Simon called Peter, and Andrew | the son of Zebedee, and John his his brother, casting a net into the brother, in a ship with Zebedee sea for they were fishers. their father, mending their nets: and he called them. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you' fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. с 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel e c.9.35. Lu.4.15,44. fc.24.14. Mar.1.14. do our duty at once, and to commit the result to the great Redeemer who has called us. Compare Matt. vi. 33, viii. This is an expression denoting that they became his disciples. 2 Kings, vi. 19. the year. The river Jordan flows directly through the lake, it is said, without mingling with its waters, so that the course of the Jordan can be dis-21, 22; John xxi. 21, 22. ¶ Follow him. tinctly seen. The waters of the lake are sweet and pleasant to the taste, and clear. The lake still abounds with fish, and gives employment, as it did in the time of our Saviour, to those who live on its shores. It is, however, stormy, owing probably to the high hills by which it is surrounded. ¶ Simon calle Peter. The name Peter means a rock; and is the same as Cephas. See Note, Matt. xvi. 18; also John 1. 42. 1 Cor. XV. 5. 1). Fishers of men. Ministers or preachers of the gospel. whose business it shall be to win souls to Christ. 20. Straightway. Immediately-as all should do when the Lord Jesus calls them. Left their nets. Their nets were the means of their living, perhaps all their property. By leaving them immediately, and following him, they gave every evidence of sincerity. They showed, what we should, that they were willing to forsake all for the sake of Jesus, and to follow him wherever he should lead them. They went forth to persecution and death, for the sake of Jesus; but also to the honor of saving souls from death, and establishing a church that shall continue to the end of time. Little did they know what awaited them, when they left their unmended nets to rot on the beach, and followed the unknown and unhonored Jesus of Nazareth. So we know not what awaits us, when we become his followers; but we should cheerfully go, when our Saviour calls, willing to commit all into his hands-come honor or dishonor, sickness or health, riches poverty, life or death. Be it ours to 22. Left their father. This showed how willing they were to follow Jesus. They left their father. They showed us what we ought to do. If necessary, we should leave father, and mother, and every friend. Luke xiv. 26. If they will go with us, and be Christians, it is well; if not, yet they should not hinder us. We should be the followers of Jesus. And, while in doing it, we should treat our friends tenderly and kindly, yet we ought at all hazards to obey God, and do our duty to him. We may add, that many, very many children, since Sabbath schools have commenced, have been the means of their parents' conversion. Many children have spoken to their parents, or read the Bible to them, or other books, and prayed for them, and God has blessed them and converted them. Every child in a Sunday school ought to be a Christian; and then should strive and pray that God would convert his parents, and make them Christians too. We see here, too, what humble instruments God makes use of to convert men. He chose fishermen to convert the world. He chooses the foolish to confound the wise. And it shows that religion is true, and is the power of God, when he makes use of such instruments to change the hear's of men, and save their souls. See Notes on 1 Cor. i. 26-28. 23. All Galilee. See ch. ii. 22. Synagogues. Places of worship, of places where the people assembled to. of the kingdom, and healing all Inanner of sickness, and all manner of disease a among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought a Ps.103.3. c.8.16,17. unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. gether to worship God. The origin of surrounding it. See Note Matt. xx synagogues is involved in much obscu- 12. In the centre building, or chapel, rity. The sacrifices of the Jews were was a place prepared for the reading of appointed to be held in one place, at the law. The law was kept in a chest, Jerusalem. But there was nothing to or ark, near to the pulpit. The upperforbid the other services of religion to most seats (Matt. xxiii. 6.) were those be performed at any place. According- nearest to the pulpit. The people sat ly the praises of God were sung in the round, facing the pulpit. When the schools of the prophets; and those who law was read, the officiating person chose were assembled by the seers on rose; when it was expounded, he was the Sabbath, and the new-moons, for seated. Our Saviour imitated their exreligious worship. 2 Kings iv. 23. 1 ample, and was commonly seated in Sam. x. 5-11. The people would addressing the people. Matt. v. 1; xiii. soon see the necessity of providing con- 1. Teaching. Instructing the peovenient places for their services, to ple, or explaining the gospel. ¶ The shelter them from storms and heat; gospel of the kingdom. The good news and this was probably the origin of respecting the kingdom which he was synagogues. At what time they were about to set up; or the good news commenced is unknown. They are respecting the coming of the Mesmentioned by Josephus a considerable siah and the nature of his kingdom. time before the coming of Christ; and Preaching. See ch. ii. 1. in his time they were multiplied, not only in Judea, but wherever there were Jews. There were no less than 480 in Jerusalem alone, before it was taken by the Romans. The synagogues were built in elevated places in any place where ten men were found who were willing to associate for the purpose; and were the regular customary places of worship. In them the law, i. e. the Old Testament, divided into suitable portions, was read, prayers were offered, and the scriptures were expounded. The law was so divided, that the five books of Moses, and portions of the prophets, could be read through each year. The scriptures after being read were expounded. This was done, either by the officers of the synagogues, or by any person who might be invited to it by the officiating minister. Our Saviour and the apostles were in the habit of attending at those places constantly, and of speaking to the people. Luke iv. 15-22. Acts xiii. 14, 15. An manner of sickness. All kinds of sick ness. 24. And his fame went throughout all Syria. It is not easy to fix the exact bounds of Syria in the time of our Saviour. It was, perhaps, the general name for the country lying between the Euphrates on the east, and the Mediterranean on the west; and be tween mount Taurus on the north, and Arabia on the south. Through all this region his celebrity was spread by his power of working miracles; and, as might be expected, the sick from every quarter were brought to him, in the hope that he would give relief. ¶ Those possessed with devils. Much difficulty exists, and much has been written, respecting those in the New Testa ment said to be possessed with the devil. It has been maintained by many, that the sacred writers meant only by this expression to denote those who were melancholy or epileptic, or afflicted with some other grievous disease. This opinion has been supported by argu The synagogues were built in imita-nents too long to be repeated here. tion of the temple, with a centre build- On the other hand, it has been suping, supported by pillars, and a court posed that the persons described 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, were under the influence of evil spirits, who had complete possession of the faculties, and who produced many symptoms of disease not unlike melancholy, and madness, and epilepsy. That such was the fact, will appear from the following considerations: 1st. That Christ and the apostles spoke to them, and of them as such; that they addressed them, and managed them, precisely as if they were so possessed, leaving their hearers to infer beyond a doubt that such was their real opinion. 2d. They spake, conversed, asked questions, gave answers, and expressed their knowledge of Christ, and their fear of him-things that certainly could not be said of diseases. Matt. viii. 28. Luke viii. 27. 3d. They are represented as going out of the persons possessed, and entering the bodies of others. Matt. viii. 32. 4th. Jesus spoke to them, and asked their name, and they answered him. He threatened them, commanded them to be silent, to depart, and not to return. Mark i. 25; v. 8; ix. 25. 5th. Those possessed are said to know Christ; to be acquainted with the Son of God. Luke iv. 34. Mark i. 24. This could not be said of diseases. 6th. The early fathers of the church interpreted these passages in the same way. They derived their opinions probably from the apostles themselves, and their opinions are a fair interpretation of the apostles' sentiments. 7th. If it may be denied that Christ believed in such possessions, it does not appear why any other clear sentiment of his may not in the same way be disputed. There is, perhaps, no subject on which he expressed himself more clearly, or acted more uniformly, or which he left more clearly impressed on the minds of his disciples. Nor is there any absurdity in the opinion that those persons were really under the influence of devils. For: 1st. It is no more absurd to suppose that an angel, or many angels, should have fallen and become wicked, than that so many men should. 2d. It is no more absurd that Satan should have possession of the human faculties, or inflict diseases, than that men should do it a thing which is done every day. a Lu.(.17,19. What more frequent than for a wicked man to corrupt the morals of others, or by inducing them to become intemperate, to produce a state of body and mind quite as bad as to be possessed with the devil? 3d. We still see a multitude of cases that no man can prove not to be produced by the presence of an evil spirit. Who would attempt to say that some evil being may not have much to do in the case of madmen? 4th. It afforded an opportunity for Christ to show his power over the enemies of himsel and of man. and thus to evince himself qualified to meet every enemy of the race, and triumphantly to redeem his people. He came to destroy the power of Satan. Acts xxvi. 18. Rom. xvi. 20, 21. Those that were lunatic. This name is given to the disease from the Latin name of the moon (Luna.) It has the same origin in Greek. It was given, because it was formerly imagined that it was affected by the increase or the decrease of the moon. The name is still retained, although it is not certain that the moon has any effect on the disease. On this point physicians are not determined, but no harm arises from the use of the name. It is mentioned only in this place, and in Matt. xvii. 15. It was probably the falling sickness, or the epilepsy, the same as the disease mentioned Mark ix. 18-20. Luke ix. 39-40: those that had the palsy. Many infirmities were included under this general name of palsy, in the New Testament. 1st. The paralytic shock, affecting the whole body. 2d. The hemiplegy, affecting only one side of the body; the most frequent form of the disease. 3d. The paraplegy, affecting all the system below the neck. 4th. The catalepsy. This is caused by a contraction of the muscles in the whole or a part of the body, and is very dangerous. The effects are very violent and fatal. For instance, if, when a person is struck, he happens to have his hand extended, he is unable to draw it back; if not extended, he is unable to stretch it out. It appears diminished in size, and dried up in appearance. Hence it was called the withered hand. Matt. xii. 10-13. 5th. The cramp. This, in eastern ¶And and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan. CHAPTER V. AND seeing the multitudes, he when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying," 3 Blessed are the poor' in spirit: • went up into a mountain: and for their's is the kingdom of heaven countries, is a fearful malady, and by 25. From Decapolis. Decapolis was the name of a region of country in the bounds of the half tribe of Manasseh, mainly on the east of Jordan. It was so called because it included ten cities the meaning of the word Decapolis in Greek. Geographers generally agree that Scythopolis was the chief of these cities. and was the only one of them west of the Jordan; that Hippo, (Hipoos, Gadara, Dion, (or Dios,, Pelea, CHAPTER V. 1. Seeing the multitudes. The great numbers that came to attend on his ministry. The substance of this discourse is recorded in the sixth chapter of Luke. It is commonly called the sermon on the mount. It is not improbable that it was repeated, in substance, on different occasions, and to different people. At those times, parts of it might have been omitted, and Luke may have recorded it as it was pronounced on one of those occasions. See Notes Luke vi. 17-20. ¶ Went up into a mountain. This mountain, or hill, was somewhere in the vicinity of Capernaum, but where precisely is not mentioned. He ascended the hill, doubtless, because it was more convenient to address the multitude from an eminence, than on the same level with them. A hill or mountain is still shown a short distance to the north-west of the ancient site of Capernaum, which tradition reports to have been the place where this sermon was delivered, and which is called on the maps the Mount of Beatitudes. But there is no positive evidence that this is the place where this discourse was uttered. ¶ And when he was set. This was the com mon mode of teaching among the Jews. Luke iv. 20; v. 3. John viii. 2. Acts xiii. 14; xvi. 13. His disciples came. The word disciples means learners, those who are taught. Here it is put for those who attended on the ministry of Jesus, and does not imply that they were all Christians. See John vi. 66. 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Tho 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." a Is.61.3. Eze.7.16 b Jno.16.20. 2 Cor.1.7. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. c Ps.37.11. ed by men- -is a state where men are most ready to seek the comforts of religion here, or a home in the heavens hereafter. See Note, ch. ii. 2. 4. Blessed are they that mourn. This is capable of two meanings: either that those are blessed who are afflicted with the loss of friends or possessions; or that they who mourn over sin are blessed. As Christ came to preach repentance, to induce men to mourn over their sins, and to forsake them, it is probable that he had the latter particularly in view. 2 Cor. vii. 10. At the same time, it is true that the gospel only can give true comfort to those in afflic tion. Isa. lxi. 1-3. Luke iv. 18. Other sources of consolation do not reach the deep sorrows of the soul. They may blunt the sensibilities of the mind; they may produce a sullen and reluctant submission to what we can not help; but they do not point to the true source of comfort. In the God of mercy only; in the Saviour; in the peace that flows from the hope of a better world, and there only, is there comfort. 2 Cor. iii. 17, 18; v. 1. Those that mourn thus shall be comforted So those that grieve over sin; that sorrow that they have committed it, and are afflicted and wounded that they have offended God, shall find comfort in the gospel. Through the merciful Saviour those sins may be forgiven. In him the weary and heavy-laden soul shall find peace (Matt. xi. 28-30); and the presence of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, shall sustain us here (John xiv. 26, 27), and in heaven all tears shall be wiped away. Rev. xxi. 4. word blessed means happy, referring to that which produces felicity, from whatever quarter it may come. Poor in spirit. Luke says simply, blessed are THE POOR. It has been disputed whether Christ meant the poor in reference to the things of this life, or the humble. The gospel is said to be preached to the poor. Luke iv. 18. Matt. xi. 5. It was predicted that the Messiah should preach to the poor. Isa. Ixi. 1. It is said that they have peculiar facilities for being saved. Matt. xix. 23. Luke xviii. 24. The state of such persons is therefore comparatively blessed, or happy. Riches produce care anxiety, and dangers, and not the least is the danger of losing heaven by them. To be poor in spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and niercy of God; to be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favor from him. It is opposed to pride, and vanity, and ambition. Such are happy: 1st. Because there is more real enjoyment, in thinking of ourselves as we are, than in being filled with pride and vanity. 2d. Because such Jesus chooses to bless, and on them he confers his favors here. 3d. Because theirs will be the kingdom of heaven hereafIt is remarkable that Jesus began his ministry in this manner, so unlike all others. Other teachers had taught that happiness was to be found in honor, or riches, or splendor, or sensual plea- 5. The meek. Meekness is patience sure. Jesus overlooked all those things, in the reception of injuries. It is neiand fixed his eye on the poor, and the ther meanness, nor a surrender of our humble, and said that happiness was to rights, nor cowardice; but it is the opbe found in the lowly vale of poverty posite of sudden anger, of malice, of more than in the pomp and splendors long-harbored vengeance. Christ inof life. Theirs is the kingdom of sisted on his right, when he said, "If I heaven. That is, either they have pe- have done evil, bear witness of the evil culiar facilities for entering the king- but if well, why smitest thou me?" dom of heaven, and of becoming Chris- John xviii. 23. Paul asserted his right, tians here, or they shall enter heaven when he said, "They have beaten us hereafter. Both these ideas are proba-openly uncondemned, being Romans, bly included. A state of poverty -a and have cast us into prison; and now state where we are despised or unhonor- do they thrust us out privily? nav ter. |