Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Lightfoot
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| McGee
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Matthew Luke
Mark 1
The message is new-at least in the absolute and complete character it
assumes, and in its direct and immediate application. It was not the Jewish
privileges which should be obtained by repenting and returning to the Lord.
The Lord was coming according to His promise. To prepare His way before
Him, John was preaching repentance for the remission of sins. It was this
they needed: remission of sins for the repentant was the great thing, the
formal object of John's mission.
Repentance and remission of sins refer clearly to the responsibility of
man, here of Israel, in his natural standing with God; and clearing that as
to man's state relatively to God, morally and responsibly qualify him for
the reception of purposed blessing-morally in that he judges the sins in
principle as God does, and responsibly by God's forgiving them all. Hence
also remission is necessarily a present actual thing. There is a
governmental forgiveness as well as a justifying one, but the principle is
the same, and the latter is the basis of the former. Only where it is
governmental it may be accompanied by various accompanying dealings of God,
only the sin is no longer imputed as to present relationship with God, as
in justifying, this is eternally true. In justifying forgiveness as in
Romans 4, shewing by its use of Psalm 32, the common character of
non-imputation-it is founded on the work of Christ, and hence is absolute
and unchangeable. Sin is not imputed and never can be, because the work is
done and finished which puts it away out of God's sight: that-eternal,
absolute, and immutable in itself-is the basis of all God's dealings with
man in grace. Grace reigns through righteousness. Hebrews 9, 10 unfolds
this, where the conscience and coming to God, and that in the holiest, are
concerned. So Romans 3-5, where the question is judicial, a matter of
judgment, wrath, and justifying. It is the basis of blessings, not the end,
great as it is in itself-peace with God and reconciliation. Here it was the
ground of all the blessings Israel will have by the new covenant (founded
on Christ's death), but being rejected, those who believed entered into
better and heavenly blessings. In Exodus 32: 14, 34, we get governmental
forgiveness, not justifying. In the case of David's great sin, it was
pardoned when owned, the iniquity of it put away, but severe chastisement
connected with it because he had given occasion to the enemies of the Lord
to blaspheme. God's glory in righteousness had to be maintained before the
world (2 Sam. 12: 13, 14).
Here it was a proposal of present forgiveness to Israel, which will be
accomplished in the last days; and then, as their long rejection will have
closed in governmental forgiveness, they will also through the death and
blood-shedding of Christ at least the remnant, be forgiven and justified
for the enjoyment of the promises under the new covenant (compare Acts 3).
The prophets had indeed announced pardon if the people returned to the
Lord; but here it was the present object of the address. The people go out
in a body to avail themselves of it. Conscience at least was stirred; and
whatever might be the pride of their leaders, the sense of Israel's
condition was felt by the people, as soon as anything outside the routine
of religion acted on the heart and conscience-that is to say, when God
spoke. They confess their sins. With some perhaps it was only natural
conscience, that is, not a really quickening work; but at any rate it was
wrought upon by the testimony of God.
But John, rigidly separate from the people, and living apart from human
society, proclaims another, mightier than he, whose shoe-latchet he was not
worthy to unloose: He would not merely preach repentance accepted by the
baptism of water; He would bestow the Holy Ghost, power, on those who
received His testimony. Here our Gospel passes on rapidly to the service of
Him whom John thus declared. It only sets forth summarily that which
introduces Him into this service.
The Lord takes His place among the repentant of His people, and, submitting
to John's baptism, He sees heaven open to Him, and the Holy Ghost
descending upon Him like a dove. The Father acknowledges Him as His Son on
earth, in whom He is well pleased. He is then led by the Holy Ghost into
the wilderness, where He undergoes the temptation of Satan for forty days;
He is with the wild beasts, and angels exercise their ministry towards Him.
Here we see His whole position-the character which the Lord takes on
earth-all its features and relations with that which surrounded Him,
gathered into these two or three verses. It has been treated of in its
details in Matthew.
After this John disappears from the scene, giving place to the public
ministry of Christ, of whom he was only the herald; and Christ Himself
appears in the place of testimony, declaring that the time was fulfilled;
that it was now no question of prophecies or of days to come; that God was
going to set up His kingdom, and that they ought to repent and receive the
good news which at that very moment was proclaimed to them.
Our evangelist passes
[
1]
rapidly on to every branch of the service of Christ. Having presented the
Lord as undertaking the public ministry which called on men to receive the
good news as a present thing (the time of the fulfilment of the ways of God
being come), he exhibits Him as calling others to accomplish this same work
in His name by following Him. His word does not fail in its effect. those
whom He calls forsake all and follow Him.
[
2]
He goes into the city to teach on the sabbath-day. His word does not
consist of arguments which evidence the uncertainty of man, but comes with
the authority of One who knows the truth which He proclaims-authority which
in fact was that of God, who can communicate truth. He speaks also as One
who possesses it; and He gives proof that He does. The word, which thus
presents itself to men, has power over demons. A man possessed by an evil
spirit was there. The evil spirit bore testimony, in spite of himself, to
Him who spake, and whose presence was insupportable to him; but the word
that aroused him had power to cast him out. Jesus rebukes him-commands him
to hold his peace and to come out of the man; and the evil spirit, after
manifesting the reality of his presence and his malice, submits, and departs
from the man. Such was the power of the word of Christ. It is not
surprising that the fame of this act should spread through all the country;
but the Lord continues His path of service wherever work presented itself.
He goes into the house of Peter, whose wife's mother lay sick of a fever.
He heals her immediately; and when the sabbath was ended, they bring Him
all the sick. He, ever ready to serve, (precious Lord!) heals them all.
But it was not to surround Himself with a crowd that the Lord laboured; and
in the morning, long before day, He departs into the wilderness to pray.
Such was the character of His service-wrought in communion with His God and
Father, and in dependence upon Him. He goes alone into a solitary place.
The disciples find Him, and tell Him that all are seeking Him; but His
heart is in His work. The general desire does not bring Him back. He goes
on His way to fulfil the work which was given Him to do-preaching the truth
among the people; for this was the service to which He devoted Himself.
But, however devoted to this service, His heart was not made rigid by
pre-occupation; He was always Himself with God. A poor leper comes to Him,
acknowledging His power, but uncertain as to His will, as to the love that
wielded that power. Now this dreadful disease not only shut the man himself
out, but defiled every one who even touched the sufferer. But nothing stops
Jesus in the service to which His love calls Him. The leper was wretched,
an outcast from his fellow-creatures and from society, and excluded from
Jehovah's house. But the power of God was present. The leper must be
re-assured as to the good-will on which his dejected heart could not
reckon. Who would care for such a wretch as he? He had faith as to the
power that was in Christ; but his thoughts of himself concealed from him
the extent of the love that had visited him. Jesus puts forth His hand and
touches him.
The lowliest of men approaches sin, and that which was the token of sin,
and dispels it; the Man, who in the might of His love touched the leper
without being defiled, was the God who alone could remove the leprosy which
made one afflicted with it miserable and outcast.
The Lord speaks with an authority that declares at once His love and His
divinity: "I will, be thou clean." I will-here was the love of which the
leper doubted, the authority of God who alone has the right to say I WILL.
The effect followed the expression of His will. This is the case when God
speaks. And who healed leprosy except Jehovah only? Was He the One who had
come down low enough to touch this defiled being that defiled every other
that had to do with him? Yes, the only One; but it was God who had come
down, love which had reached so low, and which, in thus doing, shewed
itself mighty for every one that trusted in it. It was undefilable purity
in power, and which could therefore minister in love to the vilest and
delights to do so. He came to defiled man, not to be defiled by the
contact, but to remove the defilement. He touched the leper in grace, but
the leprosy was gone.
He hides Himself from human acclamations, and bids the man who had been
healed to go and shew himself to the priests according to the law of Moses.
But this submission to the law, bore testimony in fact to His being
Jehovah, for Jehovah alone, under the law, sovereignly cleansed the leper.
The priest was but the witness that it had been done. This miracle being
noised abroad, by attracting the multitude, sends Jesus away into the
wilderness.
[
1] This rapidity characterises Mark, as does the word "immediately."
[
2] It is the fact in itself which is given here, as also in Matthew.
Luke's account will give occasion to enter more into detail as to the call
of the disciples. From John the Baptist's days they had been more or less
associated with the Lord-at least these had.
Chapter 1:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Lightfoot
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| McGee
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Matthew Luke
This version of Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1995 by L. Hodgett. Used by permission. This material may be freely copied for private use or for distribution without charge but must not be used commercially without written permission from the compiler--L. Hodgett. A special thanks to L. Hodgett for permission to create and post this version of Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament.
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
