Mark 1:16
Ver. 16. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee,.... The same with the sea of Tiberias, Joh 6:1,he saw Simon: whose surname was Peter, the son of Jonas:and Andrew his brother; the brother of Simon,casting a net into the sea; of Galilee, in order to catch fish:for they were fishers: by occupation, this was their trade and business, by which they got their livelihood; See Gill on "Mt 4:18". Mark 1:17Ver. 17. And Jesus said unto them, come ye after me,.... Leave your worldly employments, and become my disciples,and I will make you to become fishers of men: which will be a much more excellent and honourable employment, as men, and the souls of men, are more excellent, and of more worth than fishes;See Gill on "Mt 4:19". Mark 1:18Ver. 18. And straightway they forsook their nets,.... Which perhaps were their all; see Mt 19:27.And followed him; both in a corporeal and spiritual sense;See Gill on "Mt 4:20". Mark 1:19Ver. 19. And when he had gone a little further thence,.... From the place where Simon and Andrew were casting their nets, though still by the sea side;he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. The former was be whom afterwards Herod killed with the sword, and the latter the beloved disciple; these were also fishermen:who also were in the ship mending their nets: as the other two disciples were on board the ship, casting their nets into the sea to catch fish; these were also in a ship, repairing their nets, in order to use them the same way, and for the same purpose;See Gill on "Mt 4:21". Mark 1:20Ver. 20. And straightway he called them,.... As soon as he saw them; for he was looking out for them, having appointed them long before to the service he now called them to;and they left their father Zebedee with the hired servants, and went after him. It might seem unnatural, had they left their father alone in the ship, to have taken the care and management of it, and therefore it is added, "with the hired servants"; who were hired for that purpose, to assist in mending the nets, and casting them, and managing the ship, and conducting it from place to place, and therefore were not to be charged with want of humanity; and such was the power that went along with Christ's call, that notwithstanding natural affection to their parents, and the gain they might get by these servants and their trade, they cheerfully quitted all, and followed Christ; See Gill on "Mt 4:22". Mark 1:21Ver. 21. And they went into Capernaum,.... Jesus and his four disciples he had just called, Simon and Andrew, James and John; though the Arabic and Persic versions read, "he went"; that is, Christ; and so Beza says it was read in a certain copy:and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught; that is, immediately, as soon as he entered the, city, it being then sabbath day; or, as soon as the sabbath day came, he went to the synagogue at Capernaum, and his disciples with him; where the people used to meet weekly to hear the law read, and to be instructed in divine things; which opportunity Christ laid hold on to preach the Gospel to them, and teach them things concerning the kingdom of God. Mark 1:22Ver. 22. And they were astonished at his doctrine,.... The nature and importance of it, it being what they had not been used to hear; only at best the doctrine of the law, and sometimes only the traditions of the elders, or an allegorical and traditional sense of the Scriptures, and things very trifling and unedifying: and also they were amazed at the manner of his preaching, which was with so much gracefulness, gravity, and majesty, and was attended with so much evidence and power:for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes; or "their Scribes", as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read. He did not go about to establish what he said by the authority of the Rabbins, as the Scribes did; saying, Hillell says so, or Shammai says thus, or such a doctor says thus and thus; but he spoke as from himself, as one sent of God, that had an authority from him, and was independent of man; and this was what they had not observed in others, and wonder at it; See Gill on "Mt 7:28".See Gill on "Mt 7:29". Mark 1:23Ver. 23. And there was in their synagogue,.... In the synagogue of the Capernaites, at the same time that Jesus was teaching there,a man with an unclean spirit: not with an unclean heart, for there were doubtless many such there, but that had a devil; for in Lu 4:33, it is said, "he had a spirit of an unclean devil": so called, because he is impure in himself, and the cause of uncleanness in men, in which he delights: and such spirits sometimes are where religious persons meet, but with no good design; either to disturb the preacher, or to divert the hearer, that the word may be unfruitful and unprofitable:and he cried out: either the man, or rather the unclean spirit in him, who had possessed his body, and made use of the organs of it: he cried out through dread of the majesty of Christ, whose presence he could not bear; and through grief and envy at the success of his ministration, and the influence it had upon the minds of men; and through fear of being dispossessed of the man, in whom he was. Mark 1:24Ver. 24. Saying, let us alone, &c.] Meaning with himself, the rest of the unclean spirits, that had possessed the bodies of men in Galilee, and in all Judea; knowing that Christ had power to dislodge them, and fearing he would, entreats him he would let them alone, quietly to dwell in their beloved habitations:what have we to do with thee? They had nothing to do with Christ, as a Saviour; they had no interest in him, nor in his redemption, but he had something to do with them, to show his power over them, and to deliver men out of their hands:thou Jesus of Nazareth: calling him so, from the place where he was educated, and had lived the greatest part of his life, though he knew he was born at Bethlehem; but this he said, according to the common notion of the people, and it being the usual appellation of him:art thou come to destroy us? not to annihilate them, but either to turn them out of the bodies of men, which to them was a sort of a destruction of them, and was really a destroying that power, which they had for some time exercised over men; or to shut them up in the prison of hell, and inflict that full punishment on them, which is in reserve for them:I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God: he whom God had called his Holy One, Ps 16:10, and who is so, both in his divine nature, as the Son of God, the Holy One of Israel; and as the Son of man, being the holy thing born of the virgin, and is without the least stain of original sin, or blemish of actual transgression; and also as the mediator, whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, the true Messiah; and all this the devil knew from his wonderful incarnation, by the voice from heaven at his baptism, from the conquest over him in the wilderness, and by the miracles he had already wrought: in the high priest's mitre was written, hwhyl vdwq, which may be rendered, "the Holy One of the Lord": the high priest was an eminent type of him. Mark 1:25Ver. 25. And Jesus rebuked him,.... Checking his insolence, despising his flattery, and refusing to receive a testimony from him; and which he wanted not, lest it should be thought he had a familiarity and confederacy with him:saying, hold thy peace; stop thy mouth, I need no such witness as thine, nor thy praises; I am not to be soothed by thy flattery, nor is my mouth to be stopped, or power restrained, by such methods: wherefore he adds,and come out of him: I will not let thee alone, thy encomiums of me shall not prevail upon me to leave thee in the quiet possession of the man; I will give a testimony of who I am, by the dispossessing of thee out of this man. In imitation of this authoritative power of Christ, the Jewish exorcists, in their pretensions to cast out devils, use a like form: so they tell us {q}, that R. Simeon ben Jochai, cast a devil out of Caesar's daughter, saying, "Ben Talmion" (which was the name of the devil) au, "come out, Ben Talmion come out"; and he came out of her; See Gill on "Mt 12:27".{q} T. Bab. Meilab, fol. 17. 2. Mark 1:26Ver. 26. And when the unclean spirit had torn him,.... Not that he had torn any limb from him, or had made any wound in any part of his body; for Luke says, Lu 4:35, that he "hurt him not", but he shook him; and as Luke there says, "threw him in the midst", of the people, or synagogue; and so the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read here, "he cast him", or "threw him to the ground": he threw him into convulsions, and laid him prostrate on the floor:and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him; though sorely, against his will, as his loud cry showed, and being obliged to it by a superior power. Mark 1:27Ver. 27. And they were all amazed,.... The people that were in the synagogue, who were met together for divine worship, were astonished, not only at his doctrine, as before, but at this miracle and power of his in casting out devils:insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, what thing is this? They spake among themselves, as Luke says, Lu 4:36; they inquired of one another; they conferred together, talked over the point, and disputed among themselves, concerning both the doctrine and power of Christ, what, and how wonderful they were:what new doctrine is this? This they said, not as fixing a brand of novelty upon it, as the Athenians did on Paul's doctrine, Ac 17:19, but as admiring it; being what was rare and unusual, and which they had never heard of from their Rabbins and Scribes, and which was confirmed by miracles;for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him: they not only observed the authority with which he delivered his doctrine, but the authority with which he cast out devils, by a word speaking; he not only commanded them to come out, but they immediately came out; their exorcists took authority upon them to command, but could not oblige the devils to obey; but these men took notice, that such was the authority of Christ in commanding, that the unclean spirits were obliged to obey, and did. Mark 1:28Ver. 28. And immediately his fame spread abroad,.... Not only in the city of Capernaum, where these things were done, and where his fame was first spread, but alsothroughout all the region round about Galilee: and not only throughout Galilee, but throughout all the country that was bordering upon it, and adjacent to it; see Mt 4:23. The Persic version reads, "through all the provinces". Mark 1:29Ver. 29. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue,.... Christ having wrought this miracle, and finished his sermon, and the whole synagogue service being over, when it was usual for every one to repair to their own houses, or their friends, for refreshment; he, and they that were with him, departed from it, and directly, being not far from it,they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew; who being brethren, dwelt together in a house at Capernaum, where it seems they were now inhabitants, though their native place was Bethsaida, Joh 1:44,with James and John; whom they took along with them, being fellow disciples of Christ. Mark 1:30Ver. 30. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever,.... "A great fever", Luke says, Lu 4:38; a very violent one, which threatened with death, and must be very dangerous to an old person;See Gill on "Mt 8:14",And anon they tell him or her; for it seems, that not as soon as he came into the house, but some time after, when he had sat awhile, and rested himself after his fatigue in preaching; they acquainted him with her case, and beseeched him to look upon her, and restore her: this was done, either by Simon and Andrew, or by some others of their friends that were in the house; who having either seen, or heard of his dispossessing the unclean spirit, might rightly conclude he had power to remove a fever. Mark 1:31Ver. 31. And he came and took her by the hand,.... He went into the room where she lay, and took hold of her hand; not to feel her pulse, and thereby judge of the nature and strength of her disorder, as physicians do; nor merely in a friendly manner, as is customary, but in order to restore her:and lift her up; to sit upright in the bed, who before was laid along upon it, so weak as not to be able to turn herself, much less to sit erect by any assistance whatever:and immediately the fever left her: and there was not the least symptom of it, nor none of the effects which it usually leaves; such was the virtue that went forth from Christ by touching her, and such his great power:and she ministered unto them; she immediately arose from the bed, and put on her clothes, being at once in perfect health and strength; and, in gratitude to her Saviour and physician, she assisted in preparing food for him and his disciples, and served at table to them. Mark 1:32Ver. 32. And at even, when the sun did set,.... At which time the Jews' sabbath was ended; See Gill on "Mt 8:16", for this was a sabbath day, Mr 1:21, when according to them, it was not lawful to heal; nor did they offer to bring their sick to him on that day; but the last of the two evening days being come, and the sun set, the sabbath was over; and therefore being under no restraint on account of that,they brought unto him all that were diseased; with any sort of disease whatever, even all that were in their city;and them that were possessed with devils. The Persic version renders it "epileptics", such as were troubled with the falling sickness, as many of those were, whose bodies the devils possessed. Mark 1:33Ver. 33. And all the city was gathered together at the door.] That is, the inhabitants of the city of Capernaum, a very great number of them at least, who having either heard of, or seen the dispossession of the unclean spirit in the synagogue in the daytime; and being willing to see what miraculous cures might be wrought by Christ upon the diseased and possessed that were brought to him, got together in great crowds about the door of the house of Simon and Andrew where Jesus now was. Mark 1:34Ver. 34. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases,.... Not that there were some, who had some sorts of diseases, whom he did not heal; but he healed all that came, or were brought to him, which were many, of every sort of disease, which were divers, with which they were afflicted:and cast many devils; even as many as were brought to him, or were possessed with any:and he suffered not the devils to speak; either for him, or against him; which shows his great power over them:because they knew him, or "that they knew him": he would not suffer them to say a word about him, because he knew that they knew that he was the Christ, the Son of God, or he would not permit them to say who he was; because he had others to bear witness of him, and better testimonies than theirs, and lest his enemies should reproach him with an agreement and familiarity with them. Mark 1:35Ver. 35. And in the morning, rising up a great white before day,.... On the morrow after the sabbath, on the first day in the morning, notwithstanding the fatigue of the former day, through preaching and working miracles; yet he rose up very early while it was very much within the night, as the light and day were coming on, and before the day broke; though it might be broad day before he departed out of the house, as Luke suggests, Lu 4:42,he went out; out of the house of Simon and Andrew, and out of the city of Capernaum, leaving his disciples and friends behind him:and departed into a solitary place, and there he prayed; as man, to his God and Father; it may be for his disciples he had lately chosen; for himself, as man, that he might be strengthened as such for service; and for success in his ministry, and that his Gospel might run and be glorified; he chose a desert, and solitary place, for the sake of retirement, from the crowd of people that attended at Peter's door; where he could not be alone, and in private, and as most suitable for the exercise of prayer. His early and private devotion may be an example to us. Mark 1:36Ver. 36. And Simon, and they that were with him,.... Peter, and his brother Andrew, together with James and John,followed after him; some time after he was gone; for he privately withdrew from them, so that they might not be aware when he went, nor apprized of his departure, for some considerable time; which when they were, they set out, in diligent search, and eager pursuit after him, until they found him. Mark 1:37Ver. 37. And when they had found him,.... In the desert and solitary place, where he had been praying:they said unto him; in order to engage him to go with them, and as the reason why they sought him with so much eagerness and diligence,all men seek for thee; not all the men in the world, nor, it may be, all the inhabitants of Capernaum, but a large number of them, who were inquiring after him, some for one thing, some for another; some to see him, what manner of man he was, and some to hear him, what sort of doctrine he preached, and others to see his miracles, or to have themselves, or their sick healed; and the disciples were loath that such an opportunity of doing good should be missed, and therefore sought for him, till they found him. Mark 1:38Ver. 38. And he said unto them, let us go into the next towns,.... Instead of returning with his disciples to Capernaum, as they expected he would, and especially since there was such a concourse of people got together, he proposes to go to "the next towns"; or "village cities"; towns that were neither villages, nor cities, but between both, as the word signifies: hence the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Persic versions render it, "villages and cities": and it designs such towns in which there were synagogues. The Jews distinguish between walled towns, villages, and large cities {r}. They ask,"what is a large city? every one in which there are ten leisure men; if less than so, lo! it is a village.''And"every place in which there were ten Israelites, they were obliged to provide a house into which they might go to prayer, at every prayer time, and that place is called a synagogue {s}.''These were the places Christ judged it advisable to go to; he had preached already at Capernaum, the day before, and had confirmed his doctrine by miracles, which was sufficient for the present, and therefore thought fit to go elsewhere, and orders his disciples to go likewise; for the Syriac version renders it, "go ye to the next cities"; and in the same way read the Arabic and Persic versions:that I may preach there also; as well as at Capernaum, that so the Gospel may be spread, and have its usefulness in other parts as well as there: the Arabic version renders it, "that we may preach"; both I and you; but without any foundation; nor does the reason following suit such a version,for therefore came I forth: meaning, not from Simon's house, nor from Capernaum, though there may be a truth in that; for Christ might come from thence, with that view, to preach the Gospel elsewhere; but from God his Father, from whom he came forth, and by whom he was sent to preach the Gospel to other cities also, both in Galilee and Judaea; even to all the inhabitants of that country, to all the lost sheep of the house of Israel; so that this was but answering the end of his coming, and acting according to the commission given him.{r} Misn. Megilla, c. 1. sect. 1, 2, 3. T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 2. 2. & 3. Maimon. Megilla, c. 1. sect. 4, 5, 8. Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, affirm. pr. 154. {s} Maimon. Hilch. Tephilla, c. 11. sect. 1. Mark 1:39Ver. 39. And he preached in their synagogues,.... Which were in the next towns, in the village cities, andthroughout all Galilee: taking every town and city in his circuit, he continued preaching the Gospel of the kingdom in one place and another, until he had gone over the whole country:and cast out devils; as out of the souls, so out of the bodies of men, whereby he confirmed the doctrine he preached. Mark 1:40Ver. 40. And there came a leper to him,.... After he was come down from a certain mountain, in Galilee, where he had been preaching to the people, Mt 8:1, and when be was in a certain city, Lu 5:12, either Capernaum, or some other city of Galilee. This man was full of leprosy, as Luke says, and very probably deemed incurable; of the nature and symptoms of the leprosy, See Gill on "Lu 5:12",beseeching him; to cure him of his leprosy:and kneeling down to him; in token of submission, respect, and reverence, and to worship him:and saying unto him, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean;See Gill on "Mt 8:2". Mark omits the word "Lord". Mark 1:41Ver. 41. And Jesus, moved with compassion,.... At the sad and deplorable case the poor man was in, being a merciful high priest, and not with a desire of popular applause, and vain glory:put forth his hand and touched him; though the leprosy was spread all over him, and there was no place clean, and touching him was forbidden by the law:and saith unto him, I will be thou clean; See Gill on "Mt 8:3". Mark 1:42Ver. 42. And as soon as he had spoken,.... The above words,immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed; from it, and which seems to be done not by touching him, but by the words spoken, which were accompanied with such power, as to effect the cure in an instant; See Gill on "Mt 8:3". Mark 1:43Ver. 43. And he straitly charged him;.... Either with the sin which had been the cause of this leprosy, and to take care that he sinned that sin no more, lest a worse evil should befall him; for sin was usually the cause of leprosy, as the cases of Miriam, Gehazi, and Uzziah show. It is said to come upon men for seven things. The seven abominations mentioned in Pr 6:16, are said, by the Jewish writers {t}, to be the reasons of persons being stricken with leprosy: "a proud look"; as appears from the instance of the daughters of Zion, Isa 3:16, the crowns of whose heads were smitten with a scab, and who were attended with a stink, boldness, and burning. "A lying tongue"; as in the case of Miriam, who, with Aaron, spoke against Moses; upon which the cloud departed from the tabernacle, and Miriam became leprous, white as snow, Nu 12:1. "And hands that shed innocent blood"; which is proved from Joab, on whose head the blood of Abner and Amasa returned; and on account of which a leper was not to fail from his house; see 1Ki 2:31, compared with 2Sa 3:29. "An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations"; which was fulfilled in Uzziah, who sought to bring the high priesthood into contempt, and therefore was smitten with leprosy, which arose in his forehead, while he had the censer in his hands, and was contending with the priests; and he continued a leper to his death, 2Ch 26:18. "Feet that be swift in running to mischief"; which was true of Gehazi, who ran after Naaman the Syrian, and took a gift of him which he should not; for which, the leprosy, Naaman was cured of, seized him, and cleaved unto him, 2Ki 5:20. "A false witness that speaketh lies"; of this no instance is given. "And him that soweth discord among brethren"; as Pharaoh between Abraham and Sarah; wherefore the Lord plagued Pharaoh, &c. Ge 12:17, which the Jews understand of the plague of leprosy. These seven things are, in another place {u}, said to be an evil tongue, shedding of blood, a vain oath, uncleanness, a proud spirit, theft, and envy. Elsewhere it is said {w}, that for eleven things leprosy cometh; for cursing God, for uncleanness, for murder, for saying of a neighbour a thing that there is nothing in it, for pride, for entering into a border which is not a man's own, for a lying tongue, for theft, for a false oath, for profaning the name of God, for idolatry: and R. Isaac says, for an evil eye; and the Rabbins also say, it comes upon him who despises the words of the law: the first is proved from Goliath, 1Sa 17:26; the second from the daughters of Jerusalem, Isa 3:16; the third from Cain, Ge 4:15 and from Joab, 2Sa 3:29; the fourth from Moses, Ex 4:5; the fifth from Naaman, 2Ki 5:1; the sixth from Uzziah, 2Ch 26:16; the seventh from Miriam, Nu 12:10; the eighth and ninth from Zec 5:4, compared with Le 14:45; the tenth from Gehazi, 2Ki 5:20; the eleventh from the children of Israel when they made the calf, Ex 32:25, compared with Nu 5:2. But whether this man's sin was either of these, or what it was, is not certain: however, he was, by this cure, laid under an obligation, for the future, to avoid it, and all other sins: or rather the charge was to tell no man of his cure, before he came to the priest: nor to him, or any other, how he came by it, and by whom he was healed;and forthwith sent him away; to the priest, in all haste; and it looks as if the man was unwilling to have gone from him, but chose rather to have continued with his kind benefactor: for the word signifies, he cast him out; he drove him from him; he obliged him to go without delay.{t} Vajikra Rabba, sect. 16. fol. 158. 1, 2. {u} T. Bab. Eracin, fol. 16. 1. Vid. Abarbinel. in 2 Kings v. 27. {w} Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 7. fol. 188. 2, 3. Mark 1:44Ver. 44. And saith unto him, see thou say nothing to any man,.... By the way, till he came to the priest;but go thy way, show thyself to the priest: the Syriac and Persic versions read, "to the priests"; and the Vulgate Latin renders it, "to the chief priest"; but any priest might judge of the cleansing of a leper;and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them; See Gill on "Mt 8:4". Mark 1:45Ver. 45. But he went out,.... Either out of the synagogue; for in Mr 1:39, it is said, that Christ preached in their synagogues, &c. and in Mr 1:40, "there came a leper to him"; and Luke very, plainly suggests, that he was in the city, Lu 5:12, and he might be in the synagogue: and this was allowed a leper, according to the Jewish canons, provided some rules were observed; which were these {x}:"if a leper enters into a synagogue, they make for him a partition ten hands high, and four cubits broad; he enters in first, and goes out last:''or, it may be, he went out of the house where he was, into the city, and parts adjacent; for it seems as if the cure was done privately: and yet a leper was not allowed to enter into a house {y};"if he did, all the vessels which were there, i.e. all the goods in the house were defiled, even to the very beams. R. Simeon says, as far as four cubits. R. Judah says, if he stayed so long as the lighting of a lamp.''And began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter; contrary to the charge Christ gave him; though this might be done by him, not out of disobedience to Christ, but out of a transport of joy for the mercy received; and perhaps with a good intention to spread the fame and glory of his Saviour:insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city; of Capernaum, or whatever city it was, where this cure was wrought, without a crowd of people about him, and danger from them, at least from his enemies, who envied his applause and glory.But was without in desert places; devoid of inhabitants, where he spent his time in prayer:and they came to him from every quarter; whenever the people could learn where he was: so agreeable was his doctrine to some; and so useful his miraculous work of healing to others.{x} Misn. Negaim, c. 13. sect. 12. {y} lb. sect. 11.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.