i John iv. 44. Jesus said unto them, 'A prophet is not without honour, i Luke iv. 24. save in his own country, and in his own house. 58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. XIV. 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2 and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; m he is risen from the dead; and therefore m render, he himself. son of Alphæus, and another subtraction from the number who did not believe on Him. Again Matthew (see note on Matt. ix. 9), if identical with Levi (Mark ii. 14), was another son of Alphaus; which would make a fifth brother, and leave therefore, out of five, three believing on Him at the time when it was said, "neither did his brethren believe on Him." This view besides labours under the difficulty arising from these brethren accompanying and being found in connexion with Mary the mother of our Lord, whereas throughout that time their own mother was living. The way in which the assertors of this view explain John vii. 5, is either by supposing that all the brethren are not there implied, or that all are not here mentioned; both suppositions, it seems to me, very unlikely (compare e. g. John's minute accuracy where an exception was to be made, ch. vi. 23, 24). (2) That they were children of Joseph by a former marriage (or even by a later one with Mary wife of Clopas, to raise up seed to his dead brother, -as Clopas is said to have been but this needs no refutation). This view was taken by several early Fathers, and mentioned by Origen, who says respecting it, "those who maintain this, wish to uphold the perpetual virginity of Mary." This however, while by no means impossible, and in some respects agreeing with the apparent position of these brothers as older (according to the flesh) than the Lord (John vii. 3), has no countenance whatever in Scripture, either in their being called sons of any other woman, or in any distinct mention of Joseph as their father, which surely in this case would be required. (III) On the à priori considerations which have influenced opinions on this matter, see note on Matt. i. 25; and on the traditional literature, see the references given in my Greek Testament. Neander brings out the importance of the view which I have above, under (I), endeavoured to justify, as shewing that the account.of the miraculous conception is not mythical, in which case all would have been arranged to suit the views of virginity from which it had arisen,-but strictly historical, found as it is with no such arrangements or limitations. 58.] did not; could not do, Mark vi. 5, where see note. On the identity, or not, of this preaching at Nazareth with that related much earlier by Luke iv. 16 sq., see note there. CHAP. XIV. 1-12.] HEROD HEARS OF THE FAME OF JESUS. PARENTHETICAL ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Mark vi. 14-29. Luke ix. 7 -9, who does not relate the death of John. 1.] This Herod was Herod ANTIPAS, son of Herod the Great, by Malthacé, a Samaritan woman, and own brother of Archelaus. The portion of the kingdom allotted to him by the second will of his father (in the first he was left as king) was the tetrarchy of Galilee and Peræa (Jos. Antt. xvii. 8. 1). He married the daughter of the Arabian king Aretas; but having during a visit to his half-brother Herod Philip (not the tetrarch of that name, but another son of Herod the Great, disinherited by his father) become enamoured of his wife Herodias, he prevailed on her to leave her husband, and live with him. (See below, on ver. 4.) This step, accompanied as it was with a stipulation of putting away the daughter of Aretas, involved him in a war with his father-inlaw, which however did not break out till a year before the death of Tiberius (A.D. 37, U.c. 790), and in which he was totally defeated and his army destroyed by Aretas; a divine vengeance, according to the Jews as reported by Josephus, for the death of John the Baptist. He and Herodias afterwards went to Rome at the beginning of Caligula's reign, to complain of the assumption of the title of king by Agrippa his nephew, son of Aristobulus; but Caligula having heard the claims of both, banished Antipas and Herodias to Lyons in Gaul, whence he was afterwards removed to Spain, and there died. The following events apparently took place at Machærus, a frontier fortress between Peræa and Arabia: see below on ver. 10. It was the fame of the preaching and miracles of the Twelve, on their mission, of which Herod heard,-probably in conjunction with the works of Christ : see parallel xx. 21. b ch. xxi. 26. a mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother • (Philip)'s wife. a Lev.xviii. 16: 4 For John said unto him, a It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a P charger. 9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. 10 And he nor, the powers work mightily in him. • omit. place in Mark. ix. 7 it is said that Herod was perplexed P i. e. a large dish. lest John's power of persuading the people : sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head q given to the damsel: and 12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. с 15. was d ch. ix. 26. 13 c When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship cch. x. 28: xii. into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave e ch. xv. 36 4 i. e. a large dish. 13-21.] FEEDING OF THE FIVE thouSAND. Mark vi. 30-44. Luke ix. 10-17. John vi. 1-13, where also see notes. 13.] There is some difficulty here in conceiving how the narration is to proceed continuously. The death of the Baptist is evidently retrospectively and parenthetically inserted; and yet the retirement of our Lord in this verse seems to be the immediate consequence of his hearing of that Occurrence. But this may well have been so: for (1) the disciples of John would be some days in bringing the news from Macharus to Capernaum, and the report mentioned in ver. 1 might reach Herod meantime; (2) the expression with which that report is introduced, "At that time," extends it over a considerable space of time; and (3) the message which the disciples of John brought to our Lord might have included both particulars, the death of their Master, and the saying of Herod respecting Himself. He went across the lake (John vi. 1) into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaïda (Luke ix. 10). His retirement (Luke, ibid., and Mark vi. 30) was connected also with the return of the Twelve from their mission: compare the full and affecting account of the whole transaction in Mark vi. 30-35. 14.] went forth, from His place of retirement. 15.] This evening was the first evening, the decline of the day, about 3 p.m.; the evening, in ver. 23, after the miracle, was late in the night. the time is now past] i. e. the time of the day is now late. 16, 17.] give ye them to eat, which is f Job ix. 8. the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand beside women and children. men, r 22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into ta mountain apart to pray and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night "Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him 'walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is ▾a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. r read, he. t render, the. 8 render, the. ▾ render, an apparition: literally, a phantasm. understood it :-but see the symbolic import of the miracle treated in the notes to John vi. Meyer well remarks, that the process of the miracle is thus to be conceived--the Lord blessed, and gave the loaves and fishes to the disciples, as they were; and then, during their distribution of them, the miraculous increase took place, so that they broke and distributed enough for all. The cophinus (which is the word here rendered basket) was the usual accompaniment of the Jew: see quotation from Juvenal in my Gr. Test. Reland supposes that the basket was to carry their own meats on a journey, for fear of pollution by eating those of the Gentiles. 21.] beside women and children is peculiar to Matt., although this might have been inferred from men being mentioned in the other three Evangelists. See note on John vi. 10. 22-23.] JESUS WALKS ON THE SEA. Mark vi. 45-52. (Luke omits this incident.) John vi. 16-21. The conviction of the people after the foregoing miracle was, that Jesus was the Messiah; and their disposition, to take Him by force, and make Him a king. See John vi. 14, 15. For this reason he constrained His disciples to leave Him, because they were W 29 And or, he. but too anxious to second this wish of the multitude; and their dismissal was therefore an important step towards the other. 22.] Mark adds "to Bethsaida," John "to Capernaum" for the Bethsaïda, the city of Philip and Andrew and Peter, was distinct from Bethsaïda Julias, in whose neighbourhood the miracle took place,and in the direction of Capernaum. 25.] The fourth watch according to the Roman calculation, which was by this time common among the Jews (who themselves divided the night into three parts or watches). This would be,-near the vernal equinox, which this was,-between three and six in the morning. The words walking on the sea are common to the three Evangelists, and can have no other meaning here, than that the Lord walked bodily on the surface of the water. In Job. ix. 8 we read of the Almighty, "Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.' Mark adds" and would have passed by them" John, "and drawing nigh unto the ship." See notes on John. 28.] This narrative respecting Peter is peculiar to Matthew. It is in very strict accordance with his warm and confident character, and has been called almost a 'rehearsal' of 30 But and be 31 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of 34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; 36 and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment and as many as touched were made per- ch.12. fectly whole. : XV. 1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples trans g ix gress a the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their a Col. ii. 8. hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the command his denial afterwards. It contains one of the most pointed and striking revelations which we have of the nature and analogy of faith; and a notable example of the power of the higher spiritual state of man over the inferior laws of matter, so often brought forward by our Lord. See ch. xvii. 20; xxi. 21. 32.] John (vi. 21) adds "and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went :"-see note there. 33.] These persons were probably the crew of the ship, and distinct from the disciples. On Son of God, see ch. iv. 3. It is the first time that our Lord is called so by men in the three first Gospels. See ch. iii. 17; iv. 3; viii. 29 and John i. 34, 50. This feeling of amazement and reverence pervaded the disciples also see the strong expressions of Mark vi. 52. 34-36.] Mark vi. 53-56. Gennesar or Gennesaret, a district from which the lake was also occasionally so called, extended along its western shore. Josephus gives a glowing description of the beauty and fertility of this plain, Jewish Wars, iii. 10. 7. At its northern end was Capernaum, near which our Lord landed, as would appear from John vi. 24, 25. 36.] On hem, see note on ch. ix. 20. CHAP. XV. 1-20.] DISCOURSE CONCERNING EATING WITH UNWASHED HANDS. Mark vii. 1-23. From Mark it appears that these Scribes and Pharisees had come expressly from Jerusalem to watch our Lord: most probably after that Passover which was nigh at the time of feeding the five thousand, John vi. 4. 2.] The Jews attached more importance to the traditionary exposition than to the Scripture text itself. They compared the written word to water; the traditionary exposition to the wine which must be mingled with it. The duty of washing before meat is not inculcated in the law, but only in the traditions of the Scribes. So rigidly did the Jews observe it, that Rabbi Akiba, being imprisoned, and having water scarcely sufficient to sustain life given him, preferred dying of thirst to eating without washing his hands. The "elders" here, as in Heb. xi, 2, must be taken to mean the ancients. See ref. Heb. 3. ye also] The also implies that there was a transgression also on their part-acknowledging that on the part of the disciples. the commandment of God] A remarkable testimony from our |