THEN WAS JESUS LED UP OF THE SPIRIT - Led up by the Spirit. Luke says Luke 4:1 that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit;” and it was by his influence, therefore, that he went into the desert to be tempted. It was not done by presumption on the part of Jesus, nor was it for a mere display of his power... [ Continue Reading ]
HAD FASTED - Abstained from food. FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS - It has been questioned by some whether Christ abstained wholly from food, or only from the food to which he was accustomed. Luke says Luke 4:2 that he ate nothing. This settles the question. Mark says Mark 1:13 that angels came and mini... [ Continue Reading ]
THE TEMPTER - The devil, or Satan. See Matthew 4:1. IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD - If thou art God’s own Son, then thou hast power to work a miracle, and here is a suitable opportunity to try thy power, and show that thou art sent from God. COMMAND THAT THESE STONES ... - The stones that were lying ar... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE ANSWERED AND SAID ... - In reply to this artful temptation Christ answered by a quotation from the Old Testament. The passage is found in Deuteronomy 8:3. In that place the discourse is respecting manna. Moses says that the Lord humbled the people, and fed them with manna, an unusual kind of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE DEVIL TAKETH HIM UP - This does not mean that he bore him through the air; or that he compelled him to go against his will, or that he performed a miracle in any way to place him there. There is no evidence that Satan had power to do any of these things, and the word translated taketh him U... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAITH UNTO HIM, IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD, CAST THYSELF DOWN - The temptation here was, that he should at once avail himself of the protection of a promise of safety made to him, and thus demonstrate that he was the Messiah. If he was the true Messiah he had a certain assurance of protection, a... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, IT IS WRITTEN AGAIN - Again the Saviour replied to Satan by a text of Scripture - a passage which expressly forbade an act like this. THOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD THY GOD - This is quoted literally from Deuteronomy 6:16. The meaning is, thou shalt not try him; or, thou shalt n... [ Continue Reading ]
AN EXCEEDING HIGH MOUNTAIN - It is not known what mountain this was. It was probably some elevated place in the vicinity of Jerusalem, from the top of which could be seen no small part of the land of Palestine. The Abbe Mariti speaks of a mountain on which he was, which answers to the description he... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THESE THINGS ... - All these kingdoms. All these dominions Satan claimed a right to bestow on whom he pleased, and with considerable justice. They were excessively wicked; and with no small degree of propriety, therefore, he asserted his claim to give them away. This temptation had much plausibi... [ Continue Reading ]
GET THEE HENCE - These temptations, and this one especially, the Saviour met with a decided rebuke. This was a bolder attack than any which had been made before. The other temptations had been founded on an appeal to his necessities, and an offer of the protection of God in great danger; in both cas... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE DEVIL LEAVETH HIM - He left him for a time, Luke 4:13. He intended to return again to the temptation, and, if possible, to seduce him yet from God. Compare John 14:30; Luke 22:53. See the notes at Hebrews 12:4. THE ANGELS CAME AND MINISTERED - See the notes at Matthew 1:20. They came and s... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN WAS CAST INTO PRISON - For an account of the imprisonment of John see Matthew 14:1. HE DEPARTED INTO GALILEE - See Matthew 2:22. The reasons why Jesus then went into Galilee were probably: * Because the attention of the people had been much excited by John’s preaching, and things seemed to b... [ Continue Reading ]
LEAVING NAZARETH - Because his townsmen cast him out, and rejected him. See Luke 4:14. CAME AND DWELT IN CAPERNAUM - This was a city on the northwest corner of the Sea of Tiberias. It is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but is repeatedly referred to in the Gospels. Though it was once a city of r... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED ... - This place is recorded in Isaiah 9:1. Matthew has given the sense, but not the very words of the prophet. For the meaning of the passage as employed by Isaiah, see the notes at Isaiah 9:1. BY THE WAY OF THE SEA - Which is near to the sea, or in the vicinity of the s... [ Continue Reading ]
See the notes at Matthew 3:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
SEA OF GALILEE - This was also called the Sea of Tiberias and the Lake of Gennesareth, and also the Sea of Chinnereth, Numbers 34:11; Deuteronomy 3:17; Joshua 12:3. Its form is an irregular oval, with the large end to the north. It is about 14 miles in length, and from 6 miles to 9 miles in width. I... [ Continue Reading ]
FISHERS OF MEN - Ministers or preachers of the gospel, whose business it shall be to win souls to Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
STRAIGHTWAY - Immediately - as all should do when the Lord Jesus calls them. LEFT THEIR NETS - Their nets were the means of their living, perhaps all their property. By leaving them immediately, and following him, they gave every evidence of sincerity. They showed, what we should, that they were wil... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GOING ON FROM THENCE - From the place where he had found Peter and Andrew, Matthew 4:18. SAW TWO OTHER BROTHERS - They were men engaged in the same employment, as it is probable that there were many such in the neighborhood of the lake. IN A SHIP - A small vessel. In fact, it was little more,... [ Continue Reading ]
LEFT THEIR FATHER - This showed how willing they were to follow Jesus. They showed us what we ought to do. If necessary, we should leave father, and mother, and every friend, Luke 14:26. If they will go with us, and be Christians, it is well; if not, yet they should not hinder us. We should be the f... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL GALILEE - See the notes at Matthew 2:22. SYNAGOGUES - Places of worship, or places where the people assembled together to worship God. The origin of synagogues is involved in much obscurity. The sacrifices of the Jews were appointed to be held in one place, at Jerusalem. But there was nothing to... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIS FAME WENT THROUGHOUT ALL SYRIA - It is not easy to fix the exact bounds of Syria in the time of our Saviour. It was, perhaps, the general name for the country lying between the Euphrates on the east, and the Mediterranean on the west; and between Mount Taurus on the north, and Arabia on the... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM DECAPOLIS - Decapolis was the name of a region of country in the bounds of the half-tribe of Manasseh, mainly on the east of Jordan. It was so called because it included 10 cities - the meaning of the word Decapolis in Greek. Geographers generally agree that Scythopolis was the chief of these c... [ Continue Reading ]