FORHOME
&SCHOOL

ST. MARK

'YALH-wflii^isissinnf- ILHISlRAISHr

DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

THE BIBLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL
SHAILER MATHEWS, General Editor

GENESIS By Professor H. G. Mitchell
DEUTERONOMY By Professor W. G. Jordan
JUDGES By Professor Edward L. Curtis
JOB By Professor George A. Barton
ISAIAH By Professor John E. McFadyen
AMOS, HOSEA, AND MICAH
By Professor J. M. Powis Smith
MATTHEW By Professor A. T. Robertson
MARK By Professor M. W. Jacobus
ACTS By Professor George H. Gilbert
GALATIANS By Professor B. W. Bacon
EPHESIANS AND COLOSSIANS
By Reverend Gross Alexander
HEBREWS By Professor E. J. Goodspeed
VOLUMES IN PREPARATION
I SAMUEL By Professor L. W. Batten
PSALMS By Reverend J. P. Peters
JOHN By Professor Shatxer Mathews
ROMANS By Professor E. I. Bosworth
I AND II CORINTHIANS
By Professor J. S. Riggs

THE BIBLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL
A COMMENTARY ON
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING
TO MARK BY
MELANCTHON W. JACOBUS, D.D.
dean of the faculty and hosmer professor of new
testament exegesis, hartford theological
seminary

Jfrro fork
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
i9J5
All rights reserved

Copyright, 1915
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1915.

The references in the foot-notes marked " SV " are to the American Standard
Edition of the Revised Bible. Copyright, 1001, by Thomas Nelson & Sons.
By permission op the Publishers.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The Bible for Home and School is intended to place
the results of the best modern biblical scholarship at the
disposal of the general reader. It does not seek to dupli
cate other commentaries to which the student must turn.
Its chief characteristics are (a) its rigid exclusion of all
processes, both critical and exegetical, from its notes;
(J) its presupposition and its use of the assured results
of historical investigation and criticism wherever such
results throw light on the biblical text; (c) its running
analysis both in text and comment; (d) its brief explana
tory notes adapted to the rapid reader; (e) its thorough
but brief Introductions; (/) its use of the Revised Version
of 1881, supplemented with all important renderings in
other versions.
Biblical science has progressed rapidly during the past
few years, but the reader still lacks a brief, comprehensive
commentary that shall extend to him in usable form mate
rial now at the disposition of the student. It is hoped
that in this series the needs of intelligent Sunday School
teachers have been met, as well as those of clergymen
and lay readers, and that in scope, purpose, and loyalty
to the Scriptures as a foundation of Christian thought and
life, its volumes will stimulate the intelligent use of the
Bible in the home and the school.
SHAILER MATHEWS.

NOTE
The Author desires to acknowledge the assistance given
him by his colleague, Professor William H. Worrell, in
the reading of the proof and the compilation of the
Indices — the latter being entirely of his own hand.
M. W. J.

CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction  i
I. The Gospel Itself  i
II. The Tradition Regarding the Gospel ... 6
III. The Sources of the Gospel .12
IV. The Relation of Mark to Matthew and Luke . 16
V. The Date of Mark . . .23
VI. The Historical Value of Mark .... 24
VII. The Text  26
VIII. Analysis  29
IX. Bibliography . • * • • -34
Commentary  37
Index  ... 249

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

INTRODUCTION
For the interpreter of any narrative writing it is of
fundamental importance that he should know the his
torical value of tie narrative which it contains.
The first question, therefore, which presents itself in an
introduction to the interpretation of the Gospels is as to
their origin. If they come to us from the Apostolic times
and embody the testimony of those who participated in
the events which they record, there is a historical value
to their narrative which is lacking if their origin is in a
later age and their testimony that of those who knew the
facts simply from long developed tradition. It is only
natural that we should inquire as to the writers of the
Gospels and their sources of information, and it is quite
as natural that, for an answer to our query, we should go
first to the Gospels themselves. Did the earliest testimony
we have regarding them profess to be contemporaneous
with their origin, the question of their historical value
would be a simple matter. As, however, they lie con
fessedly behind the testimony which is given to them, they
present a problem in themselves which invites our first
attention. I. The Gospel Itself
i. In coming to the Gospel of Mark, we find that in
common with all the narrative writings, but unlike almost
all the Epistles of the New Testament, it does not contain
the name of its author.
While it may be difficult to avoid the conviction that
in the incident of 14 : 51L the Author gives his own ex
perience, referring to himself as "a certain young man"
ir> a similarly indefinite way to the Fourth Evangel-

INTRODUCTION

ist's generally accepted reference to himself in his Gospel
(Jn. 18 : isf.; 20 : 1-10); yet there is no means of identify
ing the "young man " there mentioned — not even to the ex
tent of proving that he was one of the personal disciples of
Jesus.1 From a general study of the Gospel, however, it is clear
that, while it lacks the Jewish cast of narrative evident in
the First Gospel, yet the familiarity which the Author
shows with Jewish geography (cf. 1 : 38 [see notes]; 4 : 35
with 5 : 1; 4 : 45 [see notes]; 7 : 31; 8 : 22, 27 [see notes];
10 : 1 [see notes]) and with Jewish customs (cf. 2 : 18-20;
S : 38; 7 : 2-4; n : 15; 14 : 1; 15 : 6) and beliefs (cf. 12 :
18), and the ability which he seems to have in explaining
them (cf. 7 : 2ff.; 14 : 12; 15 142) — particularly his ac
quaintance with the Aramaic language, which he is con
stantly translating for his readers' use (cf. 3 : 17; 5 :^i;
7 : n, 34; 10 : 46; 14 : 36; 15 : 22, 34) — mark him as a
Jewish Christian.
2. It cannot be claimed that these facts prove, on the
other hand, that the readers of the Gospel were Gentile
Christians; for the Jewish Christian readers of the First
Gospel were equally unacquainted with these Palestinian
details. Yet they add to the significant presence in the
Gospel of certain Latin terms (e.g. the original for "bed,"
2 : 4; 6 : ss; "pots," 7 : 4; "centurion," 15 : 39, 44f.; the
phrase "began as they went," 2 : 23; "soldier of the
guard," 6 : 27; "wishing to content," 15 : 15) and to the
evident desire of the Author at times to use these terms
for the sake of being understood by his readers (cf. 12 :
42, "which make a farthing"; 15 : 16, "which is the
Praetorium").2 When in addition it is considered that,
apart from references made by Jesus himself and by others,
1 For full discussion of this point, see Zahn, Introduction lo the New
Testament, vol. ii, pp. 491-494.
2 Note the absence of all such explanations when reference is made
to Pilate and his official position (15 : 1) and to political events during
his term of office (15 : 7).

INTRODUCTION

there is almost a total absence of Old Testament quota
tions as an argumentative background for the narrative,
or of any reference to the Law as such, it would seem that
the Gentile character of the readers was a natural inference.
3. There is nothing in the Gospel which definitely locates
the readers. Acquaintance with Latin throughout the
Roman Empire was too wide to make the Author's em
ployment of words and phrases from this language con
clusive evidence that the readers resided in Rome; though.
the fact that, as compared with the other Gospels, the
Latin atmosphere of the Markan writing is distinctive
would agree with such a residence, could it otherwise be
proved, and would in general indicate that the readers
belonged to the Western rather than the Eastern part of
the Early Church. Were we assured as to the identity of
the Rufus mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Roman
Church (16 : 13) with the Rufus mentioned in the Gospel
(15 : 21) as one of the children of Simon of Cyrene, we
might infer that the author's inclusion of these children
in his recital of the incident was due to the fact that his
readers lived in Rome and would be naturally interested
in this detail. Possibly the emphasis which he places on
things clean and unclean (7 : 1-23) might be considered as
due to the discussion of this distinction which we learn
from the Epistle to the Romans (ch. 14) was prevalent in
that community. These points in themselves, however,
are, neither singly nor together, conclusive as to the resi
dence of the readers.
4. To these readers, born and bred as they had been in
the great world of Gentile action, it was the author's pur
pose to present Jesus in the actual reality of his wonderful
life. He was not concerned with proving him to be the
fulfilment of Messianic prophecy, as was the First Evan
gelist, nor with presenting him as the realization of the
world's need of a Saviour, as was the Third Evangelist, or
with portraying him as the objective of the soul's spiritual
communion, as was the Fourth Evangelist; his aim was
3

INTRODUCTION

simply to show him to others as he had showed himself to
his disciples in all the human and superhuman facts of his
life. One cannot but be impressed with the objectivity
of the narrative; but it does not present itself as the product
of a literary realism, but of a vivid recollection. It seems
as though it was written with the conviction, not that
something new had been discovered, but that something
new had happened in the history of the world.1 It brings
into light, beyond the other Gospels, the real humanity of
Jesus (e.g. his compassion, i : 41; his anger, 3 : 5; 10 : 14;
his love, 10 : 21 ; his subjection to bodily fatigue, 4 : 38; his
liability to surprise, 6 : 6; his suffering of hunger, 11 : 12;
his lack of knowledge, 13 : 32), and at the same time his
consciousness of supreme authority over and of holding
in himself the destiny of the religious life of man (e.g.
2 : 10, 28; 10 : 45 ; 14 : 62). It contains few of the dis
courses of Jesus; the narrative is devoted rather to making
prominent, not only the remarkable deeds of his life, but
the startling impressions which they produced on those who
witnessed them (e.g. 1 : 27; 2 : 12; 4 : 41; 5 : 42; 6 : 51) —
impressions which necessarily obtained more during the
early period of his work among the people, than during the
later period, when he gave himself to the instruction of his
disciples and to controversy with the religious leaders in
Jerusalem. 5. Such a purpose naturally expressed itself in a charac
teristically vivid, and at the same time, simple narrative
style. It is consequently noticeable that when words
would add nothing to the depiction of the incident, the
record is compressed (e.g. 1 : 2f.; 6 : 7-13; 8 : 10-13; 9 : 2-8;
10 : 2-12; 12 : 13-17); where they would give life and
color to it, they are employed freely and without strict
regard to rules of rhetoric (e.g. 1 : 40-45; 3 : 1-6; 5 : 1-
20, 21-43; 6 : 14-29. 3°-46; 8 : 1-9; 9 : 14-29; 10 : 46-52;
11 : 15-19, 2of.; 12 : 28-34); so that the Author comes to
the frequent use of certain striking words, such as " straight-
1 Denney, Jesus and the Gospel, p. 266.
4

INTRODUCTION

way," 42 times between chs. 1 and 9; 7 times between
chs. 10 and 16; "astonished," 1 : 27; 10 : 24; "amazed," 9 :
15; "terrified," 16 : 5; "hardened," 6 : 52; 8 : 17; "ques
tion," "dispute," 1 : 27; 9 : 10, 14, 16, and often to the
use of a word that gives a vividness to the incident, or a
forceful point to the saying (e.g. "to stoop down," 1:7;
"rent asunder," 1 : 10; "strictly charged him," 1 143;
"looked round about," 5 : 32; "sat down in ranks" — lit.
'in groups of garden beds,' 6 : 40; "moored to the shore,"
6 : 53; "behold them as trees, walking," 8 : 24; "taking in
the arms in embrace, "9:36;io:i6;" casting away his gar
ment," 10 : 50; "withered away from the roots," 11 : 20;
" exceeding vehemently," 14 : 3 1) . There is thus a minute
ness of detail that makes the narrative a "reproduction
rather than a representation" of the events. He has also
a certain picturesque use of his tenses (e.g. the imperfect
to represent the movement of the action, 5 : 18 [was be
seeching]; 7 : 17 [were asking]; 15 147 [were beholding];
the present, to place the reader at the point of action,
2:1 [is in the house], while passages, such as 4 135-41;
6 : 30-51; 12 : 41-44; 14 : 53-55, where the present and
the imperfect are interchanged with the aorist, as the nar
rative proceeds, are peculiarly vivid), and a fondness in
the use of the direct form of speech (e.g. 1 :37 s 3 : 21;
4 : 39; 5 : 8, 12; 6 : 31; 9 : 25; 10 : 35; 16 : 3).1 Were the
Evangelists modern annalists, trained in the use of de
scriptive narrative, these characteristics would mean noth
ing more than that in our Second Gospel we had evidence
of an Author who had mastered his. art. But, whatever
else the Evangelists were, they were not technical histo
rians. Even the author of the Third Gospel was not a
trained investigator of records, and, while he shows a lit
erary ability which his fellow Evangelists do not possess,
it is not employed in heightening the historical realism of
the narrative which he presents, but, on the contrary, in
smoothing it out into a polished story, fit for the cultured
1 For added details, see Zahn, Introduction, vol. ii, p. 481, note (4).
S

INTRODUCTION

ears of his patron Theophilus. The vivid style of our
Second Evangelist is significant, therefore, as indicating
that the story he tells comes from sources which were in
close contact with the events themselves.
6. As a result of this inductive study of the Gospel, it
would seem that we should be justified in saying that it
was written well within the Apostolic Age and by one who
belonged to the Gospel Generation. In fact, if our Gospel
be compared with the other two Synoptics in its phrasing
of the apocalyptic discourse of ch. 13, the significant ab
sence from it of any implication that the destruction of
Jerusalem had taken place would seem to put the composi
tion of the Gospel before 70 a.d.1
II. The Tradition Regarding the Gospel
1. When we study the external testimony concerning
the Gospel, we find its authorship uniformly assigned to
the Mark mentioned in the New Testament as the com
panion of Saul and Barnabas during a portion of their first
mission tour (Acts 12 125; 13 15), which, however, for
some reason he abandoned (Acts 13 : i3f .) ; then later, be
cause of Paul's refusal, as accompanying the latter on his
separated mission journey to Cyprus (Acts 15 : 39f-); 2 but
in the earliest and latest references to him, as apparently
associated with Peter, under whose influences his Christian
life may have begun (Acts 12:1251 Pet. 5 : 13).
2. We find, moreover, that this testimony assigns the
source of the Gospel's contents primarily to Peter. The
way in which the Apostle furnished the material is va
riously described but is really determined by the state-
1 Note verses i3f., 24, 30, 33, which seem to consider the fulfilment
of the apocalyptic utterances as still in the future and lack such inti
mations of its accomplishment as seem to be present in Lk. 21 : 20,
24, or such evidence of the transference of it to the end of the world
as appear in Matt. 24 : 3, 14, 29.
2 For evidence of his reinstatement in Paul's favor and of further
work with him, cf. Col. 4 : 10; Philem. ver. 24; 2 Tim. 4 : 11.
6

INTRODUCTION

ment of Papias, which is not only the earliest evidence
bearing upon the point, but that from which all the follow
ing evidence has clearly been developed.1 This statement
of Papias is to the effect that Mark, while not a follower of
Jesus in his ministry, had been with Peter in his mission
work and having become his "interpreter" — a relation in
this case not altogether easy to understand — had com
mitted to writing what he could remember of the Apostle's
Gospel addresses. These addresses were delivered, not
with the purpose of presenting a gathered arrangement of
the Lord's sayings, but in a way to suit the needs of each
occasion, while the writing down of them was itself not in
order. 3. This mention of the lack of order in Mark's writing
has occasioned considerable discussion and has given rise
to the theory that the writing Papias had in mind was not
our Gospel but some fragmentary document, whose ill
arranged contents Mark had gathered from Peter's dis
courses and which may have formed the basis for our
Gospel, but which has been hopelessly lost. It is to be
noted, however, that Papias' description of Mark's writ
ing, from its wording in the original, refers to the lack
rather of an orderly arrangement of its contents than an
orderly sequence of its events,2 and is doubtless due to the
fact that the arrangement of Mark's writing was being
compared with that of some other Gospel writing which
was considered preferable to his.3
4. At the same time, it is to be admitted that while the
1 This statement of Papias is preserved for us in Eusebius' Ecclesi
astical History (iii_, 39).
2 The element in which the writing was lacking is given as rdf is,
which, as distinguished from Kafcgqs, implies arrangement, rather
than sequence. (See Luke's use of the latter word in the prologue to
his Gospel (1 : 3) and Plato's use of the former word in his Republic
(637, E. Also note article by Colson in Journal of Theological Studies,
Oct. 1912, pp. 62-69.)
8 Most likely Matthew's Gospel which is characterized by the
grouping of its material, discourses as well as events.
7

INTRODUCTION

Gospel presents in general a consistently developed plan of
Jesus' ministry and in the main current of its narrative
is chronological in its sequence of sayings and events,1
there is evidence of a tendency topically to group the
material (e.g. 3 : 1-6, where the healing of the withered
hand, which in view of its resultant combination of Phari
sees and Herodians against Jesus, must have occurred
much later, has been brought forward and placed with the
early incident of the plucking of the grain — the only other
incident of controversy over Sabbath observance this Gos
pel contains; also 3 : 22-30, where the presence of Jeru-
salemite scribes may possibly indicate that this attack has
been interpolated into the incident of the anxiety of Jesus'
family for his welfare [3 : i9b-2i, 31-35], because of the
association of the Beelzebub charge with the family's illu
sion as to Jesus' sanity; also 9 : 38-41 which may have
been interpolated because of the common reference to
ministry in Jesus' name, the thought of ver. 37 being
clearly resumed at ver. 42). There are also to be recog
nized colorings of the narrative, which are evidently due to
later doctrinal and apocalyptic points of view (e. g. 1:4,
where the content of the Baptist's preaching is phrased in
accordance with the Gospel preaching of the early Church
[cf. Acts 2 138; 10 143; 13 :38f.]; 4 : 10-12, where the
reason given by Jesus for his use of parables is made to
accord with the later Apostolic explanation of the puzzling
rejection of Jesus' mission by the people of God [cf. Acts
2 : 23; 4 : 28; Rom. 11 : 7f., 25; 1 Pet. 2 : 8] — as is also
present in 6 : 52; 7 : 19D-22, where Jesus' words are inter
preted and the list of evils is determined in the light of such
controversies as arose in the Apostolic Age [cf . 1 Cor. 6 :
12-20; 8; 10 : 23-33; Rom. 14; compare also Acts, 10 : 15
with such lists as are given in Gal. 5 : 19-21; Rom. 1 :
29-31; Eph. 4 : 19, 31; 5 : 3L]; 9 : 41, where the disciples
are to be known by the name of followers of Christ [cf.
1 Menzies, The Earliest Gospel, pp. 29-33; Burkitt, Earliest Sources
of the Life of Jesus, p. 88f.; Swete, Mark, pp. lii-lv.

INTRODUCTION

Acts n : 26; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3 : 23]; particularly,
ch. 13, where we have in such passages as vs. 5-10, 12-14,
17-20, 22-27, 33» 37» a very general amplification and
modification of Jesus' eschatological discourse, influenced
by the Apocalyptic ideas present in the Church under the
stress and strain of the impending catastrophe with which
the Jewish war came to its close. There are also clearly
present minor inaccuracies of statement (e.g. 1 : 39, where
"throughout all Galilee" is manifestly inconsistent with
the restricted region of the tour, as given in the preceding
verse; 2 : 26, where " Abiathar " is given as the name of the
high priest, instead of Ahimelech [cf. 1 Sam. 21 : 1]; 7 :
3ft., where the ablutions referred to are stated to have
been practised by "all the Jews" — a manifest exaggera
tion as to their observance. There is also the more se
rious misstatement of 14 : 12, which identifies the Last
Supper with the Passover Feast (cf. Lev. 23 : sf.).1
5. These facts, however, do not necessarily prove that
the Markan writing to which Papias refers could not have
been the Gospel as we have it before us to-day. Grouping
of incidents may have been a feature of Peter's dis
courses — which were suited to the special occasions on
which they were delivered; and such dogmatic and apoc
alyptic coloring of the narrative as discloses itself was
present in the thought of the Apostolic Church of Mark's
own day; while the errors are such as Mark himself may
have committed. If he was a cousin of Barnabas, the
Levite (Col. 4 : 10), he may have considered the practices
which he saw observed in the circle of his family relations
as observed generally by all, and so have made the exag
gerated statement of 7 : 3±I.; 2 whereas if the identifying
of the Last Supper with the Passover was due to the fact
that the later Roman custom of regarding the Eucharist
as a reproduction of the Paschal Meal had already begun,
1 For a detailed analysis of the contents of the Gospel, see Moffatt,
New Testament Introduction, pp. 221-225.
2 Burkitt, Sources, p. 9if.

INTRODUCTION

this may be a confirmation of the tradition that Mark
wrote his Gospel from Rome.1 On the other hand, if such
errors as i : 39 and 2 : 26 cannot be assigned to Mark,
they are as likely due to misunderstanding and carelessness
on the part of an early copyist, as to the deliberate work
of a later redactor. Especially might this be so in the case
of the proper name of 2 : 26 if we accept the suggestion
that such hardly explainable names as Boanerges and Dal-
manutha (3 : 17 and 8 : 10) are due to the fact that the
copyist had a poorly legible exemplar with which to strug
gle.2 Were the name originally written Abimelech, as in
1 Chron. 18 : 16, the mistake in a poorly written text
might not have been impossible.
6. It is further admitted that the anecdotal character of
the first half of the Gospel — up to 8 : 27 — is in contrast to
the definite sequence of the later half. This does not, how
ever, necessitate that the material of the earlier narra
tive was drawn from fragmentary records current in the
Church, rather than from Peter's preaching, nor that the
developed character of the later narrative was wholly
independent of the Apostle. For the purpose of illustra
tion, Peter may have grouped incidents and sayings in his
discourses; for the same purpose, he may have recited
them singly and without definite time connection among
themselves or with more than a general assignment of
them to any one portion of the ministry. The fact that
we have both the earlier and the later portions of the
Gospel arranged in an order which discloses a distinct de
velopment in Jesus' work may be due to what was under
stood in the Church to have been the general progress of
the ministry; but such an understanding must have been
vague and confused in comparison with that had by one
who had personally participated in the ministry, as the
Apostle had done, and whether the Gospel was written
during Peter's life or after it had ceased, Mark's associa-
1 Bacon, The Beginnings of Gospel Story, p. xxixff., 195-198; Burkitt,
Sources, pp. 92-94. 2 Burkitt, Sources, p. 3 2f.

INTRODUCTION

tion with the Apostle must have made him familiar with
the general sequence of the periods of the ministry and
with the general development of its purpose and aim
long before he committed these incidents and sayings to
writing. 7. It is, of course, obvious that the contents of the Gos
pel did not originate directly with Peter in the sense of
constituting them his personal Gospel. His early appear
ance in the narrative (cf. 1 : i6f., 29^), together with his
prominence in it (1 : 36; 3 : i6f.; 8 : 29L, 32L; 9 : 2f.; 10 :
28; 11 : 21; 13 : 3; 14 : 29, 33, 37, 54, 66f.; 16 : 7) show
him, not so much to have been the only source of the in
formation,1 as to have formed the personal atmosphere
in which the commonly received traditions were repro
duced.2 8. On the whole, however, the definite statement of
patristic literature to the effect that the Gospel has come
to us primarily from the preaching of Peter, through the
authorship of Mark, is borne out by what we find in the
study of its contents. Such editorial work as discloses
itself is wholly of a minor importance (cf . 1 : 1 " the Son of
God "; 6 : 30 " the apostles "; 8 : 35 ; 10 : 29 " and the Gos
pels ") and for the purpose of discovering the sources of
the Gospel, negligible.
1 At the same time see Swete, Mark, p. lviii; Zahn, Introduction,
vol. ii, pp. 494-498; Stanton, The Gospels as Historical Documents,
vol. ii, pp. 189-191, for evidence of personal Petrine details.
2 See particularly the notes on the incorporated apocalypse of
ch. 13. As to one or two individual incidents, Menzies (The Earliest
Gospel, p. 28) considers that, on the basis of the identification of the
Evangelist with the young man of 14 : 51L, certain facts in the nar
rative of the Jerusalem ministry, given alone in this Gospel, may
have come from Mark himself (e.g. the mention of Alexander and
Rufus, 15 : 21, who may have been personally known to him). See
also Zahn (Introduction, vol. ii, pp. 490-494) as to information due
to the reference of 14 : 5if. to the author. Burkitt (Sources, p. 97f.)
suggests that the tale of the Gerasene demoniac came from sources
across the Lake; while the source of the story of Herod and the Bap
tist (6 : 14-29) is impossible to locate. II

INTRODUCTION

III. The Sources of the Gospel
i. The theory, however, that a primary Markan writing
underlies our present Gospel still persists and is vigorously
urged by many scholars.
Its main contention is that whatever Petrine element
entered into the original writing must have been con
spicuously simple, and as such an element is evident in our
Gospel, more or less artificially associated with relatively
complex material, it is clear that in our canonical Gospel
early and later sources lie before us which can be separated
and to a measurable degree, at least, reconstructed.1
2. That inequalities in the narrative exist — shown at
times by compressions in the sequence of events, at times
by dislocations of the chronological order; that some of
the material is colored with later ideas — disclosed in
phrases of Apostolic preaching and in viewpoints of the
Apostolic Church; that inaccuracies of statement can be
detected is obvious upon careful study of the Gospel's
contents (see above, n. 4.). The question is simply
whether these elements must necessarily have been im
posed upon an original writing by a later hand. For this,
no convincing proof has yet been produced. In fact, in
proportion as we come clearly to understand the thought
of the Early Church, it becomes increasingly evident that
the primary interest of the first disciples did not lie in the
historical past, but in the apocalyptic future (cf. 1 Thess.
1 : 9f.). Their attention was not given to gathering to
gether the incidents of the Master's ministry, but in fore
casting the outcome of the Master's predictions. Such a
simple, matter-of-fact review of the Gospel history as is
assumed to be characteristic of this original Markan writ
ing would not be the natural product of the beginning
period of the Apostolic Church; it is the outcome of a later
1 For a display and review of the more notable analyses of the
Gospel material on this theory, see Moffatt, Introduction, pp. 227-229.

INTRODUCTION

time when such faulty presentations of the sequence of
events, such inaccuracies of statement and such colorings
of Jesus' own ideas as we have before us in our present
Gospel were quite possible.1
3. It is claimed, however, that the evidence for a pri
mary Markan writing does not lie so much in such relatively
unimportant elements of the narrative as in its more sig
nificant features — such as a heightened supernaturalism,
introduced to justify the Church's acceptance of Jesus as
Divine; a veiled and secretive Messiahship, constructed
to explain the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Christ; and
a theory of salvation, wrought into Jesus' teaching to
make it accord with the Pauline doctrine of atone
ment.2 4. This claim deserves serious consideration; for it is
clear that if it be well founded and these features be
eliminated from the Gospel record, we have left a primary
story which presents the life and work of Jesus in a light
wholly different from that which has been accepted as
historical by the Church. The question, of course, is
whether it has ground on which it can stand.
5. Its first contention that the presence of exaggerated
miracles, such as the healing of incurable disease (5 : 25-
34), the feeding of a great multitude (6 : 35-44), the raising
of the dead (5 : 35-43), are later additions in glorification
of Jesus' power must clear itself of the suspicion of a purely
philosophical bias. It may be true that if the miracles of
the Gospel times had been wrought before the eyes of
trained observers of the present day, we would have had
1 See in general the view held by Burkitt of the eschatological tend
encies of the Early Church (The Gospel History and its Transmission,
pp. 60, 62, 164 f.; Sources, pp. 3-5), and the idea of the early origin
of the apocalyptic element in the Gospel narratives presented by
Streeter (Oxford Studies in the Synoptic Problem, pp. 425-430).
2 See, for instance, one of the latest and most favorably received
theories— that of Wendling, as given in his earlier pamphlet, Ur-
markus (1905) and in his later and larger work, Die Entstehung des
Marcus Evangelhims (1908). 13

INTRODUCTION

a different interpretation of them; x but the facts reported
would have been the same. There would be no need of
assuming a later date for such versions of them as are
given; while we may not forget that of at least one of
these "heightened miracles" — the reappearance of Jesus
to his disciples after his death — an interpretation must be
given even by modern scholars which will account for
the present existence of the Christian Church.
6. The assertion that Jesus' concealment of his Messiah-
ship from the crowds that followed him in his ministry and
from the populace at large is a later reconstruction of the
narrative, in order to explain how it was possible that the
people of God did not recognize him as the Christ, fails
to take account of the religious situation in which Jesus
found himself in his ministry. The apocalyptic hope of
Judaism in Jesus' time had in view a coming kingdom
which was to be ushered in by God, when the time for the
redemption of his people was ripe, and to be ruled over
by the Messiah, when at last it was established. To bring
it to its establishment was not the function of the Messiah.
In fact, there was to be no Messiah until the kingdom was
come. There was thus no Messiahship for Jesus to pro
claim while he was announcing the kingdom to be "at
hand." As God knew him and as the demons recognized
him he may have been the Messiah, even in this prepara
tory stage; but to the people at large this was not possible.
Unless he was to yield to the popular nationalism and lower
his spiritual office to the role of a political pretender, Mes
siahship was not for him to announce or to allow to be
announced until the coming of the kingdom had been real
ized in the hearts of men. His concealment of it during
his early ministry; his acknowledgment of it to his chosen
disciples after his spiritual instruction of them during the
period of retirement had brought them to recognize it for
themselves; his judicial assumption of it at the crisis of the
1 Sanday, Article, Jesus Christ, in Dictionary of the Bible, vol. ii,
p. 625. 14

INTRODUCTION

final ministry in Jerusalem — these constitute a perfectly
natural development of the Messianic feature of the nar
rative necessitated by the religious thinking of the day.1
7. The final claim that into the teachings of Jesus has
been introduced a theory of salvation in agreement with
the Pauline theology begs the question as to whether
Jesus' idea of salvation must necessarily have been differ
ent from Paul's. Confessedly, there is in Jesus' teachings
a definite statement of redemption through the sacrifice of
himself, and it is quite apparent that this is Paul's way of
thinking. The only question is as to whether it could
have been Jesus' way of thinking also. If Jesus' concep
tion of his mission was that it was merely to champion the
unchurched and the outcast of Judaism — that it was
nothing more than a "religio-ethical and humanitarian"
undertaking,2 then there is no room in his teaching for a
doctrine of atonement and the difference between the his
torical Christ and the Christ of Paul's experience is un-
thinkably wide. But the question is whether at this point
of the significance of Jesus' death Paul's experience may
not have been as truly in accord with the mind of the
Master as was his Gentile activity in the matter of the
purpose of the Master's mission to the world. Within
nascent Christianity the development of the understand
ing of Christ and his work was as natural as it was within
the embryonic discipleship of his Ministry, and unless the
Christianity that has taken hold of the world can be ac
counted for without the Cross, then the announcement
that the Son of Man came to give his life a ransom for
many (10 : 45) is as historical a part of Jesus' teaching as
it is a vital part of Paul's experience.
8. It would seem, therefore, from every point of view,
that the existence of a primary Markan writing underlying
our present Gospel fails of proof; so that the Gospel, prac
tically as it stands before us, comes from Mark's hand.
1 See Burkitt, Sources, p. 65.
2 Bacon, Gospel Story, pp. xxxviii, 104, 107, 158.
IS

INTRODUCTION

IV. The Relation of Mark to Matthew and Luke
i. There remains to be considered the literary relation
of our Gospel to its fellow Synoptics — Matthew and
Luke — particularly with reference to the query whether
our Gospel may not have existed in one or more editions,
revised perhaps by the hand of Mark himself.
2. From even a cursory study of the first three Gospels,
it is clear that, while they are individual accounts of a
commonly received story, they are not wholly independent
accounts. There are portions of the narrative where they
are so closely in agreement as to necessitate the conclusion,
either that they have all been derived from a common
written source, or that two of them have derived their
accounts in common from the third; while there are other
portions where two of the accounts are so verbally parallel
as to compel the inference, either that they have drawn
their material from a common document, or that one has
used the account of the other.
3. Upon closer study of these accounts, however, it be
comes clear that Mark stands in a peculiar relation to
Matthew and Luke. Of his sixteen chapters there are
less than thirty verses which are not to be found repro
duced, more or less verbally, in the narratives of both, or
of one or the other of his fellow Evangelists. Further than
this, where Matthew or Luke differ from the narrative of
Mark, the reason for their deviation is obvious; where
Mark differs from either Matthew or Luke a reason for
his procedure is not forthcoming. Even in the arrange
ment of the narrative, Matthew and Luke's digressions
from his sequence are understandable, while his digression
from either of theirs seems to have no explanation.
4. When investigation is made from another point of
view, it is found that the three narratives arrange them
selves in the following groups — a three-fold group, where
the account is found in all the narratives; a two-fold group,
where the account is found in two of the three — either in
16

INTRODUCTION

Matthew and Mark, or in Matthew and Luke, or in Mark
and Luke; a single group, where the account is found but
in one — either in Matthew, or in Mark, or in Luke. On
a study of the three-fold group, it is discovered that Mat
thew and Mark agree against Luke and Mark and Luke
agree against Matthew far more frequently and exten
sively than Matthew and Luke agree against Mark. In
fact, the agreements of Matthew and Luke against Mark
are confined to changes which in no way affect the sense
or meaning of the record, save in the case of less than forty
words throughout the entire extent of these groups. Even
more striking results emerge in a study of the order of
events within this three-fold group. Matthew and Mark
agree against Luke in the location of two sections; Mark
and Luke agree against Matthew in some thirteen sections.
Matthew and Luke do not agree against Mark in a single
instance. 5. From all these facts criticism has come to the very
general conclusion that Mark's narrative and order of
events form the basis for the narratives and order of Mat
thew and Luke — in other words, that when they wrote
their gospels, Matthew and Luke had before them and
used in their writing the Gospel of Mark substantially in
the form in which it lies before us to-day.1
6. It is obvious that this conclusion confirms that which
has already been reached regarding the existence of a
primary Markan writing, underlying our present Gospel
of Mark (see above, III, 8). For if the Gospel which
Matthew and Luke have so completely reproduced in
their narratives were not our present Gospel of Mark, but
a previous Markan writing which was used by all three,
then it would be impossible to account for the fact that
1 For a scientific study of the principles of literary criticism and
their equally scientific application to the literary relations of the
Synoptic Gospels, the reader is commended to the work of Professor
Ernest DeWitt Burton, Some Principles of Literary Criticism and
their Application to the Synoptic Problem, Chicago, 1904.
17

INTRODUCTION

Matthew and Luke have hardly ever copied it in agree
ment against our present Mark, except on the theory that
it has been so completely reproduced in the present Gospel
of Mark as to make his present Gospel identical with it —
in other words, to show that there was no such primary
Markan writing different from the present Markan Gospel
as we possess it.1
7. We have not considered, however, all the literary
facts presented to us by these Gospels. As was noted
above (4), some of the groups into which the three nar
ratives divide themselves show that not only do Matthew
and Mark have material which Luke has omitted and Mark
and Luke have material which Matthew has omitted, but
that Matthew and Luke have material which Mark has
omitted. Can this material omitted by Mark have pos
sibly belonged to a primary Markan writing?
8. There will be little doubt as to the answer to be given
to this query when we consider the character of this ma
terial. It consists largely in sayings and discourses of
Jesus with more or less narrative setting, and is marked in
its identity of form of construction, wording of phrase and
order of sentence. Its lack of agreement is in the locations
in which it is placed in the narratives of the two Evan
gelists — there being but two instances in which it is sim
ilarly placed, viz.: the preaching of John the Baptist (Matt.
3 : 7-10, 12 = Lk. 3 : 7-9, 17) and the Temptation (Matt.
4:3-11 = Lk. 4 : 3-13). That this material belonged to
a primary Markan writing and was as statedly discarded
in the composition of our present Gospel of Mark as it
was statedly appropriated in the composition of our pres
ent Gospels of Matthew and Luke is, not only highly im
probable in itself as a literary procedure, but is rendered
impossible by the fact that it came itself from more than
one document.
9. Without going into the details of the argument by
which this conclusion is reached, it will be sufficient to
1 Burkitt, Gospel History, pp. 40-58.
18

INTRODUCTION

state that, as to the larger part of this common material,
Matthew has distributed it through his narrative of the
Galilean and Jerusalem ministries, including it in the long
discourses peculiar to his Gospel, where it appears as an
interrupting and discordant element; while Luke has segre
gated it in the ten chapters which give his record of what is
called the Perean ministry.1 It is clear from these dif
ferent ways in which this material has been handled by
these two Evangelists, that it represents a document dis
tinct from Mark or any form of Mark. As to the smaller
portion of this common material, it is placed by both
Matthew and Luke in their respective records of the
ministry of the Baptist and the Galilean ministry of Jesus
and, though differently located in these records, it is ar
ranged by both Evangelists in the same general sequence of
events. Upon closer study, it is evident that this smaller
portion of the common material does not come from the
same document that furnished the larger portion. The
narrative element in it is of a much more vivid character,
while its literary style is of a much finer quality. In fact,
when to this briefer material common to Matthew and
Luke there is added from Luke's record of the Galilean
ministry other material closely associated with it in its
vividness of narration and its high quality of style, it is
apparent that we have evidence of another document used
by Luke, but in this case incorporated into his record of
the Galilean ministry; while the excerpts taken from it by
Matthew are confined to the same period in which it is
used by Luke — evidently because, unlike the document
constituting Luke's Perean record, it indicated in itself the
period to which it belonged.
io. From the viewpoint of literary criticism, it is not
1 While Luke has incorporated this document bodily into his narra
tive, in which it constitutes his Perean Chapters (9 : 51-18 : 14 and
19 : 1-28— the passage 18 : 15-43 being an interpolation from Mark),
Matthew has given general excerpts from it, chiefly of the sayings of
Jesus, which he has used to develop the larger discourses of the Master.
19

INTRODUCTION

possible that either of these two documents, representing
together the material common to Matthew and Luke,
formed part of a primary Markan writing; for, not only,
as has already been said (3, above), is there no explana
tion of the stated omission of their material from our
present Gospel of Mark, but in the case of the larger docu
ment, there is no assignable reason for the fact that in
such a case both Matthew and Luke would have treated a
portion of this primary writing in a way so distinctively
different from that in which they treated the writing as a
whole — Matthew omitting its narrative features and Luke
congesting the order of its events in one period of the
ministry. If it be said that this objection does not affect
their treatment of the material of the smaller document —
that, not only has Matthew here reproduced the narrative
features of the material, but that both Matthew and Luke
have distributed the material in an orderly sequence of
events within the period of the Baptist's ministry and the
Galilean ministry of Jesus, while the character of the nar
rative discloses the vividness which is characteristic of
the Markan Gospel, it is nevertheless fatally against the
theory that this document belonged to a primary Markan
writing that a considerable portion of its material, as
presented by Luke, displaces similar material in our present
Gospel of Mark (Lk. 5 : 1-11 [Mk. 1 : 16-20]; Lk. 4 : 16-30
[Mk. 6 : 1-6]; Lk. 7 : 36-50 [Mk. 14 : 3-9])— in other words,
that it was not reproduced from another writing of Mark's,
but from a writing wholly separate and distinct from
Mark's. From these facts it would seem as though there
was no possible basis for positing the existence of a primi
tive Markan writing from which our present Gospel of
Mark has been derived.
n. There remains but a single query: Recognizing the
fact that both Matthew and Luke made common use of
Mark, is it possible that the Markan material possessed
by one of these two Evangelists and not by the other
means that one of them had a copy of our present Gospel

INTRODUCTION

of Mark which was not used by the other? There is a very
significant section of Mark's Gospel (6 : 45-8 : 26) which
has been substantially reproduced by Matthew, but is not
found at all in Luke. Could this have belonged to the
copy of Mark which was used by Matthew but not to that
which was used by Luke? It is claimed that only so can
the omission of such a large section be accounted for.1 If
so, it would necessitate that Matthew followed Luke in
order of composition — a sequence for which Harnack ar
gues from other data.2 It would, however, oblige us also
to assume that this section of the second Gospel was added
to the earlier copy of the Gospel by Mark himself; since
its uniformity in language and style with the rest of the
Gospel precludes the possibility of its having been in
serted by one who was distinct from the author of the
book as a whole.3 This, too, is not an absolutely impos
sible procedure. But the question arises whether the
omission is not better accounted for by the fact that the
motive for the period of retirement and instruction con
tained in these chapters of Mark would so lack in its ap
peal to the historian Luke — especially when account is
taken of his tendency toward a Gentile broadening of
Jesus' ministry — that there would be no inclination on his
part to incorporate them in his narrative. Had these
omitted chapters recorded an organized ministry through
out this Gentile region on Jesus' part, they would have
been eagerly reproduced by Luke; as this, however, is
expressly what they exclude, it is not difficult to under
stand why he passed them by.4
12. In the narrative of the Passion and Resurrection
there is a considerable portion which Luke has peculiar
1 Wright, Synopsis, 2d Ed., p. lviii; Gospel of St. Luke, p. 83.
2 Date of Acts and the Synoptic Gospels, Ch. Ill, §§ 6, 8.
3 For details of the argument that this section forms an integral
part of Mark's Gospel, see Hawkins in Oxford Studies, pp. 63-66.
4 Ibid., pp. 72-74. For another theory as to Luke's reason for
omitting this section, see Burton, Principles of Literary Criticism,
P-4S- 21

INTRODUCTION

to himself and not in common with Matthew. Were this
material present in Mark, it might raise the question
whether, assuming that Matthew was written before
Luke, he possessed an earlier copy of Mark not used by
Luke. But, not only is this material of Luke's not present
in Mark, but there is an equally considerable portion of
Matthew's Passion and Resurrection narrative which is
not to be found either in Luke or in Mark — showing that
the question which confronts us in this part of the Gospel
story is, not whether there existed an earlier copy of Mark
which one of the other Evangelists used and the other did
not have, but whether Matthew and Luke did not each
have and use a source distinct from Mark and peculiar to
himself. 13. As is well known, there is a large amount of material
distributed through Matthew which is peculiar to that
Gospel. It consists of long discourses and shorter sayings
of Jesus, derived from a document which was most likely
a collection of Jesus' utterances. The existence of such a
document is credited to us by the reference which Papias
makes to a book of "the sayings" (Logia) written by
Matthew in the Hebrew (Aramaic) dialect.1 Whether this
document was used also by Mark, in spite of the fact that
this Evangelist records so few of Jesus' teachings, or even
by Luke, who records so much of this discourse material,
is a question which at present is debated by scholars, and,
as far as Mark is concerned, does not affect the primary
character of his Gospel as we have it before us to-day.2
14. It would seem, therefore, from all these facts that
there is no evidence, amounting to proof, that, while both
Matthew and Luke used what we know as our Gospel of
Mark, one of them used an earlier and simpler edition of
1 Eusebius, History, iii, 39.
2 For a discussion of the question as to Mark's use of this docu
ment, see Streeter, Oxford Studies, pp. 165-183; for a discussion of
the use of this document by either Mark or Luke, see Burton, Prin
ciples of Literary Criticism, pp. 35-41.

INTRODUCTION

it than was used by the other. The Gospel of Mark, then,
as it exists in its present canonical form — apart from a few
unimportant editorial additions (see above, II, 8)— is the
Gospel writing to which Papias refers in his statement pre
served for us in Eusebius' History (above, II, 2, note [2] ).
V. The Date of Mark
1. We come thus to the question as to when this Gospel
of Mark was written. If we recur to Papias' basal testi
mony (above, II, 2), we find that it does not necessarily
imply that this Gospel writing of Mark was accomplished
after Peter's death. Fairly interpreted, it means merely
that it was, not a reporting of the Apostle's discourses as
they were being delivered, but a writing down of what
was remembered of them after they had ceased to be
given. Such a process, of course, would be as well satisfied
by the fact that Mark was no longer in Peter's company,
as by the fact that Peter was no longer alive. If, however,
as has been already pointed out (above, II, 5), Mark com
posed his Gospel in Rome, in order that those to whom
the Apostle had ministered might have in some narrative
form the incidents of the Gospel story which had been
scattered through his discourses, then, on the supposition
that the interpretation of the apocalyptic material of
Ch. 13 given in the notes is correct, the composition of the
Gospel is almost necessarily brought down to a date not
long preceding the catastrophe of 70 a.d. and, therefore,
some considerable time after the traditional date of Peter's
martyrdom (64 a.d.).1 At all events, it is to be assigned
to the later rather than to the earlier years of the sixth
decade. 1 Though the view regarding the apocalyptic discourse advanced
in the notes to Ch. 13 is of the same general character as that held
by Stanton (Gospels as Historical Documents, vol. ii, p. 117), it is
nevertheless different and calls for a later date of composition than
60 A. D., which he assigns to it (p. 120). At the same time, it neces
sitates a date early enough to allow for the document having secured
such currency in the church as to commend it to Mark's use.
23

INTRODUCTION

VI. The Historical Value of Mark
i. Obviously, it is not a collection of a few unrelated
anecdotes of the Gospel story, embellished with legendary
and mythical anecdotes, or padded out with doctrinal
polemics. It lies before us, on the whole, an intelligible
outline of a consistently developed life and work, which,
in perfect accord with the political and religious conditions
of the time, was only gradually understood by its sym
pathetic followers and to its enemies remained an irra
tional challenge of self-assumption to the end.
2. Here and there we find in it inaccuracies of statement,
born of the thirty or more years by which it was removed
from the events which it records; we come across phrasings
which belong to the Apostolic preaching with which Mark
was familiar; there are even points where the later hand
of an editor is evident. But none of these blemishes af
fects the historical consistency of the narrative as a whole.
The supernatural is present in the story; but it is not im
posed upon it in a spirit of a later superstition; it is there
as naturally interpreted by those who saw it, whether that
interpretation be held to-day as scientific or not. The
divine is present in the claims which Jesus centres upon
himself; but it is not there as a later dogmatic dress which
has been thrown over the simple ethical and social con
ceptions which he had of his mission. Read the Gospel
record as a later legend and myth recast in the form of
history, and it becomes unintelligible. Conceive of Jesus
as a mere ethical and social reformer, whose claim to re
deem the sin of the world and to command its religious
Hfe is a dogmatic conception of a later age, and the course
of his mission as recounted in the narrative is absurd.
3. On the other hand, when we recognize the Gospel of
Mark as a sober record of the facts of Jesus' message and
ministry as they occurred, we begin to realize why this
particular Gospel occupied so relatively small a place in
the estimation of post apostolic literature. It lacked, not
24

INTRODUCTION

merely those elements of literary style which ranked it
below its companion Synoptics, but those features of
doctrinal interpretation which would interest the age in
which the Church Fathers wrought and wrote. It was
nothing but the simple story which had long ago been
known and told abroad; but in this it has for us its supreme
historical worth.1 With the facts of this simple story of
Jesus' ministry and message tallied the simple faith which
the Early Church yielded to Jesus himself. But the faith
did not create the facts; it was the facts that gave birth to
the faith, and just because, as that faith grew complicated
through the controversies of a developed theology, it lost
interest in the facts, it is to these facts that it has ever had
to return, in order to recover the strength and the power
with which it began.
4. If to these impressions is added the conclusion which
criticism has justified — that the story told in this Gospel
has a vital relation to the personal participation in its
events on the part of one of Jesus' intimate disciples, there
comes to us an even deeper conviction of the historical
worth of what it narrates; 2 for if this story is not an illusion
which has arisen out of the faith of the early disciples,
much less can it be an illusion created by the faith of any
one of them. What Peter held in his faith in Jesus was
held in a faith which, in spite of all their many inde
pendencies of view, he had in common with them all. If
the Gospel story of Mark was not the product of the faith
of the entire Church, it is not thinkable that it was the
product of the faith of one of the members of the Church,
however prominent he may have been; for then his faith
must have created, not only its own historical illusions,
but the historical illusions on which rested the belief of
the Church at large; for this Gospel became the accepted
history for the Christian discipleship of the Apostolic Age,
'Burkitt, Gospel History, ch. iii, Sources, ch. iii; Menzies, The
Earliest Gospel, pp. 4_I9-
2 Denney, Jesus and the Gospel, pp. 159-168.
25

INTRODUCTION

and whatever leadership may be claimed for Peter among
the early disciples, there were too many in this discipleship
who could have checked up the illusions of such a self-
created story of Jesus' life and work, to make it possible
for him through it to become the founder of the Christian
faith. If Paul did not come to his belief in the resurrection
of Jesus through the unverifiable illusions of the early
disciples at large (i Cor. 15 : 1-8), it is not likely that he
was persuaded to it by those of one of their number, and
Paul was but a type of the bigotedly hostile mind that
had to be persuaded by fact to forsake an ingrained un
belief for a life constraining faith.
VII. The Text
1. The only serious question as to the text of the Gospel
is raised by the fact that in the ancient MSS. and Versions
the concluding chapter appears in three very differing
forms. In the larger number of these documents we have
the longer form presented to us in the Authorized Version;
in the smaller number we have the shorter form given in
the Revised Version, which omits everything after verse 8;
in a few we have an intermediate form, which substitutes
for vs. 9-20 of the longer form a short paragraph, consist
ing of the following two sentences: And they reported
briefly to Peter and those in his company all the things com
manded. And after these things Jesus himself also sent
forth through them from the East even to the West the holy
and incorruptible message of eternal salvation. Some of
these latter manuscripts contain both forms as alternative
endings; while the text of the recently discovered Freer
manuscript contains an extended variant of the longer
form (cf. Biblical World, 1908, pp. 138-142, 218-226).
2. There is little difficulty, however, in deciding among
these different forms. The intermediate form has no manu
script evidence of value and is wholly discredited by its
character and the uncertainty of its use; while the longer
form, although it has an overwhelming majority of docu-
26

INTRODUCTION

mentary witnesses in its favor, supplemented by the writ
ings of Irenseus, who accepts it without suspicion, and by
those of Justin Martyr and earlier still by Barnabas and
Hermas, who seem to know of it, though not necessarily as
part of the Gospel, yet this weight of numbers is more than
offset by the testimony of the two oldest Uncials (Sinaitic
and Vatican) and of one of the two earliest forms of the
Syriac Version (Sinaitic Syriac), all of which close the
Gospel at verse 8. In addition to this, is the significant
silence of Patristic Literature, from Irenaeus to Eusebius,
as to anything following verse 8 and the positive statement
on the part of Eusebius, repeated later by Jerome, that
this was the form existent, not only in almost all the MSS.
of his day, but in all that were considered the most ac
curate. 3. This external evidence is confirmed by a study of
verses 9-20 of the longer form. Their connection with
the preceding verses is hopelessly artificial. Not only does
verse 9 needlessly take the narrative back to verse 1, but
there is nothing to explain how the great fear recorded in
verse 8 as having paralyzed the speech of the women trans
formed itself into the message of verse 10; nor is there any
mention of an appearing of Jesus in Galilee which would
be naturally expected from the promise of verse 7 (cf. per
contra Matt. 28 : 16, as related to 28 : 7). Further than
this, the style of these verses is strikingly at variance with
that of the rest of the Gospel. It is not that of a vivid
narrative which so characterizes the writing of this
Evangelist, but that of a summarizing statement, in
fluenced apparently by confessional and catechetical usage.
Also, the language shows itself in several instances to be
wholly foreign to Mark, and in some of them to the entire
New Testament (e.g. "the first day of the week," ver. 9,
the original of which is unique in the New Testament;
"the Lord [Jesus]," vs. 19, 20, a term never elsewhere ap
plied to the Master, either in Mark or in Matthew and
only rarely in Luke and John; also the original terms for

INTRODUCTION

going and walking [vs. io, 12, 15], accompanying [ver. 17],
deadly, hurting [ver. 18], working with and confirming
[ver. 20] are all strange to Mark and some of them to the
New Testament).
4. What was the origin of this longer form may be im
possible to state. From an Armenian MS. recently dis
covered,1 it would seem that it came from the hand of
Aristion the "presbyter" — doubtless identical with one of
the authorities upon whom Papias depended for his in
formation; while the presence of an extended variant of
this longer form in the significant Freer MS. of the fifth
century — the interpolated portion of which was known to
Jerome — may indicate that these verses were not written
primarily to furnish an ending for the Gospel, but were
taken from a larger work to serve this purpose. But
whether Aristion was the author of this larger work, or
the editor of what was borrowed from it for this ending, or
whether this ending was taken from the famous work of
Papias — Aristion being indicated as the source of the par
ticular information which these verses contain, is, in the
present stage of the discussion, beyond definite determina
tion.2 5. Whether this short form — ending at verse 8 — was the
form given the conclusion of his narrative by Mark him
self, or whether, as the Gospel left his hand it had a longer
ending which in the first years of the Gospel's usage was
lost or removed, may be difficult to decide; though it is
easier to account for the addition of these other endings, if
it never had any of its own than for the substitution of
these for that which it originally had. It may be that
Mark intended to add an extended narrative covering the
establishing of that Gospel the beginning of which he had
narrated in his record so far — especially if he was conscious
1 Conybeare, Expositor, Oct. 1893, PP- 241-254, Dec. 1895, pp. 401-
421. 2 For full discussion of the whole question, see Zahn, Introduction,
vol. ii, pp. 467-480; Moffat, Introduction, pp. 238-242.
28

INTRODUCTION

of having obtained this record from the Apostolic procla
mation of the Gospel so established. What Luke did in an
extended form is evidence of what might have been done
more briefly by Mark and of what the Editor of Matthew's
"sayings" would have had no inclination to do.
VIII. Analysis
I. Introductory, giving the Preparation for the Min
istry; i : 1-13.
(A) The Ministry of John the Baptist; 1 : 1-8.
(B) The Induction of Jesus into His work; 1 : 9-13.
(1) The Baptism; 1 : 9-1 1.
(2) The Temptation; 1 : i2f.
II. The Public Ministry; 1 : 14-Ch. 13.
1. The Popular Work in Galilee; 1 : 14-7 : 23.
= Departure into Galilee, upon announcement of
the imprisonment of the Baptist — Theme of
His message; 1 : i4f.
(A) The call of the four Disciples; 1 : 16-20.
(B) The opening day of the Capernaum Ministry;
1 : 21-34.
= Withdrawal for prayer, preparatory to a circuit
of the suburban villages of Capernaum, with
the healing of the Leper; 1 : 35-45-
(C) Return to Capernaum and work from that cen
tre; 2 : 1-7 : 23.
(1) The healing of the Paralytic, with accom
panying discourse; 2 : 1-12.
= Withdrawal to the seaside followed by
crowds; 2 : 13.
(2) The call of Levi — Feast in his house — Dis
course; 2 : 14-22.
(3) The Sabbath journey through the grain field
— Discourse; 2 : 23-28.
(4) The Sabbath healing of the Man with the
Withered Hand, with discourse; 3 : 1-5.
29

INTRODUCTION

(5) The Council of Pharisees and Herodians
against him; 3:6.
= Connecting narrative — giving.
(a) Withdrawal of Jesus to the seaside; 3 :
7a.
(b) Following of the multitude — Account of
miracles; 3 : 7D-10.
(c) Recognition of Messiahship by unclean
spirits and Jesus' restriction upon
their proclamation of it; 3 : nf.
(6) The choice of the Twelve; 3 : 13-19.
= Crowds gather and friends [family] consider
Him mad; 3 : 2of.
(7) The Beelzebub charge of the Pharisees — An
swering discourse; 3 : 22-30.
(8) The visit of His Mother and Brethren — Ac
companying remarks; 3 : 31-35.
v9) The Day of Parables by the seaside; 4 : 1-34.
= Opening verses; 4 : if.
(a) The parable of the Sower, with explana
tion; 4 : 3-20.
= Personal responsibilities; 4 : 21-25.
(b) The parable of the Good Seed; 4 : 26-29.
(c) The parable of the Mustard Seed; 4 :
3o-32-
= Closing verses; 4 : 33^
= Withdrawal to the other side of the
Lake — the Storm and its stilling; 4 :
35-4i-
(10) The Gerasene Demoniac; 5 : 1-20.
= Return to Capernaum — Many gather around
Him; 5 : 21.
(11) Jairus' Daughter and the Woman by the
way; 5 : 22-43.
= Departure to Nazareth; 6:1.
(12) The rejection in Nazareth; 6 : 2-6a.
(13) A Third Preaching Tour; 6 : 6b-i3.
3°

INTRODUCTION

(14) Herod's opinion of Jesus, connected with
which is an account of the Baptist's im
prisonment and death; 6 : 14-29.
= Return of the Twelve — Report of their work
— Withdrawal to a desert place, followed
by crowds — Jesus' compassion; 6 : 30-
33-
(15) The feeding of the Five Thousand; 6 : 34-44.
= Departure of the Disciples across the Lake —
Dismissal of the multitude — Withdrawal of
Jesus to a mountain to pray — Storm on the
Lake — Jesus' appearance and resultant
calm — Arrival at Genessaret — Reception
by the people and work in this region; 6 :
45-56-
(16) Ceremonial criticism of the Pharisees and the
Scribes — Answering discourse; 7 : 1-23.
The Period of Retirement into the Regions of Tyre
and Sidon and the Decapolis; 7 : 24-8 : 26.
= Withdrawal into the region of Tyre and Sidon;
7 :24-
(1) The Daughter of the Syro-Phcenician woman;
7 = 25-3°-
= Region of the Decapolis; 7:31.
(2) The Deaf and Dumb healed; 7 : 32-37.
(3) The feeding of the Four Thousand; 8 : 1-9.
= Region of Dalmanutha; 8 : 10.
(4) The Pharisees' tempting request for a Sign —
Jesus' reply; 8 : nf.
= Departure to other side of Lake; 8 : 13.
(5) Jesus' warning against the leaven of the
Pharisees; 8 : 14-21.
= Bethsaida; 8 : 22.
(6) The Blind Man healed; 8 : 23-26.
The Instructional Work; 8 : 27-10 : 52.
(A) In the Decapolis; 8 : 27-9 : 29.
= Caesarea Philippi; 8 : 27.
31

INTRODUCTION

(i) Peter's Confession — Rebuke of Jesus — Dis
course by Jesus on Discipleship; 8 : 27-9 :
1.
(2) The Transfiguration and Jesus' announce
ment of the Passion; 9 : 2-13.
(3) The Epileptic boy; 9 : 14-29.
(B) On the last Journeys to Jerusalem; 9 : 30-
10 : 52.
= Return through Galilee; 9 : 30.
(1) Renewed announcement of the Passion; 9 :
3if-
= Coming to Capernaum; 9 : 33.
(2) The Dispute of the Disciples — Instruction by
Jesus through the object-lesson of the
child; 9 : 33-50.
= In the region of Perea; 10 : 1.
(3) The tempting question of the Pharisees re
garding divorce; 10 : 2-12.
(4) The bringing of young children to Him to be
blessed; 10 : 13-16.
(5) The question of the Rich Young Man; 10 :
17-22. — Resulting discourse; 10 : 23-27. —
Instruction of the Twelve; 10 : 28-31.
= Further stage of the journey; 10 : 32a.
(6) Renewed announcement of the Passion; 10 :
32b-34-
(7) The ambitious request of the Sons of Zebedee,
10 : 35-45-
= At Jericho; 10 : 46a.
(8) The Blind Man healed; 10 : 46^52.
The Messianic Work in Jerusalem; Chs. 11-13.
= Drawing near to Jerusalem; 11 : if .
(1) The Public Entry into the City; 11 : 2-na.
= Departure to Bethany and return on the fol
lowing morning; 11 : 11b.
(2) The miracle of the Fig Tree; 11 : 12-14.
= Return to Jerusalem — Temple; 11 : 15a.
32

INTRODUCTION

(3) The cleansing of the Temple; 11 : isb-i8.
= Departure to Bethany; 11 : 19.
(4) The withered Fig Tree, with explanatory dis
course; 11 : 20-25.
= Return again to Jerusalem; 11 : 27a.
(5) The demand for Christ's authority by the
Jews — Answering discourse; 11 : 27-33.
(6) The parable of the Husbandman; 12 : 1-
12.
(7) The tempting question of the Pharisees and
the Herodians regarding tribute; 12 =13-
i7-
(8) The tempting question of the Sadducees re
garding marriage; 12 : 18-27.
(9) The tempting question of a Scribe regarding
the chief commandment; 12 : 28-34.
(10) The concrete question of Jesus regarding
David's words about Christ; 12 : 35-37.
(11) The warning against the Scribes; 12 :38-
40.
(12) The Widow's Mite; 12 : 41-44.
(13) The Apocalyptic Discourse; Ch. 13.
III. The Passion and Resurrection; 14 : 1-16 : 8 [Vs.
9-20= later addition].
(1) The Conspiracy of the Rulers, the Supper at
Bethany and the Treachery of Judas;
14 : 1-11.
(2) The Last Supper; 14 : 12-25.
(3) The Departure to the Mount of Olives, with
the Foretelling of the Desertion and the
Denial; 14 : 26-31.
(4) The Agony in Gethsemane; 14 : 32-42.
(5) The Arrest; 14 : 43"52-
(6) The Trial Before the Sanhedrin; 14 : 53-72.
(7) The Trial Before Pilate; 15 : 1-20.
(8) The Crucifixion; 15 : 21-41.
(9) The Burial; 15 : 42~47-
33

INTRODUCTION

(io) The Visit of the Women to the Tomb; 16 :
1-8.
Later Added Ending; 16 : 9-20.
Note: The symbol = is used to designate the smaller
paragraphs which serve, generally speaking, to connect the
main passages of the narrative.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Introduction
Bacon, Benjamin W. An Introduction to the New Testament,
New Testament Handbooks, New York, The Macmillan Co.,
1900, Chs. VIII and IX.
Burton, Ernest Dewitt. A Short Introduction to the Gospels,
Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, 1904, Chs. I-IV.
Julicher, Adolf. An Introduction to the New Testament, Eng.
Trans., New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904, Book III, Ch. I,
§§ 24-29.
Zahn, Theodor. An Introduction to the New Testament, Eng.
Trans., 3 Vols., Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1909, Vol. II, Ch. LX.
Peake, Arthur S. A Critical Introduction to the New Testament,
Studies in Theology, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 19 10,
Ch. XII.
Moffatt, James. An Introduction to the Literature of the New
Testament, International Theological Library, New York,
Charles Scribner's Sons, 191 1, Ch. II.
Wright, Arthur. The Composition of the Four Gospels, London,
Macmillan & Co., 1890, Chs. I-III, V-XIV, XVII.
Robinson, J. Armitage. The Study of the Gospels, Handbooks
for the Clergy, London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1902, Chs. I-IV.
Study
Du Buisson, J. C. The Origin and Peculiar Characteristics of the
Gospel of St. Mark, London, Froude, 1896.
Stanton, Vincent H. The Gospels as Historical Documents,
2 Vols., Cambridge, University Press, 1903-1909, Vol. II.
Burton, Ernest Dewitt. Some Principles of Literary Criticism
and Their Application to the Synoptic Problem, Decennial Pub
lications of Chicago University, Chicago, Chicago University
Press, 1904.
Burkitt F. Crawford. The Gospel History and its Transmission,
Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1906, Chs. I-IV.
Salmon, George. The Human Element in the Gospels, New York,
E. P. Dutton & Co., 1907. 34

INTRODUCTION

Harnack, Adolf. The Sayings of Jesus, New Testament Studies,
Eng. Trans., New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908, Ch. II.
Hawkins, Sir John C. Horse Synopticae, 2d Ed., Oxford, Claren
don Press, 1909, pp. 1-173.
Burkitt, F. Crawford. The Earliest Sources for the Life of Jesus,
Modern Religious Problems, Boston, Houghton, Mifflin Co.,
1910.
Harnack, Adolf. The Date of the Acts and of the Synoptic Gospels,
New Testament Studies, Eng. Trans., New York, G. P. Put
nam's Sons, 1911, Ch. Ill, §§ 6-8.
Sanday, William (Editor). Studies in the Synoptic Problem, Ox
ford, Clarendon Press, 191 1.
Holdsworth, William W. Gospel Origins, Studies in Theology,
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 19 13, Chs. I and V.
Commentary
Maclear, G. F. The Gospel According to St. Mark, Cambridge
Bible for Schools and Colleges, Cambridge University Press,
1877.
Gould, Ezra, P. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the
Gospel according to St. Mark, International Critical Com
mentary, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1896.
Bruce, Alexander B. The Synoptic Gospels, The Expositor's
Greek Testament, New York, Dodd, Mead & Co., 1897.
Swete, Henry B. The Gospel According to St. Mark, London,
Macmillan & Co., 1898.
Maclear, G. F. The Gospel According to St. Mark, Cambridge
Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges, Cambridge Univer
sity Press, 1899.
Menzies, Allan. The Earliest Gospel, London, Macmillan & Co.,
1901.
Bosanquet, B. H., and Wenham, R. A. Outlines of the Synoptic Rec
ord, New York, Longmans, Green & Co., 1904.
Du Buisson, J. C. The Gospel According to St. Mark, The Church
man's Bible, London, Methuen & Co., 1906.
Bacon, Benjamin W. The Beginnings of Gospel Story, New Haven.
Yale University Press, 1909.
Montefiore, C. A. The Synoptic Gospels, 3 Vols., London, Mac
millan & Co., 1909.
Chadwick, G. A. The Gospel According to St. Mark, The Exposi
tor's Bible, New York, Hodder & Stoughton (n. d.).
Lindsay, Thomas M. The Gospel According to St. Mark, Hand
books for Bible Classes and Private Students, Edinburgh, T. &
T. Clark (n. d.).
Green, S. W. The Gospel According to St. Mark, The Westmin
ster New Testament, New York, Fleming H. Revell Co. (n. d.).
35

INTRODUCTION

Salmond, D. D. F. St. Mark, The New Century Bible, New York,
Henry Froude (n. d.). Lives
Bennett, W. H. The Life of Christ according to St. Mark, The
Expositor's Library, London, Hodder & Stoughton (n. d.) .
Edersheim, Alfred. The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah,
4th ed., New York, A. D. F. Randolph & Co. (n. d.).
Andrews, Samuel J. The Life of Our Lord upon the Earth, 2d ed.,
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1891.
Weiss, Bernhard. The Life of Christ, Eng. Trans., Clark's Foreign
Theological Library, 3 Vols., Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1894.
Gilbert, George Holley. The Student's Life of Jesus, 3d Ed.,
New York, The Macmillan Co., 1900.
Rhees, Rush. The Life of Jesus of Nazareth, The Historical Series
for Bible Students, New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1900.
Holtzmann, Oscar. The Life of Jesus, London, Adam & Charles
Black, 1904.
Sanday, William. Outlines of the Life of Christ, New York, Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1905.
Smith, David. The Days of his Flesh, New York, A. C. Armstrong
& Son, 1905. Theology
Garvie, Alfred E. Studies in the Inner Life of Jesus, New York,
A. C. Armstrong & Son (n. d.).
Bruce, Alexander B. The Galilean Gospel, New York, Macmil
lan & Co., 1882.
Stevens, George B. The Theology of the New Testament, Inter
national Theological Library, New York, Charles Scribner's
Sons, 1899.
Gilbert, George Holley. The Revelation of Jesus, New York,
The Macmillan Co., 1899.
Swete, Henry B. Studies in the Teaching of Our Lord, New York,
Edwin S. Gorham, 1904.
Knox, George William. The Gospel of Jesus the Son of God,
Modern Religious Problems, Boston, Houghton, Mifflin Co.,
1909.
Denney, James. Jesus and the Gospel, New York, A. C. Armstrong
& Son, 1909.
Hogg, A. G. Christ's Message of the Kingdom, Edinburgh, T. &
T. Clark, 191 1.
Moffatt, James. The Theology of the Gospels, Studies in Theology,
New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 19 13.

36

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
I. Introduction i: 1-13
(.4) The Ministry of John the Baptist 1: 1-8
1. The beginning of the 1 gospel of Jesus Christ,2 the
Son of God.
2. Even as it is written 3 in Isaiah the prophet,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
Who shall prepare thy way;
3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make ye ready the way of the Lord,
Make his paths straight;
1 Good tidings. 2 Some MSS. omit the Son of God.
3 Some MSS. read in the prophets.
1. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God:
The Evangelist's introduction to his narrative, after the manner of
Prov. 1 : 1 and Song 1:1; (cf. Hos. t : 2 [LXX]). It is connected
through the medium of the citation in vs. 2, 3, with the opening state
ment in ver. 4, giving the sense : The beginning of the Gospel message
of Jesus Christ came through the Baptist's heralding in the wilder
ness the baptism of repentance, a ministry which was in accord with
Old Testament prophecy; so that this coming of the Baptist in fulfil
ment of prophecy indicated the beginning of the Gospel message.
Gospel is here used in a more technical sense than in 1 : 14L; 13 : 10;
14 : 9, under the formulating influence of the Apostolic preaching
(cf. 8 : 35; 10 : 29).
2, 3. The Evangelist cites Mai. 3 : 1 and Isa. 40 : 3, referring both
passages to Isaiah (cf. Matt. 21 : 4?.), either grouping them under the
more important source, in indifference to exactness of such excerpts as
existed in his day (Hatch, Essays, p. 2038.), or copying them as they
stood in some such collection. In either case, he gives them with
37

1:4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
4. John came, who baptized in the wilderness and
preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of
5. sins. And there went out unto him all the country
those changes in phrase, which were due to the adaptation to New
Testament times of what were considered the Messianic predictions
of Scripture. Such adaptation of these passages is quite likely to
have been in accord with the Baptist's own interpretation of his mis
sion (cf. Jn. 3 : 28).
4. Who baptized in the wilderness: The words "who baptized"
are really a phrase descriptive of John, and should be rendered, "the
baptizer," the remaining words, "in the wilderness," being connected
with the following "and preached," properly rendered "preaching."
The entire clause thus reads: "Then came John, the Baptizer, preach
ing in the wilderness the baptism of repentance." The baptism of
repentance unto remission of sins: This purports to give the con
tent of the Baptist's message. It is evident, however, that just in
proportion as the Baptist considered himself in the line of the Old
Testament prophets, he looked upon his work as national and not as
individual, and just so far as we have record of his preaching, it was
general and not individual, a class-preaching rather than an in
dividually personal preaching (cf. Lk. 3 : 7, 10, i2f.). Consequently,
though the requirements which he imposed made the repentance one
of personal life and not of a mere ceremony, yet this was what the
Prophets had done in their national conception of their mission. This
phrase, however, particularly in its unique portion ("unto remission
of sins"), expresses the conception of individual repentance and in
dividual forgiveness which was characteristic of the Apostolic preach
ing (cf. Acts 2 : 38; 10 :43; 13 : 38f.); so that, while it doubtless
represents what was latent in the Baptist's message, it presents it in
the form which belonged distinctively to the later Christian thought.
We get a better idea of what the Baptist's message was from Mat
thew's record (3 : 2, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand"). He began with an emphasis upon the prophetic idea of the
Messianic reign and rule ("kingdom") which was to be established,
coming to the announcement of the personal Messiah as he became
conscious of the people's increasing tendency to believe that he him
self was the Christ (Lk. 3 : 15L).
5. All the country of Judea and all they of Jerusalem — a general
statement for the popular success of his mission (Mk. 11 : 32), the
details of which are better given in Luke (3 : 10-15). It is not to
be forgotten that the religious leaders did not believe in him (Mk. 11 :
27~33)> as we can easily understand from his denunciation of them
(Matt. 3:7-10 and Lk. ||). This popular outpouring was due,
38

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 1:7
of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem; and they were
baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their
6. sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and
had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did eat
7. locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying,
There cometh after me he that is mightier than I,
the latchet of whose shoes I am not * worthy to stoop
1 Grk. sufficient.
not merely to the desire for a revival of prophecy (cf. Matt. 11:9;
1 Mac. 4 : 46; 14 : 41), but to the greater hope of national deliver
ance which the people would be quick to foresee in the call to na
tional repentance. Baptized: The Baptist's rite symbolized the
purification of the people's lives and therefore must have been largely
influenced by the Old Testament purification rites; but it symbolized
this purification in preparation for the entirely new condition to be
brought about by the Messianic coming, and consequently must
have involved the idea contained in the rite of proselyte initiation.
This makes clear that the form must have been, not only that of
affusion (purification), but of immersion (initiation).
6. The Baptist's dress was that which had been distinctive of
Elijah (2 Kings 1 : 8) and perhaps had become the traditional
prophetic garb (cf. Zech. 13 -.4). The garment is described as of
camel's hair, by which we are to understand not a skin, but a
coarse garment woven from the rough hair of the animal. His food
was simply such as was conditioned by his wilderness life — certain
kinds of locusts being allowed as food (Lev. n =22), and wild-bee
honey being plentiful in this region (Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 88).
7. Mightier than I: This represents the earlier idea of Jesus which
the Baptist had — the relatively greater man, though doubtless from
the spiritual point of view, as is evident from the following verse.
The later idea came through the personal and heavenly revelation at
the Baptism (Matt. 3 : 14-17, cf. Jn. 1 : 30-34). Naturally, coming
as he did in the prophetic line, the Baptist's chief duty lay in his
message; and yet the events to which he forelooked stood so near
that his message took upon itself the form of an immediate service
towards their realization (ver. 2f.), and the One whom his message
announced was so great and mighty in relation to him who announced
him that the spirit of his service became one of servitude. The
Synoptists unite in this idea, though Mark's form of statement —
the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and un
loose (in which he is followed essentially by Luke) — is perhaps a char-
39

i:8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
8. down and unloose. I baptized you x in water; but
he shall baptize you * in the Holy Spirit.
(B) Induction of Jesus into His Work, i : 9-13
9. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John
1 with.
acteristically vivid reproduction of the Baptist's words, which we
have in their more likely form in Matthew's simpler statement
(3 : n). Both forms, however, present an act of servitude. This
spirit of service and servitude is increased by his fuller knowledge of
Jesus. We see the service in his transference of disciples to Jesus
(Jn. 1 : 35-37), the servitude in his willing recedence before the
ministry of Jesus (Jn. 3 : 29f .) . It is significant that his final query
regarding Jesus came from his failure to understand that self-sacrifice
was as fully involved in the Messiah's work as in his own.
8. Water . . . Holy Spirit: The correlation of these terms was
suggested to the Baptist from such prophetic statements as Isa. 44 : 3
and Ezek. 36 : 25f., which he naturally modified in phraseology, in
view of the rite which he performed.
1. The Baptism of Jesus
9. Nazareth of Galilee : Mark is specific in the naming of the place,
as compared with Matthew (3 : 13) who uses the general term, "from
Galilee." This is due, doubtless, to his readers being Gentiles, in
contrast with the extra-Palestinian Jewish readers of Matthew.
Luke, who also wrote for a Gentile ignorance of Palestine, secures his
object by not burdening his narrative with any reference to the
place at all. It was an insignificant spot, unnamed in the Old Testa
ment, apparently unknown to Josephus, and evidently in the time of
Jesus held in slight esteem (Jn. 1 :46). Its modern name is En-N&sira.
It has a present population of about 5000, and though secluded among
the foothills of the Lebanon range, is picturesquely located at a
height of some 1600 ft., with a beautiful view of the Plain of Esdraelon
as far as Carmel. Was baptized of John in (properly into) the Jor
dan: Mark contents himself with a bare statement of the fact, letting
the following incident of the opened heavens stand as guaranty that
Jesus was not baptized as one of the people for the remission of his
sins. Matthew alone gives the purpose Jesus had in mind in sub
mitting to this rite, which was that thus both he and the Baptist
should "fulfil all righteousness" (3 : 15). This does not mean that by
40

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK i : n
io. x in the Jordan. And straightway coming up out
of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the
n. Spirit as a dove descending upon him: and a voice
1 with.
going through this form with those whom the Baptist had summoned
to prepare themselves for the coming Messianic Kingdom, he would
be identifying himself with the cause of Righteousness which this
kingdom was to establish in the world, and so contributing to its
fulfilment. This would be a technical use of "Righteousness" which
would be quite beyond the Baptist's understanding at that time, as it
was apparently even later (Matt, n : 2ff.), and would be a poor con
ception of "fulfilling" it. It means rather that in so far as this rite
was symbolical of the candidate's moral attitude towards the coming
Messianic work Jesus submitted to it as an expression of the moral
attitude which he himself was thus willing publicly to assume towards
it. The people's attitude came through their repentance and was one
of receptivity towards this work in its action upon themselves.
Jesus' attitude came through the development of his consciousness of
himself with relation to the work he was to do and was one of con
secration to its accomplishment. This meaning alone retains " Right
eousness" in that Old Testament sense which the Baptist could
understand, — viz. of living up to the prescribed forms which symbolize
relationship between God and man. It was in this sense that the
Baptist had instituted this rite, and it was in this sense that by sub
mitting to this rite Jesus fulfilled Righteousness. He lived up to the
form that the Baptist had prescribed to express the candidate's
moral attitude towards the coming Messianic work. The Baptist
realized, doubtless through his examination of him as he presented
himself to be baptized (Smith, In the Days of His Flesh, p. 31), that it
could not express this candidate's repentant preparation for this
work, and thus demurred to administer it; but Jesus realized that it
would express his consecration to the work and consequently urged
its administration as a fulfilling of Righteousness on his part as really
as on the part of the people.
10. The Spirit as a dove descending upon [better into] him: When
we remember the idea of 'moving' ('brooding,' marg.) connected
with the Spirit in the Creation narrative (Gen. 1 : 2) and the idea
of the Messianic endowment with the Spirit (cf. Isa. n : 2; 42 : 1;
48 : 16; 61 : 1), it is clear that this descent of the Spirit in the form
of a dove was symbolical of this promised endowment of the Messiah
for his specific work.
n. Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased: Such
Old Testament phrases as Ps. 2 : 7; Isa. 42 : 1; 62 : 4, show this
41

i: 12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
came out of the heavens, Thou art my beloved Son,
in thee I am well pleased.
12. And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth into
13. the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty
days tempted of Satan; and he was with the wild
beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
divine declaration to have signified the acceptance of Jesus as Mes-
sianically endowed. 2. The Temptation
12, 13. The Spirit driveth him forth . . . and he was tempted:
This is the Messianic Spirit with which Jesus had been endowed in
his Baptism, the purpose being, in thus leading him into the solitude
of the wilderness, to test the consecration of himself to his work
which he had publicly announced in this rite. Jesus' growing con
viction that he bore a relation to God which no one else around him
bore led him to the conviction that there must be a unique mission
for him to accomplish for God, since for what other purpose could
this unique personal relation exist? Under this conviction did he
come to be baptized, as a public consecration of himself to the Mes
sianic work which the Baptist was heralding as near at hand. After
the revelation which accompanied his Baptism and assured him of
his endowment with the Messianic Spirit, involving, as it did, the
supernatural powers of the Messianic age, he would naturally seek
seclusion for his own thoughts, which would inevitably bring him
into a struggle with the perplexities as to how these powers were to
be used. Mark (with Luke) indicates the temptation as an incident
in this seclusion, Matthew indicates it as the purpose (4:1). Wil
derness: Probably, a remote and lonelier part of the wilderness
of Judaea in which John was baptizing. Tempted: The presentation
of the conscious choice between good and evil made to appear attrac
tive is perfectly possible to a sinless soul. Satan: The Hebrew name
for 'Adversary.' All three Synoptists unite in describing the testing
as objective to Jesus and not originating in his own soul. Wild
beasts: Added possibly as a vivid detail of the desolateness of the
seclusion; though the presence of wild beasts in the desert regions of
Palestine is testified to (Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 240). Angels:
This reference to angelic ministry is based doubtless on the assurance
of Ps. 91 : 11.

42

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 1 : 16
II. The Public Ministry i : 14-7 : 23
1. The Popular Work in Galilee, 1 : 14-7 : 23
14. Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into
15. Galilee, preaching the * gospel of God, and saying,
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand: repent ye, and believe in the 1 gospel.
(^4) The Call of the Four Disciples, 1 : 16-20
16. And passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw
Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a
1 good tidings.
14, 15. After John was delivered up: In common with the other
Synoptists, Mark gives no record of Jesus' gaining of his first disciples
at the Jordan, his presence at his first public Passover, and his sub
sequent Judaean ministry (cf. Jn. chs. 1-3). Further, his record of
the Baptist's imprisonment is given later (6 : 17-20), in connection
with the record of his death (6:21-29). The Fourth Gospel, however,
suggests the determining influence of this imprisonment upon the
cessation of Jesus' Judaean work and his departure into Galilee. It
implies that Jesus left Judasa to avoid a collision with the Jerusalem
Pharisees, who had been informed that Jesus' work was promising
to be even more successful than the Baptist's, the significance of
which is apparent in view of the Baptist's imprisonment, since the
forced ending of the Baptist's work would embolden the Pharisees
against Jesus (4 : 1-3). The time is fulfilled: Jesus' preaching is
here given in its taking up of the message of the Baptist, by which
alone Jesus could identify himself as the one whom the Baptist
had heralded, and in its advance upon that message, by which only
he could confirm the Baptist's testimony of the superiority to him
self of this Coming One. The identity of his message with the Bap
tist's is seen in his announcement of the nearness of the kingdom and
his call for repentance; his advance upon it, in his call for faith. This
summons to repentance, however, had a different accent from that of
the Baptist's; since it called for it as a final act in the presence of the
kingdom, while the Baptist's called for it simply in preparation for
the kingdom's coming. Further, his summons to faith, though it
was to faith in the message of the good news ('Gospel,' in its primary
sense), involved a personal relationship of confidence in himself as
the one delivering the message.
16. Simon and Andrew: Simon (the Hellenized form of Simeon
43

1 : 17 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
17. net in the sea; for they were fishers. And Jesus said
unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you
18. to become fishers of men. And straightway they
19. left the nets, and followed him. And going on a little
further, he saw * James the son of Zebedee, and John
his brother, who also were in the boat mending the
nets. 1 Jacob.
Gen. 29 : 33), a name doubtless made popular by Simon Macca
beus, is the only name used of Peter in the Synoptics up to the time
of the choosing of the Twelve. The Fourth Gospel records the change
to Peter (Aram = Kepha, Cephas) as taking place at his first coming to
Jesus (1 : 42). After the choosing of the Twelve, Peter is the common
name, though Simon is also used in combination with Peter (Matt.
16 : 16; Mk. 14 :37), as well as with Bar-Jonah (Matt. 16 : 17),
and alone (Matt. 17 : 25; Lk. 22 :3i; 24 134). Matthew in our
passage hints at the later use (4 : 18). These brothers came from
Bethsaida (Jn. 1 : 44), but now resided in Capernaum (Mk. 1 : 21).
Their father's name was Jonas (Matt. 16 : 17), or John (Jn. 1 : 42).
Tradition gives the mother's name as Joanna. Probably both had
been disciples of the Baptist (Jn. 1 : 35, 4of.). For some time, ap
parently, they had been following Jesus, both in Galilee (Jn. 2 : 2,
nf.) and in Judaea (Jn. 3 : 22; 4 : 2). They had returned with him
to Galilee (Jn. 4 : 3, 8 ; 27-33), but for some reason had apparently
gone back to their occupation.
17. Fishers of men — a metaphor suggested, not only by their
occupation, but especially by the miraculous draught of fishes, which
Luke alone records (5 :4-io). Its significance would be suggested
to them further by such Old Testament passages as Jer. 16 : 16 and
Amos 4 : 2.
19, 20. James . . . and John: James (Hellenized form of Jacob,
Gen. 25 : 26) and John (Hellenized form of Johanan, 1 Chron. 3 : 24,
Jonah, 2 Kings 14 : 25) were also evidently resident in Capernaum.
Their mother is supposed to have been Salome (from the comparison
of Mk. 15 :4o with Matt. 27 :$6). With Peter they formed the
circle of the most intimate disciples of Jesus. They were named by
Jesus "Boanerges" (Mk. 3 : 17) meaning Sons of Tumult, or as ex
plained by Mark, "Sons of Thunder" (see notes on 3' : 16-19).
James was the first martyr of the Apostle band (Acts 12 : 2). John
outlived the others, completing his work in the Ephesian region of
Asia Minor. The fact that their father had hired servants suggests
44

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 1:21
20. And straightway he called them: and they left their
father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants,
and went after him.
(B) The Opening Day in the Capernaum Ministry,
1 : 21-34 (45)
21. And they go into Capernaum; and straightway on
the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and
taught.
that the family possessed some means. Straightway he called them :
This statement as to the immediacy of the second call leaves room
for, if it does not suggest, the draught of fishes as prefatory to the
first call. This call of the four fishermen at the Lake presupposes
the acquaintance with them at Jordan (Jn. 1 : 35-51). It was a
call to a more formal association of themselves with Jesus, which
would be significant, in view of such opposition of the religious
leaders as had compelled Jesus to abandon his Judaean work. Their
immediate response consequently shows a stronger personal attach
ment to Jesus than we might otherwise suppose existed. The call,
as Jesus placed it before them, was to follow out in their mission
the principle which he had already followed out in his — the principle
of personal contact with and personal impress upon men.
21. Capernaum— (properly Kapharnaum = Village of Nahum),_ the
place which Jesus made the headquarters for his Galilean minis
try. It was on the Western side of the North shore of the Lake of
Gennesaret, though there is considerable dispute as to its exact site.
The discussion lies mainly between Tell HUm and Khdn Minyeh, with
the argument in favor of the former, because of growing evidence
that the name was not confined to the city, but was extended to
the district surrounding it, which would bring the place into
that connection with the Plain of Gennesaret which is implied
in the New Testament notices (cf. Jno. 6:17 with Mk. 6:53)
and in the description of Josephus (Jewish Wars III, 10 : 8).
In the Gospel times it was a place of considerable importance. It
was a customs post (Mk. 2 : 14), the residence of a representative of
the king, Herod Antipas (Jn. 4 : 46 margin), and a military station,
whose commander had built a synagogue for the people (Lk. 7 : 1-10).
Mark's mention of the place here lacks the narrative connection in
Matthew (4 : 13), which shows that Jesus made it his place of abode
upon leaving Nazareth, and particularly in Luke (4 : 31); which makes
45

i:22 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
22. And they were astonished at his teaching: for he
taught them as having authority, and not as the
23. scribes. And straightway there was in their synagogue
24. a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying,
his going to Capernaum the sequence of his rejection at Nazareth
(but cf . note on 6 : 1-6) . Taught : The Synagogue being, not so much
a place of public worship as of instruction in the Law, teaching was
practically the chief feature of its Sabbath service. It was connected
with the reading of the Scriptures and was not necessarily conducted
by the officials, but was open — as was the reading itself (Lk. 4 : 16) —
to any competent Israelite whom they might invite (Acts 13 : 15;
ci. Schurer, Jewish People in the Time of Christ, II : ii, 75-83). It
afforded a favorable opportunity to Jesus for the delivery of his
message, which he frequently embraced during his Galilean ministry
(cf. Mk. 1 : 39; Jn. 18 : 20).
22. Astonished: The instruction usually given consisted largely
in the recitation of comments on the text by famous Rabbis. The
character of Jesus' instruction may be gathered from the narrative
of his address in the Synagogue at Nazareth given by Luke (4 : 16-
31). It was a message of his own, directed to the spiritual condition
of his hearers and uttered with a conviction due to his consciousness
of himself and his mission. It is not surprising that the impression
produced upon the people was of one who spoke with a personal au
thority of which they were never conscious in the usual comments,
which were based upon the appeal to the opinion of others.
23. Immediately — one of the characteristic words of the Second
Gospel and often used, as here and in ver. 21, not so much to denote
the exact immediateness of the sequence, as in a vivid way to unify
within the incident the several items which constituted it. Unclean
Spirit: The spirits are almost always designated as "unclean," refer
ence being had to the ceremonially unclean associations of the pos
sessed (e.g. deserted places, Matt. 12 :43 s tombs, Mk. 5:2), or
to the ceremonially unclean nature of the demons possessing them
(e.g. Lk. 4 : 33; cf. Mk. 3 : 22) — a survival of the primitive idea that
all demons were unholy and therefore unclean. It was mingled
largely with awe, and resulted in a freedom being accorded to the
possessed which did not attach to ceremonial uncleanness in general.
Luke alone, and in but two passages (7 : 21; 8 : 2) designates them
as "evil," possibly, but not necessarily, with reference to immoral
tendencies in the possession (cf. Acts 19 : 13-16); though the designa
tion of them in Matt. 12 : 45 and Luke 11 : 26 as "wicked" evidently
calls attention to these traits.
24. The Holy One of God: It is evident that this term is ascribed
46

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 1:27
What have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene?
art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou
25. art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked 1 him,
26. saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And
the unclean spirit, 2 tearing him and crying with a
27. loud voice, came out of him. And they were all
amazed, insomuch that they questioned among them
selves, saying, What is this? a new teaching! with
authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits,
1 it. 2 convulsing.
to Jesus through a sense of hostility and fear on the part of the demon
itself (cf. Jas. 2 : 19; Matt. 8 : 29), and not merely as an expression
by the man of a consciousness of ceremonial, much less of moral,
difference between himself and this Teacher.
25. Hold thy peace — strictly, 'Be muzzled' (cf. its literal use in
1 Tim. 5 : 18; 1 Cor. 9 : 9, and its metaphorical use in Mk. 4 : 39).
With his consciousness of his own Messiahship and his desire that
his disciples should come to know him as such (Mk. 8 : 27-29), Jesus
had no wish that they, or the people generally, should be brought to
this conviction through such channels as these. The only true con
ception of his Messiahship was that which came from his personal
impress of himself upon their own rehgious experience. Come out of
him: Whatever superstitions may have been resident in the popular
idea of these afflictions, and whatever elements of natural disease
may have been involved in them, this command confronts us with
the fact that Jesus recognized them and dealt with them as cases of
actual possession (cf. Mk. 5 : 8; 9 : 25).
26. This idea of possession is emphasized by the statement of
personal action on the part of the spirit in obedience to the command:
Tearing him and crying out.
27. They were all amazed — a similar impression to that which
came from his teaching. It was, however, of a deeper and more pro
found kind, as would be natural, in view of the act performed. It was
awe rather than astonishment (cf. 9 : 15; 10 : 32; 16 : 5L). And yet
in the minds of the people the impression was vitally associated with
the personality which had so authoritatively manifested itself in the
teaching. This is clear from the disconnected remarks of the excited
throng which Mark so vividly reproduces. What is this? a new
(vigorous, forceful as in 2 : 2if., not simply novel, strange) teaching!
with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits and they
47

1:28 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
28. and they obey him. And the report of him went out
straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee
round about.
29. And straightway, when l they were come out of
the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon
30. and Andrew, with 2 James and John. Now Simon's
wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway
31. they tell him of her: and he came and took her by the
hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and
she ministered into them.
32. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought
1 Some MSS. read he ... he. 2 Jacob.
obey him — a procedure imperial in its difference from the magical
exorcisms at which the Rabbis labored.
28. All the region of Galilee round about — the outlying country
about Capernaum, probably a much wider extent of territory than
that later covered in Jesus' first preaching tour (see note on 1 : 38L).
29. The house of Simon and Andrew: As Simon was married, the
house doubtless belonged to him, while Andrew shared it with him.
Whether this became the Capernaum home of Jesus is not certain.
This visit after the Synagogue service was evidently the first he had
made to the house, and he must have been in the city at least one
night previous to the Sabbath. At the same time, Peter's pursuit
of Jesus in his early morning departure from the city (ver. 35f .) would
seem to indicate that they resided together (cf. Matt. 17 : 24L against
which Matt. 13 =36; Mk. 9 : 33 ; 10 : 10 are not relevant).
30, 31. A fever — possibly of the malarial type frequent in the
marshy plain in which Capernaum was situated, though Luke's
description of it as "a great fever" (Galen distinguishes fevers as
"great" and "slight") might indicate that it was of a more malignant
sort. Even so, it is Luke who emphasizes the immediateness of the
recovery (4 : 38L). Ministered unto them — doubtless at the Sabbath
meal. This statement, which is made by all the Evangelists, implies
the immediateness of the recovery in the fact of its completeness.
The lassitude usually present in fever convalescence is absent, and the
customary duties of the house are at once resumed.
32, 33. When the sun did set: The ending of the Sabbath with the
setting of the sun permitted the labor involved in the carrying and,
in fact, in the curing of the sick (Lk. 13 : 10-14). All the city was
48

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 1:36

unto him all that were sick, and them that were * pos-
33. sessed with demons. And all the city was gathered
34. together at the door. And he healed many that were
sick with divers diseases, and cast out many demons;
and he suffered not the demons to speak, because
they knew him.2
35. And in the morning, a great while before day, he
rose up and went out, and departed into a desert
36. place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that
1 demoniacs. ' Many MSS. add to be Christ, cf. Lk. 4: 41.
gathered at the door: The news not only of the public healing in the
synagogue but also of the private cure in the house had spread
throughout the city, with the result that all who were diseased or
possessed of evil spirits were brought about the narrow door which
in Oriental houses opened through the wall that shut off the house
itself from the street (cf. n : 4).
34. Many: Mark is general in his statement, Matthew compre
hensive ("all," 8 : 17), Luke particular ("Every one of them,"
4 : 40), the impression from the combined narrative being that to this
widely gathered appeal of suffering Jesus responded with an un
restrained largess of his healing gifts.
The First Preaching Tour, 1 : 35-45
35. A great while before day (lit. very much at night) — Mark here,
as in ver. 32, is most precise in his statement of time, a trait per
fectly natural, in view of the personal reminiscence that lies behind his>
narrative, and is particularly disclosed through the specific reference to
Simon in the following verse. A desert place — one of the many
barren and solitary places in the ravines and on the tops of the ranges
just back of Capernaum. Prayed (Better, was praying, or even
continued in prayer) — The events of the previous day had confronted
him with the immediate purpose of his ministry, which was the
heralding to men of the good news of the kingdom. This could not be
accomplished by staying in Capernaum and trusting men to come to
hear his message; it necessitated his leaving the city and taking his
message to men. And for this undertaking — the first mission tour of
his ministry — he needed special communion with the Father who had
appointed him his ministry and given him its message.
36, 37. Simon and they that were with him — not Simon's house-
49

1 :37 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
37. were with him followed after him; and they found him,
38. and say unto him, All are seeking thee. And he saith
unto them, Let us go elsewhere into the next towns,
that I may preach there also; for to this end came I
39. forth. And he went into their synagogues through
out all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
hold, nor necessarily his intimate friends, but simply those of the city
who had come early to Simon's house, where the healing ministry of
the evening before had taken place, to see and hear again this wonder
ful teacher and have a fresh experience of his wonderful powers.
Jesus' following had not yet had time to crystallize itself into a
definite discipleship, which could be referred to by this name. It is
clear that the Evangelist got this incident from Peter's own lips. It
bears all the marks of the early surroundings of Jesus' work. Followed
after him — literally, pursued him, tracked him. All are seeking thee :
Their idea of Jesus' ministry was narrower than his own. They
conceived of it as measured by men's seeking of Jesus; he, as measured
by his seeking of men.
38. The next towns — (strictly village-cities) — a peculiar word,
nowhere else used in the New Testament. Its reference is to the
larger villages, which in location were nearer the city centers, and so
stood in importance between the isolated hamlets and the cities them
selves. Practically equivalent to our term suburban towns. (See the
catalogue of Josh. 15 : 20-61 for the expression "cities with their
villages"; cf. also Josh. 10 : 36-39 lxx). According to Mark, there
fore, Jesus' first preaching tour was a restricted one, as far as extent of
territory is considered, which agrees with this Evangelist's idea of the
development of his whole ministry. To this end came I forth — [from
Capernaum] — against Luke's transcendental phrase "for therefore
was I sent." His immediate purpose had been prayer; his ultimate
purpose had been this extension of his ministry. Simon and his
companions must not think to take him back to Capernaum, as though
he had come out simply for an hour's devotion; they must see the
larger plan he had which, however it might centre at Capernaum,
moved out over the surrounding region.
39. Throughout all Galilee: These words, being clearly inconsist
ent with Mark's idea of a restricted tour, should be omitted, as an
editorial addition, on the basis of Matthew's comprehensive statement
(4 : 23). Without them the verse reads most naturally and is in
perfect agreement with the rest of the passage. (For the existence of
Synagogues in such small communities as would be represented by
these suburban towns, see Schurer, II, ii, 73).
5°

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 1:43
40. And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him,1
and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If
41. thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And being
moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand,
and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou
42. made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed
43. from him, and he was made clean. And he 2 strictly
1 Some MSS. omit and kneeling down lo him. 2 sternly.
40. A leper: The leprosy of the Bible was not treated as a conta
gious disease, and consequently was different from that which goes
under this name in medicine (elephantiasis Grcecorum). It affected the
skin rather than the bones, did not necessarily cripple the sufferer, and
was never spoken of as a fatal malady. In fact, when partially covered
with the eruptions, the sufferer was ceremonially unclean; when these
had spread over his whole body, he was clean (cf. art. Disease and
Medicine, Standard Bible Dictionary). In either case, however, there
is nothing to prevent the incident having occurred in one of the
Synagogues mentioned in ver. 39, since provision was made for un
clean lepers in the Synagogue, under restrictions which segregated
them from the congregation. Doubtless, it took place at the close of
the service, or perhaps after the discourse which the Master had
delivered — a discourse which we can easily believe was full of good
news to all who suffered and were heavy laden (cf. Matt, n : 28, and
the discourse at Nazareth, Lk. 4 : 16-21, which, however, was largely
determined by the lesson for the day). As far as we have record, this
was the first case of this disease which had come before the Master.
It was not brought to him by others. Distinct as Jesus' popularity
was, it did not seem yet to have suggested the possibility of his cur
ing this malady. It was a case of the sufferer's desperate faith for
himself. 41, 42. Moved with compassion — a statement made here only by
Mark and suggesting, not simply sympathetic narrative, but narra
tive from the viewpoint of a personal eyewitness and close observe]? —
carrying along the personal reminiscence definitely indicated in the
previous passage (ver. 36) . Touched him — not merely the customary
symbolic action accompanying cures (5 : 23; 6:5; 7 :33s 8 : 22L;
cf. 2 Kings 4 : 34; 5 : 11), but as expressing Jesus' independence of
the Mosaic restrictions in the case of this disease. Straightway:
The cure resulting was immediate, as all the Evangelists testify.
43. Strictly charged him (better, having spoken to him sternly). —
A striking phrase, peculiar to Mark and representing, not any anger
Si

1:44 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
44. charged him, and straightway sent him out, and saith
unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go
show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing
the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony
45. unto them. But he went out, and began to publish
on Jesus' part, as though he resented the leper's presence in the
place, but simply a strong feeling of urgency accompanying the
action by which he sent him out and the command in which he en
joined him to say nothing to any man (cf . Matt. 9 : 30) . It indicates
the intense earnestness involved in Jesus' desire that the man should
not, by indiscreet proclamation of the cure, arouse among the people
a sensational enthusiasm which would hinder the primary work for
which he had undertaken the torn- — a result which unfortunately
actually occurred (ver. 45).
44. Show thyself to the priests: This is in no way connected with
Jesus' desire to prevent indiscreet action on the part of the cured man,
as though by a subterfuge he would secure his absence from the
place. From the case of the ten lepers (Lk. 17 : 14) it is clear that the
command would have been given whether his absence was desired or
not. In fact, this observance of the ceremonial law in connection with
the previous disregard of it (ver. 41) is significant; for a study of
Jesus' attitude toward the prohibitions and commands of the cere
monial law — especially towards these Rabbinic refinements — dis
closes the fact that those regulations which symbolized and enforced
man's separation from God and from his fellow men Jesus did not
hesitate to ignore (cf. Lk. 6:2; 7 : 14, 39; Matt. 9 : 11, 14), while
those which represented and encouraged his communion with God
and his fellowship with his fellow men Jesus was careful to observe
(cf. Matt. 3 : 15; Lk. 4 : 16; 10 : 26-28), This is the explanation of
Jesus' apparently self-contradictory attitude towards the law of
leprosy in this incident. A testimony unto them: The showing of
himself to the priest and the offering of the prescribed sacrifices
would be evidence to them of his cure and of his right to be returned
into full fellowship with the people of God. This was the only testi
mony Jesus wanted him to bear, while, for his own sake, it was the one
testimony he needed to bear.
45. No more openly enter into a city : While we are not to suppose
that this was the only incident that occurred on the tour, and while
we are given no information as to whether it occurred soon after
Jesus left Capernaum, or later, it is clear that Mark understands its
effect was practically to destroy the preaching purpose for which the
tour had been undertaken, and so to throng him with a curious crowd
S2

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 2:3
it much, and to spread abroad the x matter, insomuch
that 2 Jesus could no more openly enter into s a city,
but was without in desert places: and they came to
him from every quarter.
(C) Return to Capernaum and Work from that Centre,
2 : 1-7 : 23
2. And when he entered again into Capernaum after
2. some days, it was noised that he was 4 in the house.
And many were gathered together, so that there was
no longer room for them, no, not even about the door:
3. and he spake the word unto them. And they come,
1 Grk. word. 2 he. 3 the city. i at home.
that be was not able to appear publicly in the streets of these suburban
towns, but was compelled to carry on such ministry as he could in the
outlying desert [unfrequented] places, and even there the miracle-
expecting multitude crowded upon him from every neighboring
place. (1) The Healing of the Paralytic, 2 : 1-12 (13)
2 : 1, 2. In the house (strictly, at home or indoors) a phrase which
would be perfectly fitting, whether the house were his own or Simon's.
No longer room . . . not even about the door: The tour had so
increased the sensational interest in Jesus' miracle powers that his
return to Capernaum was marked by an even greater multitude about
the door of the house, the populace of the city doubtless being added
to by those who had gathered to his following along the way.
Spake the word: From Mark's record it is clear that, however Jesus'
purpose to preach had been interfered with on the tour, it was still
being persisted in, in spite of the greater crowds which pressed upon
him. That his work, however, was not confined to teaching is evi
dent, not only from Luke's statement (5 : 17), but from the following
incident, which was doubtless simply selected from the many acts of
healing which he again performed in the city.
3. Palsy — general term for paralysis — the loss of muscular power
resulting from injury or disease of the brain or nervous system.
Specific (trembling) palsy is perhaps referred to in Jer. 23 : 9; spinal
meningitis, possibly, in Matt. 8 : 6. Bringing . . . borne of four:
A group of the man's friends are represented as bringing him to the
53

2:4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
bringing unto him a man sick of the palsy, borne of
4. four. And when they could not 1 come nigh unto
him for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where
he was: and when they had broken it up, they let
5. down the 2 bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. And
Jesus seeing their faith saith unto the sick of the
6. palsy, 3 Son, thy sins are forgiven. But there were
certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning
7. in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak? he
blasphemeth: who can forgive sins but one, even God?
1 Many MSS. read bring him unto him. 2 pallet. 3 Grk. child.
house, lying on his mattress — a thickly padded quilt — which was
borne by four (possibly servants).
4. Uncovered the roof — the covering over the rooms which were
located around the open court, and access to which was often furnished
by stairs on the outside of the house (13 : 15). Broken it up (lit.
dug it out) : This covering consisted of large beams, across which were
laid smaller rafters and over all brushwood or reeds. These were
covered by a thick layer of earth, and this by a covering of plaster or
clay and sometimes thin stone slabs (Lk. 5 : 19). Let down the
bed : The house was most likely, a one story structure, and the Master
was speaking in, or just in front of, the principal room, which was
across the court, opposite the entrance from the street, and directly
under the roof (see Tristam, Eastern Customs in Bible Lands,
PP- 33-36).
5. Seeing their faith — including that of the sufferer himself: It was
not a case of vicarious, but of peraDnal faith. In fact, from other
incidents of healing it is reasonable to believe that the sufferer's
personal interest in his own case and his personal conviction as to
Jesus' ability were the inspiration to their action on his behalf (cf.
Jn. 5 : 7; Mk. 10 : 46-48). Thy sins are forgiven — the sins which,
possibly in fact, and certainly in the man's thought, were the cause of
his physical condition (cf. Jn. 5 : 14). However unexpected this
may have been to the man and his friends as Jesus' way of approach
to his case, it was realized by them all as necessarily involved in his
healing; since they shared in the common belief that sin and suffering
were intimately linked together (cf. Jn. 9 : 2; Lk. 13 : 2).
6, 7. Reasoning in their hearts: Jesus' action was as startling to
the Scribes as it was unexpected to the paralytic and his friends. The
54

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 2:11
8. And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that
they so reasoned within themselves, saith unto them,
9. Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Which
is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are
forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy x bed, and
10. walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man
hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he saith to
n. the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, take
1 pallet.
questions which at once rose up within them are vividly reproduced
by Mark. There is first the surprised query, Why doth this man thus
speak? This query is then formulated in a positive expression of
opinion: He blasphemeth. Finally, there is disclosed the reason by
which the opinion was justified in their minds: Who can forgive sins
but one, even God? The protest was instinctive, represented their
actual state of mind, and, from their point of view, was perfectly
justified. What they resented was, not Jesus' assumption of the
right to pronounce absolution, but his pronouncement of it without
apparent ceremonial requirement. Priestly absolution, to which they
were accustomed, was always dependent upon the fulfilment of cere
monial conditions. They were quick to realize the essential opposi
tion of Jesus' assumption to the whole cultus which gave them stand
ing among the people. They did not appreciate — if they were aware
of the fact — that the real underlying condition of all God's forgiving
was the personal trust of the soul in Him.
8, 9. Jesus, consequently, challenges their ceremonial position.
Which is easier to say . . . forgiven, or . . . Arise . . . and walk?
It would seem at first that they might have chosen the former alterna
tive, since it was in a hidden field of action without apparently any
visible proof of its effectiveness; but in reality they could make no
choice at all, since, believing as they did, all the more because of their
ceremonialism, that sin and suffering were vitally connected, either
would be equally difficult. Forgiveness would have to prove itself
by a resultant cure, and cure would involve a precedent forgiveness.
10, 11. That ye may know: The Master does not commit himself
to their belief. He simply cures the paralytic and thus places before
them an object lesson, the inference from which, in view of their
position, it would be impossible for them to ignore. Son of man — one
of the latent Messianic terms in Jesus' day, derived through Apoc
alyptic usage from Dan. 7 : 13 and adopted by Jesus, because, being
55

2: 12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
12. up thy x bed, and go unto thy house. And he arose,
and straightway took up the x bed, and went forth
before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed,
and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this
fashion.
13. And he went forth again by the sea side; and all
the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
1 pallet.
less suggestive to the popular mind of Messianic claims (cf . Jn. 1 2 : 34,
and note that during his ministry this term is never applied by others
to Jesus), it enabled him to carry on his work with less interference
from the Messianic misconceptions of the people and their political
leaders than would have been the case had he referred to himself as
" Son of David," or " Son of God." (Notice how, according to Mark's
record, these two terms are reserved by Jesus until the close of his
ministry, while the term, "Son of Man," is used but twice before the
confession of his Messiahship at Cassarea Philippi.) As used by
Jesus, it represents his claim to determine authoritatively the religious
life and destiny of man (cf. besides our passage, 2 : 28; Lk. 12 : 8;
19 : 10; 21 : 36; Mk. 13 : 26).
12. Straightway: As in the previous cases, the cure is immediate.
All amazed: According to the Evangelists, the impression produced
by this miracle seems to have been peculiarly strong (cf. 5 : 42;
6 : 51), Matthew and Luke adding to Mark's statement the fact
that the people were filled with fear, while Matthew states that the
reason for their praise of God was that he had given such authority
[to forgive sins] unto men, showing (1) that paralysis was, in the
popular experience, a far more serious malady than fever, demonism,
or even leprosy; and (2) that the crowd had caught no Messianic
claim in the title "Son of man," though from Matthew's statement
they seem to have recognized the spiritual point at which the claim
had been made. With the Scribes, however, the recognition was
clear and unquestioned. They saw intuitively the conflict between
the spiritual principle represented in Jesus' action and the ceremonial
principle of their own position. These two principles, they, as well as
Jesus, realized could never coexist. Conflict between them was
inevitable and had to come to issue as soon as the one challenged the
other in its claim to determine the people's religious living.
13. Went forth again: Mark is the only one who gives a narrative
introduction to the call of Matthew, and, while it contains no note
of time, it seems most naturally to follow immediately upon the
56

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 2 : 15
14. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus
sitting at the place of toll, and he saith unto him,
Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
15. And it came to pass, that he was sitting at meat
in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat
down with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many,
cure of the paralytic. This cure had challenged the Scribes with
an object lesson which was a sufficient reply to their criticism, with
out added comment on Jesus' part. The instruction which might
have been expected to follow it was thus reserved for the people and
given on the open beach by the sea, where the thronging multitude
might better be reached by his words. (See an apparently similar
occasion, 3 : 7-9.) There all the multitude resorted unto him, and
he taught them. (Notice how Jesus selects the seaside for his teach
ing at Capernaum, Lk. 5 : 1-3; Mk. 3 : 7-9; 4 : if.).
(2) The Call of Levi, 2 : 14-22
14. Levi — the Jewish name of Matthew, which was later assumed
(or given), as was frequent with the Jews upon entering on a new
career (cf. Jn. 1 : 42, and note thus the significance of Rev. 2 117),
the son of Alphaeus, not to be identified with Alphaeus, the father
of James the Less (3 : 18). At the place of toll— a customs station
on the main caravan route between Syria and Egypt, which passed
along the seaside into Capernaum, marking the frontier between
the tetrarchy of Herod Philip and that of Herod Antipas; conse
quently an important station calling for many officials. Follow me:
This command and its instant response assume not only an ac
quaintance on Jesus' part with Levi's character, but also an interest
in, as well as an acquaintance with, Jesus'' teaching on the part of
Levi. This easily could have come through the ministry which Jesus
had already accomplished in Capernaum; might indeed have re
sulted from what Levi had seen and heard of Jesus' discourses by the
sea; in fact, might have been the fruitage of this single discourse which,
because of its background in the paralytic's cure, entered more into
the character of Jesus' own mission and challenged to his following
those to whom it appealed.
15. In his house, i.e. Levi's, as would be natural in the case of a
newly chosen disciple (cf. Lk. 19 : 1-6), and is confirmed by the
definite statement of Luke (5 : 29). Publicans— collectors of public
revenue, a term applicable to receivers of import duties, as well as to
gatherers of internal taxes, in the system of taxation carried on under
57

2:16 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
16. and they followed him. And the scribes J of the Phari
sees, when they saw that he was eating with the
sinners and publicans, said unto his disciples, 2 How
is it that he eateth 3and drinketh with publicans
1 Some MSS. read and the Pharisees. t z Some MSS. omit Be eateth.
3 Some MSS. omit and drinketh.
the Procurators of the Roman Provinces; though in Galilee, which
was a part of the autonomous tetrarchy of Herod Antipas, the taxa
tion was not administered by the Roman Government, but by Herod
himself for his own use. At the same time, Herod, being an appointee
of Rome, the system was looked upon by the people as part of the
oppressors' rule; while being managed in Galilee, as everywhere, on
the farming out principle, it was administered with an extortion (cf.
Lk. 3 : i2f.; 19 : 1-10) that made its officials, especially when Jews,
genuinely hated by the People and despised by the religious leaders
(cf. Matt. 18 : 17). Sinners — not social outcasts, as the woman in
Lk. 7 : 37, but the religiously unchurched, as in Gal. 2 : 15 — most
likely here the general class of native officials, who because of their
necessary intercourse and life with non-Jews, had come to be
counted and to count themselves as no longer belonging to the
congregation of Israel, who righteously observed the law. There
were many: Capernaum being not only an important customs post
on the frontier of Herod's territory, but one of the centres of his in
ternal government (see note on 1 : 21), this class of tax gatherers
and general officials is likely to have been large. Matthew's pur
pose in asking them to this feast was that they might become ac
quainted with his new Master; while Jesus' motive in having social
fellowship with them was that he might thus follow up the aggressive
steps he had taken against ceremonial Judaism in calling to his dis
cipleship one like Matthew who, not only from the Scribes' point of
view was religiously outlawed, but from the people's point of view
was outcast from the nation. It was an object lesson for both Scribes
and people alike, not so much of the essentially spiritual character of
his ministry, as of its essential opposition to the artificial, tyrannical,
and hypocritical self-righteous standards which the religious rulers
had set up in Judaism. It was, in brief, a bold appeal to the human
heart that needed God.
16. Scribes of the Pharisees— those who belonged to the strict
sect of the Pharisees (cf. Acts 23 :g), the religious party which stood
for the uncompromising separation from everything non- Jewish and
for the scrupulous observance of the Law. Said unto his disciples:
Their opposition had been silent at the healing of the paralytic; it
was not yet bold enough to address its criticism directly to the Master.
5?

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 2 : ig
17. and sinners? And when Jesus heard it, he saith unto
them, They that are x whole have no need of a physi
cian, but they that are sick: I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners.
18. And John's disciples and the Pharisees were
fasting: and they come and say unto him, Why
do John's disciples and the disciples of the Phari-
19. sees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus
said unto them, Can the sons of the bridechamber
fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as
they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
1 strong.
Eateth and drinketh: The ground of their criticism was that this
denationalized and unchurched class was no class with which a Jewish
teacher should have social intercourse.
17. They that are whole . . . that are sick: Again the Master
takes the point of view of the Scribes. On the basis of their claim
to be religiously strong and well, they needed no service from him,
but these whom they held to be religiously weak and diseased had
need of his ministry; for he had not come to summon to his following
the legally righteous, but those who were counted legally sinners.
18. Were fasting — most likely at the time of the asking of the ques
tion, which, according to Mark, was put to the Master, not neces
sarily by the Baptist's disciples (as in Matthew), but by persons
(not the Scribes) who knew the facts and were puzzled for an ex
planation (as in Luke). Why do John's disciples . . . and ... of
the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? The thing difficult
to understand was that, though there was a sympathy between the
disciples of the Baptist and Jesus, which was wholly lacking between
them and the Pharisees (cf. Matt. 3 : 7f.), yet in common with the
Pharisees they observed the custom of the semi-weekly fast (cf.
Lk. 18 : 12) which Jesus apparently made no attempt to enjoin upon
his disciples (cf. Lk. 11 : 1 for what might have been expected as to
such enjoining).
19, 20. Sons of the bridechamber — the particular friends of the
bridegroom, who were responsible for the successful carrying out of
the wedding festivities and accompanied the bridegroom to the
house of the bride (cf. Jud. 14 : iof.). The significance of Jesus'
reply lies in the fact that it is made in the words that the Baptist
59

2 : 20 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
20. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall
be taken away from them, and then will they fast in
21. that day. No man seweth a piece of undressed cloth
on an old garment: else that which should fill it up
taketh from it, the new from the old, and a worse
22. rent is made. And no man putteth new wine into
old wine-skins; else the wine will burst the skins,
and the wine perisheth, and the skins: but they put
new wine into fresh wine-skins.
had already used with reference to him (Jn. 3 : 29L). Had the mean
ing of these words been fully appreciated, the questioners would not
have been at a loss to understand the freedom of the religious living
of Jesus' disciples; for if the Baptist, as the friend of the Bridegroom,
could rejoice in the Bridegroom's happiness, even though it meant
the disappearance of himself from view, then surely those who stood
in closer and more constant companionship with the Bridegroom
than did he, could not be mournful and sad as long as the Bridegroom ,
was with them. The days will come: When the Bridegroom is taken
from them, they will fast; but then their fasting would be an expres
sion of their real sorrow and not a mere ceremonial form. This
reference to a coming forceful taking away of the Bridegroom is the
first intimation by Jesus, in the Synoptic narrative, of the fate that
he foresaw awaited him, a fate which, if not suggested, was easily
confirmed in its forecast by the imprisonment of the Baptist which
had already taken place (1 : 14).
21, 22. If in their hearts the questioners demurred to this answer
of Jesus, as they considered that, while the Baptist rejoiced in the
Bridegroom's voice, he did not express his joy by neglect of fasting,
it would be only a confession of the necessary narrowness of spirit
which belonged to him as a representative of the Old Dispensation.
It is this essential difference in the spirit of the two Dispensations
that Jesus brings out in these two parabolic sayings about the un
dressed cloth and the new wine — by which he shows the impossi
bility of carrying on his work in true accord with all its significant
newness of character and still subjecting it to the old forms which
belonged to the preparatory work which had gone before. In both
sayings Jesus represents the situation as one in which a new thing is
placed in old surroundings, with the result that the strength and
vitality of the new thing destroys the weakness of the old surround
ing and really injures itself and the situation in the attempt. Un-
60

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 2:2;
23. And it came to pass, that he was going on the sab
bath day through the grainfields; and his disciples
24. began, as they went, to pluck the ears. And the
Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the
25. sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said
dressed cloth — unbleached cloth, which in its shrinking tears away
from that to which it has been sewed. New wine — -fresh, unfer-
mented wine, whose process of fermentation the old, hard, unelastic,
perhaps thin worn and patched up (cf. Josh. 9 : 4) skins would not be
able to withstand.
(3) The Sabbath Journey through the Grain Field, 2 : 23-28
23. Grain fields Git., sown fields) — fields sown with seed which was
growing up into crops, — in this case, probably either barley or wheat,
which were the principal grain crops of Palestine, both being sown
in the late fall and harvested in the spring. As the grain was ripe
enough for eating, the harvest was doubtless near at hand. As this
generally lasted the seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost, the
time of the incident could not have been long before Passover, was
more probably after it. Began, as they went, to pluck (lit., Began
to make their way plucking) — a phrase of possible Latin origin, used
here loosely to give the idea, not of breaking through the standing
grain by beating down the stalks, which was evidently not the thing
for which they were criticized, but of progress through the fields
while the plucking was going on.
24. Not lawful: The point of the criticism was not the fact of
plucking (and eating — Matthew and Luke) the grain which belonged
to others; since this was expressly allowed, provided no reaping in
strument was used, which would make the gathering a matter of
profit and not simply of satisfying personal hunger (Deut. 23 : 25).
What was criticized was the plucking on the Sabbath. The law for
bade all work on the Sabbath (Ex. 26 : 8-1 1; 35 : 2) — -expressly all
Sabbath work in time of planting and reaping (Ex. 34 : 21); but it
did not enter into the details of what constituted such work. This
the Rabbis did, however, holding that plucking was equivalent to
reaping, since the hand took the place of the sickle, while the rubbing
to which Luke refers (6:1) and which naturally must have preceded
the eating, involved the hand as a threshing machine. The Rabbinic
refinements of the ceremonial law are thus assumed as equally binding
with the ceremonial law itself.
25, 26. What David did: The reference is to 1 Sam. 21 : 1-7,
which relates how David in his flight from Saul came to Nob and
61

2:26 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
unto them, Did ye never read what David did,
when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that
26. were with him? How he entered into the house of
God x when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the
show-bread, which it is not lawful to eat save for the
priests, and gave also to them that were with him?
27. And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for
1 Some MSS. read in the days of Abiathar the high priest.
demanded the hallowed bread from the priest for himself and his
companions. The point of Jesus' reply is that, admitting in general
the binding character of the ceremonial law (the Rabbinic refine
ments are wholly ignored), its obligation had been set aside at times
of need in their own sacred history, the inference being that if David
could not be blamed for what he had done, neither could his dis
ciples; for the same need was present in both cases. Abiathar — an
error for Ahimelech, possibly influenced by the near relationship of
the two, regarding which, however, there appears to be confusion
in the Old Testament itself (cf. 1 Sam. 22 : 20; 11 Sam. 8 : 17;
1 Chron. 18 : 16). Matthew adds another argument from the cus
tom of the priests in the Temple to work on the Sabbath in the
prosecution of their sacred duties, the inference being drawn by Jesus
that if association with the Temple allowed the priests to set aside
the law, his disciples were equally privileged through their associa
tion with him, who was superior to the Temple (Matt. 12 : 5-7).
27, 28. The Sabbath was made for man — a gnomic statement—
a form used by Jesus on more than one occasion (cf. Matt. 6 : 21;
12 : 28, 45; 15 : 11). It announces the principle that the Sabbath
was not an eternal law of God in subservience to which man was
created, but a divine ordinance instituted with special reference to
serving man in his religious hfe. It followed, therefore, not only
that man was to be master over the day and not slave to it, but that
he who was Son of man had a special lordship over its regulation
and use by man.
This shows that Jesus understood his title to involve a representa
tive relationship to man, not merely in the sense of being man's
servant, but in the sense of being the director and arbiter in man's
religious living. Jesus thus meets the Pharisees' criticism of his dis
ciples, not only with a clear justification of their action, but with a
new claim for himself and his relation to man in his religious living.
The situation is a distinct advance upon that at the healing of the
Paralytic (2 : 1-12). There the natural resentment at Jesus' claim to
62

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 3 : 3
28. man, and not man for the sabbath: so that the Son
of man is lord even of the sabbath.
3. And he entered again into the synagogue; and there
2. was a man there who had his hand withered. And
they watched him, whether he would heal him on the
3. sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he
forgive sin is answered by a single puzzling question, which took the
Pharisees at their own point of view, following it up with a plain ob
ject lesson which practically closed the door to further discussion.
Here the purely ceremonial criticism is met with a presentation of the
deep underlying principles involved, followed with an announcement
of personal claims that constituted a new revelation of his relation to
the religious life of man. It is a significant fact that Jesus had not
just now begun this liberal custom of Sabbath observance. This had
been his position from the first (cf. 1 : 21-31). Whatever the Scribes
and Pharisees may have thought and said about it, they had been
confronted with it all the time. He had not adopted this liberalism,
in order to force an issue with his enemies; rather his enemies, aroused
by the growing popularity of his ministry, had adopted this criticism,
in order to force an issue with him. Jesus was not conducting a
campaign; he was living a life, delivering a message, accomplishing a
work, self-consistent in its principles from the start (see note on 1 : 44).
(4) The Sabbath Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand 3 : 1-5
3:1. Entered again into a Synagogue: Mark (with Lk. 6 : 6 and
in contrast to Matt. 12:9) gives no definite statement of time for this
event. Withered hand (Lk. 6 : 6, right hand)— -an atrophy of the
muscles, not only of the hand itself, but also of the lower arm (cf.
ver. 5), resulting in their shrinking and due probably to injury or
disease of the nerves controlling them. Similar cases are referred to
in Jn. 5 -.3. Most likely the impotent man of ver. 7 suffered from this
affliction. The case of Acts 3 : 2 was probably one of congenital
defect. (See story of Jeroboam, 1 Kings 13 : 4-6.)
2. Watched him . . . accuse him — showing a distinct develop
ment of hostility. It is not now simply a resentment against his
claims of religious authority, nor even a desire to force an issue with
him in the matter of ceremonial observance, but a definite purpose to
secure evidence which they might use against him before the Sanhe
drim The Rabbis permitted healing on the Sabbath only when life
was in danger. Should he go beyond this limitation, they would
charge him as having, in this transgression of the Sabbath law,
assailed an essential institution of their religion.
63

3:4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
saith unto the man that had his hand withered, * Stand
4. forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful on the
sabbath day to do good, or to do harm? to save a
5. life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when
he had looked round about on them with anger, being
grieved at the hardening of their heart, he saith unto
the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched
1 Grk. arise into the midst.
3, 4. Stand forth — doubtless in the open space in front of the
reader's desk. The man was evidently well up towards the front of
the Congregation, either through his natural desire to be where he
could attract Jesus' attention, or possibly even through malicious
arrangement by the Pharisees, to be where he would catch Jesus' eye.
The Pharisees themselves were in the "chief seats," which they
loved (cf. Matt. 23 : 6; also Lk. 14 : 7). To do good, or to do harm:
The latter is not simply the negative of the former, but the positive
of its opposite and always in the New Testament implies an evil moral
spirit behind it (cf. 1 Pet. 3 : 17; 3 Jn. ver. 11). This alternative
leads up to the stronger one, to save a life, or to kill? which possibly
looks forward to their final action (ver. 6). Instead of debating with
the Pharisees the question of Sabbath healing in itself, which would
have been fruitless, he lifts the question up to the level of principle,
and on that level puts to them this question, which it was impossible
for them to answer save in one way, and that way condemned their
own position. Jesus thus brought clearly to light the issue between
himself and his accusers: Was his doing good, his healing on the
Sabbath, a justification for their taking counsel against his own
life, as in reality they were intending to do? Naturally, they held
their peace, being convicted of their utterly unreasonable position
and yet being stubbornly unwilling to admit its wrongness. Matthew
adds an illustration (12 : 4f.) which he has probably inserted from
another similar scene (cf. Lk. 13 : i4f., 14 : 3-5).
5. Looked round about - . . with anger: Mark alone gives this
graphic description of the scene, adding to it the reason for the feelings:
being grieved at the hardening of their heart— showing that, how
ever from a formal point of view Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees
may have been directed against their ceremonialism, from the personal
point of view it was directed against the stubborn set of their will,
which recognized the truth, but would not act upon it. This throws
light upon the direction of his constant appeal in the case of his
disciples. It was to the will as involved in their personal attitude of
64

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 3 : 7
6. it forth; and his hand was restored. And the Pharisees
went out, and straightway with the Herodians took
counsel against him, how they might destroy him.
7. And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea : and
a great multitude from Galilee followed; and from
faith in him. As a consequence, he accepted those who exercised that
will, though unaccompanied with emotion {e.g. Matthew), or intel
lectual equipment {e.g. the Woman who touched his garment).
Emotion and knowledge could develop and grow; the deciding element
lay in the initial act of the will. Stretch forth thy hand: In view of
the desire to accuse Jesus of an unlawful work of healing on the
Sabbath, the conspicuous absence of all external means towards the
cure is significant. Stretched it forth . . . restored: The instant
response of the will resulted in an instant cure.
(5) Connecting Narrative of Incidents, 3 : 6-12
6. Herodians — the political adherents and supporters of the
Herod dynasty, having as their aim the restoration of the monarchy
under the pagan- Jewish rule of the Herods. They favored thus the
fusion of Judaism and Hellenism, which was the ideal of Herod the
Great and the stated policy of his sons and, as far as religious opinions
were concerned, sympathized with the worldliness of the Sadducees
rather than with the legalism of the Pharisees. They are mentioned
again in the final week of Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem, when, in
combination with the Pharisees, they are sent by the Sadducees to
attempt to entangle Jesus in his talk (Mk. 12 : 13), and are referred to
indirectly in the advice given by Jesus to his disciples towards the
close of his North Galilean work (Mk. 8 : 15). Counsel . . . destroy
him: Although the Herodians were specially attached to Herod
Antipas and had their home in Galilee rather than in Judaea, the
development of the Pharisaic hostility towards Jesus to the degree of
plotting against his life belongs so distinctively to the close of his
ministry that it seems more than probable that this healing of the
Withered Hand is a later event brought forward by Mark to group
it with the only other incident of controversy over Sabbath observ
ance which his Gospel contains.
Connecting Narrative, Disclosing Jesus' Popularity, 3 : 7-12
7, 8. Withdrew to the sea — in order to escape the pressure of the
crowds in the city (cf. 2 : 13; 4 : if.). Matthew connects it definitely
with Jesus' knowledge of this plot; but such a plot, even if planned at
65

3 : 8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
8. Judaea, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and
beyond the Jordan, and about Tyre and Sidon, a great
multitude, hearing x what great things he did, came
g. unto him. And he spake to his disciples, that a little
boat should wait on him because of the crowd, lest they
io. should throng him: for he had healed many; insomuch
that as many as had plagues pressed upon him that
n. they might touch him. And the unclean spirits, when
soever they beheld him, fell down before him, and
12. cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he
charged them much that they should not make him
known.
13. And he goeth up into the mountain, and calleth unto
1 All the things that he did.
this time, was not likely to be executed immediately, and not likely to
be avoided by such a temporary expedient. A great multitude
from Judaea . . . Jerusalem . . . Idumaea . . . beyond the Jor
dan . . . about Tyre and Sidon . . . hearing what great things he
did: The geographical region from which the crowds were gathered
was extensive, but the attraction which drew them was evidently
nothing beyond the report of his wonderful works of healing (cf . vs.
10-12). 9. A little boat . . . lest they should throng him — as he had done
at the calling of the first disciples (Lk. 5:3), and later, at the de
livering of the parables (Mk. 4:1); though in the present case he does
not seem to have used it, because of his constant occupation with the
cases of healing on the beach.
10-12. Plagues (Ut. whips, scourges) — distressing bodily diseases,
involving the idea, not only of acute suffering, but of divine chastise
ment (Ps. 89 : 32). Pressed upon him (lit. fell upon him) — snowing
their intense eagerness to be healed, as is further indicated by their
conviction that the cure would result if only they might touch him
(cf. 5 : 27ff.; 6 : 56; 8 : 22; Acts 5 : 15; 19 : nf.). Whensoever,
(or, as soon as) . . . fell down before him, in fearsome dread, rather
than worshipful homage (see note on 1 : 24). Charged them . . .
should not make him known — not to restrict the further spread of his
popularity, but rather to avoid a conviction of his Messiahship on
the people's part through such channels (see note on 1 : 25).
66

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 3:18
him whom he himself would; and they went unto him.
14. And he appointed twelve,1 that they might be with
15. him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
16. and to have authority to cast out demons: 2 and Simon
17. he surnamed Peter; and 3 James the son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of 3 James; and them he sur-
18. named Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder: and An
drew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew,
and Thomas, and 3 James, the son of Alphaeus, and
1 Some MSS. add whom also he named apostles.
2 Some MSS. insert and read and he appointed twelve (and he gave a name to Simon)
Peter and James, etc. 8 Jacob.
(6) The Choice of the Twelve, 3 : 13-10 (21)
13. The mountain — the mountain near at hand (cf. 5 : 11; 6 :46,
as the sea by Capernaum, 2 : 13; 3 : 7), that is, the hills back from the
Lake (cf. 5:5; 13 : 14; also Gen. 19 : 17; Jud. 1 : 19). Specific
mountains are designated by distinguishing terms (cf. 9 : 2; 11 : 1).
Luke gives the purpose of this withdrawal as prayer, but represents
the prayer, which continued through the night, as preliminary to the
choice of the Twelve (6 : i2f.). Whom he himself would: The em
phatic introduction of the pronoun makes clear Jesus' personal choice
in the calling: while the usage elsewhere of the verb calleth would seem
to indicate that Jesus always directed it, when not to the disciples
themselves, at least to the sympathetic portion of the crowd (cf.
3 =23; 7 :i4;8 =34).
14, 15. Appointed twelve: This represents a further choice within
the larger circle which had been summoned from the general crowd
to a stated following of him. The number was doubtless determined
because of the representative position they were to hold within the
new Israel (cf. Matt. 19 : 28; Lk. 22 : 30; Rev. 21: 12, 14). The
immediate purpose of their call, however, is given in the following
statement : They were to be in personal association with him, and were
to be sent forth by him to herald the good news (cf. 1 : 15). Within
themselves they were to be qualified for such a mission through this
close companionship with him, and before the people by their author
ity to cast out demons (Matt. 10 : 1 adds "to heal all manner of
disease and all manner of sickness").
i6-i9a. Peter . . . Boanerges: The name actually given to Simon
was the Aramaic Kepha, rock (Jn. 1 : 4 2) , of which ' Peter ' is the Greek
equivalent. It does not describe his personal characteristics, which
67

3:19 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
19. Thaddaeus and Simon the * Cananaean, and Judas
Iscariot, who also 2 betrayed him.
1 Zealot cf. Lk. 6:15; Acts 1 : 13. 2 delivered him up.
often showed themselves to be strikingly the opposite (cf. 8 : 29, 32L;
14 : 26-31), but rather his leadership among the Twelve (cf. 8 : 29;
14 : 37; Matt. 17 : 24), which came into special recognition after the
Ascension (cf. Acts 1 : 15; 2 : 14; 3 : 1-4, 12; 4 : 8; 5 -.3, 9, 29, etc.).
The Aramaic name given to the Sons of Zebedee was most likely one
which meant "sons of thunder," though the etymology is uncertain.
If so, it may have been descriptive of the fiery zeal of these two
disciples, which showed itself in such incidents as Lk. 9 : 54 and
Mk. 9 : 38, or it may have been simply an application of the folklore
name connected with the cult of the Dioscuri, because they were
twins, or so alike in character and action as appropriately to be
spoken of as such. Possibly, both reasons may have been more or less
present (see Rendel Harris, Boanerges, 1913, Ch. II). Like ' Peter,'
it was not necessarily given at this time, but unlike ' Peter ' (and the
later ' Barnabas,' Acts 4:36), it apparently did not persist in use. An
drew is separated from his brother Simon, in order to allow the three
who were specially intimate with Jesus to be named first (both Matt.
10 : 2 and Lk. 6 : 14 place him next to Peter), but is followed by
Philip, who was of his city, Bethsaida (Jn. 1 : 44) and is later referred
to as in distinct companionship with him (Jn. 12 : 2if., cf. also
6 : 5-9). Bartholomew is probably identical with Nathaniel of
Cana in Galilee (Jn. 21:2). If so, he was brought to Jesus by Philip
(Jn. x : 4sf .) whom he thus properly follows in the list. Matthew and
Thomas are associated in all the synoptic lists (Acts 1 : 13 separates
them by Bartholomew) . Matthew is not referred to as the other name
for Levi, possibly because it was already his name before coming into
the disciple circle (cf. 2 : 14 with Matt. 9 : 9). In Jn. 11 : 16; 20 : 24;
21 : 2, Thomas is given the surname Didymus, twin. James the son
of Alphaeus— possibly, a brother of Matthew (cf. 2 : 14). Thad-
daeus: Luke gives his name as Judas the son of James, to distinguish
him from Judas Iscariot (6 : 16; cf. also Acts 1 : 13). Under this
name he is probably the one referred to in Jn. 14 : 22. The Ca
nanaean— an Aramaic word, not designating the city to which he
belonged (Cana), but his personal character— jealous or zealous [for
righteousness] (cf. Ex. 20 : 5; Deut. 4 : 24). Its Greek equivalent
( the Zealot") is given by Luke (6 : 15). Judas Iscariot (Ut. the
man of Kerioth) : The location of this place is uncertain. If referred to
in Josh. 15 : 25, it was in Southeastern Judah; if in Jer. 48 : 24, 41 it
was m Moab, east of the Dead Sea.
i9b-2i. Cometh into a house (lit. cometh home)— marking his
68

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 3:22
20. And he cometh into a house. And the multi
tude cometh together again, so that they could
21. not so much as eat bread. And when his friends
heard it, they went out to lay hold on him: for
22. they said, He is beside himself. And the scribes that
came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub,
and, * By the prince of the demons casteth he out the
1 in the prince.
return to Capernaum after his second preachmg tour, which mcluded
such incidents as the raising of the widow's son (Lk. 7 : 11-17), the
anointing of Jesus in the house of a Pharisee (Lk. 7 : 36-50) — possibly
the coming to him of the embassy from the Baptist (Lk. 7 : 18-35;
Matt. 11 : 2-30). This return from a successful tour would account
for the renewed enthusiasm of the populace, which expressed itself
not merely in a continuous demand on his time, but in the presenta
tion to him of a desperate case of demonic possession (Matt. 12 : 22).
The selection of the case by the people suggests that much of his
healing activity during this tour may have been devoted to this
prevalent malady. If so, it may account for the idea with which
his friends (lit. his family) set out from Nazareth to lay hold on
him and bring him home (cf. vs. 31-35 for the conclusion of this ex
pedition), believing that he was beside himself. In any case, their
effort was due to their general misunderstanding of the spirit of his
ministry. (7) The Beelzebub Charge and Jesus' Answering Discourse, 3 : 22-30
22. He hath Beelzebub: The reason for the recklessness of such a
charge did not lie so much in the extraordinary character of the cure
which Jesus had effected, as in the threatening fact that it had led
the people to acclaim him as the Messiah (Matt. 12 : 23) . The Scribes
— especially those from Jerusalem — could not help but see that if
this new teacher, the spiritual claims of whose ministry were so op
posed to their ceremonial assumptions (see note on 2 : 6f.) should be
acknowledged by the people as Messiah, their own religious leader
ship of the people was doomed. To counteract the effect of this cure,
therefore, they claimed that it was accompUshed, not by divine but
by Satanic power. The name of the prince of the demons should be
Beelzebul (lit. the Lord of the Dwelling, i.e. the inhabited world).
The proper reading of this name discloses the significance of the illus
trations with which Jesus confirmed his assertion of the impossibility
of the charge: not only the divided kingdom, but the divided house
69

3:23 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
23. demons. And he called them unto him, and said unto
24. them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And
if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom
25. cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself,
26. that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan hath
risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot
27. stand, but hath an end. But no one can enter into the
house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he
first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his
28. house. Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be
forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies
29. wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever
shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never for-
and the house of the strong man. This is brought out clearly in
Jesus' address upon the sending out of the Twelve. "If they have
called the master of the house Beelzebub how much more them of his
household" (Matt. 10 : 25).
23-27. How can Satan cast out Satan? The reference is to moral
rather than to physical impossibility (cf. Matt. 12 =34; Lk. 6 :42;
Jn. 5 : 44; 9 : 16). The two illustrations which follow are coordinate
and are to be read, "As well is it true that if a kingdom be divided
against itself, it cannot stand, as also is it true that if a house be
divided against itself, it cannot stand," the statement of ver. 26 coming
as a conclusion, "And so it follows that if Satan hath risen up against
himself, and is divided, he cannot stand." This presentation of the
moral absurdity of the charge is followed by an assertion of its physical
impossibility (ver. 27). The thought is that, far from his being in
league with Satan, on the contrary, it was impossible for him to have
entered Satan's domain and spoiled his possessions — as he had done
in these miracles — unless he had first, as his enemy, overcome him.
The reference here is not to some previous event in Jesus' ministry
in which he had overcome Satan {e.g. in the Temptation, for the
assaults of Satan continued after that event; cf. Matt. 16 : 23), but
to his innate mastership over the forces of evil (cf. 1 Jn. 3:8).
28, 29. This warning is added, because Jesus' desire was not sim
ply to expose the logic involved in the Pharisees' charge, but to un
cover the personal attitude toward God involved in it. This attitude
he holds to be unforgivable, because it involves a contempt of the
70

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 3:33
30. giveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: because they
said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31. And there come his mother and his brethren; and,
standing without, they sent unto him, calling him.
32. And a multitude was sitting about him ; and they say
unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren with-
33. out seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith,
Holy Spirit, as the gracious power with which, as in such miracles as
this which had been performed, he would draw men to himself (cf.
2 Cor. 6 : 1; Jn. 5 : 40).
(5) The Visit of Jesus' Mother and Brethren, 3 : 31-35
31, 32. This incident not only gives us the conclusion of the expedi
tion referred to in ver. 21, but is really a part of the general incident
recorded in the preceding verses: since the only intervening material
is the discourse of Jesus (Matt. 12 : 38-45), prompted by the hypo
critical request of the Scribes and Pharisees for a genuine sign, in
order further to depreciate the sign already given in the healing of the
Demoniac and so to offset its influence with the people (cf. Luke's
insertion of ver. 16 in the narrative of the healing). The crowd is
still present, though it is evident from their close gathering around
Jesus, as well as from the gracious words which he addressed to them
(ver. 34), that it lacked the hostile element which had been repre
sented by the Scribes and Pharisees. Doubtless, the judicial rebuke
of Jesus' discourse had caused this element to withdraw, and those
whom he had called to hear his answer to the Beelzebul charge (ver.
23) had drawn closer around him, in full sympathy with him. If so,
we see here the beginning of that sifting process among the followers
of Jesus which increasingly developed and which was the cause of
Jesus' introduction into his teaching, in the next succeeding passage,
of the parabolic form of discourse. (For other instances of this change
in the character of the crowd and Jesus' fuller disclosure of truth to
the friendly element remaining, see 7 : 1-17; 9 : 14-28; 12 : 12-37.
These make all the more significant the change in the opposite direc
tion during Passion Week; cf. 11 : 18; 12 : 37 with 15 : 8, n, 13L).
Calling him: The bluntness of this phrase suggests the suspicion
which had taken hold of his family that he was beside himself (ver. 21)
and had to be abruptly dealt with.
33-35. Whosoever shall do the will of God . . . my brother,
and sister, and mother: What Jesus means is simply that the thing
which constitutes the closest relation to him is obedience to the will
71

3:34 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
34. Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking
round on them that sat round about him, he saith,
35. Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whosoever
shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and
sister, and mother.
4. And again he began to teach by the sea side. And
there is gathered unto him a very great multitude, so
that he entered into a boat, and sat in the sea; and all
2. the multitude were by the sea on the land. And he
taught them many things in parables, and said unto
of God, for this was the expression which he himself gave to his own
Divine Sonship (cf. Matt. 26 : 39, 42; Jn. 4 : 34; 5 : 30; 6 : 38). This
doing of God's will by his disciples will, consequently, be evidence
that they have a similar relation to God and thus are more closely
bound to himself than any mere family ties could bind them (cf.
Matt. 7 : 21). In saying this, he does not annul all family relation
ship (cf. 7 : 10-13; IO : 7-9); he only shows that it is not the control
ling relationship in life (cf. Matt. 8 : 21L); so that when the spiritual
and family relationships should come into conflict, as he saw they
would, it was the former which should be primary and the latter
secondary (cf. Matt. 10 : 34-39; Lk. 14 : 25f.). This effort on the
part of his family to get possession of him and bring him home, while
it was motived by their desire to take care of him and protect him
from himself, was, in reality, such an interference with the aim and
purpose of his ministry as to compel him to face the issue between
these two relationships and maintain the former. This he does, how
ever, not by denouncing the latter, but only by quietly ignoring it.
The answer is not given to the family, even indirectly, but to the
sympathetic crowd. (0) The Day of Parables, 4 : 1-34 {41)
4:1, *¦ Again ... to teach by the seaside: This has in mind
the former occasions of similar teaching narrated in 2 : 13 and 3 : 7,
and most naturally locates this teaching at the same place where
they occurred — the beach at Capernaum. According to Matthew,
it followed directly upon the preceding incident and at Capernaum
(Matt. 13 : 1). Luke inverts the order of the incidents, but says
nothing to indicate that it did not occur at Capernaum (8 : 4)1
Taught them many things in parables: This was a new form of dis-
72

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
3. them in his teaching, Hearken: Behold, the sower went
4. forth to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some
seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and de-
5. voured it. And other fell on the rocky ground, where
it had not much earth; and straightway it sprang
6. up, because it had no deepness of earth: and when
the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had
7. no root, it withered away. And other fell among
the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it,
course, which called attention to familiar processes in nature and
common experiences in life, as illustrative of the spiritual truths he
wished to make plain to them and bring to their acceptance. It was
a form customary in the Rabbinic Schools, but only with more ad
vanced scholars. Jesus used it here with the uneducated people,
introducing it because of the sifting process which was taking place
in the crowds (see note on 3: 31 f.) and which it was intended to
accentuate (see note on vs. 10-12, following). This opening state
ment indicates that the four parables which follow are given merely
as representatives of the day's teaching, which is confirmed by the
larger number preserved in the record of Matthew, though some of
these latter may have been delivered on other occasions.
3, 4. The sower — the particular one of the parable, considered as
representative of the class (cf. Jn. 3 : 10, where in the same way
Nicodemus is referred to as "the teacher of Israel"). Grain fields
may have been visible back from the shore, but the people were fac
ing the sea and the occupation was too familiar to need to have
the process carried on before the eye, in order to make its lessons
plain. By the wayside — by the side of [on the edge of] the foot-path
which frequently skirted and sometimes divided the grain fields
(cf. 2 : 23). Devoured it: Being hard ground, the seed did not fall
into the ground and perform its proper function, but lay exposed
and was picked up by the birds.
5, 6. Rocky ground — not rock strewn ground, but ground where
the underlying rock was but thinly covered with earth. In this thin
soil the seed received an abundance of passing moisture and there
fore sprang up quickly, but because such soil was unable to hold
the moisture or allow the seed to strike its roots into deeper earth
where the moisture was retained, the growth as quickly withered
under the heat of the sun.
7. Among the thorns (Ut. into the thorns) — i.e. into the ground
73

4:8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

8. and it yielded no fruit. And others fell into the good
ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing;
and brought forth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a
9. hundredfold. And he said, Who hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him
which held the seeds and roots of the thorns. Thorns are to the
Eastern cultivated fields what weeds are to ours, and for a part of the
year constitute practically the only form of vegetation. Having
quicker and more luxuriant growth, they would easily choke out the
life of the grain.
8. Good ground (Ut. good, as appearing to the eye) — i.e. free
from the faults evident in the other ground. Thirty . . . sixty . . .
a hundred fold — not extravagant, when one considers the fertility
of Palestinian soil, though intended to express, in Oriental fashion,
the large increase, rather than to measure the actual yield (cf. Gen.
26 : 2).
9. Let him hear — a challenge, as frequently given by Jesus (cf.
ver. 23; Matt. 11 : 15; 13 : 43; Lk. 14 : 35) to consider carefully the
meaning of what had been said, disclosing the purpose with which
he had chosen this form of discourse (see note on vs. 10-12, following).
10-12. The effect of the teaching was in accord with its purpose;
for they that were about him, as weU as the twelve, came to ask
of him the lesson which he had called upon them to discover. In a
certain way, that lesson was obvious; but Jesus was anxious, not
merely that they should find it, but that they should be drawn to
him in its finding. This was what happened. Not only the twelve,
but the sympathetic portion of the crowd (Matthew = " the dis
ciples") found him after the public teaching was finished and asked
of him his own interpretation of the parables. This, however, in
volved in a preliminary way making clear to them why he had spoken
in parables at all; for only so would they appreciate his interpretation
of them and be further encouraged, when he so taught again, to give
his parables the attention they merited. (Matthew transfers this
idea to the question which they asked, 13 : 10.) The mystery of the
kingdom of God — the kingdom's secret truth, not in the sense of
something unintelligible, but of something hidden, in other words
the revelation contained in Jesus' message of the kingdom of God
(cf. Eph. 3 : 3-6; 6 : 19). This secret was given to them, i.e. was
placed in their possession, through their receptivity to Jesus' teach
ing. The understanding of this secret would be aided by this same
receptivity, just as by this receptivity they would be drawn to Jesus
74

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 4: 12
11. with the twelve asked of him the parables. And he
said unto them, Unto you is given the mystery of the
kingdom of God: but unto them that are without,
12. all things are done in parables: that seeing they may
see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear,
and not understand; lest haply they should turn again,
to satisfy such understanding of it as they had (Matthew thus carries
Mark's statement into its further development: "Unto you it is
given to know the mysteries of the kingdom," 13 : 11). Without —
i.e. without this receptive circle (Luke renders it "to the rest")
Done in parables: To the unreceptive portion of the multitude the
truth comes to them in parables and nothing more. To them the
parables are not suggestive of any lesson and so they are not drawn
to the Master for any interpretation of them. It is in this sense that
we are to understand the motive with which he made use of the
parable form of teaching — it was primarily in order that through
their spiritual receptivity his sympathetic followers might be led to
deeper understandings of the truth, the result which issued with the
unsympathetic and unreceptive multitude being involved in the
motive, but in a secondary way. In both cases, the results were
determined by the character of those affected. In so far, therefore,
as the reason for this method of teaching was concerned, while the
results as well as the causes were in view by Jesus, yet that which
determined the introduction of the parables was the attitude of
mind which the disciples on the one hand and the people on the other
had already taken towards the truth (cf. Matt. 13 : 13). That see
ing, they may see and not perceive: In this phrase Mark places the
emphasis upon the secondary results which issued with the un
sympathetic multitude, and to the extent of making them the real
motive in the case. Evidently, in this statement Mark has been
influenced by the explanation given in the early church to the puzzling
fact that Jesus' message and mission were rejected by the people of
God to whom they were first directed. This church was predomi
nantly Jewish, and it could not understand how God's people came
to do so unnatural a thing, unless it was due to the direct hardening
of the Jewish heart, in order that the plan God had for His kingdom's
progress into the Gentile world should be carried out (cf. Acts 2 : 23;
4 : 28; Rom. 11 : 7L, 25; 1 Pet. 2 : 8.). Under such convictions as to
the reason for the Jewish unbelief, their conception of the reason
Jesus had in using the parable form of instruction would naturally
lay its emphasis on the results which this form produced in the hearts
of the Jews who were not moved by them, rather than on the cause
75

4:13 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
13. and it should be forgiven them. And he saith unto
them, Know ye not this parable? and how shall ye
14. know all the parables? The sower soweth the word.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word
is sown; and when they have heard, straightway
cometh Satan, and taketh away the word which hath
16. been sown in them. And these in like manner are
they that are sown upon the rocky places, who, when
they have heard the word, straightway receive it
in their unreceptive hearts for its employment. And they would
seek to explain these results, as they did the results of unbeUef toward
Jesus' religion on the part of Judaism in general, as due to the divine
hardening of their hearts. It was really the only way, as Jews, they
saw how to explain it. It was what Scripture told them had hap
pened in Pharaoh's case; why not in the case of these strangely un
moved countrymen of theirs? In other words, we have here, as in
the case of the content of the Baptist's message (1 : 4), a recasting
of the teaching as the Apostolic preaching viewed it. Note the phrase
with which Mark closes his statement ("lest haply they should turn
again and it should be forgiven them," ver. 12) as reproducing the
particularly Jewish preaching of the Apostohc Church (Acts 8 : 22;
Jas. 5 : 15; 1 Jn. 1 : 9; 2 : 12; but not by Paul, save in the Old Testa
ment citation of Rom. 4:7).
13. Know ye not . . . how shall ye know all parables? Not
simply because, if they could not understand this simple presentation
of the truth, they might not expect to comprehend those that were
more subtle; but rather if they did not have that spiritual knowledge
(Ut. knowledge secured by intuition and insight) of this parable that
would discover the truth it was intended to teach, how could they
expect to understand (lit. know through experience) the parables gen-
eraUy as they were made acquainted with them by interpretation.
Their spiritual receptivity to the truth was that on which rested all
their hope of progress in tie instruction he purposed for them in these
parables. 14-20. In his opening statement (ver. 14), Mark conceives of the
seed as the word — the Gospel message; but in his foUowing state
ments (vs. 15-20), the seed becomes those who, under the varying
conditions portrayed in the parable, hear the word. The seed by the
beaten path represents those whose lack of receptivity makes it
impossible for the word to enter into their hearts and bear fruit; the
76

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 4:22
17. with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but
endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecu
tion ariseth because of the word, straightway they
18. stumble. And others are they that are sown among
the thorns; these are they that have heard the word,
19. and the cares of the x world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke
20. the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And those
are they that were sown upon the good ground; such
as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty-
fold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.
21. And he said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be
put under the bushel, or under the bed, and not to be
22. put on the stand? For there is nothing hid, save
that it should be manifested; neither was anything
1 the age.
seed in the rocky soil are those who with shaUow emotions receive the
word, but are unable to withstand the pressure of unfriendly and
hostile surroundings; while the seed in the thorny soil are those who
receive the word into natures that are not possessed of singleness of
purpose and therefore are open to influences that ultimately destroy
its growth. The seed which falls into the good ground represents
those who, in a sincere receptivity to spiritual truth (Luke renders it
"in an honest and good heart") accept the message of the word and
apply its claims to their personal Uves (Luke gives it "hold it fast").
With these alone the word comes to fruitage. The parable as a whole
pictures thus, not so much the difficulties of the Master's mmistry, as
the demand which it made for an appreciation of the solemn respon
sibilities which rested upon those to whom it came with its word of
eternal life. There was no lesson better suited to the conditions which
were presented in the sifting process that was taking place within the
multitude. 21, 22. Following naturally upon this parable of a responsible
hearing of the word is the paraboUc saying as to the responsible
diffusion of its truth. This was doubtless spoken, not to the general
multitude, but to the disciples who had come to him for an interpreta
tion of the larger parable, and was intended to further develop its
77

4:23 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
23. made secret, but that it should come to light. If
24. any man hath ears to hear, let him hear. And he
said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what
measure ye mete it shall be measured unto you; and
25. more shall be given unto you. For he that hath, to
him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him
shall be taken away even that which he hath.
26. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man
lesson of responsibility. Lamp — a smaU, shallow bowl of earthen
ware, with its rim at one point pinched inward to hold the wick, or
closed over entirely, excepting a smaU opening in the centre from
which the wick protruded. Bushel — a small, wooden measure, hold
ing about a peck. Bed (Ut. couch) — a raised framework of wood,
covered with cushions and used by day as a sofa. Stand — possibly of
earthenware and not over three feet in height, on which the lamp bowl
was placed. Save that it should be manifested: The truth of the
kingdom had been kept hidden, but only in order that, at the proper
time, it should be spread abroad. That it had been committed to
them, therefore, involved an obhgation on their part for its proclama
tion. 23-25. The Master repeats to these disciples the warning he had
given to the general multitude, but in a more significant way, because
of this their more vital relation to the truth which he had spoken to
them. In proportion as they received the truth, not only with an
understanding of its meaning, but with a purpose to carry out the
object with which it was communicated to them, in that proportion
would new truth be revealed to them. The proverbs with which this
is enforced are used elsewhere by the Master with other applications,
the one in ver. 24, in Matt. 7 : 2 (Lk. 6 : 38); the one in ver. 25, in
Matt. 25 : 29 (Lk. 19 : 26). This admonition naturally closes the
private conference with the disciples, so that the following two
paraboUc statements (vs. 26-34) may be taken from the teaching
which was resumed in the later part of the day (see note on vs. 35, 36).
Luke gives the parable of the Mustard Seed, together with that of the
Leaven, as detached sayings in his record of the later Ministry
(13 : 18-21). Both of them, however, belong more naturally here,
where, in fact, Matthew places them.
26-29. The blade — the green blade which first shoots up from
the earth (cf. Matt. 13 : 26). The ear — into which the blade, having
grown into a stalk, heads up (cf. 2 : 23). The full grain in the ear —
the ripened grain which finally develops in the ear. The teaching is
78

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 4:33
27. should cast seed upon the earth; and should sleep
and rise night and day, and the seed should spring
28. up and grow, he knoweth not how. The earth * bear-
eth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then
29. the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit 2 is ripe,
straightway he 3putteth forth the sickle, because
the harvest is come.
30. And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of
31. God? or in what parable shall we set it forth? 4 It is
like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown
upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds
32. that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth
up, and becometh greater than all the herbs, and
putteth out great branches; so that the birds of the
heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof.
33. And with many such parables spake he the word
1yieldeth. 2 alloweth, or is ready. 3 sendeth forth. 4 Grk. as unto.
that the growth of the kingdom is to be a gradual one, and to be
carried on by forces which are beyond external control and which,
therefore, do not caU for anxious care and worry. At the end, how
ever, when the fruit is ripe, the coming of the consummation is sud
den; for straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the har
vest is come (see Hogg, Christ's Message of the Kingdom, p. 37L).
30-32. A grain of mustard seed (Ut. a seed grain of mustard, cf.
1 Cor. 15 : 37; Jn. 12 : 24), which was commonly spoken of as the
smallest of seeds (cf. Matt. 17 : 20; Lk. 17 : 6). The plant grows wild
and is also cultivated, reaching often to a height of 10 or 12 feet.
Its seeds, which it bears in profusion, are favorite fruit for the birds,
who settle down on its branches to eat them. The persistence with
which this seed grows and spreads and maintains its hold upon the
soil, in spite of constant weeding out makes tbis parable significantly
illustrative of the Master's thought that the growth of the kingdom
is one that is not to be measured by its small beginnings (see Exposi
tory Times, Jan. 1913, p. 187).
33, 34. In these closing verses, which review this new method of
teaching, the EvangeUst has, in the former of them, the disciples
79

4 .'34 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
34. unto them, as they were able to hear it; and without
a parable spake he not unto them: but privately to
his own disciples he expounded all things.
35. And on that day, when even was come, he saith
36. unto them, Let us go over unto the other side. And
leaving the multitude, they take him with them, even
as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with
37. him. And there ariseth a great storm of wind, and the
waves beat into the boat, insomuch that the boat was
38. now filling. And he himself was in the stern, asleep
specificaUy in view, to whose receptivity to the truth the parables
were measured in their lesson-conveying power; but in the latter of
them, he has in mind the general multitude, to the receptive portion
of whom the teaching of the parables was privately unfolded.
35, 36. When even was come : The incident is definitely connected
with the day of parable teaching, the crossing to the other side being
doubtless (in fact, as Matthew distinctly states, 8 : 18, and Mark
intimates, ver. 36) to escape the thronging crowds. If, as is most
probable, all the preceding parables were spoken on this same day,
it is quite likely that the fresh hours of the morning and the cool
hours of the late afternoon were given to the gathering in the open,
the explanation of the earlier parables being made to the disciples in
the interim, when naturally the gathering would be dispersed for
rest during the heated hours of the day (cf. Matt. 13 : 36 — the parable
of the Tares, belonging thus with that of the Sower to the teaching of
the forenoon); while it would be almost certain that the reassemblage
in the afternoon would be much more largely attended than the one
in the morning — the new teaching drawing greater crowds as it
became known. Other boats— occupied possibly by the specially
curious portion of the crowd which was not content to stand upon
the beach and listen to the Master speaking from the boat, but
crowded closer to him on the water while he spoke, and, when he left
in his boat, persisted in following him. If so, they were dispersed by
the storm.
37. A great storm of wind (lit. a great hurricane of wind) — one of
those cyclonic wind storms which were accustomed suddenly to
sweep down from the mountain gorges that lined the West shores of
the lake, and whip its waters into fury. Matthew speaks of it, from
its effect upon the water, as an earthquake (Matt. 8 = 24).
38. The cushion (Ut. the headrest) — the low bench at the stern,
80

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 4:40
on the cushion: and they awake him, and say unto
39. him, Teacher, carest thou not that we perish? And
he awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the
sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there
40. was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are
on which the steersman might sit, or the captain might rest his head to
sleep. As these Galilean boats were small and accommodated at the
most but a few persons (cf. i : 20), it is clear that Jesus' occupancy of
this place not only made it necessary for the steersman to stand, but
that the entire Twelve could not have accompanied him on this
occasion. Probably, this was again Peter's boat (cf. Lk. 5 : 3) and
the only ones with him in it were the three disciples who were now, in
this very process of sympathetic sifting among his followers, coming
into closer relations to him.
39. Rebuked ... be still (lit. be muzzled, cf. 1 Cor. 9 : 9):
Though these are the same words used for Jesus' command to evil
spirits (1 : 25), and though he rebuked diseases which were popularly
supposed to be due to possession (Lk. 4 : 39), there is no reason to
believe that they are intended to convey the idea that Jesus believed
in the demonic possession of the Lake. He rebuked individuals,
where there was no idea of possession (8 :32f.; 10 : 13, 48). It is
simply a part of the graphic description of Oriental imagery. Note
the following phrase: and the wind ceased (lit. sank wearied to rest),
and the use by Jesus elsewhere of personification of animate and
inanimate nature in address (n : 14, 23). _
40, 41. Have ye not yet faith? What Jesus expected of the disci
ples was not so much a confidence in God's power over the storm —
which they might have had as Jews— and his exercise of this power
in their behalf, as their Heavenly Father— which they might have had
through Jesus' new revelation to them of God— but a confidence in
God's possession and exercise of this power, through his own presence
with them in the boat. They evidently did not lack reliance in his
ability to secure God's power to save them from the storm, for it was
this that led them to wake him; but they lacked an appreciation of
that power as resident in himself. Their awe, when they saw him
quell the waves, shows that what they expected him to do when they
waked him was in some way to enlist God's power against the storm
in their behalf. Their experience of his personal power so far had
been confined to casting out demons and curing diseases, though
his power to cure had not stopped short of restoring Ufe to the dead
(Lk. 7 : 11-17). This was the first time they had seen him face to
face with the relentless forces of nature, and if they thought the sea
81

441 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
41. ye fearful? have ye not yet faith? And they feared
exceedingly, and said one to another, Who then is
this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
5. And they came to the other side of the sea, into the
2. country of the Gerasenes. And when he was come out
of the boat, straightway there met him out of the tombs
3. a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling
in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him,
demonized, it was to them at least a more fearful demon than any
that possessed the body. Consequently, when the storm subsided,
they were filled with awesome dread, because even the wind and the
sea obey him. It was a faith in God he expected in them, but a faith
in God through faith in himself. He did not wish to replace their
faith in God with a faith in himself, but to bring their faith in God to
a completeness through their faith in himself as related to God; for
the faith to which he had finally to bring them and to which he was
directing aU his ministry with them was a faith in God's Saviorship
as possible only through himself. This made indispensable a faith
in himself as the Executor of that Salvation, and gives the reason why
he made the purpose of his ministry, not so much the impression of
his disciples from his miraculous power — though this was necessary if
they were to appreciate who he was — nor even their impression from
his teaching — though this was necessary if they were to realize what
he was to do — but the impression of them with himself; for this was
essential if his disciples were to understand that it was their relation
to him himself that determined their Salvation.
(jo) The Gerasene Demoniac, 5 : 1-20 {21)
5:1. Gerasenes: The scene of this incident is to be identified with
a town directly opposite Magdala, the ruined site of which is known as
Gersa, or Kersa. The topographical conditions of this locality satisfy
the requirements of the narrative. This town may have been in
cluded popularly in the larger territory of Gadara, — the principal
city of that region. Such an hypothesis would account for the
name in Matthew's record (8 : 28).
2-5. Tombs: There are numerous caves in the limestone hills of
the Eastern shore, which might be used for burial and to which the
demonized man would naturaUy resort, under the preconceived idea
that such places, unclean in themselves, were the haunts of unclean
spirits. Bind him . . . tame him: It was evidently an exceedingly
82

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 5:9
4. no, not with a chain; because that he had been often
bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had
been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in
5. pieces: and no man had strength to tame him. And
always, night and day, in the tombs and in the moun
tains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with
6. stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran
7. and worshipped him; and crying out with a loud
voice, he saith, What have I to do with thee, Jesus,
thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by
8. God, torment me not. For he said unto him, Come
9. forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the man. And he
asked him, What is thy name? And he saith unto
violent case, which the people had attempted to control for their own
safety (cf. Matt. 8 : 28), but with no other result than an increase of
its violence, even to the extent of self-injury. Rent asunder (Ut.
torn to shreds, cf. Acts 23 : 10). Broken in pieces (lit. crushed, cf.
14 : 3)-
6-8. Worshipped him: Here, as in the case of the Capernaum de
moniac (1 : 23-26), it was the expression of hostility and fear, and
not a conscious moral or ceremonial difference from Jesus. His first
approach toward the boat load of people was doubtless due to the
general enmity against his fellow men with which he was possessed;
but his instinctive recognition of Jesus changed this into a personal
hostiUty, overmastered by a dread which was not wholly due to
Jesus' command to come out of the man, as is clear from the parallel
case in Capernaum, where the dread was expressed before the com
mand was given (1 : 23L). Evidently, we have in both cases a pro
found impression of Jesus' personality upon the personaUty which
controlled the man. Torment me not — apparently, the agony which
accompanied an absolute expulsion (cf. 1 : 26; 9 : 26), to which ex
pulsion Mark seemingly refers in ver. 10 and Luke in his parallel
passage (8 : 31), and which was avoided by the permission finally
granted to enter into the swine (vs. i2f.).
9, 10. Thy name — addressed, not to the man, but to the demon.
This is in accord with exorcistic practice from earUest times, the
idea being that by the demon's disclosing his identity it becomes
possible to cast him out. 83

5: io THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
io. him, My name is Legion; for we are many. And he
besought him much that he would not send them away
n. out of the country. Now there was there on the moun-
12. tain side a great herd of swine feeding. And they be
sought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we
13. may enter into them. And he gave them leave. And
the unclean spirits came out, and entered into the
swine: and the herd rushed down the steep into the
sea, in number about two thousand; and they were
14. drowned in the sea. And they that fed them fled, and
told it in the city, and in the country. And they came
15. to see what it was that had come to pass. And they
come to Jesus, and behold * him that was possessed
with demons sitting, clothed and in his right mind, even
1 the demoniac.
11-13. There are two questions naturally raised by this incident:
(a) The psychological one, as to whether animals are subjects of
demoniacal possession, and (b) the moral one, as to whether the
destruction of property in this case was justifiable. As to (a), we
know too Uttle about the influences of personality upon animal intelU-
gence to deny the possibility of such an occurrence as is here nar
rated; while as to (b), there are too many things to be considered
in the incident to permit of a dogmatic judgment against the justi
fiable character of the act. Its tightness cannot be denied without
assuring ourselves that Jesus necessarily knew beforehand the fatal
effect which possession of the swine would involve; or that this per
mission of animal possession was purely arbitrary on his part and
not in line with his effort to bring about an expulsion of the demons
which would be without torture and so most merciful to the man.
In any case — whatever may have been the Master's knowledge of the
results and his purpose in the action — the freedom which the com
munity secured from the ever present danger of this violent maniac
more than measured up to the loss of the swine, for with the destruc
tion of the animals the demons had no further abiding place in the
region. 14-17. Were afraid: The keepers of the herd naturally made haste
to tell the owners what had happened, and they, as naturally, hur-
84

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 5:20
16. him that had the legion: and they were afraid. And
they that saw it declared unto them how it befell * him
that was possessed with demons, and concerning the
17. swine. And they began to beseech him to depart from
18. their borders. And as he was entering into the boat,
1he that had been possessed with demons besought him
19. that he might be with him. And he suffered him not,
but saith unto him, Go to thy house unto thy friends,
and tell them how great things the Lord hath done
20. for thee, and how he had mercy on thee. And he
1 the demoniac.
riedly made their way to the scene of the occurrence. The change
which they saw in the maniac produced in them the consciousness of
an unearthly power in their midst. But when, from those who had
witnessed all that had happened, they learned of the vital connection
between the cure of the maniac and the destruction of the demonized
swine, their fear impelled them to beseech Jesus to leave their coun
try, lest his strange and uncalculable power should bring further
losses upon them.
18-20. Suffered him not: The request of the healed man may have
had behind it a fear lest the demons return to him, if he remained in
the country (Matt. 12 : 43-45); it certainly had within it a gratitude
for the deliverance from them which Jesus had wrought. It is,
consequently, a request which commends itself as most natural. The
refusal of it, however, with the foUowing command to publish his
cure raises the question why Jesus should have pursued a course
here directly contrary to that which he pursued on the other side of
the Lake. The only answer is that the conditions were wholly dif
ferent. The inhabitants of this region were not Jews, nervously
ready for a political revolution in the following of a sensationally
proclaimed Messiah; nor were his disciples and himself to be allowed
to remain among them for any teaching or service. The ministry
of this cured man could do no harm, therefore, among the people to
whom it was to go; while, without it, there could be no proclamation
among them of the good news of the kingdom, even of this crude and
immature kind. Decapolis (lit. The Ten Cities) — a large and unde
fined region lying generally to the West, East and South of Gersa,
including the territory of Gadara, in which Gersa itself probably be
longed. The man compassed a much larger region than Jesus pro-
85

5:21 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis
how great things Jesus had done for him: and all
men marvelled.
21. And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat
unto the other side, a great multitude was gathered
22. unto. him; and he was by the sea. And there cometh
one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name;
23. and seeing him, he faileth at his feet, and beseecheth
him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point
of death: I pray thee, that thou come and lay thy
hands on her, that she may be x made whole, and live.
24. And he went with him; and a great multitude followed
him, and they thronged him.
1 be saved, or recover.
posed to him, and the enthusiasm with which the Master was re
ceived when, later on, he came into this country (7 : 1-8 : 9) may not
have been uninfluenced by the story which he pubUshed, and at
which the people marvelled.
{11) Jairus' Daughter and the Woman by the Way, 5 : 21-43 {6 : 1)
21. From ver. 18 it would seem that the return to Capernaum
was made immediately upon the close of the preceding incident,
while from ver. 2 it would be equally clear that the incident occurred
immediately upon their arrival from the other side. This, however,
does not necessitate the incident having occurred on the same day
as that of the parables.
22, 24. Rulers of the Synagogue — administrative officers who
superintended the worship of the Synagogue. In the larger syna
gogues there might be more than one such officer (cf. Acts 13 : 15
and Schurer, II : ii, 63f.). At the point of death: The Ruler clearly
recognized the serious condition of his daughter. He wished Jesus to
cure her, and laid aside all official dignity in order to make strong his
appeal. To this extent, he believed in Jesus' power in himself, or
with God; but beyond this he apparently did not go, since, when
news of her death was brought him, he, equally with the messengers,
considered it useless further to trouble the Master. The response
which he made to Jesus' appeal that he should not fear, but simply
86

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 5:30
25. And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve
26. years, and had suffered many things of many physi
cians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing
27. bettered, but rather grew worse, having heard the
things concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind,
28. and touched his garment. For she said, If I touch
29. but his garments, I shall be * made whole. And
straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up;
and she felt in her body that she was healed of her
30. 2 plague. And straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself
1 be saved, or recover. 2 Grk. scourge.
believe, must have been, at best, merely a silent willingness to let
Jesus attempt what he could in the case. The daughter whom he
believed Jesus could cure was dead, and the courage of hope to
which that faith had given rise was replaced by the fear that goes
with hopelessness — i.e. that fear which, like a panic, follows the
conviction that certain wished for results can never be secured.
25-29. Touched his garment: It is quite clear that the reason
for her secret approach to the Master was, not only her womanly
sensitiveness, but the fact that her disease rendered her ceremonially
unclean (Lev. 15 : 19-27). It is equally clear that the reason why
she was content to touch the garment of Jesus for her cure was be
cause of a superstitious element in her faith. (Note the same popular
idea in the crowds earlier in his ministry, 3 : 10, and later, 6 : 56),
though it was not this but the personal element in her faith, that
related herself as a sufferer to Jesus as a healer that effected the cure.
• 30-32. Power . . . had gone forth: Mark does not give this as a
statement of Jesus himself — as does Luke in his later and perhaps
more idealized understanding of the case (8:46). It may, there
fore, have been but the natural inference of the disciples that this
was how the healing — to all appearances without Jesus' personal act —
was to be explained ; whereas, in fact, Jesus had not only been con
scious of a touch, different from the careless contacts of a pressing
crowd, but had personally responded to it. (See Garvie, Studies in
the Inner Life of Jesus, p. 231; Hogg, Christ's Message of the Kingdom,
pp. 64-66.)
33, 34. Fearing and trembling : She may have feared a rebuke from
him, because by her touch she had rendered him ceremonially un
clean (Lev. 15 : 19), while she knew also that she had got her cure
87

5:31 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
that the power proceeding from him had gone forth,
turned him about in the crowd, and said, Who touched
31. my garments? And his disciples said unto him, Thou
seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou,
32. Who touched me? And he looked round about to
33. see her that had done this thing. But the woman
fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done
to her, came and fell down before him, and told him
34. all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy
faith hath x made thee whole; go in peace, and be
whole of thy 2 plague.
35. While he yet spake, they come from the ruler of the
synagogue's house, saying, Thy daughter is dead:
36. why troublest thou the Teacher any further? But
Jesus, 3 not heeding the word spoken, saith unto
1 saved thee. 2 Grk., scourge. 3 overhearing.
by stealth. More likely, however, this was the outcome of the men
tal and spiritual effort that had been necessary to bring her to the
act, and of the consciousness of the great cure that had been wrought
within her. The incident of vs. 30-33 is not given by Matthew.
Thy faith . . . whole: While Jesus had responded to her act, as
far as it had been one of faith, he had not been willing to leave the
faith in its crude condition, and so had summoned her to a confession,
in order that the personal element in her faith might be brought to
its expression and thus confirmed and made strong. It is only after
her personal confession that her faith is commended by him.
35, 36. Fear not, only believe: Jesus' demand upon the Ruler
was, negatively, to lay aside the panic of his fear, which, of course,
would be possible only as the positive element of a stronger faith
was realized, since this was the basis on which alone he could act.
The Ruler's faith had not considered Jesus practically as one who
could do more than cure. The situation, however, was now beyond
this point, and the faith which Jesus asked for was one which should
be equal to the emergency of death, on the basis of a personal confi
dence in him as having and exercising a power beyond that even of a
superior exorcism. (Note the popular acclaim of Jesus after the
88

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 5:40
37. the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe. And
he suffered no man to follow with him, save Peter,
38. and x James, and John the brother of 1 James. And
they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue;
and he beholdeth a tumult, and many weeping and
39. wailing greatly. And when he was entered in, he saith
unto them, Why make ye a tumult, and weep? the
40. child is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed
him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth,
taketh the father of the child and her mother and them
that were with him, and goeth in where the child was.
1 Jacob.
raising of the Widow's Son, Lk. 7 : 16). This incident of the message
and Jesus' demand for a stronger faith is not given by Matthew.
37-40. Save Peter, and James and John: This is the first men
tion of Jesus' selection of members of the Twelve to be companions
with him in his special experiences. (This selection is not referred
to by Matthew.) These three were with him later at the Transfigura
tion (9 : 2) and in Gethsemane (14 =33). A tumult — the uproar
made by the professional mourners and flute players (cf. Matt. 9 : 23),
who were doubtless stationed in the court, through which Jesus passed
on his way to the room. Why . . . tumult and weep? This re
monstrance doubtless met with no response and was consequently
followed by the command to leave the place (cf. Matt. 9 : 24), with
the statement of the fact on which the command was based — the
child is not dead but sleepeth: This is a metaphorical statement,
similar to the one made in the case of Lazarus (Jn. 11 : n-14), and
based upon the common Jewish usage of sleep as a figure of death
(cf. Matt. 27 : 52; Acts 7 : 60; 13 : 36; 1 Cor. 15 : 20, etc., and fre
quently in the Old Testament). Jesus recognized the fact that the
child was dead, but proclaimed by these words his consciousness of
power and his purpose to restore her to life. To suppose that he
believed the child was dead when she was not, is to beg the question
of his power to raise the dead; to suppose that he knew she was not
dead, is to credit him with unusual powers of diagnosis before he had
seen the body. Either supposition is improbable. Laughed him
to scorn : Their boisterous resentment of Jesus' statement — a resent
ment not unnatural in view of their spiritual inability to recognize the
89

5:41 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
41. And taking the child by the hand, he saith unto her,
Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I
42. say unto thee, Arise. And straightway the damsel
rose up, and walked; for she was twelve years old.
And they were amazed straightway with a great
43. amazement. And he charged them much that no
man should know this: and he commanded that some
thing should be given her to eat.
6. And he went out from thence; and he cometh into
meaning it contained — made necessary their removal from the prem
ises. 41-43. Arise: This summons (not given by Matthew, 9 : 25) is
identical with that made to the Widow's Son at Nain (Lk. 7 : 14),
and practically the same as that to Lazarus in the tomb (Jn. 11 : 43).
It is not a summons to the body to awake (4 : 38), but to the soul
to resume its living functions in the body (Lk. 8 : 55). Charged . . .
no man should know this: Apparently, this caution (not referred
to by Matthew) was due to the fact that conditions were develop
ing, which, if sensationally intensified, would end all his Galilean
work. Two preaching tours had been made, on the latter of which
he had been nailed as the Messiah (Matt. 12 : 23), the sifting process
was giving more force to the increasing enthusiasm of the sympathetic
element among the people, and this enthusiasm might easily be led
astray from the spiritual goal to which he wished to bring it to a
purely political outcome, as in fact it was, soon after this (Jn. 6 : I4f .).
The taking with him of none but the parents and the chosen disciples,
and the dismissal of the mourners, shows his desire to reduce the sen
sation caused by the miracle to its minimum. No such action or
command was considered needful, either in the earlier case at Nain,
or at the later case at Bethany; but his statement that the maid was
not dead, but only asleep, cannot be assigned to this motive without
attacking the moral position of Jesus. It was not intended as a cue
to the report he wished them to spread abroad, but as a rebuke to
the popular lack of faith in him for such an emergency as presented
itself in the death of this child.
{12) The Rejection at Nazareth, 6 : i-6a
6:1. This incident is recorded by Luke at the beginning of the
GaUlean ministry (4 : 16-30). It is given with considerable detail
and, probably, from sources pecuUar to himself. Matthew records it
90

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:3
2. his own country; and his disciples follow him. And
when the sabbath was come, he began to teach in
the synagogue: and 1many hearing him were aston
ished, saying, Whence hath this man these things?
and, What is the wisdom that is given unto this man,
and what mean such 2 mighty works wrought by his
3. hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary,
1 Some MSS. prefix the. 2 Grk. powers.
at the close of the day of Parables (13 : 54-58). Mark's placing of it
is most likely to be historical; for, as he presents it, it seems another
attempt on Jesus' part to escape the increasing crowds. At the same
time, we must not deny the possibility of Jesus' having visited his
home town early in his Galilean work, though it could not have
been with the violent results which Luke gives us in his record.
These belong to the advanced stage of his ministry, when hostility
was rising against him (see note on 3 : 6). His own country: This
word here and in ver. 4 (Matt. 13 : 54; Lk. 4 : 23f.) has its narrower
meaning of 'town,' since Jesus was already in Galilee; in Jn. 4 : 44, it
has its more usual meaning of 'country,' since Jesus was going from
Judaea into Galilee. Neither Matthew nor Luke make mention of
his being accompanied by his disciples.
2, 3. He began to teach in the synagogue: Jesus' 'custom,' to
which Luke refers (4 : 16), was his custom in the earUer years in
Nazareth of worshipping in the home synagogue; his teaching, either
in this or in other synagogues, was only through invitation of the
officials. Many . . . were astonished: Jesus' discourse, which was
based on what was apparently the lesson for the day as given in
Isa. 61 : if . (Lk. 4 : 18), produced on the greater portion of his
audience an unfortunate impression. They admitted its wisdom,
they recognized also the significance of the mighty works reported to
have been done by him throughout Galilee, but they could not
account for these things in one whom they had known simply as the
carpenter, the son of one of the village households, a man who had
grown up among themselves; least of all did they rehsh the applica
tion which he doubtless made of the Scripture he had read (cf. Lk.
4 : 21). As a consequence, they were offended in him, i.e. they
resented the fact that he, being to them the commonplace man that
he was, should intrude himself upon them, not only as an interpreter of
God's word, but as the one in whom its prophecies of Messianic times
were fulfilled. Mary: Luke's phrasing of the people's exclamation
indicates their natural reference to Jesus as Joseph's son (4 : 22;
91

6:4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
and brother of 1 James, and Joses, and Judas, and
Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And
4. they were 2 offended in him. And Jesus said unto
them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his
own country, and among his own kin, and in his own
5. house. And he could there do no 3 mighty work, save
that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and
6. healed them. And he marvelled because of their
unbelief. And he went round about the villages teaching.
1 Jacob. 2 Grk. caused lo stumble. 8 Grk. power.
cf. Jn. 6 : 42); the mention by Mark of only his Mother's name is
unusual and has significant bearing on the question whether his
Father was still alive. Brother: These four, whose names are
given only here and in the parallel passage in Matthew (13 : 55 —
"Joseph" being merely another form of "Joses"), were, most prob
ably, fuU brothers of Jesus. Here with us: The reference to his
sisters as being resident in Nazareth may indicate that they were
married and Uving in homes of their own in that place.
4-6a. A prophet is not without honor: This is Jesus' way of ac
counting for the manner of his reception. It was not because he
came back to his townspeople as one of themselves; but because, as
one of themselves, he came back to them as a prophet. As a general
thing, people do not willingly accept the preaching of one whom they
consider no better than themselves. This is strikingly true when one
preaches to his own kinsfolk and within his own home. (For the use
of this same proverb on another occasion, see Jn. 4 : 44.) He could do
there no mighty work: The reason for Jesus' rejection at Nazareth,
as in the case of every prophet, was the strange failure to appreciate
him on the part of those who should have been able best to under
stand him. Another reason was the lack of spiritual sympathy with
him and his work that made it impossible for him to carry on his
work in their midst. Such small acts of healing as he did accomplish
must have preceded this discourse in the synagogue, since it was
foUowed by his expulsion from the town (cf. Lk. 4 : 28-30). Perhaps,
the meagreness of this healing added to their unfavorable opinion of
him, as Jesus analyzed it (cf. Lk. 4 : 23). Marvelled — not in the
sense of being unable to account for it; since he had shown the reason
for it and had confronted it with the results which inevitably must
92

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
7. And he calleth unto him the twelve, and began to
send them forth by two and two; and he gave them
8. authority over the unclean spirits; and he charged
them that they should take nothing for their journey,
save a staff only; no bread, no wallet, no money
9. in their purse; but to go shod with sandals: and, said
foUow upon it (cf. Lk. 4 : 25-27), but in the sense of condemning it
as that which he had no reason to expect. In this same sense — but
from the contrary point of view — he had marveUed at the Centurion's
faith (Matt. 8 : 10).
(r 3) A Third Preaching Tour, 6 : 6b-i3
(For the Second Tour see note on 3 : i9b-2i.)
6b. He went about the villages teaching: Beyond this single sen
tence, Mark does not refer to the incidents of this tour, while Luke
makes no mention of the tour at all. Matthew, however, summarizes
its happenings at the close of his first group of miracles (9 : 35; vs.
36-38 are probably connected with other events).
7. It is in connection with this tour that the Twelve are sent out.
Their mission is not likely to have been to the villages involved in the
itinerary, but to a wider range of territory, which it would have been
impossible for him alone to reach (cf. vs. 11-13), which seem to in
dicate a mission belonging distinctly to the Twelve, and ver. 14,
where the information which came to Herod seems to have depended
on a more extensive spread of a heralding and wonder-working minis
try than would have been comprised in a single circuit of villages such
as he was making (cf. also Matt. 10 : 5). The motive for this mission
was doubtless Jesus' consciousness of a growing hostility against him,
so strikingly called to his mind by his experience at Nazareth. This
would naturally urge him to a speedy spreading of the announcement
of the Kingdom throughout Galilee before his ministry there should
be brought to a close. Two and two — enough for companionship, not
enough for controversy (cf. 9 : 33-35; Lk. 22 : 24). Authority over
the unclean spirits: As is clear from ver. 13, this was accompanied
with power to heal diseases (Lk. 9 : 2 ; cf. also Matt. 10 : 1 ; Lk. 9 : if.),
and, from Matthew's statement (10 : 8), even with power to raise the
dead; while the command to herald the nearness of the kingdom
(cf. Matt. 10 : 7) and to call upon the people to repent (cf. ver. 12)
appears to have formed the essential feature of their commission.
8, 9. These verses contain restrictions as to the equipment of
the missioners for their journey. The purpose of these restrictions
93

6:io THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
io. he, put not on two coats. And he said unto them,
Wheresoever ye enter into a house, there abide till
ii. ye depart thence. And whatsoever place shall not
receive you, and they hear you not, as ye go forth
thence, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a
12. testimony unto them. And they went out, and
was evidently to impress upon them the seriousness of their mission.
They are not to consider so much their comfort and convenience as
their work; for the situation, as the Master saw it, was urgent.
A staff — always taken by the traveller, whatever else he might omit
(cf. Gen. 32 : 10). Matthew and Luke prohibit even this. Wallet —
a leathern sack for carrying provisions (cf. 2 Kings 4 : 42). Money
(lit. brass) — the common coin of Palestine. Luke substitutes "silver "
and Matthew adds "no gold, nor silver." Purse (Ut. girdle) — used
for carrying small change, or for secreting larger sums. Different
from the bag referred to in Lk. 10 : 4; 22 : 35L Sandals — a sole of
leather, or wood, bound to the foot with thongs. Matthew's term
"shoes" (10 : 10) which he forbids, clearly refers to the same article.
Luke makes no mention of them. Coats — the tunic, or undergar
ment, worn next to the skin. In Matt. 5 : 40, it is distinguished from
the "cloak," which was the mantle or outer garment thrown over the
tunic (cf. also Jn. 19 =23; Acts 9 : 39).
10, 11. The directions in these two verses continue the purpose of
impressing upon the Twelve the urgent character of their mission.
When they have found a lodging (Matthew adds that they are to
select only such as is "worthy"; cf. 10 : 11-13), they are to remain in
it until their mission in the place is finished. They are not to change
from house to house, seeking better entertainment (cf. Lk. 10 : 7);
for their object in the lodging is not to secure a place of ease, but a
center of work. On the other hand, should the place to which they
come not receive them or their message, they are not to delay and
attempt to win the people of the place from their unfriendliness, but
to depart, testifying, through a well known symboUc act, not only
their own freedom from responsibility in the case, but the barrier to
fellowship which their unreceptive action had established (cf. Acts
13 : 51; 18 : 6). Matthew extends these directions to great iength
(10 : 15-42), incorporating among them, apparently, some sayings
from later occasions {e.g. vs. 17-22; cf. also 34-36, 38f.); while Luke
has reproduced the substance of the Matthew version in connection
with a subsequent mission of a larger group of disciples (10 : 1-16).
12, 13. Anointed with oil — a familiar specific in the medical
treatment of that time. It was used, consequently, as a symbol of the
94

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:16
13. preached that men should repent. And they cast
out many demons, and anointed with oil many that
were sick, and healed them.
14. And king Herod heard thereof; for his name had
become known: and 1 he said, John the Baptizer is
risen from tie dead, and therefore do these powers
15. work in him. But others said, It is Elijah. And others
16. said, It is a prophet, even as one of the prophets. But
Herod, when he heard thereof, said, John, whom I
1 Some MSS. read they.
divine healing which they were ministering. The practice seems to
have been continued in the early Church (cf. Jas. 5 : 14).
{14) Herod's Opinion of Jesus, with the Story of the Baptist's Imprison
ment and Death, 6 : 14-29
14-16. King Herod — Herod Antipas, by the will of his father,
Herod the Great, appointed tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, one of the
four portions into which this ruler divided his kingdom among his
sons. Over those countries he ruled from 4 B.C. until 37 a.d.,
maintaining a policy of friendliness to the Romans and of shrewd
regard for the reUgious scruples of the Jews. He interested himself in
the building of cities, his greatest undertaking being the erection of
Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee (Jn. 6 : 23), which he made his capital,
and which gave its name to the Lake (Jn. 6 : 1 ; 21 : 1) . This Herod is
the one most frequently mentioned in the New Testament (8 : 15;
Lk. 3 : 1, 19; 8 : 3; 13 : 3*f-; 23 : 7-*S; Acts 4 : 27; 13 : *)- Mark
gives him here his courtesy title of "king"; Matthew and Luke, his
more accurate title of "tetrarch" (Matt. 14 : 1; Lk. 9 : 7). _ Heard
thereof: It is not likely, from such statements as are made in 1 : 28
and 3 : 8, that this was the first information of Jesus that had come to
Herod. Doubtless, this last preaching tour, together with the wider
mission of the Twelve, had greatly spread the fame of his ministry,
and brought it anew to the hearing of the King; but even then, it
would not have arrested his attention, had it not been for the con
jectures which accompanied it and which were, in all probability,
due to the spirit of Messianic expectancy among the people (cf.
Lk. 3 : 15; Matt. 12 : 23). These conjectures were confused: Some
said that John, the Baptizer, is risen from the dead (cf. Lk. 9:7).
The fact that John had been held to be a prophet; that he had been
wickedly put to death; and that Jesus was preaching the same mes-
95

6: 17 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
17. beheaded, he is risen. For Herod himself had sent
forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in
prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's
18. wife; for he had married her. For John said unto
Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's
sage of the nearness of the kingdom as he had preached, would not
make unnatural the superstitious idea that this man of God had
returned to Ufe, with supernatural powers (therefore do these powers
work in him, cf. Jn. 10 : 41). Others, less credulous, gave expression
to the common beUef, founded on Mai. 4 : 5, that Elijah would come
as a precursor of the Messiah (cf. 9 : nf.; Matt. 11 : 14), and identi
fied him with that prophet with whom John himself had refused to
be identified (Jn. 1 : 21); while others, not knowing how to identify
him, held him to be one of the old prophets come again to earth
(cf. Lk. 9 : 8; Matt. 16 : 14). The guilty conscience of Herod, in
spite of the Sadducean scepticism to which he was more than likely
predisposed (cf. Matt. 16 : 11 with Mk. 8 : 14), was not only startled
by these conjectures, but it fixed upon the one that made Jesus out
to be the resurrected John.
17, 18. The story of John's imprisonment and death is here in
troduced, to account for the statement of his beheading. Matthew
has an extended account of this event (Matt. 14 : 1-12), though not
as detailed as Mark's. Luke makes, however, nothing more than a
mere mention of the fact (3 : igi.). Laid hold . . . bound him in
prison: This was done before Jesus began his Galilean work (1 : 14);
in fact, it seems to have been the reason for his leaving Judaea and
going into Galilee (Matt. 4 .-12; see note on 1 : 14). He was impris
oned in the fortress attached to the palace of Machaerus — a rocky
citadel, on the East side of the Dead Sea, opposite the wilderness of
Judaea and thus within sight of. the scene of his early work. His
captivity continued until well after the beginning of Jesus' Galilean
work (Matt, n : 2f.; Lk. 7 : 18), though Matthew can hardly be
accurate in making his death to have occurred as late as at the close
of this mission of the Twelve (14 : 12-14). Herodias — the daughter
of Aristobulus, the son of Herod the Great and Mariamme, grand
daughter of Hyrcanus II. She was, therefore, niece, not only of
Antipas, but of his half-brother Philip, her first husband. This
Philip was not the tetrarch of Ituraa (Lk. 3 : 1), but another half-
brother of Antipas, son of Herod's third wife, Mariamme, daughter
of Simon, the High Priest. Not lawful: As wife of his brother, who
was still living, the marriage came under the strict prohibitions of the
law (cf. Lev. 18 : 16). 96

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:22

19. wife. And Herodias set herself against him, and de-
20. sired to kill him; and she could not; for Herod feared
John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man,
and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he 1 was
21. much perplexed; and he heard him gladly. And
when a convenient day was come, that Herod on
his birthday made a supper to his lords, and the 2 high
22. captains, and the chief men of Galilee; and when 3 the
daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced,
1 Many MSS. read did many things. * military tribunes Grk. chiliarchs.
s Some MSS. read his daughter Herodias.
19, 20. Set herself against him: Herodias' attitude toward the
Baptist was one of murderous hatred; Herod's, because of the moni
tions of conscience, was one of fear mingled with appreciation. His
imprisonment of the preacher was due, not so much to personal
anger, as to dread of his influence among the people (cf. Matt. 14 : 5).
In fact, by imprisoning him he sought to prevent, not only his possible
rousing of the people against him (cf. Josephus, Antiquities, XVIII,
v. 2), but, according to our Evangelist, the wreaking of Herodias'
wrath upon him; since this would only have inflamed the people's
feelings and disturbed his own, for he knew that he was a righteous
and holy man, and so he kept him safe. With this attitude toward
him, it was natural that frequently he should send for him, to hear
him discourse, and just as natural that the discourse, though approved
by his moral sense, should leave him in a confusion of purpose and
an impotence of will.
2 1 . Convenient — i.e. for the realizing of Herodias' purpose. There
was more likeUhood of securing the King's consent to her wish in
the flushed excitement of such a festivity as this than when the sober
thoughts of his personal and political responsibiUties controlled him.
Lords : These were the chief civil dignitaries of his tetrarchy, as the
high captains were its chief military officials (cf. Rev. 6 : 15); while
the chief men of Galilee were most likely the nobility of the province,
representing the native population, as over against the civil and miU-
tary officials, who were, in aU probability, foreign.
22-29. The daughter of Herodias— Salome, who afterwards mar
ried Philip, the tetrarch of Trachonitis, her maternal uncle, and
later, Aristobulus, King of Chalcis. The implacable hatred of Hero
dias is seen in this willingness to degrade her daughter, a princess,
to the level of the hired dancers, who belonged to a confessedly im-
97

6:23 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
1 she pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with
him; and the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me
23. whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And
he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me,
24. I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And
she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall
I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptizer,
25. And she came in straightway with haste unto the
king, and asked, saying, I will that thou forthwith
26. give me on a platter the head of John the Baptist. And
the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his
oaths, and of them that sat at meat, he would not
Ut.
moral class, in the hope of entrapping the king into her plot against
the Baptist. If the marginal reading "his daughter Herodias" —
which is better attested — should be substituted for the text, it would
indicate that the maid was a namesake of her mother and a child
of the present marriage. It is not likely, however, that Herodias
would assign Herod's own child to such a task. Her hope was realized,
for the dancing of the girl pleased Herod, and he bade her ask of
him what she would, confirming it with an oath that committed him
to the granting of her request, even to the half of his kingdom (cf.
Esther 5 : 3, 6; 7 : 2). While the daughter and the mother doubtless
were in full sympathy with each other, it is clear that the girl had
not been let into the details of the plot; for she had to seek Herodias
in order to learn what request she was to make. In fact, that a re
quest was permitted her was evidently a surprise, for the King's
following of his statement with an oath was most likely due to the
hesitancy of her first astonishment at his words (Matthew's record,
14 : 6-12, is manifestly contracted). Whether Salome needed urg
ing — as Matthew's phrase, "being put forward by her mother,"
might seem to imply — or not, she promptly presents to the King
her mother's wish, an essential part of which was the demand for its
immediate fulfilment. This would indicate that the banquet was
held in the palace of Machaerus. The King's sorrow was an admix
ture of genuine vexation and grief (cf. Lk. 18 : 23), which, however,
was not strong enough to overcome the fancied honor involved in his
rash oath — an oath which in his vassal relations to Rome could never
98

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:33
27. reject her. And straightway the king sent forth a
soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head:
28. and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and
brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the
29. damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother. And
when his disciples heard thereof, they came and took
up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
30. And the apostles gather themselves together unto
Jesus; and they told him all things, whatsoever they
31. had done, and whatsoever they had taught. And he
saith unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a
desert place, and rest a while. For there were many
coming and going, and they had no leisure so much
32. as to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desert
33. place apart. And the people saw them going, and many
knew them, and they ran together there * on foot
1 by land.
have been literally fulfilled, and which now was being kept probably
more through a pride in his relations towards those that were with him
at the banquet than through any regard for the character of his oath
as such. A soldier of his guard (lit. a spy, or scout) — a term applied
to soldiers employed to keep a lookout or carry despatches. They
formed a distinct corps and were employed by the emperors as a
bodyguard, in which capacity they would naturally be selected for
the carrying out of imperial sentences (cf. Schurer, I, ii, 63). Herod
seems to have had some such bodyguard, from whose members he
selected one to execute his sentence upon the Baptist. Platter (A. V.
"charger") — a flat dish, either of earthenware or metal. The dis
ciples . . . took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb: Their permission
to bury the body was due, doubtless, to Herod's sorrowful realization
of what he had been allured into aUowing to be done.
(15) The Feeding of the Five Thousand, 6 : 30-44 {56)
30-33. The Apostles: Mark here gives the disciples the name by
which they were better known when he wrote, not in its official sense,
but as an appropriate designation of those who had been " sent forth "
99

6:34 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
34. from all the cities, and outwent them. And he came
forth and saw a great multitude, and he had compas
sion on them, because they were as sheep not having
a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples
came unto him, and said, The place is desert, and the
on this tour and were now returning from it (cf. 6:7). Gather
themselves . . . unto Jesus — from the various directions in which
they had gone, to some previously appointed place, obviously on the
Western side of the Lake and most likely Capernaum. Come . . .
into a desert place and rest — not in the immediate neighborhood
of their gathering place (see notes on 1 : 35, 45), but across the
Lake (as in 4 : 35), quite probably in the neighborhood of Bethsaida
JuUas (cf. Lk. 9 : 10, 12). They ran . . . there on foot — around
the North end of the Lake, having seen them depart and surmising
their destination from the direction in which they were headed.
Naturally, they told of their quest as they went, and so added to
their numbers from aU the cities through which they passed. Event
ually, Mark says, they reached the other side of the Lake ahead of
them. This might be possible, if the wind was light or contrary;
since the distance by land was but ten miles, while that by water
was four. The record of the Fourth Gospel, however, would seem
to indicate that Jesus and the disciples reached the other side first
and went up the mountain to their place of retirement, from which,
later on, Jesus beheld the multitude and came down to them (Jn.
6 : 1-5).
34. Came forth — from the boat. Had compassion on them — in
spite of their having prevented his plan for retirement; because,
through this impulsive and eager following of him, there was brought
to him afresh their need of and readiness for a true religious leader
ship. So, putting aside his desire for rest, he began to teach them
many things — not in the sense of diversified themes, for evidently
there was but the one theme of the kingdom of God (cf. Lk. 9 : 11),
but in the sense of an abundance of teaching on this one theme.
35-38. The day was ... far spent: The Passover being near, it
would be the time of the Spring Equinox, the sun setting about six
o'clock; so that the teaching had continued into the late afternoon.
The place is desert, and, consequently, the people, who in their hurry
had brought no provisions with them, could get food for their long
delayed meal only by being dismissed and aUowed to go to the sur
rounding country (Ut. tilled fields, farms, cf. 5 : 14) and nearby
villages. According to John (6 : 5), the coUoquy was begun by

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:3g
36. day is now far spent; send them away, that they may
go into the country and villages round about, and buy
37. themselves somewhat to eat. But he answered and
said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say
unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred shillings'
38. worth of bread, and give them to eat? And he saith
unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see.
And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
39. And he commanded them that all should x sit down
1 recline, lie down.
Jesus. The following answer of the disciples gives us really a com
bination of John's statement, of Jesus' query, and of Philip's reply.
Shall we go and buy: The disciples had no idea of Jesus' plan, and,
apparently, no appreciation of his power over the supplies of nature
(cf. Jn. 6:9). The incident at the Wedding Feast at Cana had been
forgotten; the recent stilling of the storm may have assured them of
his control of Nature, but it had led them to no inference as to his
power immediately to create what Nature produces. Two hundred
shillings (lit. denarii) worth: The denarius was the day wage of the
laborer (Matt. 20 : 2) — somewhat less than twenty cents. Two
hundred denarii — about forty dollars — would be far more than the
disciples had in their common purse, and would represent their con
viction as to the hopelessness of the undertaking (cf . 14 : 5 ; Lk. 7 : 41).
How many loaves have ye? They may not have had any provisions,
expecting to supply themselves from the villages as they had need,
during their absence (cf. Jn. 4:8). According to the Fourth Evange
hst (6 : 8f.), it is Andrew who discovers the five loaves (a small flat
cake, fairly thick, about the size of a plate, sufficient for a peal; cf.
Lk. 11 : sf.), which he says were made of barley (the grain of the
poor; cf. 2 Kings 7 : 18), and the two fishes (cooked or dried, as a
reUsh with the bread; cf. Jn. 21 : 9, 13), in the possession of a lad
who, doubtless attracted by the crowd, was offering them for sale.
39-44. By companies (lit. symposia by symposia) — to secure an
orderly arrangement for the distribution of the food. Green grass —
the fresh, young grass of the springtime. In ranks (lit. garden plots
by garden plots) — rectangular groups, with passageways between
them. Looking up to heaven: This marked tie Master's conscious
ness of the significance of what he was about to do (cf. 7 : 34; Jn.
11 : 41), the blessing of the food (see Edersheim, I, p. 684, for the usual
form), and the breaking of the bread — the loaves, being relatively

6:40 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
40. by companies upon the green grass. And they sat
41. down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And he
took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking
up to heaven, he blessed, and brake the loaves; and
he gave to the disciples to set before them; and the two
42. fishes divided he among them all. And they all ate,
43. and were filled. And they took up broken pieces,
44. twelve basketfuls, and also of the fishes. And they
that ate the loaves were five thousand men.
45. And straightway he constrained his disciples to
¦enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the
other side to Bethsaida, while he himself sendeth the
46. multitude away. And after he had taken leave of
thin, were never cut — were the custom in the daily meal (cf. Lk. 24 :
30; Acts 27 : 35). From the following statement by all the Synop-
tists, as well as by John, it is clear that what took place was to them
distinctly miraculous. The five loaves and the two fishes were dis
tributed among the multitude of five thousand, and they aU ate
and were filled, and they took up of the fragments remaining twelve
basketfuls. As far as historical criticism can go in accrediting a
miracle, the evidence is complete; the only thing that will call it in
question is the presence of hostile presuppositions in the mind of the
critic. The discourse which in the Fourth Gospel follows this event,
gives no reason to believe that in the Master's mind there was any
forecast of the Passover Meal in this provision which he made for
the multitude's needs. The language in that discourse, which specific
ally refers to the coming sacrifice of himself (vs. 51-58), is occasioned
simply by the developed argument involved in the presentation over
against their material view of his Messiahship of the profoundly spir
itual character of his mission and of their personal relationship to
him. In fact, with the estimate which that discourse shows he had
of their hopelessly material attitude toward his work (ver. 26), he
could hardly have had in this meal provided for their needs a foretaste
of the communion of the Passover meal with his disciples.
45, 46. Straightway he constrained his disciples ... to go
before him unto the other side: The reason for this sudden reversal
of his plan of retirement is given in the Fourth Gospel (6 : 14L). The
provision for the people's needs had carried their enthusiasm beyond

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:48
47. them, he departed into the mountain to pray. And
when even was come, the boat was in the midst of
48. the sea, and he alone on the land. And seeing them
distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto
them, about the fourth watch of the night he cometh
unto them, walking on the sea; and he would have
the acknowledgment of him as a prophet to a determination to pro
claim him as their revolutionary leader. Possibly, to withdraw his
disciples from the contagion of such ideas, certainly to secure for
himself the quiet of communion with God, he sends them across the
bay which separated the place of the feeding from the city of Beth-
saida. (Mentioned only by Mark; Matthew says simply "unto the
other side," 14 : 22; John, making no reference to the Master's in
structions, speaks of them as "going over the sea unto Capernaum,"
6 : 17, their final gathering place, 6 : 24, 59): There is no certain
evidence of the existence of another city of this name on the Western
side of the Lake. There may have been near the newer Greek Beth-
saida JuUas an older Jewish Bethsaida, to which such references as
Jn. 12 : 21 would apply and to which Jesus would resort in preference
to the more fashionable Greek city (see Guthe's suggestion, Bibel-
worterbuch, sub voce and plates 14 and 13 of his Bibel-Atlas; also San-
day's Sacred Sites, p. 48 and Map). Taken leave of them— the
multitude, to dismiss whom he remains after sending his disciples
away. The multitude referred to in the Fourth Gospel as stiU on
the Eastern side of the Lake the next day, 6:22, were the enthusiasts
whom the Evangehst conceives of as remaining on the ground over
night to witness more wonders and to be fed again, ver. 26, — possibly
to carry out their revolutionary plans, ver. 15. To pray: He clearly
foresaw the crisis to which the political enthusiasm of the multitude
was bringing his work, and sought in this way to prepare himself for
it. If the recent death of the Baptist had foreboded danger to him
self (see Lk. 13 : 31-33, during his later journey to Jerusalem), still
the desire to withdraw to the retired regions of the Eastern shore of
the Lake was more to afford his disciples rest after the strain of their
tour and, for himself, to escape the ever-increasing crowd that pressed
upon him, than to get beyond the reach of Herod. The political out
burst of the multitude had introduced a new and alarming element
into the situation, to meet which he saw no preparation save in
prayer. 47-52. When even was come : The sun had set (the Fourth Gospel
states definitely that it was dark, 6 : 17), and the Passover moon had
risen. Jesus was thus enabled to distinguish the boat in the midst of
io3

6:49 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
49. passed by them: but they, when they saw him walking
on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out;
50. for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he
straightway spake with them, and saith unto them,
51. Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went
up unto them into the boat; and the wind ceased:
the sea (not geographically, but relatively to the land, i.e. in deep
water), as it labored against the wind that had risen and was driving
it down and across the Lake towards the Western shore. But ev
idently he did not altogether forego his vigil, for it was not until the
fourth watch of the night (from 3 to 6 a.m., Roman reckoning) that
he came to them. By this time, the disciples, in spite of their efforts,
had been driven in a tortuous course far from their intended landing
place. (The Fourth Gospel says they had gone 25 or 30 stadia, i.e.
3 or 4 miles, 6 : 19.) The moon had set and the wind was still against
them. At this unexpected hour and to them most unnatural place,
the Master appears walking on the sea: This was a control of the
forces of nature seemingly more real, but in fact not more so than his
stilling of the storm (4 : 35-41). It admits of no naturahstic explana
tion. Its only alternative is pure legend, to account for which re
quires ingenuity. Would have passed them by: Doubtless, his pur
pose was to recaU to their minds the lesson he had sought to teach
them in his stilling of the storm — that his mere presence with them
should be enough to assure them in any trouble. Had they thor
oughly learned that lesson, they might have believed his presence
would have been granted them in this present difficulty; but they were
slow of heart and were not expecting him; so that, in the darkness,
they thought what they saw was a ghost (lit. a phantom, an appari
tion; cf. Job 4 : 158.), and they cried out in fear (cf. 1 : 23). Indeed,
according to Matthew (14 : 28-32), though Jesus reassured them as to
his identity (cf. Lk. 24 : 37ff.), they were not all convinced — at least
Peter demanded additional proof, which, in its working out, disclosed
the smallness of his faith in the protecting power of Jesus' presence.
The wind ceased: This should have brought vividly to them their
experience in the storm (4 :39), but they were sore amazed — not
with awesome fear, as had been the case when the storm ceased
(4 : 41), but with an astonishment at results which were not looked for
in his presence, in spite of the marvel of the feeding of the multitude
but a few hours before (see their even later failure to appreciate this
miracle, 8 : 14-21). Matthew states that this amazement expressed it
self in a confession of his Messiahship (14 : 33), which would be under
stood better as the result of the maturer Messianic convictions
104

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 6:56
52. and they were sore amazed in themselves; for they
understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart
was hardened.
53. And when they had crossed over, they came to
the land unto Gennesaret, and moored to the shore.
54. And when they were come out of the boat, straightway
55. the people knew him, and ran round about that whole
region, and began to carry about on their 1 beds
56. those that were sick, where they heard he was. And
wheresoever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or
into the country, they laid the sick in the market
places, and besought him that they might touch if it
were but the border of his garment: and as many as
touched 2 him were made whole.
1 pallets. 2»Y.
uttered by Peter some months afterwards at Caesarea PhiUppi
(8 : 29), as would also his confession at the close of Jesus' discourse
dehvered in the Capernaum synagogue the following day (Jn. 6 : 69).
53-56. Crossed over they came to the land unto Gennesaret
(better- Crossed over to the land, they came unto Gennesaret) : The ceas
ing of the wind enabled them to make progress in such direction
as they wished; but, as the Master was now with them and they had
been driven so far from Bethsaida, they proceeded towards the
Western shore, landing considerably South of Capernaum, at the
Plain of Genessaret. Carry about . . . where they heard he was:
As soon as they landed, Jesus was recognized, and the report of his
return (cf. vs. 32f.) was spread abroad through the towns and villages
of that region, which was thickly populated. As a result, they brought
to him the sick, following up the rumor of his whereabouts, until
they found him. Villages . . . cities . . . the country (lit. tilled
fields, farms, cf. ver. 36; 5 : 14) — evidently the localities of that
region through which he passed on his way back to Capernaum
where, according to the Fourth Gospel, he finally came — possibly
that same day (cf. Jn. 6 : 24, 59). Market places: Strictly, these
would be found only in the cities, but the phrase may here be used
generally for any open places in the villages and smaller settlements,
where room could be had to gather the sick around Jesus. The
105

7: i THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
7. And there are gathered together unto him the
Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had
2. come from Jerusalem, and had seen that some
of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that
3. is, unwashen, hands. (For the Pharisees, and all
border of his garment (lit. the fringe, or tassel, of his outer garment) :
Jesus doubtless wore attached to the four corners of his outer garment,
as required by the Law of every Jew, tassels of twisted threads of
white wool, bound to the garment by a cord of blue (cf. Num. 15 : 38-
40). Made whole: These cases were not essentially different from
that of the Woman in the crowd, except that Jesus was appealed to
before the touch was made. There was here, as with her, a mixture
of superstition and faith — the latter, though slight, being sincere
and consequently effective to a cure (cf. 5 : 20, 27-29, and especiaUy
the record by Matthew, 9 : 20, and Luke, 8 : 44).
{16) Ceremonial Criticism of the Pharisees and Scribes, 7 : 1-23
7 : 1, 2. According to the Fourth Gospel, when Jesus finally reached
Capernaum, the enthusiasts who had followed him across the Lake
from the place of the feeding of the multitude, found him and, ev
idently approaching him again in their spirit of political revolution,
drew from him the discourse on the Bread of Life which effectually
alienated them and, in fact, most of his disciples from his Ministry
(cf . Jn. 6 : 2 2-66) . It may have been in view of this popular defection
from him that the Pharisees and Scribes were emboldened to return
to their criticism of the unceremonialism which he had countenanced
and which was still carried on by the disciples who remained in his
fellowship. From Jerusalem: This attack did not necessarily take
place immediately after the discourse. In fact, the presence of
certain Scribes who had come up from Jerusalem would seem to
indicate that it had originated there, in which case the Passover
referred to in Jn. 6 : 4 may have taken place, and reports carried to
the city of the people's Messianic enthusiasm for Jesus, with their
later defection from him may have alarmed and at the same time
allured the reUgious leaders to a renewed attack. Defiled (lit.
common, cf. Acts 10 : 14; Rom. 14 : 14; Rev. 21 : 27) . . . un
washen hands: The occasion of the attack was doubtless some meal
at which the disciples were seen to be eating without first having
observed the universal rule of washing the hands, not so much for
sanitary purposes as to cleanse them from all unceremonial contacts
which they may have had.
3, 4. From the beginning, the reUgious leaders had seen that
106

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 7:5
the Jews, except they wash their hands 1 diligently, '
4. eat not, holding the tradition of the elders; and
when they come from the market-place, except they
2 bathe themselves, they eat not; and many other
things there are, which they have received to hold,
5. 3 washings of cups, and pots, and brasen vessels.4) And
1 up to the elbow. a Some MSS. read sprinkle themselves.
3 Grk. baplizings. * Many MSS. add and couches.
the vital issue between Jesus and themselves was at the point of
ceremonialism (see notes on 2 : 6f.). They had already criticized
him for various infringements of its more exact rules (see notes on
2 : 16, 24). Now, however, they seem to have determined to go to
the root of the matter; for they select a custom that was observed,
not only by the Pharisees, but by all the Jews (not necessarily the
masses, but rather the religiously inclined portion of the people),
seeking thus to place him in opposition to the common life of the
religious people. These verses are a parenthesis, in which Mark
gives a few examples to show the extent to which this custom had
laid hold of their daily living. Diligently (Gr. with the fist) — most
likely by alternately rubbing the open hand with the other hand
clenched, so as to thoroughly cleanse it. The tradition of the elders —
not the Mosaic Law, but the precepts of former Scribes and teachers —
particularly the members of the Great Synagogue — handed down
and added to from generation to generation, and finally embodied in
the Mishna (cf. Gal. 1 : 14). Bathe themselves: Whether this
was by sprinkUng (cf. Num. 19 : gff.), or by immersion (cf. 2 Kings
5 : 14), it was an application of water to the entire body, in view of the
more extensive defilement they were supposed to have incurred in
mingling with the non-Jewish crowds and unclean objects of the
market place. (Note Moffatt's conjectural reading: "They decline
to eat what comes from the market place till they have washed it."
A New Translation of the New Testament, Second Edition, 1913).
Washings of cups . . . pots . . . brazen vessels: Whatever the
mode, these purifications also involved the complete cleansing of the
utensils. The cups were ordinary drinking cups of earthenware or
metal (cf. 9 :4i; 14 : 23); the pots were pitchers of wood or stone
(cf. Lev. 15 : 12; Jn. 2 : 6); the brazen vessels were cooking pots of
copper or brass (1 Sam. 2 : 14; 2 Chron. 35 : 13). See Schurer,
Jewish People, II, ii, p. io6ff. Edersheim, Life of the Messiah, II,
p. 9ff-
5-13. Jesus' reply is measured by the significance of the criticism.
He also goes to the heart of the question. And so he applies to them

7:6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not
thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders,
6. but eat their bread with * defiled hands? And he
said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypo
crites, as it is written,
This people honoreth me with their lips,
But their heart is far from me.
7. But in vain do they worship me,
Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.
8. Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast
1 common.
Isaiah's denunciation of the hypocritical worshippers of his day — a
denunciation which the prophet declares to be a word of God himself
(Isa. 29 : 13). The passage in its latter part is here rendered after the
LXX rather than the Hebrew, substituting for the Hebrew idea of
fearing God only as they are directed by human commandment, the
LXX idea of the uselessness of their worship, in view of the fact that
it substitutes human commands for the law of God. Full weU:
This expression is not wholly ironical, since it points out the thor
oughness with which they have substituted their own rules for the
divine commands (cf. Jn. 4 : I7f.). This statement is substantiated
by the following instance of what their position had brought them to
do. Its significance is heightened by the fact that the divine com
mand is taken from the Decalogue (Ex. 20 : 12), while its interpreta
tion and the extreme penalty placed upon its transgression so inter
preted (Ex. 21 : 17, cf. margin and Deut. 27:16) discloses the
importance attached to it by the Mosaic Law. That this honoring of
one's parents involved their support was not questioned by the
Rabbis; but the support of the Temple worship was also a divine
command, and they had established the rule that the Temple support
should take precedence over parental support, in fact, a son, by simply
declaring to his parents that the aid which they expected from him
was Corban (transliteration of the Hebrew word, meaning an offering,
an oblation, i.e. a gift, or, as the Revised Version phrases it, given
to God), he would be released from the obligation of using it for their
support, whether it was actually given to the Temple or not. The
declaration did not necessarily dedicate it to the Temple; it simply
removed it beyond the parents' reach (cf . Edersheim, Life of Jesus,
n, pp. 19-21). And this was but one of many similar instances.
108

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 7:14
9. the tradition of men. And he said unto them, Full
well do ye reject the commandment of God, that ye
10. may keep your tradition. For Moses said, Honor
thy father and thy mother; and, He that speaketh
11. evil of father or mother, let him x die the death: but
ye say, If a man shall say to his father or his mother,
That wherewith thou mightest have been profited
12. by me is Corban, that is to say, Given to God; ye no
longer suffer him to do aught for his father or his
13. mother; making void the word of God by your tra
dition, which ye have delivered: and many such like
14. things ye do. And he called to him the multitude
again, and said unto them, Hear me all of you, and
1 surely die.
They had practicaUy made the moral law of God inoperative by
placing the mechanical tradition of the elders in the supreme control
of life.
14, 15. And he called . . - the multitude again: This implies
a previous withdrawal of the multitude — doubtless merely a respect
ful drawing back at the formal approach of the Jerusalem delegation.
It might seem strange that after the aUenation of the people from
Jesus there was still a multitude which gathered to his teaching; but
we must remember that his discipleship did not fall away all at once.
In fact, Jesus gave up his Galilean work rather because of the people's
determined political attitude toward him than because of their
abandonment of his cause. It, however, suggests the withdrawal of
the delegation itself upon the conclusion of Jesus' reply; if so, it is
quite likely that with the delegation there went away the element in
the' crowd which sided with the Pharisees rather than with Jesus; so
that this is a calling around him of the element that sided with him
self, as was done after the Beelzebul charge of the Jerusalem scribes
(cf. 3 : 22f. and notes on vs. 3if.). In this case, as in that, he puts the
truth before them in enigmatic form in order that they may be im
pelled to think upon it and, through the discovery of its meaning, be
more deeply impressed by it. This is the significance of his call
Hear me . . . and understand (cf. 4 : 12; 7 : 18; 8 : 17, 21). Noth
ing . . . going into him . . . but the things which proceed out of
the man . . . defile the man: This is practically an interpretation
109

7: 15 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
15. understand: there is nothing from without the man,
that going into him can defile him; but the things
which proceed out of the man are those that defile
17. the man.1 And when he was entered into the house
from the multitude, his disciples asked of him the
18. parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without
understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever
from without goeth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19. because it goeth not into his heart, but into his belly,
and goeth out into the draught? This he said, making
1 Many MSS. insert ver. 16. If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.
of the Law, in the sense of the statements of Matt. 5. The Law
made clear distinctions between clean and unclean food (cf. Lev. 11),
to which the requirement of hand washing before meals was simply an
added Pharisaic ceremonial refinement. The vital matter, however,
was the moral and not the ceremonial cleanness, and this was deter
mined, not by the food which was eaten, much less by the formalities
with which it was eaten, but by the expression of the inward character
in the outward life.
It is to be noted that ver. 16 is omitted from the text, as being a
later addition, and that Matthew (15 : 3-14) not only changes the
order of Jesus' reply, placing more logically the specific counter
charge of the Pharisaic transgression of the Mosaic law (vs. 3-6) be
fore the general denunciation of their hypocrisy (vs. 7-9), but pref
aces the explanation to the disciples of the parabolic remark (ver. lof.)
with a statement of the critical stage to which the conflict between
his spiritual ministry and Pharisaic ceremonialism had now come
(vs. 12-14). This is likely to be a fuller and more accurate record of
Jesus' remarks than that given us by Mark.
17-23. So without understanding: Even the sympathetic portion
of the crowd might be expected to come slowly to a comprehension
of the deeper truths of Jesus' teaching; but the disciples, whose sym
pathy of ideas was nourished by constant and intimate companion
ship, should have grasped the meaning involved in such a simple
statement as he had made. The food which is eaten does not enter
into the man's moral and religious life, but into his physical life,
and is taken care of by its natural processes. This he said, making
aU meats clean: This is an interpretation of Jesus' words in the light
of such controversies as arose in the Apostolic Age (cf. 1 Cor. 6:12-

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 7:24
20. all meats clean. And he said, That which proceedeth
21. out of the man, that defileth the man. For from
within, out of the heart of men, x evil thoughts pro-
22. ceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covet-
ings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
23. railing, pride, foolishness: all these evil things proceed
from within, and defile the man.
2. Period of Retirement into the Regions of Tyre, Sidon and
the Decapolis, 7 : 24-8 : 26
24. And from thence he arose, and went away into the
borders of Tyre 2 and Sidon. And he entered into
a house, and would have no man know it; and he
, 1 Grk. thoughts that are evil. 2 Some MSS. omit and Sidon.
20; ch. 8; 10 : 23-33; Rom. ch. 14; cf. also Acts 10 : 15). Covet-
ings — not to be confined to specific infractions of the Tenth Com
mandment, but extending to all the impulses of grasping self-seeking.
Wickednesses — not bad deeds in general, but acts of distinctively
purposed evil — malicious wickedness (cf. Matt. 22 : 18). Lascivious
ness — as distinguished from the particular sins of adultery and for
nication, in the preceding verse, refers to the general conduct of a
dissolute Ufe (cf. Rom. 13 : 13). An evil eye — more than mere envy;
rather the complement of the covetous self-seeking mentioned above — ¦
the greed that seeks not only to have more than is right from others,
but begrudges what is right for them to have (cf. Deut. 15 : 9; Matt.
20 : 15; Jas. 5 :4). Railing— slander, detraction (cf. 3 : 28f with
Matt. 12 :32). Pride — in its arrogancy, as was specifically seen in
the Pharisaic character (cf. Matt. 23:5-7, 12). Foolishness —
not intellectual, but moral obtuseness (cf. Lk. 12 : 20). It wiU be
seen that Matthew's Ust is much shorter than Mark's, and in its
summing up (Matt. 15 : 20) affords another evidence of having given
us altogether more accurately the Master's remarks; in fact, when we
compare Mark's list with those in Gal. 5 : 19-21; Rom. 1 : 29-31;
Eph. 4 : 19, 31; 5 : 3L, we cannot escape the feeling that it was in
fluenced by the sins with which the Apostohc Church in its Gentile
mission was confronted and compelled to denounce.
24. He arose and went away: The external reason for this re
tirement lay in the fact that the populace having turned away from

7:25 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
25. could not be hid. But straightway a woman, whose
little daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of
26. him, came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman
was a x Greek, a Syrophcenician by race. And she be
sought him that he would cast forth the demon out of
27 her daughter. And he said unto her, Let the children
first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's
28. 2 bread and cast it to the dogs. But she answered
and saith unto him, Yea, Lord; even the dogs under
1 Gentile, or pagan. 2 loaf.
him after his spiritual discourse on the Bread of Life, and the reli
gious leaders having been alienated, as they had not been before,
by his denunciation of ceremonialism as a regulative principle in
everyday life (see notes on ver. 3f.), there was nothing left for him
to do in the field of his former work. The deeper reason, however,
lay in the gravity of the crisis with which his ministry was thus con
fronted and which called, not merely for serious reflection as to his
personal future, but for an intimate instruction of his disciples, in
preparation for the future, as it concerned their relations to himself.
In view of this, something more was needed than a mere withdrawal
across the Lake for rest (cf. 6 : 31), and something quite different
from a transfer of his active ministry into a less Jewish region. This
was essentially a period of retirement, and such works as were per
formed during it can be rightly understood only when they are seen
practically to have been forced upon him in spite of his purpose to
withdraw from all activity. The following statement that he en
tered into a house and would have no man know it gives essentially
his intention for the entire period, the significant character of which
is all the more evident when we realize that it was immediately pre
ceded by the visit to Jerusalem recorded in the fifth chapter of John
(cf. Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 438, Note 1).
(1) The Syrophosnician Woman, vs. 25-30
25-30. Having heard of him— not necessarily for the first time.
People from this adjoining land had been attendant upon his ministry
before the choosing of the Twelve (3 : 8). Indeed, the specifically
Jewish appeal of the woman — "Thou Son of David" — as given in
Matthew (15 : 22), who, in this incident, reproduces more reliably
the Master's words — may have been due to the fact that at the close
of the second preaching tour the cure of the BUnd and Dumb De-

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 7:30
29. the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said
unto her, For this saying go thy way; the demon is
30. gone out of thy daughter. And she went away unto
her house, and found the child laid upon the bed,
and the demon gone out.
moniac was recognized by the populace as attesting Jesus to be the
Son of David (Matt. 12 : 23). This would not necessarily mean that
the woman had accepted the Jewish Messianic hope, or that she had
a religious faith in Jesus as the Messiah (cf. case of the Samaritan
woman) ; but that she adopted the title bestowed upon him by his
countrymen as a way of approach to him in her need, in faith that
he had the power to meet the need (cf. Matt. 15 : 31 for the general
Gentile attitude of mind toward the reUgious faiths of Judaism).
A Greek by speech, but a Syrophoenician by race: In other words,
while she spoke the language of common intercourse in the East, she
belonged to that branch of the old Phoenician race which, migrating
from the East, had settled along the coast and in Hellenistic times was
called Syrian, in distinction from the Libyan branch in North Africa. '
The Phoenicians were an offshoot of the Semitic race, belonging to
the Canaanites of the Old Testament. Matthew calls her "a Canaan-
itish woman" (15 : 22). Cast forth the demon — not necessarily
at a distance by word of mouth, but most probably by accompany
ing her to her house and placing his hands upon the sufferer. This
was the usual mode (cf. 5 : 23; 6:5). Let the children first be fed:
According to Matthew's fuller record (15 : 23-26), he at first took
no notice of the woman's plea, and when the disciples apparently
urged him to grant it, so that she would stop crying after them, he
laid their appeal aside with the reminder that he was sent distinc
tively to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; it was only when she
persisted in a worshipful hope in his mercy that he replied to her at
aU, and then merely to say — as Mark also tells us in the following
verse — that the children of the Covenant household should not have
their rights taken from them and given to others. It is clear from
these details that he had not gone into this region to continue his
active ministry among a non- Jewish population as a promise of the
final giving of the Gospel to the Gentiles. His personal ministry was
to God's people in Israel. It was distinctively the work of the Mes
siah and would not be accomplished until the Jewish people had
acted upon it as such. From the first, doubtless, there was involved
in Jesus' insight into the hostility of the religious leaders to his
spiritual claims, a consciousness, not only of the inevitable rejection
of himself and his mission, but of the ultimate acceptance of his mis-

7:31 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
31. And again he went out from the borders of Tyre,
and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee,
32. through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. And
sion and himself by those outside of Israel (cf. Lk. 4 : 16-30; Matt.
8 : nf.). But this was not the time for the offer, and in so far as a
ministry in this Gentile region would commit him to such an offer,
his purpose was not to engage in it (cf . Matt. 10 : 5) . That he yielded
here to this woman's plea was due to the presence in it of a genuine
faith which could not be denied. Dogs (Gr. little dogs) — evidently
the household dogs, which were fed from their master's table (cf.
following verse and Homer, II, 22 : 69; 23 : 173; Od. 17 : 309). This
softened the reproach of the reply, though it made no less clear Jesus'
attitude of mind in his ministry and his purpose in this withdrawal
from Galilee. Yea, Lord; even (better, and yet) the dogs . . .
eat of the children's crumbs: She admits the principle which he
asserts, but turns it to her own advantage by proclaiming, not so
much her wilUngness to take whatever might be left to her from the
service of the children, but her desperate need, which would not be
turned aside by any humiliation of racial pride, and which in this
self-abnegating persistence of its struggle disclosed a trust in Jesus'
power to heal and a confidence in his willingness to exert his power.
For this saying — not, of course, for the saying itself, but for the
faith involved in it.
(2) The Deaf and Dumb Man, vs. 31-37
31. He went out from the borders of Tyre: Having come out of
GaUlee for retirement, the performance of this miracle with the in
evitable gathering of the populace around him determined Jesus to
leave the neighborhood of Tyre for other regions further removed
from the border and therefore more likely to give him the settled
retirement he needed. Apparently, he first went northward and then,
passing on his way through Sidon, turned towards the East and
South and came into the more sparsely settled portions of the De
capolis (a region mostly East of the Jordan, dominated by ten inde
pendent cities, extending from Damascus, on the North to Phila
delphia, on the South, and from Kanata, on the East to Scythopolis,
on the West), returning later to the Sea of Galilee. It was impos
sible, however, to escape the crowds. They followed him from place
to place carrying with them their sick, whom they cast down at his
feet for healing (cf. Matt. 15 : 3of.). Of these healings and their
results, Mark gives us an instance in the following verses.
32-37. An impediment in his speech (Gr. speaking with diffi
culty) — apparently an impairment in utterance which rendered him
114

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 7:35
they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an
impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to
33. lay his hand upon him. And he took him aside from
the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his
34. ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and looking
up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephpha-
35. tha, that is, Be opened. And his ears were opened,
and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he spake
practically unable to communicate his ideas through speech (cf.
ver- 35)> so that he is classed among the dumb (cf. ver. 37). Pri
vately (Ut. apart, by himself, cf. 6 : 3 if.). The drawing of the man
aside from the crowd was, not merely to enable him to concentrate
his attention on what was being done for him, but to avoid any un
necessary pubUcity in the healing. This and the similar case of the
blind man at Bethsaida (8 : 22-26) afford additional evidence that
in his withdrawal from Galilee the Master's purpose was not to con
tinue his active mmistry among a non- Jewish people. He engaged
in no pubUc teaching. His activity was confined, apparently, to
isolated cases of healing, concluding with a feeding of the multitude,
and, throughout the journey, whatever he does seems to have the
character of something the doing of which he could not escape (cf.
vs. 24-26, 32; 8 : 2f.). Put his fingers into his ears . . . touched
his tongue : The unusual actions employed by the Master, especially
when compared with the similar actions in the case of the blind man
in this same Decapolitan region (8 : 23), seem to have been deter
mined by the religiously ignorant character of the populace. In a
specific way they directed attention to the cure which was to be made,
and to this degree helped the patient to an exercise of a definite trust
in him who was effecting it. The employment of spittle was in ac
cordance with its recognized use as a remedial agent, and thus con
tributed to the patient's confidence. It was not necessarily applied
directly to his tongue, but most probably first to the Master's fingers.
It seems to have been otherwise in the case of the Bethsaida blind
man (8 : 23; cf. however, the detailed description of the action in
the case of the Jerusalem blind man, Jn. 9:6). Sighed: The heaven
ward glance and the deep-drawn sigh were not symbolic encourage
ments to the patient's faith, but personal expressions of the Master's
own consciousness of the source of the healing power and the cause
of this, as of all maladies to be cured. His perfect communion with
God gave him a profound sense of the ravages of sin over the physical,
as weU as the spiritual world. Burdened as he always was with this
"5

7:36 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
36. plain. And he charged them that they should tell
no man: but the more he charged them, so much the
37. more a great deal they published it. And they were
beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done
all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and
the dumb to speak.
8. In those days, when there was again a great multi
tude, and they had nothing to eat, he called unto
fact of sin, it was not unnatural that he should give expression to the
consciousness of its presence, particularly where it had forced itself
into the friendships of life, as in the case of Lazarus (Jn. n : 41),
and into the worship and service of the covenant people, as in his
lament over Jerusalem (Lk. 13 : 34; 19 : 41), and here in the case of
this heathen where it showed its sway over the world which was so
ignorant of God. Ephphatha — assimilated from the Aramaic ex
pression {Ethpathach), used doubtless by the Master and preserved
for us by Mark from the Apostolic recitals of the incident (cf. 5 : 41;
14 : 36). It is addressed to the ears, as the organs principally affected.
Plainly (Gr. straight, rightly) — showing that he had not been entirely
dumb, but only inarticulate in his speech. Charged them — not only
the patient, but his friends (cf. ver. 32), in order that no publicity
might be given to the cure and his purpose of retirement be further
hindered. But the command, though apparently repeatedly given, was
ineffectual; for the more he charged them, so much the more . . .
they published it, and accompanied their excited proclamation
with an astonished testimony to his power and the excellence of his
deeds — a result very different from that which followed Jesus' pre
vious miracle in this region (5 : 15-17).
{3) The Feeding of the Four Thousand, vs. 1-9
8 : 1-9. In those days — not a vague expression of time, indicat
ing an uncertainty as to when the event took place, but a general
term used, as in 1 : 9, to connect the following incident somewhat
loosely with the foregoing narrative. It is obvious that the gathering
of such a multitude in the Master's following is a perfectly natural
development of the preceding incidents — not that the events were
in themselves of extraordinary character, but that the region was
inhabited by a people to whom such things were wholly new and
of superstitious excitement, and who, in spite of all the Master's
efforts to restrain them, had enthusiastically heralded far and wide
his fame as a wonder worker. In the thinly settled portions of the
116

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8:4
2. him his disciples, and saith unto them, I have com
passion on the multitude, because they continue with
3. me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I
send them away fasting to their homes, they will
faint on the way; and some of them are come from far.
4. And his disciples answered him, Whence shall one
be able to fill these men with x bread here in a desert
1 Grk. loaves.

DecapoUs, such need as is described in ver. 2 would easily occur, and
as it grew would make more certain the attachment of the crowd
to him they foUowed, as their only likely source of relief. At the
first, the Master had doubtless hoped that the people naturally, as
the way grew hard and food more scarce to get, would disperse of
themselves; but as he found the days increasing and his course draw
ing near again to the Sea of Galilee and coming thus out into more
populated regions, he realized that, not only for the sake of the mul
titude, but for his own sake, this following must be relieved of its
need, and sent back to the country from which it had come. His
compassion is. for the people's lack of food; at the first feeding it had
been for their lack of right religious leadership. This is a difference
in the Master's attitude of mind towards the situation which agrees
significantly with the fact that on the former occasion the multitude
had been made up of Jews, whose spiritual condition had been neg
lected by their religious leaders; here it was composed of Gentiles,
with regard to whom this point would not arise (see notes on 6 : 34).
Whence ... fill these men with bread? It seems at first sight
unaccountable that the disciples should not have recalled the previous
feeding in this same general region, and answered the Master's ques
tion with a challenge to him to repeat his wonder work. At the same
time, we must remember (1) that the disciples had not been much
impressed with that miracle of the first feeding, as far as it showed
the Master's care for them; for a few hours later, on the Lake, the
thought of this care was the last thing in their minds (cf. 6 : 49-52;
(2) that we must not fail to consider the impression made upon the
disciples by the collapse of the Master's work and his forced retire
ment from Jewish regions. The statement after the address which
precipitated that collapse, "To whom shall we go? thou hast the words
of eternal Ufe " (Jn. 6 : 68), was not so much a confession of confi
dence as a confused mixture of loyalty to him and depression of mind
as to the popular revulsion of feeling against him. This confusion
must have grown with the Pentecost visit to Jerusalem (Jn. 5:1),
117

8:5 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
5. place? And he asked them, How many loaves have
6. ye? And they said, Seven. And he commandeth
the multitude to sit down on the ground: and he took
the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he brake,
and gave to his disciples, to set before them; and they
7. set them before the multitude. And they had a few
small fishes: and having blessed them, he commanded
8. to set these also before them. And they ate, and were
filled: and they took up, of broken pieces that remained
and was certainly not reUeved by the subsequent necessity of leaving
their own land and the wandering journey through these heathen
regions. Here, at the end of this apparently aimless tour, they stand
confronted with a hungry heathen multitude in a desert place, and
the Master himself has nothing definite to propose for their relief.
It is hardly reasonable to expect them to be more ready to think of
his abiUty to provide against this emergency than they were later
when he warned them against the leaven of the Pharisees (ver. 15),
and they were thrown into consternation about their lack of food,
without a thought of his power to supply their need. Seven — as
against five at the first feeding. A few small fishes — as against
two fishes at the former time. It is to be noted that here he blesses
the fishes, as well as the bread. The strict Jewish custom of bless
ing only the bread seems to have been confined to the first occasion,
with its Jewish multitude. Seven baskets — of a soft quaUty, made'
of plaited reeds or cords, sometimes of large size, as in the case of
Saul's escape from Damascus (Acts 9 : 25). At the former feeding
the baskets were twelve in number, and of stout wickerwork. About
four thousand — as against five thousand on the former occasion.
There is thus a varied difference in these details; at some points
the figures are higher at the second feeding, at others lower, the
incident having the appearance of a natural occurrence, and not of a
Uterary restatement of the former event. Dalmanutha: This is a
wholly unidentified locality. Matthew has "Magadan" (15 :39).
If this is the same as Magdala, then it was on the Western shore of
the Lake, some seven miles South of Gennesaret, and ver. 13 is con
sistently a return to the Eastern side, bringing them to Bethsaida
(ver. 22). In any event, Mark's record places this feeding near the
Lake, which the crowd could not cross with their new found leader,
making the situation thus one in which the Master found himself
compeUed to consider the sending of the people back to their homes.
118

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8: II
9. over, seven baskets. And they were about four
10. thousand: and he sent them away. And straightway
he entered into the boat with his disciples, and came
into the parts of Dalmanutha.
11. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to ques
tion with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven,
{4) The Pharisees' Request for a Sign, vs. 10-13
10-13. The Pharisees came forth to meet him, as he came again
to the Western side of the Lake, and began to enter into a discus
sion with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven. Their motive
in seeking a sign was not what it was at the casting out of the dumb
and blind demoniac — to beUttle his miraculous power — but for the
purpose of trying him, entrapping him into a further unpopularity
with his already alienated following. Their action is thus based
upon the defection of the people from him, and the sign for which they
ask has reference to the coming kingdom, the nearness of which had
been the specific announcement of the last preaching tour (see notes
on 6 : 7). The suggestion of such a request came, doubtless, from
the signs announced in the book of the prophet Joel (2 : 30L), as
harbingers of the Messianic Kingdom; and their hope was that he
would be led into some definition or designation or description of
that kingdom which would heighten the already unpopular idea of
its spiritual character (cf. Jn. 6 : 60-63). Their request is in line
with their later and more definite question: "When shall the king
dom of God come?" (Lk. 17 : 20; cf. also the disciples' question,
Mk. 13 : 3f. and the Master's reply, vs. 24-29, and Peter's sermon,
Acts 2 : 14-21). This would be all the more evident if Matthew's
elaboration of Jesus' reply (16 : 2b, 3) were part of the text; though
even its interpolation shows the early understanding as to what the
Pharisees sought in their request (cf. Lk. 12 : 54-56, where this
statement occurs in a chapter which begins with a warning against
the leaven of the Pharisees). He sighed deeply in his spirit— ex
pressive of the burden which rested on his soul through his profound
reaUzation of the significance of their wilful and persistent hostility
to his message of truth. There shall no sign be given: According
to Mark, Jesus refuses to grant their request. Matthew less ac
curately intimates that he refers them to the sign of the prophet
Jonah, as in the request after the casting out of the demoniac (Matt.
12 : 38-41). The reason for his refusal was doubtless because he did
not feel the time had come for it; since later, on the way to Jerusalem,
he does not hesitate to lay before them a statement as to the spiritual
119

8: 12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
12. trying him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and
saith, Why doth this generation seek a sign? verily
I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this
13. generation. And he left them, and again entering
into the boat departed to the other side.
14. And they forgot to take bread; and they had not
15. in the boat with them more than one loaf. And he
charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven
16. of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. And they
reasoned one with another, * saying, 2 We have no
1 Some MSS. read because they had no bread. 2 It is because we have no bread.
character of the coming of the kingdom (Lk. 17 : 2of.). To the
other side: This immediate return to the Eastern side of the Lake
shows that he must have come over from it in order to get free of the
enthusiastic multitude which had been swept into his following by
the kindly miracles he had been forced to do; since a mere request
from the Pharisees for a sign would not have forced him back into
the wilderness regions if his primary object in going there had been
accompUshed. As a matter of fact, however, it had not been accom-
pUshed. He had not been able to get the retirement for which he
sought; so, on his return, he does not go Northward, as before, but
in a northeasterly direction into the most sparsely settled portion of
PhiUp's tetrarchy (vs. 22, 27).
(5) The Warning against the Leaven of the Pharisees, vs. 14-21
14-21. They forgot to take bread: What had occasioned this
forgetfulness, we are not told. It may have been the immediacy of
their return, confused as it must have been by the controversy which
had preceded it. The leaven of the Pharisees and ... of Herod:
Leaven here is not what Matthew makes it — "the teaching of the
Pharisees and Sadducees" (16 : 12); it is rather the attitude of mind,
the spirit, which rendered the Pharisees, from their religious point of
view, and Herod, from his poUtical point of view, hostile to him and
set against him. Jesus had become more clearly and deeply con
scious of the spirit of these two forces since the last preaching tour,
from which his disciples had brought him reports as to Herod's
attitude of mind (6 : 14-16), and since his visit to Jerusalem at the
last Feast of Pentecost, where he had seen the,murderous anger of
which the religious leaders were capable (Jn. 5 : 17L). It is against

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8:19
1 7. bread. And Jesus perceiving it saith unto them, Why
reason ye, because ye have no bread? do ye not yet
perceive, neither understand? have ye your heart
18. hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears,
19. hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake
the five loaves among the five thousand, how many
baskets full of broken pieces took ye up? They
this spirit of the Pharisees and of Herod that he puts the disciples on
their guard. His warning is thus a preliminary note to the instruction
which he feels now more than ever is a vital necessity for the slow-
minded and still nationally hopeful disciples. (See the persistency of
their national ideas in the question of Acts 1 : 6.) The warning may
have been occasioned by the discovery that they had with them but a
single loaf of bread, and the conversation among themselves which
would naturally follow; but the reason for it was their failure to
appreciate the significance of the request for a sign and his refusal of
it. The encounter with the Pharisees may have confused them into
forgetting to take with them sufficient provision, but it had not
opened to their minds what it portended for the future. They were
disturbed by it as showing the persistent unreceptivity of the Phar
isees to their Master's teaching and work; but they had no conception
of what this involved of the hopeless set of the will against all that
this teaching and work stood for and represented. So they had
failed to grasp the significance of the incident, and were now con
cerned merely with the fact that they had not enough food. Jesus
will, therefore, draw them back to the real and vital thing which
should occupy their minds — the accumulating signs of the times,
as bearing upon his Ministry and his own life. He lets the bread
of which they are doubtless talking suggest his phrase of leaven,
and so seeks to direct their attention to the religious and political
forces which are gathering against himself and his work. They
reasoned . . . we have no bread: This warning against the leaven
of the Pharisees and of Herod could not have suggested to them as
Orientals so concrete a thing as bread, unless they were unnaturaUy
occupied with the thought of their lack of food and had wholly fafled
to understand the real significance of the Pharisees' request for a.sign.
The first idea that an Oriental would have had of leaven as related to
persons was the moving and controlling spirit of life and action (as
Jesus himself thought of it (cf. Lk. 12 : 1; 13 : 21); that they limited
it to the physical idea of bread shows how far they were from realizing
the spiritual things with which their Master's ministry was con-

8:20 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
20. say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among
the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken
pieces took ye up? And they say unto him, Seven.
21. And he said unto them, Do ye not yet under
stand?
22. And they come unto Bethsaida. And they bring
cemed, and how much in need they were of the instruction which he
was planning to give them. Do ye not yet perceive, neither under
stand? This rebuking inquiry does not refer to the disciples' failure
to perceive and understand what was meant by the leaven, but to the
lack of confidence in his abiUty to provide for their physical needs,
which was evidently involved in their interpretation of this expression
(see vs. 19-21). Apparently, they understood his warning to be
against supplying their shortage by the purchase of some sort of
undesirable food. But why should they think that the Master was
in any way concerned about their provision of food, when they had so
well in memory the recent feedings of the multitude? Did they not
understand that when he warned them against the leaven of the
Pharisees and of Herod that he had in mind something which affected
them far more personally than the provision of bread? It is clear
that we have here — just as really as in the case of the second feeding —
a hopeless state of mind on the disciples' part as to the ability of the
Master to provide against an emergency in their supply of food.
Apparently, the second miracle had left no greater impression upon
them than the first, and it is not hard to understand the Master's
disappointment, not so much at their inability to grasp the meaning
of his words, as at their f aUure, after all his companionship with them
and all his varied ministries to them, to have a confidence in his care
for them. If they were to be prepared against the coming catastrophe
in his work and life, it was essential that they should trust him with
the supremest questions of the religious Ufe, and here even a confidence
in his care for them in ordinary physical things was lacking. It is to
be noted that the words for "baskets" in vs. 19 and 20 agree with the
different words used in the narratives of the two feedings (see notes
on v. 8). {6) The Healing of the Bethsaida Blind Man, vs. 22-26
22-26. Bethsaida: For the identity of this place, see notes on
6 : 45. Took hold ... by the hand . . . and brought him out
of the village: For the significance of this action, see notes on 7 : 33.
The Master was returning to the sparsely settled regions on the

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8:26

to him a blind man, and beseech him to touch him.
23. And he took hold of the blind man by the hand, and
brought him out of the village; and when he had spit
on his eyes, and laid his hands upon him, he asked
24. him, Seest thou aught? And he looked up, and said,
I see men; for I behold them as trees, walking.
25. Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and
he looked stedfastly, and was restored, and saw
26. all things clearly. And he sent him away to his
home, saying, Do not even enter into the village.
East, with an even greater sense of the need of retirement for himself
and his disciples than he had had at his first retirement (see notes
on 7 : 24) ; so that his effort at privacy in this case of healing was
more elaborate than in the case of the man who was deaf and impotent
in his speech. Spit on his eyes: Apparently, the saUva was thrown
directly on the sightless organs. (But see notes on 7 : 33.) Laid
his hands upon him — upon his eyes, as is evident from ver. 25.
Seest thou aught? This question is part of the process of gradual
healing which the Master adopted in this case, in order to help the
religiously slow-moving Gentile mind to an adequate faith in what
he was doing. I behold them as trees, walking: The man had not
been born blind. He knew how men looked, and he knew that he was
not seeing them as they really were — in size and general outline, the
objects he saw were Uke smaU trees; in action they were like men.
Looked stedfastly (lit. to see through, to see clearly, as in Matt. 7:5):
The Revisers have confused the meaning of the latter part of this
verse. What Mark wishes to say is that, after the second touch of the
Master's hands, the man saw — no longer with a confused vision, but
clearly, so that his sight was fully restored and he was able to look at
all things (not he saw), even though they were far away (not clearly).
To his home — from which he had come to Bethsaida, under the
guiding of companions. Possibly, he may have been brought there
by them specifically to secure Jesus' help, as the news of his presence
again at the Lake had been spread abroad, through such an event as
the second feeding of the multitude, which, occurring as it did, in this
same general region East of the Lake, could not have remained an
isolated and unknown event. Do not even enter — final evidence
of the Master's anxiety that the news of such healings as he was
compelled to perform be not spread abroad and his further effort at
retirement be frustrated. 123

8:27 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
3. The Work of Instruction, 8 : 27-10 : 52
(A) In the Decapolis
27. And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, into the vil
lages of Csesarea Philippi: and on the way he asked
his disciples, saying unto them, Who do men say that
(1) The Disciples' Confession of Jesus' Messiahship, 8 : 27-9 : 1
27. Went forth . . . into the villages of Csesarea Philippi —
a city in the tetrachy of Philip, located in one of the recesses of
Hermon, near the sources of the Jordan. Its earlier name was Paneas
(Josephus, Antiq. XVIII : 2 : 1), derived from a grotto dedicated to
Pan {Antiq. XV : 10 : 3). Philip enlarged and refounded the older
city, caUing it Caesarea, in honor of Augustus (Josephus, War,
II : 9 : 1), and adding his own name, to distinguish it from the
Caesarea, founded by his Father on the coast {War, III : 9 : 7).
The course followed by Jesus and his disciples from Bethsaida was
most probably up the Jordan Valley. The distance was only some
twenty-five miles; but it is not likely, with the retirement which he
sought for reflection and for an intimate instruction of his disciples,
that this was covered in any but a most leisurely way. Now, however,
as he approaches the villages suburban to Caesarea, he seems to have
felt that his purpose was accomplished, and he puts to them the
questions, the answer to which will show with what success the
instruction had been carried on. Who do men say that I am? This
was preliminary to the vital question of ver. 29, and, together with
it, discloses the character of the instruction he had given them — a
deeper and more vital acquainting of them with the spiritual nature
of his work and of himself. It would seem from the warning with
which the incident of the leaven opened (ver. 15) as though he had
intended to employ this time of seclusion in acquainting them with
what was to come upon his work and himself through the hostility
of his enemies, but it would seem from the rebuke with which the
incident closed, that, owing to the alarming disclosure, not only of
their lack of spiritual insight into his teaching, but of their lack of
practical confidence in himself, he had abandoned that subject for
this other, as being more essential. The only way he could secure, as,
in fact, the only way he did secure, in them an endurance of the
coming catastrophe, was by bringing them into a vitally spiritual
fellowship with himself. The question he put to them at the close of
the Capernaum address shows that he was not sure whether their
national ideas would let them accept the spiritual nature of his.
124

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8:29
28. I am? And they told him, saying, John the Baptist;
and others, Elijah; but others, One of the prophets.
29. And he asked them, But who say ye that I am? Peter
answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
work (Jn. 6 : 67) — just as he had hurried them away from the na-
tiOnaUy enthusiastic crowd after the first feeding, lest they be caught
in the political hysteria (see notes on 6 : 45). But now through this
period of retirement, he had sought to bring them to a spiritual
understanding of his work and of himself. If they were to endure
through the coming disaster in an abiding confidence in himself,
this was the basis for all that he would have to disclose to them of
what that disaster was to be. The startling way in which the later
announcement of the Passion came to the disciples shows that it
could not have been the subject of his instruction to them during this
time. 28. John the Baptist . . . Elijah . . . One of the prophets:
This shows that the same ideas were current among the people as
during the last Preaching Tour (cf. 6 : i4f.). At that time, this was
aU the people thought him to be, and though, after the Feeding of the
Five Thousand, the multitude was ready to make him the Messianic
King, his determination not to permit this to be and his refusal in the
Capernaum address to give a sign of his Messiahship brought the
people back to these same ideas of him, and they* were confirmed in
them by the fact that, since the address in Capernaum, the Passover
had taken place and Jesus had not been present at the Feast with
any claims at all. Naturally, the people said he might be a prophet,
but he was not the Messiah — at least not the Messiah for whom they
looked. Consequently, the disciples' confession of the Messiahship
here becomes natural and normal only in view of the instruction given
them by the Master — as it is not after the Walking on the Water
(Matt. 14 : 33) and after the address on the Bread of Life (Jn. 6 : 69)
and yet the confession, when it came, was an inference by the disciples
from the spiritual character of his work and of his own relation to
God which he had been disclosing to them in this instruction.
29. Who say ye that I am? The significance of this question
rested in the fact that the disciples might have come to realize this
spiritual character of his work and his relation to God and yet have
hesitated to say he was the Messiah; for this very spiritual character
of what he was and of what he did was so contrary to National Ju
daism that to confess him to be the Messiah meant a vital break with
all the religion they had known. They had recognized his wonderful
goodness to the needs of men; they had come through this instruc
tion to understand his fellowship with themselves in the needs of
125,

8:30 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
30. And he charged them that they should tell no man of
him.
31. And he began to teach them, that the Son of man
must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders,
and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed,
their own hearts; they had even begun to see something of his spir
itual relations with God — but all these things might be and yet he
be only a supreme teacher — a holy prophet come from God. To con
fess that he was the National Messiah was to hold themselves Jews
and at the same time to break with aU they knew of Judaism. Yet
the spiritual impress of the Master upon their souls, gathered up
and intensified during this period of instruction, had been irresistible,
and when this challenge came to them, they cast all their hopes and
expectations into the overflooding loyalty of Peter's answer, Thou
art the Christ. Matthew's addition (16 : 17-19) commends itself
as naturally a part of this incident; for the Master's unrestrained
approval is what we would expect, in view of the critical nature of
the situation; while his reference to the Church which was to grow
out of this confession accords with the rupture from National Judaism
which the confession involved, and his reference to the confession
itself as brought about by divine revelation presupposes this very
spiritual instruction which he had been carrying on during this period.
(See Garvie, Studies in the Inner Life of Jesus, pp. 245-247.)
30. TeU no man of him: Though the Twelve were convinced
of his spiritual Messiahship and had asserted their belief, even at
the cost of breaking with National Judaism, they were in no con
dition to instruct and persuade the multitude who had already de-
Uberately and even passionately rejected this idea.
31. Began to teach them — as part of his instruction, made pos
sible now that they had come to the confession of the spiritual na
ture of his Messianic work, and at the same time most necessary;
since, being Jews, the thought of suffering was just as foreign to
their conception of his spiritual Messiahship as it had been to aU
their previous idea of himself and his work. The Son of Man: Pos
sibly, this title was used instead of "the Christ" to minimize the
resentment with which the announcement of suffering would be
received. The elders . . . chief priests . . . Scribes— the three
distinct classes of which the Sanhedrin was composed. If Jesus
was to be rejected at all, it would have to be by the ecclesiastical
rulers and not by the Pharisees as a party among the people, how
ever much these rulers were under the influence of that Pharisaic
ceremoniaUsm with which his spiritual mission was so vitaUy in con-
126

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8:33
32. and after three days rise again. And he spake the
saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to
33. rebuke him. But he turning about, and seeing his
flict. This he had known, in a way, from the beginning of his min
istry (see notes on 2 : 12, 19; cf. also Jn. 2 : 19), but he had realized
it with convincing force in his recent visit to Jerusalem at Pentecost
(cf. Jn. 5 : 16-18; 7 : 19-24). Be killed: There is no reference here
to the kind of death he was to die. Like the earlier statement of the
end awaiting him (2 : 20; Mt. 12 :4o; Jn. 2 : 19), it is general and
is not defined by the details which may have become evident to him
only at the last. After three days rise again: The inclusion of this
reference to the resurrection in the announcement of his Passion
must have been due to his consciousness of his vital relationship
to the ever living God. There was nothing in the attitude of the
people or of the rulers to suggest this to him now, any more than
there had been at the beginning of his ministry (cf. Jn. 2 : 19), or
during its progress (cf. Matt. 12 : 40). This Markan phrase, "after
three days" {i.e. in a short lime) — also used in 9 : 31; 10 :34 — is
on the face of it primary as over against the more formal phrase,
"on the third day," used by Matthew and Luke (cf. also Acts 10 : 40;
1 Cor. 15 : 4).
32. Openly (Ut. unreservedly, plainly, i.e. m unmistakable terms,
as against his earUer enigmatic references to the event, cf. 2 : 20;
Jn. 2 : ig; 3 : i4f.; 6 : 51-56; Matt. 12 : 40). Took him — aside,
from the rest of the Twelve, as though privately to remonstratewith
him against such an impossible idea. To rebuke him : The disciples'
acceptance of the spiritual character of the Master's work was at
most a change from a political to a spiritual conception of what he
was to do for Judaism and, through Judaism, for the world. Neither
Nationalism nor Ceremonialism was wholly gone from their Mes
sianic ideas (cf. Acts 1 : 6; 10 :g-i6; Gal. 2 : 11-14); while the suf
fering of the Messiah was completely at variance with them. As
they saw it, the Messiah must triumph spiritually, if not politically,
and spiritual triumph did not involve in its processes, any more
than in its results, the element of suffering. Consequently, when
this announcement of the Passion was made, the statement of the
Death overwhelmed and put out of thought the statement of the
Resurrection (cf. Jn. 20 : 1-9; Lk. 24 : 10-12). The passionate
emotion of Peter's resentment is more clearly preserved in Matthew's
record: "Be it far from thee (lit. God have mercy on thee), Lord:
this shall never be unto thee" (16 : 22L).
33. Satan — not as giving Peter an evil name, as he had just be
fore given him a noble one (Matt. 16 : 18), but as recognizing the
127

8:34 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith, Get thee behind
me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God,
34. but the things of men. And he called unto him the
multitude with his disciples, and said unto them, If
any man would come after me, let him deny himself,
35. and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever
would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall
lose his life for my sake and the gospel's shall save it.
Satanic element of temptation in Peter's remonstrance against the
course to which he had committed himself. Mindest not (Ut. think-
est not, regardest not) the things of God: Peter did not look at things
as God looked at them. This was the fundamental difficulty. Con
sequently, he could see no reason why such a death should enter into
the Master's future course; he could not appreciate nor understand
the element of self-sacrifice in the work of the Messiah. He looked
at things as men looked at them, from the viewpoint of self-interest
and self-regard, so that the Master's statement was to him the an
nouncement of an impossible course of action for any one to take,
whether Messiah or not.
34-9 : 1. The multitude: The presence of a crowd which required
any such instruction as is contained in the following discourse is
so out of keeping with the surroundings in which Jesus and his dis
ciples find themselves that we can only think, either of these words
as having been dehvered at some other time, as for example on the
way to Jerusalem in some such circumstances as are indicated by
Luke for similar remarks (12 =4-21; or 14 : 25-27; or 17 : 20-37),
or — which is more probable — of Matthew's record as being primary
and the discourse as having been dehvered at this time specifically
to the disciples (Matt. 16 : 24). In view of the fact that the dis
ciples did not understand the need of suffering in connection with
the spiritual ministry of the Messiah, it would seem only natural
that he should follow up his rebuke of Peter with an enlargement
upon the idea of the necessity of suffering for the disciples as weU
as for himself. Take up his cross: This figure is not used by the
Master with any specific reference to the mode of his coming death.
The process of crucifixion, by which the condemned criminal carried
on his shoulders the instrument of his execution, was a matter of
common knowledge, and reference is made to it here in general, as indi
cating the limit to which the denying, i.e. the ignoring of oneself was to
go— the limit of giving up life itself. And (Ut. and so) foUow me:
This is not added as a third requirement, but as gathering upthecondi-
128

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 8:38
36. For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world,
37. and forfeit his life? For what should a man give in
38. exchange for his life? For whosoever shall be ashamed
of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of man also shall be ashamed of
him, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with
the holy angels.
tional statement of the preceding verse and showing how it was f ulfiUed
only by the ignoring of self. Would save his life — his physical life, by
refusing to ignore himself to the limit of giving it up, even unto death.
Shall lose it — the spiritual life — the Ufe which comes from sacrificing
the lower interests of one's physical and personal life for the higher
and nobler interests that He outside of it and are gathered up ideally
in the service of God — or, as the Master puts it in the converse state
ment: whosoever shall lose — ignore, sacrifice — his lower, physical,
personal life for my sake and the Gospel's shall save it. The pe-
cuUar Markan addition, "and the Gospel's," is most likely taken
from the later form into which the Master's words had been cast
in the Apostohc preaching (see notes on 1 : 4) or may be the work of
an Editor, as in 10 : 29. Gain the whole world and forfeit {i.e.
lose as a penalty) his life: The soul finds its life, not in having pos
sessions, but in being in fellowship with God. Consequently, to
absorb oneself in getting gain is to minister to the soul the things on
which it cannot Uve. The penalty is the loss of its life (cf. Lk. 12 :
16-20; also Phil. 3 : 7f.; Matt. 4:8). In exchange for his life-
after it is lost, in order to get it back. For— confirming the hope
lessness of this loss of the soul's Ufe by the attitude which Christ
himself must take at the final consummation of his kingdom toward
the spirit which prompted such Uving. Ashamed of me and my
words — not simply lacking in moral courage to identify himself
with Christ and his teaching, but without moral responsiveness
towards his truth or personal responsiveness towards his self. Adul
terous — the old prophetic phraseology for expressing apostasy from
Jehovah (cf. Hos. 2 : 2-13; Ezek. 16 : 1-22). Son of man . ._ .
be ashamed — not merely lacking in personal accord and fellowship
with him, but expressing this in a positive disowning of all relations
between him and himself (cf. Matt. 10 :33=Lk. 12 : 9). Glory of
his Father: His triumph is to reaUze itself in the manifestation of
the glory of the Divine presence, rather than in the display of the
pomp of an earthly kingdom. With the holy angels — as ministers
of his rule (cf. 13 : 27; 2 Thess. 1 : 7; Heb. 1 : 14). See the king-
129

9:1 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
9. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There
are some here of them that stand by, who shall in no
wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God
come with power.
2. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and
1 James, and John, and bringeth them up into a high
mountain apart by themselves: and he was trans-
3. figured before them; and his garments became glister-
1 Jacob.
dom of God come with power : This cannot refer to the witness which
three of the disciples had of the following transfiguration; though
those who divided this Gospel into chapter and verse evidently so
intended it to be understood by distinctly connecting the statement
with the record of this event, in spite of their failure to do so in Mat
thew's Gospel (cf. Matt. 16 : 28). It refers to the coming of the
kingdom in spiritual power, as it was estabUshed in the hearts of
men throughout the Apostolic age. This would be in accord with
the spiritual idea of himself and his mission which he had been bring
ing home to the disciples in his instruction. This spiritual com
ing of the kingdom is thus preparatory to that personal coming of
the Son of Man referred to in the preceding verse, which marks the
kingdom's consummation. (2) The Transfiguration, g : 2-13
2, 3. After six days — Luke less definitely and accurately, "about
eight days after" (cf. similar indefiniteness in Luke's statement of
figures, 3 : 23; 9: 14; 22 : 59). Peter and James and John: so far,
these three disciples had been favored with a participation in the
private experiences of the Master's ministry only at the raising of
Jairus' daughter (5 : 37). A high mountain — one of the southern
spurs of Hermon, in whose neighborhood they were (see notes on
8 : 27). Apart by themselves: In view of their need of further in
struction as to his Passion and their own suffering as his disciples, it
was quite natural that, before he should come again into the public
work that must turn his face finally towards Jerusalem, he should
wish to have close and intimate converse with them about the future.
Transfigured (lit. transformed, cf. 2 Cor. 3 : 18): After the talk
together, the Master doubtless drew apart for personal prayer (cf.
Lk. g : 28), his mind filled with thoughts which, however burdened
with the inevitable outcome of his earthly ministry, must have been
130

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9:6
ing, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten
4. them. And there appeared unto them Elijah with
5. Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter
answereth and saith to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for
us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles;
one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
6. For he knew not what to answer; for they became sore
dominated with his consciousness of vital communion with God, of
his personal relation to the Unseen World, and of the final triumph of
his work — the triumph of it, not as a Cause, but as the reaUzation of
his divine claims on the faith and obedience of humanity. He would
thus be not only receptive to the coming of the heavenly visitants and
their converse with him on the tragic events which lay before him
(cf. Lk. 9 : 31), but would be filled anew with the glory of its results.
This was the real transformation which took place and which must
have shown itself essentially in the glorified transforming of his
countenance (cf. Matt. 17 : 2; Lk. 9 : 29; cf. also Ex. 34 : 29; Acts
6 : 15). This all took place before them, i.e. in their fuli sight, and
as they watched, it seemed as though the glory of his exultant inner
self overflowed upon his very garments, until they became glister
ing — flashing Uke burnished brass, or steel (Nah. 3 =3), or gold (1
Esdras 8 : 57), or Uke fire (1 Mace. 6 : 39). Exceeding white —
Matthew says "white as the light"; Luke, "white and dazzling"
(better dazzling white). So as no fuller on earth can whiten
them (lit such [garments] as a fuller on the earth is not able so to whiten
[them]). 4. There appeared unto them: This was as real an experience to
the disciples as it was to the Master. Such foreboding thoughts as
they had made them receptive to it, not in the way of a self-suggested
dream — which would have been a gioomy and not a glorious one — but
in appreciation of its offsetting of their fears for the future. Elijah
with Moses : Elijah was in the thoughts of the people generally as one
who was to return to earth as the herald of the Nation's Messiah.
This conversation with the Master was not a r61e expected of him;
while Moses was not looked for at all. As far, however, as they
represented the Old Testament dispensation, their presence was an
assurance to the disciples — as it was supremely to the Master — that
whatever of suffering there might be in the future for him, the glory
of the kingdom would not be lost, but would be identified with the
glory of his personal Ufe.
5, 6. Answereth — not to anything that had been said, but to what
131

9:7 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
7. afraid. And there came a cloud overshadowing them:
and there came a voice out of the cloud, This is my
8. beloved Son: hear ye him. And suddenly looking
round about, they saw no one any more, save Jesus
only with themselves.
had occurred. Luke adds that his remarks were made as the
Heavenly Visitants were departing from them (9 .-33). It is good
for us to be here (lit. It is good that we are here) — not in the sense of
being pleasant for them, but opportune that they can be of service
in the way he is about to suggest. Tabernacles — booths — doubtless,
to retain the Visitants and, in the joyous spirit of the Feast of Taber
nacles, to express the rapture aroused by their presence. It was a
confused mixture of purpose, impulsively formed, and without ra
tional adjustment to the situation; for he knew not what to answer.
They had all become sore afraid: It was not only an unusual, but
an unnatural experience which, by its very reaUty, dazed them and
made it difficult for their minds to work in an orderly way.
7, 8. A cloud — the usual symbol of the Divine Presence in the
Old Testament theophanies (cf. Ex. 16 : 10; 19 : 9, 16; 24 : 15L;
33 : 9; Lev. 16 : 2; Num. 11 : 25). According to Matthew, it was
"bright"; so that the fear which they experienced (cf. Lk. 9 : 34)
when it came overshadowing them (the disciples as well as the Master
and his Visitants) was not one of depression from the murky darkness
of an enveloping mist, but one of awe from the unnatural brightness
of an overflooding glory, like that which rested upon and filled the
Tabernacle (Ex. 40 : 35; cf. also 2 Pet. 1 : 17). A voice — intended
to express, in what it uttered, the Divine approval of Jesus' renewed
commitment of himself to his work in face of the tragic development
which it presented. So had Jesus' initial commitment of himself to
his work been approved at the Baptism (see notes on 1 : n). My
beloved Son: Mark and Matthew reproduce the title as given at the
Baptism: Luke changes it to "chosen" (cf. Isa. 42 : 1). None of
them add the Baptism phrase, "in whom I am well pleased" (which,
however, is given in 2 Pet. 1 : 17); instead, they unite in recording an
altogether different phrase as having been uttered, hear ye him.
This was in keeping with the presence of Moses, who had foretold of
a prophet God was to raise up, to whom they were to hearken (Deut.
18 : 15, 18L). This prophet was identified with the Messiah (cf.
Jn. 1 : 21, 45; Acts 3 : 22). Matthew adds that it was when they
heard this voice they were seized with fear, from which they were
recovered only by Jesus' kindly touch and reassuring words (17 : 6f.).
Suddenly looking round about: Doubtless, the luminous glory, be-
132

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9:10
9. And as they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them that they should tell no man what
things they had seen, save when the Son of man should
10. have risen again from the dead. And they kept the
saying, questioning among themselves what the rising
fore which Matthew says they feU on their faces (17 : 6), had dazzled
as well as dazed them. When, at the Master's words, they arose and
looked about them, they found themselves alone with him. It is
easy to see why this experience on the Mount made upon the disciples
a lasting impression (cf. not only 2 Pet. 1 : 17L, but also Jn. 1 : 14).
It more than confirmed their recent acceptance of their Master's
spiritual Messiahship as over against the Nationalism of the Rulers,
and strangely iUumined the words with which the Master had ap
proved Peter's confession, when he told him it was a revelation to him
from God himself; while at the same time it attached a solemn
certainty to the distressing announcement the Master himself had
made of his suffering, rejection and death which made it difficult for
them again to gainsay it, whether they understood its reason and
significance or not. (For the psychology of the Transfiguration see
Ch. XVHI of Garvie's Studies in the Inner Life of Jesus)
9, 10. Coming down— the next morning, as Luke's record would
imply (9 : 3 7) . TeU no man : This charge to silence, like the previous
one regarding his Messiahship, was simply because those who had not
reached their spiritual conception of his Messiahship would not only
fail to understand what they had seen, but would be sure to miscon
strue it in the interests of their poUtical hopes. When the Son of
Man had risen again from the dead, all danger of precipitating the
crisis of his mission would be past, and this experience they had had
would then be confirmatory of their message to the world of his
Divine Messiahship. Luke does not record this command, though he
impUes it in his statement of 9 : 36. They kept the saying (Ut. laid
hold of, seized, held fast) — as something they could not let go. Ques
tioning . . . what the rising . . . from the dead should mean:
Though the Master, just a few days before, had announced his Resur
rection as weU as his Passion, the former element had been so over
shadowed by the latter that it had made little or no impression upon
them (cf. 8 : 31-33). If they had thought of it at aU, it was probably
only as an event which was to occur in connection with the general
Resurrection at the last day — this great consummation coming to
pass perhaps a Uttle sooner because of the Passion. Now, however,
the Master's announcement is confined to his Resurrection, and it
takes hold of all their thinking as something which is to occur apart
133

9:n THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
n. again from the dead should mean. And they asked
him, saying, 1 How is it that the scribes say that
12. Elijah must first come? And he said unto them, Elijah
indeed cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how
is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer
1 The scribes say.
from the general Resurrection definitely and distinctly, in their own
lifetime and that probably before long, and they were utterly con
fused as to what it could mean.
n-13. But behind this confusion lay another and more funda
mental perplexity. In their experience on the Mount they had been
conscious of the presence of Elijah. Now the Scribes taught — and
the Scripture itself supported their teaching (cf. Mai. 4 : si.) — that
Elijah must first come, to prepare the people for the ushering in of
the Messianic era. They had witnessed, indeed, the presence of
EUjah, but not in any activity among the people to prepare them for
the Messiah, on the contrary, secluded from the people, for the pur
pose only of converse with the Messiah himself. If, as the Master
had impressed upon them, his own work was almost finished, how was
the preparation for it, taught by the Scribes and foretold by Scripture,
to be understood? It was a perfectly natural perplexity, but one
which would not have been present in their minds had they appre
ciated the service rendered to the Master by him who had been their
master before they had transferred their discipleship to Jesus. So
Jesus shows them that the function assigned by Scripture and the
Scribes to EUjah had been already performed by the Baptist, only that
their expectation as to what would result from this preparation by
EUjah had left out of account the spiritual character of the Baptist's
ministry and the necessary hostility to it on the part of those who had
no spiritual receptivity to its message. Elijah indeed cometh first
and restoreth aU things — the Scriptures and the Scribes are right —
only (as Matthew, who is primary here, adds, 17 : 12) the religious
leaders — as well as the disciples themselves — did not recognize him,
because they failed to understand that his restoring ministry must
be a spiritual one and therefore must bring him necessarily to suffering
and death. Consequently, if they, as well as the Scribes, had not
understood what Scripture required of the Messianic forerunner, in
the way of suffering and rejection, how were they to explain what is
written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and
be set at nought? As a matter of fact, Elijah is come and the re
Ugious leaders have done unto him what their hostility to his spiritual
ministry impelled them to do — as the ministry of EUjah himself made
134

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9: 16
13. many things and be set at nought? But I say unto
you, that Elijah is come, and they have also done
unto him whatsoever they would, even as it is written
of him.
14. And when they came to the disciples, they saw a
great multitude about them, and scribes questioning
15. with them. And straightway all the multitude,
when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running
16. to him saluted him. And he asked them, What ques-
plain might be expected of his antitype (cf. 1 Kings 19 : 2, 10).
Matthew (who is again primary here) adds that the disciples there
upon "understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist"
(17 : 13). This makes clear that the reason why they had not under
stood his former reference to the Baptist as Elijah (cf. Matt. 11 : 14)
was because they had not yet reached the spiritual conception of the
Master's ministry, much less that of the Baptist, since they had not
then come — as they were only now with difficulty beginning to
come — to the realizing sense of how a spiritual ministry must, in view
of the political materialism to which Judaism was committed, neces
sarily bring upon itself hostiUty and rejection and death.
(3) The Healing of the Epileptic Boy, 9 : 14-29
14. A great multitude: The disciples' confession had been made
on the way towards the suburbs of Caesarea PhiUppi. The week
which had foUowed that event Jesus probably spent in these villages,
being less in retirement from the people, now that the main result of
his instruction of the disciples was secured. In such a case, it would
not be long before a following would gather around him and cases of
sickness be pressed upon him for healing (cf. 7 : 24_f.), and in his
absence, upon his disciples (cf. 6 : 12f.). On this particular occasion,
the crowd had been augmented because of the discussion which was
going on; for the Scribes were questioning (Ut. disputing) with the
disciples, doubtless as to the cause of their inabiUty to heal the case
which had been brought to them (see ver. 18).
15. Amazed — startled, and at the same time relieved (cf. 16 : 5).
It was not the shock of awe, as though his person still bore the glory
of the Transfiguration, for they ran to him and saluted him, as was
their habit with the Rabbis. It was rather the surprise of his un
expected and yet most opportune appearance.
16-18. He asked them — the people who had run to meet him,
i35

9:17 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
17. tion ye with them? And one of the multitude an
swered him, Teacher, I brought unto thee my son, who
18. hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever it taketh him,
it dasheth him down: and he foameth, and grindeth
his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples
that they should cast it out; and they were not able.
19. And he answereth them and saith, O faithless genera
tion, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I
for the only impression he got as he approached the place was of
a dispute between the people generally and the disciples. A dumb
spirit — designated by Jesus in his exorcising command "dumb and
deaf spirit" (ver. 25). In view of the fact that epilepsy — as Mat
thew distinctively names the disease (17 : 15) — is mostly attended
by complete unconsciousness, the impression on the bystanders of
dumbness and deafness might be complete. The cry referred to
in Lk. 9 : 39 usually precedes the attack. Dasheth him down (lit.
rendeth him) : The reference is to the initial convulsions with which
the patient is seized and thrown to the ground. Grindeth (Ut.
squeakelh) the teeth. Pineth away (Ut. wilherelh up): This may
indicate either the general wasting effect of the disease upon the
system, or the distinctive stiffening and convulsive setting of the
limbs during the first stage of the attack, or the stupor which follows
the final stage and which may be long continued (cf. ver. 26).
19. Answereth them: Jesus' reply is addressed not merely to
the father, but to the general company, including most specifically
the disciples. They were all characterized as belonging to the gen
eration with whose unbeUeving presence he was constantly oppressed
— the Scribes, because of their hostile attitude toward the disciples,
in view of their failure, the father, because of the hopelessness into
which he had fallen through the disciples' failure, and the disciples
themselves, because of the failure they had made. When we re
member that they had more than once received authority to cast
out demons (cf. 3 : 15; 6 : 7, 13), and that they had not only been
spiritually instructed during the recent period of retirement, but in
virtue of this instruction had come to definite spiritual convictions
regarding himself and his ministry, we can understand the Master's
disappointment at their failure to realize that spirituality of ministry
which before long would be a necessity to them, if his work was to
be carried on. It was similar to his disappointment at their inability
to understand his warning against the leaven of the Pharisees and
of Herod (8 : 17, 21) — only deepened by his experience on the Mount,
136

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9:22
20. bear with you? bring him unto me. And they brought
him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway
the spirit tare him grievously; and he fell on the
21. ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his
father, How long time is it since this hath come unto
22. him? And he said, From a child. And oft-times it
hath cast him both into the fire and into the waters,
which had made him feel all the more intensely the dependence of his
work on the spirituaUty of vision and service with which his dis
ciples should be possessed. How long shall I be with you . . .
bear with you? All their experience of his Ministry — personal and
instructional — appeared to have been in vain. How long would he
have to be with them and bear with them in order spiritually to em
power them for the work they eventually would have to face? Their
faithlessness was, consequently, not the lack of some specific faith
which they should have exercised in order to secure specific power
for this particular malady, but that general lack of conscious fellow
ship with him, as one spirituaUy able himself to cast out demons and,
therefore, spirituaUy able through this fellowship to give them power
to cast them out. Of this fellowship they had been conscious on
their last heralding tour (cf. 6 : 13); but they had lost it during his
short absence from them on the Mount. Evidently it was not to
become an abiding element in their Uves until Pentecost (cf. Acts
2 : 43)-
20. Tore him grievously (Ut. completely convulsed him) . . .
f eU to the ground — a separate statement of the two symptoms of
the first stage of the attack, which are combined in the preceding
phrase "dasheth him down" (ver. 18). Wallowed (Ut. rolled around)
— the muscular spasms of the second stage, which throw the whole
body into violent agitation.
21-24. How long time . . . come unto him? Jesus' desire was
to arouse in the father's soul a faith that would measure up to the
conditions with which he was confronted in the case. The father's
reply that the boy had been afflicted from a child, and that, through
the disease, he had often tried to destroy himself, showed that the
case was one of long standing as weU as of desperate character, and
that his failure to obtain relief for it through ordinary exorcism and
from the disciples had brought him to a state of almost hopelessness
as to any cure at all. If thou canst! — a throwing back upon the
father of his own expression in such a form as to emphasize the ele
ment of doubt which lay in it. All things are possible . . . be-
i37

9:23 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have
23. compassion on us, and help us. And Jesus said unto
him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that
24. believeth. Straightway the father of the child cried
out, and said,1 I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25. And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running
together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto
him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee,
26. come out of him, and enter no more into him. And
having cried out, and 2 torn him much, he came out:
and the boy became as one dead; insomuch that the
27. more part said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by
28. the hand, and raised him up; and he arose. And
when he was come into the house, his disciples asked
him privately, zHow is it that we could not cast it out?
29. And he said unto them, This kind can come out by
nothing, save by prayer .4
1 Many MSS. add with tears. 2 convulsed cf. 1:26.
3 We could not cast it out. * Many MSS. add and fasting.
lieveth: The possibility of the cure depended only upon the reality
of the father's faith (see Hogg, Christ's Message of the Kingdom,
p. i6gf.). I believe; help thou my unbelief: The father is willing
to believe as far as he can, but wishes his poor faith to be responded
to by Jesus, in spite of the imperfection which still resides in it.
25-27. Having cried out: Doubtless, a fresh attack, though less
acute and followed by the stupor which always ends the series of
seizures. From this stupor Jesus aroused him and from that hour
the boy was cured (cf. Matt. 17 : 18).
28, 29. How is it that we could not cast it out? That the dis
ciples did not understand the reason for their fatture shows how
slow of mind they were, as well as how lacking in spiritual fellowship
with their Master. This kind — not this case by itself, but all cases
of demonic possession, as constituting a peculiar class. By nothing
save by prayer: After his inclusion of the disciples in the "faithless
generation" (ver. 19) and his demand upon the father for faith (ver.
23), it is clear that Jesus does not mean that the disciples lacked an
138

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9:32
(B) On the Last Journey to Jerusalem, g : 30-10 : 52
30. And they went forth from thence, and passed
through Galilee; and he would not that any man
31. should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said
unto them, The Son of man is delivered up into the
hands of men, and they shall kill him; and when he is
32. killed, after three days he shall rise again. But they
understood not the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
expression of their faith in prayer, but that they lacked the faith
which would naturally express itself in prayer (cf. Matt. 17 : 20).
And this faith was not mere general belief in religious truth, but a
specific sense of dependent fellowship with him, as powerful in him
self, and thus the source of power for them over these peculiar mala
dies of demonic possession. Involving, as they did, the presence of
an evil power, they necessitated the presence of a spiritual power
in those who would cast them out. While, therefore, faith was neces
sary for all miracles (cf. n : 23) and prayer, as expressing faith,
for all bestowal of power (cf. 11 : 24), this kind of malady would not
yield unless the evil power within it recognized the presence of a
mastering spiritual power in those who would cast it out (cf. Acts
19 : 13-16). Luke makes no mention of the disciples' question,
while Matthew enlarges the Master's answer, along the lines of his
remarks in connection with the fig tree (21 : 2if.).
(r) Return through Galilee, with a Second Announcement of the Passion,
9 ¦ 30-32
30-32. Passed through Galilee (lit. passed alongside through
Galilee) — evidently off of the beaten tracks. (But see ver. 33f.).
The marginal reading in Matt. 17 : 22 would seem to indicate that
they broke up into small groups, going different routes, and reas
sembling afterwards. Most probably, they came along the less fre
quented roads, avoiding Bethsaida and the crossing of the Lake.
He would not that any man should know it: The reason for this
is given in the following verse. He was still in the process of prepar
ing his disciples for the great crisis soon to come, and he must avoid
even the publicity to which they had been subjected in the suburbs
of Caesarea Philippi. Most likely, the disclosure in the case of the
epileptic boy of the disciples' lack, not only of spiritual fellowship
with him, but of any realizing sense of the need of it, made clear to
him the necessity of renewed instruction in the time still left to them
J39

9:33 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
33. And they came to Capernaum: and when he was
in the house he asked them, What were ye reasoning
34. on the way? But they held their peace: for they
had disputed one with another on the way, who was
before they mingled with the travellers along the road to Jerusalem.
Delivered up (rendered "betrayed," in 3 : 19): This is the new ele
ment in the announcement (cf. 8 : 31), and it was this strange and
hard to be credited prediction — apparently already in process of
accompUshment (note the present tense, "is dehvered up") — that
they could not understand and about which, naturaUy, they were
afraid to ask him, lest it should unfold things more unwelcome
and disheartening than anything they had yet heard of this coming
catastrophe. Matthew says nothing of their difficulty of under
standing what was meant (17 : 23); while Luke speaks of the meaning
as having been hidden from them, with the purpose that they should
not understand it (9 : 45).
{2) The Dispute cf the Disciples, 9 : 33-50
33, 34. Capernaum: That Jesus with his company should have
come into this city, which had been the headquarters of his Galilean
work, when his desire was to pass through Galilee without pubUc
notice is explained only by the facts given us in the Fourth Gospel —
that his former foUowing, centered in this place, had lost all sym
pathy with his ideas and had practically deserted him (6 : 66). The
significance of this aUenation Jesus fuUy understood. He has no
hesitancy, therefore, in going again into the city; and it would
seem that he made no mistake in so doing, for apparently no atten
tion was given to his presence, beyond an official and probably hostile
inquiry made of Peter as to whether his Master was in the habit of
paying the half -shekel tax into the Temple treasury (cf. Matt. 17 :
24-27). This was Jesus' last visit to this city. What were ye rea
soning? It seems strange that in the light of such solemn disclosures
as Jesus had been making to the disciples regarding the future before
them and his earnest and persistent effort to bring them into a spir
itual appreciation of his ministry and their own discipleship, they
should have been discussing among themselves who was the greatest
— a discussion which must have involved the question as to the
honors and preferments which were to come to them in the material
Kingdom for which they stiU looked as the outcome of their Mas
ter's mission. They must have had some consciousness of the unfit
ness of the subject; for when he asked them what it had been, they
held their peace. Possibly, through some such eschatological state
ments as are given later in Matt. 19 : 28, and which Jesus may have
140

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9:37
35. the 1 greatest. And he sat down, and called the
twelve; and he saith unto them, If any man would
be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.
36. And he took a little child, and set him in the midst
of them : and taking him in his arms, he said unto them,
37. Whosoever shall receive one of such little children in
my name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me,
receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
1 Grk. greater.
made already on more than one occasion, their long held National
ideas of the future were nourished and fostered, in spite of the spir
itual conditions which the Master's instructions had imposed upon
their discipleship. At all events, they preserved this mixture of the
material and the spiritual in their ideas during the foUowing journey
to Jerusalem (cf. 10 : 35-41), at the Last Supper (Lk. 22 : 24-30;
cf. also Jn. 13 :3~i7), and even after the Resurrection (Acts
1 : 6-8).
35-37. Last of all and servant (Ut. minister) of all: The Master
does not denounce aU idea of greatness, but corrects their material
conception of it by showing them in what true greatness really con
sists — in the spirit, not of mere self-depreciation — which is often
false pride — but in the spirit of a genuine self-forgetting service to
others (cf. 10 : 42-45; Lk. 22 : 24-26). To iUustrate this, he takes
one of the children of the household and, bringing it out before them
aU, takes it into his arms (so only Mark) — as though to show them
that, Messiah though he was and burdened with the solemn weight
of his mission to the world, he had no other thought than through
this attention then and there to minister to the happiness of this
childish heart. We can easUy beheve this was his constant custom;
he only used it now to point his teaching. One of such little chil
dren — not necessarily children in years, but children in helplessness
and need. Whosoever receives — takes into his care, helps and serves
— those who are in need of such ministry, ministers not only unto
them, but unto me, and not only unto me, but unto him that sent
me. This comes from the fact that this ministry is rendered in his
name, in other words, that it is done, as their miracles of healing were
to be done, in the consciousness of a spiritual fellowship with him,
whose aim it was in all his mission, not to be ministered unto, but to
minister (cf. 10 : 45). Matthew enlarges upon Jesus' reply (18 : 3L);
Luke practically reproduces it as given by Mark (9 : 47f .).
141

9:38 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
38. John said unto him, Teacher, we saw one casting
out demons in thy name; and we forbade him, because
39. he followed not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not:
for there is no man who shall doa ' mighty work in
40. my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.
41. For he that is not against us is for us. For whosoever
1 Grk. power.
38-40. John said unto him: This may have been an interruption
of the Master's teaching, which is obviously resumed at ver. 41 —
suggested to John by Jesus' reference to a ministry in his name
(ver. 37); or, on the same suggestion, it may have been inserted here
topically by Mark from some other occasion. In the former case,
which seems the more probable, it is a reminiscence on John's part
of a much earlier experience; since in the present popularly discredited
condition of Jesus' work it was not likely that there were persons
abroad using his name in exorcisms. We forbade him : If spoken at
this time, John's idea was that here was a ministry in his name that
was not legitimate, because there was no formal connection of it
with the work which they themselves were doing. Do a mighty
work . . . and be able quickly (properly, rashly, inconsiderately)
to speak evil of me: The work having been accomplished in his name,
there must have been enough of fellowship with him in its doing to at
least place the worker in sympathy with the work they were carrying
on against the powers of evil,-whether there was a formal connection
with it or not. Matt. 7 : 22L is in no contradiction of this position
of the Master's; since the wonder workers there are not accused of
speaking evil against him, only of the lack of that reality of personal
relationship to him which their outward respect for him naturally
impUed. Conversely, the failure of the disciples to cure the epileptic
(ver. 28) was due, not to a lack of real personal relationship to him,
but to an absence of that spiritual fellowship with him which their
relationship normally called for. So the statement of ver. 40 is not
contradicted by the seemingly opposite one of Matt. 12 : 30. In the
former case, Jesus means that he who works in sympathy with the
good he is doing is really working with him, though not outwardly
one of his workers; in the latter case, he means that he who is out of
sympathy with what he is doing is really working against him, though
one of his acknowledged followers. Matthew has not preserved this
incident of John's remark.
41, 42. A cup of water: The teaching, interrupted at ver. 37, is
here resumed, by showing the disciples that even in services rendered
142

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 9:43
shall give you a cup of water to drink, because ye
are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise
42. lose his reward. And whosoever shall cause one of
these little ones that believe * on me to stumble, it
were better for him if a great millstone were hanged
43. about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And
if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good
for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having
thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquench-
1 Many MSS. omit on me.
to them by those outside, it is not the largeness of the ministry that
marks it as really great, but the spirit of conscious fellowship with
him in which the act is done — a fellowship that is expressed in the
motive behind the doing: Because ye are Christ's (lit. in the name
that ye are Christ's). Luke does not resume the teaching at all, and
Matthew takes it up again only at the following verse. One of these
little ones that believe on me: The reference is not to those who are
Uttle in years, but in the maturity of their discipleship (see notes on
ver. 37). To stumble : NaturaUy, the converse of the preceding is true,
only it receives its real significance in the realm of spiritual and not of
physical things; since it is only spiritual injury which can really harm.
The injury here referred to is the teaching or example which leads
to wrong action on the part of those whose immaturity of religious
life makes them lacking in discernment of conscience or in strength of
character (cf. Rom. 14 : 13-15, 20-23; t Cor. 8 : 4, 7, 9-13, and the
Master's own action during this stay in Capernaum, Matt. 17 : 27).
A great millstone (lit. an ass-millstone) — the upper millstone of
the larger class of mills, which was turned by an ass, instead of by a
woman, as in the case of the hand mills (cf.Ex._ 1 1 :s;Matt.24 141) —
a condition of certain and inescapable destruction.
43-48. Thy hand cause thee to stumble: The leading astray of
oneself, which is inexcusable because based on self-deception, and
avoidable because due to the dominating power of the influences and
forces of the material living over the spiritual life to which one con
sciously yields. Hand . . . foot . . . eye — used illustratively for
the lesser interests of life, which readily should be sacrificed in order
to secure the well-being of the higher spiritual Uving (cf. Matt.
5 : 29L). Life — is thus figurative for that state of final assured
fellowship with God, which is termed in ver. 47 "the Kingdom of
God." Hell (Ut. Gehenna) — the Valley of Hinnom, which lay
143

9:45 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
45. able fire.1 And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut
it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather
47. than having thy two feet to be cast into hell.1 And
if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is
good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with
one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into
48. hell; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not
49. quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire.2
1 Verses 44 and 46, which are identical with ver. 48, are omitted by the best MSS.
2 Many MSS. add and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt, cf. Lev. 2 : 13.
outside of Jerusalem, and was the site of the ancient fire worship
begun by Ahaz (2 Chron. 28 : 3). Through the desecration of this
worship by Josiah (2 Kings 23 : 10), and because of the denunciation
of its revival under Jehoiakim (Ezek. 20 :3of.; Jer. 7 :3if.), the
place became an object of such abhorrence that it stood in later
Jewish thought as the symbol of the place of eternal punishment
{Bk. Enoch 27 : 1; IV Esdras 2 : 29). There seems to be no evidence
that it served as a dumping ground for the bodies of dead animals and
criminals and the general refuse of the city, where fires were kept
burning to prevent infection. (See art. Gehenna, Dictionary of the
Bible, Vol. II.) Worm dieth not . . . fire is not quenched — a
phrase borrowed from Isa. 66 : 24, where it seems to be suggested by
the destructive forces of nature (cf. Isa. 5 : 24; 14 : 11), rather than
by processes going on under the supposed use of the Valley of Hinnom.
(See notes on ver. 43.) The injuries which one does to his own soul
are corrupting and destroying beyond any which may be done to it
from outside. Verses 44 and 46 contain this same phrase, repeated as
a refrain after the exhortations of vs. 44 and 46, and are omitted as
not belonging to the original text.
49, 50. Salted with fire: The Old Testament sacrifices were salted
with salt to symboUze the covenant relations between God and
Israel (Lev. 2 : 13). But now the thing which characterized the
personal relations between Jesus and his disciples was that they were
to be salted with fire, not as a symbol, but as a test, in order to con
sume the evil in them and to preserve and purify the good. But,
this result depended on that self-disciplining power within themselves'
which ruthlessly sacrificed every lesser interest in life for the sake of
the higher spiritual good (see notes on 43), and so turned every
testing experience into a strengthening of character (cf. Jas. 1 : 2-4).
Whether the fire should destroy or preserve depended upon this
spiritual "salt" within them that turned its destructive element into
144

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK ion
50. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost its saltness, where
with will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and
be at peace one with another.
10. And he arose from thence, and cometh into the
borders of Judaea and beyond the Jordan: and multi
tudes come together unto him again; and, as he was
wont, he taught them again.
one that purified and enriched. That "salt" was effective, providing
it retained its saltness; if that were lost, there was no way by which
it could be artificially restored, and these testing experiences of Ufe
be saved from their destructive results. The exhortation with which
the teaching closes is thus perfectly in keeping with what has pre
ceded: Have salt in yourselves, and, as that gracious power of self-
discipline would be lost to them if, in the spirit of self-seeking, they
disputed among themselves as to who should be greatest (ver. 33),
be at peace one with another. Matthew continues the instruction
at great length (18 : 10-35); Luke seems to refer to it in 14 : 34L and,
as presented by Matthew as well as by Mark, in 17 : 1-4.
(3) Departure from Galilee and Journeys in Judma and beyond the
Jordan, 10 : 1-12
10 : 1. From thence — Capernaum (cf. 9 : 33). Cometh into
the borders of Judaea and beyond tie Jordan — a general state
ment covering the interim between the departure from Galilee and
the arrival at Jericho (ver. 46), before his entry into Jerusalem
(11 : 1). According to Luke, part of the journey was through Sa
maria (9 : 51-56; 17 : n); Matthew says he came into the borders of
Judaea beyond the Jordan, as though Judaea extended East of that
river (19 : 1); John records that he made two visits to Jerusalem —
one at the Feast of Tabernacles, in September (7 : 2, 14), and another
at the Feast of Dedication in December (10 : 22) — that after this
second visit he retired to Bethany beyond the Jordan (10 : 40) —
possibly north of Peraea (cf. Guthe, Bibel-Atlas, Plate 14), though the
site is uncertain — from which place, at the death of Lazarus, he
returned to Bethany, on the Mount of OUves (11 : 1-17), afterwards
retiring to a city called Ephraim (11 : 54), a few miles Northeast of
Jerusalem, and coming finally from there by the way of Jericho to
Jerusalem. Evidently, therefore, whatever may have been his route
from GaUlee southwards, he did not spend all the time between Sum
mer and the following Spring on the journey, but passed not a little
of the interval between his first arrival at Jerusalem, in September,
H5

io : 2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
2. And there came unto him Pharisees, and asked him,
Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? trying
3. him. And he answered and said unto them, What
4. did Moses command you? And they said, Moses
suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her
5. away. But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness
and his final entry, in April, in the city itself, and the rest of it both
in Judaea and beyond the Jordan. Luke has inserted some ten
chapters of incidents and teachings (9 : 51-19 : 28) as occurring
during this period. Many of them are not related in sequence (e.g.
11 : 14-36). Some of them clearly belong earlier in his ministry
{e.g. 10 : 25; 11 : 1; 13 : 10; 14 : 1; 17 : 11; 18 : 1). Matthew com
presses his record into two chapters (19 : 1-21 : 1). Mark gives his
in one (10 : 1-52). Multitudes come . . . unto him: It is clear
that after he left Galilee, where his following had broken with him
(cf. Jn. 6 : 66), probably after he had passed beyond Samaria (cf.
Lk. 9 : 51-56), the multitudes again crowded around him, and he
taught them fully and freely (cf. Lk. 12 : 1; 14 : 25; 15 : 1). As the
crisis of his work was approaching, it was necessary, not only again
clearly to place before the people the spiritual character of his minis
try, but to reestabUsh that sifting process among his followers by
which those who were receptive to his message should be drawn
personally closer to him and those that were not should have a chance
to go their chosen way. (See notes on 4 : if.) This accounts for
the large amount of parabolic teaching during this period (cf. Lk.
10 = 25-36; n 15-13; 12 = 16-21,42-48; 13 : 6-9; 14 : 16-24; 15 =3-32;
16 : 1-13, 19-31; 18 : 1-14; 19 : 11-27).
{Question of the Pharisees Concerning Divorce, vs. 2-12)
2-9. Pharisees — members of the Pharisaic party. Is it lawful . . .
to put away his wife? This question they put to him, with the pur
pose of trying him, testing him, on this question debated between the
Schools of Hillel and Shammai, as to whether a man could divorce his
wife for any cause (cf. Matt 19 : 3), or for no cause save that of
infideUty. It may be that they already knew of the pronouncement
on this question which Matthew reports Jesus as having made in the
Sermon on the Mount (5 : 3 if.). At all events, it was an opportunity
to drag him into the heated argument of the law's interpretation, as
it was debated by the Rabbis and their followers. This they had not
yet attempted with Jesus. They had criticized him for apparent
blasphemy (2 : 7), for open comradeship with the unchurched (2 : 16),
for obvious infractions of the ceremonial law (2 =24; 7 : 1-5). In
146

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 10:9
6. of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from
the beginning of the creation, Male and female made
7. he them. For this cause shall a man leave his father
8. and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two
shall become one flesh: so that they are no more two,
9. but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined to-
desperation at his popularity, they had accused him of being in league
with Satan (3 : 22), and after that popularity had gone, they had
tried to entrap him into further disfavor with the people (8 : 11).
But here is an attempt to entangle him in the fanatical discussions of
the Schools, as the Sadducees later in Holy Week tried to involve
him in the radical disputes between themselves and the Pharisees
(12 : 18-23), beyond which there was but one possibiUty — to enmesh
him in the poUtical passions of the people against Rome (12 : i3f.).
What did Moses command you? Jesus goes to the root of the mat
ter by asking for the law on which their question ought to be based.
That law is given in Deut. 24 : 1, and is correctly stated by the
Pharisees in their reply, Moses suffered {allowed, permitted) to
write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. Whether his
inquisitors were acquainted with his own position, or not, it was one
that was opposed to this position of the Law, but only as a fuller
expression is opposed to a less mature expression of the same fun
damental principle. This principle was the unlawfulness of separa
tion between man and wife without cause. The Law defined the
cause in terms which rested the action largely in the good wiU and
pleasure of the man; but Jesus states that it did so because of the
hardness of heart on the part of those for whom it was enacted, by
which he meant, not stubbornness of will, but crudeness of apprehen
sion. In other words, the law was determined by the immaturity of
the civilization for which it was made. Legislation ahead of the age
was no more possible then than it is to-day; but behind that immature
legislation of the Mosaic Law was the primary principle that God
had created the human race male and female, and that when they
were united in marriage, they belonged together beyond separation,
except for cause. The development of civilization in Jesus' day made
the full expression of this primary principle possible, and this fuU
expression of it Jesus gave when he added, For this cause — because
of the physical relation between them created by God — a man shall
leave his father and mother ("and shall cleave to his wife" is adopted
from the Old Testament passage, Gen. 2 : 24, and is not part of the
original text of the passage. It should, therefore, be omitted); and
the two shall become one flesh — in a union which is based on this
147

10:10 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
io. gether, let not man put asunder. And in the house
n. the disciples asked him again of this matter. And
he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his
wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against
12. her: and if she herself shall put away her husband, and
marry another, she committeth adultery.
13. And they were bringing unto him little children,
that he should touch them: and the disciples rebuked
primary physical relation and is, therefore, more close and binding
than that which exists between child and parent, and consequently
cannot be broken by any act, save that which in itself nullifies the
physical relationship and dissolves the union. What therefore God
hath joined together: By this underlying principle of the physical
relation between man and wife, man has no right to put asunder,
by any mere enactment of legal divorce, apart from that act of
infideUty which sinfully destroys the Divine union itself.
10-12. This position of the Master was apparently so contrary to
the statement of the Law involving such a profound interpretation
of its spirit, that when they came together in the house, where they
were staying, the disciples naturally went back to the discussion.
Jesus repUes by assuming his fundamental position that the marriage
union cannot be dissolved by mere divorce, and drawing the necessary
inference that when it is thus dissolved a further marriage by either
party is adultery. The possibility of a formal divorcement of the
husband by the wife is given only by Mark, and lay outside of Jewish
law. As, however, it was recognized by the Greeks and Romans and
its practice was familiar to the disciples and before long would have
to be faced by them in their ministry (cf. 1 Cor. 7 : 10-16), there is
no reason vo doubt that the Master advanced beyond the Jewish
situation in his personal instruction to them, and made the statement
as given in our passage. Matthew omits the disciples' further in
quiry and the Master's reply, though he adds to it a further instruc
tion to the disciples on the question of celibacy (19 : 10-12). He in
serts, however, in his answer to the Pharisees, as in his statement in
the Sermon on the Mount (5 : 32), the distinctive cause on which
divorce is permissible (19 : 9) but which, as shown above, is clearly
involved in Mark's record.
{4) Jesus' Blessing of Little Children, vs. 13-16
13. These children may have belonged to the household where
Jesus and his disciples were staying, so that the incident may have
148

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK io: 16
14. them. But when Jesus saw it, he was moved with
indignation, and said unto them, Suffer the little
children to come unto me; forbid them not: for 1 to
15. such belongeth the kingdom of God. Verily I say
unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.
16. And he took them in his arms, and blessed them, lay
ing his hands upon them. 1 of such is.
foUowed the preceding, though it is possible that Mark took it from
some other occasion on the journey and inserted it here because of its
topical agreement with the question of the sacredness of the marriage
relation. Matthew seems to locate it here (19 : 13); Luke has no
statement of its time or place (18 : 15). The fact that from this
point on the three EvangeUsts keep together in their records may
possibly indicate that the remaining incidents belong to Jesus'
return from Ephraim (cf. Jn. n : 54) on his final journey to Jerusalem
(Swete, ad loc, and on ver. 46). Touch them — either by way of
imparting some physical blessing upon their young Uves, or after
the manner of the benedictions commonly obtained by parents for
their children from the Rulers of the Synagogues (Buxtorf, DeSynag.,
p. 138). Disciples rebuked them — for claiming the Master's atten
tion with what seemed to them a trivial affair.
14-16. Moved with indignation (lit. was pained, grieved, given
only by Mark) — at the disciples' failure to appreciate children, not
so much in themselves, as in their relation to him and his kingdom;
for to such Uke minded persons as these children, open-hearted and
receptive to his teaching, trustfully dependent upon his help, loving
and loyal to himself, belongeth the kingdom of God — it is theirs to
enter and to enjoy the blessings which it provides. Without such
receptivity to the kindgom of God, as a truth presented to the soul
and a claim imposed upon the life, it is impossible for the kingdom of
God as a relationship to God — to his love and to his life — to open it
self to anyone. He took them in his arms and blessed them, laying
his hands upon them: His blessing was spiritual rather than physical,
the symbol of its imparting was the laying on of his hands; but the
spirit which stood behind and moved through all the action was
expressed by the loving embrace in which he enfolded them. Luke
makes no mention of this act of the Master's, while Matthew refers
only to the imposing of the hands (19 : 15).
149

io: 17 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
17. And as he was going forth 1 into the way, there ran
one to him, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good
Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
1 on his way.
(5) The Question of the Rich Young Man, vs. 17-31
17. This incident may have followed in sequence upon the pre
ceding one, as that may have done upon the one before it. At the
same time, there is the possibiUty that Mark may have placed it here
because of the contrast which it exhibited with the childlike spirit
that possessed the kingdom of God. Neither Matthew (ig : 16) nor
Luke (18 : 18) give any indication of time or place. One: Both
Mark and Matthew are indefinite in their reference to him, save that
Matthew says that he was a young man (19 : 20, 22), and both unite
with Luke in stating that he possessed large wealth (Mk. ver. 22;
Matt. 19 : 22; Lk. 18 : 23). Luke alone refers to him definitely in
calling him a "ruler" (18 : 18), by which is not meant a member of
the Sanhedrin, for his youth would be against such a position, but
generally, in the Rabbinic usage of the term, a man of ruling position
in the community, which would be natural through his wealth
(Swete). Kneeled to him . . . Good Teacher: It is clear from the
incidents on this journey which Mark has given us, that, outside of
Galilee, Jesus had lost none of his popularity and fame. The bringing
of little children to him for his blessing (ver. 13); the respect and
reverence with which this Young Man addressed him; the persistence
with which the Blind Man at Jericho called to him (ver. 47f.); even
the ambitious request of the two disciples (vs. 35-37) and the cunning
questioning of him by the Pharisees (ver. 2) show, as well as the
crowding around him of the multitudes (Lk. 12 : 1; 14 : 25; 15 : 1),
that people were still under the power of his personal presence.
Possibly Jesus' appearance among the pilgrims to the Passover,
which was now drawing nigh (see notes on ver. 13), especially after
his continued retirement from pubUc view, created the expectancy at
which Luke more than once hints (17 : 20; 19 : 11) that Jesus was
now about to proclaim himself and the kingdom which he had so
widely heralded in Galilee. At all events, as he proceeded on his
way, the crowds that foUowed were apparently under the strain of
some awesome apprehension of coming events (cf. ver. 32). What
(Matthew had "What good thing," 19 : 16) shall I do that I may
inherit eternal life? The question, unlike that of the lawyer in Lk.
10 : 25, was perfectly sincere. Jesus had proclaimed the near ap
proach of the Messianic kingdom; what must he do to possess its
blessing of eternal life? But it failed at a vital point. The blessings
1-50

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 10:20
18. life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me
19. good? none is good save one, even God. Thou knowest
the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit
adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness,
20. Do not defraud, Honor thy father and mother. And
he said unto him, Teacher, all these things have I
offered in the kingdom that Jesus was to establish were to be secured,
not by personal conduct in itself, but by personal conduct which was
the outcome of a personal relationship to him. If he was to this
young man nothing more than a Teacher — even a Good Teacher —
the conduct inquired about was not the spiritual product of a personal
commitment of the soul to him, but the meritorious product of a self-
complacent conduct apart from him. Jesus must make this clear to
him. So he asks him what was involved in the term with which he
addressed him, Why callest thou me Good (Matthew, who is not pri
mary here, renders it "Why askest thou me concerning that which
is good," 19 : 17). None is good save one, even God: If Jesus
was good to him simply as one who could give wise instruction,
then the commandments of the Decalogue were before him; if he
kept them perfectly, he would be rewarded with eternal life (cf . Lk.
10 : 27f.). If to him, however, Jesus was good in himself — good, as
the Supreme Good, as God is good — then it was for him to commit
his Ufe to Jesus' personal following. What would he say? And
the young ruler repUed, Teacher, all these things have I observed
from my youth — again, the statement of perfect sincerity, and yet
the fact that, with all this careful observance of God's commands, he
came to this Teacher for further instruction betrays the fact that his
heart was conscious that something more was needed. In fact, his
coming was a revolt against the teaching of the Scribes that eternal
Ufe was to be secured by a punctilious performance, not only of all the
written commands of the Law, but of all the unwritten commands of
the Rabbis. He came to ask for a simpler rule — one that could be
the expression of his real desire for the kingdom of God. For this
consciousness of his lack (cf. Matt. 19 : 20) and this search for its
supplying Jesus looking upon him loved him; for this showed him
as faced toward the one thing that would make eternal Ufe a real
ity of his possession. Go sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the
poor . . . and come, follow me — not that the selUng of his goods in
itself was to give him eternal life, but that the parting with them was
to be the measure of his wilUngness to commit his life to a personal
foUowing of Jesus as his Master. To him Jesus was good as a Teacher,
but not as the Supreme Good in himself — as God is good.
!5i

10:21 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
21. observed from my youth. And Jesus looking upon
him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou
lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
22. and come, follow me. But his countenance fell at
the saying, and he went away sorrowful: for he was
one that had great possessions.
23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his
22. And here was where he failed. He was willing to follow Jesus'
instruction as one who could tell him the commands he should keep
in order to win eternal Ufe; but he was not willing to foUow Jesus'
commands as himself the Lord of his living. He had kept the second
table of the Decalogue which forbade harm and injustice to one's
neighbor. But this was simply negative. The positive side of this
expressed by such a mastership over his great possessions by Jesus he
was not willing to undertake. And the reason for his unwillingness
was the simple fact that while the need of which he was conscious in
his own life was real, he had no appreciation of Jesus' power to supply
it in himself. Not Jesus himself, but riches were to him still the
highest good.
23-27. The incident was too significant for its lesson to be lost, so
turning to his disciples the Master said How hardly (lit with what
difficulty) shall they that have riches enter into the Kingdom of
God! Here was an example of the power wealth has to dim the
eyes to what is supremely good in Ufe. The disciples were amazed —
for the standards to which they were accustomed in Judaism made
men of wealth prominent in the Church, and to their Nationalism —
with all the spiritual ideas and conceptions which had come to them
through their fellowship with the Master — the Church was still the
gateway to the coming kingdom (cf. Acts [ : 6; 10 : 28), and that
kingdom was promised to be full of prosperity, with the wealth of
the Nations flowing into it (cf. Isa. 60 : 5, 11). How hard is it ("for
them that trust in riches" is not a part of the original text, and should
be omitted) to enter into the kingdom of God: Jesus explains his
first statement by showing that entrance into the kingdom was difficult
in itself. It was not an easy thing for anyone — situated as men were
then in Judaism and Heathenism — to enter the kingdom of God.
It meant a change of the entire viewpoint of life — a revolution of the
whole living (cf. Lk. 13 : 24). The inference was obvious — that it
must be harder to accomplish this entrance if one's viewpoint was
already mastered by wealth, and riches had spread within one that
152

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 10:28
disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches
24. enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were
amazed at his words. But Jesus answereth again,
and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it 1 for
them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of
25. God! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's
eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
26. God. And they were astonished exceedingly, saying
27. 2 unto him, Then who can be saved? Jesus looking
upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not
28. with God: for all things are possible with God. Peter
1 Some MSS. omit for them that trust in riches.
8 Many MSS. read among themselves.
soporific of ease and self-contentment that dulled the ear to any caU
of revolution. Neither Matthew or Luke has any record of this
astonishment of the disciples or this repetition of the Master's first
remark. Camel . . . needle's eye: The phrase is to be taken liter
ally and is an oriental way of illustrating truth through exaggerated
similes (cf. Matt. 6 : 23; 23 : 24). It put a rich man's entrance into
the kingdom as a practically impossible thing. Astonished exceed
ingly (Ut. beyond measure startled out of themselves): The Master's
first statement was that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom;
the second was that it is impossible. Almost naturaUy they asked
Then who can be saved? For if what a man has of this world's
goods increases the inherent hardness and difficulty of getting into
the kingdom, and all but the poverty stricken possess something, who
is going to be able to enter it? With men it is impossible . . .
possible with God: With men alone, subject as they are to human
views and influences, to the controlling and compelling forces of the
world, it is hopeless; but salvation is a thing, not only which has to do
with God, but in which God has to do with men, and the persuasive
and ennobling power of his Spirit over the human spirit is limited by
nothing save the final decision of man's will.
28-31. We have left all and have followed thee — implying, as
Matthew definitely adds, "What then shall we have" (19:27):
This outbreak of Peter's came almost naturally upon the incident
and the Master's following words. Through God's help the disciples,
although possessing this world's goods, had been enabled to leave all
and foUow the Master — was there assurance in this fact that they
i53

10:29 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have
29. followed thee. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you,
There is no man that hath left house, or brethren,
or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands,
30. for my sake, and for the gospel's sake, but he shall
receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, and
brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children,
and lands, with persecutions; and in the 1 world to
31. come eternal life. But many that are first shall be
last; and the last first.
32. And they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem;
and Jesus was going before them: and they were

would enter into the blessings of the kingdom? A hundred-fold —
not of the same things, but of those things which would supply their
places more abundantly (cf. 3 : 32-35). These were to come to them
now in this time, in this present age, before the looked-for future
Messianic age, but with persecutions which, as they saw from his own
ministry, were a necessary accompaniment of a spiritual message
and mission to the world. When, however, that Messianic age
finaUy came, there was to come to them in addition that eternal
life which ever since the prophecies of Daniel (12 12) had been looked
forward to as the consummated blessings of the kingdom of God.
Many that are first shall be last: This is added as a warning against
the spirit of calculation in which these sacrifices may be made. The
Master had indicated the only right spirit when he placed as the
condition of their reward that they were to be made for his sake — in
the spirit of personal devotion to him. All blessings of his spiritual
kingdom, both in this life and that to come, depended upon the
spiritual relations of their personal lives to him. Mark's addition
"and for the Gospel's sake" is likely, as in 8 : 35, to have been taken
from the form given the Master's words in the Apostolic preaching,
when the proclamation of his teaching tended to exalt the Gospel to a
level with himself. Luke fails to add this last phrase, though he has
it at the close of an incident earlier in this period of his Jerusalem
journeys (13 : 30); while he also, like Mark, transforms the Master's
words "for my sake" into the later idea of "for the kingdom of
God's sake "(18 : 29). i54

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 10:33
amazed; and they that followed were afraid. And he
took again the twelve, and began to tell them the
33. things that were to happen unto him, saying, Be
hold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man
shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the
scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and
{6) Renewed Announcement of the Passion, io : 32-34
32. They were amazed (Ut. astonished, startled, unnerved) . . .
afraid : As they neared Jerusalem, the consciousness of what the city
had in store for him must have brought upon Jesus a fresh sense of the
awful solemnity of the situation he was facing, which could not but
have shown itself in his demeanor and communicated itself to those
who foUowed in his company. With a sense of what was resting
upon him, he places himself in the lead, and the very act, simple in
itself, brings dread upon them; for, however poorly they understood
what was to happen, they knew enough to understand a crisis of some
sort was impending. Behind them came the straggling crowd who,
understanding less, were seized with real fear of approaching danger.
Only Mark has this graphic description of this last stage of their
journey. It clearly comes from Peter's memory and gives the reason
for this renewed announcement of the Passion, for the Master must
once more attempt to make clear to his disciples' slow working minds
the events which were so soon to take place.
33-34. This announcement is much more extended than either of
the two which preceded it (8 : 31; 9 : 31). It is still the Son of Man
who is to suffer, but the stages of the suffering are detailed. There is,
as in ch. 9, the betrayal into the hands of the religious rulers; and
their rejection of him; but there is added to it the fact that they shaU
deliver him unto the Gentiles, and then is given an almost minute
description of what the Romans will do to him — they shah mock
him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and then follows the
details common to both the preceding announcements, although here
assigned to the Civil authorities, they shall kiU him, and then finally
the fact with which both the announcements close, after three days
he shaU rise again. The exact correspondence of this prediction with
what actually occurred may have been due, to a certain extent, to a
recasting of the Master's words in the Ught of the events; but we
must remember that, on the one hand, the Master could easily have
foreseen that the death which was to come would have to be at the
hands of the Roman Government, since the Jews no longer had the
right to execute the death sentences which they themselves pro-
155

io : 34 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
34. shall deliver him unto the Gentiles: and they shall
mock him, and shall spit upon him, and shall scourge
him, and shall kill him; and after three days he shall
rise again.
35. And there come near unto him * James and John,
the sons of Zebedee, saying unto him, Teacher, we
would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we
36. shall ask of thee. And he said unto them, What
1 Jacob.
nounced, that scourging would be an almost certain accompaniment
of the execution, and that mocking would be a most probable one, in
view of his claim to be the Expected King of the Jews. On the other
hand, we must not forget that, in the inabiUty humanly to foresee the
decision of the Roman Governor, the statement that Death would
issue at all was as clear a prediction as that it would be followed by a
resurrection (Gould, ad. loc). Matthew's explicit statement of the
form of the death and that the rising would be definitely on the
third day (20 : 19) are doubtless read back into the words. Luke
closes the prediction with the statement, which seems to be impUed
by the silence of Matthew and Mark, that the disciples failed to
comprehend even this final announcement, as they had the other two
(18:34)- (7) The Ambitious Request of James and John, 10 : 35-45
35-37- James and John: Matthew states that it was the Mother
of these two disciples who made the request in their behalf (20 : 20).
If this incident followed upon the Master's solemn and explicit
announcement of the tragic events which were close before them —
as there seems to be no reason to doubt it did — it not only confirms
Luke's statement (18 : 34) that the prediction failed to penetrate
their understanding, but gives us a. new idea of the persistent Na
tionalism of their Messianic expectations, which, in spite of the
spiritual conception of their Master's Messiahship to which they had
come, could move along with the impression they must have had
of at least the foreboding nature of the impending experiences. This
Nationalism had doubtless been nourished by the promise the Master
had just made of the rewards which were to come to his disciples for
the sacrifices they had made for his sake (see notes on vs. 29-31,
and note the addition given in Matthew's record, 19 : 28), the spiritual
character and conditions of which, however, they had faUed to com-
156

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 10:38
37. would ye that I should do for you? And they said
unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy
right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy glory.
38. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask.
Are ye able to drink the cup that I drink? or to be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
prehend, and was a new expression of the ambitions which had led
them recently, on the way to Capernaum, to dispute among them
selves who was the greatest (9 : 34). That this request should come
from two of the three disciples who had been drawn into close intimacy
with the Master (cf. 5 : 37; 9 : 2) is all the more distressing. On thy
right hand . . . left hand, in thy glory (Matthew renders it "thy
kingdom," 20 : 21) — the places of honor at the side of a king (1 Kings
2 : 19; Ps. no : 1; Acts 7 : 55f.). Most probably, his definite promise
to the disciples that they should sit on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel, when Jesus should sit on "the throne of his
glory" (Matt. 19 : 28), had stirred in them the wish to have the
thrones of honor assigned to them, which, however, would carry with
them the seats of honor at the table of his kingdom (Lk. 13 : 29;
22 : 2gf.).
38-40. Are ye able to drink the cup ... be baptized with the
baptism? He does not denounce their self-seeking petition, but
reminds them of the conditions it involves. The rewards which
were to come to them for their sacrifices were to bring with them
persecutions (ver. 30) ; the thrones and the banquet seats which were
to be theirs at the consummation of his kingdom were to be given them
only as they had followed him (Matt. 19 : 28), and that foUowing
was to take them with him through all the testing trials that were to
come upon him (Lk. 22 : 28-30). The banquet cup that they had in
mind (Gen. 40 : nf.) was to be also a cup of sorrow and suffering
(14 : 36); the initiation into his kingdom which they were thinking
of was to be a baptism whose shuddering woe would oppress and
afflict his soul until it was accomplished (Lk. 12 : 50). Were they
equal to all this? Their response, We are able, represented their
ignorant confidence as to the outcome of the Master's mission which
was due to their persistent Nationalism (cf. Lk. 19 : n; Acts 1 : 6).
The cup ... ye shall drink: For James, this was fulfilled in his
martyrdom early in the experience of the Jerusalem Church (Acts
12 : if.), and, in his brother's case, most probably in his condemna
tion by the Emperor Domitian to exile in the Isle of Patmos (Rev.
1 : 9. See art. on John the Apostle, Standard Bible Dictionary).
The Master's words, in view of the general conditions he has in mind
157

10:39 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
39. And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus
said unto them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink;
and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall
40. ye be baptized: but to sit on my right hand or on my
left hand is not mine to give; but it is for them for
41. whom it hath been prepared. And when the ten
heard it, they began to be moved with indignation
on which their rewards were to be granted (see notes on ver. 38),
cannot be pressed to mean that they were to suffer specifically a
martyr's death. Is not mine to give but ... for whom it hath
been prepared (Matthew, who is not primary here, adds "of my
Father," 20 : 23) : These preferments do not come by arbitrary
assignments, even from himself, but in the way of that which is
prepared for those who have fitted themselves to receive it (cf.
Matt. 25 : 31-46).
41. The ten . . . moved with indignation — not in moral criti
cism of the action of the two disciples, but in bitter jealousy at the
advantage which they had sought to gain over the rest (9 : 34) .
42-45. Them — the Ten, though the remarks were doubtless
addressed to them all. Accounted to rule (Ut. reputed to rule, seem
to rule) — not that their rule was not actual, but that it was not ideal.
It did not rest upon their inherent abiUty to rule, to say nothing of
their moral quaUfications for ruUng. Lord it over them (lit. bring
under one's dominion, or mastery, cf. Acts 19 : 16) — as a despotic and
tyrannical course of action, this is almost a natural consequence of
their lack of the ideal qualities of rule. Great ones — a general term,
viewed from the point of rank, as the preceding one — " those who are
accounted to rule" — was, viewed from the point of function. Exer
cise (Ut. wield) authority over them — with the same lack of moral
consideration as was involved in the "lording it over them." It is
not so among you — not that this was not the spirit of which they
partook — for it was: but that it was not the spirit created in their
midst, to which as an ideal they were to adhere. On the contrary,
they are to understand, as he had already taught them in their dispute
about greatness among themselves (9 =35-37), that true greatness
consists in wiUingness to minister to others' needs and serve the
interests of all — to which he adds, as the highest illustration of the
principle which could be given, the object which he had set before
himself in his own mission — not to be ministered unto, but to minis
ter, and (lit. and so, as a consequence of that purpose, and as involved
in it) to give his life a ransom for many (Ut. in place of many) : A
158

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 10:47
42. concerning J James and John. And Jesus called them
to him, and saith unto them; Ye know that they who
are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over
them; and their great ones exercise authority over
43. them. But it is not so among you: but whosoever
would become great among you, shall be your 2 min-
44. ister; and whosoever would be first among you, shall
45. be 3 servant of all. For the Son of man also came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
his life a ransom for many.
46. And they come to Jericho: and as he went out from
Jericho, with his disciples and a great multitude, the
son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting
47. by the way side. And when he heard that it was
Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, and say,
1 Jacob. 2 servant. 3 Grk. bondservant, or slave.
ransom was a payment for the release of bondmen (Num. 3 : 49),
or of captives (Isa. 45 : 13), or for the recovery of sold land (Lev.
25 : 24), or for the redemption of a life (Ex. 21 : 30). This, with
1 Tim. 2 : 6, is the only use of the word in the New Testament, and
means that the Master's Ufe was to be given for the release from the
bondage of sin of the lives of many (cf. Rom. 3 : 23f., Gal. 3 .-13;
Eph. 1 : 7; Tit. 2 : 14; 1 Pet. 1 : 18; Heb. 9 : 12-14). That this
bondage of sin would, in the end, result in a death more significant
than that of the body may rightly be inferred from the Master's
words in 8 : 35-37; 9 = 43-48; so that the giving of his life for their
freedom from sin would be in fact a giving of it to prevent the loss of
their higher spiritual Uves. (See Hogg, Christ's Message of the King
dom, pp. 183-186.)
{8) Arrival at Jericho and the Healing of the Blind Beggar, 10 : 46-52
46, 47. Jericho (Possibly, "City of fragrance," or City of the Moon-
God), in the Old Testament sometimes called "City of palm-trees,"
Deut. 34 : 3; Jud. 1 : 16; 3 : 13; 2 Chron. 28 : 15 — an important
city, some 5 miles North of the Dead Sea, about 15 miles Northeast
from Jerusalem, and 6 miles West of the Jordan. It lay 820 ft. below
159

10:48 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
48. Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And
many rebuked him, that he should hold his peace:
but he cried out the more a great deal, Thou son of
49. David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still,
and said, Call ye him. And they call the blind man,
saying unto him, Be of good cheer: rise, he calleth
50. thee. And he, casting away his garment, sprang up,
the sea level and was located in a region of great fertiUty, but of
enervating heat. The Herodian farmly made much of it in fortifica
tions and buildings, and it was there that Herod the Great died. It
never became Hellenized, being saved from this, perhaps, by the new
city of Phasaelis, which Herod built to the North of it and which,
doubtless, attracted the newer life to itself. A great (Ut. sufficient,
here better rendered considerable) multitude: This was not neces
sarily made up wholly of the distinctive following of the Master, but
consisted largely of the general crowd of Passover pilgrims, which he
would meet at this place and of which his own band of disciples and
foUowers would form a part. The son of Timasus, which is Mark's
interpretation of the following Aramaic name, Bar {Son of) timaeus.
Neither Matthew nor Luke, who are not primary here, give any
name; while Matthew speaks of there being two persons, instead of
one, perhaps having confused this miracle with one which he gives
earlier (9 : 27). Luke further records the incident as having occurred
as they were drawing near the city (Matt. 20 : 29L; Lk. 18 : 35).
Sitting by the wayside — possibly just outside the gate, where he
could attract the attention of those who entered and left the city.
When he heard . . . Jesus the Nazarene: Luke explains how he
came by this information, through the tramping past him of the
crowd and his inquiry as to what was taking place (18 : 36L). Thou
son of David — not necessarily indicating the personal conviction
of the beggar, though he doubtless shared in the common belief in
Jesus as a wonder worker. More probably, this title was caught up
from some of the people in the crowd — followers of the Master, who
were still persuaded that he was soon to proclaim himself the Na
tion's Messiah (cf. Lk. 19 : 11).
48-50. The fact that, when he persisted in his cry, many rebuked
him, that he should hold his peace, would seem to accord with
the popular feeling that, while this was in the nature of a Messianic
procession to the Holy City, it must not be interrupted with a public
proclamation of the Messiahship before the city was reached. So,
on the other hand, would they be in accord with this Messianic spirit
160

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK II : I
51. and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered him, and
said, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?
And the blind man said unto him, Rabboni, that
52. I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him,
Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And
straightway he received his sight, and followed him
in the way.
4. The Messianic Work in Jerusalem, chs. 11-13
11. And when they draw nigh unto Jerusalem, unto
Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he
when they gave him their encouraging summons, Be of good cheer,
he calleth thee (given alone by Mark), when Jesus himself stopped
and bade them bring him to him.
51,52. Garment — the outer mantle. What wilt thou? The persist
ency of his cry and the eagerness of his coming, guided though it was
by those who summoned him (cf. Lk. 18 : 40,) showed, not only his
desire for help, but his belief that it could be given. Jesus wiU bring
such faith as he has to definite expression by his question. Rab
boni — a fuller form of Rabbi, a common address of respect. It was
given to Jesus during his ministry by those outside his following
(Jn. 3 : 2; 6 : 25), as weU as by his disciples (9 : 5; 11 : 21; Matt. 26 :
25, 49; Jn. 1 .-38, 49). John interprets it as meaning "Teacher"
(20 : 16). Matthew (20 : 33) and Luke (18 : 41) substitute for it
here "Lord." (cf. Dalman, Words of Jesus, pp. 324L, 340). Thy
faith hath made thee whole (Ut. saved thee) There is no process of
healing here, as in the cases in the Decapolis (7 : 33) and at Beth
saida (8 : 23-25). This is Jewish region, and he is dealing with one
whose religious ideas are not clouded by paganism. Followed him
in the way: His instant cure had doubtless brought him into the Mes
sianic enthusiasm of the multitude, and he follows in the company
of Jesus, not merely out of gratitude for what had been done to him,
but with a conviction wrought by that cure, that what doubt
less was spoken on aU sides about his being the coming king was
true (cf. Lk. 18 : 43).
(1) The Public Entry into Jerusalem, 11 : 1-11
11 : 1-3. Bethphage (probably, House of figs) — an unidentified
village, on the road from Jericho. According to the Talmud, it
161

II : 2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
2. sendeth two of his disciples, and saith unto them,
Go your way into the village that is over against you:
and straightway as ye enter into it, ye shall find a
colt tied, whereon no man ever yet sat; loose him,
3. and bring him. And if any one say unto you, Why
do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and
4. straightway he * will send him 2 back hither. And
they went away, and found a colt tied at the door
1 Grk. sendeth. 3 again.
lay just outside the city boundary of Jerusalem (Dahnan, Words of
Jesus, p. 68) . Bethany (probably, House of dates) — a smaU viUage
on the East slope of the Mount of Olives, somewhat farther from
Jerusalem (cf. Jn. n : 18), on the same road from Jericho as Beth
phage. In the statement (which is practically repeated by Matthew
21 : 1 and Luke 19 : 29), the place farthest away (Jerusalem) is
given first, as indicating the general terminus, and the two vUlages
(Bethphage and Bethany), as marking the distance which had been
reached in its direction. As the latter of these villages was the one
to which they had now come, the village that is over against you
was doubtless Bethphage, being so described, probably, as lying over
the other side of the ascent of the Mount. According to John, the
giving of this commission occurred on the morrow after their arrival
at Bethany (12 : 1, 12). A colt — the young of either a horse or an
ass. Matthew, who cites later the passage from Zechariah 9 : 9,
gives it definitely as the foal of an ass (21 : 2). No man ever yet sat:
This may have been read back into the Master's instructions from
the ApostoUc interpretation of the event, based on the tradition
regarding the sepulchre as given in Lk. 23 : 53, and on the general
Old Testament idea that an unused animal was necessary for sacred
purposes (cf. Num. 19 : 2; Deut. 21 : 3). At the same time, the other
details of foreknowledge involved in this story do not make this
one unnatural or unlikely. (See on other occasions 14 : 13; Matt.
17 : 27; Jn. 1 =48). Straightway he will send him back hither:
Mark alone gives this as part of the answer which the disciples are
to make in case of protest against the removal of the colt. Matthew
refers the immediacy of action to the owners of the animals in letting
them be taken (21 : 3). Luke makes no reference to any action.
4-6. The details of the expedition are furnished by Mark alone.
Matthew contents himself with saying that the disciples, having
found things as the Master had told them they would, carried out his
command (21 :6); Luke compresses his record of what they dis-
162

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK II : 8
5. without in the open street; and they loose him. And
certain of them that stood there said unto them, What
6. do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even
7. as Jesus had said: and they let them go. And they
bring the colt unto Jesus, and cast on him their gar-
8. ments; and he sat upon him. And many spread their
garments upon the way; and others branches, which
covered into the statement that it was as Jesus had described it (19 :
32), and then practically follows Mark in his statement of how they
accompUshed their commission (19 : 33~35a). At the door — of
the house, but without {i.e. outside the courtyard of the house)
in the open street (lit. in the roundabout road) — the narrow alley
which, in the closely built viUages, was the only way around the house
(see art. Street, Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. IV). There the
colt had been tied, to have it out of the way of the traffic which
passed along the congested street in front of the house. These minute
details make probable that Peter was one of the two disciples sent
on the errand and is giving here his personal reminiscence (cf. Lk.
22 :8).
7-10. Spread their garments (outer cloaks) upon the way: This
was an impulsive act of homage (cf. 2 Kings 9 =13), which was
doubtless suggested by the spreading of cloaks upon the colt in place
of a saddle-cloth, and led in its turn to the further hurried gathering
of branches (Ut. layers to be trodden or slept upon) — leaves, reeds,
leafy twigs (Matthew confines them to "branches from the trees,"
21 : 8) from the fields along the road, to make a pathway for this
Messianic Ruler. They that went before (so also Matthew, 21 : 9)
— probably the multitude referred to in Jn. 12 : 12L who, hearing
of the expected Messianic proclamation, had come out with palm
branches to greet the coming King and, meeting the procession
which had formed, turned around and led it on its way. They that
foUowed would be the multitude that had accompanied Jesus on
the road, augmented by the villagers of Bethany and Bethphage.
Then, as the procession descended the Western slope of Olivet towards
Jerusalem (Lk. 19 : 37), the two crowds united in shouting Hosanna
(lit. Save [us] !) ; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
This is taken from an invocation in Ps. 118 (ver. 25f.), one of the
group of six Praise Psalms (113-118) which were sung at Passover,
Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Dedication. It was of a character to be
associated with the people's hope of National restoration, and would
easily suggest itself in the circumstances of this triumphal procession.
163

II : 9 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
9. they had cut from the fields. And they that went be
fore, and they that followed, cried, Hosanna; Blessed
10. is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed is
the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father
David: Hosanna in the highest.
11. And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and
when he had looked round about upon all things, it
being now eventide, he went out unto Bethany with
the twelve.
Matthew's phrase, "Hosanna to the Son of David," 21 : 9, is prob
ably added from later Jewish-Christian liturgies, Swete, ad. loc. Luke's
addition, "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest," 19 : 38, may be
his paraphrasing of the closing refrain in Matthew and Mark, Plum
mer, ad. loc. Blessed is the kingdom that cometh ... of our
father David — given only by Mark — was doubtless added by those
in the crowd most confident of Messianic developments; while aU
united in the outburst which it may have prompted, Hosanna in
the highest — which has no local reference, but means simply an em
phatic Hosanna.
11. Luke adds to the narrative of the entry a protest from the
Pharisees (19 : 3gi.; cf. Jn. 12 : 19), and the Master's lament over
Jerusalem (19 : 41-44; cf. 13 : 34f.), both of them probable incidents
in the event. Matthew records how profoundly the city was moved
and the reply of the enthusiastic multitudes to the inquiry made on
every side as to who this personage was (21 : iof.) — an ignorance as
to his personaUty quite beUevable on the part of the pUgrim multi
tudes gathered from aU parts of the Diaspora. Mark contents him
self with a simple statement of what Jesus did upon entering the city.
Entered . . . into the Temple. Matthew makes the cleansing of
the Temple to have taken place at this time (21 : 12-17). Mark
states more accurately that it being now late in the day (eventide),
he simply looked round about upon aU things, which he saw there,
and went out unto Bethany with the twelve. In view of his visits
to the city at the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles and Dedication
(Jn. 5:1; 7:2, 14; 10: 22f.), this sight could not have given him
his first knowledge of the return of the Temple traffic from his cast
ing of it out at his first pubUc Passover (Jn. 2 : 13-16). As a matter
of fact, he did not go up to the Temple to inform himself of what was
going on within its waUs. This he already well knew. It was the
procession which, in its enthusiasm, had brought him to its doors, pos-
164

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 11:14
12. And on the morrow, when they were come out from
13. Bethany, he hungered. And seeing a fig tree afar
off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find
anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found
nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs.
14. And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit
from thee henceforward for ever. And his disciples
heard it.
sibly expecting some Messianic proclamation then and there. But
his announcement of his claims was to be fuU and complete, there
fore deUberate and only after the rulers, as weU as the people, had
become thoroughly conscious of his presence in their midst. We are
impressed with the growing deliberateness of his action during this
last journey to Jerusalem. The burdening consciousness of the sac
rificial consummation of his mission which, as the journey progressed,
expressed itself in the strangeness of his personal bearing (io : 32),
as weU as in the plainness of his speech (10 : 45), seemed, as he neared
the city, to give way to a Messianic unreserve that found its climax
in this deUberately undertaken and accomplished public entry.
The eternal issues which were now fully and finaUy before the reU
gious rulers of the Nation could not be presented to them hastily
and with the compelling crush of the multitude behind them; for
they were not political issues, but spiritual, and were to be settled,
not by the impulses of action, but by the deUberate decisions of the
wiU. If the entry was in itself a presentation of his claims, it was
almost necessitated by the Messianic enthusiasm of the multitude
which had accompanied him up to the city and would go with him
through its gates. However much their ideas differed from his, he
could not refuse their homage without taking all significance and
meaning away from his claims in the eyes of the Rulers before whom
ultimately they must come.
(2) The Barren Fig Tree, 11 : 12-14
12-14. On the morrow — Monday of Holy Week. From Bethany:
It is evident from Luke's repeated statements (21 :37; 22 :39),
confirmed by John (18 : 2), that the Bethany to which Jesus went
the evening before (ver. 11) and from which he was now returning
included the mountain tract in the neighborhood of the village, to
which its name was given (cf. Lk. 24 : 50 with Acts 1 : 12), and that
the night's rest was taken in the open air and not as the guest of a
165

11:15 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
15. And they come to Jerusalem: and he entered into
the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and
them that bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them
hospitable home. This gave him privacy for meditation and prayer
(cf. 14 : 26, 32) and possibly accounts for the fact that as he came into
the city in the morning, he hungered. Although people of the East
do not breakfast until after an hour or so of work, we can understand
how the sight of a fig tree in foUage and therefore promising fruit
awakened in Jesus the sense of hunger. If haply (Ut. therefore)
he might find anything thereon: The presence of the leaves gave
every reason to expect some of the first crop of small and delicately
flavored figs (cf. Song Sol. 2 : 13; Jer. 24 : 2). For it was not the
season of figs: The leaf buds and the smaU figs with them appear
about the end of March; the larger fruit is not ripe till August; and
though the greater portion of the smaller fruit falls to the ground with
the spring winds (cf. Rev. 6 : 13), there is always left on normal
trees a portion to ripen. But here, apparently, was a tree whose
early fruit had entirely disappeared, and whose only possession was
foUage, since the season for the later and larger fruit had not yet
come. (See art. Fig Tree, Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [Single
Vol. Ed.].) The Master's condemnation of the tree was that it was
not normal. Against every reasonable expectation, it had failed to
retain even a portion of the fruit it had originally possessed, though
outwardly it gave every appearance of doing so. From the parable
of the fig tree which Luke records him as having spoken on his recent
Jerusalem journeys (13 : 6-9), it is clear that the Master saw in the
tree an illustration of the Jewish Nation in its relations to God — as
haying every outward appearance of possessing real religion, and
being wholly without it. In his condemnation of the tree, he voiced
his denunciation of the Nation's deceptive reUgious Ufe.
{3) The Cleansing of the Temple, 11 : 15-19
15. Entered into the temple — to carry out in action the judg
ment he must already in himself have passed upon the defiant return
of the sacrilegious traffic to the House of God (cf. Jn. 2 : 13-16).
Them that sold . . . bought: The traffic consisted, not only in the
sale and purchase of sacrificial animals (cf. Jn. 2 : 14) and the ex
change of foreign money for the sacred half shekel of the Temple,
but also, most likely, in the furnishing of all the provisions necessary
for the sacrifices and ritual of the Temple (wine, oil, salt, etc.), and
of the right kind of money for the purchase of these animals and
provisions. It also included the changing of the votive offerings of
166

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK Ii:i8
16. that sold the doves; and he would not suffer that any
17. man should carry a vessel through the temple. And
he taught, and said unto them, Is it not written,
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all
the nations? but ye have made it a den of robbers.
18. And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and
sought how they might destroy him: for they feared
him, for all the multitude was astonished at his teach
ing.
proselytes and foreign Jews into Temple coin (Edersheim, Messiah,
Vol. I, p. 368L). Whether the expulsion of the traffickers was ac-
compUshed by the same means as at the first cleansing (Jn. 2 : 15),
we are not told, but the tables of the money changers were over
thrown, as then, and instead of a mere command to those that sold
the doves to take them away (Jn. 2 : 16), he overthrew their seats,
or benches, on which they sat in transacting their business.
16, 17. Carry a vessel through the temple (given only by Mark) :
The custom had grown up, in spite of its prohibition by the Jewish
authorities, for those who were carrying goods or implements to pass
through the Temple area as a short cut between the city and the
Mount of OUves (Swete, ad. loc). This irreverence also Jesus stopped,
and recaUed to the traffickers the Scripture passage (Isa. 56 : 7) where
the House upon the Holy Mountain was called "My house of
prayer." God's designation of it they had ignored by turning it
into a den of robbers, an accusation which condemned, not only the
fact, but the character of the trade they carried on. Obviously, the
spirit of this cleansing differs from that which characterized the
cleansing at the first Passover. The earUer act was that of a reUgious
Reformer at the beginning of his work, who has in view Israel itself,
at the heart of its reUgious Ufe (Jn. 2 : 16, 20), and sees the bearing
of his act upon his own fate in the event of the rejection of his mission
(Jn. 2 : 19). The later act was of a broader nature, having in view
Israel's relation to the outside nations (ver. 17). It was the act of a
Reformer at the end of his work, expressing his final judgment upon
the evil's defiant ignoring of his former condemnation of its existence.
18. This is confirmed by the murderous anger which it aroused
in the Rulers, unUke the rmlder action which issued from the earlier
act (Jn. 2 : 18). Doubtless, the later demand upon him by these
Rulers (vs. 27-33) was prompted by this deed, but it was a demand for
his authority in doing this and all the other things of his ministry,
167

11:19 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
19. And every evening 1 he went forth out of the city.
20. And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the
21. fig tree withered away from the roots. And Peter
calling to remembrance saith unto him, Rabbi, behold,
the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith
> Some MSS. read they.
and not merely for a sign to justify him in this one pubUc act he had
performed Qn. 2 : 18). It was as though they would go to the root of
aU the contention between themselves and him; wMle his answer
(vs. 30-33) is in judgment upon their past behavior towards the
spiritual message God had sent to them in the mmistry of his great
Forerunner now closed, rather than in challenge upon their future
attitude towards the spiritual claims of his own mission. Luke con
denses the record of the cleansing itself, but adds to it a statement of
Jesus' daily teaching in the Temple, which he seems to make the
reason for the determination of the Rulers to kill him (19 : 47f.).
Matthew parallels Mark in his narrative of the cleansing, but goes
beyond Luke in stating that Jesus carried on a general healing work
in the Temple, and that it was because of this and the homage paid
him by the children that the Rulers were angered, but only to the
extent of a protest against the children's behavior.
19. Every evening (Ut. when evening came) he went forth out of
the city — to his quiet resting place on the Mount of Ohves (Lk.
21 =37). {4) The Withering of the Fig Tree, 11 : 20-25'
20-21. In the morning — Tuesday of Holy Week. Withered away
from the roots — a complete destruction of its Ufe, as following the
comprehensive denunciation of its falseness. Matthew represents
the withering as having taken place immediately, and the whole
transaction as having occurred on Tuesday morning. Luke gives no
record at aU of the event. Calling to remembrance : The disciples do
not seem to have expected anything more to result from the Master's
denunciation than a continued barrenness of the tree. But as the
tree in its deceptive appearance was an illustration of the falseness of
Judaism, so must it be in the punishment which its pretensions
brought upon it — and the punishment of false living is not the con
tinuance of the falseness of living but the loss of life itself.
22-25. Have faith in God: The astonishment shown by the disci
ples at what had happened to the tree evidently indicated to the
168

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 11:25
23. in God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say
unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into
the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall be
lieve that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have
24. it. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever
ye pray and ask for, believe that ye x receive them,
25. and ye shall have them. And whensoever ye stand
praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one;
that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive
you your trespasses.2
1 Grk. receiveth.
2 Many MSS. add verse 26, But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who
is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Master the unlikeUhood of their appreciating the lesson it was in
tended to convey. He contents himself, therefore, with taking up the
incident at the point where it had impressed them — the unexpected
ness of the results, and impressing upon them that all results depend
upon the spiritual relation of the soul with God. If there be a real
dependence upon the power of God, that power may be drawn upon
to accompUsh what seem to be as impossible results, as the taking
up of this mountain on which they were standing and the casting
of it into the sea — the Dead Sea, which lay not far away to the East.
(The frequency of this proverbial saying among the Jews is evidence —
if any were needed — to show that the words were intended figura
tively.) BeUeve . . . cometh to pass: The reaUty of that depend
ence consists in its abiUty so to appropriate the divine power as to lay
hold of the results aimed at as already potentially present. Such de
pendence being the condition of success in all the activities of spiritual
life, it is consequently necessary in all the petitions of prayer; for not
only is prayer a spiritual activity, but one whose effectiveness is
conditioned by that fellowship and communion with God that ab
sorbs one's helplessness into the divine power. Stand — the normal
attitude in prayer (1 Kings 8 : 22; Neh. 9 : 4; Matt. 6 : 5; Lk. 18 : 11,
13), though, under pressure of great solemnity or emotion, the peti
tioner kneeled (1 Kings 8 : 54; Ezra 9 : 5; Dan. 6 : 10; Matt. 26 : 39;
Acts 20 : 36; 21 : 5). Forgive . . . your Father may forgive you
your trespasses: Fellowship and communion could not be between
the petitioner and God, if it were wilfully hindered between the
petitioner and his brother man; so that the forgiving here enjoined is
real and not a mere formaUty. Mark alone gives the application of
169

11:27 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
27. And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was
walking in the temple, there come to him the chief
28. priests, and the scribes, and the elders; and they said
unto him, By what authority doest thou these things?
or who gave thee this authority to do these things?
29. And Jesus said unto them, I will ask of you one ques-
this principle of the fellowship and communion of faith to our relations
to our fellow men. The fact that some of these phrases are recorded as
occurring in previous teachings of the Master (cf. Matt. 17 : 20;
Lk. 17 : 6) is nothing against their actual usage here. The teaching
itself is simply an enlargement of his challenge to the father of the
Epueptic Boy (9 : 23), and is itself enlarged upon by Paul (1 Cor.
13 : 2). Verse 26 is not a part of the original text and is to be omitted.
(5) Jesus' Authority Challenged by the Rulers, 11 : 26-33
27, 28. Elders (Matthew adds "of the people" 21 : 23) — the term
for the general Pharisaic element in the Sanhedrin. The specific
Pharisaic element was composed of the Scribes; the Sadducean
element, of the Priests. This delegation, therefore, represented the
Sanhedrin in all its elements (cf. 14 : 43, 53; 15 : 1; Matt. 27 : 41;
also art. Council, Standard Bible Dictionary). By what (lit. what
kind) authority . . . these things? The reference is doubtless
primarily to Jesus' casting out of the Temple traders (cf. Jn. 2 : 18);
although, when it is remembered that since the Feast of Tabernacles,
in the previous autumn, Jesus had been teaching and working in
Jerusalem and that his ministry had been increasingly angering to the
religious leaders (cf. Jn. 7 : 2, 25, 32, 45; 8 :48, 59; 10 =31-33),
particularly when it is remembered that they had already demanded
of him whether he was the Christ (Jn. 10 : 24), this challenging of his
authority is Ukely to have had behind it not simply the interference
with the Temple traffic, but the claims that all these months he had
been making by word and deed in their midst — in fact his whole
assertive ministry. (See reference by Matthew, 21 =23, and Luke,
20 : 1, to the delegation finding him engaged in teaching in the
Temple.) Officially, the question was justified, since they were the
custodians of the Temple; but in reality it was a cover for the dilemma
in which they were placed; since they could not contest the act,
without courting opposition from the popular enthusiasm for Jesus,
as well as criticism from the better conscience of the people against
the traffic itself; while, on the other hand, they could not approve the
act without condemning their own previous permission of the trade.
29-33. I will ask you one question: (lit. word): This was not to
170

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12 :i
tion, and answer me, and I will tell you by what
30. authority I do these things. The baptism of John,
31. was it from heaven, or from men? answer me. And
they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall
say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not
32. believe him? * But should we say, From men — they
feared the people: 2 for all verily held John to be a
33. prophet. And they answered Jesus and say, We
know not. And Jesus saith unto them, Neither tell
I you by what authority I do these things.
12. And he began to speak unto them in parables. A
man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it,
1 But shall we say. 2for all held John to be a prophet indeed.
avoid answering their question, but to show them, on their own
claimed ground of being the guardians of the people's reUgion, that
they were not competent judges of what constituted religious cre
dentials and, therefore, were not fit to challenge his authority ^Men-
zies, ad. loc). The baptism of John {i.e. the Baptist's ministry in
terms of its characteristic symboUc rite) . . . from heaven, or
from men? Had they answered as in their irreUgious hearts they
wanted to answer, they would have shown that their judgment was
against John's own claim of a prophetic attestation to his ministry
(cf. Jn. 1 =27; Matt, n : 7-14); and this they were afraid to do, for
the people approved of John as a prophet (cf. Matt. 14 : 5; Lk. 7 : 29).
On the other hand, they could not answer the question in accordance
with John's standing as a prophet, since then they realized Jesus
would have asked them Why then did ye not believe him (cf. Lk.
7 =30), and to this they could have given no reply. So they answered
We know not, and by this reply they confessed that they had wholly
failed to decide the question of that great teacher's credentials and
were in no way fitted to pass upon those of this Teacher to whom
John had borne witness (Jn. i : 19-27) and who was, as they well
knew, greater than John.
{6) Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, 12 : 1-12
12 : 1, 2. Began to speak unto them (the delegation from the
Sanhedrin, n : 27; Luke says "unto the people," 20 : 9) in parables
(Matthew who had already recorded the Parable of the Two Sons,
171

12:2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
and digged a pit for the winepress, and built a tower,
and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another
2. country. And at the season he sent to the husband
men a x servant, that he might receive from the hus-
3. bandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. And they
1 Grk. bondservant.
21:28-32, introduces this one with "Hear another parable"):
The Master's purpose in this resumption of parabolic teaching is
essentially different from that which he had when he first employed it
in his GaUlean ministry. Then, it was to further the sifting process
which had begun among his followers — primarily, to offer to those
who were receptive to his message truths which would draw them to
him for further instruction. (See notes on 4 : 2, 10.) Now, it was to
accentuate the consequences of that process, which had practically
come to its end — primarily, to make clear to those who were hostile
to his message the situation into which they had brought themselves.
(See notes on ver. 12.) In both cases, the parables were used to dis
close truth. In the former, the truth invited inquiry for its further
unfolding; in the latter it made inquiry unnecessary by its fuU un
folding of itself. The former were in their main purpose educative;
the latter, in their main purpose judicial. Vineyard: The description
of what was done to the property is taken so definitely from the
judgment passage of Isa. 5 : if. as to make obvious from the start
the character of the parable and those against whom it was directed
(cf. ver. 12). Hedge (lit. a dividing fence, not necessarily of thorns
alone, cf. Isa. 17 : 11, but of loose stones, cf. Ps. 80 : 12; and some
times of both, cf. Isa. 5 : 5) about it — to protect it from the depreda
tions of men and animals (cf. Ps. 80 : i2f.). Pit for the winepress
(Ut. an under-vat) — the receptacle for the juice usually excavated in the
rock (cf. Isa. 5 : 2) under the tub or vat where the grapes are trodden
(cf. Joel 3 : 13; Hag. 2 : 16). Tower — to enable the watchmen to
overlook the vineyard (cf. 2 Chron. 26 . 10), possibly also as a lodging
place for the vine-dressers and for the owner of the vineyard at the
vintage time (see art. Vine, Vineyard, Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible,
Single Vol. Ed.); in Isa. 5 : 2 spoken of as built "in the midst" of the
garden; usually on the walls themselves (Stanley, Sinai and Palestine,
p. 421). Let it out to husbandmen — farmed it out to those who
would cultivate it on shares. Season — the time of the vintage
(Matthew says, "when the season of the fruits drew near"). Of the
fruits — i.e. the share of the vintage due him.
3-1 1. Servant: Mark presents most fully the owner's patient
endeavor to secure his fruits. He sends three individual servants and
172

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12: 10
took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4. And again he sent unto them another 1 servant; and
him they wounded in the head, and handled shame-
5. fully. And he sent another; and him they killed: and
6. many others; beating some, and killing some. He had
yet one, a beloved son: he sent him last unto them,
7. saying, They will reverence my son. But those hus
bandmen said among themselves, This is the heir;
8. come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
And they took him, and killed him, and cast him forth
9. out of the vineyard. What therefore will the lord of
the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husband-
10. men, and will give the vineyard unto others. Have
ye not read even this scripture:
The stone which the builders rejected,
The same was made the head of the corner;
1 Grk. bondservant.
these he follows by many others, and these by the sending of his
beloved son. Matthew speaks only of two groups of servants, the
second indeed larger than the first, and finally of his son (21 : 34,
36f.); Luke, merely of three individual servants and of at last his
beloved son (20 : 10-13). Handled shamefully (lit. insulted): The
insult did not consist in mere words, but in the treatment to which
they were subjected (cf. Acts 5 : 41), particularly in the attack upon
the head (cf. Matt. 27 : 29f.). They will reverence my son: The
expectation on the owner's part was as reasonable, as the conclusion
drawn by the husbandmen that by killing the heir they would come
into possession of the inheritance was irrational. Out of the vine
yard: An indignity added to the murder. Destroy the husband
men . . . give the vineyard unto others: Matthew, who at this
point seems to be primary, represents the statement as drawn from
the auditors themselves (21 : 41; see Jesus' custom in other parables,
Lk. 7 : 40-43; 10 : 36). It came, however, more likely from the
people (Lk. 20 :9; cf. also ver. 12, below), who were gathered round
him as he taught in the Temple (Lk. 20 : 1), than from the delegation
of Sanhedrists. According to Luke, the answer seems to have been
173

12: n THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
ii. This was from the Lord,
And it is marvellous in our eyes?
12. And they sought to lay hold on him; and they feared
the multitude; for they perceived that he spake the
parable against them: and they left him, and went
away.
foUowed by an instinctive "God forbid" from those who would ward
off the realization of the only too evident application of the Parable's
lesson (20 : 16). In this case, Jesus' citation of Scripture from one of
the commonly accepted Messianic Psalms would be to confirm the
certainty of the realization, the significance being all the greater from
the fact that it came from the Praise Psalm whose "Hosannas" the
multitude had shouted as Jesus entered the city, two days before
(11 :9f.). Matthew adds to this citation a further statement of
Jesus in appUcation of the Scripture to the punishment to come upon
Judaism (21 : 43f.)
12. Sought to iay hold on him (Luke adds "in that very hour,"
20 : 19) for they perceived, as everyone did, that he spake the para
ble against them: The Master's teaching in the Parable was per
fectly clear. Israel was God's vineyard (Ps. 80 : 8f ., I4f.; Isa. 5:2; Jer.
2 : 21). To secure the fruits of her religious instruction and educa
tion, God had sent to her prophets — many of them, at oft repeated
times throughout her history (Jer. 7 : 25; 25 : 4) — but she had re
jected their messages and persecuted them, often to the death (Matt.
23 : 29-31; Acts 7 : 52; cf. 1 Kings 18 : 13; 19 : 2; 22 : 24-27; 2 Kings
6 : 31; 2 Chron. 24 : 21). And now, after a long time of silence, God
had sent unto them his only, — his beloved son — his heir, who, through
the intimacy of his relationship to him, came to them with an author
ity surpassing that of all the prophets or of any angelic messenger he
could have sent (cf. Heb. 1 : 1-4). But with this his divinely com
missioned Son they were purposing to do as they had done with the
prophets (8 : 31; 10 : 33f.; ver. 12), with the reckless idea that some
how, by ridding themselves of him, they would perpetuate forever
their religious hold upon the People of God (Jn. 11 : 47f.). For such
senseless rebellion against God there could be but one punishment —
the destruction of the Rulers, as religious keepers of God's people, and
the giving of its care to those whom God would raise up in their place
(cf. Jn. 2 : 19; cf. also Lk. 13 = 34^; 19 =41-44; Matt. 19 : 27Q.
They would then see the ancient prophecy of the Messiah fulfilled in
the exalting to glorious power in the kingdom of God of him whom
they had rejected (Acts 5 : 30-32), and would be conscious that this
enthroning of God's Son was the act of God himself. This effort to
174

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12:14
13. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees
and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in
14. talk. And when they were come, they say unto him,
lay hold of Jesus was the second arousement of the Rulers against
Jesus during Holy Week. The former, after his Cleansing of the
Temple, was, however, rather of a consultation among themselves as
to how they might put him out of the way (cf. n : 18). This was in
the direction of an attempt to get him in their power. But, ap
parently, they did not actually make the attempt, for they feared the
multitude (Matthew adds "because they took him for a prophet,"
21 : 46). So they left him, and went away to further plot against
him, while the Master continued his parable teaching — still distinc
tive in its element of warning, though rather directed to the people
than to the Rulers as such (Matt. 22 : 1-14 — The Parable of the
Wedding Feast).
(7) The Question of the Pharisees and the Herodians, 12 : 13-17
13. They send unto him certain of the Pharisees and . . .
Herodians : Mark is not clear as to the source from which this deputa
tion came. It might be inferred from the close following of this
passage upon the preceding one, that it was the general delegation of
Sanhedrists who had challenged his authority and had just retired
discomfited by his Parable of the Husbandmen. Matthew, however,
states definitely that it came from the Pharisees themselves — evi
dently the Pharisaic party in the Sanhedrin, not necessarily from the
body itself — and that the Pharisees who were sent were "their disci
ples," rather than the masters themselves (22 : isf.). If so, the
matter was shrewdly arranged. The presence of disciples would give
an appearance of sincerity in the inquiry, while the combination of
Pharisees and Herodians would add to this appearance by presenting
as the inquirers those who held opposite sides on the question placed
before the Master. Both Pharisees and Herodians paid tribute to
the Roman Government as an unavoidable necessity. But the
Pharisees resented the necessity as an insult to their claim of Jewish
National independence; while the Herodians were favorable to it as
maintaining the Herodian dynasty, of which they were the adherents
(see notes on 3 =6). The Master, they hoped, would thus be deceived
by the seeming ingenuousness of the inquiry and, at the same time,
be entrapped into an answer which must give offence to the followers
of the one side or the other. Catch him (lit. as a wild animal in the
hunt). Matthew has "ensnare him," 22 =15.
14-17. True — i.e. sincere, truth loving (cf. Jn. 7 : 18). Carest not
for anyone : This defined the way in which they considered him true —
175

12: IS THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not
for any one; for thou regardest not the person of men,
but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful
15. to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? Shall we give,
or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy,
said unto them, Why make ye trial of me? bring me a
16. denarius, that I may see it. And they brought it.
And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and
superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
not intellectually, but courageously loyal to the truth, without fear of
men. Regardest (Lk., "acceptest," 20 = 21) not the person of men
(Ut. dost not look at the face of men) : An expression used with a variety
of verbs. Frequent in the Old Testament (Septuagint), primarily
in the good sense of a king's admitting one into his presence, accepting
one, showing one favor (Gen. 19 =21; 1 Sam. 16 : 7542 =8), secondarily,
in the bad sense of looking upon the face rather than upon the heart,
considering only the outward appearance and condition (Lev. 19 : 15;
Deut. 10:17; Ps. 82:2; Prov. 18:5). Here only in the Gos
pels. Elsewhere only 2 Cor. 5:12; Gal. 2:6; Jude ver. 16; aU
in the bad sense. From it are derived the really compound words,
"respect-of-persons" (Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6 : 9; Col. 3 : 25; Jas. 2 : 1),
"respecter-of-persons" (Acts 10:34), "to have-respect-of-persons "
(Jas. 2:9). With these questioners it described the spirit of im
partiality which they considered as behind his courageous truthful
ness — a truthfulness which showed itself in his teaching, as well as in
his life. The way of God — prescribed for men by God (cf. Acts
18 : 25f.; also the shortened term for the way of faith which the
Christians followed out, Acts 9 : 2; 19 : 9, 23; 24 : 14, 22). However
much this introduction to their question may have represented their
knowledge of and convictions about Jesus, its purpose was through
its flattery to put him off his guard and thus draw from him an in
cautious reply to their significant questions. Is it lawful — in the
sense of being permitted by the Law (cf. 2 : 24, 26; 6 : 18; 10 : 2).
Tribute (Ut. census) to Caesar — the poll tax paid by the Jews di
rectly into the treasury of the Emperor. Shall we give . . . not give?
(only by Mark) : In all likelihood, the presentation of the question was
closed with this categorical inquiry in order to ward off discussion
by Jesus and draw from him an answer in which he would commit
himself without qualification. Hypocrisy (Matthew, "wickedness,"
22:18; Luke, "craftiness," 20:23): They pretended to ask for
176

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12 : 18
17. And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the
things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that
are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him.
18. And there come unto him Sadducees, who say that
there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,
enUghtenment and instruction; in reality, they wished to compromise
him with the Government or the people. The falsification of his
answer which they made to PUate shows what they would have made
out of it had it been against tribute giving (Lk. 23 : 2) . Trial of me —
in the sense of a malicious testing of him. Denarius — the Roman
silver coin, about 20 cents in value, in which the tribute had to
be paid. Matthew speaks of it as "the tribute money," 22 : 19.
Image and superscription — the effigy of the Emperor surrounded by
the inscription containing his name and titles. Render (lit. pay
back) unto Caesar . . . God's: Jesus not only answers their direct
question regarding tribute to the Roman Government, but also their
impUed question regarding loyalty to the kingdom of God. Then-
fundamental mistake was in making these two things mutuaUy ex
clusive. Jesus shows them that they have their distinct and inde
pendent spheres and that loyalty to God's kindgom does not neces
sarily involve pohtical rebellion, any more than loyalty to Caesar's
kingdom carried with it necessarily reUgious alienation and revolt.
The present situation was one of subjection to the Roman power.
Pay the tax, therefore, which represents the rights of the Roman
control, and at the same time render the service which represents
the rights of the Divine claims (cf. Rom. 13 : 1-7; 1 Cor. 7 : 21-24;
Eph. 6 : 5-8; Col. 3 : 22-25; 1 Pet. 2 : 13-17). The question of refus
ing obedience to civil authorities when their requirements were in
conflict with the supreme duty of the soul to God (cf. Dan. 3 : 18;
6 : 10; Acts 4 : 19; 5 : 29) was another matter not involved in the
question they had put before him. (See, however, Hogg, Christ's
Message of the Kingdom, pp. 97-99.) They (the questioners) mar
velled greatly — at the way in which he had escaped the trap they
had set for him. {8) The Question of the Sadducees, 12 : 18-27
18. Then come . . . Sadducees — doubtless delegated, as the
Pharisees and Herodians had been, by the Sadducean party in the
Sanhedrin (see notes on ver. 13), and not long after the return of
the former delegation (Mt. says, "On that day," 22 : 23). The dis
comfiture of the Pharisees allured them to test Jesus on the great
question which was in dispute between them and their rivals as to
whether there was such a thing as a resurrection of the dead. The
177

12: 19 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
19. Teacher, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother
die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child,
that his brother should take his wife, and raise up
20. seed unto his brother. There were seven brethren:
21. and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed; and
the second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind
22. him; and the third likewise: and the seven left no
23. seed. Last of all the woman also died. In the resur
rection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven
24. had her to wife. Jesus said unto them, Is it not for
this cause that ye err, that ye know not the scriptures,
Sadducees represented the old aristocracy and were consequently
conservative in their theology, as well as in their poUtics, while their
general spirit was one of thorough worldliness. Naturally, therefore,
they maintained the view that there was no resurrection, not simply
because it was the earlier view, but because the denial of a future life
accorded with their worldly-mindedness (cf. Acts 23 : 8; Schurer, II,
2, pp. 29-43).
19-23. The purpose in their question, therefore, was not to in
volve Jesus in political difficulties, but in partisan debate. The ques
tion itself was based upon the teaching of the Law in Deut. 25 : 5-10,
regarding levirate marriage; though the later legislation of the Priestly
Code forbade it (cf. Lev. 18 : 16; 20 : 21), and it is hardly supposable
that it was in practice in Jesus' day (Menzies, ad. loc). Consequently,
the case cited was not an actual occurrence, though Matthew repre
sents them as presenting it as such (22 : 25). The whole question
was rather purely academic, as to whether the provision of the Law
could be adjusted to a belief in the resurrection on Moses' part.
24-27. Is it not for this cause {i.e. the cause which follows, viz.
their ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of God) that ye err?
Their mistake in attributing an inconsistency between the teaching
of the Law and the idea of the resurrection was due to their failure to
understand the Scriptures, whose teachings, after all, involved the
fact of a future life and the power of God to adjust the resurrected
body to the conditions of that life. Neither marry nor are given in
marriage: The future life is not one of material conditions, as the
Pharisees held it to be (see Paul's spiritual advance upon his older
materiaUstic ideas, 1 Cor. 15 : 35-53). As the angels in heaven —
in whose existence also the Pharisees believed and from whose spirit
178

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12:27
25. nor the power of God? For when they shall rise
from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in
26. marriage; but are as angels in heaven. But as touch
ing the dead, that they are raised; have ye not read in
the book of Moses, in the place concerning the Bush,
how God spake unto him, saying, I am the God
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of
27. Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the
living: ye do greatly err.
life they might have inferred a more spiritualized existence for those
mortals who attain to the Ufe of that heavenly place. While Jesus
thus sides with the Pharisees as to the question in dispute, he shows
that they, as weU as the Sadducees, are mistaken in their views. As
touching the dead, that they are raised: Jesus had shown them first
their ignorance of God's power over the conditions and adjustments
of the future life; he wiU now show them how ignorant they were of
the position of Scripture regarding the fact of such a life. The book
of Moses — the Pentateuch, elsewhere called the "Law of Moses"
(Lk. 24 : 44; Jn. i : 45; Acts 28 : 23), or simply "Moses" (Lk. 16 :
29). The Prophets are similarly termed the "Book of the Prophets"
(Acts 7 : 42). In the place concerning the Bush (Ut. at the Bush,
omitted by Matthew, 22 : 31) — at that section of the Law which
relates the incident of the Burning Bush (Ex., ch. 3), indicating ap
parently some pre-Talmudic division of these Books (cf. Rom. 11 : 2
mg.) . He is not the God of the dead but of the living : The eternally
Uving God could not speak of himself as in such intimate relations
to the Patriarchs who had long since died when these words were
spoken, if they themselves were not then living. Mark does not refer
to the impression made upon the questioners by Jesus' reply, and
only hints in his introduction of the next question at the impression
made upon the multitude. On the other hand, Matthew states dis
tinctly that the multitudes were "astonished at his teaching" (22 :
33). Luke, who through combination of Mark with special sources,
has given a record of the incident varying greatly from Mark's,
closes with the statement that certain of the Scribes, who were Phari
sees and had doubtless taken keen satisfaction inthe silencing of then-
rivals, said to Jesus "Master, thou hast well said"; for his triumph
had been so complete that, as Luke adds, "they durst not any more
ask him any question" (20 : 3pf.). The question of the Scribe, there
fore, which foUows in Mark and Matthew cannot be understood as
179

12:28 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
28. And one of the scribes came, and heard them ques
tioning together, and knowing that he had answered
them well, asked him, What commandment is the
29. first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O
30. Israel; 1 The L. d our God, the Lord is one: and
1 The Lord is our God: the Lord is one.
coming from the Sanhedrin, or as planned by the Scribe for entrapping
Jesus in his reply. It was clear that there was no use in further at
tempting this sort of attack upon Jesus.
(p) The Question of the Scribe, 12 : 28-34
28. One of the Scribes — who had been present during the en
counter with the Sadducees and had recognized that Jesus had an
swered them weU, put to him a question which doubtless was not
captious, but prompted by a genuine desire to get from this Teacher
an opinion on a matter which, to people generally and particularly
to him as a student of Scripture, was of great importance (see notes
on ver. 34, below). Matthew who is not primary here — states that
the Pharisees, who had not been present at the questioning, hearing
of the discomfiture of their rivals, took counsel together and that the
Scribe came from them to Jesus with a further tempting inquiry
(22 : 34L). Luke, having recorded a simUar incident in the early
part of his record of Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem (10 : 25-37),
omits this incident here. What (Ut. what sort of) commandment
is the first of all? He did not ask for a definite precept which was
to be placed before all the others, but for a class of precepts, or a
representative precept, which would indicate the commanding line
of life's obedience to God. Doubtless, the distinction between legal
and moral commands, debated among the Schools, was in his mind.
Note Jesus' own recognition of this distinction in the Sermon on the
Mount, e.g. Matt. 5 : 21-48, and later, Matt. 15 : 1-20; 23 : 23.
29-31. The first is: This is meant in the general sense implied in
the Scribe's question — the first, as the dominating direction of one's
obedience. Hear, O Israel— the first part of the Jewish Confession of
Faith, oxShema' (so called from the Hebrew word with which it be
gins), which was recited twice a day by every pious Jew and by the
strictest of them carried about in the phylacteries (lit. preservatives,
amulets) worn upon the forehead and the left arm (cf. Matt. 23 : 5),
and formed part of every Synagogue service of worship (cf. Schurer,
II, 2, pp. 84, 113). It consisted of the three passages, Deut. 6 : 4-9;
11 ; 13-21; Num. 15 : 37-41. This, in Jesus' mind, is the command
ment which comprises aU the others, informs them all, gives to them
180

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12:33
thou shalt love the Lord thy God J with all thy heart,
and 1 with all thy soul, and x with all thy mind, and
31. * with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none
32. other commandment greater than these. And the
scribe said unto him, Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast
well said that he is one; and there is none other but
33. he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the
1 Grk. from . . . from . . . from . . . from.
all their regulating principle — the love of God by the whole man —
the heart, as the centre and source generally of the whole inner think
ing and feeling Ufe, the soul, as the source specifically of the emo
tional Uving, the mind, of the inteUectual living, the strength, of the
forces, mental and physical, which caU all this living forth and set it in
action. The second is this: Jesus does not mean that this is subor
dinate to the other, but the natural corollary to it and its necessary
expression — consequently, its essential equal (Matthew says, "like
unto it," 22 :39). It is cited from Lev. 19 : 18; (cf. Jas. 2 : 8; Gal.
5 : 14; Rom. 13 : 9). Thy neighbor — in the Law, restricted to the
feUow Jew, but, as shown by Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samari
tan (Lk. 10 : 29-37) and in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5 : 43-
48), used here in its widest sense. Jesus' idea is that a man's supreme
love to God has not shown itself to be real until it has expressed itself,
and that it has not really expressed itself until it has taken account
of the relations in which man lives with his fellow man — in other
words, that its expression in ceremony and worship, however ex
alted and spiritual, is not enough; because it does not reach its su
premely regulative control of living, until it has moved out into the
personal relations of life. Consequently, there is none other com
mandment greater — of more real importance and meaning to Ufe —
than these. Matthew phrases it, "On these two commandments
the whole law hangeth and the prophets," 22 =40; cf. Matt. 7 : 12.
32, 33. Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast weU said (lit. Well said,
Teacher! Of a truth thou hast said): The significant thing in the Scribe's
acknowledgment of Jesus' reply — which Mark alone gives — is not
so much the enthusiasm with which he recognizes the masterliness
of his interpretation of the Law, but the sympathy with which he
enters into the principle on which it was based, as shown in his ad
mission that to love God and to show that love in our relations to
our fellow men was much more — something more exceUent, worth
181

12 : 34 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
understanding, and with all the strength, and to love
his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole
34. burnt-offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw
that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou
art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man
after that durst ask him any question.
35. And Jesus answered and said, as he taught in the
temple, How say the scribes that the Christ is the
while — than aU whole burnt offerings and sacrifices — a statement
perfectly possible to one who, stimulated by such an insight into the
Law as Jesus had shown, had been able to reaUze what the Prophets
themselves had said (cf. 1 Sam. 15 : 22; Hosea 6 : 6; Micah 6 : 6-8;
Ps. 51).
34. Discreetly — intelligently, with discernment of the truth in
volved in what Jesus had said. Not far from the kingdom of God:
The receptivity of the Scribe to Jesus' teaching which brought him
to the Master for this further instruction showed him to be open to
those influences of the Spirit by which men were drawn, not only
into Jesus' following, but personally into spiritual relationship with
him. No man . . . any question — essentially the same statement
as is made by Luke after the answer to the Sadducees (20 : 40), but
phrased here so as to include personal as weU as party questions,
even though not captious in their spirit. For the Master's impressive
statement to the Scribe that he was not far from the kingdom of God
would, through its very solemnity, tend to close the further pubUc
questioning of Jesus, even by serious and earnest souls, as his crush
ing answers to the party delegations had taken from them aU hope
of hampering or of discrediting him through this mode of attack.
{10) Jesus' Question, 12 : 35-37
35-37. Answered, as he taught: Evidently, after the pubUc
questioning oi him had ceased, Jesus turned again to his teaching
of the people in the Temple, in which he had been interrupted by the
Sanhedrists' challenge of his authority (1 1 : 27), and the later partisan
attempts to entrap him in his speech (12 : 13, 18). In the progress of
this teaching, he propounded a question about the Messiah's rela
tions to David. Mark represents the question as stated generally,
as part of the teaching. Matthew records it as having been put
directly to the Pharisees, who apparently had come back into the
audience after the discomfiture of their rivals (22 =41). Luke gives
it as asked of the Scribes who had approvingly acknowledged his

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12:37
36. son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand,
Till I make thine enemies * the footstool of thy feet.
37. David himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he
his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
1 Some MSS, read underneath thy feet.
conclusive reply to the Sadducean delegation (20 =41). If Mark's
view of the incident be correct, we cannot understand the question
as having followed immediately upon the smcere inquiry of the
Scribe regarding the great commandment, as though Jesus would
criticize the understanding of Scripture represented by his query.
It was doubtless put as a counter question to those that had been put
to him; in order to show that those who had challenged him on the
academic question of the consistency of Scripture with the idea of a
future Ufe were themselves open to challenge in their teaching of the
all important theme of the Messiahship. How say the Scribes — i.e.
How do they reconcile their statement that the Christ is the son of
David with the statement by David himself made in the Holy Spirit
{i.e. in the sphere of the Holy Spirit's influence, cf. Lk. 2 : 27; Rom.
8 : 9; 1 Cor. 12 : 3; Rev. 1 : 10) that he was his Lord?_ If the in
spired word of the Psalmist be accepted as to the Messiah's Lord
ship over David, whence {i.e. from what reasoning, by what argu
ment) is he simply his son? The significance of Jesus' query lies in
the fact that the teaching of the Scribes — which was universally
accepted among the people (cf. 10 : 47f.; Mt. 12 : 23; 15 : 22; 21 : 9,
15) — made the important thing about the Messiah his lineage from
David, not so much in the way of accrediting his ancestry, as in
asserting the poUtical purpose of his ministry to restore the royal
kingdom to Israel (cf. 11 : 10; Acts 1:6). In emphasizing this
relationship of the Messiah to David and gathering around it all
their Messianic hopes, they had utterly lost sight of thatother and
immeasurably more significant relationship which David himself
acknowledges in this generally accepted Messianic Psalm (no: 1)—
that the Messiah was his Lord, supremely greater than himself,
seated by Jehovah at his own right hand, while his enemies were
being subdued under his feet. It was, therefore, not so much to
place before the people a puzzle for the Scribes, nor merely to dis
credit them as authoritative interpreters of the Scriptures, but to
disclose to both Scribes and people the teachings of Scripture itself
as to the Messiah— the teachings which gave significance to the claims
183

12:38 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
38. And in his teaching he said, Beware of the scribes,
who desire to walk in long robes, and to have saluta-
39. tions in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the syna-
40. gogues, and chief places at feasts: they that devour
widows' houses, 1 and for a pretence make long prayers;
these shall receive greater condemnation.
1 even while for a pretence they make.
he had already made before them and which they had been so quick
to resent as blasphemous (cf. Jn. 5 : 18; 8 : 58f.; 10 : 29-33). Jesus'
reference to David as the author of this Psalm was in accordance
with the general understanding and beUef of his day. An acquaint
ance with the facts of modern critical scholarship is not necessarily
to be attributed to Jesus, any more than a familiarity with the facts
of modern science. It was in the realm of the moral and the spiritual
that Jesus was conscious of a relationship to God that isolated him
from humanity around him, however his unfathomable sympathy
and love identified him with it. The common people (Ut. the great
multitude, present at the Feast) heard him gladly: This refers to his
general teaching in the Temple that day, and not merely to this par
ticular question which he had propounded. Its dominant character
was doubtless controversial, as represented by the Synoptics and the
Fourth Gospel; but there must have been much in it that appealed
to the heart of the people, who as sheep without a shepherd were
groping for the way of life. (See Jn. 12 : 20-50, which records
some of his teaching on this day — particularly vs. 26, 32, 35L, 46f.).
Matthew closes his record of this question with the statement that no
one was able to answer it, and f oUows this with the general statement,
which Luke places after the discomfiture of the Sadducees (20 : 40)
and Mark after the commendation of the Scribe (ver. 34), that no
man dared "from that day forth [to] ask him any questions" (22 : 45).
It doubtless confirmed beyond all doubt the impression already made
on friends and foes of the unassaflable superiority of Jesus in the
interpretation of Scripture.
{11) The Warning Against the Scribes, 12 : 38-40
38-40. In his teaching — as it continued after the propounding
of this unanswered and unanswerable question (cf. Lk. 20 : 45f.).
Beware of the Scribes: This warning was most likely suggested by
the fact, which his question had disclosed, of the misleading and truth-
obscuring teaching of the Scribes. This teaching was not due merely
to ignorance of the Scriptures, which would have been serious enough
184

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 12:41
41. And he sat down over against the treasury, and be
held how the multitude cast money into the treas-
but to the personal character which had come to centre everything
upon themselves and their position among the people, until reUgion
had lost aU reality in their lives and the reUgious idea of the Messiah
had disappeared wholly from their thoughts. Long robes — worn by
persons of rank and distinction (cf. 16 : 5; Lk. 15 : 22; Rev. 6 : n)
and assumed by the Scribes out of pure ostentation (cf. Matt. 23 : 5).
Salutations in the marketplaces — particularly such titles as Rabbi
(teacher) and Abba (father) and Moreh (Master [lit. guide], cf. Matt.
23 : 7-10, as ministering to their self-glorifying pride. Chief seats
in the Synagogues — the seats which were reserved for the rulers of
the Synagogue and persons of distinction, in front of the ark contain
ing the Law, and which faced the congregation (Edersheim, Jesus,
I, p. 436). Chief places at feasts — probably the middle divan, or
couch, at the head of the three sided table around which the guests
reclined (cf. Matt. 23 : 6; also Lk. 14 : 7-1 1; also Edersheim, Jesus,
II, p. 207). Devour widows' houses — property, the wealth or
property belonging to the household, which possibly as followers
of these Teachers the widows bestowed upon them for their sup
port (cf. Lk. 8 : 2f.), and which they greedily wasted (cf. Lk. 15 :
30), in direct disobedience of the specific command of the Law that
widows should not be afflicted (Ex. 22 =22). For a pretence—
as a covering under which they sought to hide their iniquity,
(Matthew alone preserves this denunciation in its extended form,
23 : 1-36; though Luke has reproduced a considerable portion of it in
the early part of his record of the last journey to Jerusalem, doubt
less from sources special to himself, 11 : 42-52).
{12) The Widow's Mite, 12 : 41-44
41. Sat down — not so much to rest himself from his teaching, since
as a teacher he had been seated all the while (cf. Matt. 26 : 55; 5 : if.;
13 : if.), but to take a place of observation, where he could see how
the multitude cast money (lit. bronze) into the treasury. The
teaching had taken place probably in the Court of the Gentiles (cf.
Jn. 8 : 20 with 12 .- 20). After it was over, Jesus had passed into
the inner Court of the Women, under the Colonnade around whose
walls were placed the trumpet mouthed chests to receive the offerings
of the people. This Colonnade was called the treasury (lit. the
treasure-hold, cf. Jn. 8 = 20). Attracted perhaps by the people moving
towards the Colonnade and by the rattle of the money as it was
dropped into the chests, Jesus sits down to observe the givers in what
they were doing. Many . . . rich cast in much: The people^ gen
erally gave the smaller bronze-copper coins (such as the "farthing,"
185

12:42 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
42. ury: and many that were rich cast in much. And
there came 1 a poor widow, and she cast in two mites,
43. which make a farthing. And he called unto him his
disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you,
This poor widow cast in more than all they that are
44. casting into the treasury: for they all did cast in of
their superfluity; but she of her want did cast in all
that she had, even all her living.
13. And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his
disciples saith unto him, Teacher, behold, what man-
1 Grk. one.
or quadrans, equivalent to y£ cent, Matt. 5 =26); the rich, the larger
silver coins (such as the "shilUng" or denarius [12 : 15], equivalent
to about 20 cents, 6 : 37; 14 : 5).
42-44. A poor widow — significant, in view of the widows just re
ferred to by the Master who were reduced to poverty through their
support of the Scribes (ver. 40). Two mites — the smallest Greek
coin in circulation, equal to }4 quadrans ("farthing"), or V20 cent —
which (two) make a farthing — the smallest Roman coin. Jesus'
commendation of her gift, as more than was given by aU those that
were casting into the treasury, was not in contrast to its size,
since, in all UkeUhood, being, in its total value, a farthing, it was as
large as many other offerings, but in contrast to its spirit, since, in
spite of her want, it was a giving of all that she had — all her living,
i.e. all she had to live upon until more was earned (Swete, ad. loc,
cf. Lk. 8 : 43; 15 : 12, 30). From the way in which the gifts were
exposed in the act of giving, Jesus might easily have observed the
amount of her gift; from her dress and general appearance, he might
readily have surmised her extreme poverty; but it was his divine
insight into the heart that disclosed to him the spirit of her giving and
the veritableness of the sacrifice the gift was costing her. It may have
been that while Jesus was here the Greeks made inquiry for him
(Jn. 12 : 20-22). Being Gentiles, they could not enter the Court of
the Women, which would explain the fact that Jesus' reply does not
seem to have been addressed to them or in their presence (ver. 23).
(13) The Apocalyptic Discourse, 13 : 1-37
1, 2. He went forth out of the temple: This was his final depart
ure from the Temple, and marks the close of his public teaching (cf.
186

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13:3
2. ner of stones and what manner of buildings! And
Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings?
there shall not be left here one stone upon another,
which shall not be thrown down.
3. And as he sat on the mount of Olives over against
the temple, Peter and 1 James and John and Andrew
1 Jacob.
Jn. 12 : 36b, vs. 44-50 having been transposed from their proper
place between 36a and 36b). One of his disciples: We are not told
which one; but the very fact that he is not named would seem to
indicate that he was not one of the group who came to the Master
for private information as to the details of the prophetic statement
he had made, and that his remark was more or less casual. What
manner of stones . . . buildings: Matthew implies (24 : 1) that he
was on his way to Bethany at the close of the day when this remark
was made to him. This would be quite possible; since, as the road
passed up the farther side of the Kedron VaUey, the Temple in all
its glory would Ue before their gaze. (See description from this place
of view in Tacitus, Hist., v. 8). The substructure, on the South
side, and the outside enclosing waUs had been built by Herod out of
huge blocks of stone whose dimensions, according to Josephus {Ant.
xv : 11.3, Jewish War, v : 5.5), almost surpass belief; while the whole
area of the Temple itself was surrounded by double rows of mon
olithic columns, quadruple on the South side. The Temple building
was constructed of blocks of white marble, richly ornamented with
gold (cf. Lk. 21 =5). Possibly the Master's reference to the coming
desolation of the city in the closing words of his discourse against
the Scribes (Matt. 23 : 38) had stirred the disciples to dwell upon the
beauty and magnificence of this its great building and to call the
Master's attention to what seemed to them impossible of such a
portentous future. ShaU not be left . . . one stone upon another —
a prophetic figure of utter destruction (cf. 2 Sam. 17 : 13; Lam. 4:1;
Mic. 1 : 6) and yet fulfilled in the case of the Temple to an extent
appallingly significant when what is left of it is compared with the
extensive remains of many temples of antiquity (cf. Milman, History
of the Jews, II, p. 16).
3, 4. As they come to the top of the ascent of the mount of Olives
and the Master seats himself, perhaps to rest, while still in full view
of the Temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew— the first
four of the Apostolic list, according to Mark (3 : i6f.) — came to him
privately — apart from the rest — and asked him when this destruc-
187

13:4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
4. asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign when these things are
tion was to take place and what was to be the sign that should usher
in its accomphshment. If they had been disturbed by his general
reference to the coming desolation of the City (Matt. 23 : 38), his
specific prediction of the utter destruction of the magnificent Temple
had caused them deep distress and they come to him, doubtless de
puted by the rest, to learn more of this catastrophe which he has in
view. Matthew, in order to make the question agree with the an
swer, expands it so as to include an inquiry as to the Master's second
coming and the general end of the Age (24 : 3). Luke follows Mark
in confining the question to the Master's prediction of the destruc
tion of the Temple (21 : 7). It is evident that in the discourse which
follows it is the signs that are first referred to (vs. 5~i4a) — and that
largely by way of warning against being led astray by signs that are
false (vs. 5-8) — and also counsel as to the obUgations to be recog
nized and the encouragements to be had in the coming emergencies
(vs. n-13). Such reference to a definite sign as is made is confined to
the vague statement of ver. 14a — a statement suggested doubtless
by such passages in the Book of Daniel as 9 : 27; 11 : 31; 12 : 11;
while the reference to the city's overthrow which follows (vs. i4b-23)
consists of warnings uttered in view, not only of the need of im
mediate action when the catastrophe should appear, but of the se
verity of the event itself and of the danger which it would bring with
it of being led astray by rumors or representations of the returning
Christ.
, It is further evident that this answer to the disciples' question is
expanded into an announcement of the Coming of the Son of Man
and his gathering to himself of his elect, with the portents that are
to precede this event (vs. 24-27), which is foUowed by a warning to
take heed to these signs, accompanied by a reminder that all these
things are to take place within the then present generation, and a
consequent exhortation to be watchful for their coming (vs. 28-37).
The interpretation of this discourse is confessedly difficult, even
with all aUowance for the hyperbole and imagery characteristic of
apocalyptic utterance, and the recognition of the fact that its pur
pose is ethical rather than predictive — to warn and encourage the
foUowers of the new religion in the time of their perplexity and dis
tress, rather than to give them beforehand a program of events. It
would seem, in fact, that the discourse could be properly understood
only when it is realized that however natural it was for the Master
facing as he did the tragic closing of his Ufe's work, to warn and en
courage his disciples regarding the future to an extent he had not
done before, the tendency on the part of the early Church to elaborate

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13:6
5. all about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to
say unto them, Take heed that no man lead you
6. astray. Many shall come in my name, saying, I
any such prophetic utterances would be equally natural, especiaUy
as events pointed towards the coming of the announced catastrophe.
It is probable, therefore, that we have in this chapter a warning and
encouraging discourse of Jesus regarding the future, as that future
was related to the destruction of the Jewish national religion, but
with more or less apocalyptic elaborations introduced into it by the
early Church, which would account for its extended length — a char
acteristic that does not belong to Jesus' discourses in Mark. In
this form it may have circulated as an individual apocalypse among
the Christian communities (see ver. 14), and as such been incorporated
by Mark in his narrative, this Evangelist having it in a less elaborated
form, more nearly representing Jesus' own utterances than either
Matthew or Luke. (For other instances of the interpretation of ori
ginal utterances in the Ught of the thought of the early Church, see
notes on 1 : 4 and 4:12.)
5-13. Take heed that no man lead you astray: The warning with
which the discourse opens is directed against the influences of those
who would falsely represent themselves as the Returned Messiah and
seek to lead his followers away from the truth. This warning is re
peated in ver. 22 and is quite intelUgible as expressing the anxiety
of the Church under the pressure of the emergencies in which the
Christian communities found themselves as the catastrophe drew
near (cf. Milman, History of the Jews, II, p. 371). These emergencies
are more definitely described in the foUowing reference to wars and
rumors of wars, which, having in themselves no misleading influences,
were not to be feared, but to be accepted in a patient self-possession
of soul as the things which must needs come to pass before the con
summation is reached (cf. 2 Thess. 2 : 1-3). Nation shall rise
against nation . . . earthquakes . . . famines : These expressions
were common to prophetic and apocalyptic announcements of the
judgments of God (cf. Isa. 8 : 21; 13 : 13; 14 : 30; Jer. 23 : 19; Ezek.
5:12; Rev. 6 : 8; 11 : 13; 18 : 8; Enoch 1 : 6; 4 Esdras, i6_ : 36-40),
but are used here to carry out the assurance of the preceding state
ment and to make clear that these disturbances are not the ending,
but only the beginning of travail (lit. throes, pangs) — the technical
phrase in Rabbinical Uterature and in popular use, for the calamities
which were to usher in the Messianic age (cf. Mic. 4 : 9L; Isa. 66 :
7-9). As the references to the misleading doctrinal influences are
easily understood as representing the anxiety of the early Church,
so these references to outward disturbances are inteUigible as repre-
J89

i3 : 7 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

7. am he; and shall lead many astray. And when ye
shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled:
these things must needs come to pass; but the end is
8. not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes
in divers places; there shall be famines: these things
are the beginning of travail.
senting the Church's confidence in the midst of the political out
breaks, the national unrest, the earthquakes and famines throughout
the Roman Empire preceding the Jewish War (cf. Tacitus, History,
1:2). They have too strong a color of those times to be attributed
to the Master's own discourse, in view of his express statement that
the definite announcement of the day and hour when these things
should come to pass did not belong to what he had to say (ver. 32).
On the other hand, the passage which follows, however (vs. 9-13),
belongs clearly to his manner and habit of disclosing to his disciples
what the future is to bring to them and doubtless forms part of his
discourse. Only a portion of this passage appears in Matthew's
account (but cf. Matt. 10 : 17-22), and this very much amplified
(24 : 9-14), and while it is paralleled by Luke, it is in a more elabo
rated form (21 : 12-19). Take heed to yourselves (Ut. you, your
selves): It is their personal relation to and their personal behavior in
these coming trials which he has most in mind and regarding which
he most wishes to put them on their guard and give them encourage
ment and cheer. This was more important than the studying of
signs and portents, and was the essential thing in the service they
were to render to his cause (cf. Lk. 17 : 1-3). Denver you to councils
and in (lit. to) synagogues shaU ye (properly, ye shall) be beaten
and before governors and kings shall ye stand: Those who were
to "deliver" them are stated in ver. 12. The "councils" include,
not only the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, but the tribunals in the various
towns and villages, consisting of the Elders of the local Synagogues,
in which the sentences were executed (cf. Schurer, II : ii, pp. 60-62).
The "governors and kings" comprise, obviously, the Roman officials,
not only within but outside Palestine, including the Emperor himself.
Such a forecast as this was perfectly possible on the Master's part,
in view of what he had foreseen was inevitable in his own case with
the Jewish rulers. As his disciples should proclaim and live his
spiritual religion, they would be subjected, as he was, to persecution
by the ceremonial and materialistic Jews, which would involve more
or less oppressive action on the part of the civil authorities (cf. 8 :
190

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13:11
9. But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall de
liver you up to councils; and in synagogues shall ye
be beaten; and before governors and kings shall ye
stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them. And
the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations.
n. And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you
up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall speak:
but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that
speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy
31-35; 10 : 33-40). For a testimony unto them: Their defence be
fore the civil authorities would be in itself a proclamation to them of
the cause they represented (cf. 1 =44; 6 : 11). Luke's idea is that
their defence will be a testimony to their own character and life
(21 : 13). For the realization of this forecast in the experiences of
the eariy church, one needs but to recall such incidents as are re
corded in Acts 4 : 1-22; 5 : 17-40; 6 : 8-15; 7 : 54-60; 8 : 1-3; 12 : if.;
13 : 7-12, 50; 14 : 5, 19; 16 : 19-23; 36-39; 18 : 12-17; 21 : 27-33;
22 : 30; 24 : 1-25; 25 : 1-12; 26 : 1-32, and such intimations in the
Epistles as Jas. 2 :6; 2 Cor. 11 : 23-27; 2 Tim. 4 : i6f. _ The Gos
pel must first be preached unto all nations — not as a sign, but as a
duty of their discipleship (cf. Matt. 10 : 23). Matthew, who repro
duces this verse in his record of the discourse, 24 : 14, adds in a later
apocalyptic spirit "and then shall the end come." Be not anxious
(Ut. distracted by anxiety) beforehand what ye shall speak: The
reference is primarily to their defence, involved in which, of course,
is a reference to the resultant testimony to the Gospel. Luke says,
"Settle . . . not to meditate beforehand how to answer" (21 : 14).
Not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit (Luke refers to the Master
himself as the one who wiU direct their answer, 21 : 15): This is not
in the sense of a verbal inspiration, but of a divine suggestion of
thought and speech (cf. Jn. 16 : 13L). For realization of this promise,
see Acts 4 : 8; 13 : 9; Rom. 15 : 19; 1 Cor. 2 : 4. Brother shall de
liver up brother . . . and the father his chUd; and children shaU
rise up against parents: The bitterest part of their experiences will
be the estrangement and persecution to be endured at the hands of
their own kinsfolk— an element that the Master must have only
too well foreseen from what he himself had already experienced from
his family (see notes on 3 : 21) and was about to experience from the
circle of his chosen discipleship (cf. 14 : 10, 17-21, 41-45)- It w^s an
experience which rested in and resulted from the profound spiritual
191

13 : 12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
12. Spirit. And brother shall deliver up brother to death,
and the father his child; and children shall rise up
against parents, and 1 cause them to be put to death.
13. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:
but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be
saved.
14. But when ye see the abomination of desolation
1 put them lo death.
principles which were to control the disciples' living (cf. 10 : 29L;
Lk. 14 : 26; Matt. 10 : 34-37, and see notes on 3 : 33-35), and would
necessarily affect their relationship with all the world, to the extent'
of their being hated of aU men for his name's sake. This was not
to be because of any mere partisanship on the disciples' part, but
because of the necessary fundamental conflict between the spiritual
claims on character and Ufe which they asserted and the natural re-
bellion against these claims by the human heart (cf. Jn. 7 : 7; 15 :
18-24; 16 : 2f.; 17 : 14). Matthew, who reproduces this verse in
his record of the discourse, 24 : 9, 13, confines the enmity to the
Gentiles. For the realization of this in the experience of the early
disciples, see Acts 4 : 17; 5 : 41; 9 : 14; 26 : 9. He that endureth
to the end shall be saved — in the sense of 8 : 35, as is evident from
Luke's paraphrase, " In your patience (Ut. enduring) ye shall win your
souls (lit. lives) " 21 : 19, though from the statement with which
he prefaces it (ver. 18), it would seem that he understood these
"Uves" in the sense of bodily lives. The Master's meaning, how
ever, is clearly that those who should endure to the bitter end of
death, might lose their physical lives, but would preserve the higher
spiritual life, which was their essential possession (see notes on 8 : 35-
37). While Matthew does not have this passage in his record of
this discourse, he reproduces vs. 9, n-13 almost literally in his record
of the Master's instructions to the Twelve for their preaching tour
(10 : 17-22), and Luke, though he parallels the passage in general,
has additional traces of it in an earlier discourse (12 : 7, nf .).
14-23. The following passage is in general a return to the apoca
lyptic point of view and, with the exception of certain expressions, is
not attributable to the Master, either in this discourse or on other
occasions. It has the ring of an impending catastrophe and a fore
boding of national disaster such as would be natural as the Jewish war
drew towards its close. The abomination of desolation (Ut. the
abomination that is characterized by desolation, i.e. that brings desolation
with it): This phrase, as distinctly stated by Matthew (24 : 15), is
192

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13 : 17
standing where he ought not (let him that readeth
understand), then let them that are in Judasa flee
15. unto the mountains: and let him that is on the house
top not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out
16. of his house: and let him that is in the field not return
17. back to take his cloak. But woe unto them that are
with child and to them that give suck in those days!
taken from Dan. n : 31; 12 : 11 (cf. 9 : 27), where the reference is
doubtless to the erection by Antiochus Epiphanes (168 b.c.) of an
altar to Zeus on the altar of burnt offering in the Temple (cf. 1 Mac.
1 : 54), an event which had come to be regarded by the Jews as the
type and symbol of the most absolute and utter desecration of their
religion and thus of the most awful and desolating thing that could
happen to them. In view of the fact that in the year 38 a.d. the
threat was made to erect the statue of CaUgula in the Temple, this
phrase is used here possibly as indicating the beUef that there would
be another supreme defilement of the holy bmlding which would
mark the culmination of the conflict between the Romans and the
Jews (Luke, who writes after the fall of Jerusalem, interprets it as
referring to the Roman army, which lay siege to the city, and thus
threatened her desolation, 21 : 20; cf . 19 : 43L). Let him that readeth
understand (reproduced by Matthew, 24 : 15; omitted by Luke,
21 : 2of.) — a parenthetic phrase, belonging to the apocalyptic docu
ment which Mark incorporated into his narrative. It calls attention
to the significance of the sign just given and is distinctively in the
spirit of apocalyptic writing (cf. Rev. 13 : 18). Let them that are
in Judaea flee unto the mountains: When this confidently expected
defilement of the Temple came to pass, it was to be taken as a signal
for an instant flight from the City, the impelUng haste of which is
impressed upon them by the characteristic instructions which foUow.
They who might be at rest or in prayer on the housetop were not to go
down nor enter into the house to take anything out of it, but to flee
at once over the housetops themselves to the place of refuge; they who
were at work in the field were not to go back even to where they had
laid aside their outer garments, to get them for a covering in their
flight, but to escape in utmost haste without thought of anything but
safety. Luke reproduces these directions in connection with his
record of Jesus' answer to the query of the Pharisees as to when the
kingdom of God was to come (17 : 31). He tells his disciples that,
whUe the kingdom of God was not a thing of outward observation,
the coming of the Son of Man would be an event clearly discernible
193

13 : 1 8 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

1 8. And pray ye that it be not in the winter. For those
19. days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been
the like from the beginning of the creation which
20. God created until now, and never shall be. And ex
cept the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would
have been saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he
21. chose, he shortened the days. And then if any man
shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; or, Lo, there;
22. believe * it not: for there shall arise false Christs and
false prophets, and shall show signs and wonders,
23. that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect. But
1 him.
by all, and from the destruction accompanying it they would be able
to save themselves only by indifference to worldly interests. It is
Ukely that these directions belonged originally to this discourse of
the Master's given by Luke, from which they were incorporated into
this apocalypse used by Mark. In this transposing of them, however,
their primary reference to the ethical attitude of the disciples towards
worldly interests has been changed to a reference to the immediateness
of their flight. Luke extends this by calling attention to the divine
justice which will be the moving power behind the event (21 : 22).
Woe unto them that are with chUd: The terribleness of the emer
gency in which they are to be placed is heightened by a reference to
the misery of the women who would find it impossible to flee (cf . Lk.
23 : 28f., on which this "woe" may have been based). Pray ye that
it be not in the winter (Matthew in a later legalistic spirit adds
"neither on a Sabbath," 24 : 20) — i.e. in January and February,
when the conditions of flight would be more severe through the cold
and the rain. Those days shall be tribulation {i.e. will constitute a
tribulation) such as there hath not been . . . from the beginning
of creation . . . until now, and never shaU be (shortened in form
and lessened in force by Luke, 21 : 23b) : The details are now merged
in a general statement of the severity of the impending disaster, which
is given in exaggerated terms, common in apocalyptic writing (cf.
Dan. 12 : 1; Rev. 16 : 18). Except the Lord had shortened the
days, no flesh would have been saved (omitted by Luke)— the form
of the statement being put in the past, as from the viewpoint of the
Eternal decrees, and the statement itself adding to the description of
the unparaUeled agony of the coming catastrophe. For the elect's
194

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13 : 24
take ye heed: behold, I have told you all things be
forehand.
24. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall
sake (omitted by Luke) — the "remnant," which figures in apoca
lyptic writings as those who are to be graciously preserved from the
tribulation (cf. Rev. 17 : 14; Joel 2 : 32; Enoch 1 : 1). Lo, here is
the Christ ; or Lo, there ; believe it not : These words belong probably
to the Master's parousia discourse in Lk. 17 : 23-37, from which
they have been incorporated into this apocalypse used by Mark. In
Luke the caution against foUowing the false leadings is supplemented
by the assurance that the appearance of the Son of Man wiU be clear
and unmistakable to aU. Here there is nothing to relieve the outlook.
The false Christs and the false prophets wfll show signs and won
ders, with the purpose to lead astray, if possible, the elect. We have
here, as in ver. 6, an expression of the anxiety of the Early Church
against the possibiUties of defection under the stress and strain of the
impending disaster (cf. 2 Thess. 2 : 9-12). Matthew has extended
this warning with words which sound as though they may have come
from the Master on some occasion similar to that in Lk. 17 ch. To
these words he has added other portions of Luke's parousia discourse
(24:26-28). Take ye heed . . . I have told you all things before
hand — a fitting close to this apocalyptic passage, in its assurance
that the warnings given are abundantly sufficient to prevent the
elect from being led astray.
24-27. The following passage, in its setting of celestial portents
(ver. 24L) is apocalyptic, representing the conviction of the Early
Church as to the manner in which was to be ushered in the day of the
Lord which was to mark his return to earth, but in its announcement
of the fact of that return and its sequence (ver. 26f.) it is unmis
takably an utterance of the Master himself in this discourse, paral
leled by what he had said before (cf. 8 138; Matt. 13 : 41-43) and
by what he was to say later (cf. 14 : 62; Matt. 25 : 3if.; 26 : 64).
These two elements of our passage were combined in the apocalypse
before it was incorporated by Mark. In those days— the period just
referred to which is to witness the City's overthrow, but after that
tribulation (Matthew says "immediately," 24 : 29. Luke has no
note of time, 21 =25). The sun shall be darkened: These celestial
disturbances' are not to be taken literally, but as the imaginative
language of apocalyptic description, derived from Jewish prophecy
(cf. Joel 2 : 3of.; Isa. 13 : 9f-5 24 : 21-23; 34 : 4; Zeph. 1 : 14f.; cf.
also Rev. 6 : 12-14; 2 Pet. 3 : 10-12). The Powers that are in
the heavens— the heavenly bodies generally, referred to in Isa. 34 : 4
as "the host of heaven" (cf. also Deut. 4 : 19; Neh. 9 : 6; Ps. 33 : 6;
195

13:25 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
25. be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers
26. that are in the heavens shall be shaken. And then
shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with
27. great power and glory. And then shall he send forth
the angels, and shall gather together his elect from
the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth
to the uttermost part of heaven.
28. Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her
Isa. 40 : 26; 45 : 12; Jer. 33 : 22; Dan. 8 : 10). Then shaU they
see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and
glory: This description seems to be intended in a sense more literal
than that of the disturbance of the heavenly bodies (cf. Acts 1 : 11; 1
Thess. 4 : 15-17). It is adopted by the Master obviously from the
passage in Daniel which describes the establishment of the kingdom of
the "Son of man" (7 : I3f.) and is used here to describe in Old Testa
ment apocalyptic terms familiar to the disciples the final consumma
tion of his kingdom (cf. Rev. 1 : 7; 14 : 14). This passage doubtless
Ues behind his earlier and later references to this event (cf. 8 : 38;
14 : 62; Matt. 25 : 3if.; 26 : 64). In view of the expUcit statement of
ver. 32, no inference can be drawn as to how closely Jesus expected
his return to be connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, though
it would seem from ver. 30 that he looked for it within his generation.
Then shaU he send forth his angels — as his ministering servants
(cf. Matt. 13 :4if.; Heb. 1 : i3f.), based, doubtless, on Dan. 7 : 10
(cf. 1 : 13; Jn. 1 : 51). His elect — recast in later apocalyptic phrase
from the simpler expression "the righteous," used by the Master in
his explanation of the parable of the Tares (Matt. 13 : 43). From
the four winds . . . the uttermost part (lit. point) of earth . . .
heaven — an enlargement, probably by the Master himself, of his
statement in connection with the healing of the Centurion's servant
(Matt. 8:11) and based, perhaps, on Deut. 30 : 4 and the LXX of
Zech. 2 : 6. Both Matthew and Luke have amplified this passage
(vs. 24-27) with later apocalyptic phrases, which may or may not
have been in the apocalypse used by Mark. Luke, on the other hand,
has no reference to the gathering together of the elect (cf. Matt.
24 : 29-31 ;Lk. 21 : 25-28).
28-37. The remainder of the chapter foUows as an exhortation to
the disciples to be ready for these events, and shows itself clearly to
be from the Master himself. It formed the closing portion of the
196

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13:31
branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its
29. leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh; even so ye
also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know
30. ye that * he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass away, until
31. all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth
shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Ut.
apocalyptic writing which Mark has incorporated here into his
narrative. From the fig tree learn her parable {i.e. the analogy it
offers for illustration) : Unlike the one exceptional fig tree on the way
from Bethany, which he made an object lesson to the disciples of the
religious fruitlessness of the Jewish nation, it is here the general class
of fig trees which he uses in the normal functions of their life to make
clear the development which is to lead up to this great catastrophe.
Tender: The reference here is to the softening of the branch through
the flowing of the sap, the result of which is the bursting of the buds
and the unfolding of the leaves. The Master was speaking at the
Passover time, when the new leaves would be appearing. But when
this stage of the process is reached, everyone knows that the summer
is nigh. When ye see these things (Matthew enlarges by saying "all
these things," 24 : 33) coming to pass, know ye that he (better, ii.
Note Luke's substitution, "the kingdom of God," 21 : 31) is nigh,
even at the doors : The things the Master had in mind are obviously
not either the wars and earthquakes and famines, which the apoca
lypse sets down as the beginning of the woes (ver. 7L), or the ap
pearance of the abomination of desolation, which is the sign of their
culmination (ver. 14), or even the celestial disturbances which are to
usher in the final and (ver. 24L) — the analogy of a process of Ufe
which he has chosen in the fig tree forbids, in fact, a reference to
anything but the development of the age in which they were living.
The Master's meaning, therefore — quite in keeping with the spirit of
vs. 9-13 — is that the disciples do not need specific signs to tell them
when this catastrophe is to take place (ver. 4) — that an ordinary
appreciation of what is going on in the world around them will dis
close to them the coming of this event. In other words, when they
see the spirit of hatred and enmity — of which he had forewarned
them in vs. 9-13 — coming to its unbridled expression, they might
understand that the hour of judgment against their persecutors was
drawing near.
By its ampUfication of the Master's discourse, this apocalypse has
197

13:32 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
32. But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not
even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father.
33. Take ye heed, watch * and pray: for ye known not
34. when the time is. It is as when a man, sojourning in
another country, having left his house, and given au
thority to his 2 servants, to each one his work, com-
1 Some MSS. omit and pray. 2 Crk. bondservants.
lost the original reference of "these things" and has made them refer
to the specific signs which it had introduced into the forecast and
which had been suggested by the pressure of the times in which it
was composed. This generation shall not pass away until all these
things shall be accomplished: There can be no question that the
Master's belief was that not only the bitter hatred of his spiritual
message to the Jewish people would reach its culmination in the judi
cial overthrow of the Holy City within the generation in which they
were living, but that within this same period would occur his own
return in the triumph of his kingdom in the world (see notes on 8 : 34
and 9:1). This statement cannot rationally be understood in any
other way (cf. 8 : 12, 38; Matt, n : i6f.; 12 : 4if.; Lk. 17 : 25; par
ticularly Matt. 23 : 36). That this triumph would occur, he knew
with the divine certainty of his knowledge of the conquest his message
and mission would have over the human race. Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (cf. Isa. 51 : 6).
But, in answer to the first part of the disciples' question (ver. 4), of
that day or that hour, when this judgment should take place and this
triumph foUow, knoweth no man, not even the angels in heaven,
neither the Son (as he is on earth, cf. Matt. 11 : 27; Jn. 5 : 19L;
6 : 40; 17 : 1; 1 Jn. 2 : 22f.); because it was dependent, not only upon
the untimed working out of the enmity of the human heart against
the love of God, but upon the even less timed outworking of the
human will in its acceptance of that love. In his human conditions,
Jesus was limited in his knowledge of this time element in the rela
tions of the heart and will of man to the love of God. That was
understood and known by no one but the Father. (See Hogg,
Christ's Message of the Kingdom p. 42L) Consequently, he has
but one thing to urge upon the disciples — the need of giving heed
to their personal lives, as those lives expressed themselves in their
work (ver. 33), and of being watchful of the signs of the times
(Mark's added phrase, "and pray," is not part of the text); for there
was no way in which, ignorant as they were of the day and the hour
198

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
35. manded also the porter to watch. Watch therefore:
for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh,
whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing,
36. or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you
37. sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all,
Watch.
III. The Passion and Resurrection, 14 : 1-16 : 8
14. Now after two days was the feast of the passover
and the unleavened bread: and the chief priests and
of this event, they could calculate ahead when it was to occur. He
was the householder who, for a time, would be sojourning in an
other (heavenly) country, with his household left in charge of his
servants. Each one of the servants had his work given to him to do,
and their chief responsibility would be the accompUshing of their
appointed tasks. But these tasks involved the duty of a porter —
which is significant here, because of the similar duty belonging to the
Temple guards (cf. Edersheim, Temple, p. 120) — to open the door
to the lord of the house when he cometh, whether at even, or at
midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning (the popular expres
sions for the four Roman night watches from six to six). Together,
therefore, with the natural command to take heed to the work of their
Uves, there was the other needful command to watch, lest coming
suddenly (not capriciously on the part of the householder, but un
expectedly to the servants) the lord of the house find them sleeping —
neglectful of their duty with reference to his promised return — in
other words, careless of the relation of their work to the triumph
of the kingdom (cf. Matt. 24 : 45-51; Lk. 12 : 42-46, and the follow
ing parables in Matthew, ch. 25). Naturally, this command to these
four disciples was one to be made, not only to the rest of the Twelve,
but to aU who were his disciples. This passage (vs. 28-37) is largely
extended by Matthew (24 : 32-51) with utterances of the Master
found in two discourses given in Luke's record of the Journey to
Jerusalem (12 : 39L; 42-46; 17 : 26L, 34f.), and is then supplemented
with the Parable of the Ten Virgins (25 : 1-13), the Parable of the
Talents (25 : 14-30), and the depiction of the Judgment Day (25 : 31-
46). On the other hand, Luke omits from the first part of the passage
the significant statement about the knowledge of the day and hour
of the coming events (ver. 32), and greatly modifies the contents of
the second part (21 : 34-36).
This closes the record of Tuesday of Holy Week.
199

14:1

14:2 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
the scribes sought how they might take him with
2. subtlety, and kill him: for they said, Not during the
feast, lest haply there shall be a tumult of the people.
3. And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon
(1) The Conspiracy of the Rulers, the Supper at Bethany, and the
Treachery of Judas, 14 : 1-11
14 -. 1, 2. After two days was the feast of the passover and the
unleavened bread: The entire festival of seven days, beginning with
the Passover Meal and continuing through the week of unfermented
bread, is here referred to by this double title (given only by Mark;
cf. 1 Esdras 1 : 17). The phrase, "after two days," would place the
opening meal, according to Jewish reckoning, on the next day. As
this meal took place on the 14th Nisan (the first month in the Jewish
year), the day of our passage would be the 13th, or Wednesday of
Holy Week. The festival was intended to commemorate the hurried
departure of the Hebrews from Egypt, and was distinctively the
people's national feast (Ex. 12 : 1-28). The fact that this is the
first mention of the feast in the Synoptic record of this week brings
out into clear Ught Jesus' motive in leaving Galilee and coming into
Judaea and to Jerusalem. It was not to attend the feasts at which
he had already been present (Jn. 7 : 2; 10 : 22) or this one now at
hand, but to face the inevitable ending of his mission, of which he
had been convinced from the beginning (see notes on 2 : 12; cf. also
Jn. 2 : 19) and which now, since the aUenation of the people in
GaUlee from his spiritual message, and the increasing hostility of the
Jerusalem leaders to his spiritual claims, had become a certainty of
impending nearness. Sought how they might take him with sub
tlety (Ut. with craft) and kill him: Matthew informs us that they met
in the house of Caiaphas (26 : 3), who had already advocated the
poUcy of sacrificing Jesus in the interest of their relations to the
Roman power (Jn. n : 49f.). This consultation of the Sanhedrin
was caused by the failure of its representatives to successfully chal
lenge Jesus' authority (n : 28-33), to discredit him with the people
or the government (12 : 13-17), and to entrap him in his interpreta
tion of the Law (12 : 18-27). It did not represent the first appearance
of _ their murderous plan against him; for they had long since deter
mined upon his death (Jn. 5 : 18), but a conviction that their plan
must be carried out, — the only question being as to how it might be
accompUshed without creating a riot among the people, with whom
they knew he was intensely popular. In view of this, they agreed
that nothing must be attempted during the feast, when pubUcity
could not be avoided.
3. While he was in Bethany . . . as he sat at meat: The Fourth

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:3
the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman hav
ing an alabaster cruse of ointment of xpure nard
very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it
1 liquid.
Evangehst definitely places this supper on the evening previous to the
Triumphal Entry (12 : if., 12), and whUe the Synoptists unite in
placing it here, no one of them does so with any distinct statement of
time that necessarily connects it with the preceding context. It
is Ukely that Mark either found it so generaUy connected with the
story of Judas' treachery in the Apostohc preaching as to be left
without hint of the other connection, or else, out of a tendency to
group his material (see notes on 3 : 6) connected it himself with the
account of Judas' compact with the Rulers, and in so doing was
foUowed by Matthew, Luke omitting aU mention of the meal, in
view of a similar incident narrated by him in the record of the
GaUlean ministry (7 : 36-50). In the house of Simon the leper:
The Fourth Gospei represents the house as Martha's (12 : 2), and
does not introduce the name Simon into his account. Simon may
have been the father of the fanuly and separated from them by his
disease, or cured from it and stiU known by the name of "leper," as
Matthew was by the name of "pubUcan" after he had become a
disciple (Matt. 10 : 3), or he may have been no longer aUve. The
mention of his name in connection with the house does not necessitate
his having been present as host. A woman : The Fourth Evangelist
indicates the woman as Mary, the sister of Martha who served, and
adds that Lazarus was one of the guests (cf. 12 : 2f. with ii : 2).
An alabaster cruse (Ut. an alabaster, a box or flask, usuaUy,
though not necessarily, made of that substance — so named from
Alabastron in Egypt, where the stone was found and where a local
manufacture of perfume vases was carried on, Ptolemaeus, IV, 5,
§ 39. The material was supposed to preserve the aroma of the per
fumes) of ointment: John substitutes the weight of the ointment
("a pound") for the flask that contained it (12 : 3). Pure (Ut.
trustworthy) nard (so only Mark and John, 12:3. Matthew does not
name the ointment, 26 : 7): Nard (rendered "spikenard" in A. V.,
from the spiked or shaggy leaves from which the perfume is secured)
is a product of the Nardostachys Jatamansi, a species of Valerian
native to the Himalayan region of Northern and Eastern India
(Tristram, Natural History of the Bible, p. 485). It was used by
wealthy Hebrews (Song 1 : 12; 4 : I3f.), later by Greeks and Romans.
Because it was very costly, it was often adulterated. Here it was used
pure. She broke the cruse (so only in Mark) — the long neck of the
flask, so that the ointment might be more readily poured out and

14:4 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
4. over his head. But there were some that had in
dignation among themselves, saying, To what pur-
5. pose hath this waste of the ointment been made?
For this ointment might have been sold for above
three hundred shillings, and given to the poor.
And they murmured against her. But Jesus said,
6. Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath
7. wrought a good work on me. For ye have the
poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye
can do them good: but me ye have not always.
8. She hath done what she could; she hath anointed
9. my body beforehand for the burying. And verily
I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be
all of it used, rather than drop by drop through its narrow mouth and
most of it retained for other uses. Poured it over his head (John
says, "the feet," 12 :3; cf. also 11 : 2, his memory being confused
perhaps by his reminiscence of Luke's story of the sinful woman,
7 : 38): The anointing of the head with oU was a customary mark of
attention to a guest (Ps. 23 : 5; Lk. 7 : 46).
4, 5. Some (Matthew says "the disciples," 26 : 8; John, "Judas
Iscariot," 12:3) . . . had indignation (Ut. were indignant to them
selves, i.e. expressed their indignation among themselves, cf. 16 : 3) : The
disciples, being accustomed only to simple Uving, would be quite
Ukely to be the ones sensitive to the obvious extravagance; Judas,
being distinctively mercenary, might well be the one who voiced the
protest. Three hundred shillings (Ut. denarii) — about $51 in nom
inal value. Given to the poor: From 6 : 37, we may infer that the
cost of the ointment would have fed many thousands of the hungry
poor. This fact may have been called to their mind significantly at
the Passover time, when such alms were speciaUy expected (cf. Jn.
13 : 29). Murmured against her — not for her attention to the
Master in itself, but in its wastefulness, as ordinary oil would have
served all the purpose of respect, and in its incongruity, as the Mas
ter's spirit was known to be one of benevolence to the poor (cf.
10 : 21).
6-9. The Master's rebuke of the protest was a commendation of
the act. From a utilitarian point of view, it was not in accord with his
teachings; but as the expression of a deep-seated love, it was a goodly

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:9
preached throughout the whole world, that also which
this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memo
rial of her.
act. For this act, conscious of what lay before him of the hatred of
the human heart, he was profoundly grateful, and knowing not only
what he had done for Mary in the restoration of her brother to life
(Jn. 11 : 43L), but what he had become to her in his teaching (Lk.
10 : 39-42), he accepted it as a rightful tribute to himself. The
poor they had always with them, and they could serve them when
soever they would, but himself they would not have always. If they
realized that, as he did, they would not have objected to this spon
taneous outpouring of Mary's love, but would have been stimulated
by it to an expression of such love as they themselves possessed.
What she had done was what she could do (only in Mark). It was
measured up to her means and station in life. Instead of criticising,
they might weU have given a proportioned expression to their love
for him. She doubtless had no premonition of his coming death; his
disciples, in view of his repeated announcements to them of his
passion, should have had some. To make their protest, therefore,
all the less excusable, he interprets her act as an anticipated anointing
of his dead body — not its embalming, which was not a Hebrew but an
Egyptian custom (Gen. 50 : 2f., 26), but its anointing with spices
and oils after it had been washed (cf. 16 : 1; Acts 9 : 37; Jn. 19 : 39I),
with a view to its preparation for the burying. John modifies the
Master's words, though he retains the idea, 12 : 7. Wheresoever
this Gospel shall be preached: What is announced later in 13 : 10
is here assumed (Swete, ad. loc). Shall be spoken of: He does not
make this an organic part of his Gospel, but intimates that when his
foUowers come to tell the story of his mission and message to the .
world, they wiU have so appreciated Mary's act that they will ever
recall it for the generous expression of the personal love and devotion
it actually was. This is omitted by the Fourth Evangelist. Judas
Iscariot (cf.no tes on 3 : 19) . . . went away unto the chief priests —
not necessarily immediately after the supper, as Matthew seems to
imply, 26 : 14, but as incited by the supper's episode to arrange with
the Rulers for the Master's apprehension. Just how he was moved
to this act by what had taken place it may be impossible definitely
to say. Perhaps the Master's significant statement as to his burial
may have led Judas to the desperate idea that only by Jesus' arrest
would he be forced to declare his Messianic Kingship and so bring
to realization the material kingdom which he selfishly hoped the
Master would estabhsh, or his resentment at the wasteful use of
money, which otherwise might have come into his hands, and his
203

14: io THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
io. And Judas Iscariot, x he that was one of the twelve,
went away unto the chief priests, that he might de-
n. liver him unto them. And they, when they heard it,
were glad, and promised to give him money. And he
sought how he might conveniently deliver him unto them.
12. And on the first day of unleavened bread, when
they sacrificed the passover, his disciples say unto
him, Where wilt thou that we go and make ready that
1 Grk. the one of the twelve.
suspicion that the Master had already discovered his thieving habits
(cf . Jn. 12 : 6) may have driven him to sever once for all his connec
tion with the Cause and give himself over to the things which would
better minister to his greed. Probably the incident had wrought
upon him in all directions. And they . . . were glad: His conference
with the Priests could hardly have occurred before the consultation
of the Sanhedrists among themselves, referred to in ver. if.; otherwise
there would have been some evidence of his connection with the
scheme. On the other hand, his conference with the Priests did not
necessarily result in a plan to take Jesus during the feast, much less
in an agreement on Judas' part to their purpose to kill him. It simply
made Judas an instrument in the carrying out of their general design
to get Jesus into their power — they promising to give him money
and he seeking how he might conveniently {i.e. without creating a
disturbance. Luke says distinctly "in the absence of the multitude,"
22:6) deliver him into their hands. That the betrayal finaUy took
place during the feast was doubtless as much unexpected by Judas
as by the Rulers, being made unavoidable by the Master's disclosure
of his knowledge of the plot (Jn. i3-26f.). Matthew alone mentions
the amount of money which he received by the compact — "thirty
pieces of silver" (26 : 15; cf. Zech. 11 : 12), in value about two-fifths
of what the spikenard had cost, though this may have been merely
earnest money — Mark's mention of the promise of money apparently
referring to a sum yet to come.
{2) The Last Supper, 14 : 12-25
12. The first day (Luke simply, "the day," 22 : 7) of unleavened
bread: This was Thursday of Holy Week, the 14th Nisan of the
Jewish calendar, which extended from the evening of the 13th to
the evening of the 14th, when the 15th began and the Paschal Meal
was eaten (Ex. 12 : 8). It was reaUy the day of preparation for the
204

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:16
13. thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth two
of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go into the city,
and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher
14. of water: follow him; and wheresoever he shall enter
in, say to the master of the house, The Teacher saith,
Where is my guest-chamber, where I shall eat the
15. passover with my disciples? And he will himself show
you a large upper room furnished and ready: and
16. there make ready for us. And the disciples went forth,
and came into the city, and found as he had said
unto them: and they made ready the passover.
feast when (on the evening of the 13th) the homes were searched for
the removal of aU leaven and before noon (on the 14th) unleavened
bread began to be eaten. It was also the day when they sacrificed
the passover, i.e. the passover lamb (see margin of Ex. 12 : 6). This
was usually done by the head of the family with sacrificial ceremony
in the court of the Priests, on occasions, by the Priests themselves
(Edersheim, Temple, p. 1906.). Where wilt thou that we . . . make
ready that thou mayest eat the passover? The meal had to be eaten
within the city and the Master was stiU in retirement outside (ver.
13). Luke represents Jesus as taking the initiative, though the dis
ciples ask him as to the specific place (22 : 8f.). Beyond the providing
of the place, the preparation for the meal itself was considerable.
13-16. Two of the disciples: Matthew makes no mention of the
number, 26 : 18; Luke, on the other hand, gives their names, "Peter
and John," 22:8. There shaU meet you a man bearing a pitcher of
water (so only Mark and Luke, 22 : 10; Matthew makes no mention
of the man, 26 : 18) : As in the preparations for the Triumphal Entry,
the details are presented in a way to leave the impression of fore
knowledge on the Master's part, at least with regard to their being
met by the man (see notes on 11 : 3). As water carrying was usually
the task of women, the detection of this servant of the house (cf.
Deut. 29 : 11) would be a relatively simple simple matter for the
disciples. The water was doubtless for the ablutions of the sacred
meal and had been drawn from the Pool of Siloam. They were to
foUow him through the streets until they came to the house where
the Master may have already arranged for the eating of the meal.
They were then to inquire for the accommodations of the master of
the house in the name of the Teacher — making it more than probable
205

14:17 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
17. And when it was evening he cometh with the twelve.
18. And as they sat and were eating, Jesus said, Verily
I say unto you, One of you shall betray me, even
that their host was himself a disciple, as may possibly have been the
case with the owners of the colt (cf. n : 3-6). The master of the
house would then show them a large upper room furnished and
ready, i.e. provided with the necessary table and reclining couches and
spread with the needed table ware. There they were to make ready
the meal. These instructions they carried out. Mark and Luke
(22 : 10-13) alone give these details. Matthew contents himself
with the general direction and its accompUshment (26 : i8f.). The
Fourth Gospel has no account at aU of the preparation.
The difference between the Passion chronology of the Synoptics
and that of the Fourth Gospel cannot be reconciled. As stated above
(notes on ver. 1 2) the Synoptists place the Last Supper on the evening
which ushered in the 15th Nisan — the evening foUowing the Day of
Preparation; on the other hand, the Fourth Gospel states that the
meal was eaten on the evening which ushered in the 14th Nisan— the
evening beginning the Day of Preparation (13 : 1; 18 : 28; 19 : 14).
According to the Fourth Gospel's view, therefore, the meal which
was eaten was not the Paschal Meal, but a private meal eaten with
the disciples — the Paschal Meal still remaining to be eaten after the
trial and the crucifixion (18 : 28; 19 : 14, 31).
As between these two chronologies that of the Fourth Gospel would
seem to be the more consistent; for if the Last Supper was identical
with the Paschal Meal, as intimated by the Synoptists, it is difficult
to account for the secular activities which foUowed — the arrest by an
armed band from the Temple, the gathering of the Sanhedrists for
the trial, the prosecution of the case before Pilate, and the crowding
of the Priests out to the place of crucifixion. It is possible, of course,
that the urgency of the case may have forced the Sanhedrists to the
profanation of the day; but it is not Ukely, and there is no hint given
in the Synoptics that the day was being profaned. In fact, Luke's
statement would seem to indicate that the day of the Paschal Meal
was still to come; for he records Jesus as saying that while it was his
desire to eat the Passover with his disciples before he suffered, he
would nevertheless not eat of it " until it be f ulfiUed in the Kingdom
of God" (22 : 14-16). For an argument in favor of the agreement of
the two accounts see Smith, In the Days of His Flesh, Appendix VIII,
PP- 533-539-
17-21. And when it was evening (of the 14th, i.e. the beginning
of the 15th Nisan. The Fourth Gospel states that the meal was
eaten on the evening of the 13th Nisan, i.e. on the beginning of the
206

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:20
19. he that eateth with me. They began to be sorrowful,
20. and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? And he
said unto them, It is one of the twelve, he that dippeth
14th, Jn. 13 : 1; 18 : 28; 19 : 14) the Master cometh with the twelve
into the city to the place where the preparation had been made.
And as they sat (Ut. reclined) and were eating: Luke inserts here
remarks with which the Master introduced the meal and indicated to
the disciples the pecuUar significance it had for him in view of his
impending passion and foUows it (inaccurately) with an account of
the drinking of a cup before the breaking of the bread (22 : 15-18);
John recites the Master's washing of the disciples' feet, with his
interpreting remarks (13 : 1-20). Matthew foUows Mark in omitting
these items and recounting as the first incident of the meal the
Master's reference to his coming betrayal (26 : 21-24). One of you
shall betray me, Mark adding he that eateth with me (which Luke
recasts in a more rhetorical statement, 22 : 21): This does not single
out the individual, being intended to caU attention to the treachery,
rather than to the traitor. They began to be sorrowful: (Matthew
puts it more strongly, "exceedingly sorrowful," 26 : 22. Neither Luke
nor John refer to the sorrow): The indefiniteness with which the
Master had, on previous occasions, referred to the fact of his coming
betrayal (cf. Matt. 17 : 22; 20 : 18; 26 : 2; Jn. 6 : 71) had given the
disciples no intimation of the fact that it was to be accomphshed by
one of their own number. The shock of the Master's statement,
therefore, can be easily understood. It was unbeUevable! John
speaks of the "doubt" with which they looked at each other, as
though they sought some confirmation of the statement in the faces
at the table (13 : 22). Luke states what must have followed: "They
began to question among themselves which of them it was that should
do this thing" (22 : 23). Mark and Matthew (26 : 22) mention only
the individual inquiring of the Master into which their startled fear
at last broke forth, Is it I (Ut. It is not I, is it)? It was a general
and confused questioning which aUowed no individual answers — the
only definite reply being the answer which he gave to the inquiry
suggested by Peter through John, as to the traitor's identity (13 : 23-
25). This answer, however, seems to have been given to the Beloved
Disciple privately and not communicated by him to the rest; since
they seemed to be stiU unaware of the traitor's identity when Judas
left the room (vs. 27-29). To the company in general the Master
answered merely, one of the twelve, he that dippeth with me in the
dish— the dish of sauce — the Charoseth — into which at a certain time
of the meal the master of the feast dipped pieces of the unleavened
bread with bitter herbs between them, and handed them to the guests
207

14:21 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
21. with me in the dish. For the Son of man goeth, even
as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through
whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it
1 for that man if he had not been born.
22. And as they were eating, he took 2 bread, and when
he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and
1 Grk. for him if thai man had not. 2 a loaf.
(J. Lightfoot, Matthew, ad. loc). This general statement of the Mas
ter's, while emphasizing more forcibly the betrayal of the common
fellowship (cf. Ps. 41 : 9) they had with him, obviously did not yet
identify the traitor and, with the foUowing solemn words of woe,
apparently left the disciples in a benumbed state of mind, which did
not press for further information. Matthew, while foUowing Mark,
adds the most unlikely fact that Judas asked definitely whether he
himself was meant, and that the Master answered "Thou hast said"
(26 : 25). The Fourth Gospel states definitely and in accordance
with the ritual of the meal, that Jesus, in reply to John's question,
said, "It is he for whom I shaU dip the sop and give it to him. So
when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth it to Judas" (13 :
26). Luke makes no reference to the dish or to the indication of the
traitor. For the Son of man goeth (properly, goeth away, i.e. out of
the world) even as it is written of him (Luke, " as it hath been deter
mined," 22 : 22): This confirms the announcement of the betrayal
by the statement that the death which was dependent upon it was a
fulfilment of the prophetic forecast of Scripture (Isa. 53d ch.). The
betrayal, thus, was not a happening of chance, but essentially a part
of the predicted and predetermined Passion of the Son of Man, and
yet, Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! for
that betrayal was the free act of a moral agent and must bring upon
itself, in perfect justice, its awful punishment (cf. Lk. 22 : 3; Jn.
13 : 2). This "woe," therefore, is not a vindictive curse, but a sorrow
ful proclamation of the inevitable judgment. (See Hogg, Christ's
Message of the Kingdom, pp. 195-198). Good were it for mat man
if he had never been born — more severe than the somewhat similar
expression of 9 : 42. Luke follows this incident with an account of a
contention among the disciples as to which of them was accounted
greatest (22 : 24-30), a most unlikely dispute to follow such a solemn
experience as they had just had, and, therefore, more Ukely a recital
of what occurred as the occasion of the feet-washing before the feast,
as recorded by the Fourth Gospel (13 : 4).
22-25. The giving of the sop was followed by the departure of
208

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:24
23. said, Take ye: this is my body. And he took a cup,
and when he had given thanks, he gave to them: and
24. they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is
my blood of the 1 covenant, which is poured out for
1 Some MSS. insert new.
Judas (Jn. 13 : 30), the significance of which, in spite of the Master's
words (jn. 13 : 27), seems to have been hidden from the rest of the
disciples (Jn. 13 : 28L). After the interruption occasioned by the
announcement of the betrayal, the meal proceeded. It is impossible,
however, to say definitely at just which one of its remaining stages
the usual form of observance was departed from by the Master, in
order to use the materials of the meal to show the spiritual significance
of his death. He took bread — one of the round cakes of unleavened
bread, placed before the one who presided over the feast. And when
he had blessed (Luke, "had given thanks," 22 : 19; so also Paul,
i Cor. 11 : 24) — doubtless one of the formal blessings used in connec
tion with the meal, and, therefore, different from that employed at
the feeding of the multitude (see notes on 6 :4i). He brake it and
gave to them — for their own use and not, as at the miraculous feed
ing, for the use of others (6 :4i). Take ye (Matthew inaccurately
adds, "eat," 26 : 26; Luke omits both commands, 22 : 19), this is
my body (Luke, who is here not primary, omits "take" and adds
"which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me," 22 : 19,
cf 1 Cor. 11 : 24). This, of course, cannot have been intended by the
Master to be understood literally; since, as he spoke, his body stood
before them separate and distinct from the bread. It was meant
to be taken figuratively, as his statement regarding the cup (Lk.
22 : 20). The bread represented, symbolized, his body. As this
bread was given to them, so, in this impending final conflict between
his spiritual mission and the materiaUsm of the Jews, his body was
to be given, willingly, freely, to estabUsh for them — and for aU people
¦ — his kingdom of spiritual righteousness in the world. More than
this he does not say; but if they remembered his discourse in the
Capernaum Synagogue, they as Orientals would understand that as
by eating this bread they secured its physical benefits, so by personal
fellowship and communion with him would they be spiritually feed
ing upon his body and partaking of the blessings which its giving up
in death was to secure for them (cf. Jn. 6 : 51, 53-58). And he took
a cup: As it is impossible definitely to state at what stage in the
meal this symbolizing of the materials took place (see above, ver. 22),
so it is impossible to identify this cup among the four which were
drunk at the meal — except that it was not the first cup, which came
209

14:25 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
25. many. Verily I say unto you, I shall no more drink
of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink
it new in the kingdom of God.
as the guests recUned themselves at the table. Possibly, in view of
the declaration of ver. 25, it may have been the fourth, or last cup,
which closed the Meal (cf. Lk. 22 : 20; 1 Cor. n : 25, where it is
stated that the cup was taken "after supper," though Luke here,
as in 19b, is not primary). And when he had given thanks — as he
had done in connection with the bread. The difference in the terms
does not indicate any essential difference in the acts — as though in
the one case he had invoked a blessing upon the bread and in the
other, had given thanks for the wine — since invocations at Jewish
meals, as a general thing, mingled thanksgiving with blessing. And
they all drank of it: Matthew, in the spirit of a later confessionalism,
turns this into a command of the Master's, "Drink ye all of it,"
(26 : 27). This is my blood of the Covenant, which is poured out
for many (Matthew adds a statement of the purpose of this out
pouring, expressed in the phrase with which the early Apostolic
preaching proclaimed the object and the outcome of repentance and
baptism [cf. Acts 2 : 38; 22 : 16] and the result of faith [cf. Acts 10 :
43> *3 : 38. See notes on 1 : 4]: Luke phrases it "the new covenant
in my blood [following Paul, cf. 1 Cor. n : 25I, even that which is
poured out for you," 22 : 20). The thought of the Master was sug
gested naturally by the words of Ex. 24 : 8, where the ancient cove
nant of God with Israel was sealed with the blood of the sacrifice,
and his meaning was that in the offering up of his Ufe in this conflict
of his spiritual mission with the materialism of the Nation there
would be established a spiritual covenant with his followers in which
would be confirmed and assured all that his mission had come to ac-
compUsh in the world (cf. Jer. 31 : 31-33). I shall no more drink
of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the
kingdom of God (Luke, inaccurately, connects these words with the
partaking of the initial cup and the first bread of the meal, 22 : 14-18)
— not merely a renewed announcement of the nearness of this sacrifice
of himself, but an assertion of the ultimate triumph of the spiritual
kingdom he was giving his life to establish. While it is evident that
Jesus added no direction as to the continued observance of this meal
by his followers, it is just as clear that the significance which he
placed upon its symbolism of this coming supreme self-sacrificing
act of his mission would make it as impossible for his followers not
to keep it in mind by a recurrent observance of it, as the Master him
self declared it would be impossible for him to forget it till the consum
mation of his kingdom brought himself and his followers togetherin the

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:26
26. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out
unto the mount of Olives.
marriage supper of the Lamb. It does no violence, therefore, to the
simple narrative which the Gospel gives, to find implied in this impres
sive modification of what the Synoptists consider the Passover meal —
the final effort to bring to the utmost of the disciples' understanding
the eternally spiritual meaning of the death to which he was now going
— that intention of its after observance which is given us in Paul's re
cital of the event to the Corinthian Church, "This do in remembrance
of me" (1 Cor. ii : 24f.). The Fourth Gospel gives no account of this
specific phase of the meal which has become the Lord's Supper of
the Christian Church. The remarks of the Master leading up to the
pointing out of the traitor and his withdrawal from the room (13 :
12-30) are foUowed by the valedictory discourses, which, when they
are recovered from their present displaced condition, arrange them
selves most probably as follows: 13 : 31a, chs. 15, 16; 14 : 13 : 31b-
38; ch. 17. At the passage 13 : 3ib~38 the Johannine record is paral
leled again by the Synoptic record of Mk. 14 : 27-31; Matt. 26 : 31-
35andLk. 22 : 31-38.
(3) The Departure to the Mount of Olives, with the Foretelling of the
Desertion and the Denial, 14 : 26-31
26. And when they had sung a hymn — in all likelihood, the re
maining portion of the Hallel (Ps. 115-118), which finally ended the
Paschal meal. They went out unto the Mount of Olives — where
they had spent their nights during the week (cf. Lk. 22 : 39); so that
Peter's question, as given in the Fourth Gospel (13 : 36), "Lord,
whither goest thou? " does not refer to the closing words of Ch. 14,
"Arise, let us go hence"; for this would be understood as a summons
to leave for their place of customary rest. The reference is to the
vague declaration (13 : 33), "Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto
the Jews, whither I go, ye cannot come." It is this query of Peter's
and his resentful reply to the Master's answer to it (13 : 36L) which
most probably brought from Jesus his announcement of the disciples'
general desertion and of Peter's personal denial of him which were
to take place that night. Matthew follows Mark in representing
the departure as taking place before the disclosure of the desertion
of the disciples (26 : 30). Luke (22 : 39) and John (14 : 31) place
it after. The rearrangement of the Fourth Gospel material would
seem to suggest that along with the Valedictory Prayer, it came after
the summons to leave, but before the actual departure. (See closing
paragraph in notes on ver. 25.)

14:27 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
27. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended:
for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the
28. sheep shall be scattered abroad. Howbeit, after I
29. am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee. But
Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended,
27-31. AU ye shall be offended (Ut. caused to stumble, find cause
for stumbling, as Lk. 7 : 23; Matthew adds "in me this night," 26 : 31) :
After the disclosure to them at the Supper that one of their number
was to betray the Master (ver. 18) — a possibility which each one
seemed to disclaim with more or less of a dread as to what his own
weakness might lead him to do (ver. 19) — this announcement that
they would all, without exception, fall away and desert him, pre
sumably in his hour of need, must have been overwhelmingly startling
to them, and yet it was a situation which the Master might easily
forecast, from his intimate knowledge of the disciples and from the
disclosures they had made of themselves that night. For it is writ
ten I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered
abroad — taken freely from Zech. 13 : 7, where Jehovah calls upon the
sword to smite a ruler, who is abusing his place and position as Je
hovah's friend, and thus scatter his sheep abroad. The pertinency
in the quoting of the passage here lies in the common effect upon the
sheep of the punishment of the shepherd. By this citing of Scripture
the Master will assure to the disciples the prediction he has just made
(cf. ver. 21). After I am raised up — which was to be but a brief
time (see notes on 8 : 31) — I wiU go before you into Galilee: The
absence of _ this comforting promise and any fulfilment of it from
the narrative of Luke — whose whole post-Resurrection record is
confined to Jerusalem, as Matthew's and Mark's are restricted to
Galilee — is evidence merely of two different but not necessarily con
flicting traditions. On the other hand, the fact that while Mark
confirms this promise in 16 : 7 (Matt. 28 : 7, 10), there is no record
of its fulfilment in the remainder of the chapter (as there is in Matt.
28 : 16-19), is strong corroborative proof that the latter portion of
this 1 6th chapter is not its original ending. But Peter said ... Al
though aU shaU be offended, yet wiU not I: This protest of Peter's
doubtless voiced the feelings of the rest of the Twelve, as later (ver.
31) his vehement assertion that he would not deny his Master was
repeated by them all. Thou to-day, even this night, before the cock
crow twice, shalt deny me thrice: Jesus' reply is significant in its
definiteness of statement, as though he would once and for all de
stroy the self-assurance with which Peter asserted his fidelity. The
Apostle's self-confidence, however, based as it was on a failure to

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:32
30. yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I
say unto thee, that thou to-day, even this night, before
31. the cock crow twice, shalt deny me thrice. But he
spake exceeding vehemently, If I must die with thee,
I will not deny thee. And in like manner also said
they all.
32. And they come unto a place which was named
Gethsemane: and he saith unto his disciples, Sit ye
realize the impending events, was simply strengthened by these
words; for he answered exceeding vehemently (Ut. greatly beyond
measure. So only Mark), If I must die with thee (see Jn. 11 : 16),
I wiU not deny thee. And in like manner also said they all. Doubt
less, they had been startled by the Master's prediction of their gen
eral defection (ver. 27), but however his words may have increased
such individual dread as each one may have had as to his own weak
ness, there was no question in their hearts as to the loyalty they
desired to show. Consequently, when the Master met Peter's pro
test with this further and more definite forecast of his specific denial
of him, the impossibility in their minds of such an event expressed
itself in the same passionate way as with Peter himself. The definite-
ness of the Master's forecast does not necessarily involve a super
natural foreknowledge of the specific details of Peter's action. "Be
fore the cock crow" means simply before dawn, the "twice" which
Mark alone has being evidently read back into the statement from
Peter's keen memory of the actual occurrence (ver. 72); while the
"shalt deny me thrice" is rather to warn the Apostle of the aggra
vated character of the disloyalty he is to show than to predict the
number of times it is to be expressed. Luke has largely modified the
record of this incident, prefacing this definite statement of the Mas
ter's with a warning to the Apostle which betrays later elements and
which is followed by a protest from the Apostle in language similar
to his final assertion, which the Evangelist omits (22 : 31-33). This
definite prediction of Peter's denial is also followed by a general warn
ing to the Twelve (22 : 35-38) whose wording seems to refer to the
instructions previously given to the Seventy (10: 4).
{4) The Agony in Gethsemane, 14 : 32-42
32. They come unto a place (lit. a piece of ground, a field) . . .
named Gethsemane (probable meaning, oil press): As the name
indicates, this was in all likelihood an enclosure which had been
originaUy an oUve orchard, containing an oil press, but had been
213

14:33 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
33. here, while I pray. And he taketh with him Peter
and 1 James and John, and began to be greatly amazed,
34. and sore troubled. And he saith unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful even unto death: abide ye here,
35. and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell
on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible,
36. the hour might pass away from him. And he said,
Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; re
move this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but
37. what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them
sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou?
38. couldest thou not watch one hour? 2 Watch and pray,
1 Jacob. 2 Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not.
transformed into a private garden (cf. Jn. 18 : 1), several of which
apparently existed outside the city walls (cf. Jn. 19 : 41). The
Fourth Gospel locates it apparently just across the Kidron (18 : 1),
in which case its site would be most probably the traditional one,
some fifty yards beyond the Brook, and, as Jesus had been accustomed
to go there often with his disciples (Jn. 18:2), Judas and his company
would naturally search it on their way to his settled resting place
for the night, on the Mount of Olives (Jn. 18 : 2f.). Luke, however,
who does not mention its name, apparently identifies it with this
resting place itself (22 :3gf.; see notes on 11 : 12). In either case,
the place would be well known to the Betrayer. Sit ye here, while
I pray: The disciples are bidden to remain near the entrance, while
the Master goes farther into the enclosure to engage in prayer by
himself cf . 1 : 35 ; 6 : 46 ; see notes on 9 : 2.
33-42. Peter, James and John: While his instinct was to be alone
in his communion with his Father, the growing fellowship of these
three with himself impelled him to take them nearer the scene of his
struggle, as before he had taken them to the scene of his transfigura
tion (cf. Lk. 9 : 28). Greatly amazed (so alone Mark): Though the
Master had foreseen the outcome of his mission as a fact, yet as he
drew near its realization he was overwhelmed with its significance as
the answer of sin to the love of God. In this consciousness of its
spiritual meaning was naturally involved the consternation of his
human soul as it faced the death which was involved in this answer.
As a consequence, he was sore troubled . . . even unto death
214

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:42
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed
39. is willing, but the flesh is weak. And again he went
40. away, and prayed, saying the same words. And again
he came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were
very heavy; and they knew not what to answer him.
41. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them,
1 Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough; the
hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into
42. the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going: behold,
he that betrayeth me is at hand.
1 Do ye sleep on, then, and take your rest?
{i.e. his suffering was killing him) . So he admits to the three disciples
as he bids them wait and watch — not as guarding against an attack,
but as affording him the support of their presence— as Matthew's
phrase, " watch with me," intimates (26 : 38, 40). If it were possible,
the hour (Mark, alone, whose interpretation it apparently is of the
figurative expression "cup" used in the prayer, by Matthew, 26 : 39,
and by Luke, 22 142) — might pass away from him: This petition
that, if possible, his work might be accomplished without the coming
to him of this appointed experience is, as the amazement and deadly
sorrow of his soul indicate, not alone a plea to be spared the physical
pain of death, but much more the awful consciousness which it
would bring with it of the reality of the sin of the world. But this
plea was an expression of the horror of his soul, as it viewed the com
ing Passion, not the disclosure of an unwillingness to undergo it.
The Father's will in the appointment of the experience was supreme,
even as the petition was uttered. Saith unto Peter — whose boastful
protestation of loyalty to his Master made him the natural object of
the sorrowful rebuke, though all were asleep. Luke, whose record
differs greatly from the others and betrays some elements of later
tradition {e.g. vs. 43, 44), says that their sleeping came from "sorrow"
(22 :45). Watch and pray: To the former charge to watch with
him he now adds the warning to pray for themselves; for it has be
come now a matter of concern whether the willingness of their hearts
to be faithful to him would withstand the human fear and dread
which the impending attack upon him would arouse within them.
They are to pray, as he had already done particularly for Peter (Lk.
22 : 3if.), that they may be spared the hour of crisis; but if not, that
they may be firm in its test. Again he . . . prayed— for his victory
21S

14:43 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
43. And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas,
one of the twelve, and with him a multitude with
swords and staves, from the chief priests and the
44. scribes and the elders. Now he that betrayed him
had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall
kiss, that is he; take him, and lead him away safely.
was not yet complete. When at last, after a third period of prayer,
it was assured, he needed their watchful sympathy no longer. They
had proved helpless to him in this struggle of his soul, they could
sleep on now, if they so wished — the struggle which would seem to
them more fearsome was at hand : the Son of man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners. But it is enough, the sadly justified reproach must
give way to the summons to arise and be going — evidently back to the
other disciples — for he that betrayeth him was at hand. Luke omits
all the remainder of the incident after the warning to watch and
pray. (5) The Arrest, 14 : 43-52
43. One of the twelve — not to describe him, but to express anew
the consciousness of the infamy of the deed. A multitude : According
to the Synoptists, the arresting party was an unorganized crowd,
armed only with the short swords carried by private persons (cf.
ver. 47) and staves, or stout sticks. It was such a crowd as might
hastily be gathered together in an attack upon a marauder (cf . ver.
48). It was evidently placed at Judas' disposal by the members of
the Sanhedrin and apparently included some of the servants of the
High Priest (cf. ver. 47), as well as representatives of the members of
that high court (cf. Lk. 22 : 52). Luke adds to them the officers of
the Levitical guard of the Temple (22 : 52; cf. Edersheim, Temple,
p. 119) with whom he states Judas consulted when he made arrange
ments for the betrayal (22 :4). The Fourth Gospel gives a much
more military impression of the undertaking by stating that the
Sanhedrists had "a band (properly, a cohort) of soldiers" with its
"chief captain" (lit. chiliarch) and that these were armed with
regular "weapons." He also names the High Priest's servant,
"Malchus" (18 : 3, 10, 12).
44-47. A token (lit. a concerted signal) — since it was night and
the indiscriminate character of the crowd gave no surety of their
ability to distinguish Jesus in the confusion which was likely to
arise. This is omitted by Luke. Kiss — not the affectionate family
greeting on the cheek, but the ordinary greeting of a pupil to his
216

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:49
45. And when he was come, straightway he came to him,
46. and saith, Rabbi; and 1 kissed him. And they laid
47. hands on him, and took him. But a certain one of
them that stood by drew his sword, and smote the
2 servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear.
48. And Jesus answered arid said unto them, Are ye
come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves
49. to seize me? I was daily with you in the temple
teaching, and ye took me not: but this is done that the
1 kissed him much. 2 Grk. bondservant.
teachers — the salutation, "Rabbi," an obeisance, and a kiss on the
hand (cf. ver. 45; Matt. 26 :49). Safely (lit. securely): The idea of
Judas was not to avoid violence, but to accomplish the certain carry
ing out of his plan which would naturally seem to him in danger of
failure now that Jesus had shown his knowledge of it. Mark alone
refers to this direction. Luke introduces a rebuking protest on Jesus'
part as the kiss was given, and an appeal to the Master on the part
of the disciples to defend him, as Judas' purpose disclosed itself
(22 : 48L). Matthew represents the Master as addressing Judas on
his approach with a remark, the meaning of which in the original
text is not plain (26 : 50). Drew his sword and smote the servant of
the high priest: Though the appeal for permission to defend the
Master (Lk. 22 : 49) was doubtless refused, the actual laying hold of
him evidently aroused to action at least one of the disciples — def
initely named in the Fourth Gospel as Peter (18 : 10). Matthew at
some length (26 : 52-54) and Luke briefly (22 : 51) state that this
impulsive deed was rebuked by Jesus, Luke adding that he healed the
wound. John, who does not mention the kiss, gives a detailed state
ment representing the confusion of the crowd preceding the actual
arrest, intimating apparently that it arose from their being overawed
in some way by his presence (18 :4-9). He also records the at
tempted defence and the rebuke (18 : 11).
48, 49. The Synoptists unite in stating that the arrest was foUowed
by a protest on the part of Jesus, in which he places before the crowd
the evil motive which must have lain behind the secrecy and armed
force of their deed (cf. Matt. 26 : s$l.; Lk. 22 : 52L). That the
Scriptures might be fulfilled — referring rather to the spirit of such a
passage as Isa. 53, than to any specific prediction of this incident.
Luke omits these words, but gives the thought which they contain
(22 : 53b). 217

14:50 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
50. scriptures might be fulfilled. And they all left him,
and fled.
51. And a certain young man followed with him, having
a linen cloth cast about him, over his naked body:
52. and they lay hold on him; but he left the linen cloth,
and fled naked.
53. And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and
there come together with him all the chief priests and
50. They aU left him and fled — disclosing the purely impulsive
character of their attempted defence of the Master and his clear
insight into the instabiUty of their protested loyalty to him (cf. vs.
27-31). 51, 52. This incident is pecuUar to Mark. It contains nothing to
disclose the identity of the young man, beyond the fact that he was
not one of the Twelve. That his attire consisted in a linen cloth,
cast . . . over his naked body shows that he had come hastily
to the scene, perhaps from the house where the Meal had been
eaten. If this was the house of Mary, the mother of Mark (cf. Acts
12 : 12), this stranger may have been the Evangelist himself (cf.
Zahn, N. T. Introd., p. 491L).
{6) The Trial before the Sanhedrin, 14 : 53-72
53. They led Jesus away to the high priest: The Synoptists agree
in recording that Jesus was brought directly to the high priest, whose
name, Caiaphas, is however given alone by Matthew (26 : 57).
There, according to Matthew (26 : 59-66) and Mark (vs. 55-64), he
was placed on trial before the whole Council, which Matthew inti
mates was already gathered together in anticipation of the arrest
(26 : 57), but is described by Mark as assembling upon the arrival of
Jesus (ver. 54). Luke knows nothing of an immediate trial, but
states that the Council was assembled, apparently in their usual
place of gathering in the Temple, "as soon as it was day" (22 : 66);
while John records a preliminary examination of the Prisoner by
Annas, whom apparently he designates as "high priest" (18 : 19;
cf. Acts 4 : 6) and whom he describes as "father in law to Caiaphas
which was high priest that year" (18 : 13). After the examination was
over, Annas sent him to Caiaphas (18 : 24). Of a trial before Caia
phas, or before the Sanhedrin in his presence, this Evangelist ap
parently gives no record. As Mark states, however (15 : 1), that the
Prisoner was taken away to Pilate as soon as it was dawn, all we can
infer from these fragmentary records is that the trial consisted in a
218

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:58
54. the elders and the scribes. And Peter had followed
him afar off, even within, into the court of the high
priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warm-
55. ing himself in the light of the fire. Now the chief
priests and the whole council sought witness against
56. Jesus to put him to death; and found it not. For
many bare false witness against him, and their witness
57. agreed not together. And there stood up certain,
58. and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard
him say, I will destroy this * temple that is made with
hands, and in three days I will build another made
1 sanctuary.
preliminary examination by Annas, foUowing which the trial before
the Sanhedrists took place, which was closed by a personal examina
tion of the Prisoner by Caiaphas. AU the chief priests — the ex-high
priests, as Annas, and possibly those who belonged to high-priestly
famUies (cf. Acts 4:6; and see Schurer, Jewish People, II, i, 195-206).
These, together with the elders and the scribes, constituted a full
though informal meeting of the Sanhedrin (Edersheim, Jesus, II,
P- 557f-)-
54. Peter had foUowed him . . . into the court of the high
priest — the open space {atrium) around which were built the cham
bers of the palace, in one of the upper rooms of which apparently
(cf. ver. 66) the Council was gathered. Entrance to the court was
gained by the "forecourt" (ver. 68, marg.), a passageway opening
out upon the street. According to the Fourth Gospel, Peter secured
admission to the court, through the good services of "another disci
ple" [John] who "was known unto the high priest" (18 : 15f.),
his purpose being, doubtless, as Matthew states it, "to see the end"
(26 : 58). He seated himself with the officers (lit. servants— probably
members of the Temple guard who had made the arrest, cf. Lk.
22 : 52) — around "the fire of charcoal" (Jn. 18 : 18, marg.) which
they had kindled to warm themselves (Jn. 18 : 18, omitted by Mat
thew), for at the altitude of Jerusalem the nights, even in the Spring
time, were chilly, especiaUy in the hours before sunrise.
55-64. Sought witness : This was not a formal process of the regular
Council. It was an irregular gathering with a definite purpose. It
was not to try a case brought before it on charges, but to secure
charges on which to carry the case to the Roman governor; since, in
219

14:59 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
59. without hands. And not even so did their witness
60. agree together. And the high priest stood up in the
midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou
nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61. But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again
the high priest asked him, and saith unto him, Art
62. thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus
said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at
the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds
63. of heaven. And the high priest rent his clothes, and
64. saith, What further need have we of witnesses? Ye
have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And
order to put Jesus to death, some evidence must be found to show
that he had mortally offended Jewish law. And found it not — i.e. did
not find it of such a character as would meet the requirements of the
Law (cf. Num. 35 : 30; Deut. 17 : 6; 19 : 15); for though many had
been secured who bore false witness — gave garbled testimony — as to
what he had said or done, they could not be made to agree in the
testimony which they gave. Finally, there came two (so alone
Matthew, 26 : 60) who stated that they had heard him say that he
would destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days
build another made without hands (cf. Jn. 2 : 19; see later use of this
same charge, Acts 6 : 14). But even in this testimony the witnesses
did not agree to an extent that enabled the Council to estabhsh a
charge which would make it possible for them to demand his death
at the hands of the Governor. (So alone Mark; while Luke makes no
reference at all to witnesses in the trial.) All their resources in this
direction having thus failed, effort was made to compel the Prisoner
to incriminate himself. Jesus had throughout the proceedings main
tained a silence that was justified by the falseness of the testimony and
by his consciousness, not only of the utter hopelessness of convincing
these of his right to life, but of the holy dignity of the position in
which he stood before the Nation as its Messiah. Caiaphas therefore,
rising from his seat, demanded that the Prisoner himself untangle the
confused charge of sacrilege which the last two witnesses had produced
and confess to the guilt which they had been unable to prove, but
which, because there were two who referred to it, seemed hopefully
to lurk in the facts. But Jesus still held his peace. Laying aside,
therefore, aU these secondary charges by which they had thought to

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:65
65. they all condemned him to be 1 worthy of death. And
some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and
to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the
officers received him with blows of their hands.
1 liable to. ,
involve him with the people, as well as to arraign him against the
Law, the high priest confronted Jesus with a question which summed
up the whole issue between him and the hierarchy — whether the
Messiah was to be the spiritual supplanter of an enthroned ceremo
nialism, or its representative religiously and poUtically before the
world. Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? (a term found
only here in the New Testament, and one which may well have been
used by the high priest to avoid the Holy Name, in which case
Matthew gives the term in its Christian phrasing, 26 : 63). On this
question — just because it raised the vital issue — Jesus could not be
silent. He had challenged these ceremonial claims at the beginning
of his ministry (see notes on 2 : 7-10); he accepts this challenge of
his own claims here at its' close and answers, I am, and adds to this a
statement which leaves no doubt that his claims involve a fulfilment
in himself of the supreme prerogatives of Messianic authority and
power (cf. Ps. no; Dan. 7 : 13). Matthew represents this question
as put to Jesus on oath (26 : 63). Luke's record of the question and
its answer differs greatly from that of Matthew and Mark, and is
evidently not primary (22 : 67-70). Jesus' calm acceptance of this
issue and his added assertion of divine rights — an assertion which
carried with it the judgment of God upon their position — naturally
aroused within Caiaphas and the Council feelings of anger and
horror. To them it was not only defiance but blasphemy. To this
the high priest testified by the symboUc rending of his clothes (his
undergarments, as prescribed by custom, to express great sorrow,
Gen. 37 : 29, 34, or indignant protest, Num. 14 : 6), and to his ques
tion, What think- ye? they answered, He is worthy of death. This
question to the Council and their reply is not recorded by Luke.
65. Some — of the members of the Council, now that the Prisoner
was by his own confession an outcast of the Law, gave vent to then-
venom by heaping upon him the grossest of indignities and insults.
They began to spit upon him (Matthew, more specifically "in his
face," 26 =67; cf. Num. 12 : 14; Deut. 25 19; Isa. 50:6) and to
cover his face (Possibly, after the Roman custom of covering the
head of condemned criminals. Luke says "blindfolded him," 22 : 64),
and then to buffet him (lit. strike with the fist) while they mockingly
caUed upon him to prophesy who struck him (Matthew gives fuU

14:66 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
66. And as Peter was beneath in the court, there cometh
67. one of the maids of the high priest; and seeing Peter
warming himself, she looked upon him and saith,
68. Thou also wast with the Nazarene, even Jesus. But
he denied, saying, I neither know, nor understand^
what thou sayest: and he went out into the porch;
69. * and the cock crew. And the maid saw him, and be
gan again to say to them that stood by, This is one of
1 Many MSS. omit and the cock crew.
expression to their derision in his "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ,
who is he that struck thee?" 26 :68). Seeing the treatment he
received from the Council, the officers (members of the Temple
guard, who still had him in charge, cf. Lk. 22 : 52) received him —
doubtless as he was knocked against them by the Sanhedrists — with
blows of their hands (Ut. with blows of rods, as in Jn. 18 : 22; 19 '.3;
cf. margins). Luke represents aU this outrage as perpetuated by the
guards; but he misplaces it before the trial took place (22 : 63-65).
So ended the hours of this night of horror and iniquity. But the
part in it played by Peter is yet to be told. Peter's denials of his
Master, prepared for in ver. 54, are now recorded in detail.
66-72. Beneath in the court: The Sanhedrists were assembled,
apparently in one of the upper rooms of the palace, overlooking the
court (cf. Lk. 22 : 61), though unlikely within hearing even of such
vigorous protestations as Peter made. One of the maids of the
high priest — a young female slave (cf. Gal. 4 : 22), one of the high
priest's domestics, whose duty apparently was to attend at the
street door of the palace (Jn. 18 : 16; cf. Acts 12 : 13). She seemed
first to notice him as .a stranger in the group around the fire and
then looking at him more attentively — in a way, perhaps, her duties
as portress had accustomed her to do — recognized him as one whom
possibly she had seen in Jesus' disciple company during these days of
the Feast (cf. Jn. 18 : 17). I neither know nor understand what
thou sayest (or, more Ukely, in his startled confusion, as in the mar
gin, "I neither know nor understand: thou, what sayest thou?").
His denials are Ukely to have developed from general to specific
negations, as he was repeatedly confronted with the facts, so that
such a confused answer as this is what might be expected at first.
Matthew presents the development most clearly (26 : 70-74); Luke,
the least so (22 : 57-60). Went out into the porch (marg. "fore
court." Matthew, lit., towards the gate, 26 : 71): He left the light of

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 14:72
70. them. But he again denied it. And after a little while
again they that stood by said to Peter, Of a truth
71. thou art one of them; for thou art a Galilaean. But
he began to curse, and to swear, I know not this man
72. of whom ye speak. And straightway the second time
the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word,
how that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow
twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. *And when he
thought thereon, he wept.
1 And he began to weep.
the fire and retreated into the passageway leading to the door open
ing on the street. Began again to say: Mark represents this as a
repeated statement by the same maid, asserting to them that stood
by the rightfulness of her first charge; Matthew makes it another
maid (26 : 71); Luke, another person (22 : 58). In any case,_ Peter
seems to have heard the renewed accusation and again denied it,
Matthew adding "with an oath" (26 =72). Finally, after a little
while (Luke, "after the space of about one hour," 22 : 59) Peter
having apparently returned to the fire and brazened out the situation
by entering into conversation with the loungers, began to betray his
Galilean accent. This, as far as we have any knowledge, was defec
tive in its gutturals and tended to lisping, and consequently in this
respect could hardly have disclosed itself in the answers which he is
recorded by Mark as giving, but is quite likely to have needed more
of a conversation to make itself apparent; though there is not to be
forgotten the general provinciaUsm of tone and manner which must
have been present in all he said. (See reference to local differences in
pronunciation within Palestine in Jg. 12 : 6.) On this clear evidence,
the charge is forcefully renewed. Of a truth, thou art one of them, to
which he replies with his stoutest protestation and with a loss of all
self-control calls down curses on himself in a desperate effort to sustain
his lie. Luke has no reference to the profanity (22 : 60); while John,
evidently at this point adds to the conclusiveness of the charge the
fact that a kinsman of the high priest's servant, whom Peter had
wounded at the arrest, recognized him as one whom he had seen with
Jesus in the garden (18 : 26). Straightway— doubtless, as Peter
finished (Luke puts it, "Immediately, while he yet spake," 22 : 60),
the second time the cock crew: The first time (ver. 68) he may not
have noticed it; though all the other Evangelists record but one
crowing, and at this time, whUe the best text of ver. 68 records none
223

15 :i THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
15. And straightway in the morning the chief priests
with the elders and scribes, and the whole council,
held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried
here. In either case, Peter now for the first time recalls what Jesus
had said of his forthcoming denials. If the look which the Master
gave the Apostle, probably from the upper room in one of the inter
vals of the trial, or after it was over (recorded alone by Luke, 22 : 61),
is part of the incident, the consciousness of his perfidy must have
been miserably increased and under its pressure, he wept (Matthew,
26 : 75, and Luke, 22 : 62, "he went out [of the court] and wept
bitterly"). (7) The Trial Before Pilate, 15 : 1-20
i. Straightway in the morning, i.e. at the first break of day, so
that Jesus might be taken to the Governor before the streets were
crowded. Held a consultation: It would seem that after the so-called
trial the Council had adjourned, reassembling at early dawn to con
sult as to how they should formulate the charge to be brought before
the Governor. The only accusation which they had been able to
work up against the Prisoner was a strictly religious one, which a
Roman official would be quite likely to ignore, and aU that they had
accomplished would come to nought. Luke seems to have confused
this consultation with the Council trial (22 : 66-71). Delivered him
up to PUate: When Archelaus, because of his intolerably oppressive
rule, was, on petition by the Jews, removed from his ethnarchy over
Judaea, Samaria and Idumaea, his domain was placed in charge of a
Procurator, who was independent in his administration save in cases
of extreme necessity or difficulty, when the Legate of Syria assumed
command (cf. Schurer, I, ii, p. 44L). He had thus in the normal
conduct of his rule the right of deciding matters of life and death
(cf. Schurer, I, ii, p. 57L; Jn. 18 : 31). His official residence was at
Caesarea (cf. Acts 23 : 23), where he was assisted by a Council
(cf . Schurer, I, U, p. 60; Acts 25 : 1 2) ; but during the Passover week it
was his custom to be present at Jerusalem with a detachment of
soldiers to guard against possible outbreaks of Jewish fanaticism
(cf. Schurer, I, n, p. 48f.; Matt. 27 : 27). It is uncertain where he
resided while in Jerusalem — whether in the palace {Proelorium) of
Herod (cf. Schurer, I, n, p. 48L; Acts, 23 : 35), a fortified structure
on the Western hill; or in the Antonia, the citadel adjoining the
Temple (cf. Westcott, on Jn. 18 : 28; 19 : 13; Swete, on Mk. 15 : 16),
where the troops, always present in the city, were quartered (cf. Acts
21 :3i). Pontius Pilate, the fifth in the series, was appointed in
25-26 a.d. His rule, as represented both by Josephus {Antig.
xviii; Jewish War, u, 9, 2ff.) and by Philo {De Leg. 38), was one of1
224

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 15:5
2. him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. And
Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And
3. he answering saith unto him, Thou sayest. And the
4. chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate
again asked him, saying, Answerest thou nothing?
5. behold how many things they accuse thee of. But
Jesus no more answered anything; insomuch that
Pilate marvelled.
corruption and cruelty (cf. Lk. 13 : 1); although the Gospel record of
his conduct in the case of Jesus shows him to have been not utterly
destitute of the sense of justice, while vacillating in wiU and domi
nated by a regard for his own interests.
2-5. Art thou the King of the Jews?: We have here the first inti
mation of the results reached in the consultation of the Council.
Laying aside the religious character of his confession of Messiahship,
they had formulated it into a claim of political kingship oyer the
Jews — the precise thing which in his Ministry he had decUned to
entertain, and declining had alienated the populace and embittered
the leaders. Luke, who throughout the Passion narrative is evidently
relying on other and more detailed sources than Mark, gives us the
form in which the charge was laid before Pilate: "We found this
man perverting our nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar
and saying that he himself is Christ a King" — or as in margin — "an
anointed King" (23 : 2) and the penalty they demanded: "worthy of
death" (23 : 15). The Fourth Gospel phrases it in a purely general
way: "If this man were not an evil doer, we should not have delivered
him up to thee" (18 : 30). In addition to this charge of political
kingship, the chief priests, who did not hesitate to lay aside the
dignity of their office in personally appearing before the Roman
official, accused him of many things, which probably refer to the
additional items involved in the charge as given by Luke (23 : 2, 5).
To Pilate's question Jesus replied Thou sayest; for to deny this
claim, or to ignore it, however falsely his accusers had emphasized
it, would have been to disown in a significantly public way his mission
to his people. But to the detailed charges of the priests, utterly
distorted and falsified as from Luke's record (23 : 2) we see they
were, he answered nothing insomuch that PUate marvelled. The
Fourth Gospel elaborates Jesus' reply to Pilate's question into a
dialogue between the Prisoner and the official (18 : 34-38), but, with
Luke, says nothing of the refusal to answer the varied charges of the
priests. From Luke (23 : 4) and John (18 : 38) we learn that Pilate
225

15:6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
6. Now at the feast he used to release unto them one
7. prisoner, whom they asked of him. And there was
one called Barabbas, lying bound with them that had
made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had
8. committed murder. And the multitude went up and
began to ask him to do as he was wont to do unto them.
was not impressed with the charges, and gave it as his opinion that
there was no fault to be found with the Prisoner. But, as Luke adds
(23 : 5-16), the priests having reiterated their charges with increased
bitterness and having mentioned Galilee as included in the field of
Jesus' activities, Pilate sent him with his accusers to Herod, who was
in Jerusalem at that time, and close at hand, if PUate was staying in
his palace (see notes on ver. 1). Herod, however, having discovered
nothing against him, Pilate summoned the accusers before him and
gave his judgment that the Prisoner had done nothing worthy of
death; so that he would simply scourge him and let him go. Accord
ing to the Fourth Gospel, the examination of the Prisoner apparently
was held within the building, the judgments being given from a
tribunal set up, either in the inner court of the building, if it was
Herod's palace, or on a cleared space without the building if it was the
Antonia. The Fourth Gospel refers to it as "a place called the
Pavement, but in Hebrew Gabbatha" (19 : 13; cf. 18 : 29, 33, 38;
19 : 4f-, 9)-
6-15. At the feast (lit. at a feast, at feast time) he used to re
lease . . . one prisoner: This custom, which was confined to the
Passover (cf. Jn. 18 : 39) and apparently to Pilate's administration
(cf. Matt. 27 : 15), is of unknown origin. While it does not seem
in accord with Pilate's reputed harshness of rule, it may be evidence
of his willingness at times to offset his cruelty with small acts of
generosity. He was in bad enough favor with his subjects to make
such a course of action at least good policy and such concessions were
not contrary to the custom of the Roman dealings with the Jews at
this time (cf. Schurer, I, ii, pp. 87-89). Whom they asked of him:
The people were apparently allowed to name the prisoner to be re
leased, the privilege, of course, being limited by the nature of his
offence. Barabbas (Aram. Bar-Abba, 'Son of the Father,' or 'of
the Teacher,' a patronymic) : From the statement here given there
is no reason to understand that Barabbas was a robber (as Jn. 18 : 40),
or even that he had gone to the length of murder (as Lk. 23 : 19;
Acts 3 : 14) in the riot in which he had participated. From ver. n
(cf. Matt. 27 : 16), he was apparently well known and popular. In
accordance with this custom, the people who had begun to assemble
226

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 15:12
9. And Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I
10. release unto you the King of the Jews? For he per
ceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered
11. him up. But the chief priests stirred up the multi
tude, that he should rather release Barabbas unto
12. them. And Pilate again answered and said unto them,
What then shall I do unto him whom ye call the King
before Pilate's quarters, presented their petition that a prisoner be
released to them. Pilate, seeing here a way out of his difficulty,
asked them if he should release the king of the Jews, feeling sure that
the chief priests were moved against the Prisoner out of envy of his
power with the people and believing that the people would be pa
triotically aroused in favor of one who had been politically accused
before the Government. The Fourth Gospel represents Pilate as
himself reminding the populace of this amnesty custom and suggest
ing that it issue in favor of Jesus (18 : 39). Following Pilate's in
quiry as to whether in carrying out the custom he should release
Jesus, there apparently was a period of deliberation on the people's
part, during which the chief priests ("and the elders," Matt. 27 : 20)
stirred them up to ask that he should rather release Barabbas unto
them. The period, however, is not Ukely to have been long, for the
task was not after all a difficult one. Popular expectation of some
political announcement had been strong at Jesus' public entry into
the city; but the enthusiasm then manifested had not been sustained.
Four days had passed and nothing had happened. On the day after
his entry he had indeed dramatically cleansed the Temple, and on
the following day he had been in keen controversy with the reUgious
leaders; but since then he had practically retired from public notice,
and now he stood before them a helpless prisoner, charged with
blasphemy by the priests and treated by Pilate with a pitying political
contempt. There really was not much in his case to arouse their
patriotism; Barabbas, the insurrectionist, appealed to them far
more, and, whether his name was the one they had had first in mind
to present, or whether it was now first suggested to them by the
priests, they were, with no great difficulty, persuaded to prefer it to
that of Jesus, and it was so presented to Pilate. Possibly, it was
during this period of deliberation by the people that Pilate's wife
sent to him the cautionary message recorded by Matthew (27 : 19).
Crucify him (Luke gives it as repeated, 23 : 21): Their impassioned
cry, as Pilate further questioned them what he was then to do with
Jesus, was of course in accordance with the directions of the priests;
227

15 : 13 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
13. of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him.
14. And Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he
done? But they cried out exceedingly, Crucify him.
15. And Pilate, wishing to content the multitude, released
unto them Barabbas, and delivered Jesus, when he had
scourged him, to be crucified.
but it doubtless was emphasized by the resentment felt at the Gov
ernor's sarcastic implication — itself suggested by his surprised dis
appointment at their choice — that Jesus was one whom they had
already accepted as their king (cf. 11 : 9L; Lk. 19 : 38). His ques
tion naturally was not intended to leave with the mob the deter
mination of the punishment to be given in the case; it was rather
an expostulation with them against giving over to punishment at
all one who was not guilty of any crime, so that their wild answering
shout, condemning Jesus to an ignominious death, was doubtless
to Pilate not only an additional, but a startling surprise, and once
more and with evident heat he brought to them the injustice of their
demand. But this seemed only to anger them to reckless wildness
and they cried out exceedingly (lit. shouted with exceeding vehemence)
Crucify him. Mark — foUowed practically by Luke (33 : 23-25) —
closes the scene with the simple statement that Pilate, wishing to
content the multitude, i.e. on a pure policy of government expediency,
released unto them Barabbas, and delivered Jesus when he had
scourged him, to be crucified. Matthew adds that when Pilate saw
that further reasoning with the mob was useless, he washed his hands
before them, as a public attestation of his blamelessness for the sen
tence and that the people publicly accepted it as responsibly due to
them (27 : 24f.). The Fourth Gospel, on the other hand, gives no
record of this expostulation, but narrates in detail the closing of the
scene, which, as it presents it, is determined solely on grounds of
PUate's personal interest. This narrative includes not only the
mocking by the soldiers — which appears in the Synoptists as an in
cident following the delivering up of the Prisoner to his fate — but
also a further fruitless appeal of Pilate to the crowd, followed by an
ironical suggestion that if they insisted on a sentence of death, they
should execute it themselves — a thing legally impossible, as both
Pilate and the people knew. To this the accusers reply that if the
Prisoner be not guilty in the Governor's sight, he is in theirs, since
he "made himself the Son of God," and their law must be carried
out. This leads to a further private examination of the Prisoner by
Pilate, the outcome of which is a further effort on the Governor's
part to release him. At this, the accusers make the threat that such
228

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 15 : 20
16. And the soldiers led him away within the court,
which is the x Praetorium; and they call together the
17. whole 2 band. And they clothe him with purple, and
18. platting a crown of thorns, they put it on him; and
19. they began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews ! And
they smote his head with a reed, and spat upon him,
20. and bowing their knees worshipped him. And when
they had mocked him, they took off from him the
purple, and put on him his garments. And they lead
him out to crucify him.
1 palace. 2 cohort.
action would be a proper basis of complamt at Rome against the
Governor's loyalty to the Emperor. Whereupon PUate practically
gives up the struggle, bringing the Prisoner out before the people,
and, with a supreme contempt for them as well as for him, presenting
him to them as their king. . Upon this, they demand again his death
and when PUate asks with a sneer whether they wiU have him crucify
their king, they reply with what perhaps was the greatest of aU the
lies to which the situation had forced them, "We have no king but
Caesar." Thereupon, Jesus is deUvered up to death (19 : 1-16).
16-20. Led him away within the court: The scourging, which was
exceedingly painful and sometimes followed by death, was ordinarily
inflicted by Uctors, but, as PUate had no such officials, it must have
been carried out in this instance by his soldiers (cf. Matt. 27 : 27).
Apparently, it took place outside the building, before the mob; since,
after it was over, the soldiers took the Prisoner into the inner court
of what Mark's narrative (cf. also Matt. 27 : 27) regards as the
Praetorium, or official residence of the Governor in the city (cf.
Jn. 18 : 28, 33; 19 : 9) — whether this was the palace of Herod (cf.
Acts 23 : 35), or the Antonia, where the city troops were quartered.
(cf. Acts 21:31, see notes on ver. 1). There they caU together the
whole band — the cohort, made up of provincial troops— excepting
Jews who were exempt — and numbering at least 500, which consti
tuted the city garrison. Those who had done the scourging let it be
known that the Prisoner is the reputed king of the despised Jews and
summon their comrades to have sport with him. They strip off
his outer garments (cf. Matt. 27 : 28) and clothe him with purple.
Matthew gives it more precisely, "a scarlet robe," or chlamys, a
short cloak worn by soldiers, officers, and rulers — perhaps a cast-off
229

15:21 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
21. And they * compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene,
coming from the country, the father of Alexander and
Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.
1 impress.
piece of apparel, with enough color in it to make it all the more a
mockery (cf. Swete, ad loc). John caUs it simply "a purple gar
ment," 19 : 2. Luke does not record the mocking at all. Then they
plaited a crown of thorns — doubtless from the brushwood kept in
the court for the customary fire (cf. 14 : 54; Jn. 18 : 18, Menzies,
ad loc) — and put it on him and began to salute (lit. greet, acclaim)
him, Hail, King of the Jews ! But mockery not being enough, they
proceeded to brutality and smote his head with a reed, which Mat
thew states they had first placed in his hand as a sceptre (27 : 29;
John says "they struck him with their hands," margin "with
rods," 19 : 3), and then, instead of the kiss of homage, they spat
upon him and with supreme contempt bowing their knees wor
shipped him. Matthew connects this mock homage with their royal
acclaiming of him (27 : 29). John makes no reference to it at aU,
and records the whole incident as taking place with the scourging
(19 : if.). After their brutal scorn had satisfied itself, the soldiers
reclothe him with his own garments and lead him out to crucify him.
(5) The Crucifixion, 15 : 21-41
21. Compel (Ut. lo employ one as a courier or messenger, a Persian
word, cf. Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 86f. Expositor, January, 1908,
p. 54; cf. also Matt. 5 : 41, where the same word is used): The Per
sian couriers, stationed by relays at various locaUties, had authority
in case of need to commandeer horses, vessels, and men for the further
ing of the royal messages on their way. Here, this passing stranger
was pressed into the service of carrying the cross — i.e. the cross piece,
the upright being permanently fixed in the ground, in the place of
the Prisoner, who was too weakened by the experiences of the night
and the scourging just inflicted to bear (Jn. 19 : 17), as sentenced
criminals were compelled to do, the instruments of their execution.
Simon of Cyrene . . . father of Alexander and Rufus: Cyrene was
a city of North Africa, in which a colony of Jews had been settled
in the time of Ptolemy I. This stranger was doubtless in attendance
upon the Passover (cf. Acts 2:10:6:9; 13 : 1) and was coming
into the city from the country — not the tilled fields or farms, as in
6 : 36, but the general region outside the city. If the Rufus here
referred to is to be identified with the Rufus saluted by Paul in Rom.
16 : 13 (cf. Sanday ad loc), the reason for Mark's mention of him
230

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 15 : 25
22. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which
23. is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And
they offered him wine mingled with myrrh: but he
24. received it not. And they crucify him, and part his
garments among them, casting lots upon them, what
25. each should take. And it was the third hour, and
in this general way, as one who would be well known to his readers,
may be found in the fact that he was writing his Gospel for Christians
in Rome. Matthew and Luke omit the reference to the sons and the
Fourth Gospel has no record of the incident at all. Luke introduces
here the somewhat improbable statement of the following crowds
and waiUng women and Jesus' remarks to the latter on the way
(23 : 27-31).
22. Golgotha (Transliteration of the Aramaic word, Gulgolta,
Jn. 19 : 17, meaning a skull [cf. Lk. 23 : 33] ): The place was near
the city (Jn. 19 : 20), and, doubtless for the sake of the impression
to be made by the execution, a place that was easily in view of the
passing pubUc (ver. 29; Lk. 23 :3s); in fact, prominent enough to
be visible from afar (ver. 40; Lk. 23 : 49). Whether the traditional
site, within the space covered by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in
the N. W. quarter of the modern city, is correct depends upon the
location of the second North City waU mentioned by Josephus Bell.
Jud. V, iv. 2. If this wall ran inside this region, the site is Ukely to be
correct, as it is confirmed by continuous tradition from the time of
Constantine (So Hastings [single vol.] Bible Diet., art. Golgotha. See
also Sanday, Sacred Sites, pp. 53-55). If it ran outside of it, then
there is no place which wiU commend itself as its location (So Standard
Bible Did., art. Jerusalem, §§ 36 and 45).
23-25. They (not the soldiers, but some merciful bystanders)
offered him wine mingled with myrrh (Matthew says "gall," 27 : 34,
perhaps due to Ps. 69 : 21) — not to deaden the sense of pain, for
this would not be its effect, but to increase the warming and stim
ulating effect of the wine. But "when he had tasted it" (Matt.
27 : 34), he refused it. He would drain the cup which the Father
had offered him to the full. The incident is omitted by both Luke
and the Fourth Gospel. They crucify him: The generally followed
method of crucifixion was to lay the prisoner on the ground and
upon the cross piece, which had been thrust under his shoulders, the
arms were then stretched out, and the hands nailed to its extremities
(Jn. 20 : 25). So fastened, the body was lifted up and the cross piece
nailed to the upright already fixed in the ground, the body resting
on a piece of wood attached to the upright as on a saddle. The feet
23i

15:26 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
26. they crucified him. And the superscription of his ac
cusation was written over, the King of the Jews.
also were probably nailed to the upright (Lk. 24 : 39L). So erected,
the cross stood not more than nine feet high, the body being within
easy reach from the ground (cf . ver. 36). Part his garments among
them, casting lots upon them: This was the customary disposal of
the victim's apparel. The Fourth Gospel has a more detailed account
of how the garments were divided, seeing in it a fulfilment of the
Scripture in Ps.22 : 18; (19 : 23L). This disposal of Jesus' garments he
foUows with the incident of the women at the Cross and Jesus' tender
committal of his Mother to the care of the disciple whom he loved
(vs. 25-27). As, however, this is the only incident he records between
the first and the last moments of the crucifixion, it can only be con
jectured at what time in the interval it occurred (see below for the
Synoptist's reference to the presence of the women, Mk., ver. 40;
Matt., ver. 56; Lk., ver. 49). It was the third hour (so alone Mark) —
i.e. 9 A. M., according to the Jewish method of reckoning the hours
of the day from sunrise to sunset. The Fourth Gospel gives the time
at which the sentence was finally passed upon the Prisoner as "about
the sixth hour" (19 : 14), or about 6 A. M., if the Roman method of
reckoning from midnight to midnight is followed (see Edersheim,
Temple, p. 174; but also note the probability of an error in the text
of the Fourth Gospel, Expository Times, Jan. 1909, p. i83f.). Luke
here introduces the first word from the Cross, which is recorded only
by him, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do"
(23 : 24).
26. The superscription of his accusation: The name of the crim
inal With the crime for which he had been condemned was inscribed
on a board, which was carried before him, or suspended from his neck,
as he went to execution and affixed to the cross over his head (Matt.
27 : 37). The form of the inscription given in the Fourth Gospel,
"JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS," (19 : 19),
as containing the name and the place is thus to be preferred to the
shortened form given in Mark, THE KING OF THE JEWS, followed
practically by Luke (23 : 38), and even to that given in Matthew
which omits the local designation, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING
OF THE JEWS" (27 : 37). The Fourth Gospel states that the title
was determined by PUate and that "it was written in Hebrew and
in Latin and in Greek" (19 : 19L) — Latin being the official language,
Greek the common speech, and these being preceded by Hebrew,
evidently in order that all the Jews, whether bilingual or not, might
smart in pubUc for what they had compelled him to do. That they
did smart is clear from what the Fourth Gospel adds of the petition
to Pilate by the chief priests that the wording be changed so that
232

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 15:29
27. And with him they crucify two robbers; one on his
right hand, and one on his left.1 And they that
29. passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and
saying, Ha! thou that destroyest the 2 temple, and
1 Many MSS. insert ver. 28, And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And he
was reckoned with transgressors. 2 sanctuary.
this Jewish kingship should not be stated as a fact, but as a claim on
the Prisoner's part — a request which PUate grimly refused (19 : 21L).
27. Two robbers (Luke, "malefactors," 23 : 33) — outlaws, brig
ands, desperate characters and not to be classed with thieves. At
the same time, the word does not designate them as necessarily in
surrectionists and therefore of the crowd with which Barabbas had
been connected (ver. 7). The Fourth Gospel refers to the fact that
there were two others crucified with Jesus, but makes no mention of
the character of their crime (19 : 18). Verse 28 is not part of the
original text and is, consequently, omitted.
29-32. They that passed by — not necessaiily those of the mob
that had demanded Jesus' death, but persons passing to and from
the city along the pubUc road, near which the crosses had been erected.
They doubtless knew generally of Jesus as hated by the religious
leaders and had heard the report of the charge made against him at
the CouncU trial. To them it was a shamefully boastful claim that
he could destroy the sacred Temple and build it again in three days —
a claim absurdly mocked by his present helpless condition, and their
fanaticism burst forth in insulting cries and deriding gestures; for
their suggestion that he save himself and come down from the cross
was not so much a challenge to his miraculous powers as a taunt at his
lack of them. The chief priests mocking him among themselves:
Although it was a feast day the priests and scribes and elders (Matt.
27 : 41) were out at the place of crucifixion, aside perhaps from the
passing crowd and refraining from directly railing at the victim, but
exulting among themselves at the evident justification of their opposi
tion to his Messianic claims. He saved others from disease and death
and held this power as proof of his Messiahship (Matt, n : 2-6);
but now himself he cannot save from this death to which we have
brought him. If he be the Christ, the King of Israel he claimed to
be, let him now come down from the cross, that we may see and be
lieve — not that they would have beUeved even if they had seen him
come down from his hopeless place; for the condition of their belief
in Jesus was not the mere exhibition of miraculous power — they
admitted that he had already shown himself possessed of that — but
of miraculous power applied to political and revolutionary ends,
233

15:30 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
30. buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down
31. from the cross. In like manner also the chief priests
mocking him among themselves with the scribes said,
32. He saved others; * himself he cannot save. Let the
Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the
cross, that we may see and believe. And they that
were crucified with him reproached him.
33. And when the sixth hour was come, there was
darkness over the whole 2 land until the ninth hour.
1 can he not save himself? 2 Earth.
and even then their beUef would have been only such as would have
committed to him the cause of their religious nationalism. That
he could not save himself for such a purpose was their unconscious
testimony to the spiritual character of his mission to the world.
Matthew adds that they quoted against him a passage from the
22d Psalm (27 :43); while Luke, though he does not mention the
public raillery, states that the soldiers joined with the priests and
scribes in their derision, offering him vinegar — the sour wine of
laborers (Ruth 2 : 14) and of the common soldier — in sport at his
sufferings (23 : 36). They that were crucified with him reproached
him: With them it was not the sneering disbelief of the crowd, nor
the jubilant mockery of the priests, but the bitter reproach of those
whose fellow sufferings his helplessness could not relieve. Luke
states that one of the malefactors rebuked his comrade, reminding
him of their own guilt as contrasted with Jesus' innocence, and
appealing to Jesus to be remembered when he came into possession
of his kingdom — an appeal to which Jesus replied with the memorable
words, "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (23 : 39-43). The
Fourth Gospel makes no reference to the general incident of mocking,
in any of its phases.
33. Sixth hour — twelve o'clock, noon. Darkness over the whole
land: It is not necessary to consider this a supernatural event. Nor
could it have been an eclipse of the sun, with the Paschal moon at
its full, and it is not likely to have been the darkness preceding an
earthquake, the mention of which in Matthew (27 : 51-53) is due to
legendary influences. It may have resulted from purely local causes,
such as the wind storms mentioned by Furrer in his Wanderungen,
p. 175L, which in this region occur at times in the last weeks of
Spring, deeply clouding the heavens till the sunlight finaUy disappears.
At the same time, it naturally impressed the disciples, not only as
234

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13:36
34. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being inter
preted, My God, my God, * why hast thou forsaken
35. me? And some of them that stood by, when they
36. heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah. And one ran,
and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed,
and gave him to drink, saying, Let be; let us see
1 Why didst thou forsake me?
portentous, but as divinely connected with the shameful event which
was taking place — the prophecies of Joel (2 : 31) and Amos (8 : gi.)
readUy occurring to them — while, for ourselves, however natural we
may consider its cause, we cannot but recognize an agreement be
tween its character and the awful event in connection with which
it occurred. The whole land — of Judaea — until the ninth hour,
i.e. 3 P. M.
34-36. Jesus cried . . . Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani: This is the
Aramaic form of the opening words of the 22d Psalm, the Hebrew form
of which is partiaUy preserved in the marginal readings to this passage
and its paraUel in Mt. 27 : 46. It would seem that in this instance Jesus
must have used whoUy the Hebrew language; since it was only this
form of the first two words ("EU, Eli") which would have suggested to
the bystanders that he was calling upon Elijah (ver. 35) and he would
not have mixed his speech. The agony which Jesus had experienced in
the Garden, as he looked forward to the inevitable expression which
sin would give to its hatred of the love of God, wrung from his lips
this cry of anguish, as the full realization of this hatred closed down
upon him. It was not the cry of despair, as though he had become
conscious of the Father's withdrawal of fellowship with him, for there
was no such withdrawal, but the cry of faith expostulating against
despair, as he summoned his conviction of that fellowship against
all the perceptible signs of its withdrawal (See Hogg, Christ's Message
of the Kingdom, p. 193L with Garvie, in the Expositor, June, 1907,
pp. 507-527.) Some of them that stood by— not the soldiers, who
would not understand the language, nor to whom the sounds would
have had any scriptural suggestion — said, Behold, he calleth Elijah:
The helpless sufferer's supposed calling upon the Prophet, who was
held to be "a deliverer in time of trouble" (cf. 1 Kings 17 : 8-24)
excites anew their derision, though perhaps with a certain amount
of superstitious interest. One of the crowd, doubtless hearing Jesus'
cry of thirst (Jn. 19 : 29), ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar—
the soldier's sour wine or posca — from a jar that stood near (Jn. 19 :
23S

15:37 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
37. whether Elijah cometh to take him down. And
3 8. Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And
the veil of the x temple was rent in two from the top
39. to the bottom. And when the centurion, who stood
1 sanctuary.
29), put it on a reed ("hyssop," Jn. 19 : 29 — a plant of uncertain
identification. See article in Standard Bible Dictionary) and gave him
to drink. The sponge and reed were frequently taken by the guard
to the place of crucifixion for use in such emergencies. In the present
case, however, it was a self interested rather than a merciful act; for
as the bystander carried it to the cross he said, Let be ; let us see
whether EUjah cometh to take him down — resenting an interference
with his action from the rest of the crowd, with the idea that by
prolonging the sufferer's life there would be a chance to see whether
the Prophet would come to his rescue. According to Matthew (27 :
49), it is the crowd that seeks to prevent the giving of the relieving
drink, in a more excited interest in what might possibly happen.
Luke makes no reference to the incident.
37. And Jesus uttered a loud voice — simUar to his cry of desola
tion in its agony, but different from it in its cause — and gave up the
ghost (lit. expired. So Lk. 23 : 46; Matthew, "yielded up his spirit,"
27 : 50) : Two utterances of Jesus are recorded in this final moment —
one by Luke who states that this agonizing cry was foUowed by the
words which, beautiful in themselves, are also significant of Jesus'
restored assurance of communion with God, "Father, into thy hand
I commend my spirit" (23 =46); the other by John, who records
that Jesus, having accepted the proffered drink, gave expression to
what must have been, not merely the supreme relief, but the glorious
triumph of his accomplished work, "It is finished" (19 : 30; see
Garvie, Inner Life, p. 424L). This was the end of his earthly mis
sion; but with it was ushered in the beginning of that heavenly
ministry which will continue until the Kingdom of God is finally
consummated in the perfecting of this human world.
38. The veU of the temple was rent — the veil which separated
the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, the rending of which
was considered in the thought of the Early Church symbolical of
the believer's freedom of access to God through the sacrifice of Christ
(cf. Heb. 10 : ipi.; 6 : 18-20). Luke places this before the death,
in connection with the darkness at the sixth hour (23 : 45), Matthew
foUows Mark in assigning it to the moment of his death, but connects
with it the earthquake and the opening of the graves which he records
as happening at that time (27 : 51-53). 236

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 15:41
by over against him, saw that he 1so gave up the ghost,
40. he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. And there
were also women beholding from afar: among whom
were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
41. 2 James the Mess and of Joses, and Salome; who,
when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered
unto him; and many other women that came up with
him unto Jerusalem.
1 Many MSS. read so cried out, and gave up the ghost.
2 Jacob. » Grk. the little.
39. The centurion — in charge of the soldiers detailed to carry
out the crucifixion. Stood over against him — facing the cross, in
watch over the proceedings, saw that he so gave up the ghost (lit.
expired; cf. ver. 37) — so differently from ordinary victims, particularly
in the strength and conscious triumph of the last moments, which
would be Ukely to impress a Roman. According to Matthew, who
associates with the' centurion the soldiers of the guard, the impression
was made by the earthquake and other portents and was one of super
stitious fear (27 : 54). Luke confines the impression to the centurion,
but assigns its cause generally to all that had taken place (23 : 47).
This man was the Son of God (Ut. a son of God): This phrase, even
if caught up from the raillery of the mob and the priests (cf. Matt.
27 : 40, 43), could not have been meant in a Messianic sense as the
Messianic meaning of it by those who used it would not have been in
telligible to him. It expressed, at the utmost, the conviction that the
Victim was really something more than human, much after the manner
of the similar phrase in Dan. 3 : 25. Matthew follows Mark in the
phrasing of the expression (27 : 54); Luke generalizes and lowers it
into "a righteous man," but adds a statement that remorse settled
upon the crowds as they left the scene (23 :47f.). John does not
record the incident.
40, 41. Women beholding afar off — at a safe distance from the
mocking crowd, but near enough to watch the sufferer in sympathy
with his agony, if not to render relief. Mary Magdalene — i.e.
the woman of Magdala, a town on the Western shore of the Lake
of Galilee, halfway between Capernaum and Tiberias. She is re
ferred to by Luke (8:2; cf. addition to Mark's Gospel, 16 :9) as
having been cured of severe demonic possession, upon the nature of
which will depend the traditional identification of her with the sinful
woman of Lk. 7 : 37. Mary the mother of James the less and of
237

15:42 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
42. And when even was now come, because it was the
43. Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, there
Joses (Matthew omits "the less," 27 : 56; cf. Mk. 15 : 47; 16 : 1; Lk.
24 : 10): If "Clopas" (Jn. 19 : 25)— but not " Cleopas " (Lk. 24 : 18)—
is to be taken as another transliteration of the Aramaic of " Alphsus,"
—which is questioned — then this Mary may have been the wife of
Alphaeus and the James here mentioned the second James of the Apos
tolic circle. Salome: From the parallel passage in Matthew (27 : 56),
this would appear to be the name of the wife of Zebedee, and may be
the name of the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, referred to in Jn.
19 : 25. Whether the designation of this James as "the less" refers to
age, stature, or importance, is not known. (On these names, see articles
in Standard Bible Dictionary.) Luke does not give the names of the
women, but states that with them were "all his acquaintance," which
possibly, though not probably, may include the eleven (23 : 49).
John has no record of the fact. FoUowed him and ministered unto
him: Mark makes no reference to this fact in his record of the GaU-
lean ministry, as Luke does (8 : 1-3), nor in his record of the jour
ney to Jerusalem, as is incidentally done by Matthew (20 : 20).
(p) The Burial, 15 : 42-47
42. Even — a general term, covering the later part of the after
noon until sunset, and from sunset until the beginning of night (cf.
Matt. 14 : 15 with 23; Ex. 12:6, margin). As Jesus did not die until
three o'clock, and time must be allowed for Joseph's petition to the
Governor and the official verification of death, as weU as for the
preparations after the petition had been granted (vs. 43-46), the
taking down of the body must have occurred well on towards six
o'clock. The Preparation: This began at three o'clock and con
tinued until sunset (cf. Josephus, Ant., xvi, 6; 2), though the entire
day came to be known as the Preparation. For the sake of his Gen
tile readers, Mark more nearly describes it as the day before the
Sabbath. Before Jesus expired the Jews had gone to Pilate to ask
that the death of the victims might be hastened, so that their bodies
might be taken away (Jn. 19 :3i); for the law did not permit the
body of a criminal to be left unburied over night (Deut. 21 : 23),
and this night would be the beginning of a Sabbath, and this Sab
bath was "a high day;" for it was not only the seventh day of the
week, but the second Paschal Day, on which the "Wave-sheaf" was
offered to the Lord (cf. Edersheim, Jesus, U. 613). This order was
given, and the legs of the two malefactors were broken, but Jesus
was found to be already dead (Jn. 19 : 32I.).
43-46. Nevertheless, the body of Jesus doubtless would have
shared with the others the common grave of the criminal had there
238

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 13:44
came Joseph of Arimathaea, a councillor of honorable
estate, who also himself was looking for the kingdom
of God; and he boldly went in unto Pilate, and asked
44. for the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he
were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion,
he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
not come a friend, Joseph of Arimathea (probably the Ramah, or
Ramathaim-zophim, of the hiU-country of Ephraim, the birthplace
of Samuel [1 Sam. 1 : 1 with 19], a few miles north of Jerusalem),
a councillor (a member of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin), who, however,
had not consented to the action of the Council against Jesus (Lk.
23 : Sr)> of honorable estate, i.e. of the better class (cf. Acts 13 : 50;
17 : 12), which doubtless impUed the possession of wealth (Matthew
caUs him "a rich man," 27 : 57), who was looking for the kingdom
of God (so Luke who also speaks of him as "a good and righteous
man," 23 : 50), one of the "pious," like Simeon (Lk. 2 : 25), who
had a confident hope in a Messianic coming which would be a rehgious
blessing to the people of God. This statement of Mark's might
possibly agree with John's record that he was "a disciple of Jesus,
but secretly for fear of the Jews" (19 : 38), but certainly not with
the unqualified designation of him by Matthew as one "who also
himself was Jesus' disciple" (27 : 57). He doubtless accepted with
satisfaction Jesus' announcement of the nearness of the kingdom
and hoped to see it realized by him, though he feared to commit
himself to Jesus' foUowing. But now he went boldly (lit. having
gathered courage) — as was quite necessary, in view of Pilate's charac
teristic behaviour towards the Jews, but quite possible, in view of
Joseph's position and wealth— and asked for the body of Jesus, to
save it from committal to the criminal's grave. Pilate's doubting
surprise that Jesus was already dead was due to his knowledge of
the Ungering torture which generally accompanied crucifixion, and
indicates that Joseph must have presented his petition soon enough
after the Jews' request had been granted for Pilate to recognize that
death had preceded the carrying out of his order to hasten it. He
seeks to verify the fact impUed in the petition and summons the
centurion to whom he had given the order, to ascertain from him
whether Jesus had been any while (properly were already) dead when
he reached the cross on his errand. Having ascertained the facts,
he granted the corpse to Joseph. This incident of Pilate's surprise
and official verification of the death is given alone by Mark. Bought
a linen cloth: WhUe purchases were not permitted on the Paschal
days, it is possible that the necessities connected with death and
239

15:45 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
45. And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted
46. the corpse to Joseph. And he bought a linen cloth,
and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth,
and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a
rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the
47. tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother
of Joses beheld where he was laid.
burial overruled the law of the feast (cf. 16 : 1). The cloth must
have been a piece of considerable size and, according to Matthew
(27 : 59), was "clean," i.e. fresh and unused. Taking him down-
not the body itself, as represented in Rubens' famous picture, but
the cross piece to which the body was affixed, which was laid on the
ground and the body removed from it. The body was then wound
in the cloth, and hurriedly carried to a nearby tomb (John specifies
that it was in a garden "in the place where he was crucified," 19:
41) . . . hewn out of a rock. (According to Matthew, Joseph's own
tomb, which was new, 27 : 60; Lk. 23 : 53, and Jn. 19 : 41, adding
that it was one in which no one had yet been laid) : Possibly, on ac
count of the shortness of time at their disposal, this was intended
merely as a temporary resting place for the body until the Sabbath
was over (cf. Jn. 19 : 42). These caves were furnished with a court,
eight or nine feet square, around which, or in a lower cave behind
which, were insertions into the rock at right angles to the wall for
depositing the bodies (cf. Edersheim, Jesus, ii, p. 617; Jewish Social
Life, p. 171L). In this court, doubtless, the body was unwrapped and,
as the Fourth Gospel intimates, the cloth torn into strips ("cloths")
and with intermingled "spices" brought by Joseph's feUow-Sande-
drist, Nicodemus, bound up again, "as the custom of the Jews is to
bury" (Jn. 19 :4o, see notes on 14 : 8). Rolled a stone against the
door of the tomb : This stone was circular in form. It moved along a
groove slightly depressed at the center, where it would be held in
position against the opening (cf. Hastings' single vol. Bible Dic
tionary, art. Tomb).
47. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses: The two
Marys mentioned in ver. 40 as among the women at the Cross are
here referred to as having evidently remained to witness the final
disposition made of the body. From their report, doubtless, the
further service narrated in 16 : 1 was determined upon (cf . Lk. 23 : 56).
Matthew here inserts his account of the request made by the chief
priests and the Pharisees that Pilate should seal the sepulchre and
set a guard of soldiers to watch over it until the third day (27 : 62-66),
240

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 16:4
16. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene,
and Mary the mother of * James, and Salome, bought
2. spices, that they might come and anoint him. And
very early on the first day of the week, they come to
3. the tomb when the sun was risen. And they were say
ing among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone
4. from the door of the tomb? and looking up, they see
that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great.
1 Jacob.
giving later, at the close of his account of the experiences of the
women, his statement of their report to the chief priests of what had
happened and the bribery of the soldiers to silence by the chief
priests and elders (28 : 11-15).
{10) The Visit of the Women to the Tomb, 16 : i-S
16 : 1. When the Sabbath was past — i.e. after sunset — Mary
Magdalene and Mary the Mother of James and Salome: see note
on 15 :47. Luke substitutes "Joanna" for Salome and adds "the
other women with them" (24 : 10; cf. 8 : 3). Matthew restricts the
group to "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary" (28 : 1); while
John gives only "Mary Magdalene" (20 : 1). Bought spices (lit.
aromatics): Luke adds "ointments" (23 =56) and states that they
were prepared by the women on their return from witnessing the
burial, which, however, is unlikely, if intended to be taken strictly as
applying to the afternoon of Friday; since it was too near the sunset
which ushered in the Sabbath to aUow for a return to the city and a
purchase and preparation of the material before the beginning of the
sacred day. Anoint him — not in the way of embalming, which was
an Egyptian custom and not practised by the Jews (see notes on
14 : 8), but an external application, supplementing the hasty work of
Joseph and Nicodemus on Friday afternoon.
2-4. Very early . . . when the sun was risen: Luke says "at
early dawn" (24 : 1); John, "while it was yet dark" (20 : 1); Matthew,
"late on the Sabbath day (Ut. late from the Sabbath day; cf. Moulton
Gram. N. T. Greek, p. 72L), as it began to dawn toward the first day
of the week." (Cf . Burkitt, in Journal of Theological Studies, July,
19131 PP- 538-546.) These variant statements, confusing though
they are, make certain that the time was in the early hours of the
morning (cf. Andrews, Life of our Lord, p. 598L). Who shall roU us
away the stone? : Apparently, they have no knowledge of the guard at
241

16:5 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
5. And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe;
6. and they were amazed. And he saith unto them,
Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who
hath been crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold,
7. the place where they laid him! But go, tell his dis
ciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee:
1he tomb (cf. Matt. 27 : 62-66). Their anxiety was confined to the
removal of the stone, which would need more than their combined
strength (cf. ver. 4). But as they approached the tomb, they looked
up and saw that the stone had been roUed back, in spite of the fact
that it was exceeding great. Matthew accounts for this by an earth
quake and angeUc forces (28 : 2).
5-7. Entering into the tomb, i.e. its antechamber, or court (see
note on 15 : 53). John has no intimation of this nearer investigation
(20 : if.). A young man sitting on the right side, i.e. of the court —
not of the space in the wall in which the body had been laid; since
these were not niches parallel to the wall but insertions into the wall at
right angles to it. (See note on 15 : 53.) The "right side" is in
tended as the place of honor. Arrayed in a white robe and therefore
a heavenly being (cf. Rev. 3 :4f.; 7 : 13, etc). Matthew definitely
describes the person as an angel "whose appearance was as lightning
and his raiment white as snow," and says he was seated on the stone
outside the tomb (28 : 2f.); Luke mentions "two men ... in
dazzling apparel," who appeared to the women, not upon their enter
ing the tomb, but afterwards as they stood perplexed at not finding
the body of Jesus (24 : 4). John makes no mention of angelic appear
ances. Amazed (lit. utterly amazed) : Luke says "affrighted" (24 : 5).
The angel removes their perplexity by the to them astounding an
nouncement that their Master was risen from the dead, showing them
by way of proof the empty place where the body had lain, and bids
them teU the disciples and particularly Peter that he had gone before
them into GalUee, where they shall see him, as he had said (cf.
14 : 28). The singling out of Peter was either in recognition of his
leadership among the Eleven or in assurance of the Master's forgive
ness of his denials of him. Possibly, both ideas entered into it. The
reminder of his words spoken on the night of his betrayal was needed in
view of the confused excitement into which they would be thrown by
the astounding announcement of his Resurrection. All account of this
GaUlean meeting, however, is lacking in this Gospel; though it may
have been given in the original ending of the narrative which is lost.
242

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 16:11
8. there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they
went out, and fled from the tomb; for trembling and
astonishment had come upon them: and they said
nothing to any one; for they were afraid.
Later Ending of the Gospel
The foUowing twelve verses are not a part of the original text —
having been substituted for the lost ending of the narrative by a
later hand. There is also a shorter ending, equally secondThand.
They are obviously an effort to supplement from the other Gospels
the uncompleted record of the post-resurrection events by giving an
account of the appearances to the women and the disciples, closing
with a summary statement of the Ascension and the after activities of
the ApostoUc band (see Introduction, Vn).
9. Now when he was risen early on the first day of
the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from
10. whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and
told them that had been with him, as they mourned
n. and wept. And they, when they heard that he was
alive, and had been seen of her, disbelieved.
Matthew's account of the angel's words (28 : 5-7) agrees substantially
with Mark's; Luke's is much expanded, including a reminder of the
prediction made specifically to the Twelve (24 : 5-7).
8. However the angel's message had relieved the perplexity of the
women at not finding the Master's body, its amazing statement that
the Master had returned to life, added to their sight of this angeUc
appearance, produced in them feeUngs which were as fearsome as
later, when they had recovered from the shock, they were full of
astonished joy and they literally fled from the tomb, confused in
thought and paralyzed in speech. Luke makes no reference to these
feelings, though Matthew substantially reproduces it, adding, how
ever, the following element of joy which entered their hearts (28 : 8).
9-1 1. Appeared first to Mary Magdalene : This is strikingly out of
continuity with the preceding narrative, from which we would expect
an account of how the women brought the message to the disciples.
Instead, we have, with all the marks of a fragmentary interpolation,
an account of what happened after the news was brought to the
disciples' and two of them had gone to the tomb to verify it. It is
243

16:12 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
12. And after these things he was manifested in another
form unto two of them, as they walked, on their way
13. into the country. And they went away and told it
unto the rest: neither believed they them.
14. And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven
themselves as they sat at meat; and he upbraided
them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, be
cause they believed not them that had seen him after
evidently gathered from Jn. 20 :n-i8andLk. 24 :8-n. From whom
he had cast out seven demons — mentioned by Luke in his summary
statement of the second preaching tour (8:1-3).
12-13. In another form: The reference here is doubtless to the
fact that to Mary he seemed to be the gardener (Jn. 20 : 15), while
to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, from whose experience
(Lk. 24 : 35) the statement of this second appearance is taken, he
seemed to be a stranger pilgrim at the Feast (Lk. 24 : 16-18). It was
the impression created rather than the form itself which was differ
ent. Two of them — referring back to the phrase of ver. 10 — "them
that were with him" — which is intended to indicate the general
discipleship rather than the Eleven. Neither believed they them:
This added statement is apparently inferred by the writer from such
statements as are made in Matt. 28 : i6f., Jn. 20 : 24-29. As a matter
of fact, they are not consistent with the Lukan record (24 : 33-35).
14-18. Afterward: The writer gives no definite statement of
time, though, from the Lukan record, this appearance occurred the
same evening as the preceding appearance (24 : 35L). As they sat
at meat — evidently, an inference by the writer from the statement of
Lk. 24 : 41-43. Upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness
of heart: There is nothing in any of the Gospels' record of the Master's
appearances to the Eleven, not even including the incident of Thomas
(Matt. 28 : 16-20; Lk. 24 : 13-43; Jn. 20 : 1-21 : 24), which justifies
this severity of rebuke or the reason for it which follows. It may have
taken its color from Lk. 24 : 25, or more probably from the tendency
in the later Apostolic age to look with amazement upon all evidences
of unreceptivity towards the revelation of God in Christ (see note on
4:12). It is not probable that with such a rebuke on his lips the
Master would proceed to commission the disciples to go into aU the
world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. This commission
is here connected in time with this appearance, but in actual fact it
was given in Galilee more than a week after this appearance to the
disciples in Jerusalem (cf. Jn. 20 : 26; 21 : 1 with Matt. 28 : 16-20).
244

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 16:19
15. he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole
16. creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.
17. And these signs shall accompany them that believe:
in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall
18. speak with * new tongues; they shall take up serpents,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise
hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover.
19. So then the. Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto
them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at
1 Some MSS. omit new.
The writer is misled to this connection doubtless by the words of the
Master to the disciples at the Jerusalem gathering, as recorded in the
Fourth Gospel (20 : 21-23), which however do not represent the
same charge. The range of the Commission is substantially the same
as that given in Matt. 28 : 19; since the Matthew phrase, "all the
nations," cannot be restricted to the Gentile peoples, exclusive of
the Jews. But the content of the commission is significantly differ
ent. With our writer, baptism, along with faith; is given as a condi
tion of salvation. In Matthew (28 : iof.) baptism is an expression
of their discipleship; whUe the signs which were to accompany them
that believe, as evidence of their authoritative mission, not as testi
mony to the reality of their faith, are wholly foreign to the Matthew
record. They are introduced from the experience of the Apostohc
age; though the casting out of demons and the healing of the sick have
also behind them the Master's commission to the Twelve on their
final GaUlean preaching tour (Matt. 10 : 8; cf. also Mk. 6 : 7, 13;
Lk. 10 : 9, 17). Also the immunity from serpents seems to have
belonged to assurances given to the disciples at some later time in his
ministry (cf. Lk. 10 : 19. See notes on 6 : 7-13).
19, 20. After he had spoken to them: In giving the impression
that the Ascension occurred on the evening after the Resurrection,
the writer may be following the narrative in Luke, where there is no
statement of the interval of time between the first appearance to the
Eleven in Jerusalem and the final meeting with them "over against
Bethany" (24 :49f-)> which is specifically indicated in the opening
245

16:20 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
20. the right hand of God. And they went forth, and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them,
verses of Acts (1 : 1-5). On the other hand, when we consider the
general statements of sequence in vs. 12 and 14, he may not have
intended anything more here than that it occurred after Jesus' inter
views with the disciples, a summary or sample of which had been
given in vs. 15-18. Sat down at the right hand of God: While this
expression has behind it the citation from the 1 10th Psalm made by
Jesus in his teaching on Tuesday of Holy Week (12 : 36), as also his
statement in answer to the High Priest's question at the Sanhedrin
trial (14 : 6if.), it is rather an expression of the faith of the ApostoUc
age than a narration of the event of the Ascension (cf. Lk. 24 : 51
[See the bracketing of the phrase "and was carried up into heaven"
in the Greek text]; Acts 1 : 9f.). The closing verse is a brief summary
of the activities of the Apostolic Age, colored by its experiences of the
divine confirmation of its message (cf. Heb. 2 : 3L; Rom. 15 : i8f.;
Acts 8 : 4-7; 19 : iof.).
It is quite impossible to construct a harmonistic narrative of the
post-Resurrection events which will include aU the items of the in
dependent accounts as given us in the four Gospels. It can be said,
however, that it is not likely that there was a visit by Mary Mag
dalene and the other Mary to view the sepulchre (Matt. 28 : 1) before
the visit of the women who brought the spices for the anointing; or
that, when the women with the spices came, Mary Magdalene went
ahead of them and, seeing the empty tomb, returned at once to teU
Peter and John (Jn. 20 : 1) ; or that, following the first group of women
who had a vision of a single angel, there came another group who had
a vision of two angels (Lk. 24 : 4, 10). It is most probable that these
differing statements are simply natural variants of independent,
fragmentary accounts of a single visit by the women, early in the
morning, for the purpose of completing the hasty burial preparation
of the body on Friday afternoon. They may have become divided into
groups as they proceeded on their way, so that the two Marys reached
the tomb first (Matt. 28 : 1), while, when they returned to the city,
Mary Magdalene may have hastened from the tomb, not only before
the others, but before they had received the angel message of the
Resurrection; so that the word she brought to Peter and John was
simply the distressing fact that the sepulchre was empty (Jn. 20 : 2);
but the narratives give us, generally speaking, the record of one visit
of the women to the tomb, with one purpose in view. To them, re
turning to the city, the Master may have appeared, as stated in
Matt. 28 : 9L
On those two disciples' becoming acquainted with the startling
facts, it is perfectly natural that they should have proceeded ^t once
246

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK 16:20
and confirming the word by the signs that followed.
Amen.
to the sepulchre to verify them, and there is no reason to doubt that,
reaching the place and finding it empty as they had been told, it
was John alone who rose to even a dawning faith as to what might
be behind the facts (Jn. 20 : 3-10; cf. Lk. 24 : 12). Mary Magdalene
quite likely may have returned to the sepulchre, if not in company
with, at least at the same time as Peter and John, and to her, either
remaining or arriving after they left, the Master may have appeared,
as stated in Jn. 20 : 14-18 (cf. Mk. 16 : 9). It is possible that she
may have had another vision of angels, as recorded in Jn. 20 : 11-13;
although it is more likely that the angelic messengers, having accom
phshed their mission of acquainting the followers of Jesus with the
fact of the Resurrection, departed, and that this account in the Fourth
Gospel is a confusion of that given in the Synoptics (Mk. 16 : 5-7;
Matt. 28 : 2-7; Lk. 24 : 4-7). The appearances to the two disciples
on the way to Emmaus (Lk. 24 : i3ff.; cf. Mk. 16 : 12), to Peter
(Lk. 24 : 34; cf. 1 Cor. 15 : 5), and to the Eleven (Lk. 24 : 36ff.;
Jn. 20 : igff.; cf. Mk. 16 : 14) foUow naturally in the region of Jeru
salem; while the appearances in GaUlee (Jn. 21 : 1-23; Matt. 28 : i6f.
cf. 1 Cor. 15 : 6f.) would naturally seem to be later. The appearance
to the 500 mentioned by Paul (1 Cor. 15 : 6) was probably identical
with that recorded by Matthew (28: i6f.) and followed directly
upon the meeting at the Lake, narrated by John (21 : 1-23); the
appearance to James (1 Cor. 15 : 7) may fittingly have been the last
before the Ascension — that to "aU the apostles," which is added by
Paul, being possibly the final appearance at the time of the Ascension.
Whether the commission was given in connection with the appearance
to the Eleven in Jerusalem, as seems to be implied by Luke (24 : 46-
48) — or later, when he appeared to the disciples in GaUlee, as in
dicated by Matthew (28 : 18-20) — or at the last, before he was re
ceived up into heaven, which is also possible of inference from the
Lukan account (24 : 46-51 cf. Mk. 16 : 15-19), may be difficult to
determine. It would seem most natural that it would be reserved
for the last, Luke, in his desire to take up the narrative of his Second
Book, compressing unnaturally the closing narrative of his Gospel
story (cf. Plummer, Commentary on Luke, p. 561; and for a general
discussion of the difficulties of the narratives of the Post-Resurrection
period, Plummer's Commentary on Matthew, 28 : 1-20; Latham, The
Risen Master; Swete, The Appearances of Our Lord after the Passion).

247

INDEX OF AUTHORS AND SUBJECTS

Abiathar, 9.
Abimelech, 9.
Adversary, 42.
Ahaz, 144.
Alabastron, 201.
Alexander, 11.
Alphaeus, 238.
Altar of Zeus, 193.
Andrews, 241.
Antiochus Epiphanes, 193.
Antipas, g6.
Antonia, 224, 226, 22g.
Apocalyptic ideas, 9, 14.
Archelaus, 224.
Aristion, 28.
Aristobulus, 96, 97.
Armenian MS., 28. B
Bacon, 10, 15.
Baptist, 44.
Bar-Abba, 226.
Bar-Jonah, 44.
Barnabas, 6, 9, 27, 68.
Beelzebul, 69.
Bethsaida, 44, 100, 118.
Boanerges, 10, 24.
Burkitt, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 25, 241.
Burton, 7, 21, 22.
Buxtorf, 149. C
Caesarea, 124.
Caiaphas, 200.
Caligula, 193.
Canaanites, 113.
Capernaum, 44, S°> 52. 57. 58, 69. 72,
86, 100, 145, 209.

Carmel, 40.
Celibacy, 148.
Cephas, 44.
Ceremonialism, 107
Chalcis, 97.
Cleopas, 238.
Clopas, 238.
Colson, 7.
Conybeare, 28.
Cyprus, 230.
Cyrene, 230. D
Dalman, 161, 162.
Dalmanutha, 10.
David, 184.
Day of the Lord, 19s.
Decalogue, 151, 152.
Deissmann, 230.
Demon, 83.
Denarius, 101, 186.
Denney, 25.
Didymus, 68.
Dioscuri, 68.
Domitian, 157.

Edersheim, 101, 107, 108, 167, 185,
igo, 205, 216, 232, 238, 240.
Elephantiasis, 51.
Elijah, 39.
Embalming, 203, 241
Ephraim, 145.
EpUepsy, 136.
Esdraelon, 40.
Eucharist, 9.
Eusebius, 7, 22, 23, 27.
Exorcism, 83.

249

INDEX OF AUTHORS AND SUBJECTS

Freer, 26, 28.
Furrer, 234. G
Gahbatha. 226.
Gadara, 82.
Galen, 48.
Galilee, 44.
Garvie, 87, 126, 133, 235, 236.
Genessaret, 4s.
Gersa, 82.
Gethsemane, 89.
Gould, 156.
Gulgolta, 231.
Guthe, 103. H
Hallel, 211.
Harris, 68.
Hatch, 37.
Hawkins, 21.
Hebrew, 232, 235.
Hellenism, 65.
Hermas, 27.
Hermon, 130.
Herod, 11, 45, 58, 65, g3, g5, 96, 160,
187.
Herodians, 175, 177.
Hillel, 146.
Hinnom, 143, 144.
Hogg, 79, 87, 138, 159. 177. 198, 208,
235-
Homer, 114.
Hyrcanus, 96. I
Irenaeus, 27.
Ituraea, 96. J
Jacob, 44.
James, 44, 238.
Jerome, 27.
Jerusalem, 193.
Jewish War, 9.
Joanna, 44, 241.
Johannan, 44.

John, 44, 171.
Jonah, 44.
Jonas, 44.
Josephus, 45, g7, 124, 187, 224, 231,
238.
Josiah, 144.
Judaea, 44.
Justin Martyr, 27.

Kapharnaum, 45.
Kepha, 67.
Kerioth, 68.
Kersa, 82.
Khan Minyeh, 45.

Last Supper, g.
Latham, 247.
Lazarus, 116, 201.
Legate of Syria, 224.
Leprosy, 51.
Lightfoot, 208.
Locusts, 3g.
Logia, 22. M
Machaerus, 96, 98.
Magadan, 118.
Magdala, 82, 118, 237.
Malchus, 216.
Mariamme, 96.
Mary, 238.
Menzies, 8, n, 25, 171, 178, 230
Messiahship, 14, 125.
Messianic Spirit, 42.
Milman, 187, 189.
Mishna, 107.
Moffat, 9, 12, 28, 107.
Moulton, 241. N
Nardostachys Jatamansi, 201
en-Nasira, 40.
Nazareth, 45.

250

INDEX OF AUTHORS AND SUBJECTS

Old Testament Quotations, 3

Pan, 124.
Paneas, 124.
Papias, 7, 9, 22, 23, 28.
Paschal Day, 238.
Passion chronology, 206.
Passover, 9, 61, 102, 200, 204, 206.
Patmos, 157.
Pavement, 226.
Pentateuch, 179.
Pentecost, 61.
Perean chapters, 19.
Peter, 6, 7, 9, 10, n, 44.
Pharaoh, 76.
Pharisees, 65, 147, 175, 177
Phasaelis, 160.
Philip, 96.
Philo, 224.
Phoenicians, 113.
Phylacteries, 180.
Pilate, 224, 238.
Plato, 7-
Plummer, 164, 247.
Possession, 84.
Praetorium, 224.
Procurator, 224.
Prophets, 179.
Ptolemy, 201, 230.
Purification rites, 39.

Ramah, 239.
Ramathaim-Zophim, 239.
Rome, 3, 10.
Rufus, 3, 11. S
Sadducees, 65, 96, 147, 177-
Salome, 44, 97-
Sanday, 14, i°3, 230, 231.
Sanhedrin, 170, 17S. 200.

Satan, 42.
Schurer, 46, 50, 86, gg, 107, 178, 180.
igo, 2ig, 224, 226.
Scribes, 185, 186.
Sermon on the Mount, 180, 181.
Shammai, 146.
Shema', 180.
Siloam, 205.
Simeon, 43.
Simon, 44.
Simon of Cyrene, 3.
Simon, High Priest, g6.
Simon Maccabaeus, 44.
Sinaiticus, 27.
Sinaitic Syriac, 27.
Smith, 41, 206.
Stanley, 172.
Stanton, 11, 23.
Streeter, 13, 22.
Swete, 8, 11, i4g, 150, 167, 186, 203;
224, 230, 247.
Synagogue, 50, 51, i°7-

Tacitus, 187, 190.
Taxation, 57, 58.
Tell Hum, 45.
Temple, 187.
Theophilus, 6.
Tiberias, 95.
Trachonitis, 97.
Tristram, 39, 42, 54, 201.

Vaticanus, 27.

Wendling, 13.
Westcott, 224.

W

Zahn, 2, 5, 11, 28, 218.
Zebedee, 238.

251

INDEX OF BIBLICAL PASSAGES REFERRED
TO IN TEXT

PAGE
Genesis 1:2  41
2:24  147
19:17  67
19:21  176
25:26  44
29:33  44
32:10  94
37:29, 34  221
4°:ii  157
Exodus 3  179
n:5  143
12:1-28  200
16:10  132
ig:g, 16  132
20:5  68
20:8-11  6
20:12  108
21:17  i°8
21:30  159
22:22  185
24:8  210
24:15  132
33:9  132
34:21  61
35:2  61
40:35  132
Leviticus 2:13  144
11  no
11:22  39
15:12  107
15:19-27  87
16:2  132
18:16  96
19:15  J7°
19:18  181
25:24  159 2

SAGE
Numbers 3 149  159
11:25  132
12:14  221
14:6  221
15:37-41  180
15:38-40  106
19:2  162
19:9  107
35:30  220
Deuteronomy 4:24  68
6:4-9   180
10:17  176
11:13-21  180
15:9  "I
17:6  220
18:15, 18  132
19:15  220
21:3  162
21:23  238
23:25  61
24:1  147
25:5-10  178
25:9  221
27:16  108
Joshua 9:4  61
10:36-39  50
15:20-61  50
15:25  68
Judges 1 :ig  67
12:6  223
14:10  59
Ruth 2 :i4  234
I Samuel 2:14  107
15:22  182
16:7  176
21:1  g
S3

PASSAGES REFERRED TO IN TEXT

PAGE
I Samuel 22 :2o  62
42:8  176
II Samuel 8:17  62
17:13  187
I Kings 2:19  157
13:4-6  63
17:8-24  235
19:2, 10  135
II Kings 1 :8  39
4:34  5i
4:42  94
5:«  5i
S:i4  107
7:18  101
9:13  163
14:25  44
23:10  144
I Chronicles 3 :24  44
18:16  10, 62
H Chronicles 23 :3  144
35:i3  107
Esther 5:3, 6  98
7:2  98
Job 4:15  104
Psalms 2:7  41
22  234, 235
22:18  233
23 15  202
41:9  208
51  182
69:21  231
82:2  176
8g:32  66
91:11  42
no  221
no:i  157, 183
115-118  211
118:25  163
Proverbs 18:5  176
Song of Solomon 2:13  166
Isaiah 5:1  172
5:24  144
8:21  189
11:12  41
13:13  i8g 2

PAGE
Isaiah 14:11  144
14:30  189
29:13  108
42:1  41. 132
44:3  40
45:13  isg
48:16  41
50:6  221
53  208, 217
56:7  167
60:5, n  152
61:1  41, 91
62:4  41
66:24  144
Jeremiah 7 :3i  144
23:9  53
23:19  i8g
24:2  166
31:31-33  210
48:24, 41  68
Lamentations 4:1  187
Ezekiel 5:12  i8g
16:1-22  129
20:30  144
36:25  40
Daniel 3:18  177
3:25  237
6:10  177
7:10  196
7:i3  55. 221
9:27  188
11:31  188, 193
12:1  194
12:2  154
12:11  193
Hosea 2 :2-i3  129
6:6-8  182
Joel 2:30  119
2:31  235
2:32  195
Amos 8:9  235
Micah 1:6  187
Nahum 3:3  131
Zechariah 9:9  162
11:12  204
54

PASSAGES REFERRED TO IN TEXT

PAGE
Zechariah 13:4  39
13:7  212
Malachi 4:5  96, 134
I Maccabees 1:54  193
4:46  3g
6:39  131
14:41  39
I Esdras 1:17  200
8:57  131
TV Esdras 2:2g  144
16:36-40  189
Enoch 1:1  195
1:6  i8g
27:1  144
Matthew 3:7  5g
3=14-17  39
3=15  52
4:8  129
5:21-48  180
5:26  186
5:43-48  181
5:31  146
6:21  62
6:23  152
7:2  78
7:12  181
7:21  72
8:6  53
8:11  114
8:18  80
8:21  72
8:24  80
8:28  83
8:29  47
g:n, 14  52
9:23, 24  89
9:30  52
10:1  93
10:5  93, n4
10:7  93
10:23  191
10:25  70
10:34-39  72
11:2-30  69
11:9  39 2

PAGE
Matthew 11:14  96, 135
11:28  51
12:5-7  62
12:22  69
12:23  69, 90, 95
12:28, 45  62
12:34  70
12:40  127
12:43  46
13:1  72
13:13  75
13:26  78
13:41  J96
13:43  196
14=5  97
15:1-20  180
15:11  62
15:20  in
15:30  114
16:14  9^
17:20.  79
17:24  48
17:27  v  143. 162
18:17  58
19=3  146
19:10-12  148
19:28  67, 157
20:15  «*
22:18  in
23:5  180, 185
23:5-7  I"
23:6  64, 185
23:24  152
23:33  180
24:3,14,29  6
24:41  143
24:45-51  J99
25  199
25:29  78
25:31  196
26:39, 42  72
26:55  185
27:15  226
27:52  89
27:56  44
SS

PASSAGES REFERRED TO IN TEXT

PAGE
Matthew 28:16  27
Luke 2:27  183

37 
3:10 
3:12  38,
3:15 
4:16 
4:16-21   5
4:16-30   114
4:18  91
4:21  91
4:25-27  93
4:28-30  92
4:33  46
4:39  81
5:i-3  57
5:3  66, 81
5:i7  53
5=29  57
6:2  52
6:38  78
6:42  70
7:n-i7  69, 81
7:14  52, 90
7:i8-35  69
7:23  212
7:36-50  69
7:37  58, 237
7:39  52
7:46  202
8:2  185
8:43  186
8:55  go
9:1  93
9:2  93
97  95
9:8  96
9:10, 11, 12  100
9:51-56  146
9:54  68
10:4  94
10:26-28  52
10:29-37  181
10:39-42  203
11:1  59

PAGE
Luke 12:1  146
12:8  56
12:16-20  129
12:20  in
12:42-46  igg
13:2  54
13:14  64
13:24  152
13:27  157
i3-'3i-33  103
13=34  116
14:3-5  64
147  64
14:7-11  185
14:25  72, 146
15:1  146
15:12  186
15:22  185
15:30  185, 186
16:29  179
17:6  79
17=14  52 „
17:23-34  195
18:12  59
18:23  98
18:43  161
19:1-6  57
ig:i-io  58
19:10  56
19:11  157, 160
19:26  78
I941  116
21:5  187
21:20, 24  6
21:36  56
22:3  208
22 :20  210
22:24  93
22:24-26  141
22:29  157
22:30  67
22:35  g4
22:3g  211
23:28  ig4
24:10-12  127

256

PASSAGES REFERRED TO IN TEXT

PAGE
Luke 24:30  103
24:44  179
John 1-3  43
1:14  133
1:21  96, 132
1:30-34  39
1:42  :. 57
1=45  132, 179
1:48  162
1:51  •_ 196
2:6  .' 107
2:13-16  166
2:18  167
2:ig  127, 167
2:20  166
3:10  73
3:14  127
3:28  38
4:17  108
4:34  72
4=44  92
5:1  "7
5:3  63
5:7  54
5:i4  54
5:16-18  127
5:30  72
5:44  2
6:9  101
6:14  90
6:23  95
6:24  105
6:38  72
6:42  92
6:51-56  127
6:51  209
6:52-58  2og
6:5g  i°5
6:60-63  ng
6:67  125
6:68  "7
7:7  192
7:19-24  127
8:20  185
9:2  54 257

PAGE
¦ "5
. 70
. 96
, 89
. 213
. 116

John 9:6 
9:16 
10:41 
11:11-14 
11:16 
11:41 
11:43  9°. 203
6  204
20-22  186
20-50 
24 
34 
36 
2 
26 
18-24 
2 
13 
15 

12:12:

12:12:

1313:IS 16
16:181818 1919

184 7956
187
208204ig2192191 2
46
226 94
203
127

:2o 
39 
23 
39 
20:1-9 
20:1-10  2
21:9, 13  101
Acts 1:6  121, 127, 152, 157, 183
2:23  8, 75
2:28  210
2:38  8, 38

:43-

:22. :8.. 17-19
28.
:iS. 29.
141. :i4.:42. 55-
:6o. :22.

• • 137
.. 63
. . 132
.. igi
. . 192
. ¦ 177
.8, 75
. . 66
. . 177
. . 192
. . 220
. . 179
. . 157
. . 39
.. 76

PASSAGES REFERRED TO IN TEXT

Acts 9:2 
9:14 
9:25 
9:37 
9-39 
10:9-16 
19:14 
10:15  8
10:28 
10:40 
10:43  8, 38,
11:26 

12:1.

.8, 38,

12:2 
12:12 
12:13 
12:25 
13:5 
13:9 
13:13 
13:15 
13:36 
13:38 
13:51 
I5:3g 
16:1 
18:6 
18:25 
19:9 
19:11 
19:13-16  46,
ig:23 
22:16 
23:8 
23:g 
23:10 
24:14, 22 
26:g 
27:35 
28:23 
Romans 1:29-31  8,
3:23 
4:7 
8:9  9,
11:2 

PAGE
. 176
. 192
. 118
. 203
¦ 94
. 127
, 106
, 111152
. 127 210 9
157 44 6
222 66
191 6
86
89
210 94 6
203 94
176176 66
139 176
21017S 5883
176192102
179in159 76
183179

PAGE
Romans 11:7, 25  8, 75
13:9  181
13:13  in
14  3, 8, in
14:13-15  143
14:14  106
14:20-23  143
15:19  191
16:13  3
I Corinthians 2:4  igi
3:23  9
6:8  8
6:12-20  in
7:10-16  148
8  in
8:4, 7,9-13  143
9:9  47, 81
10:23-33  8, in
11:24  209, 211
11:25  210
12:3  183
15:1-8  26
154  127
15:20  89
15:35-53  178
15:37  79
n Corinthians 5:12  176
6:1  71
Galatians 1:14  107
2:6  176
2:11-14  127
2:15  58
3:13  159
4:22  222
5:14  181
5:19-21  8, in
Ephesians 1:7  159 74
in in
in 74

3:3-6
4:19. 4:31.5:3.-
6:19.
Philippians 3 7  129
Colossians 4:10  6
I Thessalonians 1:9  12
2S8

PASSAGES REFERRED TO IN TEXT

PAGE
II Thessalonians 1:7  129
2:1-3  189
2:9-12  195
I Timothy 2:6  159
5:18  47
II Timothy 4:11  6
Titus 2:14  159
Philemon 24  6
Hebrews 1:13  ig6
1:14  I2g
6:18-20  236
9:12-14  159
10:19  236
James 1 :2-4  144
2:8  181
2:19  47
5:4  in
5=14  95
5=15  76
I Peter 1:18  159
2:8  8, 75
3:17  64

PAGE
I Peter 5:13  6
II Peter 1:17  132, 133
I John 1 :g  76
2:12  76
III John 11  64
Jude 16  176
Revelations 1:7  196
1:9  i57
1 :io  183
2:17  57
6:8  189
6:11  185
6:13  166
6:15  97
11:13  189
13:18  198
14:14  196
16:18  194
17:14  195
18:8  189
21:12,14  °7
21:27  106

Printed in the United States of Amerioa

259

rTpHE following pages contain advertisements of a
few of the Macmillan books on kindred subjects

The Bible for Home and School
Edited by SHAILER MATHEWS, D.D., Dean of the Divinity
School, and Professor of Historical and Comparative Theology in
the University of Chicago, Editor of the Series of" New Testament
Handbooks," etc.
" Biblical science has progressed rapidly during the past few years, but the
reader still lacks a brief but comprehensive commentary that shall extend
to him in usable form material now at the disposition of the student. It is
hoped that in this series the needs of intelligent Sunday-school teachers
have been met, as well as those of clergymen and lay readers, and that in
scope, purpose, and loyalty to the Scriptures as a foundation of Christian
thought and life, its volumes will stimulate the intelligent use of the Bible in
the home and the school." — From the General Introduction to the Series.
Each volume is convenient in size, well printed on excellent paper,
and attractively and serviceably bound.

VOLUMES NOW READY
THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS
By EDGAR J. GOODSPEED, Assistant Professor of Biblical and
Patristic Greek in the University of Chicago.
Cloth, ix-\- 132 pages. Price, 50 cents
" It is scholarly and modern, yet simple, a truly interpretive commentary,
not uncritical, though criticism is not obtruded, not without the results of
keen philological study, though the reader sees little or nothing of the pro
cesses. The Epistle becomes an illuminating exponent of the spiritual life of
its time." — Benjamin W. Bacon in the Yale Divinity Quarterly.
ApTO Being the second volume of Luke's work on the Beginnings of
**^-* *¦ *3 Christianity, with interpretative comment.
By GEORGE HOLLEY GILBERT, Ph.D., D.D.
Cloth, 267 pages. Price, 75 cents
" Dr. Mathews and his fellow-editors are performing a task for the Church
of to-day that should be far-reaching in its results ; for there is pressing need
that the rank and file of Bible students be equipped with the material for an
historical interpretation. This is a necessary step to the creation of a theol
ogy which is in harjnony with the present age, wherein all science is studied
historically; and, furthermore, the transition from the traditional to the his
torical view will be furthered through the production of such aids to Bible
study as those under review, rather than through theoretical discussions on
the relative merits of the respective views." — Lutheran Quarterly.

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York

The Bible for Home and School — Volumes now ready — Cont.

GENESIS
By HINCKLEY GILBERT MITCHELL, Ph.D.,D.D., Professor
of Hebrew and Old Testament Exegesis in Boston University.
Cloth, 377 pages. Price, go cents
" The introduction to this volume on Genesis gives the very best and clear
est analysis of the book, according to the * modern critical theories/ to be
had anywhere." — The Presbyterian.
u Genesis has always been one of the most popular books of the Bible, yet
in some ways it is one of the most difficult. These difficulties arise partly
from the book itself and partly from the popular conception of the book. It
takes scholarship to handle the first class of difficulties, and courage the sec
ond; and Dr. Mitchell has both scholarship and courage. . . . The notes
are learned and brief and have a vivacity that make Genesis seem quite a
modem book." — Boston Transcript.

GALATIANS
By BENJAMIN WISNER BACON, D.D., LL.D., Professor of
New Testament Criticism and Exegesis in Yale University.
Cloth, 135 pages. Price, $0 cents
" Learned, vigorous, and stimulating." — American y our nal of Theology.
" We know of no commentary which gives a better exposition in so brief a
compass." — The Reform Church Review.

COLOSSIANS AND EPHESIANS
By GROSS ALEXANDER, Editor of The Methodist Review,
Cloth, 132 pages. Price, 50 cents
" Judging from the volumes that have appeared, the general editor of these
commentaries has been very successful in getting commentators who have
the skill so to treat thebooks of the Bible that they come to the men of to-day
with vital power. The introductions to these two epistles are marvels of com
pactness; yet all that is necessary to those for whom this series is intended
for an understanding of these letters will be found here." — Boston Transcript.

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York

The Bible for Home and School — Volumes now ready — Conl.
AMOS, HOSEA, AND MICAH
By JOHN M. POWIS SMITH.
izmo, 75 cents
DEUTERONOMY
By Professor W. G. JORDAN, of Queens University. Price, 7K cents
ISAIAH
By JOHN E. McFAD YEN, Professor of Old Testament Literature
and Exegesis in Knox College, Toronto. Price, go cents
JOB
By GEORGE A. BARTON. A.M., Ph.D., Professor of Biblical
Literature and Semitic Languages in Bryn Mawr College. Price, go cents
The commentary differs from the large majority of commentaries on Job, in
that its author believes that the Hebrew poet was as great In religious
insight as in poetic genius, and that he did not leave the problem of suffer
ing unsolved, but proposed for it a solution, the most profound that can be
suggested, and that a religious solution.
JUDGES
By E. L. CURTIS.
Cloth. Price, 75 cents
In general style this addition to the " Bible for Home and School " follows
the deservedly popular commentaries already published in the series. There
is an introduction in which points of special interest are noted, a liberal sup
ply of notes elucidating doubtful passages, an index, and a bibliography.
The book well carries out the spirit and aim of the series — to place at the
disposal of the general reader the results of the best modern Biblical scholar
ship. The editing has been conservative, though no established facts have
been ignored. The circulation of the compact and convenient volumes of
the senes of which this is one cannot fail to stimulate the intelligent use of
the Bible in the home and in the school,
MARK
By M. W. JACOBUS.
i2mo
MATTHEW
By Professor A. T. ROBERTSON, of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary. Price, 60 cents
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York

NEW BOOKS ON RELIGION

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
CHRISTIAN RELIGION
By SHAILER MATHEWS, Author of "The Church arid the
Changing Order," " The Gospel and the Modern Man," etc.
Cloth. I2M0
Dr. Mathews here enters upon the little explored territory of social theology.
His general position' is that the scientific theologian should approach his
task through the social sciences, particularly history, rather than through
philosophy. The main thesis of the book is that doctrines grow out of the
same social forces as express themselves in other forms of life. Dr. Mathews
finds seven creative social minds and treats the development of the various
Christian doctrines as they have emerged from the earlier of these minds
and must be created by our modern social mind. Such a treatment of Chris
tian doctrine serves to make theology a vital rather than a merely scholastic
or ecclesiastical matter. The study of the social minds of the past, with
their creative influence on Christianity, gives a point of view for the study
of the intellectual needs of to-day's religion. This volume conserves the
values of the religious thinking of the past, and is, in addition, a positive
force in the reconstruction of the religious thinking of the day.

THE DRAMA OF THE SPIRITUAL
LIFE : A Study of Religious Experience and Ideals
By ANNIE L. SEARS. With an Introduction by Dr. Josiah
ROYCE. Cloth. 8vo
The basis of this book is an empirical study of the prayers, hymns, and gen
eral religious poetry and other expressions of religious experience. In the
opening chapter it is stated that " man is incurably religious" because, as
human, man is idealistic. Religion is, therefore, close to the common life,
yet in religious idealism a problem is involved. This problem religious
mysticism attempts to solve. In the second chapter the author seeks to
make clear what are the universal elements of religious experience, and in
the succeeding portions of the volume she traces the story of religious ex
perience through its differences, oppositions, tensions, conflicts, compro
mises and reconciliations. The problem of the work is to discover whether
the conflicting elements and forms of religion can be harmonized and
whether a significant spiritual experience results.

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Publishers 64-66 Fifth Avenue New York