Matt. 12 Matt. 12:1–8 Christ alleges scripture in excuse of his disciples, whom the Pharisees charged with breaking the sabbath in plucking the ears of corn on the sabbath day. Matt. 12:9–13 He appeals to reason, and healeth the withered hand on the sabbath day. Matt.

Mark relating this story, Mark 2:23, varies little. Luke relating it, Luke 6:1, saith it was on the second sabbath after the first, and his disciples did eat, rubbing them. God in his law, Deut.

So saith Mark, Mark 2:24, only he puts it into the form of a question. Luke adds nothing, Luke 6:2, but saith, certain of the Pharisees. They granted the thing lawful to be done another day, but not on the sabbath day.

Mark and Luke add little, only Mark specifies the time, in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and saith, when he had need, and was an hungred. We have the history, 1 Sam. 21. David was upon his flight from Saul, upon the notice of his danger given him by Jonathan, 1 Sam.

Neither Mark nor Luke have this argument of our Saviour’s. The meaning is, all acts of servile labour are not unlawful on the sabbath day. The priests, according to the law, Num.

The Jews had very superstitious conceits concerning the temple, and might object, But the priests’ works are done in the temple. The Jews had a saying, that in the temple there was no sabbath. They looked upon the temple as sanctifying all actions done there.

Neither Mark nor Luke have this argument. Our Lord yet goeth on taxing these great doctors of ignorance. The text he quotes is Hos. 6:6; we met with it before quoted by our Saviour, Matt. 9:13. The meaning is, that God prefers mercy before sacrifice.

This argument Luke hath, Luke 6:5. Mark hath it thus, Mark 2:27–28, And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. Some interpreters make these two arguments: 1.

Mark saith, Mark 3:1, he entered again into the synagogue on the sabbath day. This our Saviour was often wont to do, to own there what was done according to his Father’s institution, and himself to do what good he could; nor doth he now decline it because he had had so late a contest with them: it…

Mark, repeating the same history, saith, Mark 3:1–2, There was a man which had a withered hand, and they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day, that they might accuse him. So saith Luke 6:6–7, only he addeth that it was his right hand, which made his affliction greater.

Mark saith, Mark 3:3–5, And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

Mark saith, they held their peace, they made him no answer to his question, upon which he, looking round about him with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. Luke saith, Looking round about upon them all, he said, &c.

Luke saith, they were filled with madness, and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. Mark saith, they straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. What cause of their madness was here offered? A poor lame man was miraculously healed.

Here is nothing in these two verses but what we have before met with: the multitudes have followed Christ in all his motions, from his first beginning to preach and to work his miraculous operations. He healed them all, must be understood of those that were sick.

Christ did this, that is, he withdrew himself when he heard what counsels the Pharisees and Herodians had taken, he charged those whom he had cured that they should not publish it abroad, he did those good acts before spoken of, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet; that he…

The alteration is very little, and we must not expect to meet with quotations out of the Old Testament verbatim: it is enough that the sense is the same. Behold my servant, whom I have chosen.

These words declare the meekness, and gentleness, and modesty of our blessed Saviour. His meekness, that he should not do his work in any passion or roughness, nor carry on his kingdom with any strife or violence.

He shall carry on his work with so little noise, that if he trod upon a bruised reed he should not break it. Or, he shall not despise the afflicted, that are as bruised reeds and smoking flax.

This makes some think, that the bringing of judgment unto victory refers to the final destruction of the Jews by the Romans, after which the Gentiles came more universally to receive the gospel.

Some think this person was the same mentioned Luke 11:14, I presume, because the following discourse there is much the same with what followeth here; but others are of another mind; and it is certain Luke speaketh of no blindness in him.

This is the first conviction we meet with, from the miracles wrought by our Saviour, that he was the Messiah, unless that of the two blind men, mentioned Matt.

We met with the same blasphemous calumny from the same persons, Matt. 9:34. The Pharisees, not acknowledging the Deity of Christ, nor that he was the Messiah, were for their interest concerned not to acknowledge, and as much as in them lay to keep others from believing, that he did that from his…

This is our Lord’s first argument. Mark relates it, Mark 3:23–26, with little alteration in the phrase; so doth Luke, Luke 11:17–18. The sum of the argument is, The devil is so wise, that he will look to the upholding of his own kingdom in the world.

Our Saviour’s argument is this, Where the case is the same the judgment ought to be the same, and the contrary judgment speaketh malice, and hatred of the person. Do I cast out devils? So do your children.

Luke hath the same, Luke 11:20, only for the Spirit of God he hath the finger of God. By the kingdom of God he here meaneth the coming of the Messiah, which is so called, Dan. 2:44. The time is come, when the Lord begins his kingdom of grace, setting up his King upon his holy hill of Zion, Ps.

Mark hath the same words, with little variation, Mark 3:27; Luke saith, Luke 11:21–22, When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoil.

Luke hath the same, Luke 11:23. Some understand this concerning the devil, whom he was so far from favouring, that his work was quite opposite. Some understand it concerning some neuters, that would neither show themselves for Christ nor against him.

Mark repeateth the same, Mark 3:28–29, with no alteration as to the sense, and instead of neither in this world, neither in the world to come, he saith, but is in danger of eternal damnation.

We met with much the same Matt. 7:16. The words here spoken may be understood to have reference to the devil, to the scribes and Pharisees, or to Christ himself. 1.

The evangelist Luke, Luke 6:45, hath much the same with what is here. O generation of vipers: John had so called them, and Christ again so called them, Matt. 23:33. A viper is of all other the most venomous and dangerous serpent.

Some understand by idle words here, lying and deceitful words; others, contumelious and reproachful words. But the best interpreters here extend the sense further, not only from the sense of the word αργον, here used, but because they judge our Saviour is here arguing from the less to the greater,…

We read the like to this Matt. 16:1, and Luke seemeth to relate the same history, Luke 11:29. Master was the usual title which they gave to any whom they owned as a teacher.

An evil and adulterous generation; either called adulterous for that specific sin, which reigned amongst them, and indeed their polygamy was hardly better; or else because of their degeneracy from Abraham, whom they so much gloried in as their father, John 8:39, John 8:44.

The story of the men of Nineveh we have in Jonah 3. Luke repeateth the same passage, Luke 11:32. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment, that is, shall at the general resurrection rise, and stand up in judgment as witnesses against the scribes and Pharisees, and the other unbelieving Jews of…

We have the history to which this relates 1 Kings 10:1;c. She is here called the queen of the south; in the Book of Kings, and 2 Chron. 9:1, the queen of Sheba.

The speech appeareth parabolical, the persons concerned in it are expressed in the last words, the men of that wicked generation. The text is thought to be well expounded by Peter, 2 Pet.

Mark repeateth the same passage, Mark 3:31–35. Luke repeateth it more shortly, Luke 8:20–21. Both Mark and Luke say more than one spake to our Saviour; first one, then others.