PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels — St. Mark
Ryle, J. C. (John Charles), 1816–1900 · 128,053 words · 339 reading sections
PREFACE.
The volume now in the reader's hands, is a continuation of a work already commenced by " Expository Thoughts on St. Matthew." The nature of the work has been so fully explained in the preface to the volume on St. Matthew, that it seems unnecessary to say anything on the subject. It may be sufficient to repeat that the…
189 wordsSECTION 2IV PREFACE.
In composing these Expositions on St. Mark, I have tried to keep continually before me the three-fold object which I had in view, when I first commenced writing on the Gospels. I have endeavored to produce something which may be useful to heads of families in the conduct of family prayers — something which may assist t…
273 wordsSECTION 3PREFACE. V
Thoughts, I can only suggest that they have an easy reme- dy in their own hands. They have only to leave out one or two divisions in each exposition, and they will find it as short as they please. In preparing for publication this volume on St. Mark, I have looked through all those Commentaries mentioned in my preface…
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till May 28, 1643. The dates of each sermon are given on the margin. The doctrine of this remarkable book is excellent — Prot- estant, evangelical, and spiritual. The learning of the au- thor must also have been not inconsiderable, if we may judge by the number and variety of his quotations. His faults of style and co…
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The Gospel begun by John the Baptist's ministry ...... 1 Christ's baptism, temptation and calling of His first disciples 6 An unclean spirit cast out, — Peter's wife's mother healed 11 Christ's private prayers, — purpose of Christ's coming into the world . . . . 16 A leper cleansed 21 Privileges of Campernaum, …
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1—17. 18—20. 21—34. 35—43. 1—6. 7— 13. 14—29. 30—34. 35—46. 47—56. 1—13. 14—23. 24—30. 31—37. 1—13. 14—21. 22—26. 27—33. 34—38. 1—13. 14—29. 30—37. 38—50. 1—12. 13—16. A devil cast out in the country of the Gada renes The man that had been possessed with the devil sent home to his friends . The wom…
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xni 35—45. 46—52. 1—11. 12—21. 22—26. 27—33. 1—12. 13—17. 18—27. 28—34. 35—44. 1—8. 9—13. 14—23. 24—31. 32—37. The young man who had great possessions, — Christ's love to sinners, — the peril of being rich 207 Encouragement to forsake all for Christ's sake, Christ's foreknowledge of His own sufferings 211 …
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Crafty designs of the chief priests overruled, — anointing in the house at Bethany . 295 Judas Iscariot undertakes to betray Christ for money, — connection between time of passover and time of crucifixion . . 301 Institution of the Lord's supper . . . 306 Christ's fore-knowledge of His disciples' weakness, — self-ign…
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1. Quotation from Steir on the character of St. Mark's Gospel . 2 2. Quotation from Petter on the uselessness of a mere intellectual faith 13 3. On the apostle Peter being a married man .... 14 4. Quotation from Traill on the importance to ministers of private prayer . . . . 18 5. On the " time to be silent," and…
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36. On the expression, "every one shall be salted with fire," &c, and summary of opinions 194 37. Quotation from Latimer 197 38. On Jewish customs about divorce, and our Lord's judgment upon the whole question 198 39. On the expression, "for the hardness of your heart," &c. . 200 40. On infant baptism 205 41. Qu…
346 wordsSECTION 11MARK I. 1—8.
1 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesns Christ, the Son of God ; 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in the wil…
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of deep interest, which are wholly omitted in Matthew, Luke and John. In short, it is no mere abridged copy of St. Matthew, as some have rashly asserted, but the independent narrative of an independent witness, who was inspired to write a history of our Lord's works, rather than of His words. Let us read it with holy r…
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like ourselves, but of one who is " over all, God blessed for ever." (Rom. ix. 3.) We need not wonder that the sufferings of one person were a sufficient propitiation for the sin of a world, when we remember that He who suffered was the " Son of God." Let believers cling to this doctrine with jealous watch- fulness. W…
292 wordsSECTION 144 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
nothing but Moses, and David, and Samuel, and the prophets. Let us search the books of the Old Testa- ment more closely. It was said by Him whose words can never pass away, " these are they which testify of me." (John v. 40.) Let us observe, in the third place, how great ivere the effects which the ministry of John th…
609 wordsSECTION 15EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
He wrought any work in our hearts ? Has He renewed, and changed them ? Has He made us partakers of the Divine nature ? Life or death depend on our answer to these questions. " If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his." (Kom. viii. 9.)…
49 wordsSECTION 16MAEK I.
-20. 9 And it came to pase in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was haptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove de- scending upon him : 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my "beloved Son,…
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declared the wondrous and ineffable love which, has existed between the Father and the Son from all eter- nity. " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand/' (John hi. 35.) It proclaimed the Father's full and 'complete approbation of Christ's mission to seek and save the lost. It announced the …
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xx. 21.) He had the best of precedents for such teach- ing. The Great Head of the Church had given him a pattern. Eepentance and faith were the foundation stones of Christ's ministry. — Eepentance and faith must always be the main subjects of every faithful minister's instruction. We need not wonder at this; if we con…
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or unclean. But it is no disgrace to be poor. The laborer who serves Christ faithfully is far more honorable in God's eyes, than the nobleman who serves sin. Let us notice, in the last place, the office to which our Lord called His first disciples. We read that He said, " Come ye after me, and I will make you to becom…
296 wordsSECTION 20MARK, CHAP. I.
11 is no light one if they do their duty. They need the help of many intercessions from all praying people. They have not only their own souls to care for, but the souls of others. No wonder that St. Paul cries, " Who is sufficient for these things ?" (2 Cor. ii. 16.) If we never prayed for ministers before, let us be…
67 wordsSECTION 21MARK I. 21—34.
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine : for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the Scribes. 23 And there was in their syna- gogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and he cried out, 24 …
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Lord. In one place it says, " they knew Him/' In another, the devil cries out, " I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." They knew Christ, when Scribes were ignorant of Him, and Pharisees would not acknow- ledge Him. And yet their knowledge was not unto salvation. The mere belief of the facts and doctrines of …
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and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." (Psa. lv. 22 ; 1 Pet. v. 7 ; Phil, iv. 6.) Let us not only remember this rule, but practise it too. We live in a world of sin and sorrow. The days of darkness in a man's life are many. It needs no prophet's eye to foresee that we shall all sh…
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to overcome the world, and crucify the flesh, and resist the devil. Only let them "begin, and they shall go on. Jesus knows nothing of half-cured cases and half-finished work. Let them trust in Jesus and go forward. The pardoned soul shall always be enabled to serve Christ. There is comfort here for all who are really…
205 wordsSECTION 25MARK I. 35—39.
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out find departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them, Let ua go into the next town…
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cations with strong crying and tears, how much more needful is it for us, who in many things offend daily ? What shall we say to those who never pray at all, in the face of such a passage as this ? There are many such, it may be feared, in the list of baptized people — many who rise up in the morning without prayer, a…
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Let us never be moved by tbose who cry down the preacher's office, and tell us that sacraments and other ordinances are of more importance than sermons. Let us give to every part of God's public worship its proper place and honor, but let us beware of placing any part of it above preaching. By preaching, the Church of …
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preaching is God's grand ordinance for converting and saving souls. The faithful preacher of the Gospel is handling the very weapon which the Son of God was not ashamed to employ. This is the work of which. Christ has said, " Therefore came I forth."…
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40 And there came a leper to him, I 44 And he saith unto him, See thou beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compas- sion, put forth Ms hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will ; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had…
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and to rot by inches. — Let us remember beside this, that, amongst the Jews, the leper was reckoned unclean, and was cut off from the congregation of Israel and the ordinances of religion. He was obliged to dwell in a separate house. None might touch him or minister to him. Let us remember all this, and then we may hav…
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they were all cured ; — Jesus Christ made them whole. The chief of sinners may yet be brought nigh to God by the blood and Spirit of Christ. Men are not lost, be- cause they are too bad to be saved, but because they will not come to Christ that He may save them. Let us learn, in the last place, from these verses, that…
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more inclined to be silent about their glorious Master than to confess Him before men — and do not need the bridle so much as the spnr. But still it is undeniable that there is a time for all things ; and to know the time should be one great aim of a Christian. There are good men who have more zeal than discretion, and…
406 wordsSECTION 33MARK II. 1—12.
1 And again be entered into Caper- naum after some days ; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were ga- thered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door : and he preached the word unto them. 3 And they came unto him, bring- ing one sick …
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were astonished. They were filled with wonder at His mighty works. But they were not converted. They lived in the full noon-tide blaze of the Sun of Kight- eousness, and yet their hearts remained hard. And they drew from our Lord the heaviest condemnation that He ever pronounced against any place, except Jerusalem : " …
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Let us beware of walking in their steps. We ought often to use the prayer of the Litany, " From hardness of heart, Good Lord, deliver us." We see, in the second place, from these verses, how great a blessing affliction may prove to a man's soul. We are told that one sick of the palsy was brought to our Lord, at Caper…
816 wordsSECTION 36MARK II. 13—22.
13 And he went forth again hy the sea side ; and all the multitude re- sorted unto him, and he taught them. 14 And as he passed hy, he saw Levi the son of Alphseus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15 And it came to pass, that, as Je- sus sat at meat in his…
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righteous, but sinners to repentance, from them, and then shall they fast 18 And the disciples of John and in those days. of the Pharisees used to fast : and 21 No man also seweth a piece of they come and say unto him, Why do j new cloth on an old garment : else the the' disciples of John and of the Pha- new piece th…
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He acts as a Sovereign ; but He acts with infinite mercy. He often chooses those who seem most unlikely to do His will, and furthest off from His kingdom. He draws them to Himself with almighty power, breaks the chains of old habits and customs, and makes them new creatures. As the loadstone attracts the iron, and the …
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The Lord Jesus did not come into the world, as some suppose, to be nothing more than a law-giver, a king, a teacher, and an example. Had this been all the pur- pose of His coming, there would have been small com- fort for man. Diet-tables and rules of living are all very well for the convalescent, but not suitable to t…
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are they who have found out their soul's disease ! Let them know that Christ is the very Physiciau they re- quire, and let them apply to Him without delay. We learn, in the last place, from these verses, that in religion it is worse than useless to attempt to mix things which essentially differ. " No man," He tells th…
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and admits of a wide application. Forgetfulness of it has frequently done great harm in the Church. The evils that have arisen from trying to sew the new patch on the old garment, and put the new wine into old bottles, have neither been few nor small. How was it with the Galatian Church ? It is recorded in Paul's epis…
310 wordsSECTION 42EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
They will find one day that they have attempted that which cannot he done. Let us leave the passage in a spirit of serious self- inquiry. It is one that ought to raise great searchings of heart in the present day. Have we never read what the Scripture says ? " No man can serve two masters." " Ye cannot serve G-od and …
87 wordsSECTION 43MAEK II. 23—28.
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabhath day ; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful ? 25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he…
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a man's soul is in a bad state, when he begins to regard man-made rites and ceremonies, as things of superior importance, and exalts them above the preaching of the Gospel. It is a symptom of spiritual disease. There is mischief within. It is too often the resource of an uneasy conscience. The first steps of apostacy f…
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some requirements of God's laws might be relaxed in case of necessity. To this Scripture example our Lord refers his adversaries. They found nothing to reply to names, and that Abiathar was frequently called Abimelech, and Abimelech Abiathar. (See in proof of this, 2 Sam. viii. 17 ; 1 Chron. viii. 16, and xxiv. 3.) 2…
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it. The sword of the Spirit was a weapon which they could not resist. They were silenced and put to shame. Now the conduct of our Lord on this occasion ought to be a pattern to all His people. Our grand reason for our faith, and practice, should always be, " Thus it is written in the Bible." "What saitb the Scripture?…
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of observing the Sabbath. There is little danger of the day being kept too strictly in the present age. There is far more danger of its being profaned and forgotten entirely. Let us contend earnestly for its preservation among us in all its integrity. We may rest assured that national prosperity and personal growth in …
368 wordsSECTION 48MARK III. 1—12.
1 And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there was a man there which, had a withered hand. 2 And they watched hirn, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day ; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And he said unto them, Is it law- ful to do goo…
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of friends — such was the daily tenor of our Lord's earthly ministry. And He " left us an example that we should follow His steps/' (1 Peter ii. 21.) Blessed indeed are those Christians who strive, however feebly, to imitate their Master ! Let us observe in these verses, how our Lord Jesus Christ was watched by His en…
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duct in all the relations of life, are all rigidly and closely remarked. Their adversaries wait for their halting, and if at any time they fall into an error, the ungodly rejoice. It is good for all Christians to keep this before their minds. Wherever we go, and whatever we do, let us remember that, like our Master, w…
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to the sick, or relieving pain, may always be done with- out scruple. The holiness with which the fourth com- mandment invests the Sabbath day, is not in the least degree invaded by anything of this kind. But we must take care that the principle here laid down by our Lord, is not abused and turned to bad account. We m…
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This expression is very remarkable, and demands special attention. It is meant to remind us that our Lord Jesus Christ was a man like ourselves in all things, sin only excepted. Whatever sinless feelings belong to the constitution of man, our Lord partook of, and knew by experience. We read that He " marvelled," that H…
305 wordsSECTION 53EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
matter of anger. We may rest assured that there is no human feeling which needs so much cautious guarding as this. A sinless wrath is a very rare thing. The wrath of man is seldom for the glory of God. In every case a righteous indignation should he mingled with grief and sorrow for those who cause it, even as it was i…
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13 And he goeth up into a moun- tain, and callcth unto Mm whom he would : and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preachj 15 And to have power to heal sick- nesses, and to cast out devils : 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter ; 17 And James th…
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have conferred on the world ! The names of a few Jewish fishermen are known and loved by millions all over the globe, while the names of many kings and rich men are lost and forgotten. It is they who do good to souls who are had u in everlasting remembrance/' (Psalm cxii. 6.) Let us notice in these verses, how many of…
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parents who persuade their sons to become clergymen, in order to obtain a good living, or follow a respectable profession ! What is it but persuading them to say what is not true, and to take the Lord's name in vain ? None do such injury to the cause of Christianity, as unconverted, worldly ministers. They are a suppor…
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they need the prayers of all praying people, in order to support and strengthen their hands ! No wonder that St. Paul says so often to the churches, " Pray for us." Let us notice, in the last place, how our Lord Jesus Christ's zeal was misunderstood by His enemies. We are told that they " went out to lay hold of him, …
307 wordsSECTION 58MARK, CHAP. III.
53 Let us bear patiently the unreasonableness of uncon- verted men, even as our Lord did. Let us pity their blindness and want of knowledge, and not love them one whit the less. Above all, let us pray that God would change their hearts. Who can tell but the very per- sons who now try to turn us away from Christ, may o…
75 wordsSECTION 59MAKK III. 22—30.
22 And the Scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 And he called them unto Mm, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan ? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house b…
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In our Lord's answer to this wicked accusation, there are expressions which deserve special attention. Let us see what lessons they contain for our use. "We ought to notice, in the first place, how great is the evil of dissensions and divisions. This is a lesson which is strongly brought out in the beginning of our L…
283 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1857). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.