The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 120

deem and BBVe them. Stretoh forth thy visiting, there were vast numbers from other hand. And ha metohed it forth : and hie pnrts who hnd now henrd of his fame, &nd hand WBII reatore,1. The words "whole ae flocked to him from every qunrter. This the other" (u-y,~s ws ;; ~U,i) are not found in description sets before us in a strikingly the best uncials. They were probably in• graphic manner tho mixed ch,uncter of the sertoo from St. Matthew. In this instanoe multitude who gnthered around our Lord to- our Lord performed no outward act. " He listen to his teaching, and to be healed by spake, nnd it was done." The Divine power him-ae many, at least, e.s h&d need of- wrought the miracle concurrently with the healing. act of faith on the part of the man in Ver. 9.-And he spake to hill disoiples, obeying the command. that a sme.11 ship (1r,\01dp1ov}-literally, 1> Yer. 6.-The Pharisees and the Herodians littls boat- should we.it on him ( 1rporr1<u.p- combine together against the Lord. This ..-,pfi avTqi)-literally, should be ,n close was a terrible crisis in his history, or rather allendance upon him-beoause of the multi- in the history of those unbelieving men. tude, lest they should throng him. This• They are now in this dilemma: they must shows in a very grAphio manner how either accept his teaching, or they must &ssiduously and closely the crowd pressed take steps against him as a sabbath-bree.ker. npon him, so that he was obliged to have a. But what had be done? The miracle had little boat al ways in readiness, in which he been WTought by a word only. It would have might take refuge when the pressure became been difficult, therefore, to have obtained too great, &nd so address them with greater a judgment against him. Therefore they freedom from the boat. St. Luke (v, 3), secured some fresh allies. They bad already says, "He sat down, and taught the people gained to their side some of the disciples of out of the ship," making the boat, so to John the Baptist(ch. ii. 18), now they associ- ■peak, his pulpit, ate with themselves the Herodians. This is Ver. 10.-As many as had plagues-the the first mention that we find made of the Greek word is µd.rr..-,-yas; literally, soourges, Herodians. They were the natural oppo- painful disorders-pressed upon him (tl,sn nen ts of the Pharisees; but here they seem ,,,,,,,,{,,,.,...,, av..-qi): literally, Jell upon him; to have found some common ground of clung to him, hoping that the very contact agreement, though it is not very easy to say with him might heal them, This expression, what it was, in combining agaiust our Lord. "scourges," reminds us that diseases are a But it is no uncommon thing to find punishment on account of our sins. coalitions of men, strangely opposed to one Ver. 11.-And the unole&n spirits, when- another on most points, but united to effect soever they beheld him, fell down before some particular object : and it is easy to see him, and oried, saying, It is worthy of how the purity and spirituality of our Lord notice that the e.fflioted people fell upon and of his doctrine would be opposed, on the him ( ,,,,,,.,,,,.,.,.v av..-qi): but the nnolean one hand, to the ceremonial formality of the spirits fell down before him (1rpO<Tt1r1'1M'~V Pharisee, e.nd on the other to the worldly 11.vrqi), and this not out of love or devotion. and secular spirit of the Herodie.n. but out of abject fear, dree.ding lest he Vera. 7, 8.-JeB111 ,with his disoiples with• should drive them out of the "possessed," drew to the sea. This shows that the and send them before their time to their miracle just recorded took place in the in- destined torment. It is just possible that terior of Galilee, and not at Capernaum, this homage paid to our Lord may have been which was close by the sea. The chief city an act of cunning-a ruse, as it were, to lead in Galilee at that time was Sepphoris, which the people to suppose that our Lord was in Herod Antipas had made his capital. leaguo with evil spirits. Thou art the So• There the Herodians would of course be of God, Did, then, the unclean spirits really numerous, and so too would the Pharisees: know that Jesus was the Son of God ? A since the.t city was one of the five places voice from heaven at his baptism had pr~ where the five Sanhedrims met (see Reland, claimed him to be the Son of God, and thafl • Palestine,' p. 100, referred to in tl.e voice must have vibrated through the •Speaker's Commentary,' in loc.). The re- spiritual world. Then, further, they mus5 mainder of these two verses should be read have known him to be the Son of God by and pointed thus: And a great multitude the numerous and mighty miracles which. from Galilee followed : and from ludma, and he wrought, and which they must have from lerusnlem, e.nd from ld11J1UBa, and seen to be real miracles, such as could only beyond 1onian, and about Tyre and Bidon, have been wrought by the supernatural a great multitude, hearing what great thing■ power of God, and which were wrought by he did, oome 11JJ.to him. The meaning of Christ for thiB very purpose, tho.t they the evangelist is this, that, in addition to might prove him to be the promised the great multitude that followed him from !11essiah, the only begotton Son of God. It- tile part& of Galilee which he had just been may, however, bo observed tho.t they didJ ,ou. 111, 1--35.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 117