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1: He entered again into the synagogue - At Capernaum on the
same day. (Mt 12:9,Lu 6:6).
2: And they - The scribes and Pharisees, watched him, that they
might accuse him - Pride, anger, and shame, after being so often
put to silence, began now to ripen into malice.
4: Is it lawful to save life or to kill? - Which he knew they
were seeking occasion to do. But they held their peace - Being
confounded, though not convinced.
5: Looking round upon them with anger, being grieved - Angry at
the sin, grieved at the sinner; the true standard of Christian
anger. But who can separate anger at sin from anger at the
sinner? None but a true believer in Christ.
6: The Pharisees going out - Probably leaving the scribes to
watch him still: took counsel with the Herodians - as bitter as
they usually were against each other.
8: From Idumea - The natives of which had now professed the Jewish
religion above a hundred and fifty years. They about Tyre and
Sidon - The Israelites who lived in those coasts.
10: Plagues or scourges (so the Greek word properly means) seem
to be those very painful or afflictive disorders which were
frequently sent, or at least permitted of God, as a scourge or
punishment of sin.
12: He charged them not to make him known - It was not the time:
nor were they fit preachers.
13: He calleth whom he would - With regard to the eternal states
of men, God always acts as just and merciful. But with regard to
numberless other things, he seems to us to act as a mere sovereign.(Lu 6:12)
14: (Mt 10:2,Lu 6:13,Ac 1:13).
16: He surnamed them sons of thunder - Both with respect to the
warmth and impetuosity of their spirit, their fervent manner of
preaching, and the power of their word.
20: To eat bread - That is, to take any subsistence.
21: His relations - His mother and his brethren,(Mr 3:31). But it was some time before they could come near him.
22: The scribes and Pharisees,(Mt 12:22);
who had come down from Jerusalem - Purposely on the devil's errand.
And not without success. For the common people now began to
drink in the poison, from these learned, good, honourable men!
He hath Beelzebub - at command, is in league with him: And by the
prince of the devils casteth he out devils - How easily may a man
of learning elude the strongest proof of a work of God! How
readily can he account for every incident without ever taking
God into the question. (Mt 12:24,Lu 11:15).
28: (Mt 12:31,Lu 12:10).
30: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit - Is it not
astonishing, that men who have ever read these words, should
doubt, what is the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? Can any
words declare more plainly, that it is "the ascribing those
miracles to the power of the devil which Christ wrought by the
power of the Holy Ghost?"
31: Then come his brethren and his mother - Having at length made
their way through the crowd, so as to come to the door. His
brethren are here named first, as being first and most earnest
in the design of taking him: for neither did these of his
brethren believe on him. They sent to him, calling him - They
sent one into the house, who called him aloud, by name.(Mt 12:46,Lu 8:19).
34: Looking round on them who sat about him - With the utmost
sweetness; He said, Behold my mother and my brethren - In this
preference of his true disciples even to the Virgin Mary,
considered merely as his mother after the flesh, he not only
shows his high and tender affection for them, but seems
designedly to guard against those excessive and idolatrous
honours, which he foresaw would in after ages be paid to her.
