Galilee; and there went out a fame of him through all i Acts x. 37. the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to * Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his k Matt. 11. 23: custom was, The went into the synagogue on the sabbath 1 Acts xiii. 14: day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 m The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he m Isa. lxi. 1. [hath] anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he & omit. had been residing long in Capernaum. Compare too its introduction here without any notification, with its description as a city of Galilee in ver. 31, and the separateness of the two pieces will be apparent: see further remarks in the notes below. Here however is omitted an important cycle of our Lord's sayings and doings, both in Galilee and Jerusalem; viz. that contained in John i. 29-iv. 54 included. This will be shewn by comparing Matt. iv. 12, where it is stated that our Lord's return to Galilee was after the casting of John into prison, with John iii. 24, where, on occasion of the Lord and the disciples baptizing in Judæa, it is said, John was not yet cast into prison: see note on Matt. iv. 12. a fame] The report, namely, of His miracles in Capernaum, wrought in the power of the Spirit, and possibly of what He had done and taught at Jerusalem at the feast. 15.] Olshausen well remarks that this verse, containing a general undefined notice of our Lord's synagogue teaching, quite takes from what follows any chronological character. Indeed we find through out the early part of this Gospel the same fragmentary stamp. Compare "on the sabbath days," ver. 31-"as the people pressed on him," ch. v. 1-"when he was in a certain city," ch. v. 12-" on a certain day," ch. v. 17; viii. 22-" on another sabbath," ch. vi. 6-"in these days," ch. vi. 12, &c. &c. 16.] where he had been brought up is expressed by "in thy country," ver. 23: see John iv. 44 and note. as his custom was refers to the whole of what He did it is not merely that he had been in the habit of attending the synagogues, but of teaching in them: see ver. 15. It was apparently the first time He had ever so taught in the synagogue at Nazareth. stood up for to read] The rising up was probably to shew His wish to explain xiii. 54. vii. 2. the Scripture; for so the word rendered "read" imports. Ezra is called a reader of the divine law, Joseph. Antt. xi. 5. 1. The ordinary way was, for the ruler of the synagogue to call upon persons of any learning or note to read and explain. That the demand of the Lord was so readily complied with, is sufficiently accounted for by vv. 14, 15. See reff. 17.] It is doubtful whether the Rabbinical cycle of Sabbath readings, or lessons from the law and prophets, were as yet in use: but some regular plan was adopted; and according to that plan, after the reading of the law, which always preceded, the portion from the prophets came to be read (see Acts xiii. 15), which, for that sabbath, fell in the prophet Isaiah. The roll containing that book (probably, that alone) was given to the Lord. But it does not appear that He read any part of the lesson for the day; but when He had unrolled the scroll, found (the fortuitous, i. e. providential, finding is the most likely interpretation, not the searching for and finding) the passage which follows. No inference can be drawn as to the time of the year from this narrative: partly on account of the uncertainty above mentioned, and partly because it is not quite clear whether the roll contained only Isaiah, or other books also. 18-20.] The quotation agrees mainly with the LXX: -the words to set at liberty them that are bruised are inserted from the LXX of Isa. lviii. 6. The meaning of this prophetic citation may be better seen, when we remember that it stands in the middle of the third great division of the book of Isaiah (ch. xlix.-lxvi.), that, viz., which comprises the prophecies of the Person, office, sufferings, triumph, and Church of the Messiah; and thus by implication announces the fulfilment of all that went before, in Him who then addressed them. hath sent me [b to heal the brokenhearted], to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 c to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22 And all bare him n Matt. xiii. 54. witness, and wondered at the d gracious words which proo John vi. 42. ceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? 23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself; whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in q Matt. xiii. 54. q thy country. 24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I p Matt. iv. 13: xi. 23. John iv. 44. s 1 Kings xvii. 9. xvi. 1 tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the James v. 17. bomit. d render, words of grace. 18. The Spirit of the Lord] See Isa. xi. 2; xlii. 1. deliverance to the captives] See ch. xiii. 12, 16. ing of sight to the blind] See John ix. 39. The Hebrew words thus rendered by the LXX, signify, 'to those who are bound, the opening of prison:' so that we have here the LXX and literal rendering both included, and the latter expressed in the LXX words of Isa. lviii. 6. 19. the acceptable year of the Lord] See Levit. xxv. 8-17, where in ver. 10 we find that liberty was proclaimed to all in the land in the year of jubilee. No countenance is given by this expression to the extraordinary inference from it of some of the Fathers (Clement of Alexandria, Origen), that the Lord's public ministry lasted only a year, and something over. Compare John ii. 13; vi. 4; xiii. 1. C better here, to proclaim. recover 20. sat down] It was the custom in the syna- try. same source. days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26 f but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, & a city] of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 + And many lepers were in Israel in the time to Kings v. 14. of i Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. he "passing through the midst of them went his way, u John viii. 59: 31 and came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and f render, and. heal thyself:' but their miraculous powers six months] So also in James v. 17; - but not appear from what time this third year 27.] Stier remarks, that these two examples 30 But 8 omit: not in the original. Χ. 89. similar truth being announced to them. 29. Tit. ii. 15. taught them on the sabbath days. 32 And they were v Matt. vii. 28, astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 [j saying,] Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? w ver. 41. 35. "I know thee who thou art; * the Holy One of God. Dan. 1. 24. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, 1 What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. 38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on more probably, thou art come to destroy us. 1 render, What word is this, that with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out? j omit. m render, a report concerning him. that this was originally intended to be the first mention of the place. What may have been the reason of the change of abode is quite uncertain. It seems to have included the whole family, except the sisters, who may have been married at Nazareth, see note on John ii. 12, and Matt. iv. 13. came down,-see also John ii. 12, because Nazareth lay high, and Capernaum on the sea of Galilee. 33-37.] HEALING OF A DEMONIAC IN THE SYNAGOGUE AT CAPERNAUM. Mark i. 23-28, where see notes. The two accounts are very closely cognate-being the same narrative, only slightly deflected; not more, certainly, than might have arisen from oral repetition by two persons, at some interval of time, of what they had received in the same words. 35.] hurt him not is here only. St. Mark's expression, rendered "torn," may mean 'having convulsed him'-and our text, 'without doing him bodily injury.' 38-41.] HEALING OF SIMON'S WIFE'S MOTHER, AND MANY OTHERS. Matt. viii. 14-17. Mark i. 29-34. Our account has only a slight additional detail, which is interesting however as giving another side of an eye-witness's evidence-it is, he stood over her. Now this is implied in laying hold of her hand, as she was in bed; which particulars are both mentioned by St. Matthew and St. Mark:-this being one of those many cases where the alteration of the one expression into the other is utterly inconceivable. 38. a great fever] An epithet used by St. Luke, as a physician; for, as Galen observes, physicians divided fevers into great and small. Bleek doubts this, and understands it only of the intensity of the fever. 40.] he laid his hands on every one of them, is a detail peculiar to Luke, and I believe indicating the same as above: as also the crying out and saying, implied in the other Evangelists, but not expressed. every one of them, and healed them. 41 And devils also y Mark iii. 11. came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art [Christ] the Son of God. And he rebuking them z ver 34, 35. suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore Pam I sent. 44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. V. 1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake nomit. P read, was. • render, multitudes. 9 render, continued preaching. most of the ancient authorities read, Judæa. many ancient authorities read, and heard. 42-44.] JESUS, BEING SOUGHT OUT IN HIS RETIREMENT, PREACHES THROUGHOUT JUDEA. Mark i. 35-39. The dis similitude in wording of these two accounts is one of the most striking instances in the Gospels, of variety found in the same narration. While the matter related (with one remarkable exception, see below) is nearly identical, the only words common to the two are into a desert (or solitary, the word is the same) place. 42.] the multitudes are "Simon and they that were with him" in Mark. The great number of sick which were brought to the VOL. I. with the critic. It is his province simply to track out what is the sacred text, not what, in his own feeble and partial judgment, it ought to have been. CHAP. V. 1-11.] THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES. CALL OF PETER AND THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE. The question at once meets us, whether this account, in its form here peculiar to Luke, is identical in its subject-matter with Matt. iv. 18-22, and Mark i. 16-20. With regard to this, we may notice the following particulars. (1) Some suppose this to be the first meeting of our Lord with Simon Peter. But it must be, I think, the inference of most readers, that a previous and close relation had subsisted between them before. Peter calls Him Master and Lord: evidently (ver. 5, end) expects a miracle; and follows Him, with his partners, without any present express command so to do. Still all this might be, and yet the account might be identical with the others. For our Lord had known Peter before this, John i. 41 ff., and, in all probability, as one of His disciples. And although there is here no express command to follow, yet the words in ver. 10 may be, and are probably intended to be, equivalent to one. (2) That the Evangelist evidently intends this as the first apostolic calling of Peter and his companions. The expressions in ver. 11 could not otherwise have been used. (3) That there is yet the supposition, that the accounts in Matthew and Mark may be a shorter way of recounting this by per Y |