Verse by Verse

1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”

⁴ Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

Also found in Matthew 12:9-14 and Luke 6:6-11.

Interesting to note that the Lord didn’t touch the man or even say anything to heal him. He simply told the man to stretch out his hand, and he was healed. The Pharisees were angry that Jesus “worked” on the Sabbath, but He did nothing that could legally be defined as work — there is noting in the Law against healing on the Sabbath. It is obvious that their minds were already made up.

withered (v.1) — tense indicates a past action having continuing results. The man wasn’t born with a withered hand — it happened due to injury or disease. Luke (a doctor who would notice things like this, reported that it was the man’s right hand.

watched him (v.2) — tense indicates a continuous action. They were determined to find fault.

The prefixed preposition (to “watched”) para which means “beside” in its local sense, speaks of the Pharisees as side-line observers. They would have nothing to do with our Lord, and kept themselves away from any fellowship with Him lest they be understood to be in sympathy with Him. They maintained an attitude of aloofness. … They were watching Him carefully and closely as one who dogs another’s steps. … They played the spy. — Wuest, pages 62-63.

accuse (v.2) = to accuse formally and before a tribunal, to bring a charge publicly.

Step forward (v.3) = lit. “step into the midst of all the people so they all can see you” Our Lord answered the spying attitude of the Pharisees by this daring act. He brought things out into the open at once, and threw out a challenge to them.” — Wuest, page 63.

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It was a question of performing an act of healing. Christ assumes that the ethically good coincides with the humane (Sabbath made for man). Therein essentially lay the difference between Him and the Pharisees, in whose theory and practice, religious duty and benevolence, the divine and the human, were divorced. To do good or to do evil, these the only alternatives; to omit to do good in your power is evil; not to save life, when you can, is to destroy it. — Wuest, page 63.

They kept silent (v.4) — Tense is “they continued being silent.” It must have been an awkward pause because they had no answer to the Lord’s question.

He had looked around at them (v.5) — A swift, sweeping glance. With the addition of the words “with anger,” it’s easy to get an idea of what it must have looked like when the Lord looked at the Pharisees.

There are three words speaking of anger (v.5), thumos, indicating a sudden outburst of anger that cools off quickly, orge, defining and abiding and settled habit of mind, not operating at all times, but exhibiting itself in the same way when the occasion demands it, and parogismos which speaks of anger in the sense of exasperation. The latter is forbidden in Scripture, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26); the second orge is permitted, but the qualification is that no sinful element be included in it. Mark uses the word orge. — Wuest, page 64.

grieved (v.5) — The Lord’s anger was due to grief. Tense indicates the grief was a continuous state.

hardness (v.5) = covered with a thick skin, hardened by being covered with a callus. Better translated “hardening” to indicate a process. In this case, “obtuseness of mental discernment, dulled perception.”

hearts (v.5) = lit. “heart” as if they had one hard heart among all of them

restored (v.5) = restored to its former state.

Herodians (v.6) — The Herodians were a Jewish party in the time of our Lord who were evidently partisans of the Herod family. The Herods were not of proper Jewish descent, and they had supplanted a royal family not merely Jewish, but of priestly blood and rank. They also supported their authority by trying to please their Roman patrons. In doing this, they came into direct antagonism with the Pharisees. But in the case of our Lord, these two warring parties united. The Pharisees really aimed at the life of our Lord, and thus it was helpful to gain the assistance of people having influence at court. — Wuest, page 66.

As I studied these verses, I was struck by the fact that the Pharisees stood there and watched the Lord perform actual, literal, discernible, verifiable miracles of healing — something that they had never seen before. And yet they were angry and hated Him before He even began. The evidence of who He was could not have been clearer, but they refused to accept it. There seems to be an application regarding the pointlessness of arguing with those who have made up their minds. If even miracles can’t persuade them, arguing won’t.

²³ Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.

²⁴ And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:

²⁶ how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

²⁸ Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Also found in Matthew 12:1-8 and Luke 6:1-5.

through (v.23) — Seems to indicate that the Lord followed a path that led through a grain field with grain on either side. As they walked, the disciples picked grain.

The law forbade reaping grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered even picking a few heads to be reaping.

Have you never read (v.25) — The Greek grammar indicates that the Lord expected an affirmative answer. The Pharisees had read the Old Testament and knew about David’s actions.

house of God (v.26) — the tabernacle

Abiathar (v.26) — 1 Samuel 21:1 names Ahimelech as high priest. … Apparently he was high priest at the time. … It is possible that both father and son both both names (1 Samuel 22:10; 2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 18:16), Abiathar being mentioned, though both were involved. — Wuest, page 60.

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showbread (v.26) — The loaves that were set forth before the Lord. The Jews called them the loaves of the face, namely, of the presence of God. There were twelve loaves of bread baked on Friday and these were placed on the Table of Shewbread in the Holy Place on the Sabbath, the others being removed. It was this old bread that David ate, and which was ordinarily eaten only by Levitical priests. — Wuest, page 60.

man (v.27) = mankind

The Lord established the Sabbath for the good of man. The Pharisees thought man was made for the Sabbath.

Lord (v.28) — The word is kurious, which means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, the owner;” it is used of the possessor and disposer of a thing. In this sense was the son of Man Lord of the Sabbath. But the word is used in the LXX as a translation of the august title of God which we know as Jehovah, and thus has implications of deity. The Creator is Lord of creation, and Lord of the Sabbath. He brought it into being for the sake of mankind. — Wuest, page 61

also (v.28) = even

Jesus’ fivefold rebuttal to the accusation is given in Matthew: (1) the example of David (12:3-4), (2) the teaching of the Law (12:5), (3) the prophetic anticipation of Someone greater than the Temple (12:6), (4) the purpose of the Sabbath for man (12:7; cf. Mark 2:27), and (5) Messiah’s lordship over the Sabbath (12:8) — Harmony, page 60.

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Perhaps the answer of our Lord has been as much misunderstood as any other words He ever spoke. It has been assumed that he spoke across the boundary between the new dispensation and the old, as One from whose movements the restraints of Judaism had entirely fallen away, to those who were still entangled. And it has been inferred that the Fourth Commandment was no more than such a restraint, now thrown off among the rest. But this is quite a misapprehension both of His position and theirs. On earth he was a minister of the circumcision. He bade His disciples to observe an do all that was commanded from the seat of Moses. And it is by Old Testament precedent, and from Old Testament principles, that He now refutes the objection of the Pharisees. This is what gives the passage half its charm, this discovery of freedom like our own in the heart of the stern old Hebrew discipline …

David and his followers, when at extremity, had eaten the shewbread which it was not lawful for them to eat. … We should have said that in other circumstances it would have been unlawful, that only necessity made it lawful; we should have refused to look straight in the face the naked ugly fact that David broke the law. But Jesus was not afraid of any facts. He saw and declared that the priests in the Temple itself profaned the Sabbath when they baked the shewbread and when they circumcised children. They were blameless, not because the fourth Commandment remained inviolate, but because circumstances made it right for them to profane the Sabbath. And His disciples were blameless also, upon the same principle, that the larger obligation overruled the lesser, that all ceremonial observance gave way to human need, that mercy is a better thing than sacrifice. — Chadwick, page 68.

¹⁸ The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁹ And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.

²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.

²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Also found in Matthew 9:14-17 and Luke 5:33-39.

Should read “The disciples of John and the Pharisees …”

Fast (v.18) — The idea Mark wishes to bring is that they were observing a fast at that very time. Levi’s feast probably happened on of of the weekly fast days. The disciples of John sided with the Pharisees in the Jewish ceremonial and ritualistic observances. John was in prison at that time. John’s disciples had not read their leader right when they sided with the Pharisees. He had called the Pharisees a brood of vipers. Here is disciples join with the Pharisees in criticizing Jesus. — Wuest, page 55.

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friends (v.19) — These were not the groomsmen, the friends of the bridegroom, but the guests invited to the wedding. … Our Lord takes John’s own metaphor (John 3:29), substituting the sons of the bridechamber for the friend of the bridegroom, which latter designation John used of himself in his relation to the Messiah he proclaimed. Mourning does not befit a marriage scene. … Jesus seems iconoclastic to the religious rulers of His day, and revolutionary in His emphasis on the spiritual instead of the ritualistic and ceremonial. The question of Jesus … expected a negative answer in the minds of His hearers to His rhetorical question. — Wuest, page 56.

days (v.20) — No article in Greek, so “days of such a nature will come.”

taken away (v.20) — Christ’s death on the Cross

piece of unshrunk cloth (v.21) — “Piece’ is from [a Greek word] meaning “to throw upon,” hence a patch, that which is imposed upon a rent in a piece of cloth to mend it. “New” is [from a Greek word meaning] “unfulled, unmilled, undressed.” It refers to the fuller’s cleansing, shrinking,and thickening, through the use of moisture, heat, and pressure. The point is that unfulled cloth would shrink when used to patch fulled cloth, and thus tear away from the latter. … The worn-out garment, weakened by use and age, would not furnish the unfulled patch with enough of a grip to keep both together.”

Jesus was saying that they couldn’t patch His Kingdom gospel onto the old cloth of the law, and probably especially not to the Pharisees’ interpretation of the law. See my notes on Matthew 9:16-17.

wineskins (v.22) — made from animal skins. Old wineskins, no longer pliant, would burst under the pressure of newly-fermenting wine.

“Old” in Mark’s reference both to cloth and wineskins is not referring to age, but to use and wear. Two Greek words for “new” are used in v.22. “New” wine refers to new in the sense of time. “New” wineskins” are new in terms of use and wear.

“spilled” (v.22) — Not in the best manuscripts. The Greek says that the wine will be “destroyed, rendered useless.”

As with the cloth parable, the Lord was saying that mixing the new with the old renders both useless.

¹³ Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.

¹⁴ As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

¹⁵ Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

¹⁶ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Also found in Matthew 9:9-13 and Luke 5:27-32.

by the sea (v.13) — The Sea of Galilee. “By” is “alongside,” indicating perhaps that the Lord was walking along the shore.

came (v.13) = lit. “kept on coming”

taught (v.13) = kept on teaching

Levi was sitting at the tollgate on the Great West Road from Damascus to the Mediterranean. This was also the customs office at Capernaum, the landing place for the many ships that traversed the Sea of Galilee or coasted from town to town. He was a tax collector who collected toll for Herod Antipas. Being in the employ of the Roman government which bled its subjects for taxes, these tax collectors were hated and despised by the Jews, and classed with sinners. “At” is epi, “on.” He was sitting on the elevated platform or bench which was the principal feature of the toll-office, and which was put [used as a word] for the whole establishment. Here was a Jew who loved money more than the good regard of and fellowship with his countrymen. … This is [probably] not the first time our Lord had seen Levi. His choice of this man as one of the Twelve, was based upon long observation of him as he sat at his tax collector’s desk. And this is not the first time that Levi saw our Lord. The whole city of Capernaum was flooded with our Lord’s fame and reputation. — Wuest, pages 51-52.

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follow (v.14) = lit. “walk the same road,” “to follow one who precedes, to join him as his attendant, to join one as his disciple, to side with his party.” … The word [follow] is in the imperative mode, issuing a command. It is not, “Would you like to follow Me? I extend this invitation to you.” … The verb is in the present tense, commanding the beginning of an action and its habitual continuance. it is, “Start following Me, and continue as a habit of life to follow Me.” … The command was not merely, “Follow Me.” It was “Follow with Me.” … Our Lord did not therefore merely command Levi to become His follower. He welcomed him to a participation in His companionship — Wuest, page 52.

The apostles who were fishermen when they were called occasionally went back to fishing. Matthew never went back to collecting taxes.

dining (v.15) = lit. “to lie prostrate, to have lain down.” Jews did not sit on chairs at a table to eat, but laid down on couches, with one end raised by the table.

Levi’s house (v.15) — Probably a large house because of the money he made from tax collecting.

there were many (v.15) — These men would not have been allowed in the synagogues.

scribes and Pharisees (v.6) — The best Greek texts have “The scribes of the Pharisees,” namely, the scribes who belong to the sect of the Pharisees.” … The scribes were young students, like divinity students today. They were almost certainly not invited, but were following Jesus around to catch Him in error.

Jesus wasn’t with these men because He enjoyed their company, but to reach them with His gospel.

to repentance (v.17) — not in the best texts.

1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.

² Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.

³ Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.

⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

⁶ And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

⁷ “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?

¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,

¹¹ “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Also found in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26.

again (v.1) — pointing back to his leaving in Mark 1:35.

after some days (v.1) — Probably not referring to the amount of time Jesus had been gone (which may have been months) but to the amount of time He was back in the house before people found out. He had returned quietly.

the house (v.1) — The home of Peter and Andrew.

Immediately (v.2) — Not in the best texts.

No longer room (v.2) — The Greek indicates that the size of the crowd was phenomenal. Not only was there no room for more people in the house, but there was no room for more people in the area outside the door.

preached (v.2) — The Greek word isn’t the word for a formal, authoritative speech, but instead refers to conversational social intercourse. The tense indicates a continuous action.

Then they came to Him (v.3) — Mark uses the present tense here of a past event. It is called the historical present, presenting in graphic language a past event with the vividness of a present reality. One can see them coming. — Wuest, page 45.

bringing (v.3) = carrying a burden

paralytic (v.3) = From words meaning “to loose” and “alongside.” The man was suffering from the relaxing of nerves on one side.

carried by four men (v.3) — The way Mark says this may indicate that there were several men with the paralytic, four of whom were carrying him.

Houses, at that time in that area, had flat roofs accessed by outside staircases.

Then [the four men carrying the paralytic] uncovered and broke up the roof, by which strong phrases Mark means that they first lifted the tiles which lay in a bead of mortar or mud, broke through this, and then tore up the poles and light rafters by which all this covering was supported. Then they lowered the sick man upon his pallet, in front of the Master as he taught.

It was an unceremonious act. However carefully performed, the audience below must have been not only disturbed but inconvenienced … But Jesus never in any circumstances rebuked for intrusion any suppliant. And now He discerned the central spiritual impulse of these men, which was not obtrusiveness nor disrespect. They believed that neither din while He preached, nor rubbish falling among His audience, nor the strange interruption of a patient and a litter intruded upon His discourse, could weigh as much with Jesus as the appeal on a sick man’s face. And this was faith. — Chadwick, page 48.

let down the bed (v.4) — The bed was a thickly padded mattress or quilt. It probably had ropes attached to each corner.

lying (v.4) = prostrate. The man was a dead weight on the mattress.

Their faith (v.5) — “Their” refers to the men who carried the sick man and dug up the roof and let him down into the room. Their actions were the visible evidence of their faith. It is possible that the paralytic had faith to be healed, but the faith referred to here was that evidence by the strenuous actions of the men. What a repair bill Peter must have had when it came to replacing the torn-up roof. — Wuest, page 47.

Son (v.5) = an adult child — a term of kindness.

forgiven (v.5) — The uses of aphiemi start from the etymological sense “throw.” [To] give an illustration of its use in the papyri, “let the pot drop.” From this primitive physical meaning may be derived the common meaning “leave, let go.” Another instance of its use in koine Greek is in the words “waived the extra fifty percent,” which usage is seen in Matthew 18:27, and which ideal leads to the general idea of forgiveness. Still another instance of its use is found in the Rosetta stone, in the words “total remission” of certain taxes. [Another way to say it is] “to sent from one’s self, to send away, to let go or give up a debt, to remit, forgive.” Our word “forgive” does not, as commonly used, give an adequate picture of this Greek word. by that we mean that any feeling of animosity we may have had, has changed to one of renewed friendliness and affection. We do not hold the wrong done to us against the person anymore. But so far as the act itself is concerned, we cannot do anything about it. It has been done, and it cannot be removed from the one who committed the wrong. But this word aphiemi includes within its content of meaning, the act of dealing with the act of wrong doing in such a way that the sinner who appropriates the Lord Jesus as Savior, has his sins put way, and in two ways. First, they are put away on a judicial basis by the out-poured blood of Christ. he paid the penalty the broken law required, and thus satisfied divine justice. Second, on the basis of that, God removes the guilt of that sin from the believing sinner and bestows a positive righteousness, Jesus Christ Himself, in whom this person stands justified forever. — Wuest, pages 47-48.

scribes sitting there (v.6) — They must have arrived early to beat the crowds and get a good seat. They were there to find complaints and cause trouble.

reasoning in their hearts (v.6) = bringing together different reasons, revolving in one’s mind, deliberating. What they thought was in their hearts, but their feelings were evident, and the Lord knew.

blasphemies (v.7) = injurious speech or slander

It was, they held, blasphemy for Jesus to assume this divine prerogative. Their logic was correct. The only flaw in it was the possibility that Jesus held a peculiar relation to God which justified His claim. So the two forces clash here as now on the deity of Jesus Christ. — Wuest, pages48-49.

perceived (v.8) — Jesus immediately was fully aware of what the scribes were thinking.

in His spirit (v.8) = in His rational spirit, the power by which a human feels, thinks, wills, and decides.

take up (v.9) = pick up and carry. The words were spoken like a military command that was to be obeyed at once.

walk (v.9) = Tense is “start walking and keep on walking.” The cure was permanent.

know (v.10) = absolute positive knowledge beyond a shadow of doubt.

power (v.10) — Not dunamis, from which we get dynamite, power that overcomes resistance, but exousia, delegated authority.

The Son of Man on earth has the delegated authority, as the Son of God, from God the Father, to forgive sins. It is the answer to the reasoning of the scribes, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” By their question, the scribes have given just another demonstration of the deity of the Messiah, for His miracle proved that His claims were true. — Wuest, page 50.

Go to your house (v.11) — The Lord did not want the healed man to stick around, probably for the same reason He did not want the leper in Mark 1:44, to broadcast his healing. It would make the leaders jealous and hinder His ministry.

amazed (v.12) — The crowd was taken so far from what they were used to that their entire attention was taken up by the miracle and they were almost beside themselves.

⁴⁰ Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,

⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Also found in Matthew 8:2-4 and Luke 5:12-16.

to Him (v.40) = face to face, a confrontation

imploring (v.40) = beseeching, begging

if You are willing (v.40) — The Greek indicates an appeal to emotion, not to reason.

You can (v.40) — The leper didn’t doubt Jesus’ ability, but he was unsure of His willingness. At the time, possibly no leper had ever been cured.

 The rule of Greek grammar that governs this construction is that the action of the present tense participle goes on simultaneously with the action of the leading verb. That is, Jesus was saying “I will” at the time He was touching the leper. But the thought “I will,” the determination to follow out His desire to cleanse the leper, and the act of cleansing him all preceded the spoken words and the outstretched hand. All of which means that our Lord did not touch the leper in order to cleanse him, but to show him and the people around, that he was cleansed of his leprosy. The Levitical law forbad a jew to touch a leper. Our Lord lived under that law and obeyed it.

Leprosy is a type of sin. The sinner comes crying, “Unclean, unclean, if Thous wilt, thou canst make me clean.” And the Lord Jesus, moved with compassion, stretches out His hand and touches him, saying, “I will, be thou clean.” And, as in the case of the leper, He cleanses us from sin before He touches us. In John 1:12, justification precedes regeneration in the divine economy. Mercy is only given on the basis of justice satisfied. So it is, “But as many as appropriated Him, to them He gave a legal right to become born ones of God, to those who put their trust in His name. And so, as the sinner recognizes the Lord Jesus as the One who through His outpoured blood on the Cross, procured for sinful man a legal right to the mercy of God, he becomes the recipient of regeneration and of all the other parts of salvation. — Wuest, page 41.

As soon as He had spoken (v.42) — not in the best texts

He strictly warned him (v.43) — The verb is from [a word meaning] “to be moved with anger. The word Mark uses means “to snort,” and was used of horses. In the classics, it meant “to be very angry, to be moved with indignation.” In the Bible, it has a use unknown to profane authors, “to charge with earnest admonition, sternly to charge, threateningly to enjoin.”– Wuest, page 42.

sent him away (v.43) = threw him out — from the crowd that was surrounding him.

The reason for [Jesus’] charge and dismissal lay in the desire of Jesus not to thwart His ministry by awaking the premature violence of His enemies; who, if they should see the leper and hear his story before he had been officially pronounced clean by the priests, might deny either that he had been a leper or had been truly cleansed. … He (Mark) does not mean to impute real anger to Jesus, but only la masterful manner dictated by a desire that the benefit should be complete — away, out of this, to the priest; do what the law requires, that you may be not only clean but recognized as such by the authorities, and so received by the people as a leper no longer.” — Wuest, page 42.

testimony to them (v.44) — the testimony of the priests to the people that the leper was official pronounced clean. In my study of this occasion in Matthew 8:1-4, the commentaries believe this means a testimony to the priests and rulers that Jesus was the Messiah.

proclaim (v.45) — tense indicates continuous action.

the city (v.45) — There is no “the” in the Greek. Jesus was not able to enter any city.

came (v.45) = kept on coming.

What Jesus feared seems to have happened. the man went about telling of his cure, and neglecting the means necessary to obtain social recognition as cured. This cure and the popularity it caused may have cooperated to bring Christ’s synagogue ministry to an abrupt termination by stirring up envy. Jesus was between two fires, and His order to the leper, “Go, show thyself,” had a double reference: to the man’s good and to the conciliation of the scribes and synagogue rulers. — Wuest, page 43.

Jesus wasn’t trying an end around to replace the priests or render them unnecessary.  He wanted the leper to proceed in the proper channels.

³⁵ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

³⁸ But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

³⁹ And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Also found in Matthew 4:23-24 and Luke 4:42-44.

Although all the healing that took place the night before took place after the sun had set (after the Sabbath had ended), Jesus still got up long before dawn  to pray. The morning watch was between 3-6 am. The Greek indicates that Jesus went out in the early part of that watch.

prayed (v.35) — A conscious direction of one’s prayer to God, and a consciousness on the part of the one praying, of god’s presence and attention. The verb is imperfect, and pictures Jesus as praying through the early morning hours. — Wuest, page 39.

searched (v.36) = hunted Him down, pursued as one army pursued another (as in Psalm 23:6). Simon looked for Jesus until he found Him, with the purpose of bringing Him back where the people were.

Let us go (v.38) = Let us be going, and keep on going.

towns (v38) = country towns, villages without walls

I have come forth (v.38) — from Capernaum

This Servant made healing subordinate to preaching. He left Capernaum. Had He stayed there He would have established Himself as a Healer of Diseases. But He came to earth to preach and to die; and He allowed nothing to hinder Him in this double purpose. — Williams, page 733.

³² At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.

³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Also found in Matthew 8:16-17 and Luke 4:40-41.

It had been the Sabbath, we know, because of the synagogue service. The Sabbath ended at sunset, so it was now lawful for people to bring the sick to Jesus.

brought (v.32) = lit. carried, moved by carrying. The tense indicates a continuous action.

A spa with hot mineral waters was located in Tiberius, about 10 miles from Capernaum. The waters supposedly had curative powers. But it they obviously didn’t work because there were still many in the area who were sick. They came to Jesus, and He did work.

gathered (v.33) = lit. went with others and settled down together as a group. People brought their sick and stuck around, close to and facing the door. Others probably came just to be part of the excitement.

many (v.34) — This doesn’t mean that some were not healed. Matthew says Jesus healed all the sick. Mark was just stating that there were a lot of people.

did not allow (v.34) — tense indicates a continuous action. A continuous refusal. The demons wanted to be heard, and they would have cried out if Jesus hadn’t continuously prevented it.

²⁹ Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.

³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Also found in Matthew 8:14-15 and Luke 4:38-39.

Jesus often visited Simon and Andrew’s house. Mark 2:1; 3:19; 9:33; 10:10.

Peter was married (1 Corinthians 9:5), and his wife may have traveled with him in his later ministry. Church tradition (but not Scripture) states that she ministered to women in their homes as she traveled with Peter.

lay sick with a fever (v.30) — the Greek indicates that she was prostrate, burning up with fever, and had been for some time. It may have been a chronic condition.

severed them (v.31) = waited upon like a domestic servant. The tense indicates a progressive action. She prepared and served a meal (probably the Sabbath meal). — Not only was the fever gone, but the woman had none of the usual post-sickness weakness. The word “immediately” is not in some texts, but the context indicates that her healing was instantaneous.

²¹ Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.

²² And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

²⁴ saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”

²⁶ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

²⁷ Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

²⁸ And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Also found in Luke 4:31-37.

Capernaum became Jesus’ new home after His unfriendly reception at Nazareth. It had by New Testament times grown into a city, having a tax office (Matthew 9:9) and a garrison for Roman soldiers (Matthew 8:9). — Thomas, page 49.

immediately (v.21) — on the first Sabbath after He arrived in the city. Mark used the word “immediately” (in some form) more than 40 times.

Synagogue is a Greek word meaning “a bringing together” or “an assembly”; but it was often used, as here, for the building in which the congregation met. Of the origin of synagogues nothing is known. The service in them was largely instructional: but they were also courts of justice (Luke 12:11; 21:12), where punishment could be inflicted (Matthew 10:17). It was the custom for the president of the synagogue to arrange who should read and expound the Scriptures each sabbath, and at this stage of His ministry this provided Jesus with manifold opportunities, for wherever He went He would be invited to teach. … The authoritative tone of Jesus’ teaching contrasted sharply with the utterances of Jewish teachers whose knowledge was entirely derivative and who invariably appealed to tradition or to the sayings of famous rabbis.— Guthrie, page 856.

__________

[Demon possession] is a phenomenon specially associated with the period of our Lord’s presence on earth. It is referred to only twice in the Old Testament, and twice in the New Testament outside the Gospels … The demons were real, and knew of the Messianic office of Jesus long before the disciples were aware of it, although they were never allowed to proclaim the facts (Mark 1:34; James 2:19) — Guthrie, page 856

astonished (v.22) — tense indicates repeated/continual astonishment as Jesus spoke. The word carries the idea of being struck by something.

Prophet after prophet opened and closed his message with the words, “Thus saith the Lord” … “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Jesus was content with the attestation, “Verily, I say unto you.” … Everywhere in His teaching the center of authority is personal. … He assigns no authority for [His words] beyond His own. — Chadwich, page 23.

“their” synagogue (v.23) — The possessed man was probably not a member of the synagogue. In the Greek, it is evident that he began crying out as soon as Jesus stopped teaching.

I’m not sure I’ve heard (before now) the explanation of demons that Wuest gives (below). I think it makes sense to me.

with an unclean spirit (v.23) — The unclean spirit was in the man in the sense that he, an incorporeal being entered the man’s body, took up his residence in it, and controlled the person in whose body he dwelt. The man was in the demon in that he lived within the sphere of the demon’s control. … The devil is a fallen angel. Demons constitute a different category of beings. From the fact that the demons have no rest unless they are living in some physical body, it seems clear that at one time they did have physical bodies, and that they were deprived of them by some judgment of god. Some, including the writer, think that they are the disembodied beings of a pre-Adamite race who inhabited the first perfect earth (Genesis 1:1), and that they followed their leader Lucifer, into sin, and were disembodied and deprived of residence upon the earth by the cataclysm of Genesis 1:2, which was coincident with the fall of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-17). These are the principalities and powers of Ephesians 6:12, and comprise the kingdom of Satan in the atmosphere of this earth (Ephesians 2:2). — Wuest, page 32.

What have we to do with You? (v.24) = lit. “What do we demons have in common with you?”

Did You come to destroy us? (v.24) — Probably more of a statement that a question.

rebuked (v.25) — There are two words used in the New Testament, both meaning “to rebuke,” the one used here … means “to rebuke another, the rebuke failing to bring the offender to acknowledge his sin,” and [the other word means] a rebuke which results in a conviction of sin and sometimes a confession of sin on the offender’s part. The former is used by Mark, for Satan, the fallen angels, and the demons are incorrigible. They refuse to be convicted of their sin, and they will not acknowledge it nor repent. This is just another illustration of the meticulous accuracy of the Bible writers in the choice of words as guided by the Holy Spirit. — Wuest, page 33.

Be quiet (v.25) = “Hold your peace” — lit. “to close the mouth with a muzzle,” “to stop the mouth, make speechless, reduce to silence.” The sense if much more forceful that is apparent in the translation. In modern English, it would be “Shut up!” or “Shut your mouth!” The same sense is true of “Come out of him!”

convulsed (v.25) = like a spasm. Luke adds that the demon threw the man down. Obviously a vindictive response to being ordered and having no choice but to obey.

cried out (v.25) = screeched — in anger and frustration.

amazed (v.25) — with the sense of fright and terror.

questioned among themselves (v.27) — discussed, disputed, demanded of one another. Tense indicates an animated, prolonged discussion.

new (v.25) — New, not under the aspect of time, but of quality, the new as set over against that which has seen service, the outworn, the effete or marred through age. compared to the stilted, staid, dry as dust rabbinical droning, this teaching of Jesus was like the fragrance of a field of clover in the springtime. — Wuest, page 35.

authority (v.27) — In the same sense  as used in v.22.

commands (v.27) — a military term, “to draw up in order of battle, marshal.” The demon had no choice but to obey Him.