Mark 1:44

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. For the exposition, see the notes at Matthew 8:1....

Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:44._For a testimony to them _Some consider _testimony _to mean here a law or statute, as it is said in the Book of Psalms, God laid down this _“ _for a testimony to Israel,” (Psalms 122:4.) But this appears to me to be a poor exposition: for I have no doubt that the pronoun _to them _refers to the priests. (496) Christ said this, in my opinion, with a view to the present occurrence: for this miracle was afterwards to be a sufficiently clear proof for convicting them of ingratitude. There is nothing inconsistent with this in the command which Christ gave to the leper to maintain silence: for he did not intend that the remembrance of the miracle which he had wrought

40-45 We have here Christ's cleansing of a leper. It teaches us to apply to the Saviour with great humility, and with full submission to his will, saying, "Lord, if thou wilt," without any doubt of Christ's readiness to help the distressed. See also what to expect from Christ; that according to our faith it shall be to us. The poor leper said, If thou wilt. Christ readily wills favours to those who readily refer themselves to his will. Christ would have nothing done that looked like seeking praise of the people. But no reasons now exist why we should hesitate to spread the praises of Christ....

AND THERE CAME A LEPER ... - See the notes at Matthew 8:1. KNEELING DOWN TO HIM - He kneeled and inclined his face to the ground, in token of deep humiliation and earnest entreaty. Compare Luke 5:12. IF THOU WILT - This was an acknowledgment of the almighty power of Jesus, and an appeal to his benevolence. MAKE ME CLEAN - You (Jesus) can heal me of this loathsome and offensive disease, in the eye of the law justly regarded as “unclean,” and render me “legally” clean, and restore me to the privileges of the congregation. AND JESUS ...TOUCHED HIM - It was by the law considered as unclean to touch a leprous man. See

EXPOSITION MARK 1:1 THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. These words mean, not the title of the book, but the commencement of the narrative; and so they depend upon what follows, namely, "as it is written" (καθῶς for ὠς), "even as it is written." The words "the gospel of Jesus Christ" do not signify the book which St. Mark wrote, but the evangelical teaching of Jesus Christ. St. Mark means that the gospel announcement by Jesus Christ had such a beginning as had been predicted by Isaiah and Malachi, namely, the preaching of John the Baptist, and his testimony concerning Christ, to be fully laid open by the preaching and the death of Christ. The preaching of repentance by the Baptist was the preparation and the beginning of the evangelical preaching by Christ, of whom John was the forerunner. It has been well observed that St. Matthew an

AND SAITH UNTO HIM, SEE THOU SAY NOTHING TO ANY MAN,.... By the way, till he came to the priest; BUT GO THY WAY, SHOW THYSELF TO THE PRIEST: the Syriac and Persic versions read, "to the priests"; and the Vulgate Latin renders it, "to the chief priest"; but any priest might judge of the cleansing of a leper; AND OFFER FOR THY CLEANSING THOSE THINGS WHICH MOSES COMMANDED FOR A TESTIMONY UNTO THEM; Matthew 8:4....

Mark 1:28. _And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee._ «Immediately.» That is, as soon as Jesus had healed the man with an unclean spirit, his fame spread like wildfire. The miracle was reported from mouth to mouth till everybody in that region knew of it. It was said that the words and writings of Martin Luther were carried as by the wings of angels, so speedily was everything that he said and wrote made known far and wide. On this occasion, it was so with our Lord's wondrous deed of mercy and power: «Immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.» Mark 1:29. _And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John._ «Forthwith,» or

PART II. THE SERVANT'S WORK; NOT TO BE MINISTERED UNTO, BUT TO MINISTER -- CHAPTER 1:14-10:52 Chapter 1:14-45. The Ministry in Galilee after John's Imprisonment. _ 1. The Servant in Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. (Mark 1:14 .Matthew 4:12; Luke 4:14 .)_ 2. The Calling of fellow servants. (Mark 1:16. Matthew 4:18; Luke 5:1 .) 3. The Servant in Capernaum. (Mark 1

THE HEALING OF THE LEPER. By placing this incident at this point in his narrative, Mk. gives a further reason for the difficulty which met Jesus on His return from Capernaum. The story with Mk.'s ending connects closely with ch. 2. We have here a work of healing (not, as some think, a request to Jesus to declare the man free from leprosy), but the original interest centres on the sayings of Jesus embedded in the story. MARK 1:40. HNT cites Epictetus III. Mark 10:14 f.: Why then do you flatter the physician? Why do you say, - If thou wilt, sir, I shall be well-' ? Mark 1:41. An early reading gives moved with anger instead of with compassion. If this reading be original, the flattery of if thou wilt, or the implied

THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY (Mark 1:1-4)...