The parable]

:

CHAP. IV.

AND he began again to teach by the sea side and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken! Behold, there went out a sower to sow : 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not under stand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14 The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 Aud have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among

[of the sower.

thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are

they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? 22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he saith unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given : and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But

when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. 33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took

CHAP. IV. Ver. 1-20. And he began again to teach, &c.-The parable of the sower, which here follows, with its explanation, has been already considered on Matt. xiii. 1-23.

Ver. 10. Alone-that is, the multitude being gone. Ver. 21. Is a candle brought, &c.-See Matt. v. 15, where we have the same sentiment spoken on another occasion.

Ver 22. For, &c.-See Matt. x. 26, 27. Ver. 24. Take heed what, &c.-See Luke viii. 18. Ver. 26-29. So is the kingdom of God. - This seems to us connected with the parable of the tares, Matt. xiii. 24, &c.

Ver. 29. When the fruit is brought forth-Marg. "Ripe."

Ver. 30-34. And he said, &c.-The parable of the mustard seed, and following remarks, will be found Matt. xiii. 31-36, &c.

Ver. 36-41. And when they had sent, &c. - The storm here related is evidently the same as in Matt. viii. 23-27.

Ver. 36. Even as he was-that is, without rest or refreshment. In the ship - Camp. renders the word bark: it was doubtless a small sailing vessel. — It was now full—namely, with water. See Luke viii, 22.

him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. Aud the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

CHAP. V.

AND they came over unto the other side

of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean

spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains : 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou tor

ment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran vio

lently down a steep place into the sea, (they

[demoniac healed.

were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

16 And

they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

23 And be

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, sought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: 1 pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? disciples said unto him, Thou seest the

Ver. 38. On a pillow-but Mr. Wesley renders it, "on the pillow in the stern;" understanding "a particular part of the vessel, near the rudder."

CHAP. V. Ver. 1-21. And they came over unto the other side, &c --The parallel history to this has been considered, Matt. viii, 28, &c. with this difference, that Matthew mentions two demoniacs, and Mark and Luke but one, as doubtless the most remarkable.

Ver. 13. Down a steep place-Wesley, " down the steep;" i. e. the shelving coast.

31 And his

Ver. 20. Decapolis-that is, the ten cities, a dis trict of country beyond Jordan, so called from it

containing ten principal towns.

Ver. 22. One of the rulers--large synagogues ha sometimes several elders, or rulers: the name of th

men is here given -Jairus.

Ve. 29. Of that plague-Camp. that scourge, "8

"Delivered fro

plaint called by physicians, dysenteria sanguinea. meaning the very distressing cou Ver. 30. That virtue had gone out of him. -S

Luke vi. 19.

multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard

the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took

the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

CHAP. VI.

AND he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disci

[raised.

ples follow him. 2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

5 And

7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8 Aud commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no. money in their purse: 9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. 10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad :) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew

Ver. 35. Thy daughter is dead-this message is not mentioned in the account of Matthew, but is perfectly consistent with it.

Ver. 40. Them that were with him-namely, Peter, James, and John.

Ver. 41. Talitha cumi-the Syriac words rendered "Damsel, arise.”

CHAP. VI. Ver. 1-6. And he went out from thence, &c.-See Matt. xiii. 54-58.

Ver.3. Is not this the carpenter?-Justin Martyr, in his dialogues with Trypho, expressly says that Jesus assisted his father in his trade of a carpenter, making agricultural tools, &c. It is also said that among the Jews it was infamous for a father not to bring up his children to some trade. (Grotius in Matt. Xiii. 65.) But why then reproach Jesus on that account? It was probably on account of his mean line of business. He was not a master builder; but A poor country carpenter, who worked for the labouring farmers in the vicinity of Nazareth. So his brothers and sisters are spoken of with contempt, as persons of no note, or consequence. Little did they

think that this despised Jesus had made the world, and was born to judge it!

Ver. 5. And he could there do no mighty work, &c. "We are not to understand.... as if the power of Christ was here disarmed; but rather.... that they brought few sick people to him for cure." Doder. who remarks also, that, so far as appears, " he never after this returned to Nazareth."

Ver. 7-12 And he called unto him the twelve, &c. -The passage parallel to this is, Matt. x. 4-15.

Ver. 8. A staff only not staves. Perhaps the meaning is, that they were only, like Jacob, to take a staff for support in travelling (Gen. xxxii. 10.), but no weapons of hostility. No money-even of the lowest sort; according to Matthew, not even brass mites.

Ver. 9. Be shod with sandals shoes as too great a luxury; half boots.

-Matthew inhibits some explain this of

Ver. 13. And anointed with oil many that were sick. This is not mentioned by either of the other evangelists; but it is evident from James v. 14, that in the age of miracles, oil was thus employed; yet

John the Baptist]

forth themselves in him.

15 Others

said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded : he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and au holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when

the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 Aud the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they

[beheaded.

came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship pri vately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and out went them, and came together unto him. 34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with com passion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he be gan to teach them many things. when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the vil lages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and

see.

35 And

And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaveu, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And they did all eat, aud were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the

the reason of this, as of many other things in Scripture, we are not able to assign.

Ver. 14-29. And king Herod, &c.- Matthew's account of this tragical event may be found Matt. xiv. 6-12; some things are here stated more fully, as mentioned in the following Notes.

Ver. 15. Others said, that it is Elias - Compare Matt. xvi. 14. Or as one of the prophets-meaning, of the Old Testament.

Ver. 17-20. For Herod himself had sent, &c.The parallel to these verses occurs Matt. xiv. 3-5, the narrative being somewhat differently arranged.

Ver. 19. Herodias had a quarrel-Marg. " an inward grudge."

Ver. 20. And observed him-Camp. " Protected bim;" i. e. from Herodias, by whose means he had been arrested.——Heard him gladly - the pleasure with which many hear the gospel, is no proof of the benefit they derive from it. He heard him gladly, perhaps, in all things, but his reproofs, for Herodias still lay in his bosom.

Ver. 27. Sent an executioner-Marg. " One of his guard." See Note on Matt. xiv. 10.

Ver. 30-46. And the apostles, &c.-The first tir verses of this paragraph (not in Matthew) show tha our Lord was much more anxious for the rest an refreshment of his disciples than for his own. TI parallel verses to the remainder of the section mi be found Matt. xiv. 13--36.

Ver. 3. Saw them departing-that is, though th said nothing, and proceeded as quietly as might still the people perceived they were preparing sail.-Knew kim-Jebb and Priestly, it;". the place, or the fact, that they were going. Aƒ -or" by land." See Note on Matt. xiv. 13.

Ver. 34. As sheep not having, &c.-See Matt. ix. Ver. 40. They sat down in ranks--Camp. “ squares," like plats, or square flower beds in a g den See Ecclus. xxiv. 31. Mr. Pierce, wh Doddr. follows, explains this of long squares, 10 rank, and 50 in file.

Ver. 44. Were about-Camp. says, "We have authority of all the best MSS. editions and versi for rejecting the word (osci)" about." Ver. 48. Would have passed-that is, he mad if he would. See Luke xxiv. 28.