Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

do the disciples of John and of the pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

12.

Were accustomed often to fast. Compare Luke v. 33; xviii. And they come and say.' The disciples of John came, Matt. ix, 14.

19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber 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 the bottles will be marred but new wine must be put into new bottles. See Matt, ix. 15-17.

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.

See Matt. xii. 1-8. 'The corn-fields. The fields sown with grain, wheat or barley. To pluck the ears of corn.' They were hungry. See Matt. They therefore gathered the wheat or barley as they walked, to satisfy their appetite. Though our Lord was with them, and though he had all things at his control, yet he suffered them to resort to this mode, the mode of the poor and the needy, to supply their wants. Poverty is not disgrace; God often suffers it for the good of his people; he will take care, in some way, that their wants shall be supplied. It was lawful for them to do this. See Deut. xxiii. 25.

24 And the pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath-day that which is not lawful? "That which is not lawful.' That is, that which they esteemed to be unlawful on the sabbath day. It was made lawful by Moses, without any distinction of days.

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

'Have ye never read,' &c. See note, Matt. xii. 3.

26 How he went into the house of God in the days

of Abiathar the high priest, and did cat the shew-bread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

Abiathar the high priest. From 1 Sam. xxi. 1, it appears that Abimelech was high priest at the time here referred to; and from 1 Sam. xxiii. 6, it appears that Abiathar was the son of Abimelech. For a long time, during David's reign, he was high priest; it became natural therefore to associate his name with that of David; to speak of David as king, and Abiathar the high priest of his time. This will account for the fact that he was spoken of rather than his father. At the same time it was strictly true, that this was done in the days of Abiathar, who was afterwards high priest, and was familiarly spoken of as such. 'Shewbread; see note, Matt. xii. 4.

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

"The sabbath was made for man.' For his rest from the cares and anxieties of the world, to give an opportunity to call off his attention from earthly concerns, and to direct it to the concerns of eternity. It was a kind provision for man, that he might refresh his body by relaxing his labours; that he might have undisturbed time to seek the consolations of religion, and that he might render to God that worship which is most justly due to him as the Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and Redeemer of the world. And it is easily capable of proof, that no institution has been more signally blessed to man's welfare than the Christian sabbath. To that we owe, more than to any thing else, the peace and order of a civilized community. Where there is no sabbath, there is ignorance, vice, disorder, and crime. Where that day is observed as it should be, order prevails, the poor are elevated in their condition, and the community puts on the appearance of neatness, industry, morality, and religion. The sabbath was, therefore, pre-eminently intended for man's welfare, and the best interests of mankind demand that it should be sacredly regarded as a merciful appointment of Heaven, intended for our best good. Not man for the sabbath.' Man was made first, and then the sabbath was appointed for his welfare, Gen. ii. 1-3. The sabbath was not first made or contemplated, and then the man made with reference to that. Since, therefore, the sabbath was intended for man's real good, the law requiring it must not be interpreted so as to oppose the same. It must be interpreted in consistency with a proper attention to the claims of mercy, still, however, in accordance with man's real good on the whole, and with the law of God. The law of God contemplates man's real good on the whole, and we have no right, under the plea that the sabbath was made for man, to do any thing contrary to

what the law of God admits. It would not be for our real good, but for our real and eternal injury, to devote the sabbath to vice, to labour, or to amusement.

28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

See note, Matt. xii. 8.

CHAPTER III.

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.

See this explained in Matt. xii. 9-13.

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.

It seems to have been a maxim with the Jews, that not to do good when we have an opportunity, was to do evil; not to save life, was to kill, or to be guilty of murder. If a man has an opportunity of saving another man's life and refuses to do it, he is evidently guilty of his death. On this principle our Saviour puts this question to the Jews, whether it was better for him, having the power to heal this man, to do it, or to allow him to remain in this suffering condition. The ability to do good imposes an obligation to do it. He that has the means of feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, and instructing the ignorant, and sending the gospel to the destitute, and who does it not, is guilty; for he is practically doing evil; he is suffering evils to exist which he might remove. So the wicked will be condemned in the day of judgment, because they did it not, Matt. xxv. 45.

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

'With anger.' With a severe and stern countenance; with indignation at their hypocrisy and hardness of heart. This was not hatred of the men whose hearts were so hard; it was hatred of the sin which they exhibited, joined with extreme grief that neither his teaching, nor the law of God, nor any means which

had been used, overcame their confirmed wickedness. 'Hardness of their hearts.' The heart is said to be tender when it is easily affected by the sufferings of others; by our own sin and danger; by the love and commands of God; when we are easily made to feel on the great subjects pertaining to our interest, Ezek. xi. 19, 20. It is hard, when nothing moves it. It is most tender in youth, or when we have committed fewest crimes. It is made hard by indulgence in sin; by long resisting the offers of life, or the appeals which God may make to us by his Spirit or providence. Hence it is, that the most favourable period for securing an interest in Christ, or for becoming a christian, is in youth; in the first, the tenderest, and the best days of life.

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

Straightway. Immediately; or, as soon as possible. Took counsel. Laid a plan. Consulted with them. The Herodians.' See note, Matt. xxii. 16. 'How they might destroy him.' They hated him for his holiness; because he reproved them; because he laid open their hypocrisy; and because he won the hearts of the people, and lessened their influence. Men would often rather put him to death who reproves them, than forsake their sins. The pharisees had rather commit any crime, even to the murder of their Messiah, than forsake the sins for which he rebuked them.

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 and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

'To the sea.' The sea of Galilee. Or, to the desert and lonely regions which surrounded the sea, where he might be in obscu rity, and avoid their designs against his life. Galilee.' See Matt. ii. 22. 'Judea.' See Matt. ii. 1. 6 Jerusalem.' Jerusalem was in Judea. It is mentioned particularly to show that not only the people of the surrounding country came, but also many from the capital, the place of wealth, and honour, and power. Idumea. The country formerly inhabited by the Edomites, the most southern part of the land of Canaan. Idumea' is a Greek word, derived from the Hebrew, Edom. It signifies the land of Edom, a name given to Esau, one of the sons of Isaac, Gen. xxv. 30. He settled in mount Seir, Deut. ii. 5, on the south of the land of Canaan; and the country of Idumea bounded Palestine on the south. 'From beyond Jordan.

From the east side of the river Jordan. The sacred writers lived on the west side of Jordan, and, by the country beyond Jordan they meant that on the east side. Tyre and Sidon.' See note, Matt. xi. 21.

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.

'A small ship.' Rather, a boat. There were, properly speaking, no ships on the sea of Tiberias. This was probably a small boat that belonged to his disciples, in which he could sit off from the shore, and teach the people, without being pressed by them. 'Lest they should throng him.' He had healed many, and those who were still diseased pressed or crowded on him. He therefore withdrew from the multitude. 'As many as had plagues.' As many as had diseases, or maladies of body or mind.

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.

'Unclean spirits.' Persons who were possessed of evil spirits. Thou art the Son of God.' The Son of God, by way of eminence. In this place it is equivalent to the Messiah, who was among the Jews called the Son of God. Hence they were charged not to make him known, because he was not desirous that it should be blazoned abroad that he claimed to be the Messiah.

This circumstance proves the existence of evil spirits. If these were merely diseased or deranged persons, how could they be endowed with knowledge so much superior to those in health? If they were under the influence of an order of spirits superior to man-whose appropriate habitation was in another world-then it is not strange that they should know him, even in the midst of his poverty, to be the Messiah, the Son of God.

13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

For an account of the appointment of the apostles, see Matt. x. 1-4. 'And calleth unto him whom he would.' Those whom he chose; whom he was about to appoint to the apostleship.

14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

[ocr errors]

'He ordained twelve.' The word rendered ordained,' means literally he made,' or he appointed twelve to be with him.

« AnteriorContinuar »