BIBLE STUDY TEXTBOOK
THE GOSPEL OF MARK
B. W. Johnson
and
Don DeWelt
A New.
Commentary
Workbook
Teaching Manual
Both the Authorized King James Version of 1611 and American Standard Translation of 1901 are used in the TEXT of this book
College Press, Joplin, Missouri
Copyright 1965
Don DeWelt
All Rights Reserved
DEDICATION
To the one who teaches
by life and word the
Life of our LordSeth Wilson
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In 1889 B. W, Johnson (author of People's New Testament; Vision of the Ages; The Gospel of John) wrote a Lesson Commentary on 277 verses of the gospel of Mark. There are 678 verses in Mark. The editor has written Thought Questions for all 678 verses, as well as Fact Questions for the entire Gospel. The Outline and Analysis for the 401 verses B. W. Johnson did not discuss in his Lesson Commentary are also the work of the editor. The Explanatory Notes on the 401 verses are compiled by the editor from the following writers:
1.
Lyman AbbottAn Illustrated Commentary on the Gospel According to Mark and Luke, New York; A. S. Barnes & Company, 1877.
2.
J. A. AlexanderCommentary on the Gospel of Mark, Grand Rapids; Zondervan Publishing House, 1955reprint of 1864.
3.
Henry Alford, New Testament for English Readers,4 volumes in one, Chicago, Moody Pressreprint.
4.
W. C. Allen, The Gospel According to Saint Mark, New York; Macmillan Co., 1915Oxford Church Biblical Commentary.
5.
Samuel J. Andrews, The Life of Our Lord Upon Earth, Grand Rapids; Zondervan Publishing House, 1954reprint of revised edition of 1891.
6.
Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, Explanatory and Practical, Grand Rapids; Baker Book House, 1949reprint of 1832.
7.
J. V. Bartlet, St. Mark in the Century BibleEdinburgh; T. C. and E. C. Jack, 1922.
8.
John Albert Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament, Philadelphia; Perkin, Pine & Higgins, 1860.
9.
E. Bickersteth, St. Mark: Exposition, in the Pulpit CommentaryGrand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1950 (Reprint)
10.
David Brown, MatthewJohn in Vol. V of A Commentary Critical Experimental and Practicalby Robert Jamieson, A. R, Fausset, and David Brown, Grand Rapids; Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1948 (reprint).
11.
John Henry Burn, A Homiletical Commentary on the Gospel according to St. Mark in the Preacher's Homiletical Commentary, New York; Funk and Wagnalls, 1896.
12.
Madam Cecilia, The Gospel According to St. Mark, London; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, & Co., Ltd., 1904.
13.
G. A. Chadwick, The Gospel According to St. Mark in the Expositor's Bible, Grand Rapids; Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. (reprint).
14.
W. N. Clarke, Commentary on the Gospel of MarkAn American Commentary. American Baptist Publishing Society, 1881.
15.
F. C. CookMark's Gospelin The Speaker's Commentary Vol. I, New York; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1896.
16.
Joseph S. ExcellThe Biblical IllustratorGrand Rapids; Baker Book House(reprint) 1953.
17.
Edward HastingsSpeaker's Bible: Mark 2 vols. Aberdeen, Scotland; 1962, Baker Book Housereprint of 1929.
18.
John Peter LangeMark in Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Grand Rapids, Zondervan(reprint).
19.
Alexander MaclarenExpositions of Holy Scriptures: St. MarkGrand Rapids; Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1944 (reprint).
20.
J. W. McGarvey, Commentary on Matthew and Mark, Delight, Ark.; Gospel Light Pub. Co., 1875. (reprint)
21.
James MorisonA Practical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Mark, LondonHodder and Stoughton, 1889.
22.
Matthew Riddle, The Gospel According to Mark in the International Revision Commentary on the New Testament, New York; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1881.
23.
J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, 4 vols., Grand Rapids; Zondervan Publishing House (reprint).
24.
M. F. Sadler, The Gospel According to St. Mark, London; George Bell & Sons, 1892.
25.
Henry Barclay Swete, The Gospel According to St. Mark, London; MacMillan & Co., 1898.
26.
E. W. Thornton and Edwin R. Errett, Notes on the International Sunday School Lessons, Cincinnati; Standard Publishing Co., 1918.
A Complete List of Authors
From Which Quotations are Made in this Text
1.
Lyman Abbott
36.
A. R. Faussett
70.
James Morison
2.
J. A. Alexander
37.
Thomas Fuller
71.
Muir
3.
Dean Alford
38.
Cunningham Geikie
72.
Peloubet
4.
W. C. Allen
39.
Godet
73.
Petler
5.
Samuel J. Andrews
40.
Godwin
74.
Plato
6.
W. Arnot
41.
Gordon
75.
Plumptre
7.
Albert Barnes
42.
Greenleaf
76.
Quesnel
8.
J. V. Bartlett
43.
H. B. Hackett
77.
Matthew Riddle
9.
Richard Baxter
44.
Hanna
78.
F. W. Robertson
10.
John Albert Bengel
45.
Edward Hastings
79.
Robinson
11.
Beza
46.
Matthew Henry
80.
Rose
12.
E. Bickersteth
47.
Dean Hook
81.
J. C. Ryle
13.
David Brown
48.
Hort
82.
M. F. Sadler
14.
Bunyan
49.
Howson
83.
St. Gregory
15.
Burckhardt
50.
Hurlburt
84.
Schaff
16.
John Henry Burn
51.
Jacobus
85.
Sporgeon
17.
John Calvin
52.
Robert Jamison
86.
Stalker
18.
Madam Cecelia
53.
Jerome
87.
Stanley
19.
G. A. Chadwick
54.
B. W. Johnson
88.
Stier
20.
Chrysostom
55.
Josephus
89.
Stock
21.
Adam Clark
56.
Kitto
90.
Swete
22.
G. W. Clark
57.
John Peter Lange
91.
Swieton
23.
W. N. Clarke
58.
Lenski
92.
Theophrastus
24.
F. C. Cook
59.
Lightfoot
93.
Tholuck
25.
Cumming
60.
Lindell and Scott
94.
Thomas
26.
Dante
61.
Luthardt
95.
Thomson
27.
Don Dewelt
62.
Martin Luther
96.
E. W. Thornton
28.
Diodorus
63.
George MacKenzie
97.
Tischendorf
29.
Dodd
64.
Alexander Maclaren
98.
Trench
30.
Ralph Earle
65.
Maclear
99.
Tristram
31.
Ellicott
66.
J. W. McGarvey
100.
Tyng-'
32.
Edwin R. Errett
67.
Meyer
101.
Wells
33.
Ewald
68.
Mimpliss
102.
Westcott
34.
Joseph S. Excell
69.
G. Campbell Morgan
103.
Whedon
35.
Farrar
104.
Seth Wilson
SUMMARY OUTLINE OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST
Noting Places, Periods of Time and Events
Seth Wilson
THIRTY YEARS PREPARATION
1.
BethlehemBirth, Luke 2
2.
JerusalemPresented in the Temple, Luke 2
3.
BethlehemWisemen found Him, Matthew 2
4.
EgyptFleeing from Herod's decree, Matthew 2
5.
NazarethBoyhood home, Matthew 2
6.
JerusalemPassover, age 12, Luke 2
7.
NazarethGrew up until about 30 years of age, Luke 2
8.
Jordan in Wilderness of JudeaBaptized by John, Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3
9.
WildernessTempted of Satan, Matthew 4; Mark 1; Luke 4
10.
BethabaraPointed out by John, obtained first disciples, John 1
11.
Cana of GalileeWedding; first miracle, John 2
12.
CapernaumWith family and disciplesAbode not many days John 2
FIRST YEAR OF MINISTRY
EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY (8 or 9 months)
13.
JerusalemFIRST PASSOVER; cleansed temple; first public presentation, John 2
14.
JudeaPeriod of about 8 or 9 months, John 3
Miracles (no man can do these things.)
Preached to Nicodemus New Birth and Eternal Life, Son lifted up Making and baptizing more disciples than John
15.
Sychar in SamariaWomen at well; all city came out; abode two days, John 4 (4 months to harvest)
GALILEAN MINISTRY (1 year and 3 or 4 months)
16.
Cana of GalileeSpoke the word and the son at Capernaum healed, John 4
17.
NazarethRead and taught in synagogue; first rejection there, Luke 4
18.
CapernaumCalled four fishermen; healed many. Matthew 4; Mark 1; Luke 5
19.
Galilean tour (first)Great crowds; miracles, Matthew 4; Luke 4; Mark 1 Leper healed, Matthew 8; Mark 1; Luke 5. Paralytic (through roof) Matthew 9; Mark 2; Luke 5
Call of Matthew, feast of publicans, Matthew 9; Mark 2; Luke 5
Controversies over eating and fasting, Matthew 9; Mark 2; Luke 5
SECOND YEAR OF MINISTRY
20.
JerusalemSECOND PASSOVER: Lame man at pool; controversy about Sabbath healing; sermon on Deity and credentials, John 5
21.
GalileeControversy over Sabbath Reaping, Matthew 12; Mark 2; Luke 6 Healed withered hand on Sabbath in synagogue (Capernaum?) Matthew 12; Mark 3; Luke 6
Thronging crowds from far and near, Many miracles, Matthew 12; Mark 3; Luke 6
Named twelve Apostles, Matthew 3; Luke 6
Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:6, Matthew 5:7; Luke 6
Healed centurions servant (Capernaum) Matthew 8; Luke 7
22.
NainRaised Widow's son, Luke 7
23.
CapernaumQuestion from John the Baptist; sermon on John, Matthew 11; Luke 7
Condemnation of unrepentant cities; the great invitation, Matthew 11 in house of Simon the Pharisee; Penitent woman forgiven, Luke 7
24.
Galilean tour (second)Charge of league with Satan, Matthew 12; Sign sought; sign of Jonah; judgment of this generation, Matthew 12 Mother and brethren try to interrupt, Matthew 12; Mark 3; Luke 8 Sermon in parables, Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8
Challenge of high cost to would-be followers, Matthew 8; Luke 9
25.
On Sea of GalileeStilled the tempest, Matthew 8; Mark 4; Luke 8
26.
GergesaDemoniacs and swine, Matthew 8; Mark 5; Luke 8
27.
CapernaumHealed woman with flow of blood and raised Jairus-' daughter, Matthew 9; Mark 5: Luke 8
Healed two blind men and a dumb demoniac, Matthew 9
28.
NazarethApparently last visit; unbelief; some miracles, Matthew 13; Mark 6
29.
Galilean tour (third)Twelve sent out in pairs, Matthew 10; Mark 6; Luke 9
Herod's fear of Jesus, Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9
(Tour ends at Capernaum; multitudes greatly aroused.)
30.
Across the Sea, near Bethsaida JuliasTHIRD PASSOVER NIGHDay of teaching; fed 5000; refused crown; night of prayerMatthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; John 6
THIRD YEAR OF MINISTRY
RETIREMENTS AND TRAVELS WITH THE TWELVE (6 months)
31.
On the Sea(in the night) Walked on water; stilled tempest, Matthew 14; Mark 6; John 6
32.
GennesaretMiracles, Matthew 14; Mark 6
33.
CapernaumSermon on the Bread of Life, John 6. Many forsake Him.
Controversy with Pharisees about traditions (washing) Matthew 15; Mark 7
34.
PhoeniciaRetirement with apostles; healed the demonized daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman, Matthew 15; Mark 7
35.
DecapolisHealed deaf stammerer and many others, Matthew 15; Mark 7
Fed 4000 (Considerable public ministry implied) Matthew 15; Mark 8
36.
MagadanPharisees and Sadducees demand sign from heaven, Matthew 16; Mark 8
37.
On the SeaCrossing in boat; warned disciples against influence of popular leaders and parties, Matthew 16; Mark 8
38.
Caesarea PhilippiQuestion of Jesus-' identity; Peter's confession, Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9
First plain prediction of His death, Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9
39.
An exceeding high mountain (Hermon?) Transfiguration, Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9
Healed Demoniac boy, Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9
Further prediction of cross, Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9
40.
CapernaumPeter and the temple tax, Matthew 17
Discussion of who shall be greatest, Matthew 18; Mark 9; Luke 9
The unknown worker of miracles, Mark 9; Luke 9
Discussion of stumbling blocks, mistreatment, forgiveness, Matthew 18; Mark 9
Advice of His unbelieving brethren, John 7
41.
Journey through SamariaSons of Thunder would call down fire, Luke 9
LATER JUDEAN MINISTRY (about 3 months)
42.
JerusalemFEAST OF TABERNACLES: Confused opinions about Him; Attempt to arrest Him; Water of Life, John 7
Sermon on the Light of the world; freedom; Abraham's seed, John 8
Healing the man born blind; controversy, John, 9
The Good Shepherd and the Door of the Sheep, John 10
The seventy sent out; discussion on their return, Luke 10
A lawyer's question; parable of good Samaritan, Luke 10
43.
BethanyJesus and Mary and Martha, Luke 10
44.
Place of PrayerDiscourse on Prayer, Luke 11
45.
Place UnknownControversy about demons and league with Satan, Luke 11
Signs and the judgment of this generation, Luke 11
46.
Pharisee's houseInvited to dinner; Denounced Phariseeism, Luke 11
47.
Before a multitude of many thousandsGreat evangelistic appeals; Luke 12:13
(1)
Warning against hypocrisy & fear of men
(2)
Against covetousness: parable of rich fool
(3)
Against anxiety for worldly needs: trust God
(4)
Urged watchfulness and preparedness for day of account; parables of waiting servants and wise steward
(5)
Christ the burning issue: no neutrality
(6)
Settle with God out of court
(7)
No difference, all must repent
(8)
Parable of fig tree: 3 chances, one more, then cut down.
48.
In a synagogueWoman bowed double; controversy about Sabbath healing, Luke 13
Parables of the kingdom: mustard and leaven, Luke 13
49.
Temple in JerusalemFeast of Dedication; attempts to kill Jesus for blasphemy; Jesus-' claims:the door, the good shepherd, one with God, the Son of God. John 10
LATER PEREAN MINISTRY (about 3 months)
50.
PereaRetirement to place of His baptism, John 10
51.
Cities and villagesJourneys and discussions in Perea: few saved, Herod the fox. Luke 13
52.
Home of a PhariseeOn the Sabbath, healed dropsy and discussion; Conduct at feasts: chief seats, whom to invite; Parable of great feast, slighted invitation, excuses. Luke 14
53.
Before a great multitudeSermon on cost of discipleship. Luke 14
54.
Place unknownParables of lost sheep, coin and son. Luke 15
Parable of the unjust steward, Luke 16
The rich man and Lazarus, Luke 16
Stumbling blocks; forgiveness; unprofitable servants, Luke 17
55.
BethanyRaising of Lazarus, John 11 Rulers in Jerusalem plot to kill Jesus, John 11
56.
Ephraim (city)Tarried with the disciples, John 11
57.
Trip through borders of Samaria, Galilee, and Perea to Jerusalem, Luke 17
Healing ten lepers.
Sermon on the time of the coming of the kingdom.
Teaching on prayer: the unjust judge; Pharisee & Publican, Luke 18
Teaching on divorce (in Perea) Matthew 19; Mark 10
Jesus and the little children, Luke 18; Matthew 19; Mark 10
Rich young ruler; peril of riches; apostles-' reward, Matthew 19; Mark 10; Luke 18
Parable of laborers in the vineyard, Matthew 20
Plain prediction of the crucifixion, Matthew 20; Mark 10; Luke 18
James and John ask chief honors, Matthew 20; Mark 10
58.
JerichoBlind men healed (Bartimaeus), Matthew 20; Mark 10; Luke 18 Zacchaeus, Luke 19
59.
Road to JerusalemParable of the Pounds, Luke 19
LAST WEEK IN JERUSALEM AREA
60.
BethanyReception; Many anoints Jesus, Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 13:3-9; John 12:1-11
61.
JerusalemTriumphal entry (probably Sunday), Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12
62.
BethanyNight's lodging, Matthew 21:17
Next day cursed fig tree on way to Jerusalem, Matthew 21; Mark 11
63.
JerusalemSecond cleansing of the temple (Monday?), Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19
64.
Every evening He went out of the city (to Bethany most likely), Mark 11:19
65.
Jerusalem(Tuesday?) Day of discussions
Question of Jesus-' authority, Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 20
Parable of two sons, Matthew 21
Parable of the vineyard, Matthew 21; Mark 12; Luke 20
Parable of the wedding garment, Matthew 22
Question of tribute to Caesar, Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20
Question of the resurrection, Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20
Question of the greatest commandment, Matthew 22; Mark 12
Question about the Son of David, Matthew 22; Mark 12; Luke 20
Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees, Matthew 23; Mark 12; Luke 20
Widow's mite, Mark 12; Luke 21
Sermon on significance of life and death, John 12
Predictions of end of Jerusalem and of the world; His second coming, Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21
On judgment: ten virgins; talents; judgment scene, Matthew 25
Prediction of Jesus-' death, Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22
(Wednesday?) Judas-' plot to betray Jesus, Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22
FOURTH PASSOVER
Thursday, 1st day of unleavened bread; made ready Passover, Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13
The Upper RoomAfter night (Jewish Friday) Passover meal; feet washed; disciples warned; Judas departed; Lord's supper instituted; farewell discourse with the apostles, Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13:14
Out in the nightParting instructions and predictions: parable of the vine; Holy Spirit promised, John 15:16
Great intercessory prayer, John 17
GethsemaneAgony and prayer; angels come; betrayal and arrest, Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 18
Court RoomsTrials before Annas, Caiaphas, Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod, Pilate: tortures, Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:15; Luke 22:23; John 18
GolgothaCrucifixion and burial (Friday, day of preparation) Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19
FORTY DAYS AFTER THE RESURRECTION
In a garden outside the city(Sunday) The resurrection; appearances to Mary, other women, (Peter 1 Corinthians 15:5) Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20
66.
Trip to EmmausAppearance and teaching to two disciples, Luke 24
67.
Jerusalem(same night) Appearance to the ten, Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20
(8 days later) Appearance to the eleven, John 20; (1 Corinthians 15:5)
68.
GalileeAppearance to seven by the sea, John 21
To the disciples on a mountain; great commission, Matthew 28
To more than 500 brethren, 1 Corinthians 15:6
69.
JerusalemAppearance to James; to the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7; Acts 1),Luke 24
70.
Near BethanyThe ascension, Mark 16; Luke 24; Acts 1.
INTRODUCTION TO MARK
by J. W. McGarvey
1. THE AUTHORSHIP.
If we were to transcribe from our Introduction to the book of Matthew, what we have written on the subject of its authorship, almost every word would be equally appropriate to the book of Mark. There is the same uniformity in the testimony of early writers; the same absence of doubt among both ancient and modern scholars; the same improbability that the authorship could have been attributed in early times to the wrong person, and the same or even greater certainty, that if a fictitious authorship had been assumed for the book by the early Christians, it would have been attributed to some one supposed to have a higher claim to credibility and to the reverence of the disciples. It would certainly have been attributed to some one of the apostles.
2. QUALIFICATIONS OF THE WRITER.
Mark was not an apostle, nor is there any evidence that he was at any time a personal attendant of Jesus. He was not, then, an eye-witness of the scenes, at least of the chief part of the scenes, which he describes. In this respect he was like Luke (Luke 1:2), but unlike Matthew and John. This fact, connected with the circumstance that Mark is nowhere said in express terms, to have been an inspired man, has given prominence to the question, whether he was qualified to write an infallible account of incidents in the life of Jesus. In order to a right judgment on this question, we should consider, first, his natural opportunities for information, and second, the evidences of his inspiration:
1. John Mark was the son of a woman named Mary, who was a prominent disciple in the city of Jerusalem at the time of the death of James and the imprisonment of Peter, and whose dwelling in that city was a well known place of resort for the disciples. All of this appears from the incident recorded in Acts 12:12-17. The house was so well known as a place of resort for the brethren, that when Peter was released from prison by the angel, though it was the dead of night, he at once repaired thither to give notice of his release, and to send word to the surviving James and other leading brethren. Mary was also a sister to Barnabas (Colossians 4:10); which fact would in itself render her somewhat conspicuous; for Barnabas became at a very early period one of the most noted men in the Jerusalem Church. (See Acts 4:36-37; Acts 9:26-27; Acts 11:22-24). The land which Barnabas had owned in the island of Cyprus, and which he sold for the benefit of the poor, points to the probability that his sister Mary, besides owning a residence in Jerusalem, was possessed of other property. The indications are that she was a widow in easy circumstances, full of hospitality, and intimately associated with the apostles and the other leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. Thus it appears that from the very beginning of the Church, if not during the life of Jesus, John Mark enjoyed the company of the apostles in his own home, where their conversations with one another and with inquiring friends, must have perfected that knowledge of Jesus which, in common with the masses of the people, he acquired by listening to their daily discourses in the temple court. Had he been, then, but an ordinary youth, with a disposition to remember facts and to record them, he might have written from what he heard the inspired witnesses relate, an account which would have been fallible only in so far as he used his own words instead of theirs.
But besides these opportunities, Mark spent some years in most intimate association with Paul and Barnabas, laboring as their minister, or assistant (Acts 12:25; Acts 13:5; Acts 15:37-39); at a later period he was associated in a similar way with Peter (1 Peter 5:13); and then again with Paul (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11).
During these associations, Mark must have heard the inspired preachers, in preaching to different communities and different individuals, rehearse many hundreds of times the leading events in the life of Jesus; and he must have been an exceedingly inattentive listener, if these events, in the very language of the apostles, were not indelibly imprinted on his memory. It is impossible, then, for Mark to have enjoyed better natural opportunities than he did, except by having, in addition to these, the opportunity of witnessing for himself the events of which he writes. He could truly have said with Luke: Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having obtained perfect understanding of all from the beginning, to write. (Luke 1:1-4). Those, then, who are disposed to regard the gospel narrative as nothing more than uninspired records, should abate nothing from the credibility of Mark's narrative on the ground of his want of information; for surely no uninspired writer ever had better facilities for informing himself with entire accuracy concerning events of which he had not been an eye-witness.
2. As we have intimated before, there is no express statement in the Scriptures of the fact that Mark was an inspired man; yet there are various facts which force us to the conclusion that he was. In the first place, it was a custom of the apostles to impart spiritual gifts to prominent men in the churches, and especially to their traveling companions and fellow-laborers. Thus Philip, Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, Silas, Judas, and Timothy, enjoyed miraculous gifts (Acts 8:6; Acts 13:1; Acts 15:32; 2 Timothy 1:6) and individuals in the churches in Samaria, Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Galatia, etc. enjoyed similar gifts. (Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:6; 1 Corinthians 1:4-7; Romans 15:14; Galatians 3:5). Now to assume that Mark, who was, at different times, and for many years, a companion and fellow-laborer of two apostles, was overlooked in the distribution of these gifts, would be unwarrantable and even absurd. In the second place, there are evidences that Mark was regarded as especially fitted for labors which were usually performed by men possessed of miraculous gifts. He was chosen by Paul and Barnabas as their assistant on their first tour among the Gentiles (Acts 12:25; Acts 13:5); and although, on their second tour, Paul declined his company, Barnabas still preferred him and separated from Paul rather than separate from Mark. (Mark 15:36-39). At a later period he was sent by Paul on important missions among the churches (Colossians 4:10); and he was sent for by Paul during the last imprisonment of the latter, because he was profitable to him for the ministry. (2 Timothy 4:11). Finally, if a tradition preserved by Papias, who wrote in the first half of the second century, has any foundation in fact, the apostle Peter had some connection with the labors of Mark in preparing his gospel, and it is highly improbable that he would have allowed him to undertake such a work without imparting to him the Holy Spirit if he were not already endowed with the requisite gifts. The words of Papias as quoted by Eusebius, are these: This also the elder (John) said: Mark, being the interpreter of Peter, wrote down exactly whatever things he remembered, but yet not in the order in which Christ either spoke or did them; for he was neither a hearer nor a follower of the Lord'S, but was afterward, as I (Papias) said, a follower of Peter, See Smith's Dictionary, Art. Mark; and on the value of this and some similar traditional statements see Alford's Introduction to Mark, Section II.
From these considerations we think there can be no reasonable doubt, that in addition to Mark's free and long continued access to original and infallible sources of information, he enjoyed such direct aid from the Holy Spirit as must have guarded him absolutely against errors of every kind in the composition of his narrative.
3. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NARRATIVE.
Mark's narrative is distinguished from Matthew'S, which it resembles more than it does either Luke's or John'S, by several striking peculiarities, of which we mention the following:
1. While Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus, intended to show that he was a son of Abraham through David, and follows this with a brief account of his childhood, Mark, omitting all the ground covered by the first two Chapter s of Matthew, announces Jesus at once as the Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1), hurriedly touches the ministry of John and the temptation of Jesus, and enters on his main theme with the commencement of the ministry in Galilee. He also omits other passages of the history which Matthew treats at considerable length, such as the sermon on the Mount, the denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees found in the 23rd chapter of Matthew, and the prophetic discourse found in the 25th chapter.
2. In his treatment of the material which is common to himself and Matthew, he is, on the whole, more brief, but at times is much more elaborate; and his arrangement of the matter is often widely different.
For an illustration of the difference in arrangement, we refer the reader to the note headed Difference from Matthew, at the end of chapter first. His more elaborate treatment of some passages results from his peculiar treatment of the argument from miracles. While Matthew mentions a large number, Mark selects those which are the more striking, and describes them with greater minuteness.
3. Throughout the portions in which the matter of the two narratives is the same, there is constantly occurring an identity of thought accompanied by variety of expression, and especially by a more graphic style, showing clearly that Mark is an independent writer even in those passages which have been erroneously regarded as extracts from Matthew.
4. Another peculiarity is that of selecting from a group of persons acting in a given scene, or from a group of miracles wrought on a given occasion, a single one which is described particularly, while nothing at all is said of the others.
All of these peculiarities combine to prove what is now almost universally believed by critics, that neither is Mark's narrative an abridgement, as some have thought, of Matthew's and Luke'S; nor are theirs, as others have thought, expansions of Mark'S. Each evidently wrote without having seen the manuscript of either of the other two.
4. APPARENT DISCREPANCIES.
In many passages in which Mark treats of matter common to himself and the other historians there are various appearances of discrepancy, which have been regarded by some as irreconcilable contradictions. Each of these which is regarded as worthy of notice at all, has been treated in the body of this text, and we think it is there made to appear that in none of them is there a real contradiction. We allude to them here because of the argument which has been based on them to disprove the plenary inspiration of the writers.
It has been argued, that if the Holy Spirit guided the inspired writers not only in the thoughts which they should express, but also in their choice of words, there would be none of these appearances of discrepancy, but the same thought would always be expressed in about the same words, Indeed, it is argued that on this supposition we ought to find a uniform style pervading the writings of all the inspired men, seeing that it was not they but the Holy Spirit who spoke and wrote. But all such reasoning is fallacious in two particulars: first, in assuming that the Holy Spirit either would not or could not vary his style to suit the peculiar mental organization of each writer; and second, in assuming that there is not a style common to all the writers of Sacred History. Both of these assumptions are illogical, and the latter is contradicted by facts. There are characteristics of style common to all the historical writers of both the Old Testament and the New, which distinguish them from all uninspired historians, and which mark their style as that of the Holy Spirit, We can not here elaborate this proposition, but we mention first, the purely dramatic form in which they depict the characters of men, allowing them to act their respective parts without a word of comment, without an expression by the historian, of approbation or disapprobation, and utterly without those attempts at analysis of character which all other historians have found indispensable. Second, the unexampled impartiality with which they record facts, speaking with as little reserve concerning the sins and follies of their own friends, as of the most cruel deeds of their enemiesas freely, for example, of Peter's denial, as of the high-priest's malice and cruelty. Third, the imperturbable calmness, the utter freedom from passion, with which they move along the current of history, relating with as little apparent feeling the most wonderful and exciting events as those the most trivial. The final sufferings of Jesus, for example, are described with as much calmness, as the fact of his taking a seat on Peter's fishing boat to address the people. This characteristic of the inspired historians has been noticed by every appreciative reader of the sacred volume, and fixes the primary authorship unmistakably in Him,
Who sees with equal eye, as God of all,
A hero perish, or a sparrow fall;
Atoms or systems into ruin hurled,
And now a bubble burst, and now a world.
As it was desirable that the Bible should touch every cord in every human soul, it was needful that the presentation of truth should be characterized by very great diversities of style. While preserving, then, as it does, those characteristics which mark it as divine, God has wisely chosen, in order to secure the needed variety, that its various parts should be written by men of great diversity of mental peculiarities, and that each of these should leave the impress of his own style of thought and expression on his composition. As the light which starts from the sun in passing through a cathedral window takes on the many hues of the stained glass, allowing each pane to impart its own particular hue, and spreads them all in delightful harmony on the objects within, so the truth that came down from heaven was allowed to pass through the minds of many men ere it reached the written page, bearing with it the impress of each without being changed from truth to error. In this way alone can all of the peculiarities of this book of books be accounted for.
5. FOR WHAT READERS INTENDED.
We think that there are no conclusive evidences that Mark intended his narrative for any special class of readers. From his omission of the genealogy of Jesus, and of all references to the prophecies fulfilled in the career of Jesus, it is inferred that he did not, like Matthew, write especially for Jewish readers; but the evidences commonly relied on as proof that he wrote especially for Gentiles, are, we think, inconclusive. True, he translates into Greek, some Hebrew or Aramaic terms which he employs, but Matthew does the same almost as often, and the only apparent reason why Mark does so more frequently is because he introduces two words more which need translation than does Matthew. (Comp. Mark 5:41; Mark 5:11; Mark 5:34; Mark 15:22; Mark 15:34 with Matthew 1:23; Mt. 17:33, Mt. 17:46). In neither writer, however, should this be regarded as an adaptation to Gentile readers; for they were writing in the Greek language, and it is but compliance with an ordinary rule of composition, that foreign terms introduced are accompanied by a translation. Moreover, Jews as well as Gentiles, in that age, seldom read any other language than the Greek. The argument in favor of the proposition that Mark wrote especially for Gentile readers, depends, when fairly stated, on nothing more than the fact that in one instance (Mark 7:3-4) he explains a custom which Jews, at least those who resided in Palestine, well understood. But this only shows that he was not unmindful of his Gentile readers, not that he wrote with especial reference to them. I conclude that while Matthew wrote especially for Jews, and Luke especially for the Gentiles, Mark, whose evangelical labors had been divided between the two classes, wrote without especial reference to either, but with both classes constantly before his mind.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST (FROM ANDREWS)
Annunciation to Zacharias
October
6 B.C.
Annunciation to Mary
April
5 B.C.
Mary visits Elizabeth, and remains three months
April-June
5 B.C.
Birth of John the Baptist
June
5 B.C.
Jesus Born at Bethlehem
December
5 B.C.
The Angel and the shepherds
December
5 B.C.
Presentation of Jesus
February
4 B.C.
Coming of the Magi
February
4 B.C.
Flight of Jesus into Egypt
February
4 B.C.
Return to Nazareth and sojourn there
May
4 B.C.
Jesus, at twelve years of age, attends the Passover
April
8 A.D.
John the Baptist begins his labors
Summer
26 A.D.
Baptism of Jesus
January
27 A.D.
Jesus tempted in the Wilderness
January-
Deputation of priests and Levites to the Baptist
February
27 A.D.
Jesus Returns to Galilee
February
27 A.D.
Wedding at Cana of Galilee
February
27 A.D.
First Passover of Jesus-' ministry; cleansing of Temple
April
27 A.D.
Jesus begins to baptize (by his disciples)
May
27 A.D.
Jesus departs into Galilee, through Samaria
December
27 A.D.
A few weeks spent by Jesus in retirement
January-
The Baptist Imprisoned
April
28 A.D.
The second Passover; healing of impotent man
March
28 A.D.
Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee
April
28 A.D.
Calling of the four disciples and healing at Capernaum
April-May
28 A.D.
First circuit in Galilee; healing of the leper
May
28 A.D.
Return to Capernaum, and healing of the paralytic
Summer
28 A.D.
Plucking the corn, and healing the man with the withered hand
Summer
28 A.D.
Choice of Apostles, and Sermon on the Mount
Summer
28 A.D.
Healing of centurion's servant at Capernaum
Summer
28 A.D.
Journey to Nain, and raising of the widow's son
Autumn
28 A.D.
Message to Jesus of the Baptist
Autumn
28 A.D.
Jesus anointed by the woman, a sinner
Autumn
28 A.D.
Healing at Capernaum of the blind and dumb possessed; charge of the Pharisees that he cast out devils by Beelzebub
Autumn
28 A.D.
Teaching in Parables, and stilling of the tempest
Healing of demoniacs in Gergesa, and return to Capernaum
Autumn
28 A.D.
Matthew's Feast; healing of woman with issue of blood, and raising of Jairus-' daughter.
Healing of two blind men, and a dumb possessed; Pharisees blaspheme
Autumn
28 A.D.
Second visit to Nazareth; sending of the twelve
Winter
29 A.D.
Death of the Baptist; Jesus returns to Capernaum
Winter
29 A.D.
Crossing of the Sea, and feeding of the five thousand; return to Capernaum
Spring
29 A.D.
Discourse at Capernaum respecting the bread of life
April
29 A.D.
Jesus visits the coasts of Tyre and Sidon: heals the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman; visits the region of Decapolis; heals one with an impediment in his speech; feeds the 4,000
Summer
29 A.D.
Jesus returns to Capernaum; is tempted by the Pharisees; reproves their hypocrisy; again crosses the sea; heals blind man at Bethsaida
Summer
29 A.D.
Peter's confession that he is the Christ; the transfiguration
Summer
29 A.D.
Healing of lunatic child
Summer
29 A.D.
Jesus journeys through Galilee, teaching the disciples; at Capernaum pays the tribute money; goes up to the feast of tabernacles
Autumn
29 A.D.
He teaches in the temple; efforts to arrest him
October
29 A.D.
An adulteress is brought before him; attempt to stone him; healing of a man blind from birth; return to Galilee
October
29 A.D.
Final departure from Galilee; is rejected at Samaria; sending of the seventy
November
29 A.D.
Jesus is attended by great multitudes; parable of the good Samaritan
November
29 A.D.
Healing of a dumb possessed man; renewed blasphemy of the Pharisees; dining with a Pharisee, Jesus rebukes hypocrisy; parable of the rich fool
November
29 A.D.
Jesus is told of the murder of the Galileans by Pilate; parable of the fig tree; healing of a woman eighteen years sick
December
29 A.D.
Feast of Dedication; visit to Mary and Martha; the Jews at Jerusalem attempt to stone him; he goes beyond Jordan
December
29 A.D.
Jesus dines with a Pharisee, and heals a man with dropsy; parables of the great supper, of the lost sheep, of the lost piece of silver, of the unjust steward, of the rich man and Lazarus
December
29 A.D.
Resurrection of Lazarus; counsel of the Jews to put him to death; he retires to Ephraim
December
29 A.D.
Sojourn in Ephraim till passover at hand; journeys on the border of Samaria and Galilee; healing of ten lepers; parables of the unjust judge, and of Pharisee and publican; teaching respecting divorce; blessing of children; the young ruler, and parable of laborers in the vineyard
January-February
30 A.D.
Jesus again announces his death; ambition of James and John
March
30 A.D.
Healing of blind men at Jericho; Zaccheus; parable of the pounds; departure to Bethany
March
30 A.D.
Supper at Bethany and anointing of Jesus by Mary
Saturday April 1
30 A.D.
Entry into Jerusalem; visit to the temple and return to Bethany
Sunday, April 2
30 A.D.
Cursing of the fig-tree; second purification of the temple; return to Bethany
Monday, April 3
30 A.D.
Teaching in the temple; parables of the two sons; of the wicked husbandmen; of the king's son; attempts of his enemies to entangle him; the poor widow; the Greeks who desire to see him; a voice from heaven; departure from the temple to the Mount of Olives; discourse respecting the end of the world; return to Bethany; agreement of Judas with the priests to betray him
Tuesday, April 4
30 A.D.
Jesus seeks retirement at Bethany
Wednesday,
Sending of Peter and John to prepare the paschal supper
Thursday,
Events at paschal supper
Thursday
After supper Jesus foretells the denial of Peter, speaks of the coming of the Comforter, and ends with prayer
evening April 6 Thursday evening
30 A.D.
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Thursday evening
Jesus is given into the hands of Judas
Thursday midnight
Jesus is led to the house of Annas, and thence to the palace of Caiaphas; is condemned for blasphemy
Friday 1-5 A.M. Friday
Mockeries of his enemies; he is brought the second time before the council, and thence taken before Pilate
5-6 A.M. Friday 6-9 A.M.
Charge of sedition; Pilate attempts to release him, but is forced to scourge him, and give him up to be crucified
Friday 9-12 A.M.
Jesus is crucified at Golgotha
Friday
Upon the cross is reviled by his enemies; commends his mother to John; darkness covers the land; he dies; the earth shakes, and rocks are rent
12 P.M. 3 P.M. Friday 3-6 P.M.
His body taken down and given to Joseph, and laid in his sepulchre
Friday 3-6 P.M.
Resurrection of Jesus, and appearance to Mary Magdalene
Sunday A.M. April 9
30 A.D.
Appearance to the two disciples at Emmaus; to Peter and to the eleven at Jerusalem
Sunday P.M.
Appearance to the apostles and Thomas
Appearance to seven disciples at Sea of Tiberias, and to 500 at mountain in Galilee
April-May
30 A.D.
Final appearance to the disciples at Jerusalem, and ascension to heaven
ThursdayMay 18
30 A.D.
SPECIAL STUDIES
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
Proclaim the good News! Tell the facts! Carry the message to all the world! Jesus has risen from the dead! This was the apostles-' assignment; and to it they applied themselves as men possessed of a magnificent obsession. They knew by tremendous and triumphant experience the reality of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Under the teaching of Jesus during his resurrection appearances, the apostles began to see the significance of these facts in the plan of God for all men. They began to feel the transforming power of this great manifestation of God's might and mercy. They felt the obligation to carry out Jesus-' urgently repeated command to tell everybody these facts by which men are brought to salvation and new life and without which men have neither hope nor light in a world of darkness and death.
Far too much, we take it for granted that men do know these facts when in reality they do not. Many, many people have heard something about the resurrection of Jesus. But they think of it as a religious doctrine which some men believe. They do not actually know it as a fact. We must proclaim the resurrection of Jesus not as part of a philosophical ideal, nor as our opinion or a corollary of hopeful dreams for the future, but as certainty of what God has done in the past. Jesus has commanded us to make it known to the whole creation. For by this knowledge men are saved through believing and obeying the risen Lord.
THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST AND HIS RESURRECTION
Christianity is Christ! It is confidence in Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God, having all authority and absolute trustworthiness. Christianity becomes a matter of doctrines and practices simply because Jesus taught and commanded. Its doctrines are His teachings; and its practices are obedience to His commands.
Our Christian faith is faith in Christ and the divine revelation of which He is the source and center. It certainly is not a philosophy or a system of reasonings about realms beyond our experience. It is following Him wherever He leads and trusting Him for all our needs. The whole validity of Christianity and of the Bible depends upon who Jesus isupon His personal merit and power.
Because He put His stamp of approval upon the Old Testament, and said that it could not be broken (John 10:35) and that none of it shall pass away until all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:44), therefore we believe that the Old Testament scriptures are inspired, authoritative and divinely dependable. Because Jesus promised to give to the apostles the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth as well as to remember all that He taught them (John 14:26; John 16:12-14), we believe that the New Testament scriptures are inspired of God and possessed of divine accuracy and authority.
The evidence that Jesus is the Son of God is shown:
1.
in many O.T. Prophecies (e.g. Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2-4; Psalms 110:1; Psalms 45:6-7; etc.)
2.
in His supernatural birth;
3.
in the direct testimony of angels (Luke 1:30-35);
4.
in the witness of John the Baptist (John 1:33-34);
5.
in the confession of demons (Mark 5:6-7);
6.
in the testimony of the voice of God at His baptism and on the Mount (Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 17:5);
7.
in Jesus-' sinless life, in which all His deeds and motives were of God;
8.
in His superhuman wisdom and insight into the nature and needs of men;
9.
in His miraculous works, showing both the power and the merciful character of God;
10.
in His persistent and positive claims to be one with God (See Matthew 11:27; Matthew 28:18; Mark 2:10; Luke 22:69-71; John 8:58; John 10:30; John 14:6-11; etc.).
But the death and resurrection of Jesus are the facts that reveal most clearly and conclusively His person and character, as well as His purpose and His ministry to us.
In the New Testament the resurrection is made the chief evidence upon which faith in Christ is to be based. It is the fitting climax of every account of His life. The key-note of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost was: This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses (Acts 2:24-32). With great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Acts 4:33). It was the major item of testimony in all their preaching (See Acts 3:15; Acts 4:2; Acts 5:31-32; Acts 10:41-42; Acts 13:30-37; Acts 17:31-32; Acts 26:8; Acts 26:23; Romans 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:1-18). It is continually emphasized in the epistles as the basis of our faith and hope, and as a motive to holy living (See Romans 6:4-11; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 2:12; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Peter 1:3-7; Hebrews 13:20-21).
Jesus Himself often predicted His own resurrection and considered it the greatest sign of His authority and truthfulness (See Matthew 12:38-40; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:9; Matthew 17:23; Matthew 20:19; John 2:19-21; John 10:17-18). His enemies noticed His predictions of His resurrection and even the time that He set for it (See Matthew 27:63). In their blindness they tried to stop the power of God with military might and the authority of a Roman seal. They only provided circumstances that contributed to the proof of the resurrection.
The guard they placed to watch the tomb stands guard today against false objections and foolish doubts that would try to explain away the empty tomb.
Many people who are misled by scientific talk of unvarying uniformity in nature, and who therefore doubt miracles, speak in glowing praise of Jesus-' teachings. But they overlook the fact that Jesus-' teaching was much more than a set of rules for conduct. He taught much about the life to come and insisted that faith in Him is the only way to life. He taught men to put their trust in Him because of His works which demonstrated that the power of God was with Him. He emphasized the importance of the resurrection as the sign of His authority and dependability. There is no honest or intelligent way to separate something called Jesus-' Teachings from His words recorded in the New Testament which emphasize repeatedly the supreme importance of every man's definite commitment of self to Him by faith and obedience to His authority (See Matthew 7:21-27; Matthew 10:32-38; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 12:30-42; Matthew 16:15-28; Matthew 21:37-45; Matthew 22:41-46; Matthew 26:63-64; Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:36as properly translated in most versions: He who doth not obey Mark 5:22-29; Mark 6:29, Mark 6:53-56; Mark 8:24; Mark 10:24-30; Mark 12:46-48).
Confession of Christ and belief in the resurrection go together to obtain salvation: Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and thou shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Romans 10:9). Denying the resurrection of Christ is the same as denying His authority and power to save: If Christ hath not been raised, your faith is in vain; ye are yet in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).
DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION
The resurrection of Jesus is not a matter of hope for what will happen, or a faith in what should happen, but knowledge of what did happen. It is not a compelling feeling, or reasonable philosophy, but it is a fact. If the events of the past recorded as history can be known, then we know that Jesus arose from the dead.
The chief proof of the resurrection is Testimony. The testimony for Jesus-' resurrection is the kind that all experience proves to be reliablethe kind that is acceptable to establish the truth in any court or in any matter of history.
The witnesses are sufficient in numbereleven apostles, five or six women (at least), some other disciples, James, Paul, and more than five hundred at one time. These saw Jesus alive after His death again and-' again, singly and in groups, indoors and outdoors, by day and by night. All were brought to one conviction. Their united, active witnessing and their convincing testimony produced thousands of believers within a few days in the very city where it happened, less than two months after Jesus was in the tomb. The testimony of some of them and the experience of all of them is recorded by at least six writers in different accounts that show all the variations of independent testimonies and all the harmony of truth.
The witnesses were competentmen of intelligence (read their classic writings); of mental balance before and after; well prepared by long and intimate acquaintance with Jesus; of a mental attitude requiring proof; having personal interest in knowing the certainty of these things. They, at least the leading ones, repeatedly saw the risen Christ and listened to extensive teaching from Him, walked and talked with Him, touched Him, and saw Him eat in their presence, discussed His death and resurrection and plans for the future.
To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). They even saw Him ascend into heaven. There was no mistaking His identity.
They told of such detailed experience with Him. The circumstantial details of their accounts show that they were not trying to tell of an inner conviction but of real physical experiences. This destroys the supposition that they could have been honestly mistaken. If Jesus did not actually arise and appear as they said, then they knew their testimony was false.
But they were honest men. They had been trained in righteousness, in both reverent fear and loving devotion toward the God of truth. Their lives show no tendency to dishonesty. Their teachings and their examples have had the greatest power in the world to make other men honest. They had nothing to gain by spreading a false report; but rather suffered much affliction and even death for their witnessing. Some men might die for what they believed and be mistaken. No such group of men will devote years of life and accept death for what they know to be false. But these apostles lived and died for what they knew to be true; if it had been false they most surely would have known that it was.
But there was other testimony, of unusual quality and force, to support the testimony of the eye-witnesses. The prophecies of the Old Testament testify of the coming of this unique event in the life of the promised Messiah (Psalms 16:10; Isaiah 53:10-12). As we have noted above, Jesus Himself predicted it, and it cannot be destroyed without destroying His integrity.
The testimony of the New Testament has been subjected to centuries of unfriendly criticism and scrutiny. Many objections have been made to various details; but no one has been able to deny that the apostles and the early church honestly and firmly believed that Jesus arose bodily from the grave. And no one has ever given a satisfactory explanation of how this firm and persistent belief could have arisen without the reality of the resurrection. Surely no one can deny that the church came into existence and Christianity became a force in the world, beginning with and growing because of the firm conviction and the convincing testimony of the resurrection.
The resurrection is confirmed by the Holy Spirit, who came upon the apostles as Jesus had promised (Luke 24:49; John 15:26; John 16:7-14; Acts 1:5; Acts 1:8), and who bore witness with them concerning the resurrection (Acts 2:33; Acts 5:32).
The testimony is confirmed by perpetual observances which are based upon the fact of the resurrection. The form of baptism pictures both Christ's burial and resurrection, and their significance in our lives. The practice of worship on the first day of the week instead of the seventh, and that in a church which was at first Jewish, explicitly and pointedly commemorates both the resurrection of Jesus and its importance in their sight.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a fact made known to us by such an array of testimony and effects that it is more than what is usually called faith. Conviction based on testimony of facts frequently reaches the point at which it is called knowledge; for we speak of knowing many things that happened in the past which are made known to us through testimony and effects. The resurrection of Jesus is a matter of knowledge as much as any other fact in history is a matter of knowledge. At least, it is surely clear that to the eleven apostles the resurrection was not merely a belief, but knowledge of the greatest possible certainty. To us it is not only a part of the doctrine of Christ; but a proof of the authority of all His doctrinenot so much a belief, but a firm basis for faith in Him and hope of that which He has promised.
CONSIDER WHO IT WAS THAT AROSE!
The resurrection of Jesus was not merely an unexplained appearance of some unknown or ordinary man from the grave. His resurrection was in perfect harmony with His manner of life, His unique birth, His unparalleled works, His distinctive death, and with the prophecies that prepared the way for Him. The resurrection of Jesus is made both more readily believable and much more meaningful when we consider the following facts:
1. He fulfilled the promises and predictions of the prophets; His resurrection is a victory for revealed truth.
2. He is the One who lived in perfect righteousness; He arose as victor over great powers of wickedness.
3. He was the One who had raised others and promised to raise all men; His resurrection gives assurance that He still gives life to whom He will.
4. He is the One who predicted His own resurrection and claimed to speak the truth; it is proof that His words are infallibly true and all His claims are valid.
5. His death was declared to be an offering for our sins (Matthew 20:28; Matthew 26:28). His resurrection is our own victory over sin and death if we join our lives with His. His rising proves that His death was adequate and acceptable for our redemption.
6. He is the One who said that all judgment was given unto Him and who read men's hearts with unerring accuracy. His resurrection is positive proof that we all shall stand before Him to be confessed by Him or to be condemned by Him.
We might be interested in what Lazarus would tell of his experience in four days of death and in living again, but we could not have much assurance that Lazarus could deliver the rest of us from death and all its terrors. We should indeed be students of everything Jesus has to say; for He is the author of a divine covenant by which we all may have eternal life, and He is the judge to whom we all must give account.
We can be sure that Jesus is the Lord of life and death. Let us serve Him with glad assurance that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Let every man acknowledge Him as Lordadmit who He is, submit to His commands and the control of His Spirit, and joyfully commit to His keeping all that we are or hope to be.
We must either acknowledge and serve Him as our Lord here on earth, or confess Him as Lord hereafter to our everlasting shame and condemnation (Philippians 2:9-11).
WHAT THE KINGDOM IS LIKE
The chief emphasis in the preaching of John the Baptist was that the kingdom of God was close at hand and men should prepare to meet the King (Matthew 3:2-12). Then Jesus and His disciples went throughout the land teaching as if the chief aim in anyone's life was to enter into the kingdom (See John 3:3; John 3:5; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:10; Matthew 5:20; Matthew 6:10; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:21; Luke 4:43; Luke 7:28; Luke 8:1).
Jesus had preached in Judea about eight months (until He was leading more to baptism than John wasJohn 4:1-3). After that, He had preached in Galilee at least eight months or more. About half of His entire ministry was past. Many miracles had been wrought. Great throngs of people were following Him, so that He had not time to eat and sleep, Some of the Pharisees were trying desperately to combat His popular influence. His family sought to take Him home for a rest. That was the time when Jesus taught the sermon all in parables about the kingdom (just before He left on a boat trip during which He was so tired that He slept right through a terrible storm).
The people were excited about the kingdom message, but they did not understand it. The Jews expected a kingdom of military power and material wealth. They were not listening well to Jesus-' teaching about true religion and obedience to God. When Jesus taught them about the kingdom of God, they did not understand or even realize that He was talking about it. They thought of the kingdom as a form of national power, a relationship between their own nation and other nations. But Jesus thought of it as a relationship between each individual and God. They thought of it as the possession of material security and power to rule over others; but He spoke of it as the possession of God's word and as submission to God's rule over one's own life.
To help them overcome their habitual, mistaken ideas of the promised kingdom and to show how near it was to each of them, Jesus told these simple illustrations, which were called in Greek, parables. Jesus is famous for His parables on various subjects. Some notable ones had been told before the time recorded in Matthew 13. But on this occasion He spoke nothing but parables! An immense crowd was gathered on the shore of Galilee, so that Jesus got into a boat in order to speak to them all. He taught many things in parables, perhaps more than are recorded in the combined accounts of Matthew 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-34; and Luke 8:4-18. But all that are recorded are comparisons to describe and identify the kingdom. Instead of defining or explaining the kingdom in abstract terms, Jesus pictured it in concrete comparisons. They were pictures to show the characteristics of the kingdom which the Jews had not seen or had never expected it to have.
Jesus was asked by His disciples why He spoke only in parables to this crowd. He said it was because the crowd did not know the secrets which He had been revealing about the kingdom, as the apostles knew them. The mysteries of the kingdom meant simply the things about it that were revealed and which could not be known unless they were learned by revelation. Jesus had been revealing them in His teaching, but the people did not give as much attention or have as much faith as the apostles did, and their old mistaken notions were very much in the way. Even in this sermon, if He spoke in plain terms about the kingdom without parables, they would not perceive what He meant.
No doubt the picture stories which He used left many of the people wondering and unconvinced; but they also left them with some clear and easily remembered pictures to refer to frequently until their minds were able to accept the truths of the kingdom to which they pointed.
We are helped in understanding the parables by the explanations which Jesus gave of two of the most complex ones to His disciples that very day. His interpretations of the soils and the tares give us a guide to the meaning of all the parables. The interpretation is also helped by the fact that two or more parables point to the same feature of the kingdom. Two or three illustrations of the same thing make one more sure of the point of each illustration.
LIKE THE PRODUCT OF SEED GROWING IN SOIL
The first parable shows that the kingdom is like the results obtained when seed is sown on various kinds of soil. In explaining this one, Jesus said, The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11).
Some hearers of the word are like the soil of the beaten path, not receptive to the word, and Satan takes it away from their consciousness, as birds eat the seed off the roadway.
A second class of hearers is like the thin soil over a slab of rock. The word gets from them an immediate response. They make a good start in letting the word of God live in them. But when trials and hardships come because of the word, their citizenship in the kingdom immediately withers away. They are not the stable kind of people who endure steadfast in what they know is right, but are like plants without roots deep enough to endure when the sun is hot.
A third kind of hearer includes those who have too much else occupying their minds and affections. They are like good soil with the seeds or roots of thorns in it. The word is received, but the cares of this world and the enticements of riches soon outgrow the desire to do God's will. The Lord's control is choked out by other controlling interests as wheat is choked out by Johnson grass.
The fourth class of hearers is like the good soil that bears much fruit. They hear the word of the Lord, understand it, and hold it fast in a good and honest heart (See Luke 8:15), hence they bring forth the fruit of living faithfully according to the will of God.
Another short parable, which is recorded only in Mark 4:26-29, says that the kingdom is like the growing of seed in the ground. The sower, having sown the seed does no more work on it, and does not know how it grows. But the earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear (or head of wheat), then the full grain in the ear. So the kingdom does not come like a finished product delivered from the factory, or like ruling power is seized in a revolution, but it grows by the effect of God's word in each person's mind and heart.
LIKE WHEAT IN A FIELD WITH WEEDS
Again (in Matthew 13:24-30) the kingdom is pictured as good seed growing in a field, but an enemy has sown tares (weeds that look like wheat) in the same field. Some servants suggest pulling out the weeds. But the owner said that wheat might be pulled up with them, therefore both would be allowed to grow together until the harvest, when they would be separated and the weeds would be burned.
Jesus explained this parable, being asked by His disciples, so we do not have to guess at its meaning. The field is the world. The good seed, or the plants that grow from it, represent the people of His kingdom, planted in the world by Christ. The devil is the enemy that sowed the tares, which are the people who serve the devil. Jesus did not say who the servants were that suggested pulling the weeds; perhaps they might be men who propose to serve God by killing off wicked men. But in the harvest, which comes at the end of this age, the reapers will be the angels, who will gather all the wicked to be burned. Notice that He said they will be gathered out of His kingdom! He had said before that the field is the world and the plants from the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. Either this views the whole world as the realm of His rule, potentially His kingdom, or the angels are to gather some wicked ones from among those who were the kingdom.
Then the righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, when the kingdom apparently will be free from all offenses and evils.
LIKE A NET FULL OF FISH, GOOD AND BAD
Another parable pairs with the one about the tares to picture the fact that some unacceptable persons are to be sorted out of the kingdom at the end of the age. In this one the kingdom is compared to a dragnet gathering all kinds of fish. It is brought to shore, and the bad ones are thrown out, which represents the work of angels at the end of this age, separating the wicked from the just and casting then into fire (Matthew 13:49-50).
The parables reviewed thus far show that the kingdom is not national and material, but spiritual and individual; also that it is not all glory and success, but some people start in it and fail, some are cast out at last, and others are unaffected by it though in contact with it. These comparisons indicate that the kingdom is not a time when the Lord forces His rule upon all, but those who accept His word yield to His rule and are the kingdom while they live on this earth in the midst of the ungodly.
LIKE THE BEST KIND OF GROWERS
Jesus said the kingdom is like a seed of mustard and like leaven. Both of these picture its growth. The mustard seed, though very small, produces a large plant, sometimes fifteen feet high, in one year. The leaven may not look like much alive and may be only a little bit hidden in a large batch of meal, but quietly and unnoticed it multiplies itself. Thus Jesus-' kingdom, beginning with twelve humble men (or even 120, or 500) looked insignificant, but by a spiritual vitality put into it by the Lord it had power to grow and encompass the earth.
The parables were not intended to be prophecies, but illustrations. The parable of the leaven represents the growth of the kingdom without noise or show, by transfer of transforming faith from one person to another; it probably does not predict the complete transformation of the world by the growth of the church or (as some say who consider leaven always a symbol of evil) the complete corruption of the church by evil growing in it. There are predictive elements in Matthew 13:41-43; Matthew 13:49-50, but these are subordinate parts of comparisons which describe the nature of the kingdom in pictures rather than telling the high points of its history in predictions.
LIKE THE MOST PRECIOUS THING KNOWN
Two other parables picture the kingdom as having greater value than everything else combined that any man can have.
It is like a treasure lying hidden in a field. Whoever finds it will joyfully sell all he has to buy that field.
It is like one priceless pearl so precious that the owner of a great collection of prize gems will give all that he has to buy it.
Whether to the poor laborer, working in another man's field, or to the rich merchant admiring his collection of jewels, to everyone the kingdom of God is the opportunity of a lifetime. Perhaps by this we should test the reality of our faith in Christ's words:Are we eager to sell all else to have Him rule in our lives? And how great is our joy at the opportunity to make the transaction?
TREASURES OF THE KINGDOM
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)
Of all the precious things that the thoughtless crowd casts aside or ignores as valueless, none is so greatly and so generally underestimated as the kingdom of Christ. Not only the majority of Americans, who take no active part in any church, prefer a mess of pottage to their birthright in Christ; but a large percentage of church members cannot tell what Christ means to them. Indeed their lives testify that He means less to them than many mundane things. How does it go in your personal market? Are you selling everything else to buy Him? And(don-'t answer out loud)how great is your joy at the opportunity to make the transaction?
Jesus told two parables to emphasize the fact that whether to the poor laborer, working another man's field, or to the rich merchant, admiring his great collection of prize gems, to everyone the kingdom of heaven is the opportunity of a lifetimeliterally! No man has so many worthy attainments and personal powers, such great wealth, such varied and important interests that he should regret losing every one of them to be a humble disciple of Jesus. It is easier for the poor and oppressed to realize that in coming to Christ they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The rich and self-righteous, the proud and powerful are very hard to bring to that realization. Even when they see value in Christ their hearts are often joined to their idols. How hard it is for them that trust in riches (Mark 10:24) How can you believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that cometh from the only God ye seek not (John 5:44). Those who are wise in their own conceits have these things hid from them (Matthew 11:25). Compare 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Still it is true that any man giving up all to have Christ has nothing to lose and everything to gain!
In Philippians 3:4-14 Paul tells of his own experience as a merchant seeking goodly pearls. Compared with others he had made a good showing of things gained outside of Christ, but he counted them all loss to gain Christ. He actually suffered the loss of all things but counted them mere rubbish compared with the excellency of Christ.
LET'S TAKE AN INVENTORY
What are the treasures that the Saviour sets above the sum of all that the best-favored life can assemble? What is the preciousness that so satisfies the great apostle and makes all his former attainments as rubbish? It is evident that many of us do not value the kingdom as Jesus and Paul did. Surely we have not known what riches abound there. Jesus spoke as if any man in his right mind would joyously part with everything he had to get that supreme treasure as soon as he saw it. Paul and many others did just that. But today people are putting off accepting Christ, and are afraid to part with anything to gain Him.
What makes Christianity precious? One thingit cost an infinite price: time and sacrifices, life and blood, heartaches and struggles of men and God. Nothing else in history compares with it. Another thingit is rare, the only thing of its kind and nothing else approaches it or can substitute for it. But Jesus was thinking of its value to us for what we may find in it and receive from it.
It is possible to expect the wrong thing and, being disappointed, to turn away and lose all. The crowd that Jesus fed miraculously tried to turn His beneficent powers to political and material purposes. They would take Him by force and make Him their king to satisfy their own ambitions and desires, but Jesus would not consent. (John 6:15). Then Jesus, the following day, rebuked them for seeking the bread that perishes and tried to give them the Bread of Everlasting Life, but they had expected the wrong thing and when they found it not they forsook Him (John 6:26-66). Paul writes of those, corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, supposing that godliness is a way of gain (1 Timothy 6:5). So do not follow those false prophets abroad today who promise all the material things you want if you buy their religio-psychology course. But Paul did go on to say: But godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; but having food and covering we shall be therewith content (1 Timothy 6:6-8). In the same letter he said: Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is and of that which is to come (1 Timothy 4:8).
FOR THE LIFE THAT NOW IS:
(Note: Do read the scriptures cited. Look into the catalogue of the products of God's love with at least as much interest as you look at Montgomery Ward's catalogue of products of American industry. This is merely an index held to a minimum of space.) We should expect and find:
1.
Justification, the burden of sin removed, conscience relieved (Romans 8:1; Romans 8:33-34; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:19-23)
2.
The burdens we bear (e.g., responsibility) lightened by love and by the strengthening the Lord gives (Philippians 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:17; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
3.
A sure and steadfast hope (Hebrews 6:17-20).
4.
Peace (Romans 5:1; John 14:27; Philippians 4:9), freedom from anxiety, fear and despair (Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:33).
5.
Self-mastery, Christ dwelling in us (Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 3:14-19; James 1:2-4; Galatians 2:20).
6.
True liberty (Galatians 5:13; John 8:32; John 8:36).
7.
The unshaken life (Matthew 7:25; Romans 8:37-39; Hebrews 12:28; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Philippians 4:12).
8.
The best of human fellowship, refinement of every social relationship (Colossians 3:8, Mark 4:16).
9.
Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-5; 1 Thessalonians 4:18).
10.
Increasing joy and satisfaction out of life (Philippians 4:4; Galatians 5:22).
11.
Partaking of the divine nature, its beauty and poise, its radiant righteousness (2 Peter 1:3-4); chastisement (Hebrews 12:5-11); correction, instruction (2 Timothy 3:16-17); improvementthe discipline of a loving Father, building us up to a wonderful and beautiful ideal (Ephesians 4:13).
FOR THE LIFE THAT IS TO COME:
1.
Eternal life (1 John 5:11-12).
2.
Transformation (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
3.
Being with the Lord (John 14:3; 2 Corinthians 5:8). Divine fellowship unhindered.
4.
Being like the Lord (1 John 3:1-2).
5.
Joint-heirs with Christ, Heir of all things (Romans 8:17).
6.
Divine power's sure victory (Galatians 6:9; 2 Timothy 2:12).
7.
Rest (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:9-11).
8.
New heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:14).
9.
The glory of God and of the children of God (Romans 5:2; Romans 8:18-20; 2 Timothy 2:10; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Peter 5:10; Revelation 21:11).
10.
A kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).
REFLECTIONS
These treasures are chiefly personal. I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. (Genesis 15:1). They are not in things, but in the realm of spirit and persons. Therefore they are not seen and appreciated by the profane eye of Esaus. Even the practical providence is the Lord's personal care, He is able to provide for all out of little or nothing. The feeding of the multitudes, miraculously, demonstrates Jesus-' teaching that God knows our needs and cares about them. He will add all these things if we seek first the kingdom (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19). To have the Lord is to have everything! The Lord is my shepherd; that's all I want, said the little girl who had the words mixed, but the idea exactly right. We may have Him who makes all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) and who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). His best gifts to us are what He creates in us personally, not material stores.
Cleansing! Righteousness! Priceless goal of the awakened soul! We who know not the curse and shame and defilement of sin do not appreciate the cleansing from sin. We who believe not the written sentence of doom and damnation upon sinners care not for deliverance. We are so prone to have such low standards, such trashy ideals, as to be satisfied with a little self-righteous respectability of works of the flesh, even in pride; but Paul sought not a righteousness of his own, of law and flesh, but sold everything to gain the righteousness of God, given by faith in Christ through His blood.
He is so precious to me! In a burning building a fire escape is the most precious thingno matter if the crown jewels of Russia and England combined be there. Dear brother, are you ashamed of this phase of our precious faith?
It is desirable to be healthy, wealthy and wise. These proverbial prizes are the object of most of men's daily efforts. In Christ we have: wisdom exceeding the greatest education; security exceeding the greatest wealth, the unspeakable riches administered for us now by a loving Father and reserved for us unto the day of inheritance; health of mind and soul, rightly affecting the body, renewing within though the outward man decay, lasting beyond the putting off of the flesh.
The greatest treasures are yet to come. We who have the first-fruits of the Spirit. groan. waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For in hope were we saved (Romans 8:18-25). If we have only hoped in Christ in this life we are of all men most pitiable (1 Corinthians 15:19). In due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9). In the world ye shall have tribulation (John 16:33). The whole New Testament emphasizes that we are to invest this life in securing that one which is final and eternal. The blessings of God we receive here are to prepare us for and to lead us to that limitless blessedness there. A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They-'re building a palace for me over there.
WHAT DOES CHRIST MEAN TO US?
Are we living up to the privileges of the Kingdom? A man paid for first class passage on a steamship and took along a lot of cheese and crackers to eat for the whole trip. One day another passenger too sick to eat found him off by himself eating his cheese and crackers. If you can eat, why don-'t you go eat that fine fare they are serving in the ship's dining room? He answered, The ticket for this trip cost so much I couldn-'t afford to eat that kind of meals. Man, you paid for it in your ticket. You are not getting all that's coming to you.
Are we continually living such rejoicing, thankful, and victorious lives that other people may see how valuable Christ is to us and desire what they see that we have?
OUTLINE OF Matthew 24:1-51 (Cf. Mark 13 and Luke 21)
I.
Matthew 24:1-3THE OCCASION AND THE QUESTIONS. (Mark 13:1-4; Luke 21:5-7).
1.
Observing the magnificent buildings of Jerusalem. Matthew 24:1.
2.
Jesus-' dire prediction: There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Matthew 24:2.
3.
The disciples-' questions:
(1)
When shall these things be? (Destruction of Jerusalem).
(2)
What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matthew 24:3.
II.
Matthew 24:4-31ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS.
1.
Answers to first questions, concerning Jerusalem. (Matthew 24:4-28; Mark 13:5-23; Luke 21:8-24).
a.
Warning of preliminary troublesthe beginning of travail, (Matthew 24:4-14; Matthew 5:13; Matthew 5:8-19).
(1)
False Christs, wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes do not indicate the end: be not troubled.
(2)
Persecutions, apostasies, false prophets, shall afflict the church: take heed to yourselves; endure to the end; trust God for help; the gospel testimony shall go into all the world. (Matthew 9:13-14; Matthew 9:12-19) cf. Colossians 1:6; Colossians 1:23; Romans 1:8; Romans 10:18; Romans 16:19.
b.
The sign of Jerusalem's end, and how to escape the woes of that terrible time. (Matthew 24:15-28; Matthew 24:14-23; Matthew 24:20-24).
(1)
The abomination of desolation standing in a holy place is Jerusalem compassed with armies; then know that her desolation is at hand.
(2)
Let those in Judea flee to the mountains without delay. Pray that the hardships of flight may be lessened; but the unprecedented afflictions of the city must be escaped at all costs. Believe no false prophets, signs or promises; I have forewarned you; the Christ will not return at this time, or at any time without being seen from east to west.
(3)
The tribulation shall be excessive, shall threaten extinction of the Jewish people, shall take them captive to other nations, shall leave Jerusalem to the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
2.
Answer to the second question, concerning Christ's coming. (Matthew 24:29-31; Matthew 24:24-27; Matthew 24:25-28)
a.
The time is purposely indefinite; but the event is to be watched for at all times (immediatelyMatthew 24:29), after a terrible and extended (see Luke 21:24) tribulation.
b.
The event itself shall be unmistakable; accompanied by tremendous sights and sounds in all earth and heaven, the Lord Himself shall be seen by everyone, coming in the clouds with power and great glory.
c.
The angels shall gather the elect from everywhere: look up, your redemption draws near. (Matthew 24:31; Matthew 24:27; Matthew 24:28)
III.
Matthew 24:32-36THE ANSWERS REVIEWED IN CONTRASTING SUMMARY.
1.
Parable of the fig tree: signs are easily recognized. Watch for all these thingswars, persecutions, false Messiahs, the desolation of Jerusalem, and great tribulation, to come to pass in this generation. (Matthew 24:32-34; 28:30; 29:32).
2.
Solemn affirmation of unfailing certainty of His words. (Matthew 24:35; Matthew 24:31; Matthew 24:33).
3.
But of that day, Jesus-' coming, no one knows. The time cannot be told, even by the Son of God. (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32).
IV.
Matthew 24:37-51PARABLES AND EXHORTATIONS TO BE READY AT ALL TIMES.
1.
As in the days of Noah the flood came suddenly upon those who had been warned but believed not, so shall the coming of the Son of man be without any immediate forewarning signs. (Matthew 24:37-39).
2.
In the midst of daily work, suddenly one shall be taken and another left; watch for you know not the day. (Matthew 24:40-42; cf. Matthew 24:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52.)
3.
Parable of a householder unprepared for a thief who came when he was not expected. Be ready, for when you think not, the Son of man comes. (Matthew 24:43-44)
4.
The servants of the absent Lord have each one his own work (Mark 13:34) to be faithful until He comes. He may not come as soon as they imagine; but if they think that He tarries and they can take advantage of His delay to indulge in sin, He will come when they least expect it and will punish them. (Matthew 24:45-51; Matthew 24:33-37; Matthew 24:34-36). Watch at every seasonLuke 21:36.
(Christ continued the same lessons in the 25th Chapter 1. in the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, 2. in the parable of the talents committed to servants until the Lord's return, and 3. in the scene of judgment that shall take place when the Son of man shall come in His glory.
(In these additional prophetic pictures, He emphasizes that the servants must be prepared to wait patiently and to serve faithfully even though the Master may not come for a long time (see v. 19); also that His coming will bring strict judgment and swift vengeance upon all who have not used the intervening time in His service.)
NOTES ON DEMON POSSESSION
One of the four following conclusions must be true concerning the reality of demons as mentioned in the Gospel accounts. No other is possible, and only one of these can be true.
Either, 1, Jesus did cast out real demons as represented;
or, 2,
Jesus did no such things but the accounts are entirely false;
or, 3,
Jesus did go through the motions and the pretense of casting them out, while He knew there were no real demons;
or, 4,
Jesus was as ignorant and superstitious on this subject as the people and honestly thought He cast out spirits in healing sickness.
Which of these views fits the facts and the testimony? The true meaning of a word or an expression may be put into its place in any account; and the definition will fit as well as the word it defines. Just read the accounts of Jesus-' intelligent conversations with demons, supplying the word disease as the explanation for the word demon.
I.
MEANINGS OF THE WORD DEMON.
1.
Not the same as devil. There is only one devil but many demons.
2.
Oldest meaning: divine power, deity. Homer (c. 850 B.C.) used it interchangeably with (God). Cf. Josephus, wars, 1, 2, 8. Acts 17:18. See A. Campbell in Popular Lectures and Addresses, pp. 379-397, for older uses.
3.
A being between man and God. Plato attempted to fix this definition. Used in both good and bad sense. Plato held that they included departed spirits of good men. Socrates spoke constantly of his demon, Ignatius (Epistle to Smyrna 3, 2) says that Jesus told His disciples after the resurrection, I am not a disembodied demon. This shows his way of expressing what Luke 24:37-39 says. Cf. also Luke 4:33, spirit of an unclean demon.
4.
Elsewhere in the N. T. demons are always evil spirits, messengers and ministers of Satan.
a.
Heathen deities, Acts 17:18; 1 Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 9:20.
b.
Ones who believe and tremble (or bristle) but are lost, James 2:19.
c.
They recognize Jesus as Son of God, Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:23-24; Mark 1:34; Mark 3:11; Luke 4:41.
d.
Agents of Satan, Matthew 12:24-26; Luke 10:17-18; Luke 11:15-22.
II.
EVIDENCES THAT THEY ARE IMMATERIAL, INTELLIGENT BEINGS, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DISEASES OR FIGURES OF SPEECH.
1.
The O. T. legislation proceeded upon the assumption that there is such a thing as a familiar spirit. Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14.
2.
In the N. T. they are regarded as personalities. e.g. James 2:19, believing Revelation 16:14, working signs. Jesus founded a parable on their conduct, Luke 11:24-26.
3.
Jesus distinguished between them and diseases. So did His disciples. Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:17-20.
4.
Jesus addressed them as persons and they answered as such, Mark 5:8; Mark 9:25.
5.
They manifested desires and passions, Mark 5:12-13.
6.
They showed superhuman knowledge of Jesus, Mark 1:24; Mark 1:34; Matthew 8:29, and of His apostles, Acts 16:16; Acts 19:14.
III.
VIEWS OF THEIR IDENTITY AND ORIGIN.
1.
Plato; Departed men, some good. (Symposium, p. 202).
Josephus: Spirits of evil men who have died. (Wars, 7, 6:3).
A. Campbell (Lect. on Demonolgy in Popular Lectures and Addresses, pp. 384-389) holds firmly to the view that they are (or were) the ghosts of dead men. He says all pagan writers, the Jewish historians, and the Christian fathers express this opinion. He thinks it is implied in Scripture (1 Timothy 4:1).
2.
The book of Enoch says demons are fallen angels. Consider 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 on angels who sinned. Matthew 25:41the devil and his angels. Ephesians 6:11-12-We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Cf. Ephesians 3:10; Colossians 1:16; Romans 8:38; Colossians 2:15.
Their immediate recognition of Jesus might indicate former acquaintance with Him or supernatural knowledge. In the Bible they do not seem to be confused with ghosts; but in the one case of a dead man reappearing (1 Samuel 28:11-19) he does not act as a demon.
3.
Other spirits, neither human, nor of the rank of angels. Cf. Judges 9:23; 1 Samuel 16:14; 1 Samuel 18:10; 1 Samuel 19:9; 1 Kings 22:19-23.
Note: the word might be used of a combination or all of these. See Vocabulary of The Bible, ed. by J. J. Von Allmen, pp. 83-85.
IV.
RATIONAL SUPPOSITIONS OF PROBABILITY. (See Balmforth's Com. on Luke, ref. to in R. C. Foster's Studies In Life Christ, vol. I, pp. 211, 212).
1.
Any non-materialistic (idealistic or spiritual) view of the universe makes it likely that man is not the only product of the cosmic process.
2.
Experiences of missionaries may be best explained by assumption of demon possession.
3.
Lack of experience with demons in Christian countries may be explained.
4.
The mysterious hinterland beyond surface consciousness is hardly known at all, so we cannot rule out the possibility of spiritual intelligences being able to affect it by entry from without.
5.
It is common experience (as well as teaching of Scripture) that the powers of darkness and evil do influence our moral freedom. Then it is just possible that they may act through man's physical nature upon his rational, or vice versa.
6.
It is well-ascertained fact physiologically that the conditions of a man's mental and spiritual nature exert influence upon the body and are influenced by the body: e.g. fever produces delirium; dyspepsia, despondency; etc.
7.
If effects between man and man can be produced by animal magnetism or by hypnotism, so might demons influence and disturb both the physical and rational natures.
V.
EFFECTS OF POSSESSION, OR ACCOMPANYING CIRCUMSTANCES.
1.
Physical ills or diseases:
a.
Matthew 9:32-33, dumb man spoke when the demon was cast out.
b.
Matthew 12:22, blind and dumb
c.
Matthew 17:15, epilepsy; but Mark 9:25, deaf and dumb spirit.
d.
Mark 5:15, wildness.
e.
Mark 7:25; Matthew 15:22 ff, grievously vexed literally, badly demonized with no specific disability indicated.
f.
The woman whom Satan had bound (Luke 13:16) had a spirit of infirmity but is not said to have been possessed. Deformity of the back.
2.
There are cases in which no physical ill is attributed to the demon (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31 ff. Jesus was charged with demon possession when no malady was apparent, but simply because of His speech and mental attitude. John the Baptist was similarly charged because of his manner of life. See John 7:21; John 8:48; John 8:52; John 10:20; Matthew 11:18.
Note that all these same physical ills, except the being bowed together, are represented in the Gospels as separate from demon possession in other cases. Deaf and having impediment, Mark 7:32; Dumb, Matthew 15:30-31; Blind, Luke 18:35 ff; John 9; Epilepsy (KJV-lunatics), Matthew 4:24 literally moonstruck, meaning epileptic, not
insane.
3.
Effects other than disease.
a.
Superhuman knowledge, Mark 1:24; Mark 5:7; Mark 3:11-12; Luke 4:41; Acts 16:16-18
b.
Fear of torment, Luke 4:33-34; Luke 8:28-31; Matthew 8:29
c.
Conversation as of third person, Mark 1:24-25; Luke 4:34-35
d.
Manner of departing (convulsions), Mark 1:26; Mark 9:20; Luke 4:35
e.
Extraordinary strength, Mark 5:3-4; Acts 19:13-16
f.
Fierce wildness, Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:4-5; Luke 8:29. Cf. John 10:20.
g.
Desire to enter into some body, Mark 5:12-13; Matthew 8:31; Luke 11:24-25
h.
Multiplicity, Mark 5:9; Mark 16:9; Luke 11:26; Luke 8:30
VI.
NATURE OF PERSONS POSSESSED
1.
Mostly grown men, but two were children, Matthew 17:15; Mark 7:25-30; Mark 9:21; Matthew 15:22. Some were women, Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2-3.
2.
Some made very faithful helpers of Christ after they were released, Mark 5:20; Luke 8:2-3.
3.
They always appear to be pitied rather than blamed, treated as unfortunate rather than immoral. Jesus was interested in the persons, not the demons. At least their demons are something else than unbreakable bad habits.
VII.
OTHER REFERENCES TO THE WORKING OF DEMONS.
1.
1 Timothy 4:1, doctrines of demons and seducing spirits.
2.
James 3:15, factious wisdom is demoniacal (devilish).
3.
Revelation 16:14, working signs and going forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them unto the war of the great day of God.
4.
1 Corinthians 10:14-22, involved in idolatry and heathen worship.
FOR FURTHER READINGS ON DEMONS, see the following:
1.
Articles in I. S. B. E. on Demons and Exorcism
2.
Articles in Unger's Bible Dict. on Demons and Demoniac
3.
Biblical Demonology, by M. F. Unger, book pub. 1953.
4.
Lecture on -Demonology by Alexander Campbell, in POP. LECT. & ADD. pp. 379-397.
5.
The Vocabulary of the Bible (also called Companion to the Bible), ed. by J. J. von Allmen, see article on Demons pp. 83-85.
6.
Discussion in Cremer's Biblico-Theological Lexicon of N. T. Greek, pp. 168-171.
7.
Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah, by A. Edersheim, vol. I, pp. 479-485; 607-613; and on Jewish notions and traditions, vol. II, pp. 755-763; 770-776.
8.
Halley's Bible Handbook, pp. 428, 239.
9.
Vin's Expository Dictionary of N. T. Words, p. 291.
10.
Baker's Dictionary of Theology, p. 163 on Demons; p. 206 on Exorcism
11.
Dictionary of Christ and The Gospels, Hastings, pp. 438-443.
THE PURPOSE OF MIRACLES
The Reason Jesus Healed
In New Testament times, miracles had a distinct purpose, as stated and shown in various ways in the Word.
Jesus said, The works which the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness to me that the Father has sent me (John 10:25). See also John 10:38; John 14:10-11.
A DEMONSTRATION
A very clear example is given in Mark 2. When the paralytic was let down through the roof for Jesus to heal him, Jesus said, Son, your sins are forgiven. Scribes who were in the crowded house thought Jesus was blaspheming in claiming to forgive sins.
Jesus answered their thoughts: Why do you reason these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Arise, take up your bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, (he said to the sick of the palsy) I say unto you, Arise, take up your bed and go to your house. And he did !
MIRACLES CONFIRM
The book of Hebrews reports that this great salvation, having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.
John regularly called Jesus-' miracles signs. In the 21 Chapter s of his gospel account, he refers to them as signs 14 time. As Nicodemus saw, and as Jesus said, they were signs that God was with Jesus and was doing His works in Him. Peter preached on Pentecost that Jesus was approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know (Acts 2:22).
When the apostles worked miracles in Jesus-' name, they gave evidence that Jesus was at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33), evidence of the power of His name (Acts 3:16), evidence that God was with them and their message was from God (Acts 13:9-12). Their miracles gave boldness and strength to the few witnesses faced by overwhelming opposition (Acts 4:29-30).
They gave proof that the Gentiles were to be accepted in Christ through obedience to the gospel, the same as the Jews (Acts 10:9-16; Acts 10:44-47; Acts 11:15-17; Acts 15:8-9; Acts 15:12). This was proof, even to the elders and the church at Jerusalem, that the preaching of Paul and Barnabas among the Gentiles was according to God's will (Acts 15:12-22).
The great miracles of God, wrought through the apostles and some on whom they laid their hands, were so clear and so certain that even sorcerers and people who practiced magical arts saw the proof of real truth and gave up their superstitions and trickery (Acts 8:6-14; Acts 19:11-20).
MIRACLES WERE NOT ALWAYS FOR COMPASSION
The miracles of the Bible taught God's power and authority, sometimes His love and goodness, sometimes His righteous and fearsome judgments.
Consider the deaths of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:6-7), Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2), and of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11); the leprosy of Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27) and of Miriam (Numbers 12:9-14); the blindness of Elymas (Acts 13:8-12) or of the Syrian band (2 Kings 6:18-20); the destruction of armies (1 Kings 20:30; 2 Kings 19:35) or of cities (Genesis 19:24-25; Joshua 6:20).
Although such miracles as healing and feeding people did show the merciful goodness of God and did express the compassion of Jesus, the accounts show that they were not worked merely to relieve suffering.
Physical healing, material blessing, or the prolongation of this earthly life, are not the real purposes of God's grace toward us. He did these things sometimes as visible examples of His power and loving goodness, to encourage faith.
But miracles have always been limited to few and special cases. Never have they been used to relieve suffering or prolong this life for all of God's people impartially. Their benefit was usually temporary and only a demonstration to engender and support an abiding faith.
All who were delivered from sickness or affliction had other times to suffer and to die. All who were raised from the dead had to die again. Once and again Peter was delivered from prison and from persecutors; but another time he was left to die, when God was no less compassionate and Peter was not less believing. So it was also with Paul.
Some received no miraculous deliverance here, but a better resurrection for the life hereafter (Hebrews 11:35-40). John the Immerser, greatest of the prophets, worked no miracles, nor was he miraculously delivered from prison and death (Matthew 11:7-11; John 10:41).
Jesus could have healed all the sick or raised all the dead. But he did not and would not. Many were healed by Paul, but Trophimus and Timothy were not (2 Timothy 4:20; 1 Timothy 5:23). A multitude of sick and afflicted lay by the pool at Jerusalem, but Jesus healed only one man (who did not know Him or ask Him to) and then hid Himself from the others, But later He sought the healed man again to teach him and to meet the debate which the Sabbath miracle had aroused with the Pharisees.
Miracles form part of the foundation of our faith, being divine demonstrations witnessing to the origin of the message we have believed. But they are not part of the faith or part of its practice in the lives of obedient believers. The miracles wrought by the messengers of God while the faith was being once for all delivered to the saints are still effective evidences to establish the truth and authority of that faith.
MODERN MIRACLES
Miracles claimed by preachers today do not clearly confirm the message of ancient apostles and prophets; they seem instead to have the opposite effect. They are not the conclusive and undoubtable kind that established the faith in the beginning. They are claimed by men whose message does not altogether agree with the sure Word of God as given in the Bible.
Even if true miracles were worked today by men who taught the truth of God's word, they would add little or nothing to the proof of that divine revelation. In fact, they would make men tend to depend upon continual miraculous demonstration rather than upon the unchanging power and veracity of God. They would tend also to make men overly eager for physical and material aid instead of concerned for spiritual and eternal salvation.
The spiritual transformation of a sinner through birth of water and the Spirit and the reality of Christ dwelling in him through faith is a greater work than even the mightiest miracles Jesus wrought in Galilee. This is surely what He meant in John 14:12. Compare John 16:7 and Ephesians 3:10.