11 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, 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 sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 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, 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. d 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. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 21 No man 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 the rent is made worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and c Matt. ix. 9. * Or, at the place where the custom was received. d Matt. ix. 14; Luke v. 33. Verse 14. He saw Levi, &c.-See notes on Matt. ix. 9—13. Verse 18. The disciples of John, &c.— See notes on Matt. ix. 14-17. 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 an hungred, 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 shewbread, 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, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: e Matt. xii. 1. Verses 23-26. He went through the corn-fields, &c.—See notes on Matt. xii. 1-8. At the time here mentioned, Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar, was high priest. But the difficulty may be solved either by supposing that Ahimelech had the name also of Abiathar, which is supported by comparing 2 Sam. viii. 17, with 1 Chron. xviii. 16; or that Abiathar was the high priest's sagan or deputy, and therefore called popularly the high priest himself. Therefore the Jews say, that "the son of a high priest, who is deputed by his father in his stead, is called a high priest." E has been variously taken; but either of the above solutions leaves its sense unforced, as it is frequently used for in the time of, and here properly by our translators, in the days of Abiathar, &c. Verse 27. The sabbath was made for man, &c.—In addition to the notes on this transaction in Matt. xii. 1-8, it may be remarked on this passage, that it is impossible to conceive a dictum of wisdom in form of a maxim so finely guarded on "the right hand and on the left," and yet left so decisively practical. It is beautifully though somewhat enigmati cally founded upon the fact, that man was created before the sabbath was instituted; not the sabbath set apart, and then man made to observe and honour it. This shows the great end for which the sabbath was appointed-not its own obser vance, not that man should give to it for its own sake a hallowed character, as it man had been created on purpose to show it respect; but man was first made, and then the sabbath was instituted, THE END of which institution terminated in MAN, in his interest, happiness, and spiritual improvement, to which the sab bath was therefore to be SUBSERVIENT. Here then the great rule comes in as to sabbatical observance. Whatever is enjoined upon man with reference to the sabbath, which has not for its end man's instruction in religion, his intercourse with God in worship, and which superstitiously prevents his being fitted for duty by proper bodily refreshments, of his being relieved as far as possible from bodily pains and miseries, that his heart may be filled with gratitude, and his mouth with praise, is subordinating mas 28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sab bath. to the sabbath, making MAN the servant of a DAY, to give it ceremonial distinction without moral purpose or effect; whereas by fixing the attention upon the true end of the institution, it is subordinated to its primitive and noble intention, the promotion of piety, peace, and holiness; and so it will appear, that the sabbath was made for man, was appointed by God for his spiritual and eternal benefit. When, however, it is said, that the sabbath was made for man, let it be remarked, that no laxity of RELIGIOUS regard to the sabbath can be justified by this sentiment. Woe to those who thus pervert the words of truth and mercy. The universal obligation of the sabbath is unequivocally asserted in these words: The sabbath was made for MAN,-not for Jews only, or for any other class of men, but for MAN; for man even in his innocence and purity, and therefore, for all his descendants; for man considered as a moral and accountable being, who needs to hold special intercourse with his Maker, who ought to be detached from worldly cares, that he may do this with a calm and recollected spirit; and who is under obligation in public assemblies to acknowledge God, and to keep up the knowledge and influence of truth in the world from age to age. And when it is said, that it was made for man, the meaning is evident, that it was instituted chiefly, and in its highest reasons, to promote in him the fear and love of God, by giving him leisure for religious exercises, and appointing their observance. This is the meaning of God's "blessing and sanctifying the day," consecrating and setting it apart for such hallowed services as should bring man into communion with God, and thus secure his constant "blessing." Many subordinate ends of human interest and happiness result from sabbatical observance, which indeed prove that duty and felicity are always in the result bound up together; but the grand character and end of this divine institution is, that it was made for the purpose of promoting the spiritual and eternal interests of the human race; and whatever is inconsistent with these, is an obvious violation of the law of the sabbath, and a grievous sin against our own mercy. Verse 28. The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.-Our blessed Lord here asserts his right, 1. To interpret the law of the sabbath; 2. To alter or modify it as he pleased; 3. To alter the time of its observance, which he afterwards did through his apostles, from the seventh to the first day of the week. And if any ask our authority for observing this day, and not the Jewish sabbath, the answer is, that in the Christian scriptures it bears the name of "THE LORD'S DAY," with manifest reference to this text, in which Christ asserts his power over it, as Lawgiver the Son of man is LORD also of the sabbath. It is "the Lord's day," because he himself appointed it, by his own authority, to be the sabbath for all succeeding ages. Those who, like Campbell, understand the term Son of Man, here, to signify any man, and the sentiment to be, that as the sabbath was made for man, so man is its Lord, fall into this erroneous interpretation through considering the words as the inference from the verse preceding; whereas it is the general conclusion from the whole argument, which is more fully stated by St. Matthew. There our Lord argues, that as the priests did servile work in the temple because of the sacredness of the place, he who was "greater than the temple" itself had rights on this subject which no mere man could have; and it is to this his dignity that the words refer, and from which they flow, as the natural conclusion. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the sabbath.-See the note on Matt. xii. 8. 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. a 1 AND he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a 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. 5 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 it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 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 Judæa, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumæa, and from beyond a Matt. xii. 9. CHAPTER III. Verses 1-6. A man with a withered hand.-See the notes on Matt. xii. 10-14. Into this interesting narrative St. Mark has introduced the additional circumstance, that he looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts. The ANGER was clearly a holy indignation at the hypocrisy which could plume itself upon a strict observance of the sabbath, and yet suffer human beings to remain in misery, or to die, to be killed for want of help. But it was an emotion softened by GRIEF, a painful sympathy at the hardness of their hearts; not merely their want of * Or, blindness. compassion, although their superstition had blinded the natural feelings of pity towards these distressed creatures; but at their perversity of mind, their blindness of heart, as it is in the Vulgate, that stubborn determination to cling to their errors which rendered his instructions only the means of heightening their guilt. That the anger was the anger of holiness and love, is proved from the grief inflicted upon his spirit by their dangerous, and now almost hopeless, spiritual condition. Verse 6. The Herodians.-See the note on Matt. xxii. 16. Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, 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. b 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 : Or, rushed. Verse 12. And he straitly charged.— They declared him to be the Son of God," and he strictly inhibited them from making him known, that is, under that character; but not merely as the Messiah, which our Lord publicly professed to be. So that here we have another proof that the phrase, Son of God, implied, in the commonly received language of the Jews, something higher than simply the office of Messiah. This must be allowed, or an absurd tautology will take place in some passages. Thus, in the very first verse of this Gospel, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Here, if the Son of God conveyed the same idea as the Messiah or Christ, it would be as though St. Mark had written, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Christ." And also in Luke iv. 41, "And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ, the Son of God," it would be only saying, “Thou art Christ the Christ," unless the Son of God implied a distinct and higher conception, one in fact which b Matt x. 1. related not to his office only, but to his nature. On this point see the notes on chap. i. 34, and on Matt. xvi. 20. Verse 13. Whom he would.-The appointment to the apostolic office was an act of SOVEREIGN CHOICE, for which Christ gave no reason. He made no apologies to those of his disciples who were not so called, and he allowed no one who had the call to refer it to any merit in himself. "He gave no account of his matters" in this respect; and thereby showed that he was the Lord of his church, and that he has a prerogative which he suffers not to be invaded. It is often by confounding this election to offices in the church, which is in its nature unconditional, with personal election unto salvation, which is conditional upon repentance, faith, and perseverance, that men have fallen into great errors in the interpretation of scripture. On the calling of the apostles see the notes on Matt. x. 1, &c. Verse 14. He ordained twelve.—Eroinσe, he constituted or appointed twelve. |
