XIII. (1) ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES. — Note St. Mark’s vivid way of giving the very words of the disciple, instead of saying with St. Matthew that they “came to show” the buildings of the Temple. Here, again, the juxtaposition of narratives in St. Mark gives them a special point. The “stones” of Herod’s... [ Continue Reading ]
OVER AGAINST THE TEMPLE. — The view which the position commanded, and which St. Mark alone mentions, made all that followed more vivid and impressive. It may well have been at or near the very spot at which, a few days before, He had paused as “He beheld the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). PET... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE? — Note, as, perhaps, characteristic of a Gospel written for Gentiles, the use of the vaguer words for the more definite “sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world,” in Matthew 24:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JESUS ANSWERING THEM BEGAN TO SAY. — The report which follows, common as it is to the first three Gospels, serves as an admirable example of the extent of variation compatible with substantial accuracy, and with the recognition of an inspired guidance as ensuring that accuracy. The discourse obv... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM CHRIST. — Literally, _I am He._ The word Christ being a necessary inference from the context.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR SUCH THINGS MUST NEEDS BE. — Better, _for it must needs be. _... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES. — The emphatic repetition of the warning is peculiar to St. Mark (comp. Mark 13:23). The description of the sufferings of the disciples (Mark 13:9) is found in Luke 21:12 and in Matthew 10:17 (where see Notes), but not in St. Matthew’s report of this discourse.... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS NOT YE THAT SPEAK, BUT THE HOLY GHOST. — In the parallel passage of Matthew 10:20 we have, “the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” In Luke 21:15, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom.” St. Mark’s use of the more definite term reminds us of Mark 12:36 (where see Note), and may, probab... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE BROTHER. — Literally, _and the brother. _... [ Continue Reading ]
(14-23) BUT WHEN YE SHALL SEE. — See Notes on Matthew 24:15. STANDING WHERE IT OUGHT NOT. — St. Mark substitutes this for “in the holy place” of St. Matthew. Of the two, the former seems, in its enigmatic form, more likely to have been the phrase actually used; the latter to have been an explanatio... [ Continue Reading ]
PRAY YE THAT YOUR FLIGHT BE NOT IN THE WINTER. — Note St. Mark’s omission of “nor on the Sabbath day,” which is prominent in St. Matthew’s report, as characteristic of a Gospel for Gentile readers.... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION WHICH GOD CREATED. — Note the fuller form which replaces St. Matthew’s “from the beginning of the world.”... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE YE HEED. — The repetition of the warning word, as in Mark 13:9, is peculiar to St. Mark.... [ Continue Reading ]
(24-31) BUT IN THOSE DAYS. — See Notes on Matthew 24:29.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SHALL THEY SEE THE SON OF MAN. — Note the simpler form, which at once replaces and explains St. Matthew’s “the sign of the Son of Man.”... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SHALL HE SEND HIS ANGELS. — Note the absence of the “trumpet,” which is prominent in St. Matthew.... [ Continue Reading ]
YE KNOW THAT SUMMER IS NEAR. — Many of the best MSS. give “it is known,” but it may fairly be assumed, from the parallel passages in St. Matthew and St. Luke, that this was the error of an early transcriber of the document which served as a basis for the reports of all the three Evangelists.... [ Continue Reading ]
(32-37) BUT OF THAT DAY AND THAT HOUR. — See Notes on Matthew 24:36. NEITHER THE SON. — The addition to St. Matthew’s report is every way remarkable. It indicates the self-imposed limitation of the divine attributes which had belonged to our Lord as the eternal Son, and the acquiescence in a power a... [ Continue Reading ]
TAKE YE HEED. — Note once more the characteristic iteration of the warning. It would almost seem, from the very different conclusions of the discourse in the three Gospels, as if they had been based up to this point on a common document which then stopped and left them to a greater divergency of mem... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE SON OF MAN IS AS A MAN TAKING A FAR JOURNEY. — The italics indicate, as usual, that the words are not found in the Greek. Their absence, seeming, as they do, essential to the meaning of the sentence, is singular. A possible explanation is, that we have an imperfect fragmentary report, as fro... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE. — Better, _the Lord of the house._ The Greek word is not the same as that commonly rendered the “goodman” or “master” of the house. AT EVEN, OR AT MIDNIGHT. — The four times correspond roughly to the four watches of the night, beginning at 9 P.M., 12, 3 A.M., 6 A.M. The wor... [ Continue Reading ]
LEST COMING SUDDENLY HE FIND YOU SLEEPING. — As before we traced a kind of echo of the parable of the Talents, so here we recognise something like a fragmentary reminiscence of that of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.... [ Continue Reading ]
WATCH. — The impression which this command made on the hearts of Christians, is seen in a striking manner in the use of such names as Gregory, Vigilius, and the like.... [ Continue Reading ]