Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Mark Chapitre 1

Mark 1:1. Of Jesus Christ the Son of God— This exordium is singular; for while the other Evangelists describe our Saviour as the Son of man, St. Mark, in express words, stiles him the Son of God. A title the most likely, as being the most august, to engage the attention and obedience of the Romans, those Lords of the earth, to the religion which was promulgated by him. In describing this religion, St. Mark has brought together so many of our Saviour's discourses and miracles, as might serve to exhibit a general view of his character, and shew the world at the same time what kind of principles they were concerned to embrace, and what course of life they were bound to lead, who professed themselves his followers and disciples. This fully answered the end of his design. The present verse may be connected with the following; and the sense will be, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ began, according to the prediction of the prophets, with the preaching and baptism of John the Baptist. I shall not take up the reader's and my own time by insisting upon those passages in this or the following Evangelists, which have been already explained in the notes on St. Matthew, and which explanations will be found by the copious marginal references.

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Mark 1:12. Driveth— Conveyeth.

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Mark 1:13. And was with the wild beasts— St. Mark is often very circumstantial in his narrations, and adds many things for the sake of the Romans or Gentiles in general, to enable them the better to understand him. Thus, as a Roman might not know how wild and uninhabited the deserts of Arabia were, in which Christ was tempted, he adds here, and was with the wild beasts. See Owen on the Gospel, and Grotius

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Mark 1:14. Now, after that John was put in prison, &c.— We have here a remarkable particular in the conduct of our Saviour: no sooner was he informed that Herod had thrown John in prison, than he quitted Judea, and went into Galilee. (Comp. Mat 4:12—to the end.) And traversing it all over,—as well that part of it which was under Herod's jurisdiction, as that under Philip's; see Mar 1:39 and Matthew 4:23.—he there began first to preach continually to the people, elected several of his disciples to accompany him wherever he went, performed most astonishing works, and drew the attention of the whole country upon him. Now, had Jesus and the Baptist been associate impostors, as some infidels have supposed, nothing seems more improbable than that Jesus should single out this particular time, and the dominions of that particular prince, who had but just then imprisoned his partner in the same wicked imposture, in order there first to make trial of all his devices, procure more associates, and attended by them to draw the multitude about with him from all parts of the country. In an impostor, this would have been voluntarily seeking the same fate that his fore-runner had but just experienced, and in reality provoking Herod to put an end at once to all joint-machinations: but this is what no impostor whatever can be supposed desirous to have done. See Bell's Inquiry into the Divine Missions, &c. p. 388.

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Mark 1:21. On the sabbath day— In the Greek it is plural, τοις σαββασιν, and, when compared with the parallel place in St. Luke, shews that it was the custom of Jesus to frequent these places of worship on the sabbath days. The addition of this circumstance seems therefore intended to intimate, that Christ was free from the imputation of profaning the sabbath, which was objected to him by the Jews. See Mat 12:1-2 and Grotius. Dr. Heylin renders the latter part of this verse, where he immediately began to instruct publicly in the synagogues, to which he went on the sabbath day.

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Mark 1:26. Had torn him— Had thrown him into convulsions. That this is a proper translation, though circuitous, appears from St. Luke, who informs us, that the spirit did not hurt him. It is remarkable, that in all the cures of this sort which our Lord performed, the person to be cured was agitated by the demon who possessed him in the most violent manner, at the time of the cure, and raised to perfect health by the expulsion of the demon in an instant. The reason was, that thus the reality and greatness, both of the possession and the cure, were fully proved, to the conviction of every beholder; and therefore the demon was probably in some sense compelled to exert himself.

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Mark 1:29. They entered into the house of Simon— Peter was a native of Bethsaida; and when first admitted to Christ's acquaintance, seems to have had his residence there: but happening to marry a woman of Capernaum, as is generally supposed, he removed thither with his brother Andrew; and there they prosecuted their common business of fishing, in company with James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who lived with them in one house. On the cure of St. Peter's wife's mother we shall speak, when we come to Luke 4:38-39.

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Mark 1:30. Anon— Forthwith.

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Mark 1:35. A great while before day— 'Εννυχον λιαν, when the night was very far advanced, and consequently just before the dawn of day.

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