Mark 3:13 注釈

In this chapter, we have, I. Christ's healing a man that had a withered hand, on the sabbath day, and the combination of his enemies against him for it (Mar 3:1-6). II. The universal resort of people to him from all parts, to be healed, and the relief they all found with him (Mar 3:7-12). III. His ordaining his twelve apostles to be attendants on him, and the preachers of his gospel (Mar 3:13-21). IV. His answer to the blasphemous cavils of the scribes, who imputed his power to cast out devils to a confederacy with the prince of the devils (Mar 3:22-30). V. His owning his disciples for his nearest and dearest relations (Mar 3:31-35).

In these verses, we have, I. The choice Christ made of the twelve apostles to be his constant followers and attendants, and to be sent abroad as there was occasion, to preach the gospel. Observe, 1. The introduction to this call or promotion of disciples; He goes up into a mountain, and his errand thither was to pray. Ministers must be set apart with solemn prayer for the pouring out of the Spirit upon them; though Christ had authority to confer the gifts of the Holy Ghost, yet, to set us an example, he prayed for them. 2. The rule he went by in his choice, and that was his own good pleasure; He called unto him whom he would. Not such as we should have thought fittest to be called, looking upon the countenance, and the height of the stature; but such as he thought fit to call, and determined to make fit for the service to which he called them: even so, blessed Jesus, because it seemed good in thine eyes. Christ calls whom he will; for he is a free Agent, and his grace is his own. 3. The efficacy of the call; He called them to separate themselves from the crowd, and stand by him, and they came unto him. Christ calls those who were given him (Joh 17:6); and all that the Father gave him, shall come to him, Joh 6:37. Those whom it was his will to call, he made willing to come; his people shall be willing in the day of his power. Perhaps they came to him readily enough, because they were in expectation of reigning with him in temporal pomp and power; but when afterward they were undeceived in that matter, yet they had such a prospect given them of better things, that they would not say they were deceived in their Master, nor repented their leaving all to be with him. 4. The end and intention of this call; He ordained them (probably by the imposition of hands, which was a ceremony used among the Jews), that they should be with him constantly, to be witnesses of his doctrine, manner of life, and patience, that they might fully know it, and be able to give an account of it; and especially that they might attest the truth of his miracles; they must be with him to receive instructions from him, that they might be qualified to give instructions to others. It would require time to fit them for that which he designed them for; for they must be sent forth to preach; not to preach till they were sent, and not to be sent till by a long and intimate acquaintance with Christ they were fitted. Note, Christ's ministers must be much with him. 5. The power he gave them to work miracles; and hereby he put a very great honour upon them, beyond that of the great men of the earth. He ordained them to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. This showed that the power which Christ had to work these miracles was an original power; that he had it not as a Servant, but as a Son in his own house, in that he could confer it upon others, and invest them with it: they have a rule in the law, Deputatus non potest deputare - He that is only deputed himself, cannot depute another; but our Lord Jesus had life in himself, and the Spirit without measure; for he could give this power even to the weak and foolish things of the world. 6. Their number and names; He ordained twelve, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are here named not just in the same order as they were in Matthew, nor by couples, as they were there; but as there, so here, Peter is put first and Judas last. Here Matthew is put before Thomas, probably being called in that order; but in that catalogue which Matthew himself drew up, he puts himself after Thomas; so far was he from insisting upon the precedency of his consecration. But that which Mark only takes notice of in this list of the apostles, is, that Christ called James and John Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder; perhaps they were remarkable for a loud commanding voice, they were thundering preachers; or, rather, it denotes the zeal and fervency of their spirits, which would make them active for God above their brethren. These two (saith Dr. Hammond) were to be special eminent ministers of the gospel, which is called a voice shaking the earth, Heb 12:26. Yet John, one of those sons of thunder, was full of love and tenderness, as appears by his epistles, and was the beloved disciple. 7. Their retirement with their Master, and close adherence to him; They went into a house. Now that this jury was impanelled, they stood together, to hearken to their evidence. They went together into the house, to settle the orders of their infant college; and now, it is likely, the bag was given to Judas, which pleased him, and made him easy. II. The continual crowds that attended Christ's motions (Mar 3:20); The multitude cometh together again, unsent for, and unseasonably pressing upon him, some with one errand and some with another; so that he and his disciples could not get time so much as to eat bread, much less for a set and full meal. Yet he did not shut his doors against the petitioners, but bade them welcome, and gave to each of them an answer of peace. Note, They whose hearts are enlarged in the work of God, can easily bear with great inconveniences to themselves, in the prosecution of it, and will rather lose a meal's meat at any time than slip an opportunity of doing good. It is happy when zealous hearers and zealous preachers thus meet, and encourage one another. Now the kingdom of God was preached, and men pressed into it, Luk 16:16. This was a gale of opportunity worth improving; and the disciples might well afford to adjourn their meals, to lay hold on it. It is good striking while the iron is hot. III. The care of his relations concerning him (Mar 3:21); When his friends in Capernaum heard how he was followed, and what pains he took, they went out, to lay hold on him, and fetch him home, for they said, He is beside himself. 1. Some understand it of an absurd preposterous care, which had more in it of reproach to him than of respect; and so we must take it as we read it, He is beside himself; either they suspected it themselves, or it was suggested to them, and they gave credit to the suggestion, that he was gone distracted, and therefore his friends ought to bind him, and put him in a dark room, to bring him to his right mind again. His kindred, many of them, had mean thoughts of him (Joh 7:5), and were willing to hearken to this ill construction which some put upon his great zeal, and to conclude him crazed in his intellects, and under that pretence to take him off from his work. The prophets were called mad fellows, Kg2 9:11. 2. Others understand it of a well-meaning care; and then they read exestē - "He fainteth, he has no time to eat bread, and therefore his strength will fail him; he will be stifled with the crowd of people, and will have his spirits quite exhausted with constant speaking, and the virtue that goes out of him in his miracles; and therefore let us use a friendly violence with him, and get him a little breathing-time." In his preaching-work, as well as his suffering-work, he was attacked with, Master, spare thyself. Note, They who go on with vigour and zeal in the work of God, must expect to meet with hindrances, both from the groundless disaffection of their enemies, and the mistaken affections of their friends, and they have need to stand upon their guard against both.

And he entered again into the synagogue,.... Perhaps in Capernaum, where he had before cast out the unclean spirit; but not on the same day, nor on that day he had had the debate with the Pharisees, about his disciples plucking the ears of corn on the sabbath day; but on another sabbath, perhaps the next; see Luk 6:6. And there was a man there which had a withered hand; who came there either for a cure, knowing Christ to be in the synagogue, or for the sake of worship; See Gill on Mat 12:10.

And he goeth up into a mountain,.... Near Capernaum, being solitary, and a place of recess and retirement, "to pray", as Luke says, Luk 6:12, who adds, "and continued all night in prayer to God", notwithstanding the great fatigue of the day past. His prayer, as is very probable, was chiefly concerning the great and important work, which was upon his mind, and he was about to do; the making and constituting twelve of his disciples, as his apostles, to preach in his name, and work miracles: and calleth unto him whom he would; that is, "when it was day", as the above evangelist observes; when he called his disciples, such as had been for some time followers of him, as many of them as he thought fit: for it seems by the same evangelist, that others were called to him besides the twelve; and out of them he chose them: the phrase "whom he would", is in the Arabic version rendered, "whom he loved"; and it is a common observation of expositors, that the choice and call of the apostles to office, were not according to their will, works and merits, but according to the sovereign will and grace of Christ, who chose them, and not they him: but to me there seems no foundation for such a remark here, though it is a truth; because this regards not the call of the twelve only, and much less of them to office, but a call of many of the followers of Christ to come to him on the mountain: and they came unto him; as many as he called out of the multitude; and from among these he made the following choice.

(Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) He also instructs the Prelates of the Church to pass the night in prayer before they ordain, that their office be not impeded. When therefore, according to Luke, it was day, He called whom He would; for there were many who followed Him.

And going up into the mountain, he called to himself those whom he wanted, and they came to him, and he made it so that there were twelve with him. That mountain on which the Lord chose the apostles signifies the height of justice, by which they were to be instructed and which they were to preach to men. For because he was going to send them to preach the Gospel of the heavenly kingdom, he rightly wished to remind them, by the height of the place where they were chosen, not to dissolve their mind in low desires, but always to raise it to desire and seek higher things. Thus also, intending to give the law to his former people, he appeared on a mountain; from the mountain he thundered what was to be done. Indeed, because it was not yet time to say: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4), but only to say, "Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exod. 20), these same words, however, typically promise us the eternal kingdom, which is in the land of the living: the people could not approach the Lord speaking on the mountain, but heard from below what was being said, because they did not yet know how to ascend with a mind capable of understanding the mysteries being mentioned; Moses alone, because he had learned to hear the law spiritually, ascended the summit of the mountain where God was. It is well said, that ascending the mountain, the Lord called to himself those he wanted. For it was not by their choice and zeal, but by divine will and grace, that they were called to apostleship. Hence, he also says to them elsewhere: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15).

(in Marc. i. 16) After having forbidden the evil spirits to preach Him, He chose holy men, to cast out the unclean spirits, and to preach the Gospel; wherefore it is said, And he went up into a mountain, &c. (Luke 6) (ubi sup.) For it was not a matter of their choice and zeal, but of Divine condescension and grace, that they should be called to the Apostleship. The mount also in which the Lord chose His Apostles, shows the lofty righteousness in which they were to be instructed, and which they were about to preach to men.

He ascends the mountain in order to pray. Since before this He had been working miracles, after performing the miracles He prays, certainly as a lesson for us, that we should thank God as soon as we do anything good, and ascribe it to the power of God. Or since the Lord was about to ordain the apostles, on this occasion He ascends the mountain for prayer as an instruction to us, that we too, when we intend to ordain someone, must first pray that the one worthy of it be revealed to us and that we not become partakers "in other men's sins" (1 Tim. 5:22).

Luke, however, says that He went up to pray, for after the showing forth of miracles He prays, teaching us that we should give thanks, when we obtain any thing good, and refer it to Divine grace.

Or spiritually, Christ is the mount, from which living waters flow, and milk is procured for the health of infants; whence the spiritual feast of fat things is made known, and whatsoever is believed to be most highly good is established by the grace of that Mountain. Those therefore who are highly exalted in merits and in words are called up into a mountain, that the place may correspond to the loftiness of their merits. It goes on: And they came unto him, &c. For the Lord loved the beauty of Jacob, (Ps. 46 Vulg.) that they might sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, (Matt. 19:28) who also in bands of threes and fours watch around the tabernacle of the Lord, and carry the holy words of the Lord, bearing them forward on their actions, as men do burdens on their shoulders.

The man with the withered hand healed, Mar 3:1-5. The Pharisees plot our Lord's destruction, Mar 3:6. Christ withdraws, and is followed by a great multitude, Mar 3:7-9. He heals many, and goes to a mountain to pray, Mar 3:10-13. He ordains twelve disciples, and, gives them power to preach and work miracles, Mar 3:14, Mar 3:15. Their names, Mar 3:16-19. The multitudes throng him, and the scribes attribute his miracles to Beelzebub, Mar 3:20-22. He vindicates himself by a parable, Mar 3:23-27. Of the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, Mar 3:28-30. His mother and brethren send for him, Mar 3:31, Mar 3:32. And he takes occasion from this to show, that they who do the will of God are to him as his brother, sister, and mother, Mar 3:33-35.

PARABLE OF THE SOWER--REASON FOR TEACHING IN PARABLES--PARABLES OF THE SEED GROWING WE KNOW NOT HOW, AND OF THE MUSTARD SEED. ( = Mat. 13:1-23, 31, 32; Luk 8:4-18). (Mark 4:1-34) And he began again to teach by the seaside: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude--or, according to another well-supported reading, "a mighty" or "immense multitude." so that he entered into a ship--rather, "the ship," meaning the one mentioned in Mar 3:9. (See on Mat 12:15). and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land--crowded on the seashore to listen to Him. (See on Mat 13:1-2.)