. After this account of His miracles
of healing, we have in @Mt
8:17 this pregnant quotation, "That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying
(@Isa
53:4), Himself took our infirmities, and bare our
sicknesses."
35. And in the morning--that is, of the day after
this remarkable sabbath; or, on the first day of the
week. His choosing this day to inaugurate a new and
glorious stage of His public work, should be noted by the
reader.
rising up a great while
before day--"while it was yet night," or
long before daybreak.
he went out--all
unperceived from Peter's house, where He slept.
and departed into a
solitary place, and there prayed--or, "continued
in prayer." He was about to begin His first preaching
and healing circuit; and as on similar solemn occasions (@Lu
5:16 6:12 9:18,28,29 Mr 6:46), He spent some time in
special prayer, doubtless with a view to it. What would
one not give to have been, during the stillness of those
grey morning hours, within hearing--not of His
"strong crying and tears," for He had scarce
arrived at the stage for that--but of His calm, exalted
anticipations of the work which lay immediately before
Him, and the outpourings of His soul about it into the
bosom of Him that sent Him! He had doubtless enjoyed some
uninterrupted hours of such communings with His heavenly
Father ere His friends from Capernaum arrived in search of
Him. As for them, they doubtless expected, after such a
day of miracles, that the next day would witness similar
manifestations. When morning came, Peter, loath to break
in upon the repose of his glorious Guest, would await His
appearance beyond the usual hour; but at length, wondering
at the stillness, and gently coming to see where the Lord
lay, he finds it--like the sepulchre afterwards--empty!
Speedily a party is made up to go in search of Him, Peter
naturally leading the way.
36. And Simon and they that were with him followed
after him--rather, "pressed after Him." Luke
(@Lu
4:42) says, "The multitudes sought after
Him"; but this would be a party from the town. Mark,
having his information from Peter himself, speaks only of
what related directly to him. "They that were with
him" would probably be Andrew his brother, James and
John, with a few other choice brethren.
37. And when they had found him--evidently after
some search.
they said unto him, All
men seek for thee--By this time, "the
multitudes" who, according to Luke (@Lu
4:42), "sought after Him"--and who, on going
to Peter's house, and there learning that Peter and a few
more were gone in search of Him, had set out on the same
errand--would have arrived, and "came unto Him and
stayed Him, that He should not depart from them" (@Lu
4:42); all now urging His return to their impatient
townsmen.
38. And he said unto them, Let us go--or, according
to another reading, "Let us go elsewhere."
into the next towns--rather,
"unto the neighboring village-towns"; meaning
those places intermediate between towns and villages, with
which the western side of the Sea of Galilee was studded.
that I may preach there
also; for therefore came I forth--not from Capernaum,
as DE WETTE miserably interprets, nor from His privacy in
the desert place, as MEYER, no better; but from the
Father. Compare @Joh
16:28, "I came forth from the Father, and am come
into the world," &c.--another proof, by the way,
that the lofty phraseology of the Fourth Gospel was not
unknown to the authors of the others, though their design
and point of view are different. The language in which our
Lord's reply is given by Luke (@Lu
4:43) expresses the high necessity under which, in
this as in every other step of His work, He acted--"I
must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also; for
therefore"--or, "to this end"--"am I
sent." An act of self-denial it doubtless was, to
resist such pleadings to return to Capernaum. But there
were overmastering considerations on the other side.
@Mr
1:40-45. HEALING OF A LEPER. ( = @Mt
8:1-4 Lu 5:12-16).
See on Mt 8:1-4.
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