MATT. IX.

come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, 29 Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it 30 unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, 31 saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32

As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed 33 with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake and the 34 multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. [See in § 62.]

54

§ 61. JESUS AGAIN AT NAZARETH, AND AGAIN REJECTED. [See § 28.]

MATT. XIII. 54-58.

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary?1 and his brethren, James, and Joses, 56 and Simon, and Judas? and his

sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all 57 these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country,3 58 and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

1

3

4

5

6

MARK VI. 1-6.

And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, 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 healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief.-

§ 62. A THIRD CIRCUIT IN GALILEE. [See §§ 32, 47.] THE TWELVE INSTRUCTED AND SENT FORTH.-Galilee.

MATT. IX. 35-38. X. 1, 5-42. XI. 1.

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sick

idea of an earthly dominion over the Jewish nation, and so be liable to grievous abuse, (as when the people set about to make Jesus a king, John 6. 15,) our Lord did not himself use it, but called himself, instead, "the Son of man," a title of deeper significance, and less liable to perversion. 1 Acts 1. 14.

2 His brethren. Much has been written to prove that cousins must be meant here, and in the like places, but there is no sufficient warrant

MARK VI. 6-13. 6-And he went round about the villages, teaching.

for departing from what is the obvious sense, namely, that our Lord had brothers and sisters (ver. 56) who were born of his mother, after she became, in the strict sense, Joseph's wife.

3 His own country. This means here the place (Nazareth) where Christ had been brought up; but in John 4. 44 it means the country (Judea) where he had been born.

4 Comp. John 4. 44.

MATT. IX.

36 ness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and 37 were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

1

MATT. X.

sent

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.-[Ver. 5 2-4 in § 40.] These twelve Jesus forth, and commanded them, saying,* Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans 6 enter ye not: but gorather to the lost sheep 5 of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have receiv9 ed, freely give. Pro

vide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your 10 purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.' 11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.8 12 And when ye come in

1 Comp. Isa. 53. 6.

7

MARK VI.

3

And he called unto 1 him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

2 Then. After describing the forlorn spiritual state of the people, our gracious Saviour speaks of that sad state as presenting a vast harvest-field, in which his servants were called to labour. Such is now the state of the heathen (or even worse). Let not Christ's disciples cease to pray and labour on their behalf.

3 Comp. Luke 10. 2.

2

LUKE IX. 1-6.

Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

4 Saying. Very much of what our Lord addresses here to the twelve, was afterwards spoken also to the seventy, as being appropriate to both classes: see Luke ch. 10. in § 81.

5 Matt. 9. 36; 18. 11-13.

6 Comp. Acts 20. 33-35.

7 Comp. Luke 10. 7; 1 Tim. 5. 18.

8 Comp. Acts 16. 15; Luke 10. 38-42.

MARK VI.

MATT. X.

to an house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 And whosoever shall 11 And whosoever shall

not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your 15 feet.1 Verily I say

16

unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

not receive you, nor
hear you, when ye de-
part thence, shake off
the dust under your
feet for a testimony
against them.1 Verily
I say unto you, It shall
be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrha
in the day of judgment,
than for that city.

LUKE IX.

5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.1

Behold, send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye there17 fore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their syna18 gogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, 19 for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you

up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak : for it shall be given you in 20 that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the 21 Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver

up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall 22 rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the 23 end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities 24 of Israel, till the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, 25 nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

26

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be 27 revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the 28 housetops. And fear not them which kill the body," but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body 29 in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall 30 not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your 31 head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than 32 many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him 33 will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is 34 in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not 35 to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance

1 Comp. Acts 13. 51. 2 Comp. Acts 23. 6. 3 Take no thought is not a good rendering of un μEPIμVÝONтe, for it rather signifies be not anxious even the apostles found it necessary to think, though they were freed from solicitude by the promise of special assistance (comp. 2 Tim. 4. 16-18) when they had to speak.

A Ye shall not have gone over, &c. By this

language our Lord probably intended to intimate,
that the apostles would not finish evangelizing
the towns of Palestine, before he should come to
destroy Jerusalem and scatter the nation.
5 Comp. Dan. 3. 16-18.
6 Comp. Heb. 12. 28, 29.
7 Comp. Luke 12. 49-53.

MATT. X.

against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter 36 in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his 37 own household. 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 38 worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross,2 and followeth after me, 39 is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40

He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth 41 him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, He shall in no wise lose his reward.

XI. 1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. [See in § 44.]

MARK VI.

12 And they went out, and preached 13 that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

LUKE IX.

6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

§ 63. HEROD HOLDS JESUS TO BE JOHN THE BAPTIST, WHOM HE HAD JUST BEFORE

1

MATT. XIV. 1, 2, 6-12.

BEHEADED.-Galilee? Peræa.

At that time 4 Herod 14 the tetrarch heard of 2 the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.[Ver. 3-5 in § 24.]

Comp. Mic. 7. 6.

15

MARK VI. 14-16, 21-29.

And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a pro

2 He that taketh not his cross, &c. The faithful disciple must be prepared, if necessary, to suffer even the punishment of the most disgraced criminals, who had to carry their own cross to the place of execution. To bear the cross is, strictly, to be led to a cruel and ignominious death, and not, as we are apt to think, to endure some slight persecution or to make some sacrifice in the cause of Christ. In this language, our Lord appears to have intimated the manner of his own death.

3 Comp. 2 Kings 4. 8-17.

4 While the twelve are absent preaching in the name of Christ, Herod causes John the Baptist to be beheaded in the castle of Machærus, at the southern extremity of Peræa, near the Dead Sea; Jos. Antiq. 18. 5. 2. In consequence of the preaching of the apostles, Herod hears the fame

of Jesus; is conscience-smitten; and says that he is John risen from the dead. The disciples of John come and tell Jesus; and the twelve also return with the same intelligence; upon which Jesus withdraws from Galilee to the north-eastern coast of the lake, not far from the northern Bethsaida or Julias, which was in the tetrarchy of Philip: Jos. Antiq. 18. 2. 1: see Map. All these events seem to have taken place near together.

Matthew and Mark narrate the death of the Baptist in explanation of Herod's declaration. The account of his imprisonment is transferred to § 24.

According to John 6. 4, the passover was now at hand, namely, the third during our Lord's ministry. John therefore had lain in prison nearly a year and six months; and was beheaded about three years after entering upon his public ministry. See Note on § 25.

phet, or as one of 16 the prophets. But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

$ 64. THE TWELVE RETURN, [see § 62,] AND JESUS RETIRES WITH THEM ACROSS THE LAKE. FIVE THOUSAND ARE FED.-Capernaum. N. E. coast of the

And the apostles gathered them- 10 selves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

1 Birthday (yevéola), rather birthday festivities, which lasted more than one day; and hence the plural form of the Greek word (see Winer's Grammatik, p. 202, Thus there was time enough to