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1: The wilderness - Supposed by some to have been in Judea; by
others to have been that great desert of Horeb or Sinai, where
the children of Israel were tried for forty years, and Moses and
Elijah fasted forty days.(Mt 4:1,Mr 1:12).
4: (De 8:3).
6: I give it to whomsoever I will - Not so, Satan. It is God, not
thou, that putteth down one, and setteth up another: although
sometimes Satan, by God's permission, may occasion great
revolutions in the world.
8: (De 6:13).
10: (Ps 91:11).
12: (De 6:16).
13: A convenient season - In the garden of Gethsemane,(Lu 22:53).
14: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit - Being more
abundantly strengthened after his conflict.
15: Being glorified of all - So God usually gives strong cordials
after strong temptations. But neither their approbation
continued long, nor the outward calm which he now enjoyed.
16: He stood up - Showing thereby that he had a desire to read the
Scripture to the congregation: on which the book was given to him.
It was the Jewish custom to read standing, but to preach sitting.(Mt 13:54,Mr 6:1).
17: He found - It seems, opening upon it, by the particular
providence of God.
18: He hath anointed me - With the Spirit. He hath by the power of
his Spirit which dwelleth in me, set me apart for these offices.
To preach the Gospel to the poor - Literally and spiritually.
How is the doctrine of the ever - blessed trinity interwoven, even
in those scriptures where one would least expect it? How clear
a declaration of the great Three - One is there in those very
words, The Spirit - of the Lord is upon me! To proclaim deliverance
to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised - Here is a beautiful gradation, in
comparing the spiritual state of men to the miserable state of
those captives, who are not only cast into prison, but, like
Zedekiah, had their eyes put out, and were laden and bruised
with chains of iron. (Isa 61:1).
19: The acceptable year - Plainly alluding to the year of jubilee,
when all, both debtors and servants, were set free.
21: To - day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears - By what you
hear me speak.
22: The gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth - A person
of spiritual discernment may find in all the discourses of our
Lord a peculiar sweetness, gravity, and becomingness, such as is
not to be found in the same degree, not even in those of the apostles.
23: Ye will surely say - That is, your approbation now outweighs
your prejudices. But it will not be so long. You will soon
ask, why my love does not begin at home? Why I do not work
miracles here, rather than at Capernaum? It is because of your
unbelief. Nor is it any new thing for me to be despised in my
own country. So were both Elijah and Elisha, and thereby driven
to work miracles among heathens, rather than in Israel.
24: No prophet is acceptable in his own country - That is, in his
own neighbourhood. It generally holds, that a teacher sent from
God is not so acceptable to his neighbours as he is to strangers.
The meanness of his family, or lowness of his circumstances,
bring his office into contempt: nor can they suffer that he, who
was before equal with, or below themselves, should now bear a
superior character.
25: When the heaven was shut up three years and six months - Such
a proof had they that God had sent him. In (1Ki 18:1), it
is said, The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year:
namely, reckoning not from the beginning of the drought, but from
the time when he began to sojourn with the widow of Sarepta.
A year of drought had preceded this, while he dwelt at the brook
Cherith. So that the whole time of the drought was (as St. James
likewise observes) three years and six months.(1Ki 17:19,18:44).
27: (2Ki 5:14).
28: And all in the synagogue were filled with fury - Perceiving the
purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessing which they
despised, would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles.
So changeable are the hearts of wicked men! So little are their
starts of love to be depended on! So unable are they to bear the
close application, even of a discourse which they most admire!
30: Passing through the midst of them - Perhaps invisibly; or
perhaps they were overawed; so that though they saw, they could
not touch him.
31: He came down to Capernaum - And dwelt there, entirely quitting
his abode at Nazareth. (Mr 1:21).
34: What have we to do with thee - Thy present business is with
men, not with devils. I know thee who thou art - But surely he did
not know a little before, that he was God over all, blessed for
ever; or he would not have dared to tell him, All this power is
delivered to me, and I give it to whomsoever I will. The Holy
One of God - Either this confession was extorted from him by terror,
(for the devils believe and tremble,) or he made it with a design
to render the character of Christ suspected. Possibly it was
from hence the Pharisees took occasion to say, He casteth out
devils by the prince of the devils.
38: (Mt 8:14,Mr 1:29).
40: When the sun was set - And consequently the Sabbath ended,
which they reckoned from sunset to sunset.(Mt 8:16,Mr 1:32).
42: (Mr 1:35).
