Mark 1:45

Mark 1:45. And began to publish it much. This he did at once (‘began'). Whether he went to the priest at all is not mentioned; but he was disobedient at all events in this matter, which is mentioned by Mark only.

Spread abroad the matter. Lit., ‘the word,' i.e., the account of what had happened, not the word of Jesus. This was wrong, a specimen and type of the injudicious zeal, all too common among those whom the Lord blesses.

Could no more. Moral inability. His purpose would have been defeated by entering where the people were excited by this report. The evil effect of the leper's disobedience. Into a city. Meaning in general ‘into town,' not the particular city where the numbers had been healed.

Was without in desert places. Not to avoid the people, for it is added: and they came to him from every quarter, and Luke, without stating that the leper himself had spread the report, tells of this effect of the miracle. Some think our Lord, after touching the leper, was unclean according to the Jewish law, and hence remained ‘in desert places.' But He would not have acted from this motive unless He acknowledged the uncleanness, and such an acknowledgment could not be affected by the leper's report, which is said to be the cause of His keeping away from the cities. Nor would the multitudes have come thus to an unclean person. The retirement was rather from motives of prudence, to avoid exciting the multitudes with their carnal expectations and prematurely increasing the hostility already awakened at Jerusalem (John 4:1) and beginning to show itself in Galilee. See next section. This hostility must be regarded as much greater, if we accept the view that the events recorded in John 5 had occurred before the Galilean ministry.