The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 8

went forth, armed with Divine power, into his first purging or the temple (John the desert, that there, as in a wreetling-,p,Jace, ii. 14). Then came the visit of Nicodemus he might contend alone with Sn.tan. l'here to him by night; and then he began openly Cbriet and antichrist met, nnd entered to preach and to baptize (.John iii. 26), and upon the conflict upon the iseue of whioh thus incurred the envy of the ecri bes and our eo.lvntion deponded. Pharisees. Therefore he left Judrea, and Ver. 13.-l'orty days tempted ot Ba.tan. departed again into Galilee; and this iJ! the St. Mark go.there up the whole temptation departure here recorded by St. Mark and into this one sentence; and the passage by St. Matthew (iv. 12). Hence it came to would seem to imply that the three tempta- pass that it was in Galilee that Christ called tions recorded by St. Matthew and St. Luke to himself four fishermen-Andrew and wore not the only tlials through which our Peter, Jamee and John. Lord passed during those forty days, al- Ver. 15.-Tha time is fulfilled; that is, the though they were no doubt the prominent time for the coming of Messiah and of his and the most powerful assaults upon our kingdom. The kingdom which had been Redeemer. And he was with the wild beasts shut for so many ages was now to be re- (y.,,-;,,_ ,..,,, 871plow). This shows the extreme opened by the preaching and the death solitude of the place. It shows also the of Christ. The time is very accurately innocence of our Lord, that there, in that indica.ted. St. Matthew tells us (iv. 12) wild and desolate district, amongst lions, that "when Jesus had heard that John and wolves, and leopards, and serpents, he was cast into prison, he departed into neither feared them nor was injured by them. Galilee;" and then presently afterwards he He dwelt amongst them as Adam lived adds, "From that time Jesn3 began to with them in hie state of innocence in preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom Paradise. These wild beasts recognized of God is at hand." 'fhe time and place are and revered their Creator and their Lord. also accnrately specified by St. Peter (Acts And the angels ministered unto him. This, x. 36, 37), where he tells Cornelius that as we learn from St. Matthew (iv. 11), was " the word of peace, preached by J esns after his temptation and victory. Some Christ, was published throughout all Judrea, have thought that Jesus became known to and began from Galilee, after the baptism the devil as the Son of God, by the reverence which Jobn preached." It was necessary and adoration of the angels. 'fhus Jesus that these circumstances should be carefully showed in his own person, when alone ha detailed, because they were among the had striven with Satan and had overcome proofs of the Messiahship of Jesus. Elias him, that heavenly comfort and the ministry must come first; and he had come in the of angels are provided by God for those person of the Ba.ptist, although the pro- who overcome temptation. phecy probably awaits its full accomplish• Ver.14.-Now after that John was put in ment in the actual reappearance of the prison(µ.,,-/',. ..-b 1rapaoo8ij11a1); literally, was great prophet of Israel before the second delivered up. This was our Lord's second coming of our Lord. Repent ye, and believe coming into Galilee, Galilee had been the gospel. These worwi may be regnrded specially designated as the scene of the o.s a summary of the method of salvation. Divine manifestation (sea lea. ix. 1, 2). The Repentance and faith are the conditions of land of Galilee, or of Zebulun o.nd Naphtali, admission into the Christian covenant. Re- had the misfortune to be the first in pentance has a special reference to God the the se.d calamity which fell upon the Father, and faith, to Jesus Christ the eternal Jewish nation through the Assyrian in- Son, It is in the gospel that Christ is vasion ; and, in order to console them under revealed to us as a Sa.viour; and therefore we this grievious affliction, Isaiah assures them find Jesus Christ, as the object of our faith, that, by way of recompense, they, o.bove the distinguished from the Father as the object rest of their brethren, should have the chief of our repentance. Repentance of itself is share in the presence and ministry of the not sufficient-it mo.kes no satisfaction for future promised Messiah. It seems pro- the Law which we have broken ; and hence, bable that our Lord remained soma time in over and above repentance, there is required Judma after his baptism. From thence he from ns faith in the Gospel, wherein Christ went, with Andrew and Peter, two of John's is revealed to ns as a propitiation for sin, disciples, into Galilee, where he called and as the only way of reconciliation with. Philip. And then it Wllfl tho.t he turned the Father. Without faith repentance be- the water into wine o.t the marriage feast in comes despair, and without repentance Oana. This was his first coming out of faith becomes only presumption. Join the Jud11111. into Galileo, related by St. John two together, and the faithful soul is borne (i. 43, etc.). But the Passover brought him onward~, like e. well-balanced vessel. to the hack into Judmll, tho.t he might present haven where it would be. himself in the temple; and then occurred Ver. 16.-Now as ho walked by tho sea  'l'HE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO ST. MARK. [OB, L 1--43.