Luke · Chapter 4

V. 1. The wilderness-Supposed by some to have been in Judea; by others to have been that great desert of Horeb or Sinai, where the children of Israel were tried for forty years, and Moses and Elijah fasted forty days. Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12.

Verse 1. Was led by the Spirit] Or, And was carried about, hgeto. Matthew says, avhcqh, he was brought up. Mark says, the Spirit driveth him ekballei-putteth him forth. But each of the evangelists attributes this to the Holy Ghost, not to Satan.

It may be useful to remark here, that, during the forty days and forty nights in which he is said to have been tempted by the devil, he is carried about, continually sustained and supported, by the Holy Ghost. Let those who are tempted by Satan look for, and, in virtue of the power and intercession of Christ, claim, the same support; and it matters little how many days they may be assaulted by the devil, while they are carried about by the Spirit of God.

Verse 1. And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, &c., was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, &c. — Supposed by some to have been in Judea; by others to have been the great desert of Horeb, or Sinai, where the children of Israel were tried for forty years, and Moses and Elijah fasted forty days. Here we see that our blessed Lord began his ministry immediately after his baptism, not by going directly to Jerusalem, the seat of power, preceded by the Baptist, and with the divine glory surrounding his head, but by retiring into a wilderness, that, without interruption, he might prepare himself for his work by fasting, meditation, and prayer, and by sustaining temptations. Hence his journey to the wilderness is said to have been undertaken by the direction, or strong impulse, of the Spirit, by which Mark says he was driven. See note on Mark 1:12, 13, and especially on Matthew 4:1, where the nature and design of our Lord’s temptation are explained at large.

§ 17. TEMPTATION OF JESUS, 1-13.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13.

1. Full of the Holy Ghost—Bestowed in full measure at his baptism. Returned from Jordan—Towards Jerusalem, probably, and thence to Nazareth. This is an important point. It has been objected, How could he be led into the wilderness, when at his baptism he was already in the wilderness? Jesus’s back was towards the wilderness, we reply, and his face and movements toward Jerusalem, or Nazareth, when, as Mark says, “immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.”

Verse 2. Being forty days tempted — According to Luke here, and Mark 1:12, he was tempted of Satan during the whole of these forty days; but we are favoured with no account of the various subtle arts which that evil spirit used in the course of so long a temptation. Only the three assaults which he made at the expiration of the forty days are recorded; perhaps because they were more violent than the rest, or more for the instruction of mankind. In those days he did eat nothing — And therefore was supported all the time by a miracle; for he found no inconvenience from so long and preternatural a fast. He did not, it seems, even feel the sensation of hunger till the forty days were expired. Moses, who was a type of Jesus, was remarkable for fasts of this kind; for at two different times he was forty days and forty nights with the Lord, Deuteronomy 9:9-25; 10:10. In like manner Elijah, who was a type of Christ’s forerunner, went in the strength of the meat he had eaten, for forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb, the mount of God. Moreover, as Moses, during his forty days’ fast, received from God the laws which he afterward delivered to the Israelites, and, by continuing so long without food, proved the reality of his intercourse with God; so Jesus, during the whole of his fast, enjoyed continual converse with his heavenly Father, and received the new law, or evangelical doctrine, which he communicated to his first disciples, to be by them transmitted to future ages, John 8:26; and 15:15; and by the miracle of a total abstinence from food for so long a time, demonstrated the truth of his mission. And it is probable, that this solemn fast of Christ, like those of Moses and Elias, was intended partly, at least, to prove the divinity of his mission, and to inculcate the necessity of subduing the animal passions and fleshly lusts, and vanquishing the pleasures of sense, before a man takes on himself the high character of an instructer of others in the knowledge of divine things.

Verse 2. Being tempted forty days — he afterward hungered. During this space he lived like Moses on the mount, conversing with the Father in all the glories of his kingdom. His humanity was renovated, the glory of the only begotten shone through all his person. He was here prepared in body and in mind for the godlike sphere in which he was called to move, and in which he developed his character to be what the demons called him, the Holy One of God. Young men entering on the ministry should meditate on the Saviour’s example, but not by a sham fast of forty days.

2. Being forty days tempted—For the full sacred period of forty days had the devil permission to inject into the intellect of the man Jesus distrust of his divine Sonship, awful conceptions of his Messianic suffering appealing to his will for a recantation, exhibitions of the selfish uses to which he may put his miraculous powers, and high imaginations of the grandeur he might attain if he would pervert his supernatural endowments to the attainment of dominion. When the forty days were at their close, the trial terminated in the threefold effort of Satan in person, narrated specifically by the evangelists.

Did eat nothing—Van Oosterzee thinks that it is shown by Matthew 11:18, that these words need mean only that he ate nothing outside the fasting diet, namely, of locusts and wild honey. Yet we need not hesitate to accept the utmost latitude of their literal meaning. The instances of a Spinoza and a Newton show how powerful thought may suspend the demands of appetite. It is spirit which organizes, shapes, and controls body; not body, spirit: and the body disorganizes and dies because spirit is too weak to maintain the completeness and firmness of its mastery. The great spirit of Jesus, sustained by the Holy Spirit, and reined up to its full natural strength by this great crisis, held the bodily organ in complete subserviency to its uses. But how terrible must have been the hungering reaction after such a fast!

CHAPTER 4. Verse 2. Being forty days tempted. — St. Matthew places the temptations which are recorded at the close of the forty days; but it follows from his account that there must have been previous temptations, since it was for this purpose that our Lord was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Hence there is no discrepancy in the accounts. St. Luke also varies the order of the specific temptations of which an account is given; but as nothing depends upon the mere circumstance of their succession, the order became a matter of indifference. On our Lord’s temptation, see the notes on Matthew 4:1-11.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

3. The devil—For the nature of the devil, see our note on Matthew 4:1. Some see not, still, how so great an intellect as Satan’s should not see and reject the folly of evil. But all experience shows that great intellects encounter temptations proportionately great, and are liable to a proportionate fall. A Bacon, a Burr, a Buonaparte, could as readily yield to temptation as a simpleton or a boy. The intellect of a Satan may cover a stupendous circle of knowledge, and yet the circumference of that circle be so cut, as not to include a large amount of knowledge perfectly clear to men. Just so the eye of man may not see a microscopic world perfectly visible to the eye of an insect.

Lange suggests a theory that Satan was the master-spirit of the world of monstrous lizards revealed to us by geology. Satan’s judgment and fate took place in the catastrophe of that world. Hence he is “the dragon, that old serpent.” Hence, he found the serpent form most congenial for his brief incarnation in Eden. Hence his hatred for the human race that has superseded him. Hence, finally, his spirit breathes poison to man through nature, until his great Conqueror shall renovate the earth in holiness. This theory may solve a number of facts and expressions in Scripture; but Lange wisely allows no Scripture doctrine to depend upon its truth. Devil said unto him—Of course he spoke under no serpentine or bestial shape. And as Ebrard says, “It was no cloven-footed caricature taken from German mythology.” It was in a form, to the utmost of his power, able to fascinate, by his blandishments or subdue by menace and terror.

V. 4. Deuteronomy 8:3.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

4. By bread alone—Deuteronomy 8:3. We understand Jesus (as does not Van Oosterzee) to quote the words in their original sense. God says to Israel, in effect, I sustained thee by strange supernatural means, to show thee that thou must trust, not in the material and earthly, but in God’s declarations. So Christ will trust not in any questionable means, but commit himself to the divine order.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

Ver. 5. The devil taking him to a high mountain. Obadiah adverted to a case in which Elijah had been carried away by the Spirit of the Lord. 1 Kings 18:12. Another like case occurred to Philip. Acts 8:40.

5. Up into a high mountain—Matthew, no doubt, follows the true historical order of the three temptations—Luke, a doctrinal order. Hence, while Matthew’s connective phrases then, again, claim to affirm the true order, Luke cautiously has only and. Luke’s order is, 1. The appeal to the appetite; 2. The appeal to the desire for an earthly monarchy; 3. The appeal to the desire for a dashing supernatural exploitation, a showy triumph over the laws of nature. In Matthew there is a climax of faculties, namely, the appetites, the tastes, and the ambition. In Luke the climax is, power over personal gratification, power over men, power over the laws of nature.

V. 6. I give it to whomsoever I will-Not so, Satan. It is God, not thou, that putteth down one, and setteth up another: although sometimes Satan, by God's permission, may occasion great revolutions in the world.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

§ 17. TEMPTATION OF JESUS, 1-13.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13.

1. Full of the Holy Ghost—Bestowed in full measure at his baptism. Returned from Jordan—Towards Jerusalem, probably, and thence to Nazareth. This is an important point. It has been objected, How could he be led into the wilderness, when at his baptism he was already in the wilderness? Jesus’s back was towards the wilderness, we reply, and his face and movements toward Jerusalem, or Nazareth, when, as Mark says, “immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.”

Verse 7. If thou-wilt worship me] This temptation is the last in order, as related by Matthew; and it is not reasonable to suppose that any other succeeded to it. Luke has here told the particulars, but not in the order in which they took place. See every circumstance of this temptation considered and explained in the notes on Matthew 4:1-11.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

7. If—In the three temptations there are three ifs, given obviously by Matthew in the true order. The first if questions whether he is the Son of God, and suggests a selfish test. The second if rather concedes the sonship, and bases upon it a selfish vain-glory. The third if concedes his fitness for a universal monarchy, and proposes a compact by which Jesus shall be the king, and Satan the god, of the earth.

V. 8. Deuteronomy 6:13.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

§ 17. TEMPTATION OF JESUS, 1-13.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13.

1. Full of the Holy Ghost—Bestowed in full measure at his baptism. Returned from Jordan—Towards Jerusalem, probably, and thence to Nazareth. This is an important point. It has been objected, How could he be led into the wilderness, when at his baptism he was already in the wilderness? Jesus’s back was towards the wilderness, we reply, and his face and movements toward Jerusalem, or Nazareth, when, as Mark says, “immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.”

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

§ 17. TEMPTATION OF JESUS, 1-13.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13.

1. Full of the Holy Ghost—Bestowed in full measure at his baptism. Returned from Jordan—Towards Jerusalem, probably, and thence to Nazareth. This is an important point. It has been objected, How could he be led into the wilderness, when at his baptism he was already in the wilderness? Jesus’s back was towards the wilderness, we reply, and his face and movements toward Jerusalem, or Nazareth, when, as Mark says, “immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.”

V. 10. Psalms 91:11Psalm 91:11.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

10. It is written—The word of God, the venerable Old Testament, has been quoted by many illustrious characters; by Jesus, just now; by Gabriel, 1:18; by God, 1 Samuel 2:30; and now in solemn mimicry by Satan. So that neither God, Christ, nor angels allow that slight regard for the Holy Book in which modern rationalism indulges. Satan alone handles it with an insidious spirit. Charge over thee—In the 91st Psalm a description is given of God’s care of the ideal holy man; true in its degree of all saints, but absolutely true only in the absolutely holy One, the Messiah.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

§ 17. TEMPTATION OF JESUS, 1-13.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13.

1. Full of the Holy Ghost—Bestowed in full measure at his baptism. Returned from Jordan—Towards Jerusalem, probably, and thence to Nazareth. This is an important point. It has been objected, How could he be led into the wilderness, when at his baptism he was already in the wilderness? Jesus’s back was towards the wilderness, we reply, and his face and movements toward Jerusalem, or Nazareth, when, as Mark says, “immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.”

V. 12. Deuteronomy 6:16.

Verses 3-12. The devil said, If thou be the Son of God, &c. — For an explanation of this whole paragraph, see notes on Matthew 4:3-10. The devil taketh him up into a high mountain, &c. — This temptation, which stands here as the second, is by Matthew placed the last of the three. To reconcile the evangelists, it may be observed, that Matthew recites the temptations in the order in which they occurred; for he plainly affirms this order by the particle then, verse 5, and again verse 10, and at the conclusion of this temptation says, that then the devil left him. In this order they appear to rise progressively in strength one above another; Matthew, therefore, having preserved the true order of the temptations, Luke must be supposed to have neglected it as a thing not very material. And the supposition may be admitted without weakening his authority in the least, for he connects the temptations only by the particle kai, and, which imports that he was tempted in these several ways, without marking the time or order of the temptations, as Matthew appears to do.

§ 17. TEMPTATION OF JESUS, 1-13.

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13.

1. Full of the Holy Ghost—Bestowed in full measure at his baptism. Returned from Jordan—Towards Jerusalem, probably, and thence to Nazareth. This is an important point. It has been objected, How could he be led into the wilderness, when at his baptism he was already in the wilderness? Jesus’s back was towards the wilderness, we reply, and his face and movements toward Jerusalem, or Nazareth, when, as Mark says, “immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.”

V. 13. A convenient season-In the garden of Gethsemane, Luke 22:53.

Verse 13. When the devil had ended, &c., he departed from him for a season — This implies that he assaulted him afterward, which, if not before, he certainly did in the garden of Gethsemane, Luke 32:53, where Jesus saith to the Jews, This is your hour, and the power of darkness. When the tempter was gone, a number of good angels came and ministered to Jesus, bringing him every thing he had need of; as appears from the force of the expression, dihkonoun autw. See note on Matthew 4:11.

Ver. 13. The devil departed for a season, waiting a fit opportunity to return to the charge. That occurred especially when he found Judas, a willing instrument to betray his Lord.

13. All the temptation—The fast of Moses of forty days was doubtless a miniature image of Israel’s sojourn in the wilderness of forty years. So, too, this new founder of a spiritual Israel passes through the terrible ordeal which is representative of the probation his Church must pass in her earthly sojourning. Happy shall she be, like her Head, in the crowning victory. For a season—Defeated and discouraged, Satan lets him alone for a while. But intense malignity allows neither the devil nor his angels or agents any permanent repose. He will harass Jesus, in his own person or through them, at every possible interval; and especially at the time of the events recorded Luke 22:3, and those following.

To what we have said on the free moral agency of Christ, including his volitional power to obey temptation, we here add as follows. There are three views on the subject:

1. Christ had no volitional power to obey temptation. This is the old Calvinistic view, maintained especially by the adherents of the Synod of Dort, and especially by Dr. Edwards in his work on the Will.

2. The man Jesus had such volitional power. This is the old Arminian view, maintained by Episcopius, Limborch, and Curcellaeus, against the dogmas of Dort.

3. The eternal Logos had the volitional power to sin, having concentrated and reduced himself down to finite and human conditions. This is a German view not yet fully brought before the American Church. It is concisely but clearly presented and maintained by Dr. Nast in his commentary on Matthew 4:1-11. PERIOD THIRD.

THE PREPARATORY MINISTRY, Luke 4:14-6:11.

Historical Synopsis (Vol. 1,) § 19-§ 34.

From the temptation Jesus returns to the Jordan, receives John’s attestation, and thence taking his first journey to Galilee, performs his first miracle at Cana, and then fixes his residence at Capernaum. He soon goes to his first Passover at Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, discourses with Nicodemus, and departing into eastern Judea, baptizes coordinately with John. But upon hearing of John’s imprisonment he retires a SECOND TIME through Samaria (passing Jacob’s well) into Galilee. While thus in Galilee the first visit to Nazareth takes place, which Luke is about to narrate. The main events of this interval are omitted by Luke. § 23. JESUS RETIRES TO GALILEE AFTER JOHN’S IMPRISONMENT. Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14; John 4:1-42.

V. 14. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit-Being more abundantly strengthened after his conflict.

Verse 14. Returned in the power of the Spirit] en th dunamei tou pneumatov, In the mighty power of the Spirit. Having now conquered the grand adversary, he comes in the miracle-working energy of the Spirit to show forth his power, godhead, and love to the people, that they might believe and be saved. He who, through the grace of God, resists and overcomes temptation, is always bettered by it. This is one of the wonders of God’s grace, that those very things which are designed for our utter ruin he makes the instruments of our greatest good. Thus Satan is ever duped by his own proceedings, and caught in his own craft.

Verses 14-16. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee — Being more abundantly strengthened after his conflict; and prepared to exercise his ministry with success, and to confirm his doctrine by miracles. And there went out a fame of him through all the region — Now that he was come, the fame of the miracles which he had performed in Jerusalem at the passover, and in Judea during the course of his ministry there, spread the more through Galilee: for at this time he had done only one miracle there, namely, the turning of water into wine. And he taught in their synagogues — He spent a considerable time in Galilee preaching, for the most part in their synagogues, particularly on the sabbath days, when there was the greatest concourse of people. Being glorified of all — The effect of this first exercise of his ministry in Galilee was, that the excellence of the doctrines which he taught, and the greatness of the miracles which he wrought, caused all the people to admire and applaud him exceedingly. But neither their approbation, nor the outward calm which he enjoyed, continued long. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up — That by his example, says Theophylact, he might teach us especially to instruct and do good to those of our own family and place of abode. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue, &c. — That the synagogue was then loaded with ceremonies of human invention, and that the manners of those who met there were much corrupted, no man, who is acquainted with the Scriptures and the Jewish history, can doubt; and yet Christ, with his disciples, went customarily to these synagogues, as members of the Jewish Church, every sabbath day. And stood up — Showing, by so doing, that he had a desire to read the Scriptures to the congregation, on which the book was given to him. The reading of the Scriptures made an essential part of the Jewish public worship. But this office was not confined to those who were properly the ministers of religion. The rulers of the synagogue assigned it to such persons in the congregation as they knew were capable of it. Nay, they sometimes conferred the honour upon strangers, and incited them to give the people an exhortation on such subjects as were suggested by the passage read; see Acts 13:15; wherefore, their now assigning it to Jesus was not contrary to the regulations of their worship. Perhaps the rulers, knowing the reports which went abroad of his miracles, and having heard of the Baptist’s testimony concerning him, were curious to hear him read and expound the Scriptures; and the rather, because it was well known in Nazareth that he had not had the advantage of a learned education. And, as the Hebrew was now a dead language, and Jesus had not been taught to read, his actually reading, and with such facility, the original Hebrew Scriptures, as well as his expounding them, was a clear proof of his divine inspiration, and must have greatly astonished every intelligent and considerate person present.

14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit—From this field of battle Jesus returned to John at Jordan (John 1:19) to receive from him the full acknowledgment, by the power of the Spirit, of being the Messiah and atoning Lamb.

Jesus returned—From the wilderness of the temptation. Into Galilee—On his first journey; Luke omits the visit to John at the Jordan.

V. 15. Being glorified of all-So God usually gives strong cordials after strong temptations. But neither their approbation continued long, nor the outward calm which he now enjoyed.

Verse 15. And he taught in their synagogues] We do not find that even the persecuting Jews ever hindered Christ or his disciples from preaching in their synagogues. Is it the same in every place where even the Christian religion is established by law? Would Jesus, or his apostles, or their most Scriptural representatives, be permitted to preach in one out of a thousand churches, in certain countries, unless they were strictly conformed to their external ecclesiastical customs? Nor even then, unless their doctrine were according to the taste of the managers and of the times.

Glorified of all.] All felt the power of his preaching, and acknowledged the divinity of his mission. The scandal of the cross had not yet taken place.

Verses 14-16. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee — Being more abundantly strengthened after his conflict; and prepared to exercise his ministry with success, and to confirm his doctrine by miracles. And there went out a fame of him through all the region — Now that he was come, the fame of the miracles which he had performed in Jerusalem at the passover, and in Judea during the course of his ministry there, spread the more through Galilee: for at this time he had done only one miracle there, namely, the turning of water into wine. And he taught in their synagogues — He spent a considerable time in Galilee preaching, for the most part in their synagogues, particularly on the sabbath days, when there was the greatest concourse of people. Being glorified of all — The effect of this first exercise of his ministry in Galilee was, that the excellence of the doctrines which he taught, and the greatness of the miracles which he wrought, caused all the people to admire and applaud him exceedingly. But neither their approbation, nor the outward calm which he enjoyed, continued long. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up — That by his example, says Theophylact, he might teach us especially to instruct and do good to those of our own family and place of abode. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue, &c. — That the synagogue was then loaded with ceremonies of human invention, and that the manners of those who met there were much corrupted, no man, who is acquainted with the Scriptures and the Jewish history, can doubt; and yet Christ, with his disciples, went customarily to these synagogues, as members of the Jewish Church, every sabbath day. And stood up — Showing, by so doing, that he had a desire to read the Scriptures to the congregation, on which the book was given to him. The reading of the Scriptures made an essential part of the Jewish public worship. But this office was not confined to those who were properly the ministers of religion. The rulers of the synagogue assigned it to such persons in the congregation as they knew were capable of it. Nay, they sometimes conferred the honour upon strangers, and incited them to give the people an exhortation on such subjects as were suggested by the passage read; see Acts 13:15; wherefore, their now assigning it to Jesus was not contrary to the regulations of their worship. Perhaps the rulers, knowing the reports which went abroad of his miracles, and having heard of the Baptist’s testimony concerning him, were curious to hear him read and expound the Scriptures; and the rather, because it was well known in Nazareth that he had not had the advantage of a learned education. And, as the Hebrew was now a dead language, and Jesus had not been taught to read, his actually reading, and with such facility, the original Hebrew Scriptures, as well as his expounding them, was a clear proof of his divine inspiration, and must have greatly astonished every intelligent and considerate person present.

15. Taught in their synagogues—This verse covers, as a summary, the ministry of Jesus in Galilee; omitting the interval of departure to the Passover and of the baptizing in Eastern Judea.

V. 16. He stood up-Showing thereby that he had a desire to read the Scripture to the congregation: on which the book was given to him. It was the Jewish custom to read standing, but to preach sitting. Matthew 13:54; Mark 6:1.

Verse 16. To Nazareth, where he had been brought up] It is likely that our Lord lived principally in this city till the 30th year of his age; but, after he entered on his public ministry, his usual place of residence was at the house of Peter, in Capernaum.

As his custom was] Our Lord regularly attended the public worship of God in the synagogues; for there the Scriptures were read: other parts of the worship were very corrupt; but it was the best at that time to be found in the land. To worship God publicly is the duty of every man, and no man can be guiltless who neglects it. If a person cannot get such public worship as he likes, let him frequent such as he can get. Better to attend the most indifferent than to stay at home, especially on the Lord’s day. The place and the time are set apart for the worship of the true God: if others do not conduct themselves well in it, that is not your fault, and need not be any hinderance to you. You come to worship GOD-do not forget your errand-and God will supply the lack in the service by the teachings of his Spirit. Hear the saying of old Mr. Herbert:-

“The worst speak something good: should all want sense,

God takes the text, and preacheth p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.”

A man may always profit where the word of God is read.

Stood up for to read.] The Jews, in general, sat while they taught or commented on the Sacred Writings, or the traditions of the elders; but when they read either the law or the prophets they invariably stood up: it was not lawful for them even to lean against any thing while employed in reading.

Verses 14-16. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee — Being more abundantly strengthened after his conflict; and prepared to exercise his ministry with success, and to confirm his doctrine by miracles. And there went out a fame of him through all the region — Now that he was come, the fame of the miracles which he had performed in Jerusalem at the passover, and in Judea during the course of his ministry there, spread the more through Galilee: for at this time he had done only one miracle there, namely, the turning of water into wine. And he taught in their synagogues — He spent a considerable time in Galilee preaching, for the most part in their synagogues, particularly on the sabbath days, when there was the greatest concourse of people. Being glorified of all — The effect of this first exercise of his ministry in Galilee was, that the excellence of the doctrines which he taught, and the greatness of the miracles which he wrought, caused all the people to admire and applaud him exceedingly. But neither their approbation, nor the outward calm which he enjoyed, continued long. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up — That by his example, says Theophylact, he might teach us especially to instruct and do good to those of our own family and place of abode. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue, &c. — That the synagogue was then loaded with ceremonies of human invention, and that the manners of those who met there were much corrupted, no man, who is acquainted with the Scriptures and the Jewish history, can doubt; and yet Christ, with his disciples, went customarily to these synagogues, as members of the Jewish Church, every sabbath day. And stood up — Showing, by so doing, that he had a desire to read the Scriptures to the congregation, on which the book was given to him. The reading of the Scriptures made an essential part of the Jewish public worship. But this office was not confined to those who were properly the ministers of religion. The rulers of the synagogue assigned it to such persons in the congregation as they knew were capable of it. Nay, they sometimes conferred the honour upon strangers, and incited them to give the people an exhortation on such subjects as were suggested by the passage read; see Acts 13:15; wherefore, their now assigning it to Jesus was not contrary to the regulations of their worship. Perhaps the rulers, knowing the reports which went abroad of his miracles, and having heard of the Baptist’s testimony concerning him, were curious to hear him read and expound the Scriptures; and the rather, because it was well known in Nazareth that he had not had the advantage of a learned education. And, as the Hebrew was now a dead language, and Jesus had not been taught to read, his actually reading, and with such facility, the original Hebrew Scriptures, as well as his expounding them, was a clear proof of his divine inspiration, and must have greatly astonished every intelligent and considerate person present.

Ver. 16. He came to Nazareth where he had been brought up; and a prophet is not without honour save in his own country, as stated on Mark 6:4.

FIRST VISIT TO NAZARETH—RESIDENCE AT CAPERNAUM, 16-31.

Luke sees a true propriety in selecting the first manifestation of the Lord at Nazareth, as the opening of his history of the great ministry. It was initial, ominous, typical. Here, pre-eminently, “he came to his own, and his own received him not.”

It is strenuously maintained by some commentators that there was but one visit and rejection at Nazareth. This is argued from the fact that in both accounts the same proverb is adduced, and the same reference to Jesus’s relatives is made. But that a repetition of the unwelcome visit should awaken similar trains of thought and language is perfectly natural. On the contrary, it seems scarcely probable that in Matthew and Mark the most exciting part of the affair, the attempt to hurl Jesus from the precipice, should be omitted.

16. Nazareth—See Stanley’s beautiful description of this place in our note on Matthew 1:23. The rude character ascribed by Nathaniel to this town in his query, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (although some doubt, very groundlessly, its imputing any popular odium to that town,) was well illustrated by the coarse and murderous violence of its mob on the present occasion. As his custom—His custom of attending the synagogue on the sabbath, to read and teach. Luke’s summary of Christ’s Galilean ministry thus far, (verse 15,) indicates that he had preached long enough to have established a custom.

Nazareth was not so bad but that she had a synagogue and a service. The service of the synagogue commenced with praise and prayer; then a portion of the law was read aloud, and after this a portion of the prophets. The reader and congregation, out of respect to God’s word, stood while it was read; they sat while the subsequent discourse was delivered. Stood up to read—It would seem that Jesus rose to indicate that it was his wish to read and explain; which was probably expected and readily accorded by the chazan and congregation. He sat down to discourse, (verse 20,) instead of returning to his own place in the congregation. In regard to Jewish synagogues, see our note on Matthew 4:23.

Verse 16. As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. — Let it be observed that to attend the public worship of God on the Sabbath, in the synagogue, was THE CUSTOM of our Lord; so that the obligation of this duty upon us cannot be questioned. On synagogues, see note on Matthew 4:23.

And stood up for to read. — By this action he signified his desire to read the lesson for the day, which any might do to whom the book was delivered, but not without leave of the ruler of the synagogue; for so the Jewish rule runs, according to Maimonides; “A reader may not read until the chief of the congregation bids him read.” It was the custom to stand at the reading of the law and the prophets. Every Sabbath day, the Jews say seven persons read, — a priest, a Levite, and five Israelites.

V. 17. He found-It seems, opening upon it, by the particular providence of God.

V.18. He hath anointed me-With the Spirit. He hath by the power of his Spirit which dwelleth in me, set me apart for these offices. To preach the Gospel to the poor-Literally and spiritually. How is the doctrine of the ever-blessed trinity interwoven, even in those scriptures where one would least expect it? How clear a declaration of the great Three-One is there in those very words,

The Spirit-of the Lord is upon me! To proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised-Here is a beautiful gradation, in comparing the spiritual state of men to the miserable state of those captives, who are not only cast into prison, but, like Zedekiah, had their eyes put out, and were laden and bruised with chains of iron. Isaiah 61:1.

Verse 17. And when he had opened the book] anaptuzav, When he had unrolled it. The Sacred Writings used to this day, in all the Jewish synagogues, are written on skins of basil, parchment, or vellum, sewed end to end, and rolled on two rollers, beginning at each end; so that, in reading from right to left, they roll off with the left, while they roll on with the right. Probably the place in the Prophet Isaiah, here referred to, was the lesson for that day; and Jesus unrolled the manuscript till he came to the place: then, after having read, he rolled it up again, and returned it to the officer, Luke 4:20, the ruler of the synagogue, or his servant, whose business it was to take care of it. The place that he opened was probably the section for the day. See the table at the end of Deuteronomy, and the note at the end of that table.

Verses 17-19. There was delivered to him the book of Esaias — A paragraph of the law having, according to custom, been read before. See on Acts 13:15. When he had opened the book — Anaptuxav, having unrolled the volume of the book. The books of the ancients, as is well known, consisted of one long sheet of paper or parchment, which they rolled up neatly on a round piece of wood. When a book of this kind was to be read, they unrolled it gradually as they read it, and put what was read round another piece of wood of the same sort with the former. He found the place — The expression, eure ton topon, seems to imply, that upon unrolling the book, the passage here mentioned immediately met his eye, by the particular providence of God. Many commentators, however, think, that as the Scriptures were read in order, the passage mentioned was that which fell of course to be read in the synagogue that day. And according to the custom of all the synagogues, this passage was to be read with the fiftieth section of the law, appointed for the last sabbath of the sixth, or the first of the seventh month, answering to our August and September. So that if our Lord read this passage as the ordinary lesson for the day, the chronology of this part of the history is thereby determined. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me — This was said of the prophets, when they were under an immediate afflatus of the Holy Spirit; but it was here, doubtless, primarily meant of the Messiah: because he hath anointed me — That is, hath commissioned me with authority, qualified me with gifts, and set me apart for the important offices here mentioned. The expression is used in allusion to the Jewish prophets, priests, and kings, who were consecrated to their offices by anointing them with oil. The unction of the Messiah was the Holy Spirit, which he had without measure. To preach the gospel to the poor — The reason why I, the Messiah, enjoy so great a degree of inspiration, and am endowed with the power of working such astonishing miracles is, because God hath commissioned me to preach the glad tidings of salvation to the poor, and by so doing, to heal the broken-hearted — That is, to relieve and comfort all those, without distinction, whose hearts are broken by sharp convictions of sin, and fears of future punishment. The passage of Isaiah here quoted, in our translation stands thus: To preach good tidings to the meek — But the word µywn[, signifies more properly persons in a low and afflicted condition. It is certainly an unspeakable recommendation of the gospel dispensation, that it offers the pardon of sin, and salvation, to all on the same terms. The rich, here, have no pre- eminence over the poor; as they seem to have had under the law, which prescribed such costly sacrifices for the atonement of sin as were very burdensome to the poor. The Prophet Isaiah, therefore, in describing the happiness of gospel times, very fitly introduces the Messiah mentioning this as one of the many blessings which would accrue to the world from his coming, that the glad tidings of salvation were to be preached by him and his ministers to the poor, and consequently were to be offered to them without money and without price. To preach deliverance to the captives — To proclaim to the captives of sin and Satan liberty from the power of their tyrannical masters, on the terms of repentance toward God, and faith in the Messiah, now manifested: and to confer that liberty on such as complied with these terms. And recovering of sight to the blind — Not merely to confer bodily sight on a few blind individuals, but to open the eyes of the understanding of millions, and cure their spiritual blindness, by imparting to them the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Thus, Isaiah 42:6, 7, the Messiah is said to be given for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes. And the commission given to Paul, as recorded, Acts 26:18, was, I send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light: in both which passages spiritual illumination is undoubtedly solely intended. To set at liberty them that are bruised — With the heavy load of their fetters and chains; with the guilt and power of their iniquities, and the condemnation and wrath due to them on that account. Here is a beautiful gradation, in comparing the spiritual state of man to the miserable state of those captives who were not only cast into prison, but, like Zedekiah, had their eyes put out, and were laden and bruised with chains of iron. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord — To proclaim that happy period of the divine dispensations toward mankind, in which a full and free remission of all their offences was to be offered to them, and which might be fitly represented in prophecy by the Jewish jubilee, wherein debts were forgiven, slaves released, and inheritances restored to their original owners. For a further explanation of this passage, see the notes on Isaiah 61:1-3; and 42:6, 7.

Ver. 17. There was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue at Antioch desired Paul and his colleagues to speak to the people. Acts 13:15. The law, comprising the five books of Moses, was divided into fifty four parashoth or sections, one for every sabbath in the year; and by reading two parashoth on convenient times they read the law once a year, besides short portions in others parts of the service.

After Ezra’s time, and when new editions of the scriptures had been made, and when the profane Antiochus had forbidden the reading of the law, the rabbins contrived to read the prophets, which continued ever after in the public service. It is likely therefore, when they handed our Saviour the book of the prophets, that the law and the usual service had been read, and that he was called upon to expound impromptu, as above, in the synagogue of Antioch. After opportunely reading Isaiah 61:1-3, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,” he, full of wisdom, full of grace, expounded this most appropriate prophecy to the admiration of all who were well- disposed. But this applause was insupportable to the rulers; and as there had existed already a jealousy and murmuring in the town, that Jesus should perform distinguished miracles in other cities, and slight his own friends, they most invidiously availed themselves of it to ask, as in the next words: —

17. Delivered unto him—The chazan, or superintendent of service, hands him the book or roll, taken from the chest or closet where it was, as was customarily done to any person in the estimation of the superintendent qualified to read the exercise. The “fame of him” (verses 14, 15) had encompassed Nazareth, and the curiosity of the audience amply justified the chazan in giving him liberty of speech. The book was a roll, as described in our note upon Matthew 1:1. It was opened by unrolling, and shut by rolling up again. The place may have been the regular lesson of the day, and the roll containing Isaiah may have been handed him; but it is not certain that such division of the lesson at that time existed. Found the place—By revolving the roll so as to reach it. No place could be more appropriate. The passage is in Isaiah 61:1, 2.

Verses 17, 20. There was delivered to him the book of the Prophet Esaias. — This would be done at the bidding of the president by the chazan, one of the ministers of the synagogue. The sacred books were taken out of the chest in which they were deposited with great reverence. It would seem by the book of Isaiah being delivered to Christ, that each book was kept separately; no doubt for convenience of reference, and also for holding in the hand, as they were written on skins and rolled up. And when he had opened, literally “unrolled,” the book, he found the place where it was written; a mode of expression which intimates that it was not the portion assigned to be read for the day. The sections or lessons of the law were, it would seem, read with great exactness; but in the prophets, the reader might read less than the portion appointed, or even turn to another place, if thought applicable. Here our Lord reads only a few verses, and those out of the order, and makes them the text of a discourse. Liberty of expounding and exhorting in the synagogues was allowed to qualified persons, and creditable strangers, by consent of the ruler; and when our Lord gave the signal of his wish to read, by standing up, he might include in it a desire to expound also; for having closed the book, and returned it to the minister, he sat down, as the manner of the Jewish doctors was, when they taught or preached, understanding that he had the consent of the president to comment upon the passage, as well as to read it. The passage he had selected from Isaiah, they all knew related to the Messiah, for in that their interpreters were universally agreed; and as he had already preached largely throughout Galilee, and spoken and acted in the character of Messiah, the eyes of all them in the synagogue were fastened upon him, in eager expectation as to what use he might make of the passage, or whether he would apply it to himself.

Verse 18. The Spirit of the Lord] This is found in Isaiah 61:1; but our Lord immediately adds to it Isaiah 42:7. The proclaiming of liberty to the captives, and the acceptable year (or year of acceptance) of the Lord, is a manifest allusion to the proclaiming of the year of jubilee by sound of trumpet: see Leviticus 25:9, &c., and the notes there. This was a year of general release of debts and obligations; of bond-men and women; of lands and possessions, which had been sold from the families and tribes to which they belonged. Our Saviour, by applying this text to himself, a text so manifestly relating to the institution above mentioned, plainly declares the typical design of that institution.-LOWTH. He hath anointed me] I have been designed and set apart for this very purpose; my sole business among men is to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, &c. All the functions of this new prophet are exercised on the hearts of men; and the grace by which he works in the heart is a grace of healing, deliverance, and illumination; which, by an admirable virtue, causes them to pass from sickness to health, from slavery to liberty, from darkness to light, and from the lowest degrees of misery to supreme eternal happiness. See Quesnel. To those who feel their spiritual poverty, whose hearts are broken through a sense of their sins, who see themselves tied and bound with the chains of many evil habits, who sit in the darkness of guilt and misery, without a friendly hand to lead them in the way in which they should go-to these, the Gospel of the grace of Christ is a pleasing sound, because a present and full salvation is proclaimed by it; and the present is shown to be the acceptable year of the Lord; the year, the time, in which he saves to the uttermost all who come unto him in the name of his Son Jesus. Reader! what dost thou feel? Sin-wretchedness-misery of every description? Then come to Jesus-He will save THEE-he came into the world for this very purpose. Cast thy soul upon him, and thou shalt not perish, but have everlasting life.

Verses 17-19. There was delivered to him the book of Esaias — A paragraph of the law having, according to custom, been read before. See on Acts 13:15. When he had opened the book — Anaptuxav, having unrolled the volume of the book. The books of the ancients, as is well known, consisted of one long sheet of paper or parchment, which they rolled up neatly on a round piece of wood. When a book of this kind was to be read, they unrolled it gradually as they read it, and put what was read round another piece of wood of the same sort with the former. He found the place — The expression, eure ton topon, seems to imply, that upon unrolling the book, the passage here mentioned immediately met his eye, by the particular providence of God. Many commentators, however, think, that as the Scriptures were read in order, the passage mentioned was that which fell of course to be read in the synagogue that day. And according to the custom of all the synagogues, this passage was to be read with the fiftieth section of the law, appointed for the last sabbath of the sixth, or the first of the seventh month, answering to our August and September. So that if our Lord read this passage as the ordinary lesson for the day, the chronology of this part of the history is thereby determined. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me — This was said of the prophets, when they were under an immediate afflatus of the Holy Spirit; but it was here, doubtless, primarily meant of the Messiah: because he hath anointed me — That is, hath commissioned me with authority, qualified me with gifts, and set me apart for the important offices here mentioned. The expression is used in allusion to the Jewish prophets, priests, and kings, who were consecrated to their offices by anointing them with oil. The unction of the Messiah was the Holy Spirit, which he had without measure. To preach the gospel to the poor — The reason why I, the Messiah, enjoy so great a degree of inspiration, and am endowed with the power of working such astonishing miracles is, because God hath commissioned me to preach the glad tidings of salvation to the poor, and by so doing, to heal the broken-hearted — That is, to relieve and comfort all those, without distinction, whose hearts are broken by sharp convictions of sin, and fears of future punishment. The passage of Isaiah here quoted, in our translation stands thus: To preach good tidings to the meek — But the word µywn[, signifies more properly persons in a low and afflicted condition. It is certainly an unspeakable recommendation of the gospel dispensation, that it offers the pardon of sin, and salvation, to all on the same terms. The rich, here, have no pre- eminence over the poor; as they seem to have had under the law, which prescribed such costly sacrifices for the atonement of sin as were very burdensome to the poor. The Prophet Isaiah, therefore, in describing the happiness of gospel times, very fitly introduces the Messiah mentioning this as one of the many blessings which would accrue to the world from his coming, that the glad tidings of salvation were to be preached by him and his ministers to the poor, and consequently were to be offered to them without money and without price. To preach deliverance to the captives — To proclaim to the captives of sin and Satan liberty from the power of their tyrannical masters, on the terms of repentance toward God, and faith in the Messiah, now manifested: and to confer that liberty on such as complied with these terms. And recovering of sight to the blind — Not merely to confer bodily sight on a few blind individuals, but to open the eyes of the understanding of millions, and cure their spiritual blindness, by imparting to them the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Thus, Isaiah 42:6, 7, the Messiah is said to be given for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes. And the commission given to Paul, as recorded, Acts 26:18, was, I send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light: in both which passages spiritual illumination is undoubtedly solely intended. To set at liberty them that are bruised — With the heavy load of their fetters and chains; with the guilt and power of their iniquities, and the condemnation and wrath due to them on that account. Here is a beautiful gradation, in comparing the spiritual state of man to the miserable state of those captives who were not only cast into prison, but, like Zedekiah, had their eyes put out, and were laden and bruised with chains of iron. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord — To proclaim that happy period of the divine dispensations toward mankind, in which a full and free remission of all their offences was to be offered to them, and which might be fitly represented in prophecy by the Jewish jubilee, wherein debts were forgiven, slaves released, and inheritances restored to their original owners. For a further explanation of this passage, see the notes on Isaiah 61:1-3; and 42:6, 7.

18. The Spirit of the Lord—The passage describes, in terms of beautiful figure, the office of the Messiah, as in the Messiah’s own words. The words are mostly quoted from the Septuagint version. The phrase bind up the broken-hearted in this place is of doubtful genuineness, and is omitted by Alford. The clause to set at liberty them that are bruised, is from Isaiah 58:6, and was probably made by our Lord a part of his text for preaching. The beautiful passages combined show that the jubilee, when the bondmen of Israel were to be emancipated, was held by him to be a type of the Gospel dispensation. Freedom is the spirit of the Gospel; emancipation from the bonds of slavery on the limbs, of ignorance on the mind, of sin upon the soul. Anointed me—The Greek word is the very term from which the title Messiah or Christ is derived. In the passage the mission of Messiah is to the poor and the broken-hearted, the captive, the blind, and the bruised. To these he is an emancipator and a physician. And this point is to be specially marked, as it will supply the key to the proverb quoted in verse 23.

Verses 18, 19. To the poor. — In the Hebrew, it is the meek, but St. Luke follows the LXX. The words, however, come from the same root; and spiritual poverty, or lowliness and humility of mind is intended. Not, indeed, as Bishop Horsley well observes, that the figurative sense is, to exclude the literal; “for the Christian revelation is emphatically glad tidings to the poor,” as it opens to them without respect of persons the same glorious hopes as to the most exalted. Still even these must become “poor in spirit” before they can obtain the true riches. The broken-hearted are the contrite and penitent, who are truly healed by pardoning mercy, and the assurance of the remission of sins by the comforting testimony of the Holy Spirit. Persons oppressed also with great trouble of mind, arising from outward afflictions, are not excluded. With such, if they bring their case to Christ in prayer, he tenderly sympathizes, grants support and solace; and by the influences of his grace he turns the sorrows of life into the means of healing the soul. To preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, is also to be understood figuratively of our redemption from the captivity of our spiritual enemies. Instead of recovery of sight to the blind, which is the reading of the LXX., the Hebrew is, and freedom to those bound in prison; which is but a repetition of the preceding clause. The LXX. probably followed a different reading; or, since it was not uncommon in the east to put out the eyes of prisoners, they took the repetition of the Hebrew to express captivity in its harshest forms, and so concluded the captives spoken of, like Samson, to have been deprived of sight, and put to mean and wasting labors. The deliverance of the demoniacs from the bondage of Satan, by our merciful Redeemer, and the opening the eyes of those actually deprived of natural sight, were fulfilments of this illustrious prophecy; but only in a primary and inferior sense, as these were visible TYPES, and most certain PLEDGES, of the power of the Saviour to rescue us from the greater calamities of spiritual thraldom, blindness, and degradation. The Chaldee paraphrase interprets the last clause thus, “To the prisoners, Be ye revealed to the light;” which in substance agrees with the LXX., since to be brought out of constant darkness may be said to be a recovery of sight to the blind. The allusion in this case will be not to the custom of putting out the eyes of prisoners, but to that of confining them in pits and dark dungeons. Hence the Messiah, in Isaiah 49:9, is appointed to “say to the PRISONERS, Go forth; to them that are in DARKNESS, Show yourselves.” The next clause, to set at liberty them that are bruised, worn down and wounded by the weight of their chains, is still a heightened representation of the miserable condition of the captives. This clause is not, however, either in the present copies of the Hebrew or Septuagint. The same words occur in the LXX., Isaiah 58:6. To preach, proclaim, keruxai, the acceptable year of the Lord. An acceptable time is a season in which God shows himself gracious and benign; and there is here an allusion to the year of jubilee, when all debts were cancelled, inheritances restored, and freedom given to all Hebrew bondsmen. This interesting political institution, equally marked by wisdom and benevolence, and which, when once proclaimed by sound of trumpet, filled the whole land with joy and gladness, and was, to those especially who were to partake its benefits, an acceptable and most grateful time, was the type of the Gospel age of deliverance and restoration, and was therefore so used by the prophet, and quoted by our Lord. Our Lord began the proclamation of the commencement of this spiritual jubilee; and it is the delightful work of his servants still to publish it, and to offer the benefits of the day, the season of grace to all who will accept them, — the remission of the debt of sin, the restoration of the alienated inheritance of heaven, and spiritual freedom. Animated by the same fine thought, St. Paul exclaims, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” 2 Corinthians 6:2.

V. 19. The acceptable year-Plainly alluding to the year of jubilee, when all, both debtors and servants, were set free.

Verses 17-19. There was delivered to him the book of Esaias — A paragraph of the law having, according to custom, been read before. See on Acts 13:15. When he had opened the book — Anaptuxav, having unrolled the volume of the book. The books of the ancients, as is well known, consisted of one long sheet of paper or parchment, which they rolled up neatly on a round piece of wood. When a book of this kind was to be read, they unrolled it gradually as they read it, and put what was read round another piece of wood of the same sort with the former. He found the place — The expression, eure ton topon, seems to imply, that upon unrolling the book, the passage here mentioned immediately met his eye, by the particular providence of God. Many commentators, however, think, that as the Scriptures were read in order, the passage mentioned was that which fell of course to be read in the synagogue that day. And according to the custom of all the synagogues, this passage was to be read with the fiftieth section of the law, appointed for the last sabbath of the sixth, or the first of the seventh month, answering to our August and September. So that if our Lord read this passage as the ordinary lesson for the day, the chronology of this part of the history is thereby determined. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me — This was said of the prophets, when they were under an immediate afflatus of the Holy Spirit; but it was here, doubtless, primarily meant of the Messiah: because he hath anointed me — That is, hath commissioned me with authority, qualified me with gifts, and set me apart for the important offices here mentioned. The expression is used in allusion to the Jewish prophets, priests, and kings, who were consecrated to their offices by anointing them with oil. The unction of the Messiah was the Holy Spirit, which he had without measure. To preach the gospel to the poor — The reason why I, the Messiah, enjoy so great a degree of inspiration, and am endowed with the power of working such astonishing miracles is, because God hath commissioned me to preach the glad tidings of salvation to the poor, and by so doing, to heal the broken-hearted — That is, to relieve and comfort all those, without distinction, whose hearts are broken by sharp convictions of sin, and fears of future punishment. The passage of Isaiah here quoted, in our translation stands thus: To preach good tidings to the meek — But the word µywn[, signifies more properly persons in a low and afflicted condition. It is certainly an unspeakable recommendation of the gospel dispensation, that it offers the pardon of sin, and salvation, to all on the same terms. The rich, here, have no pre- eminence over the poor; as they seem to have had under the law, which prescribed such costly sacrifices for the atonement of sin as were very burdensome to the poor. The Prophet Isaiah, therefore, in describing the happiness of gospel times, very fitly introduces the Messiah mentioning this as one of the many blessings which would accrue to the world from his coming, that the glad tidings of salvation were to be preached by him and his ministers to the poor, and consequently were to be offered to them without money and without price. To preach deliverance to the captives — To proclaim to the captives of sin and Satan liberty from the power of their tyrannical masters, on the terms of repentance toward God, and faith in the Messiah, now manifested: and to confer that liberty on such as complied with these terms. And recovering of sight to the blind — Not merely to confer bodily sight on a few blind individuals, but to open the eyes of the understanding of millions, and cure their spiritual blindness, by imparting to them the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Thus, Isaiah 42:6, 7, the Messiah is said to be given for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes. And the commission given to Paul, as recorded, Acts 26:18, was, I send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light: in both which passages spiritual illumination is undoubtedly solely intended. To set at liberty them that are bruised — With the heavy load of their fetters and chains; with the guilt and power of their iniquities, and the condemnation and wrath due to them on that account. Here is a beautiful gradation, in comparing the spiritual state of man to the miserable state of those captives who were not only cast into prison, but, like Zedekiah, had their eyes put out, and were laden and bruised with chains of iron. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord — To proclaim that happy period of the divine dispensations toward mankind, in which a full and free remission of all their offences was to be offered to them, and which might be fitly represented in prophecy by the Jewish jubilee, wherein debts were forgiven, slaves released, and inheritances restored to their original owners. For a further explanation of this passage, see the notes on Isaiah 61:1-3; and 42:6, 7.

19. The acceptable year of the Lord—The year of jubilee, which by the Mosaic law returned every fiftieth year. In this year the debtors and bondsmen were to be released, possessions to be restored, and oppression to cease. To this the gospel day is compared as being acceptable to the Lord. The very unsound inference was anciently drawn, from this term year, that the duration of our Lord’s ministry was but a single year.

Verses 18, 19. To the poor. — In the Hebrew, it is the meek, but St. Luke follows the LXX. The words, however, come from the same root; and spiritual poverty, or lowliness and humility of mind is intended. Not, indeed, as Bishop Horsley well observes, that the figurative sense is, to exclude the literal; “for the Christian revelation is emphatically glad tidings to the poor,” as it opens to them without respect of persons the same glorious hopes as to the most exalted. Still even these must become “poor in spirit” before they can obtain the true riches. The broken-hearted are the contrite and penitent, who are truly healed by pardoning mercy, and the assurance of the remission of sins by the comforting testimony of the Holy Spirit. Persons oppressed also with great trouble of mind, arising from outward afflictions, are not excluded. With such, if they bring their case to Christ in prayer, he tenderly sympathizes, grants support and solace; and by the influences of his grace he turns the sorrows of life into the means of healing the soul. To preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, is also to be understood figuratively of our redemption from the captivity of our spiritual enemies. Instead of recovery of sight to the blind, which is the reading of the LXX., the Hebrew is, and freedom to those bound in prison; which is but a repetition of the preceding clause. The LXX. probably followed a different reading; or, since it was not uncommon in the east to put out the eyes of prisoners, they took the repetition of the Hebrew to express captivity in its harshest forms, and so concluded the captives spoken of, like Samson, to have been deprived of sight, and put to mean and wasting labors. The deliverance of the demoniacs from the bondage of Satan, by our merciful Redeemer, and the opening the eyes of those actually deprived of natural sight, were fulfilments of this illustrious prophecy; but only in a primary and inferior sense, as these were visible TYPES, and most certain PLEDGES, of the power of the Saviour to rescue us from the greater calamities of spiritual thraldom, blindness, and degradation. The Chaldee paraphrase interprets the last clause thus, “To the prisoners, Be ye revealed to the light;” which in substance agrees with the LXX., since to be brought out of constant darkness may be said to be a recovery of sight to the blind. The allusion in this case will be not to the custom of putting out the eyes of prisoners, but to that of confining them in pits and dark dungeons. Hence the Messiah, in Isaiah 49:9, is appointed to “say to the PRISONERS, Go forth; to them that are in DARKNESS, Show yourselves.” The next clause, to set at liberty them that are bruised, worn down and wounded by the weight of their chains, is still a heightened representation of the miserable condition of the captives. This clause is not, however, either in the present copies of the Hebrew or Septuagint. The same words occur in the LXX., Isaiah 58:6. To preach, proclaim, keruxai, the acceptable year of the Lord. An acceptable time is a season in which God shows himself gracious and benign; and there is here an allusion to the year of jubilee, when all debts were cancelled, inheritances restored, and freedom given to all Hebrew bondsmen. This interesting political institution, equally marked by wisdom and benevolence, and which, when once proclaimed by sound of trumpet, filled the whole land with joy and gladness, and was, to those especially who were to partake its benefits, an acceptable and most grateful time, was the type of the Gospel age of deliverance and restoration, and was therefore so used by the prophet, and quoted by our Lord. Our Lord began the proclamation of the commencement of this spiritual jubilee; and it is the delightful work of his servants still to publish it, and to offer the benefits of the day, the season of grace to all who will accept them, — the remission of the debt of sin, the restoration of the alienated inheritance of heaven, and spiritual freedom. Animated by the same fine thought, St. Paul exclaims, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Verse 20. Were fastened on him.] Were attentively fixed on him. The proper import of atenizontev autw.

Verses 20, 21. And he closed the book, and gave it again to the minister — Tw uphreth, to the servant, who had brought it to him. “From the manner in which we apply the word minister, in speaking of our churches, the English reader is apt to be led into a mistake by the common version, and to consider the word here as meaning the person who presided in the service; whereas it denotes only a subordinate officer, who attended the minister, and obeyed his orders in what concerned the more servile part of the work. Among other things he had the charge of the sacred books, and delivered them to those to whom he was commanded by his superiors to give them. After the reading was over, he deposited them in their proper place.” — Campbell. And sat down — The Jewish doctors, to show their reverence for the Scriptures, always stood when they read them, but when they taught the people they sat down. See Matthew 23:2. Thus we here find our Lord sitting down in the synagogue to preach, after he had read the passage in the prophet, which he made the subject of his discourse. The custom of preaching from a text of Scripture, which now prevails throughout all the Christian churches, seems to have derived its origin from the authority of this example. And the eyes of all were fastened on him — They looked on him with great attention, expecting him to explain the passage. And in addressing the congregation on it, he told them, it was that day fulfilled in their ears — Namely, by what they heard him speak; words which imply, that, whatever allusion there might be in the prophecy to the good news of the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, it was primarily and principally intended to be understood of the spiritual salvation of mankind from ignorance and error, sinfulness and guilt, depravity and misery, by the Messiah, who, and not Isaiah, nor any other prophet, is to be considered as speaking in the passage, as is explained more fully in the notes there.

20. Closed—Rolled it up. Minister—The chazan. Fastened—They had known him in childhood and youth. His simple piety, his working at the trade of a carpenter, and humbleness of family, were fresh in their recollections. Strange and wonderful rumours had come home lately in regard to him. He had set up high claims, and pretended abroad to do great works. They will now see if he can stand the searching scrutiny of acute Nazareth. They knew (of course) beforehand that he could not; but they will hear and decide how well he can preach.

Very probably the mother and sisters of Jesus (if not his unbelieving brothers) were present on this occasion. That they resided still at Nazareth is clear from Matthew 13:56. From the gallery, which many synagogues contain for women, they may have looked down upon the scene first of honour and then of rejection, through the lattice screen, by which it was separated from the male congregation.

Verses 17, 20. There was delivered to him the book of the Prophet Esaias. — This would be done at the bidding of the president by the chazan, one of the ministers of the synagogue. The sacred books were taken out of the chest in which they were deposited with great reverence. It would seem by the book of Isaiah being delivered to Christ, that each book was kept separately; no doubt for convenience of reference, and also for holding in the hand, as they were written on skins and rolled up. And when he had opened, literally “unrolled,” the book, he found the place where it was written; a mode of expression which intimates that it was not the portion assigned to be read for the day. The sections or lessons of the law were, it would seem, read with great exactness; but in the prophets, the reader might read less than the portion appointed, or even turn to another place, if thought applicable. Here our Lord reads only a few verses, and those out of the order, and makes them the text of a discourse. Liberty of expounding and exhorting in the synagogues was allowed to qualified persons, and creditable strangers, by consent of the ruler; and when our Lord gave the signal of his wish to read, by standing up, he might include in it a desire to expound also; for having closed the book, and returned it to the minister, he sat down, as the manner of the Jewish doctors was, when they taught or preached, understanding that he had the consent of the president to comment upon the passage, as well as to read it. The passage he had selected from Isaiah, they all knew related to the Messiah, for in that their interpreters were universally agreed; and as he had already preached largely throughout Galilee, and spoken and acted in the character of Messiah, the eyes of all them in the synagogue were fastened upon him, in eager expectation as to what use he might make of the passage, or whether he would apply it to himself.

V. 21. To-day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears-By what you hear me speak.

Verses 20, 21. And he closed the book, and gave it again to the minister — Tw uphreth, to the servant, who had brought it to him. “From the manner in which we apply the word minister, in speaking of our churches, the English reader is apt to be led into a mistake by the common version, and to consider the word here as meaning the person who presided in the service; whereas it denotes only a subordinate officer, who attended the minister, and obeyed his orders in what concerned the more servile part of the work. Among other things he had the charge of the sacred books, and delivered them to those to whom he was commanded by his superiors to give them. After the reading was over, he deposited them in their proper place.” — Campbell. And sat down — The Jewish doctors, to show their reverence for the Scriptures, always stood when they read them, but when they taught the people they sat down. See Matthew 23:2. Thus we here find our Lord sitting down in the synagogue to preach, after he had read the passage in the prophet, which he made the subject of his discourse. The custom of preaching from a text of Scripture, which now prevails throughout all the Christian churches, seems to have derived its origin from the authority of this example. And the eyes of all were fastened on him — They looked on him with great attention, expecting him to explain the passage. And in addressing the congregation on it, he told them, it was that day fulfilled in their ears — Namely, by what they heard him speak; words which imply, that, whatever allusion there might be in the prophecy to the good news of the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, it was primarily and principally intended to be understood of the spiritual salvation of mankind from ignorance and error, sinfulness and guilt, depravity and misery, by the Messiah, who, and not Isaiah, nor any other prophet, is to be considered as speaking in the passage, as is explained more fully in the notes there.

21. This day… fulfilled—The evangelist having given the text, now states in a single sentence the general proposition of the sermon. Our Saviour must now have proceeded to show that HE was this emancipator who would bring deliverance, and this physician who would bind up the broken-hearted. He must have proceeded to show these Nazarenes that they were the poor persons who needed the benefactor, and the bruised who needed the physician. Gracious as were his words, they were humbling to the audience and exalting to himself. Hence arose the rupture that ensued. See note on verse 18.

Verse 21. This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. — That is, in your hearing; as though he had said, I declare to you this day that it is fulfilled; which implied that the acceptable year spoken of by the prophet had arrived, and that he himself was the Messiah who was anointed to preach the good tidings. God’s love to fallen man, the provision made by his mercy to remove those various spiritual miseries and dangers, so affectingly set forth in the text on which he was commenting, opened in the clearest and sweetest eloquence, and enforced no doubt with many kind exhortations and invitations, formed the subjects of this discourse; which appears to have been of considerable length, and it produced great, though not saving effect. And they all bare him witness, gave signs of approbation, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, that is, at the wisdom and elegance of his speech, at the attractive manner in which he had set forth all these benefits, and the clearness and power of argument with which he gave weight to the whole. And they said, is not this Joseph’s son? The first effect appears to have been surprise, that a man who had not been brought up in the schools, could discourse so admirably; which ought to have convinced them, in conjunction with the mighty works which they knew he had already wrought in Galilee, that his claim to be the Messiah at least deserved to be candidly considered, seeing he was equally “mighty in deed and word.” But the effect upon an “evil heart of unbelief” was the reverse: they wondered at the wisdom and excellence of what he said, because he was Joseph’s son; but they argued that because he was so, because he was not great by birth, and trained up under their wise men, he could not be the Messiah. — This was the conclusion to which they came after their wonder at his discourse had somewhat abated; and it was with reference to this state of their minds that the following words of our Lord are to be interpreted. — Without taking it into account that they had fully made up their minds to reject his claim, notwithstanding the impression made by his discourse, and that because of the lowly condition in which he had always lived among them, Christ’s subsequent address to them appears inexplicably harsh, and quite different from his usual manner. But when the people of Nazareth are viewed as already having made up their minds to reject Christ, and to resist even the convictions which had stolen upon them during the delivery of this discourse, and that under the influence of a base and worldly prejudice, we shall see in the whole an instance of that solemn judicial abandonment which even Christ shall at length inflict upon all who wilfully reject his truth.

V. 22. The gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth-A person of spiritual discernment may find in all the discourses of our Lord a peculiar sweetness, gravity, and becomingness, such as is not to be found in the same degree, not even in those of the apostles.

Verse 22. At the gracious words] To the words of grace, epi toiv logoiv thv caritov, or the doctrines of grace, which he then preached. It is very strange that none of the evangelists give us any account of this sermon! There was certainly more of it than is related in Luke 4:21. To-day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears; which seems to have been no more than the first sentence he spoke on the occasion. Had it been necessary for our salvation, it would have been recorded. It was a demonstration to those Jews, that Jesus, who preached to them, was the person of whom the prophet there spoke: it was not designed for general edification. Let us make a good use of what we have got, and we shalt not regret that this sermon is lost. The ear is never satisfied with hearing: we wish for another and another revelation, while sadly unacquainted with the nature and design of that which God’s mercy has already given us.

Verse 22. And all the congregation bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words, &c. — By this it appears, that our Lord proved and illustrated his assertion, (that the passage he had read was that day fulfilled,) in a discourse of considerable length, the subject of which only is mentioned by Luke. And it seems also, that on this occasion he delivered his thoughts with such strength of reason, clearness of method, and, perhaps also, beauty of expression, that his townsmen, who all knew he had not had the advantage of a liberal education, were so astonished, that in their conversation one with another they could not forbear expressing their admiration. At the same time, however, their carnal and worldly spirit, not to say the malevolence also of their disposition, led them to mingle with their praises a reflection, which they thought sufficiently confuted his pretensions of being the Messiah, and showed the absurdity of the application which he had made of Isaiah’s prophecy to himself, in that character; And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? &c.

Ver. 22. Is not this Joseph’s son? The pride of the rulers could not brook the Saviour’s popularity; they saw the people pay him a reverence never shown to them. They asked for miracles with contempt and unbelief. Nay, their indignation boiled to thoughts of murder; the vociferations were, throw him over the precipice. Envy is a worm of the genus of serpents. How many aged ministers have I seen, in my extensive knowledge of the religious world, so envious at the popularity of young men called to help them, that they have ruined themselves by seeking to degrade and slander them, instead of rejoicing over them as sons in the gospel, and as the hopes of the church.

22. Gracious words—Words of grace. For as the text is full of words of grace and mercy to those who needed them, so was the sermon. Hence even these rude Nazarene highlanders bare witness—that is, fully felt and acknowledged the blessed power with which that grace was proclaimed. When they had arrived thus far, and had fully felt and confessed themselves touched by his winning pathos, who would not have hoped that good would come of it? But though grace be the theme, and Jesus be the preacher, there is a power in a wicked human will and perverse human passions that can defeat all the appliances that God, within the laws of his wise government, can bring to bear upon them. In the very pathos of the blessed orator in this synagogue there was a point in which they could find offence. The very grace and mercy assumed that it was THEY who needed it, and HE who was to bestow it. Their rude pride could not brook two such haughty and humbling assumptions from this carpenter’s son to them.

V. 23. Ye will surely say-That is, your approbation now outweighs your prejudices. But it will not be so long. You will soon ask, why my love does not begin at home? Why I do not work miracles here, rather than at Capernaum? It is because of your unbelief. Nor is it any new thing for me to be despised in my own country. So were both Elijah and Elisha, and thereby driven to work miracles among heathens, rather than in Israel.

Verse 23. Physician, heal thyself] That is, heal the broken-hearted in thy own country, as the latter clause of the verse explains it; but they were far from being in a proper spirit to receive the salvation which he was ready to communicate; and therefore they were not healed.

Verses 23, 24. And he said, Ye will surely say — That is, your approbation now outweighs your prejudices. But it will not be so long. You will soon ask, why my love does not begin at home? why I do not work miracles here, rather than at Capernaum? It is because of your unbelief. Nor is it any new thing for a messenger of God to be despised in his own country. So were both Elijah and Elisha, and thereby driven to work miracles among heathen, rather than in Israel. And he said, Verily, no prophet is accepted in his own country — That is, in his own neighbourhood. It generally holds, that a teacher sent from God is not so acceptable to his neighbours as he is to strangers. The meanness of his family, or lowness of his circumstances, brings his office into contempt: nor can they suffer that he, who was before equal with or below themselves, should now bear a superior character.

Ver. 23-27. Ye will surely say to me — Physician, heal thyself. But I tell you the truth, the truth out of your own scriptures; it was the Spirit that led me in course to other towns; and what can prophets do against the Spirit of the Lord? In the time of drought, there were many widows in Israel; yet Elijah was sent to feed a poor gentile widow of Zarepta, a city of Sidonia. Likewise, there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, yet none of them were cleansed, save Naaman the Syrian. Your absolute claims of grace and exclusive privileges are unauthorized, even by your greatest prophets.

23. Physician, heal thyself—You who paint our misery as so deep, and yourself as our physician, first remedy your own case. If we are miserable Nazarenes, you are as Nazarene as we, and a mere mechanic’s son at that. And there is this difference against you, that you are under charge of an imposture from which you can redeem yourself only by miracle. Do also here—You may ground your assumed exaltation on miracles claimed by you as having been performed at Capernaum and elsewhere. Let us see the like. Perhaps miracles that would pass current at Capernaum might not stand before us sharp men of Nazareth!

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

V. 24. No prophet is acceptable in his own country-That is, in his own neighbourhood. It generally holds, that a teacher sent from God is not so acceptable to his neighbours as he is to strangers. The meanness of his family, or lowness of his circumstances, bring his office into contempt: nor can they suffer that he, who was before equal with, or below themselves, should now bear a superior character.

Verse 24. No prophet is accepted] See on Matthew 13:55-57.

Verses 23, 24. And he said, Ye will surely say — That is, your approbation now outweighs your prejudices. But it will not be so long. You will soon ask, why my love does not begin at home? why I do not work miracles here, rather than at Capernaum? It is because of your unbelief. Nor is it any new thing for a messenger of God to be despised in his own country. So were both Elijah and Elisha, and thereby driven to work miracles among heathen, rather than in Israel. And he said, Verily, no prophet is accepted in his own country — That is, in his own neighbourhood. It generally holds, that a teacher sent from God is not so acceptable to his neighbours as he is to strangers. The meanness of his family, or lowness of his circumstances, brings his office into contempt: nor can they suffer that he, who was before equal with or below themselves, should now bear a superior character.

Ver. 23-27. Ye will surely say to me — Physician, heal thyself. But I tell you the truth, the truth out of your own scriptures; it was the Spirit that led me in course to other towns; and what can prophets do against the Spirit of the Lord? In the time of drought, there were many widows in Israel; yet Elijah was sent to feed a poor gentile widow of Zarepta, a city of Sidonia. Likewise, there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, yet none of them were cleansed, save Naaman the Syrian. Your absolute claims of grace and exclusive privileges are unauthorized, even by your greatest prophets.

24. He said—In answer to some response with which they interrupted him. The response must have admitted that they did hold the sentiments he attributed to them. No prophet—Proverbs are of course general rules, to be taken with exceptions. The present proverb is founded on one of the evil propensities of our nature; namely, the envy which arises from our seeing former equals outstrip us in life. This is a special characteristic of coarser natures like the men of Nazareth.

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

V. 25. When the heaven was shut up three years and six months-Such a proof had they that God had sent him. In 1 Kings 18:1, it is said, The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: namely, reckoning not from the beginning of the drought, but from the time when he began to sojourn with the widow of Sarepta. A year of drought had preceded this, while he dwelt at the brook Cherith. So that the whole time of the drought was (as St. James likewise observes) three years and six months. 1 Kings 17:19; 18:44.

Verse 25. In the days of Elias] See this history, 1 Kings 17:1-9, compared with 1 Kings 18:1-45. This was evidently a miraculous interference, as no rain fell for three years and six months, even in the rainy seasons. There were two of these in Judea, called the first and the latter rains; the first fell in October, the latter in April: the first prepared the ground for the seed, the latter ripened the harvest. As both these rains were withheld, consequently there was a great famine throughout all the land.

Verses 25-27. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, &c. — “By putting them thus in mind of Elijah’s miracle in behalf of the widow of Sarepta, a heathen inhabitant of a heathen city, in a time of famine, while many widows of Israel were suffered to starve; and of Elisha’s miracle on Naaman the Syrian leper, while many lepers in Israel remained uncleansed, he showed them both the sin and punishment of their ancestors, and left it to themselves to make the application.” When the heaven was shut up, &c. — Such a proof had they that God had sent him. Three years and six months — In 1 Kings 18:1, it is said, The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: namely, reckoning, not from the beginning of the drought, but from the time when he began to sojourn with the widow of Sarepta. A year of drought had preceded this, while he dwelt at the brook Cherith. So that the whole time of the drought was (as St. James likewise observes) three years and six months.

Ver. 23-27. Ye will surely say to me — Physician, heal thyself. But I tell you the truth, the truth out of your own scriptures; it was the Spirit that led me in course to other towns; and what can prophets do against the Spirit of the Lord? In the time of drought, there were many widows in Israel; yet Elijah was sent to feed a poor gentile widow of Zarepta, a city of Sidonia. Likewise, there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, yet none of them were cleansed, save Naaman the Syrian. Your absolute claims of grace and exclusive privileges are unauthorized, even by your greatest prophets.

25. Many widows—Jesus now illustrates his proverb, in the present case, with a couple of examples in which their countrymen rejected the prophets and were themselves rejected. The widows in Israel of old rejected Elijah and the God of Elijah; they were themselves overlooked, while the widow of Sarepta was selected and elected. The lepers of Israel rejected Elijah; they were themselves consequently rejected and reprobated, and Naaman the Syrian was elected through faith to physical salvation. Like the rejected widows and lepers of Israel were these Nazarenes. The election in all the instances is conditional, not arbitrary.

In both cases, Jesus selects his elect ones (as Luke’s Gentile Gospel hints) from among Gentiles. And this may have been part of the matter of offence. But the main ground was, that Jesus abated not a hair of his pretensions to pass a summary reprobation upon the Nazarenes for their evil hearts of unbelief.

Days of Elias—Elias is the Greek form of the Old Testament name Elijah. Driven by the persecutions of Ahab, Elijah the Tishbite, by God’s command, took refuge with the widow of Zarephath or Sarepta. She was induced to supply his wants, and was rewarded of God. Three years and six months—The time of the cessation of rain is said, to have been the third year, and it does not appear at what time it commenced. Apparently it began some time earlier, which gave time for the additional six months. References to the period of three years and six months, apparently as a round number, not to be taken as exact, are several times found in the Scriptures, as in Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6-14. So also in James 5:17. Lightfoot adduces also more instances from the rabbinical writers. It is in fact the half of the sacred number Seven. See supplementary note to Luke 6:13. Sarepta, or Zarephath in the Old Testament, Sarafend at the present time, is a large inland village half way between Tyre and Sidon.

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

Verse 26. Unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta] The sentence is elliptical, and means this: To none of them was Elias sent; he was not sent except to Sarepta; for the widow at Sarepta was a Sidonian, not a widow of Israel. PEARCE.-Sarepta was a pagan city in the country of Sidon, in the vicinity of Galilee.

Verses 25-27. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, &c. — “By putting them thus in mind of Elijah’s miracle in behalf of the widow of Sarepta, a heathen inhabitant of a heathen city, in a time of famine, while many widows of Israel were suffered to starve; and of Elisha’s miracle on Naaman the Syrian leper, while many lepers in Israel remained uncleansed, he showed them both the sin and punishment of their ancestors, and left it to themselves to make the application.” When the heaven was shut up, &c. — Such a proof had they that God had sent him. Three years and six months — In 1 Kings 18:1, it is said, The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: namely, reckoning, not from the beginning of the drought, but from the time when he began to sojourn with the widow of Sarepta. A year of drought had preceded this, while he dwelt at the brook Cherith. So that the whole time of the drought was (as St. James likewise observes) three years and six months.

Ver. 23-27. Ye will surely say to me — Physician, heal thyself. But I tell you the truth, the truth out of your own scriptures; it was the Spirit that led me in course to other towns; and what can prophets do against the Spirit of the Lord? In the time of drought, there were many widows in Israel; yet Elijah was sent to feed a poor gentile widow of Zarepta, a city of Sidonia. Likewise, there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, yet none of them were cleansed, save Naaman the Syrian. Your absolute claims of grace and exclusive privileges are unauthorized, even by your greatest prophets.

FIRST VISIT TO NAZARETH—RESIDENCE AT CAPERNAUM, 16-31.

Luke sees a true propriety in selecting the first manifestation of the Lord at Nazareth, as the opening of his history of the great ministry. It was initial, ominous, typical. Here, pre-eminently, “he came to his own, and his own received him not.”

It is strenuously maintained by some commentators that there was but one visit and rejection at Nazareth. This is argued from the fact that in both accounts the same proverb is adduced, and the same reference to Jesus’s relatives is made. But that a repetition of the unwelcome visit should awaken similar trains of thought and language is perfectly natural. On the contrary, it seems scarcely probable that in Matthew and Mark the most exciting part of the affair, the attempt to hurl Jesus from the precipice, should be omitted.

16. Nazareth—See Stanley’s beautiful description of this place in our note on Matthew 1:23. The rude character ascribed by Nathaniel to this town in his query, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (although some doubt, very groundlessly, its imputing any popular odium to that town,) was well illustrated by the coarse and murderous violence of its mob on the present occasion. As his custom—His custom of attending the synagogue on the sabbath, to read and teach. Luke’s summary of Christ’s Galilean ministry thus far, (verse 15,) indicates that he had preached long enough to have established a custom.

Nazareth was not so bad but that she had a synagogue and a service. The service of the synagogue commenced with praise and prayer; then a portion of the law was read aloud, and after this a portion of the prophets. The reader and congregation, out of respect to God’s word, stood while it was read; they sat while the subsequent discourse was delivered. Stood up to read—It would seem that Jesus rose to indicate that it was his wish to read and explain; which was probably expected and readily accorded by the chazan and congregation. He sat down to discourse, (verse 20,) instead of returning to his own place in the congregation. In regard to Jewish synagogues, see our note on Matthew 4:23.

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

V. 27. 2 Kings 5:14.

Verse 27. None of them was cleansed] This verse is to be understood as the 26th; for Naaman, being a Syrian, was no leper in Israel. The meaning of these verses is, God dispenses his benefits when, where, and to whom he pleases. No person can complain of his conduct in these respects, because no person deserves any good from his hand. God never punishes any but those who deserve it; but he blesses incessantly those who deserve it not. The reason is evident: justice depends on certain rules; but beneficence is free. Beneficence can bless both the good and the evil; justice can punish the latter only. Those who do not make this distinction must have a very confused notion of the conduct of Divine Providence among men.

Verses 25-27. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, &c. — “By putting them thus in mind of Elijah’s miracle in behalf of the widow of Sarepta, a heathen inhabitant of a heathen city, in a time of famine, while many widows of Israel were suffered to starve; and of Elisha’s miracle on Naaman the Syrian leper, while many lepers in Israel remained uncleansed, he showed them both the sin and punishment of their ancestors, and left it to themselves to make the application.” When the heaven was shut up, &c. — Such a proof had they that God had sent him. Three years and six months — In 1 Kings 18:1, it is said, The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: namely, reckoning, not from the beginning of the drought, but from the time when he began to sojourn with the widow of Sarepta. A year of drought had preceded this, while he dwelt at the brook Cherith. So that the whole time of the drought was (as St. James likewise observes) three years and six months.

Ver. 23-27. Ye will surely say to me — Physician, heal thyself. But I tell you the truth, the truth out of your own scriptures; it was the Spirit that led me in course to other towns; and what can prophets do against the Spirit of the Lord? In the time of drought, there were many widows in Israel; yet Elijah was sent to feed a poor gentile widow of Zarepta, a city of Sidonia. Likewise, there were many lepers in Israel in the days of Elisha, yet none of them were cleansed, save Naaman the Syrian. Your absolute claims of grace and exclusive privileges are unauthorized, even by your greatest prophets.

27. Many lepers—See notes on Matthew 8:2. Eliseus—Greek form for Elisha. Naaman—See 2 Kings 5:14.

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

V. 28. And all in the synagogue were filled with fury-Perceiving the purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessing which they despised, would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles. So changeable are the hearts of wicked men! So little are their starts of love to be depended on! So unable are they to bear the close application, even of a discourse which they most admire!

Verse 28. Were filled with wrath] They seem to have drawn the following conclusion from what our Lord spoke: “The Gentiles are more precious in the sight of God than the Jews; and to them his miracles of mercy and kindness shall be principally confined.” This was pretty near the truth, as the event proved. Those who profit not by the light of God, while it is among them, shall have their candle extinguished. The kingdom of God was taken from the Jews, and given to the Gentiles; not because the Gentiles were better than they were, but because, 1st. The Jews had forfeited their privileges; and 2dly. Because Christ saw that the Gentiles would bring forth the fruits of the kingdom.

Verses 28-30. And all they in the synagogue were filled with wrath — The Nazarenes, perceiving the purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessings which they despised would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles, were enraged to such a pitch, that, forgetting the sanctity of the sabbath, they gathered around him tumultuously, forced him out of the synagogue, and rushed with him through the streets to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built; that they might cast him down headlong. So changeable are the hearts of wicked men! So little are their starts of love to be depended on! So unable are they to bear the close application, even of a discourse which they most admire! But he, passing through the midst of them — Probably by making himself invisible; or by overawing them: so that, though they saw, they had not power to touch him.

Ver. 28-30. And all they in the synagogue — were filled with wrath. Nathaniel’s question, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth, is no encomium on the moral state of that town. And now the demon appeared the moment their presumption met with a fair and just rebuke. The Saviour, regardless of their anger, boldly declared the truth. In their fury against him, they made no calculation on the consequences of imbruing their hands in the blood of a prophet. They sought to take and destroy him, but he walked securely through the crowd; the majesty of his presence paralyzed their arm. He called for no visitations on the town, the loss of grace and mercy was no small punishment.

28. Were filled with wrath—All at once the Church became a mob. It was clearly seen that the faithless widows and lepers were but types of themselves, the faithless Nazarenes. They now proceeded to show the justness of the type.

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

Verse 29. The brow of the hill] Mr. Maundrel tells us that this is still called “the Mountain of the Precipitation, and is half a league southward of Nazareth. In going to it, you cross first over the vale in which Nazareth stands; and then going down two or three furlongs, in a narrow cleft between the rocks, you there clamber up a short but difficult way on the right hand; at the top of which you find a great stone standing on the brink of a precipice, which is said to be the very place where our Lord was destined to be thrown down by his enraged neighbours.” Maundrel’s Journey, p. 116. Edit. 5th. 1732.

Verses 28-30. And all they in the synagogue were filled with wrath — The Nazarenes, perceiving the purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessings which they despised would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles, were enraged to such a pitch, that, forgetting the sanctity of the sabbath, they gathered around him tumultuously, forced him out of the synagogue, and rushed with him through the streets to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built; that they might cast him down headlong. So changeable are the hearts of wicked men! So little are their starts of love to be depended on! So unable are they to bear the close application, even of a discourse which they most admire! But he, passing through the midst of them — Probably by making himself invisible; or by overawing them: so that, though they saw, they had not power to touch him.

Ver. 28-30. And all they in the synagogue — were filled with wrath. Nathaniel’s question, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth, is no encomium on the moral state of that town. And now the demon appeared the moment their presumption met with a fair and just rebuke. The Saviour, regardless of their anger, boldly declared the truth. In their fury against him, they made no calculation on the consequences of imbruing their hands in the blood of a prophet. They sought to take and destroy him, but he walked securely through the crowd; the majesty of his presence paralyzed their arm. He called for no visitations on the town, the loss of grace and mercy was no small punishment.

29. Rose up—From their seats in the synagogue. The phrase in the 28th verse, “when they heard these things,” implies that they interrupted him and broke off his discourse. Thrust him out—Expelled him; implying that he would have stayed. Brow—A precipitous projection. The term is taken from the brow of the human face. As Nazareth is a region of some fifteen hills, abounding in precipices, there are several which might have been suitable. The most striking of these is about two miles from the city, and is shown by the monks as the so-called “Mount of Precipitation.” The most judicious travellers reject this as being too far; and Dr. Thompson thinks that it was selected by the monks on account of its bold character and fine view over the plain of Esdraelon. Cast him down headlong—As the Romans used to cast criminals down the Tarpeian rock. Nazareth was built on the lower margin of the hill, and the mob took Jesus up to its summit, where there is a nearly perpendicular precipice, forty or fifty feet high, over which a plunge would in all probability be fatal. Thus this very spot where Jesus had been in his boyhood accustomed to survey the expansive prospect, reaching to the Mediterranean, was selected by his townsmen as the scene of his martyrdom at their hands.

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

V. 30. Passing through the midst of them-Perhaps invisibly; or perhaps they were overawed; so that though they saw, they could not touch him.

Verse 30. Passing through the midst of them] Either he shut their eyes so that they could not see him; or he so overawed them by his power as to leave them no strength to perform their murderous purpose. The man Christ Jesus was immortal till his time came; and all his messengers are immortal till their work is done.

The following relation of a fact presents a scene something similar to what I suppose passed on this occasion: A missionary, who had been sent to a strange land to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and who had passed through many hardships, and was often in danger of losing his life, through the persecutions excited against him, came to a place where he had often before, at no small risk, preached Christ crucified. About fifty people, who had received good impressions from the word of God, assembled: he began his discourse; and, after he had preached about thirty minutes, an outrageous mob surrounded the house, armed with different instruments of death, and breathing the most sanguinary purposes. Some that were within shut the door; and the missionary and his flock betook themselves to prayer. The mob assailed the house, and began to hurl stones against the walls, windows, and roof; and in a short time almost every tile was destroyed, and the roof nearly uncovered, and before they quitted the premises scarcely left one square inch of glass in the five windows by which the house was enlightened. While this was going forward, a person came with a pistol to the window opposite to the place where the preacher stood, (who was then exhorting his flock to be steady, to resign themselves to God, and trust in him,) presented it at him, and snapped it; but it only flashed in the pan! As the house was a wooden building, they began with crows and spades to undermine it, and take away its principal supports. The preacher then addressed his little flock to this effect: “These outrageous people seek not you, but me; if I continue in the house, they will soon pull it down, and we shall be all buried in its ruins; I will therefore, in the name of God, go out to them, and you will be safe.” He then went towards the door; the poor people got round him, and entreated him not to venture out, as he might expect to be instantly massacred; he went calmly forward, opened the door, at which a whole volley of stones and dirt was that instant discharged; but he received no damage. The people were in crowds in all the space before the door, and filled the road for a considerable way, so that there was no room to pass or repass. As soon as the preacher made his appearance, the savages became instantly as silent and as still as night: he walked forward; and they divided to the right and to the left, leaving a passage of about four feet wide for himself and a young man who followed him, to walk in. He passed on through the whole crowd, not a soul of whom either lifted a hand, or spoke one word, till he and his companion had gained the uttermost skirts of the mob! The narrator, who was present on the occasion, goes on to say: “This was one of the most affecting spectacles I ever witnessed; an infuriated mob, without any visible cause, (for the preacher spoke not one word,) became in a moment as calm as lambs! They seemed struck with amazement bordering on stupefaction; they stared and stood speechless; and, after they had fallen back to right and left to leave him a free passage, they were as motionless as statues! They assembled with the full purpose to destroy the man who came to show them the way of salvation; but he, passing through the midst of them, went his way. Was not the God of missionaries in this work? The next Lord’s day, the missionary went to the same place, and again proclaimed the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!”

Verses 28-30. And all they in the synagogue were filled with wrath — The Nazarenes, perceiving the purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessings which they despised would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles, were enraged to such a pitch, that, forgetting the sanctity of the sabbath, they gathered around him tumultuously, forced him out of the synagogue, and rushed with him through the streets to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built; that they might cast him down headlong. So changeable are the hearts of wicked men! So little are their starts of love to be depended on! So unable are they to bear the close application, even of a discourse which they most admire! But he, passing through the midst of them — Probably by making himself invisible; or by overawing them: so that, though they saw, they had not power to touch him.

Ver. 28-30. And all they in the synagogue — were filled with wrath. Nathaniel’s question, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth, is no encomium on the moral state of that town. And now the demon appeared the moment their presumption met with a fair and just rebuke. The Saviour, regardless of their anger, boldly declared the truth. In their fury against him, they made no calculation on the consequences of imbruing their hands in the blood of a prophet. They sought to take and destroy him, but he walked securely through the crowd; the majesty of his presence paralyzed their arm. He called for no visitations on the town, the loss of grace and mercy was no small punishment.

30. Passing through the midst of them—Of course the mob was ahead of him. But at the moment in which he chose to escape, wonderful was the ease with which he passed through the crowd, who seem to have parted right and left, as if they meant to escort rather than to murder him. The question is raised whether this critical escape, and other similar instances, were miraculous, (John 8:59; 18:6.) That they were not, the parallels of Caius Marius and others are adduced, where the awe of the person assailed has unmanned and defeated the assailants. But, perhaps, the clearest parallel to this present escape may be found in Stevens’s History of Methodism, vol. i, p. 195. Wesley, assailed by a Cornish mob, is nearly thrown to the ground, whence he would never have risen alive. Struck with a blow upon the chest, so that the blood gushes out of his mouth, he yet maintains a composure superior to pain, and perfect as if in the quiet of his study. Amid his utterance of prayer and their clamours for his life, a strange and sudden reaction takes place. A call is made for a fair hearing; and the very leader of the mob, awe-struck, becomes all at once his defender. And then, in language strongly reminding us (though it did not the historian himself) of the present scene, it is added, “The people fell back, as if by common consent, and led on through their open ranks by the champion of the rabble, he safely escaped to his lodgings.” Whether this was miraculous or not may be a question of degree, not of kind. Who can tell at what point the natural awe-inspiring power of great or sacred character rises to a supernatural amount?

Verses 23-30. Physician, heal thyself. — Our Lord’s manner was often to anticipate objections, and to refute them while yet they were working in the minds of his adversaries, and before they had declared them. — This showed his perfect knowledge of the heart. That objection by which the people of Nazareth appeared to have fortified themselves against acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah was, that he had not wrought the same, or so great works at Nazareth as in other places; for instance, at Capernaum, a city where he had much resided after he had commenced his ministry, and where he raised Jairus’ daughter from death, healed the man with a withered hand, the woman with the issue of blood, and done other great miracles. Of these things they had heard; which shows that this visit of our Lord to Nazareth was not at the commencement, but at a late period of his public ministry; for Luke’s plan, as it has already been observed, was not so strictly to observe the order of time in his narrative as the classes of events, and their illustrative character. The proverb our Lord quotes is called in the Greek a parable, because proverbs of this class contain a simile or comparison, and were indeed often the moral of well known parables in the proper sense. It is a common proverb, implying reproof in all nations, and has various applications. Here the point of it was, that Christ took more care of strangers than of his own townspeople and kindred; that he was liberal of his favours from home. Our Lord’s answer shows that this was but a pretence for not receiving him in his true character. They ought indeed to have been satisfied with smaller evidence of his claims than strangers, since he had lived so many years among them, and had established his character for wisdom and piety; but to their proverb our Lord opposes another, No prophet is accepted in his own country, or, as it is given by St. Mark, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house;” a truth which often derives illustration from fact. For, as public teachers, they may be objects of envy to some, who have known them in a private condition; and as faithful reprovers usually offend, the reproved are ready to seize upon any circumstance of meanness, in their former condition; or any thing connected with their family relations, by which the prophet or teacher is held up to contempt, and the point of his reproofs blunted. See the notes on Matthew 13:57. But our Lord has another reason to give for his not having done as many miracles there as at Capernaum and other places. These works were not to be performed out of natural affection, or love of kindred or country, in those who were endowed with the power of working them, but were under the special command and sovereign authority of God, who takes into account the state of men’s hearts, and their improvement of one privilege before he bestows another; and often too overlooks those who fancy they have most claim to his regard, to bestow his blessings upon strangers and despised persons. So Elijah was sent during the great famine, to be the inmate of the widow of Sarepta, a Sidonian city, and therefore herself a Gentile, although there were many widows in Israel. And Naaman, the Syrian leper, was cleansed by Elisha, although there were many lepers in Israel. He thus plainly declared to them that because of their worldliness and disposition to unbelief they were less regarded by God than others among whom he had been specially sent to perform his mightier works; and not obscurely intimated that the doctrine and salvation they put away from them should be sent to the Gentiles. They were therefore filled with wrath; and pleading probably what the bigoted zealots among them called the judgment of zeal, — the lawfulness of avenging the cause of their religion when they thought any dishonour put upon it, in a tumultuous manner, without waiting for the regular forms of trial, — they hurried him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down the precipice: but he passed through the midst, not by making himself invisible, as some have thought, but by a miraculous restraint which he suddenly laid upon them; and so showing them their weakness and his power, went his way. — Thus he performed among them one mighty work which he had not done at Capernaum, the place they pretended to envy; but it was a miracle which did not bring their Saviour near to them, but separated him from them for ever; which will be the effect also of the last act of power our Lord will perform, as to all those who wilfully reject him, in whatever age they have lived, and in whatever country they may be found. On the situation of Nazareth Dr. E. D. Clarke remarks: “Induced by the words of the Gospel to examine the place attentively, we went, as it is written, out of the city to the brow of the hill on which the city is built, and came to a precipice corresponding with the words of the evangelist.” The topographical accuracy of the writers of the gospels is indeed so great as to make their writings a guide to travellers to this day, and furnishes a most convincing proof that the gospels were written by Jews and eye witnesses, or contain their relations.

V. 31. He came down to Capernaum-And dwelt there, entirely quitting his abode at Nazareth. Mark 1:21.

Verse 31. Came down to Capernaum] Which it is likely he made his ordinary place of residence from this time. See Clarke on “Matthew 4:13”.

Verses 31, 32. And came down to Capernaum — And dwelt there, entirely quitting his abode at Nazareth, in consequence of the rude treatment which he met with from his townsmen. Here let it be observed, that by settling in Capernaum our Lord fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, Isaiah 9:1, which elegantly describes the effect of the Messiah’s residence in Galilee. See notes on Matthew 4:13-16. And he taught them on the sabbath days — Namely, according to Matthew 4:17, and Mark 1:15, proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and exhorted them to repent and believe the gospel. This was his testimony during the time of his abode at Capernaum, and this he made the subject of his preaching in their synagogue on the sabbath days, not being discouraged by the ill usage that he had met with at Nazareth, upon his bearing the same testimony there. And they were astonished — Powerfully struck, and very much affected; with his doctrine. For his word was with power — With authority and majesty, which incomparably exceeded that low and servile manner of preaching which the scribes and Pharisees commonly used, in retailing their precarious traditions and insipid comments to the people. Our Lord, however, did not confine himself to Capernaum, for he frequently made excursions into the neighbouring country, and on such occasions, no doubt, preached several times every day.

Ver. 31. He came down to Capernaum, called in Hebrew Caphar Carnaim, or village Carnaim; a town of Galilee, near the sea of Galilee, now populous, and mostly inhabited by gentiles.

31. And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee—The heretic Marcion, concerning whom see our note on Luke 6:4, commenced his mutilated Gospel of Luke, as Tertullian informs us, at this place, with these words: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius God descended into Capernaum, a city of Galilee. To refute the omissions and interpolations of Marcion, Tertullian appeals to all those Churches which Paul founded with the co-operation of Luke, who all with perfect unanimity follow that edition of Luke which has been handed down to the universal Church of the present day. From this we can see how well authenticated a history we have in our Gospel of Luke. Capernaum—See notes on Matthew 4:13. Jesus had a home (Mark 2:1; 3:19) at Capernaum, where he became so complete a resident as to be legally taxable, Matthew 17:24; but had he a house of his own? This is negatived by his words, (Matthew 8:20,) “the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” It is probable that he either resided with Peter, (Matthew 8:14,) who seems to have been host for other apostles, (Mark 1:29,) or that his mother had transferred her own residence, with her son’s, to Capernaum. Jesus may, for aught we know, have there wrought in his secular occupation.

§ 27. HEALING OF THE DEMONIAC IN THE SYNAGOGUE AT CAPERNAUM, 33-37. Mark 1:21-28.

See notes on parallel passages in Mark.

§ 28. PETER’S WIFE’S MOTHER HEALED; THE MIRACLES IN GALILEE, 38-44. Matthew 8:14-25; Mark 1:29-39.

See notes on parallel passages.

Verse 32. His word was with power.] en exousia, With authority. He assumed the tone and manner of a new Lawgiver; and uttered all his doctrines, not in the way of exhortation or advice, but in the form of precepts and commands, the unction of the Holy Spirit accompanying all he said. See Clarke on “Mark 1:22”.

Verses 31, 32. And came down to Capernaum — And dwelt there, entirely quitting his abode at Nazareth, in consequence of the rude treatment which he met with from his townsmen. Here let it be observed, that by settling in Capernaum our Lord fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, Isaiah 9:1, which elegantly describes the effect of the Messiah’s residence in Galilee. See notes on Matthew 4:13-16. And he taught them on the sabbath days — Namely, according to Matthew 4:17, and Mark 1:15, proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and exhorted them to repent and believe the gospel. This was his testimony during the time of his abode at Capernaum, and this he made the subject of his preaching in their synagogue on the sabbath days, not being discouraged by the ill usage that he had met with at Nazareth, upon his bearing the same testimony there. And they were astonished — Powerfully struck, and very much affected; with his doctrine. For his word was with power — With authority and majesty, which incomparably exceeded that low and servile manner of preaching which the scribes and Pharisees commonly used, in retailing their precarious traditions and insipid comments to the people. Our Lord, however, did not confine himself to Capernaum, for he frequently made excursions into the neighbouring country, and on such occasions, no doubt, preached several times every day.

Ver. 32. His word was with power. The officers of the temple said, never man spake like this man. When he talked of divine things, he talked of his own things: all was nature, all was ease, the sweetness of heaven accompanied his words. In simplicity, he surpassed the flowery prophets. His comments on the law were luminous and conclusive. His figures were the eloquence of nature, and most instructive in character. His climaxes, (as in the beatitudes, and in the questions, what went ye out into the wilderness to see; a reed, a courtier, a prophet, more than a prophet) are the perfection of beauty. In parable, his narration was simple, and all his portraits left their image behind. In disputations, he was conclusive, and covered sophistry with silence. When he struck at vice, his words were clothed with majesty; but when he reproved the sins of the sanctuary, his sword was doubly sharp. To no class of men did he ever concede the truths of God, nor did he ever temporize with the wicked. His heart spoke with his voice, varying his tones with his subject, while his aspect confirmed all his words. In fine, he so spake, and so lived, as to say to all, Learn of me. He surpassed all prophets and all apostles in eloquence, because he surpassed them in simplicity.

Verse 32. For his word was with power. — This was on many occasions, and in various places, felt by his auditors, and acknowledged. See the note on Matthew 7:28, 29. Not only did his word make a powerful impression, but it carried with it a dignity and authority indicating a Being superior to mere human teachers though prophets. This mystery was not indeed, at that time, so fully revealed, as afterward; but there was an impression of it, though indistinct and indefinite, made upon the minds of the thousands in Galilee, who heard him with reverence and attention, in their synagogues, from Sabbath to Sabbath.

Verse 33. A spirit of an unclean devil] As demon was used both in a good and bad sense before and after the time of the evangelists the word unclean may have been added here by St. Luke, merely to express the quality of this spirit. But it is worthy of remark, that the inspired writers never use the word daimwn, demon, in a good sense. See the whole of this case explained, Mark 1:23, &c.

Verses 33-37. See this paragraph explained at large in the notes on Mark 1:23-28. What have we to do with thee — Thy present business is with men, not with devils. I know thee who thou art — But did he, did even the prince of devils know Jesus, some time before, when he dared to say to him, verse 6, All this power is delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it? The Holy One of God — Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble,) or, he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected. And Jesus rebuked him — The Holy One of God was a title of the Messiah, Psalms 16:10Psalm 16:10; but Jesus did not allow the devils to give it him, for the reason mentioned in the notes on Mark 1:25, 34. Possibly, however, it was from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out devils by the prince of devils. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst — That is, had cast him down on the ground, the effect of this possession being an epilepsy.

Ver. 33-35. In the synagogue there was a man which bad a spirit of an unclean devil. Greek, a demon. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace. The paroxysm into which the man was thrown, and the horror of his language were the proofs of demoniacy. The Lord rebuked and ejected this unclean demon, and would not receive a confession of faith from an unclean spirit. See on Matthew 4:13. Mark 1:21.

Verses 33-37. The spirit of an unclean devil, &c. — See the notes on Mark 1:23, &c.

V. 34. What have we to do with thee-Thy present business is with men, not with devils.

I know thee who thou art-But surely he did not know a little before, that he was God over all, blessed for ever; or he would not have dared to tell him, All this power is delivered to me, and I give it to whomsoever I will. The Holy One of God-Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble,) or he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected. Possibly it was from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out devils by the prince of the devils.

Verses 33-37. See this paragraph explained at large in the notes on Mark 1:23-28. What have we to do with thee — Thy present business is with men, not with devils. I know thee who thou art — But did he, did even the prince of devils know Jesus, some time before, when he dared to say to him, verse 6, All this power is delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it? The Holy One of God — Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble,) or, he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected. And Jesus rebuked him — The Holy One of God was a title of the Messiah, Psalms 16:10Psalm 16:10; but Jesus did not allow the devils to give it him, for the reason mentioned in the notes on Mark 1:25, 34. Possibly, however, it was from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out devils by the prince of devils. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst — That is, had cast him down on the ground, the effect of this possession being an epilepsy.

Ver. 33-35. In the synagogue there was a man which bad a spirit of an unclean devil. Greek, a demon. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace. The paroxysm into which the man was thrown, and the horror of his language were the proofs of demoniacy. The Lord rebuked and ejected this unclean demon, and would not receive a confession of faith from an unclean spirit. See on Matthew 4:13. Mark 1:21.

Verses 33-37. The spirit of an unclean devil, &c. — See the notes on Mark 1:23, &c.

Verse 35. And hurt him not.] Though he convulsed him, Mark 2:26, and threw him down in the midst of them, probably with the design to take away his life, yet our Lord permitted it not; and this appears to be the meaning of the place. The spirit was not permitted essentially to injure him at that time.

Verses 33-37. See this paragraph explained at large in the notes on Mark 1:23-28. What have we to do with thee — Thy present business is with men, not with devils. I know thee who thou art — But did he, did even the prince of devils know Jesus, some time before, when he dared to say to him, verse 6, All this power is delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it? The Holy One of God — Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble,) or, he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected. And Jesus rebuked him — The Holy One of God was a title of the Messiah, Psalms 16:10Psalm 16:10; but Jesus did not allow the devils to give it him, for the reason mentioned in the notes on Mark 1:25, 34. Possibly, however, it was from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out devils by the prince of devils. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst — That is, had cast him down on the ground, the effect of this possession being an epilepsy.

Ver. 33-35. In the synagogue there was a man which bad a spirit of an unclean devil. Greek, a demon. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace. The paroxysm into which the man was thrown, and the horror of his language were the proofs of demoniacy. The Lord rebuked and ejected this unclean demon, and would not receive a confession of faith from an unclean spirit. See on Matthew 4:13. Mark 1:21.

Verses 33-37. The spirit of an unclean devil, &c. — See the notes on Mark 1:23, &c.

Verses 33-37. See this paragraph explained at large in the notes on Mark 1:23-28. What have we to do with thee — Thy present business is with men, not with devils. I know thee who thou art — But did he, did even the prince of devils know Jesus, some time before, when he dared to say to him, verse 6, All this power is delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it? The Holy One of God — Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble,) or, he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected. And Jesus rebuked him — The Holy One of God was a title of the Messiah, Psalms 16:10Psalm 16:10; but Jesus did not allow the devils to give it him, for the reason mentioned in the notes on Mark 1:25, 34. Possibly, however, it was from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out devils by the prince of devils. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst — That is, had cast him down on the ground, the effect of this possession being an epilepsy.

Verses 33-37. The spirit of an unclean devil, &c. — See the notes on Mark 1:23, &c.

Verse 37. The fame] hcov, the sound. This is a very elegant metaphor. The people are represented as struck with astonishment, and the sound goes out through all the coasts; in allusion to the propagation of sound, by a smart stroke upon any substance, by which the air is suddenly agitated, and conveys the report made by the stroke to distant places. So this miracle was told to others by those who saw it, and they to others still, till it was heard through all the coasts of Galilee, Mark 1:28.

Verses 33-37. See this paragraph explained at large in the notes on Mark 1:23-28. What have we to do with thee — Thy present business is with men, not with devils. I know thee who thou art — But did he, did even the prince of devils know Jesus, some time before, when he dared to say to him, verse 6, All this power is delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will I give it? The Holy One of God — Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble,) or, he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected. And Jesus rebuked him — The Holy One of God was a title of the Messiah, Psalms 16:10Psalm 16:10; but Jesus did not allow the devils to give it him, for the reason mentioned in the notes on Mark 1:25, 34. Possibly, however, it was from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out devils by the prince of devils. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst — That is, had cast him down on the ground, the effect of this possession being an epilepsy.

Verses 33-37. The spirit of an unclean devil, &c. — See the notes on Mark 1:23, &c.

V. 38. Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:29.

Verse 38. Simon’s wife’s mother] See Clarke on Matthew 8:14-17. As soon as Peter began to follow Christ, his family began to benefit by it. It is always profitable to contract an acquaintance with good men. One person full of faith and prayer may be the means of drawing down innumerable blessings on his family and acquaintance. Every person who knows the virtue and authority of Christ should earnestly seek his grace in behalf of all the spiritually diseased in his household; nor can he seek the aid of Christ in vain.

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.

Verse 38. Simon’s wife’s mother. — See notes on Matthew 8:14, 15.

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.

V. 40. When the sun was set-And consequently the Sabbath ended, which they reckoned from sunset to sunset. Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:32.

Verse 40. When the sun was setting] And consequently the Sabbath ended, for before this it would have been unlawful to have brought their sick to be healed.

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.

Verse 40. When the sun was setting, &c. — Dunontov de hliou, the present for the past, when the sun had set, which concluded the Sabbath; and for that they had been waiting, that, as soon as it was lawful, they might bring forth their sick to be healed. See the note on Matthew 8:16.

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.

V. 42. Mark 1:35.

Verse 42. And the people sought him] Rather, Sought him earnestly. Instead of ezhtoun, sought, I read, epezhtoun, earnestly sought. This reading is supported by ABCDFLMS-V, and more than seventy others. Wetstein and Griesbach have both received it into the text. The people had tasted the good word of God, and now they cleave to Christ with their whole heart. Hearing the words of Christ, and feeling the influence of his Spirit upon the soul, will attract and influence the heart; and indeed nothing else can do it.

And stayed him] Strove to detain him; kateicon auton they caught hold of him. Thus showing their great earnestness to be farther instructed.

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.

Verse 42. And came unto him, and stayed him. — What eagerness on the part of the people of Galilee to hear our Lord, and to keep him among them, does the conclusion of this chapter with the first verse of the next exhibit! When he retired to the desert, they sought him out, they urged him, endeavoured to restrain him by kind entreaties that he should not depart from them, and pressed upon him to hear the word of God. Yet “the leaven of the Pharisees” afterward came in to destroy all this prospect of good. They neither “entered the kingdom of heaven themselves, nor suffered those that would to enter in;” and partly by turning into contempt a Messiah who did not even profess it to be his design to exalt the nation to power and dominion, — an objection to our Lord which the carnal ambition of the Jews greatly favoured, — and then by blunting the force of the evidence of his mission from miracles, among those not disposed to be convinced, by furnishing them with the diabolical sophism, that he cast out devils by the prince of devils, they succeeded, to a great extent, in destroying the effect both of the Baptist’s and of our Lord’s earliest ministry. Still great numbers were prepared for the Lord, who were afterward gathered into the Christian Church, as we learn from the Acts of the Apostles; and numbers more, no doubt, of whom we have no record.

Verse 43. I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities] To proclaim the kingdom of God was the Messiah’s great work; healing the diseases of the people was only an emblematical and secondary work, a work that was to be the proof of his goodness, and the demonstration of his authority to preach the Gospel, and open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

SOME have found both a difficulty and a mystery in the shutting up of heaven in the time of the Prophet Elijah. It was, no doubt, emblematical of the hardened and impenitent state of the Israelites, and of the judgments of God in withholding those Divine influences which they had so often abused. As to the difficulty of the six months, which both our Lord here, and St. James, James 5:17, mention, and which are not mentioned in the book of Kings whence the account is taken, it may be easily understood thus. The rains, we have already seen, fell in Judea twice in the year, about April, and about October. At this latter period, when the rain was expected, the prophet prayed that it might not rain; the rain therefore of Marchesvan, or October, &c., was then restrained: this restraint continued for three full years; but six months had elapsed from Nisan, April, &c., when they had their last rain, add these six months to the three full years that the rain was restrained at the prayer of Elijah, and then we have the period of three years and six months, according to our Lord and Saint James. By this the justice of God was shown: but behold his mercy in that rain of grace which fell so abundantly by the preaching of Christ during the three years and six months of his public ministry! Thus the difficulty is solved, and the mystery explained. Reader, the most awful famine is a famine of the word of God: thou art not yet tried in this way: behold the goodness and severity of God! While thou hast the light, walk as a child of the light; and let it not be thy curse and condemnation, that while others, by reading and hearing the word of God, are plenteously watered, thy fleece alone should be found dry. How unutterable must the wo of those be, who live and die infidels under the preaching of the Gospel of Christ! Let him that readeth, understand.

ST. LUKE

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.

Verses 38-44. He entered into Simon’s house — See notes on Matthew 8:14-17; and Mark 1:29-35. When the sun was setting — And consequently the sabbath ended, which they considered as continuing from sunset to sunset; all that had any sick brought them — Fully persuaded that he could and would heal them; which he accordingly did; he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them — Like the Pharisees, they seem to have questioned whether it was lawful for him to do cures on the sabbath day. Reader, he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: he is still able to do cures, and is he not willing? Try him: bring thy sick soul, or even thy sick body, or that of thy relative or friend, to him in prayer, and have faith in him, that he can and will heal it. Remember, His eyes are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers — None ever trusted in him and were confounded. See note on Mark 11:22-24.