At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn, &c.] That is, the corn fields, as the other evangelists express it. It being on a sabbath day, it is very probable, that Christ and his disciples were going to some public place of worship, the way to which lay through some fields of…

But when the Pharisees saw it Who went along with him, or followed him, being employed to make observation on his words and actions, they said unto him; Luke says, “unto them”, the disciples: it seems, they took notice of this action both to Christ and his disciples, and first spoke of it to the…

But he said unto them, have ye not read If they had not read the Scriptures, they were very unfit persons either to be teachers, or censurers of others, and must have been very slothful and negligent; and if they had, they could not but have observed the case of David, which Christ produces in…

How he entered into the house of God Not the temple, which was not then built; but the tabernacle, which was then at Nob, the city of the priests, and which probably adjoined to Abimelech’s house: and did eat the shewbread; for that this is meant by the hallowed bread, in is certain; though R.

Or have ye not read in the law by which law the priests were obliged, every sabbath day, to offer up two lambs for a burnt offering; to which were annexed many servile works, as killing the sacrifice, flaying it, cutting it in pieces, and laying it on the altar, cutting of wood, and putting that in…

But I say unto you Who Christ knew would be ready to object, as above, and therefore prevents them, by saying, that in this place is one greater than the temple; meaning himself, who was the Lord and Proprietor of the temple, and in his human nature the antitype of it; see and was infinitely more…

But if ye had known what this meaneth, &c,] The passage of Scripture in I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; of the sense of which, (See Gill on Matt. 9:13) ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. ] By “the Son of man” is meant, not any man, as some have thought; for no mere man is lord of any law, moral or ritual, natural or positive; or has a power of disposing of it, and dispensing with it at pleasure; but Christ himself; which is the…

And when he was departed thence From the corn fields, where the disciples had plucked the ears of corn, and this conversation passed between Christ and the Pharisees about the violation of the sabbath, he went into their synagogue; not on the same sabbath day, as one might be led to conclude from…

And behold, there was a man which had his hand withered, &c.] Or dry; the juices were dried up, the nerves and sinews contracted, so that it was of no manner of use to him: Luke says, it was his right hand, which was so much the worse; and means not only his hand, but the whole arm.

And he said unto them Well knowing their intentions, and also their usages and customs, which he was able to produce and object to them; in which, through covetousness, they showed more regard to their beasts, than they did humanity to their fellow creatures: what man shall there be among you, that…

How much then is a man better than a sheep? &c.] As a rational creature must be better, and more excellent, than an irrational one, more care is to be taken of, and more mercy shown unto, the one, than the other: even the health of a man is preferable to the life of a beast; and if it is lawful to…

Then saith he to the man That is, after he had looked round about upon them, to observe their countenances; and what answer they would make to his arguments; and with anger for their inhumanity and cruelty; being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, i.e.

Then the Pharisees went out Of the synagogue, being, as Luke says, filled with madness, at the unanswerableness of his arguments; and because of the violation of the sabbath, as they thought; and most of all, because of the miracle wrought by him; and which was so glaringly a proof of his being…

But when Jesus knew it Their consultation against him, as he did, not by any discovery made to him by men, but as the omniscient God; he withdrew himself from thence; from the synagogue and city, where he was, to the sea of Galilee, and his disciples with him, as Mark observes; not through fear,…

And charged them that they should not make him known. ] This charge was given, either to the multitude that followed him, and were healed by him, that when they returned to the respective places from whence they came, they would not make it known to his enemies where he was, and what he had done to…

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying. ] not that Christ gave the above charge with this view, that this passage in Isaiah might have its accomplishment: but this is an observation of the evangelist, that what was now done by Christ, by his private departure from…

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen These are the words of God the Father, speaking to the church, concerning Christ, as mediator; who, as such, is God’s servant, employed by him, and obedient to him, in the work of man’s salvation; and is a righteous, faithful, prudent, and diligent one; whom…

He shall not strive Or contend in a wrangling way, as the disputers of this world do about words to no profit, and for the sake of victory only, and popular applause, but shall choose rather to withdraw, than to carry on a controversy to a great length, to little purpose; or, as men litigate a…

A bruised reed shall he not break Various are the thoughts of interpreters, about what is meant by this, and by the smoking flax shall he not quench. Some think the Scribes and Pharisees are designed, whose power Christ could easily crush, and their wrath and fury restrain, but would not, till the…

And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. ] The former part of the text is omitted, “he shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth”; but is inserted in Munster’s Hebrew Gospel; and which some understand of the bruised reed, and smoking flax, and others of Christ; the…

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil About this time, or some little time after, when he was returned from the sea of Galilee, and was come into a certain house; see (Matt. 12:46, Matt.

And all the people were amazed At the cure; it was such an instance of divine power, and so glaring a proof, that the person who wrought it was more than a man, and must be the Messiah.

But when the Pharisees heard it Very probably not the same that went out, and held a council against Christ to destroy him, but others that were come from Judea and Jerusalem, and were with him in the house, and saw the miracle: these, when they heard what the people said, and how ready they were…

And Jesus knew their thoughts He not only heard their blasphemous words, but was privy to their secret thoughts; he knew their vile malicious intentions and designs, with what view they expressed themselves in this manner, on purpose to reproach him, and set the people against him, contrary to the…

And if Satan cast out Satan That is, if Satan, the same with Beelzebub, casts out the rest of the Satans, or other devils, of which he is the prince and head, he is divided against himself; he acts contrary to his own interest, which is to keep possession of the bodies and souls of men; and…

And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils As the Pharisees asserted, and would have the people believe; for this is not allowed, only for argument sake supposed: by whom do your children cast them out? meaning not the apostles and disciples of Christ, the children of the Jews, to whom Christ gave power…

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God As it was certain he did, from the nature, use, and design of such miracles; and it could not be reasonably thought, that Satan would assist in what was so very opposite to his kingdom and interest, and was so serviceable to the cause and glory of…

Or else, how can anyone enter into a strong man’s house, &c.] This is another argument of Christ’s proving that his casting out of devils could not be by Satan, but by the Spirit of God; for if he did not act by any superior power to Satan’s, and such by which he was able to master, overcome, and…

He that is not with me, is against me These words chiefly refer to Satan, and are a further proof, that Christ did not cast out devils by him; since they two are as much opposites, as can possibly be; Satan is not on the side of Christ, but an adversary to him; there is an original, and implacable…

Wherefore I say unto you This shows, that what follows is occasioned by what the Pharisees had said, concerning the miracles of Christ; imputing them to diabolical influence and assistance, when they were done by the Spirit of God, of which they themselves were conscious; all manner of sin and…

And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man By whom is meant, not any man, as Grotius thought, but the Lord Jesus Christ, so often called “the son of man”, on account of his human nature, in which he appeared in great meanness and obscurity.

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good That is, either assert them both good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: say they are both evil, for the contrary cannot be affirmed with any consistency and propriety: the matter is easy to be determined, for the tree is known by…

O generation of vipers Though they boasted of their being the seed of Abraham, yet their immediate ancestors were no other than vipers, deceitful, hurtful, poisonous creatures; and they were exactly like them: for though they made a fair show in the flesh, and outwardly appeared righteous, yet were…

A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart “A good man”, is a regenerated man, one that is renewed by the Spirit of God, a believer in Christ, a sincere lover of him, and one that follows him, wheresoever he goes, and who has the grace of God implanted in him: for “the good treasure the…

But I say unto you This form of speaking is used, the more strongly to asseverate the truth of what is after said; and the rather, because men are apt to indulge a liberty with their tongues; fancying no great crime is committed, when only words are spoken, and no facts done; that every idle word…

For by thy words thou shalt be justified Theophylact seems to take these words to be a passage of Scripture cited by Christ, in proof of what he had said, but does not point to any; nor is any such Scripture to be found.

Then certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered Not the same that charged him with casting out devils, by the prince of devils; but others, that were present, as appears from and who do not take upon them to make a proper reply to what he had said, or return an answer to that, but address him on…

But he answered and said unto them Not to the Pharisees, who were unworthy of an answer from him; having, in such an imperious manner, and with a sole view to tempt him, and after such miracles were wrought by him, required of him a sign from heaven; but to the multitude, the throng of people…

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly Or “in the belly of a great fish”, as is said, for that it was a whale, is not there said, nor is it certain it was; nor from the smallness of its swallow, is it thought probable it should; nor does the word here used, necessarily…

The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment Alluding either to the custom and practice of witnesses, who rise up from their seats, and stand, when they give in their testimonies in a court of judicature; or else, referring to the time of the general resurrection from the dead, at the last day, when…

The queen of the south Called the queen of Sheba, . Sheba was one of the sons of Joktan, a grandchild of Arphaxad, who settled in the southern parts of Arabia: hence this queen is called the queen of the south.

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man By “the unclean” spirit, is meant Satan, the old serpent, the devil; who by the Jews, is wont to be called as here, (רוח מסאבא) , “the unclean spirit” [[22]]; and that, because he is by sin become so, though he was not so originally; is the cause of…

Then he said, I will return into my house Into the land of Judea, particularly into the Scribes and Pharisees, outward professors of religion; who, notwithstanding their outward reformation, and great pretensions to holiness, are Satan’s house still: he has a property in them, a claim upon them;…

Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits, &c.] This is said in allusion to, and in imitation of the seven spirits before the throne; or may denote a large number of devils, seven being a number of perfection; or else the various corruptions of a man’s heart, the swarms of internal…

While he yet talked to the people Upon these subjects, which so nearly concerned the Scribes and Pharisees, and which could not fail of drawing upon him their resentment and ill will.

Then one said unto him Either one of his auditors, or, as the Ethiopic version has it, one “of his disciples”: the other evangelists intimate, that more than one acquainted him with it; which is easily reconciled: for, upon his mother and brethren calling to him, as Mark says they did; first one…

But he answered and said unto him that told him Of his mother and brethren being without doors, desiring, and waiting to speak to him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? These questions are put, not as if he himself was ignorant who were his mother or his brethren; or as suggesting as if he…

And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples By whom are meant, not only the twelve, but all others present, who truly believed in him, both men and women; and who might sit near him and together, and whom, by this motion of his hand, he pointed out as his spiritual relations, to the…

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father This is not to be understood of a perfect obedience to the will of God, revealed in his righteous law; for since this cannot be performed by any mere man, no one could be in such a spiritual relation to Christ: but of the obedience of faith to the will…