THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL. — The opening words are interesting as presenting a transition stage in the history of the word Gospel, between its earlier sense, as meaning generally the “good news” of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35), and the later sense, as a book recording... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE PROPHETS. — The better MSS. give the more accurate reference, “in Esaias the prophet.” On general grounds, however, it seems more probable that the general reference should have been specialised by a transcriber than the reverse. With one exception, and that very doubtful as to its genuinenes... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS. — See Note on Matthew 3:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN DID BAPTIZE. — No other Gospel passes so abruptly, so _in medias res,_ into the actual work of the Forerunner. There is no account of the birth or infancy of our Lord, as in St. Matthew and St. Luke; none of the pre-existence of the Son of Man, as in St. John. St. Mark is here, as elsewhere, em... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE WENT OUT UNTO HIM.... — See Note on Matthew 3:5. Note St. Mark’s use of the term “in the river of Jordan,” as writing for those who were not familiar with the topography of Palestine.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JOHN WAS CLOTHED.... — See Note on Matthew 3:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE COMETH ONE MIGHTIER THAN I. — See Note on Matthew 3:11; but note the slight difference — not, as there, “whose shoes I am not worthy to bear,” but “the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to _stoop down and unloose._” Latchet,” a word now obsolete, was the “thong” or “lace” with which shoes... [ Continue Reading ]
I INDEED HAVE BAPTIZED YOU WITH WATER. — See Note on Matthew 3:11. St. Mark omits the “fire” which St. Matthew joins with the Holy Ghost, possibly as less intelligible to his Gentile readers.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS. — See Note on Matthew 3:13. St. Mark adds “from Nazareth” to St. Matthew’s more general statement, “from Galilee.”... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SAW THE HEAVENS OPENED. — Better, AS in the margin, _rent open,_ St. Mark’s language here, as elsewhere, being more boldly vivid than that of the other Gospels. (See Notes on Matthew 3:16.)... [ Continue Reading ]
IMMEDIATELY THE SPIRIT DRIVETH HIM. — See Notes on Matthew 4:1; but note also St. Mark’s characteristic “immediately,” and the stronger word “driveth him.”... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WAS THERE IN THE WILDERNESS. — See Notes on Matthew 4:2. St. Mark compresses the history by omitting the several forms of the Temptation. Peculiar to him are (1) the use of “Satan” instead of “the devil;” (2) the statement that Jesus was “with the wild beasts.” In our Lord’s time these might... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW AFTER THAT JOHN WAS PUT IN PRISON. — St. Mark agrees with St. Matthew in omitting all our Lord’s early ministry in Galilee and Jerusalem, and takes the imprisonment of the Baptist as his starting-point. That imprisonment is assumed here to be known; but the facts connected with it are not relate... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TIME IS FULFILLED. — The words are not found in the parallel passages of the other Gospels, and are interesting as embodying the same thought as St. Paul’s “in the fulness of time” (Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:10). So, too, St. Mark adds “believe the gospel” to the simple “repent” of St. Matthew,... [ Continue Reading ]
AS HE WALKED BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. — See Notes on Matthew 4:18. St. Mark names Simon without the addition of Peter.... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH THE HIRED SERVANTS. — Peculiar to this Gospel, and of some interest as throwing light on the relative social position of the sons of Zebedee.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY WENT INTO CAPERNAUM. — Here St. Mark’s narrative ceases to run parallel with that of St. Matthew, and agrees almost verbally with Luke 4:31. STRAIGHTWAY. — The frequent recurrence of this adverb, often disguised in the English version as “immediately,” “anon,” “by-and-by,” should be notice... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY WERE ASTONISHED. — The verbal agreement with Matthew 7:28 (where see Note) suggests the thought that St. Mark had heard or read that passage. For “doctrine” read _teaching._ Stress is laid, as in Matthew 7:28, on the manner rather than the thing taught.... [ Continue Reading ]
AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT. — The phrase occurs in all the first three Gospels (not in St. John’s), but with special frequency in this. As in most Eastern cities, in both ancient and modern times, madness had an immunity from restraint, and the demoniacs seem to have mingled, if they chose, with the crowd of... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT HAVE WE TO DO WITH thee? — The cry is identical with that of the Gadarene demoniacs (Matthew 8:29). Here, as there, the possessed man has a preternatural intuition of our Lord’s greatness. THE HOLY ONE OF GOD. — The name occurs, as applied to Christ, only here, in the parallel passage of Luke... [ Continue Reading ]
HOLD THY PEACE. — Literally, _be still, be gagged._ The same verb is used in the calming of the winds and waves in Mark 4:39.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CAME OUT OF HIM. — St. Luke adds the fact “and hurt him not.”... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT NEW DOCTRINE IS THIS? — A various-reading gives a different structure, “What thing is this? A new doctrine with power. He commandeth even the unclean spirits...” “Doctrine” is, as elsewhere, the teaching taken as a whole, including manner as well as substance.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FORTHWITH. — Again we have St. Mark’s characteristic word, as in the “immediately” of Mark 1:28, and in the “anon” of Mark 1:30. (See Notes on Matthew 8:14.)... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AT EVEN. — See Notes on Matthew 8:16. The special features in St. Mark are (1) the fuller description, in Mark 1:33, that “all the city was gathered together at the door;” and (2) the omission of St. Matthew’s reference to the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SUFFERED NOT THE DEVILS TO SPEAK. — St. Luke (Luke 4:41) gives the reason of the prohibition more distinctly. The demoniacs had cried out, “Thou art the Son of God.” They knew that He was the Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
A GREAT WHILE BEFORE DAY. — Literally, _very early, while it was yet night._ The note of time is peculiar to St. Mark. Prayer seems to have been sought now, as at other times, after a day of extraordinary and exhausting labour.... [ Continue Reading ]
SIMON AND THEY THAT WERE WITH HIM. — This part of the narrative is given by St. Luke also, but not by St. Matthew. The definite statement who they were that followed after Him is, however, peculiar to St. Mark; while St. Luke alone gives their motive: “they stayed Him that He should not depart from... [ Continue Reading ]
LET US GO INTO THE NEXT TOWNS. — The word translated “towns” occurs here only. It is a compound word, “village cities,” and seems to have been coined to express the character of such places as Bethsaida, Chorazin, and others on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which were more than “villages,” yet co... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE PREACHED. — See Note on Matthew 4:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
(40-43) And there came a leper. — See Notes on Matthew 8:1. The miracle appears in St. Matthew as following closely on the Sermon on the Mount.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE STRAITLY CHARGED HIM. — The word is the same as that in Matthew 9:30 (where see Note).... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE WENT OUT. — St. Mark alone describes the man himself as the agent in spreading the report of the miracle, and gives in more vivid terms than St. Luke the consequent pressure of the multitude, and the necessity for retirement into “desert places.”... [ Continue Reading ]