35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
We have reached a point at which Mark records a special outshining of miraculous power. Four striking works follow each other without a break, and it mush not for a moment be supposed that the narrative is thus constructed, certain intermediate discourses and events being sacrificed for the purpose, without a deliberate and a truthful intention. That intention is to represent the effect, intense and exalting, produced by such a cycle of wonders on the minds of His disciples.. They saw them come close upon each other: we should lose the impression as we read, if other incidents were allowed to interpose themselves. — Chadwick, page 130.
On the same day (v.35) — The day included everything from Mark 3:22.
What a day it had been, the blasphemous accusation, the visit of the mother and brothers to take Him home, the leaving of the crowded house for the seaside, then in the house again, and now out of the house for the open sea. The designation of the time is of especial note, for Mark does not usually call attention to this. Our Lord and His disciples were on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a trip over to the eastern shore would be a delightful and refreshing change for the weary Lord Jesus. This was His only way to escape the crowds. — Wuest, pages 95-96.
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They took Him (v.36) — The simple verb means “to take,” the prefixes preposition “alongside.” The same verb is used where the angel says to Joseph, “Take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt” (Matthew 2:13), that is, “Take the young child and His mother under your protection and care.” The disciples took the exhausted Lord Jesus under their care just as He was, in the boat. the word is ploion, referring to the larger fishing boat, not a rowboat this time. — Wuest, page 96.
as He was (v.36) — exhausted from the long day of teaching
windstorm (v.37) = furious storm, hurricane, not just a gust or even a strong wind, but a violent storm. The same word is used of the whirlwind out of which God answered Job.
The sudden storm is characteristic of the region around the Sea of Galilee, where the movement of the air currents causes the wind to sweep with tremendous violence down the narrow gorges that descend to the shore from the surrounding hills. — Guthrie, pages 861-862
The surface of the Sea of Galilee is 682 feet below that of the Mediterranean Sea, and as the sea is in a basin, the air warms up, which would make a storm push down with great force. Storms like this are common on the sea to this day.
waves beat (v.37) = throwing themselves into the boat. The tense indicates that this was a continuous action.
This is the only place in Scripture that mentions Jesus sleeping.
pillow (v.38) — probably not a soft pillow but rather, the leather cushion of the steersman or the bench at the stern of the boat where the steersman could sit or where crew members could grab a quick nap.
Teacher (v.38) = O, Teacher. They were imploring Him.
That Jesus slept while the waves were crashing into the boat, the wind was roaring, and the boat must have been violently rocking indicates how tired He must have been.
Peace, by still! (v.39) — “Peace” is … “to be silent, still, hushed, calm.” “Be still” is … “to close the mouth with a muzzle, to muzzle,” used of muzzling an ox and of Jesus muzzling (silencing) the Pharisees. The first verb is present imperative, literally, “Be being calmed,” the second, perfect imperative, “Be muzzled and stay that way.” — Wuest, page 98.
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Observe the poetic parallelism in this verse: wind and sea separately addressed, and the corresponding effects separately specified: lulled wind, calmed sea. [Mark] realizes the dramatic situation. Silence! hush! laconic, majestic, probably the very words.” — Wuest, page 98
fearful (v.40) — an adjective used as a plural noun — “Why are you such timid, fearful ones?”
After all, Jesus hadn’t said, “Let us go to sea and drown.” He said, “Let us pass over to the other side.” That should have been enough assurance for the disciples.
The disciples had to accept what had happened, but they didn’t know what to make of it. They had just seen an exhibition of power like nothing they had ever known. Their statement to each other was in the form of a logical argument, “Since these things are so, who then is this?”
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?
31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;
32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
For more analysis (of both the wrong and right interpretations) of this parable, see my comments Matthew 13:31-32.
seeds (v.31) — In Greek, this has the definite article “the” before it, which means that the Lord was talking about specific seeds — those planted in a garden, as distinguished from wild seeds.
In the Middle East, mustard plants are known to grow at least 12-feet tall.
hear (v.33) = understand
He did not speak to them (v.34) — Tense indicates habitual action —He was not in the habit of speaking to them without parables.
explain (v.34) = lit. “give additional loosening,” make plainer and clearer. He was giving His disciples fresh revelation about the Kingdom of God.
His disciples (v.34) — The “His” refers to one’s personal, unique, private possessions — the Twelve, not the full group of disciples who often heard Him speak.
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
This parable was mentioned only by Mark.
My commentaries interpret this parable to refer to the Church in the modern age or to the growth of an individual believer. Odd, since the Lord began the parable with the application — “The kingdom of God.”
This new parable refers to the disciples as representing the fertile soil, and is a pendant to the parable of the Sower, teaching that even in the case of the fourth type of hearers the production of fruit is a gradual process demanding time. Put negatively, it amounts to saying that Christ’s ministry has as yet produced no fruit properly speaking at all, but only in some cases has met with soil that gives promise of fruit (the disciples). — Wuest, page 91.
sleep .. and rise (v.27) — present tense, “sleeping and rising” — Suggestive of a man who has nothing to do except wait patiently for the results of his past action.
sprout and grow (v.27) — again, present tense, “sprouting and growing”
does not know how (v.27) — In Greek, emphasis is on “how.”
The mystery of growth still puzzles farmers and scientists of today with all our modern knowledge. But nature’s secret processes do not fail to operate because we are ignorant. This secret and mysterious growth of the kingdom in the heart and life is the point of this parable. — Wuest, page 92.
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by itself (v.28) = self-moved, spontaneously, without external aid, and also beyond external control, with a way and a will, so to speak, of its own that must be respected and waited for. — Wuest, page 92.
blade (v.28) = grass, the first shoots that spring up from the dirt
head (v.28) = an ear of corn or grain, the covering of the actual fruit
full grain (v.28) = the grain itself
sickle (v.29) — the reapers who use it to harvest
has come (v.29) – stands ready, tense is a past action with present results. The process of growth resulted in a fruit ready for harvest.
Without any commentary to guide me, my take is this: The disciples were to sow the seeds by spreading the message that the Kingdom of God was at hand. They weren’t responsible for the way the message was received or for the way the Holy Spirit brought the hearers to the point of believing it. But the disciples were to be ready to reap the harvest when it was ready by leading people to the Lord.
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?
22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.
25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Also found in Luke 8:16-18.
The question in v.21 is phrased to expect a negative answer.
basket (v.21) = bushel, a dry measure holding about a peck
bed (v.21) = from the word for “to incline,” referring to the reclining couch placed next to a dining table.
To put the lamp under a peck measure, would put out the flame, and it would give no light. To put it under a reclining couch would set it on fire. … True to His uniform teaching that privileges are to be used for the benefit of others, Jesus tells His disciples that if they have more insight than the multitude, they must employ it for the common benefit. These sentences in mark represent the first special instruction of the disciples. — Wuest, page 90.
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[Christ] says that things are hidden in order that they may be manifested. Concealment is a means to revelation. … The temporary concealment is for final manifestation and a means to an end. Those who are charged with the secret at this time, are given the set responsibility of proclaiming it on the housetops after [His] ascension. The word “manifested” is the translation of [a word meaning] “to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown.” — Wuest, page 90.
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If (v.23) — The “if” here is not the conditional particle ean which introduces a future, unfulfilled, hypothetical condition, but ei, the particle of a fulfilled condition. The point is, they had ears with which to hear. Therefore, they ought to use them. — Wuest, page 90.
more (v.24) — More, above and beyond what is due
The more a man thinks, the more he will understand, and the less a man thinks, the less his power of understanding will become. … [To the man who pays attention], knowledge will be given him, and from him who [doesn’t pay attention], the seed of knowledge will be taken. For as diligence causes the seed to grow, negligence destroys it. — Wuest, page 91.
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
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14 The sower sows the word.
15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Also found in Matthew 13:3-23 and Luke 8:5-18.
Listen! (v.3) — lit. “Be listening.” Not a military command, but but still an imperative.
The seed that was sown was the Word of God.
wayside (vs.4, 15) — Alongside the road, the hard surface next to a road or path.
On some [the truth] produces no vital impression whatever; it lies on the surface of a mind which the feet of earthly interests have trodden hard. There is no chance for it to expand, to begin its operation by sending out the smallest tendrils to grasp, to appropriate anything, to take root. And it may well be doubted whether any soul, wholly indifferent to religious truth, ever retained even its theoretic knowledge long. The foolish heart is darkened. The fowls of the air catch away for ever the priceless seed of eternity. Now it is of great importance to observe how Jesus explained this calamity. … Jesus said, “straightway cometh Satan and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them.” … Men cannot reckon upon stopping short in their contempt of [truth], since what they neglect the devil snatches quite away from them. — Chadwick, pages 111-112.
takes away (v.15) = takes by force
stony ground (vs.5, 16) — Some commentaries say this means slabs of rock with thin layers of dirt on top. Wuest says “ground full of rocks.”
some (v.5) — other seed of the same kind
no root in themselves (v.17) — Those who have a superficial experience of divine truth but who have not permitted it to make its way into the inner recesses.
stumble (v.17) — “to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way upon which one may trip or fall.” Thus, to be offended in someone is to find occasion of stumbling in him, to see in another what one disapproves of and what hinders one from acknowledging his authority. Here, those who are like seed sown on ground full of rocks, are offended at the afflictions and persecutions in the sense that they find occasion of stumbling in them since the disapprove of them. — Wuest, page 88.
thorns (vs.7, 18) — weeds
among thorns (v.7) — Nobody would plant seeds among weeds. The seeds in this case were mixed with weed seeds.
choked it (v.7) = pressed around, thronged, almost suffocated, strangled, throttled
These (v.18) — The word “these” is not in the best texts. [It could be] “others.” … It fixes attention on the third type of hearers as calling for special notice. They are such as, lacking the thoughtlessness of the first and the shallowness of the second class, and having some depth and earnestness, might be expected to be fruitful; a less common type and much more interesting. — Wuest, page 88.
cares (v.19) = lit. “anxiety,” “worry,” “to be drawn in different directions,” “to be distracted”
world (v.19) — The course of life as it is lived currently on this earth by those who do not know God. Our Lord was referring to the worries of the people of this age who live apart from God.”
other things (v.19) — Things not in the categories of cares of the world and desire for riches, but which still distract on from being fruitful.
yielded (v.8) — tense indicates “kept on yielding” Same tense used with “sprang up,” “increased,” and “produced.”
The amount of produce is not the issue, for some ground brings forth more than others. Even though fruit may appear relatively meager, the fact remains, it brings forth fruit.
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.
2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
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9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
12 so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’”
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
great (v.1) — a superlative, the crowd was very large
boat (v.1) — Not a rowboat, as in Mark 3:9, but a larger boat, moored close to shore. The rowboat was likely the boat used to reach the larger boat.
taught (v.2) — tense indicates a continued action. The Lord gave information and explanation, as opposed to making proclamations.
parables (v.2) = lit. “the placing of two things side by side for purposes of comparison.” So, a spiritual truth compared to a truth from the natural world.
teaching (v.2) = doctrine, that which is taught
those around Him with the twelve (v.10) — apparently a larger group than just the 12, probably His followers from whom the apostles were chosen.
parable (v.10) — should be plural. They asked Him about His parables. This seems to indicate that the key to understanding them was the same — to understand one would be to understand all.
asked (v.10) — The Greek indicates that they asked as soon as they got a chance away from the crowd. Perhaps they waited until then because they didn’t want the crowd to know they didn’t understand, but they also were anxious to find out.
mystery (v.10) — The word … as used in Scripture means “the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly but when revealed to the godly, are understood by them.” the mystery is not in the fact that they are difficult of interpretation, but that they are impossible of interpretation until their meaning is revealed, when they become plain. — Wuest, page 85.
to you it has been given (v.11) — tense indicates a pat act with present results. The Greek indicates a sense of permanence — they had been given and would remain in possession of the secret.
those who are outside (v.11) — outside the circle, to be understood in the sense of contrast — so, here, the apostles, who sought understanding, as opposed to the Pharisees who had hostile minds.
The use of parables on this occasion was a penalty for judicial blindness on those who will not see. The parables are thus a condemnation on the willingly blind and hostile, while a guide and blessing to the enlightened. This is on the same principle as God hardening Pharaoh’s heart by forcing him to an issue which he did not want to meet (Romans 9:14-18). Light resisted, blinds. Here, these Pharisees were attempting to show that our Lord was in league with Satan. They did not want the truth. Thus, rejecting the truth, they in a sense blinded themselves. The parables are so adjusted that they blind the one who wickedly rejects the truth, and enlighten the one who desires it. — Wuest, pages 85-86.
The quote is from Isaiah 6:9.
turn (v.12) = to turn one’s self about, to turn to, to return to, to cause to return, to bring back. A reversal of one’s position from one previously held.
Their sins be forgiven them (v.12) — “Their sins” does not appear in the best texts. It should be “it should be forgiven them.” The Pharisees would not be forgiven their blasphemous accusations against Jesus. Jesus used the words of Isaiah to declare their doom. The verb is singular, referring to one thing — their rejection of the truth.
do you not understand (v.12) — The apostles had been given the secret (the mystery of the Kingdom of God) and should have understood the parables. Jesus was saying that, if they didn’t understand the parable of the sower, they couldn’t understand any of the parables.
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.”
23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.
28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;
29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—
30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Matthew 12:22 states that the scribes from Jerusalem made their accusation after the Lord healed a demon-possessed, blind, and mute man. The local scribes and Pharisees — those who had conspired with the Herodians (Mark 3:6) — may have sent to Jerusalem for support against the Lord.
Beelzebub (v.22) — The implication is that Beelzebub has Him, is using Him as his agent. The expression points to something more than an alliance, as in Matthew, to possession, and that on a grand scale: a divine possession by a base deity doubtless, god of flies or god of dung, still a god a sort of Satanic incarnation. The Jews transferred this name of a Philistine god to Satan in contempt. At all events, it is a title of the Devil. — Wuest, page 75.
ruler (v.22) = prince, the first in a series, one who is first in order of importance or power.
Here we have the case of a fallen angel, Satan, as ruler over a different order of beings than himself, the demons. In saying that Jesus cast out demons through the help of the prince of the demons, the Pharisees were arguing upon the basis of the assumption that spirits are cast out by the aid of some other spirit stronger than those ejected. the religious leaders of Israel were trying to break the force of the attesting power of our Lord’s miracles done in the energy o the Holy spirit, by saying that He performed them in dependence upon Satan, thus disproving His claims to Messiahship and linking Him with the Devil. This is the so-called unpardonable sin. It cannot be committed today, since the conditions are not here which made it possible in the first century. Our Lord is not here in humiliation attempting to gain a foothold for His claims and teaching my means of attesting miracles. — Wuest, page 76.
parables (v.23) = lit. “to throw alongside.” A parable is an illustration offered alongside a truth to explain it.
Neither kingdom nor house divided against itself can stand. And if Satan be divided against himself and his evil works, undoing the miseries and opening the eyes of men, his kingdom has a end. All the experience of the world since the beginning was proof enough that such a suicide of evil was beyond hope. The best refutation of the notion that Satan had risen up against himself and was divided was its clear expression. But what was the alternative? If Satan were not committing suicide, he was overpowered. — Chadwick, page 93.
Satan would have no motive to operate against himself or his own interests.
In verse 27, as I understand it, Satan is the strong man, and the demons were his “goods” — his equipment for furthering his ends. Jesus couldn’t cast out demons without first overpowering Satan.
blasphemes (v.28) = speak reproachfully, revile, calumniate, make a malicious misrepresentation. In this case, to intentionally deny God reverence.
In v.28, Jesus moved from reasoning with the scribes to warning them. They knew their accusations about Him casting out demons by Satan’s power were wrong. If they insisted on accusing Him of it, there were closing in on a very dangerous position — that of blaspheming God.
eternal condemnation (v.29 — sin everlasting in its guilt.
20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”
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31 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.
32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.”
33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?”
34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”
The Lord and His disciples returned to Peter’s house from the mountain, but the crowd, which had party dispersed while they were gone, quickly reassembled. They pressed so hard that they had no opportunity to eat.
heard about this (v.21) — Not referring to what happened in v.20. The words “about this” aren’t in the Greek. Instead, the Greek reads “having heard,” probably referring to the Lord’s entire Galilean ministry.
His own people (v.21) — A reference to the Lord’s family. This thread picks back up in v.31. His brothers had not yet believed that He was the Messiah (John 7:5).
they went out (v.21) — Out from their own homes. It is several miles from Nazareth, where the Lord’s family lived, to Capernaum.
lay hold (v.21) = get possession of, become master of, take hold of, seize” His family intended to take Him by force.
He is out of His mind (v.21) = driven out of His senses. Probably not in the literal sense. But they probably thought that He had gotten so caught up on religious zeal that He was no longer thinking straight, that He was in an unhealthy state of excitement.
then (v.31) — not in the original manuscript.
standing outside they sent to Him (v.31) — It seems that they did not want to go into the house and grab Him by force in front of the crowd, but sent in word, hoping that He would come out to them. They probably didn’t want everyone to know why they were there, which would indicate some degree of genuine concern for Him.
Based on the Greek words and the Lord’s statement in v.35, there is some question whether His sisters had accompanied their brothers and mother.
Who is My mother, or My brothers? (v.35) — The Lord knew why they had come.
He looked around in a circle (v.34) — an inclusive look that took in all of those who were sitting in a circle around Him.
It was not surprising that their carnal hearts should have so judged Him, for His conduct must have appeared insane to them. He attacked the clergy, He sat with Sinners, He defended His disciples when they ate with unwashed hands, and when thy plucked corn on the Sabbath Day, and He preached to the extent that He had not time to eat. His behavior was eccentric.
But He was founding a Heavenly family, a spiritual home, in which natural kinship as such, had no place. Not that He denied the honour due to a parent, for He commanded it, nor the affection justly claimed by brothers and sisters, but He taught that these relationships had no authority in the spiritual realm of which He, as God, was supreme. Natural claims must be there denied. — Williams, page 734.
I wonder what Mary was thinking as she traveled home without even seeing her Son.
13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him.
14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach,
15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:
16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter,
17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite;
19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.
Also found in Luke 6:12-16.
The mountain (v.13) — The same one where the Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount.
Those He Himself wanted (v.13) — The Lord did the choosing, picking those He wanted. He did not ask for volunteers. This was probably a larger group from which He then chose the twelve.
appointed (v.14) = ordained, made. He made the twelve as a separate body.
be with Him (v.14) — tense indicated continuous action. They would remain with Him.
send them out (v.14) — The Greek word is apostello, so “apostle” means “one sent out,” and ambassador.
preach (v.14) = to make a public proclamation with gravity, formality, and authority.
power (v.15) — Not dunamis [from which we get “dynamite”], as in Romans 1:16, but exousia, “delegated authority.”
God did not put His supernatural power into the hands of the Twelve to be exercised by them. He delegated to them the authority to cast out demons in the sense that they would speak the word declaring the casting out, and God’s power (dunamis) would cast out the demons. The words “to heal sicknesses” are not in the [original] text. — Wuest, page 71.
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Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter (v.16) — The verb is “to place upon.” That is, He gave him an additional name to the one he already had. This is a direct reference to John 1:42, where our Lord first added this name which was to become descriptive of Simon’s character after the Holy Spirit had gotten control of him. — Wuest, page 71.
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sons of thunder (v.17) — The expression “sons of” is a Hebrew idiom in which the distinguishing characteristic of the individual or thing named is regarded as his parent. … The name Boanerges seems to have been intended as a title of honor. … It is justified by the impetuosity and zeal which characterized both the brothers … — Wuest, page 72.
Andrew (v.18) — The origin of the name was Greek, although it was used by the Jews. It means “manly.”
Philip (v.18) — Another Greek name, meaning “fond of horses.”
Matthew (v.18) = lit. “a gift of God”
Thomas (v.18) = lit. “a twin”
Thaddaeus (v.18) — called Judas in John 14:22
Simon the Cananite (v.18) — should be Simon the Canaanaean. He was also known as Simon the Zealot, one of the party who considered the presence of Rome in Israel as treason against Jehovah. They were fanatical about Jewish exclusiveness.
Iscariot (v.19) — Probably “the man of Kerioth,” his native town, located on the outscirts of Judah. He was the only one of the Twelve who was not from Galilee.
They went into a house (v.19) — Returns to a house after living in the mountains for a time, perhaps some days. The house was Peter’s, where the Lord lived when in this area.
7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea
8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.
9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.
10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.
11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.”
12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
The Pharisees are aware, by a series of experiences, that His method is destructive to their system, that He is too fearless to make terms with them, that He will strip the mask off their faces. Their rage was presently intensified by an immense extension of His fame. And therefore He withdrew from the plots which ripen most easily in cities, the hotbeds of intrigue, to the open coast. It is His first retreat before opposition, and careful readers of the Gospels must observe that whenever the pressure of His enemies became extreme, He turned for safety to the simple fishermen, among whom they had no party, since [the Pharisees] had not preached … to the poor. — Chadwick, pages 75-76.
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Mark alone notes no less than eleven occasions on which Jesus retired from His work in order to escape His enemies or to pray in solitude, for rest, or for private conference with His disciples. — Wuest, pages66-67.
great multitude (v.7) — Greek grammar indicates that this was a very large crowd. Mark went on to list places where people had traveled from. It must have taken days for the crowd to all gather.
they heard how many things He was doing (v.8) — Tense indicates that they were continually hearing of His miracles. He was always healing.
small boat (v.9) = a rowboat, kept in constant readiness for Him.
crush (v.9) = press hard upon, used for pressing grapes to extract the juice
Jesus stayed on the shore and healed all who came, but there was a danger that they would push forward and crush him. So a small boat was kept ready for Him to escape in. It was probably rowed just off shore by some of His disciples who kept it close to where He stood and walked. All those who had diseases of one sort or another pressed forward to the point of rudeness to touch Him.
afflictions (v.10) = stroke or scourge
saw (v.11) — Used primarily, not of an indifferent spectator, but of one who looks at a thing with interest and for a purpose. It would be used of a general officially reviewing or inspecting an army. … [It] would include within its meaning a critical, understanding investigation. … The demons exhibited interest and purpose in their critical observation of the Lord Jesus. — Wuest, page 68.
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The demons kept on [verb indicates continuous action] falling down before Him and crying out. [It isn’t said, but it is probable] that they did this in the bodies of those in whom they had taken residence, which means that we have the spectacle of demonized persons constantly falling prostrate before the Lord. … The word “You” is intensive. … It is “As for you, you are the Son of God.” [The demons knew that] Our Lord is the unique, peculiar, only son of God, in a class by Himself, with whom in His unique relationship to God, no one can be compared. — Wuest, page 69.
sternly warned (v.12) = to tax with fault, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely. Includes the sense that there will be a penalty for disobedience.
The Lord did not want demons to testify to His deity. He didn’t want the multitudes to confuse their message with His and He didn’t want any testimony from that source.
