PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 2
Edward Henry Bickersteth, 1825–1906 · 320,775 words · 302 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 2 — Section 181
V. THE DIFFERENT FEELINGS WITH WHICH HIS COMING I8 REGARDED. The visit of some distinguished person to our neighbourhood or to our habitation may, according to circumstances, awaken emotions of a very different or even diverse character. Our feelings in view of the expected visit will be either pleasant or painful, …
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IV. Reasons FOR THE WATCHFULNESS ENJOINED. Though there is no express appli- eation of the illustration, a circumstance which adds much to the ease and grace of the narrative, we are at no loss for, and find no difficulty in making, that application. The Master of the house is our Lord; his disciples, in the first p…
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pray, who never prayed before, for the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of the Judge. But no, that cannot be; for it is added in another Scripture, “ They also that pierced him.” We all, whether ministers or members of the Church of Christ, are bound to watchfulness—“* What I say unto …
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Ver. 1.—Now after two days was the feast of the passover and the unleavened bread; literally, the passover and the unleavened (ré mdoxa Kal rd &Cvua). It was one and the same festival. The killing of the Paschal lamb took place on the first of the seven days during which the festival lasted, and during the whole…
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Ver. 7.—For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye oan (dtvacée) do them good; but me ye have not always. The little clause, “ whensoever ye will ye can do them good,” occurs only in St. Mark, It is as though our Lord said, “ The world always abounds with poor; therefore you always have it i…
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Ver. 15.—And he will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. He himself, that is, the goodman of the house; perhaps John Mark. This upper room was furnished and ready (éorpwpeévov eroipov); furnished, that is, with table and couches and tapestry, and in all respects ready for the purpose. Ver. …
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Ver. 25.—I will no more drink (otxért ov wu») wlw) of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom ef God. It is observable that our Lord here calls the wine “the fruit (yévvnua) of the vine,” after he has spoken of it as gacramentally his blood. ur Lord here refers to the time of the…
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Ver. 33.—It appears that our Lord sepa- rated himself from all the disciples except Peter and James and John, and then the bitter agony began. He began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled (éxOayBetc@a Kab adnpoveiy). These two Greek verbs are as adequately expressed above as seems possible, The first implies…
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h. Some commentators have thought that the somewhat difficult Greek verb (aréxe:) would be better rendered, he ¢s at a distance ; as though our Lord meant to say, “ There is yet time for you to take some rest. The betrayer is some distance off.” Such an interpretation would require a full stop between the clause…
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Ver. 51.—And a certain young man fol- lowed with him, having a linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body: and they lay hold on him, St. Mark is the only evangeliat who mentions this incident; and there seems good reason for supposing that he here de- scribes what happened to himself. Such is the mode in wh…
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Ver. 62.—To this question our Lord re- turns a plain and candid answer, out of reverence for the Divine Name which, as St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us, had been invoked by the high priest, and also out of respect for the office of the high priest, by whom he had been put upon his oath. S¢. Chrysostom says that …
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THE CRAFT AND CAUTION OF CHRIST'S ENEMIES. It was in accordance with the nature of such men that they should have recourse to stratagem. Open violence was scarcely after their manner, and was out of the question in this case; for many of the people honoured the Prophet of Nazareth, and would probably have interfered…
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L THE AGGRAVATIONS OF THE TRAITOR’S GUILT. These are to be recognized in two circumstances which have been recorded regarding Judas Iscariot. 1. He was not only a disciple and follower of Jesus; he was actually one of the twelve. These were admitted to an especial intimacy with Jesus; they knew his movements, they s…
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II. Jesus ANTICIPATES THE CONFUSION AND UNFAITHFULNESS OF HIS DISCIPLES. Sorely as this prospect must have distressed his heart, he was not by it to be deterred from his purpose. He foretold to his friends how they were about to act, that they might learn a lesson of their own frailty and dependence upon unseen aid.…
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sorabre shade, and the rocks offer in their recesses a meet scene for lonely prayers. it is the garden of the olive-press, well known to every member of the band. Leaving the rest behind him, Jesus takes with him the favoured three, who are witnesses to the awe and deadly sorrow that come upon him. He entreats their…
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I. Our Saviour’s PRAYER TO THE FarueR. The words of Jesus are reported some- what differently by the several evangelists, from which we may learn that it is not so much the language as the meaning which is important for us. 1. Observe the address; “ Abba, Father!” It is clear that our Lord was conscious of the perso…
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APPLICATION, 1. This representation of our Saviour’s character is peculiarly fitted to awaken our reverence, gratitude, and faith. As we trace our Saviour’s career of active benevolence, our minds are constantly impressed with his unselfishness and pity, his willingness and power to relieve the wants, heal the disor…
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difference to the people’s welfare. And it was probably the raising of Lazarus which determined them, at all hazards, to attempt the destruction of the Holy One and Just. Their own deeds were evil, and they hated the light. Hence their hateful and cruel conspiracy. 2. The baseness of the authorities, The Sanhedrim l…
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I. THe TRIBUNAL. Jesus bas already been led before the crafty and unrighteous Annas. He is now led into the presence of the high priest, the Caiaphas (son-in-law to Annas) who has declared that it was good that one man should perish for the people; which meant, that it was better that the innocent Jesus should die, …
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VI. Tus isvirs. Again and again, in the course of that awful night, that awful morning, was the Lord of glory treated with derision, ignominy, and contempt. The record is almost too distressing to be read. We can read of the agony in the garden, of the anguish of the cross, but we scarcely know how to read of the tr…
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VIL. 1 HIs CONDUCT WAS THE OCCASION OF SHAME AMD OONTEITION. “ When he thought thereon, he wept.” Thought, reflection, especially upon the words of Jesus, are fitted to bring the misguided soul to itself. It is the haste and hurry of men’s lives which often hinder true repentance and reformation. “ They that lack ti…
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I, THI 18 REPRESENTED (by St. Matthew and St. Mark) as Nor CONFINED TO ONE KxpIvipvaL. In truth, every disciple had a share of it, although in a few it was more strongly manifest, and in one it may be said to have become incarnate. St, John, who is more given to this personalization of principles, speaks only of Jud…
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Il. His REGARD FOR THE OBSERVANCES AND INSTITUTIONS OF THE Law. This is shown in the careful attention he gave to the details of the feast. Whether the arrangements made were due to the exercise of supernatural foresight, or merely to the natural forethought and human care of Christ, it is impossible to determine. I…
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ut of a portion. It_was during the progress of that meal, “as they were eating,” that this particular occurrence took place. “ He took bread [or a loaf],” thus adopting that, and the cup which was passing round, as something distinct from the main portion of the Passover meal, viz. the eating of the lamb itself. The…
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I. THE UNIVERSAL DEFECTION OF THE DISCIPLES BEFORE CHRI8T’S DEATH WAB A SPIRITUAL NECESSITY. They could not understand or allow it. It seemed so unnatural and unlikely. But their Master felt, by gauging his own spirit, how much would be required to enable them to be steadfast, and how wanting they were in the higher…
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Til. Tux conrticr. The physical effects of this are given by St. Luke. His prayer was 8 “wrestling,” not so much with his Father as with himself. But the struggle gradually subsides to submission and rest. This shows itself in his detachment from his own emotions and attention to the condition of his disciples, and …
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IL AN EVIDENCE OF THE NECESSITY AND POWER OF CHRIST’S ATONEMENT. Even good men like Peter, if left to themselves, will grievously err and sin. How are men in such a position to be recovered? 1. There must therefore be @ saving principle outside, and independent of, ourselves. It is by virtue of his completed sacrifi…
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Concuusion. This is-true of evil as of good. There is not a sin you commit but it may beget other sins, and in effect as well as in memory the words are true, “The evil that men do lives after them.” For the far-reaching effects of sinful words and deeds, of which he may know nothing till the day of judgment, the si…
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Vers. 22-—~-24.—The Lord's Supper. The Lord’s Supper was the natural outgrowth of the Passover. The broken bread, which was made @ symbol of our Lord’s broken body, had been seen and partaken of for generations by the Jews, who had regarded it as “the bread of affliction” which their fathers once ate in Egypt. “The …
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- J], THE suFFERING Saviour. 1. There is mystery about his agony. Our recognition of the proper deity and humanity of our Lord leads us to expect seeming contradictions in him. They appear in his intercessory prayer. In one breath he speaks as the Son of God, in another he wrestles as a weak man might do. Sometimes …
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I. THE CUP OF EXPERIENCE may be represented by the cup which was the symbol of the mockery and shame and grief the Saviour suffered. 1. The phrase reminds us that our joys and griefs are measured. A cup is not illimitable. Full to the brim, it can only hold its own measure. (1) Our joys are limited by what is tn us,…
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Il. THE 6SIN-COMMITTING WORLD. (Ver. 43.) L. While the disciples slept, the hostile world was alert. This vigilance was a rebuke to their sloth. Still it isso. Frequenters of haunts of pleasure are often more eager than members of Christ’s Church to invite their companions to join them. 2. Those who assail the cause…
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I. THAT THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE CAUSE OF CHRIST AROUSES UNOCOM- PROMISING HOSTILITY. Peter was experiencing this in the palace of Caiaphas. 1. Paganism was instinctively hostile to Christ’s teaching. Far-seeing men amongst the Gentiles soon saw its drift. They spoke of the apostles, not inaptly, as men …
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Vers. 1—9.— The alabaster cruse. A scene of great interest and beauty is described in these words and in the supplement supplied by St. Matthew and St. John. On the last sabbath eve before his crucifixion, Jesus came to Bethany. In the house of Simon the leper a feast was made in his honour. The disciples were there…
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IJ, THE INSUFFICIENCY OF OFFICE TO SECURE ITS RIGHTFUL SPIRIT. The parallel of Judas’s infamy is found in the men who stood as the head and representatives of the very religion it was Jesus’ high mission to fulfil and perfect. How deplorable is the contrast between the sanctity of the position held by these official…
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Vers. 27—31, 66—72.—Peter’s fall. The painful declaration that the words of the prophet, “I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad,” would find their fulfilment in them, and in “ All ye shall be offended,” roused Peter’s spirit, and with a bold but mistaken estimate of his own courage and d…
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Vers. 32—42.— Gethsemane. With reverent steps and bent head must we approach this scene. It would be improper to intrude upon the privacy of the Saviour’s suf- fering had not the Spirit of truth seen fit to “declare” this also unto us. The disciples, with the three exceptions, were excluded by the words, “Sit ye her…
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riest tears his clothes, and declares his words to be “blasphemy,” which could only be true on the supposition that he was bearing false witness. He appeals for judgment, and the universal testimony is, “He is worthy of death.” The ecclesiastical court has condemned him. “Straightway in the morning,” after due consu…
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IIL. Ir 1s DESIGNED AS MEMORIAL. The form, the words, the spirit of the loving and suffering Saviour, appear and reappear at each celebration. It is the memorial of devotion for our sakes, and the reminder to us of the duty to live not for ourselves, but for the spiritual ideal contained in him. MARK—I. Ly 274 TH…
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Vers. 66—72.— Extremes meet tn character. I. SELF-CONFIDENCE AND WEAKNESS. What is a man without self-reliance? Yet it seems to fail, and offers no security in temptation. In a true self-reliance is contained dependence and trust. Confidence in our thought is right, if we recognize that our true views are revealed t…
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diminish by one iota the heinousness of his sin, nor say one word in extenuation or mitigation of his guilt, we feel that, owing to certain exaggerated representations of his criminality, the lessons to be learnt from his character and conduct are to a large extent lost. On the contrary, if we carefully analyze his …
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ut to raise it to his lips; the time of discipleship he looked upon as a dead loss; his rofits had been small at best, but the prospect of improving his circumstances is now blighted; and his occupation is gone. Tantalizing, and even torturing, as all this must have been to him, another disappointment, though of a m…
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VII. ANOTHER SCENE IN THE TRAITOR’S LIFE. We now open another chapter in his history. The bargain is struck, the sum weighed and delivered, and in the paltry sum thus realized we have another proof of the grovelling spirit of this Gnispeakable mean and mercenary man. He has secured the thirty pieces of silver, or th…
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Vers. 12—17, 22—25. Parallel passages: Matt. xxvi. 17-—19, 26—29; Luke xxii, JTm13, 19, 20; 1 Cor. xi, 23—34.—The old dispensation merging in the new.—L. THe PassovER AND THE INSTITUTION or THE SupreR. 1. Comparison of the records. The memorial Passover differed from the Egyptian or original Passover in several poin…
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“Twas on that night, when doom’d to know The eager rage of every foe, That night in which he was betray’d, ¥ The Saviour of the world took bread.” It was the eve of his crucifixion; nor were the events of the coming morrow unknown to him. From the unrelenting hatred of his enemies, and the steady purpose of their …
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stances, err, but it can be corrected by the others; whereas all the senses together cannot and do not err. It is (3) repugnant to reason, which convinces us that the material body of Christ cannot possibly be in heaven and on earth at the same moment; that is, at the right hand of the Majesty on high and on thousan…
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and instructive. We can only notice the fact in its bearing on the subject of the Supper. On an eminence overlooking the city of Marburg stands an ancient castle. Away in the distance sweeps the lovely valley of the Lahn. Further still, the mountain-tops rise one above another till they are lost in the clouds or dis…
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“Look on the heart by sorrow broken, Look on the tears by sinners shed; And be thy feast to us the token That by thy grace our souls are fed.” 8. The third doctrine presented to the eye in the sacrament of the Supper is that of Faith, by which we feed on Christ to our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. Th…
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giving to God for the unspeakable gift of his Son, for the means of salvation thus made available, and for this solemn ordinance itself as a sign and seal of the benefits bestowed —in a word, for all the mercies of his covenant, for all his love to our souls, for all his taithfulness to his promises, for all he has …
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Vers. 26—42. Parallel passages: Matt. xxvi 830—46; Luke xxii. 89—46; John xviii. 1.——The agony in Gethsemane. I. ScENE AND SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES CON- NECTED WITH THE AGONY. 1. Anticipation. From the entrance of our Saviour upon his public ministry his life was one of continued trial. All along symptoms of the appro…
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Let us imagine ourselves, then, in that sombre and solemn enclosure on the eve of man’s redemption, in company with our Lord and along with Peter and James and John. The same three had been spectators of the Traasfiguration. The same three had stood by while their Master restored to life the ruler of the synagogue’s…
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Ill. THe Saviour’s sorRuw AND ITs souRcE. 1. The description of his sorrow. There is a climax in this description. He began to be sorrowful; his soul was sorrowful, exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. He was amazd, and very heavy. One of the words here employed is peculiar. It denotes, according to one derivation,…
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The exact relation of the Saviour’s sufferings to the penalty incurred we need not dwell on here. Whether it is a relation of diversity (aliud pro quo), as Grotius maintained ; or of equivalence (tantundem), according to others; or of sdentity (idem), in accordance with the view of a third class, we shall not attemp…
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the evil one in some form specially dreadful and terrible, as some have conjectured. There was something worse than all this—something more and bitterer still. There can be little doubt, though some seem to think otherwise, that the assaults of the Prince of darkness were peculiarly powerful at this juncture, and we…
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with the deepest suffering, the meekest submission. The prayer is conditioned by possibilities. Lf justice can be satisfied, if redemption can be effected, if the government of God cav be upheld, if, consistently with all this, sinners can be saved without such excess of sorrow, so let it be! ‘The prayer was prayed …
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them asleep ; se .Jesus was left alone in his agony. 2. Nuture and cause of their sleepi- vess. And yet ++ was not a sleep of stupidity, or insensibility, or want of sympathy, in any sense, ‘Tae cause was the very opposite. And here it is noteworthy that while the other evangelists record the fact, Luke, the beloved…
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over, the bitterness of death was to some extent past. 2. The loneliness of our Lord in his sufferings. In all this the Saviour was alone—as much alone in the garden as on the cross, in his agony as in his crucifixion. Sleep on now, he said; you have let the opportunity of sympathizing with and sustaining me pass by…
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the rest may act the cowardly, unmanly part indicated, breaking and scattering like feeble sheep soon as the wolf is seen to approach, but not I. I will prove myself the rock-man, and stand my ground -in face of all danger, and in spite of all enemies, Thus Peter exalted himself at the expense of others; he also pre…
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298 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S2. MARK. [cn. xiv. 1—72, ci lak he ead de dn ON SRT e aoe DP LS a A ate te siugular—from the whole of the apostles to Peter; thus: “The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked [or ‘demanded’] to have you, that he might sift you as wheat : but I made supplication for ¢hee, that thy …
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him for a short space of time, we are to follow him all our life, and so always. From Peter’s disastrous fall and foul denial of his Master, we learn the important lesson of following Christ freeiy, fully, fearlessly, faithfully, and for ever. Distance from Christ is real danger, nearness to him is true safety. Dist…
1,051 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Text from OCR of an original historical scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.