Mark 13

Notes

Reflections.—If external privileges be abused they but aggravate our guilt and hasten our ruin, and national sins will bring on national judgments. God is administering the universe in Jesus Christ. And great is his kindness in warning men before their contempt of himself and his gospel bring on them those temporal miseries which presage their eternal destruction. Kindly he chastens his people that they may be kept in mind of their own weakness; and graciously he warns them of their danger, and directs them how to conduct themselves for his honour and their own security. Safely he preserves through the worst times those who cling to him and walk in him. And many who abhor and persecute them owe their temporal preservation to them and their prayers.—If men bear his image they must expect hatred from the world, even from their nearest carnal relations. The enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent shall never cease. But let them do their worst, God will cause his gospel to spread through the world, and will support his faithful servants and followers; guide them by his counsel while here, and afterwards receive them to glory. And nothing is more proper to preserve us steady and faithful in evil times than constant watchfulness and fervent prayer. In so doing we shall be able, at Jesus' tribunal, to give our account with joy, and not with grief.

Chapter 14.

Reflections.—Redeeming love accepted in the heart inflames it with the strongest gratitude. Nothing is thought too costly to manifest regard to the Redeemer. And they that honour him shall be sufficiently vindicated and honoured; wherever the fame of Jesus goes, thither shall theirs go at last.

And in whatever point we have his orders, we may go forth depending on his providence for success.—Never is the church on earth altogether free from treacherous hypocrites; and they who are most so are the most backward to suspect themselves. But O how astonishing is the love of Jesus, who put an end to the passover by being sacrificed himself; and instituted his supper, in which we might remember and feast on his pardoning and heaven-securing death! Great was his love in warning his disciples of their danger, in reproving and pitying their weakness, and in submitting to such sufferings in soul, in body, and in reputation, for the sake of his enemies; and good the confession which he boldly witnessed before many witnesses!—But how amazing is the wickedness of men! Jewish rulers plot to murder the Messiah, on whom hangs the life, the eternal salvation, of millions unnumbered; for a paltry bribe Judas deliberately betrays him; upon a small temptation Peter repeatedly and most awfully denies him; and through an ill-grounded fear of man the other disciples shamefully desert him in his suffering condition! What then must sin be, that can make men such monsters, and the divine Saviour so miserable!—There is great need of fervent and frequent prayer in a time of trouble. Nothing is worse than slothfulness therein. And none are more active instruments of hell than apostates from Christ. No fall of eminent professors ought to make us stumble at the ways of Christ. Nor need we think it strange though, notwithstanding our innocence, we should be treated as the vilest miscreants; or though our nearest relations and most intimate friends should desert us, or turn our inveterate opposers. Let us, in silent patience, possess our souls. If God be glorified, if the Scripture be fulfilled, if the church be edified, and if God at last rise up to vindicate us, it is enough; and if, through self-confidence, we have denied our Redeemer, let us without delay think thereon, and weep.

Chapter 15.

Reflections.—What shocking wickedness is it for men, for the professed people of God, to calumniate, to persecute, to deride, to murder the meek, the innocent, the divine Jesus, the Saviour of mankind! It was strange that the Hosannas of the mob should be so quickly turned into murderous clamours and cruel derisions!—That, contrary to reason, contrary to proof, contrary to convictions, almost every one should concur to abuse our gracious Redeemer! Inexpressible were his sufferings from men, from devils, and from every other source! Alas! how vilified was his character, how tormented his body, while his soul was deserted and distressed. And yet with astonishing and silent resignation he bore all for the salvation of his betrayers and murderers. What honourable attestations Providence procured for him in the deepest debasement! Prodigies attended his death: Pilate, his judge, repeatedly declared him innocent, and the Jewish Messiah; and the centurion acknowledged him to be the Son of God. Joseph of Arimathea boldly begged and honourably buried his corpse. The women attended in order to embalm him. And shall not my soul love and honour him who so loved me and gave himself for me!

Chapter 16.

Ver. 6. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth. A pious mind—which is always the same with a truly philosophical mind—will feel pleasure in observing that an angel from heaven is well acquainted with the name of a humble and despised town upon earth, of which he makes special and honourable mention, as the birthplace of Jesus. And let every humble, though, it may be, despised believer, remember that the contrite heart receives from the Saviour the honour of being recorded not only as his birthplace, but his home. See Ga. 4. 19; Jn. 14. 23; Re. 3. 20. C.

Reflections.—Saints, in love, sometimes prepare that for Christ which he will never need. And they often fear where there is matter of joy in a risen Redeemer. The weaker sex, over which Satan at first triumphed, sometimes appear the veriest heroes in the cause of Christ. Apprehending diffculties which they know not how to surmount, they go forward depending on God, and find them removed; and readily, amidst fear and confusion, they obey the heavenly direction.—Happy are they who have a risen Redeemer as theirs, with all mercy in his heart and all power in his hand! How marvellous his love in appearing first to Mary Magdalene, who had been lately so notorious a sinner; and so early to disciples, who had so shamefully deserted him! How careful was he to establish the truth of his resurrection by repeated appearances to his incredulous followers! He conquered their unreasonable diffidence, and shamed them out of their unbelief. But great was his grace in granting his apostles an unlimited commission to preach the gospel in all the world, and miraculous powers to attest it. And astonishing is his glory in heaven, and the blessed effects of it in the descent of his Spirit.—Let me now then believe the gospel to the saving of my soul. Let my faith and hope be in God through him. Let me rejoice in my risen, my ascended Saviour; and eagerly ask, and abundantly receive, the gifts which he received for men, even for the rebellious. And let my affections be set on things above, where Jesus is at the right hand of God.

Concluding Remarks on the Book of Mark.

Biography is, certainly, one of the most efficient modes of instruction; for by gratifying curiosity, it lightens study, and excites attention, while it conveys and fixes precept by the visible power of example. In the biographies, however, composed by worldly men—nay, sometimes in those composed by religious men—minute and trivial details are often so extended as to beget a fear that the idolatry of friendship has rather attempted to set up an object of admiration and worship, than to record important facts either for warning against error and sin, or instruction in truth and righteousness.

Among the numerous internal evidences of the divine origin of the Scriptures, their biographies hold a conspicuous place; their chief characteristics being truth, concerning good or evil, and brevity. Had the life of our Lord been 'a cunningly devised fable,' it contains materials for many volumes, which literary vanity never could have compressed into four brief tracts, such as the Gospels literally are. This observation applies in a particular manner to the Gospel by Mark, which reduces the whole ministerial life of the most remarkable character that ever appeared on earth to sixteen chapters! Mark was not himself, so far as appears, a constant companion of our Lord, and so must have received several of his narratives, and especially whatever he records of our Lord's private discourses, from one of the twelve apostles, who is believed to have been Peter. That the style and contents of his Gospel are somewhat similar to those of Matthew, is certain; yet are there differences, both of omission and addition, to prove that he was no copyist; and especially there are some marks of style that prove the distinct originality of Mark,—the Spirit of God making use of the various styles of men—the words being his own—just as in nature God manifests a continued variety, though that boundless variety unites in one witness to his wisdom, power, and goodness.

As an example of Mark's peculiarity of style, one word may be selected, the word εὐθέως, immediately; which occurs in Matthew 15 times, in Luke 8 times, in John 4 times, in Acts 9 times, and in Mark no less than 39 times! A peculiarity so striking that were it certain that the evangelist was that John Mark who was servant to Paul and Barnabas (Ac. 15. 37-39), his so frequent use of the word might be looked upon as a result and memorial of that ready and habitual attention with which he was accustomed to reply to their directions.

That he wrote for Gentile strangers is obvious from the following, among other evidences. 1. When he mentions the Jordan (ch. 1. 5), the appellation river is added. 2. As the Romans could not understand the Jewish phrase 'defiled' hands, he adds, parenthetically, the description 'unwashen' (ch. 7. 2). 3. When he uses the word 'corban' (ch. 7. 11), he immediately subjoins the interpretation, 'that is, gift.' 4. In speaking of our Lord he never styles him 'Son of man,' which the Jews could interpret from Daniel (ch. 7. 13), but 'Son of God,' by which the Gentiles might comprehend his deity.