Herod Antipas & Jesus

Section 62
HEROD ANTIPAS SUPPOSES JESUS TO BE JOHN
MATT 14:1-12
MARK 6:14-29
LUKE 9:7-9 

The mission of the twelve probably lasted several weeks, and the beheading of John the Baptist appears to have taken place about the time of their return.

Matthew--Herod heard about Jesus and attributed his miracles to John.  John openly criticized Herod for marrying his brother's wife.  Herod wanted to kill Jesus but was afraid of the people's reaction. Prompted by Herodius, his wife, his daughter requested John's head on a platter.  Herod complied.

"And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus." Matthew 14:12

"How splendid the action of John’s disciples! Reverent love and grief made them brave the king’s hatred." F.B. Meyer

History on this family of Herods:

"Herod: This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, by Malthace, and tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, which produced a revenue of 200 talents a year. He married the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, whom he divorced in order to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, who was still living. Aretas, to revenge the affront which Herod had offered his daughter, declared war against him, and vanquished him after an obstinate engagement. This defeat, Josephus assures us, the Jews considered as a punishment for the death of John the Baptist. Having gone to Rome to solicit the title of king, he was accused by Agrippa of carrying on a correspondence with Artabanus king of Parthia, against the Romans, and was banished by the emperor Caius to Lyons, and thence to Spain, where he and Herodias died in exile."  -TSK Cross References

Herod the Great's messy family tree--from Biblical Archeology.org

and a bit more:

"Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, who was the half-brother of Herod Philip I. and Herod Antipas, and these two last were in turn half-brothers to each other. Herodias, therefore, had married her uncle Herod Philip I, who was disinherited by Herod the Great, and who lived as a private citizen in Rome. When Herod Antipas went to Rome about the affairs of his tetrarchy, he became the guest of his brother Herod Philip I., and repaid the hospitality which he received by carrying off the wife of his host."-Fourfold

It sounds like his life was a series of poor decisions followed by consequences that led him into brokenness. And as the Fourfold Gospel points out, sin begets worse sin:

"To the anxious, unrestful soul of Herodias this seemed a great gift, since it assured her that the voice of her most dangerous enemy was now silent. But as Herod was soon filled with superstitious fears that John had risen in the person of Christ, her sense of security was very short-lived. The crime stamped Herod and Herodias with greater infamy than that for which John had rebuked them."-Fourfold Gospel

On Jesus being viewed as a prophet, this is helpful:

"The work of Jesus impressed the people as prophetic rather than Messianic, for they associated the Messiah in their thoughts with an earthly kingdom of great pomp and grandeur. Jesus, therefore, did not appear to them to be the Messiah, but rather the prophet who should usher in the Messiah. Their Scriptures taught them that Elijah would be that prophet. But the Apocrypha indicated that it might be Isaiah or Jeremiah (I. Macc. xiv. 41). Hence the many opinions as to which of the prophets Jesus was. If he was Elijah, he could not be properly spoken of as risen from the dead, for Elijah had been translated." -Fourfold Gospel

With regard to "unfairnesses" we may suffer in life, it's good to remember the circumstances surrounding John's death. John's life was considered a trifle to this wealthy and corrupt family.  His ministry holds firm in eternity, but in the moment, the circumstances of his death feel capriciously cruel.

"That he was grieved at John’s death is a verbal contradiction to verse 5, but after some weeks’ or months’ delay psychologically quite possible (cf. note there). Kubel attributes the change to his conscience recoiling when his wish had a sudden chance of being accomplished; or it may be that he still fearest the multitude (cf. verse 5), and felt anxious lest he should bring about some political disturbance."  -Pulpit Commentary

This makes sense to me, that even Herod's remorse was self-centered.  Herod Antipas and Herod the Great's family in general, is marked by anxiety and a fascination with superstition.  I believe this is what happens to people who lack bearings---floating around trying to piece together the meaning of their lives and their fate apart from God.  His family's legacy was sexual promiscuity, lack of integrity, and paranoid abuse of godly men.

Going Out--Section 61

Section 61
THIRD CIRCUIT OF GALILEE. THE TWELVE INSTRUCTED AND SENT FORTH
MATT. 9:35-38; 10:1, 5-42; 11:1
MARK 6:6-13
LUKE 9:1-6

9:38 The Lord Jesus told the disciples to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Notice here that the need does not constitute a call. Workers should not go until they are sent.

"The verb ekballō really means to drive out, to push out, to draw out with violence or without. Prayer is the remedy offered by Jesus in this crisis for a larger ministerial supply. How seldom do we hear prayers for more preachers. Sometimes God literally has to push or force a man into the ministry who resists his known duty." -RWP

Sending forth the 12

"How little did these men dream that their names would be engraved on the foundations of the New Jerusalem." -Rev 21:14  -F.B. Meyer

"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Revelation 21:14 

Twelve. To be heads of the tribes of the new Israel (Rev_21:14; cf. Jas_1:1; Mat_19:28). -Pulpit

Way of the Gentiles (hodon ethnōn). Objective genitive, way leading to the Gentiles. This prohibition against going among the Gentiles and the Samaritans was for this special tour. They were to give the Jews the first opportunity and not to prejudice the cause at this stage. Later Jesus will order them to go and disciple all the Gentiles (Mat_28:19).RWP

"These twelve Jesus sent forth b and he began to send them forth by two and two [He sent them in pairs because: 1. Under the law it required two witnesses to establish the truth. 2. They could supplement each other's work. Different men reach different minds, and where one fails another may succeed. 3. They would encourage one another. When one grew despondent the zeal and enthusiasm of the other would quicken his activities" -Fourfold Gospel

Observe that nothing is said of their receiving authority to convert. This God himself keeps. But they can remove all hindrances other than those purely subjective and spiritual, whether the objective hindrances be intruding evil spirits affecting body and mind or only bodily diseases. All manner, etc. (Mat_9:35, note).

Right away, Jesus put restrictions on them. Why? Because He was establishing priorities for them, saying, "This is where you start—in your home country. Start where you're at," Jesus says. "Cross the street before you cross the ocean." In addition to establishing priority, there's another reason Jesus put this restriction on them. Had these apostles gone to the Samaritans—Gentiles—first, no one would have received them when they came back home because the Jews despised the Gentiles. In Romans we read that the gospel went to the Jew first and then to the Greeks, or the Gentiles, not because of priority, but because of precedence. The Jews were prepared by the prophets, by the covenants, and by the promises. So the Lord sent His boys to the Jews first. -Jon Courson

"And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."   Matthew 10:13

"Whatever house you go in, stay there. The problem is, we so often get into a place and say, "Well, this is fine for now." But we keep our eye open for a more influential or powerful place to stay."

"...In reality, it was the common people who heard Jesus gladly (Mar_12:37). We learned the hard way to focus not so much on the quarterback, but rather to go to the kids who sat by themselves, those whom everyone else ignored. When we went to these kids, there was an openness and a readiness to receive Jesus.

I believe that's essentially what Jesus was referring to when He said, "When you go into a house, be content to stay there. Don't try to move around and move up. Just go in, pronounce peace, and stay until you leave the city."  -Jon Courson

The peace of God goes forth and returns. -RWP

From Hosea, God's love and kindness drawing the Jews:

" I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them." Hosea 11:4

Cords of kindness, bands of love....interesting imagery---cords and bands tie a person to something, connecting them.  To be connected or bound to love and kindness---seems almost paradoxical, this image of captivity to love.

Shake off the dust (ektinaxate ton koniorton). Shake out, a rather violent gesture of disfavour. The Jews had violent prejudices against the smallest particles of Gentile dust, not as a purveyor of disease of which they did not know, but because it was regarded as the putrescence of death. If the apostles were mistreated by a host or hostess, they were to be treated as if they were Gentiles (cf. Mat_18:17; Act_18:6). Here again we have a restriction that was for this special tour with its peculiar perils.-RWP

"It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master." Mat 10:25

Christ was never at rest in this world---his enemies plotted his death, the masses sought him for what he could do for them, and even his closest circle struggled to be loyal friends to him.  He was misunderstood the majority of his life, ministering against the grain.

This teaches me that I should not expect an easy road.  It is enough that I follow His steps.  He walked out his calling in this world with his mind and heart focused on the bigger picture, the higher goal.  I must do the same.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."  Matt 10: 6

The serpent was the emblem of wisdom or shrewdness, intellectual keenness (Gen_3:1; Psa_58:5), the dove of simplicity (Hos_7:11). It was a proverb, this combination, but one difficult of realization. Either without the other is bad (rascality or gullibility).rwp

"For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil." Rom 16:19

"that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."  -Php 2:15

"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature." 1 Co 14:20

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. .." -Eph 4:11-16

"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you." 2Co 1:12

Abstain from every form of evil. 1Th 5:22 

Jesus at Nazareth

Section 60
JESUS VISITS NAZARETH AND IS REJECTED
MATT. 13:54-58
MARK 6:1-6
LUKE 4:16-31

The familiar can blind us to new truths.

But he passing through the midst of them went his way. [A simple statement of a marvelous fact. Miracles are not explained in the Bible. -Fourfold

6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. -As to this statement that Jesus felt surprised, see page 273. "It should also be borne in mind," says Canon Cook, "that surprise at the obtuseness and unreasonableness of sin is constantly attributed to God by the prophets." The statement, therefore, is perfectly consonant with the divinity of Jesus. -Fourfold

Nazareth

Mat 13:57  And they took offense at him.

"On a previous visit to Nazareth, the populace had rejected His teaching and attempted to throw Him over a cliff (Luk_4:16-29). This time the people were impressed with His powers and teachings, but they rejected Him. They remembered Him as the carpenter’s Son (Mat_13:55). They mentioned four (half) brothers (not cousins) of Jesus, children born to Mary and Joseph after the birth of Jesus Christ. Three of these sons - James… Simon, and Judas - are not to be confused with three of the Twelve by the same names." BKC

Patriam quisque amat, non quia pulchram, sed quia suam - Every one loves his country, not because it is beautiful, but because it is his own. Seneca.

Psalm 23

It's a shame that certain passages become enmeshed with specific occasions--1 Corinthians 13 with marriages and Psalm 23 with funerals.  I can't read this psalm without hearing that strong echo, "Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."  The valley is just one piece of it though.

The overarching promise of this psalm is God's provision--the table before our enemies, the anointing of oil, the mercy and goodness following us all the days of our life. God is there for us, not just sustaining, but blessing in abundant ways.

I like Matthew Henry here too:

More is implied than is expressed, not only, I shall not want, but, “I shall be supplied with whatever I need; and, if I have not every thing I desire, I may conclude it is either not fit for me or not good for me or I shall have it in due time.” -Matthew Henry

Life can be long and wide---everything in time but not everything at once is good to remember.  To be thankful, to have a grateful heart, to recognize the oil and rest at the table.

Jesus heals the blind and mute

Section 59
HEALING BLIND MEN AND A DUMB DEMONIAC
(Probably Capernaum) 
MATT 9:27-34

Jesus restores sight to two blind men and tells them not to tell others about this.  The men do anyway.  Jesus heals a mute man with a demon who is then able to speak.

These miracles are presented by Matthew succinctly and without comment. Two things occurred to me after thinking about these miracles  1) blind or disabled people do not always have a spiritual reason for their sickness 2) Jesus just healed people sometimes with no "point" or larger lesson.
His impulse to heal is a mystery to me---why are some incidents fleshed out and others not?  Why did he sometimes heal (as he did the two blind men), then tell them not to tell about it.  I know all the pat answers about too many people pressing in on him, the time for that not being right or full, but I still wonder at why these incidents are reported to us.

Did he have great compassion on all who were sick or disabled?

Jairus' Daughter

Section 58
JAIRUS' DAUGHTER AND THE INVALID WOMAN
(Capernaum, same day as last)
MATT 9:18-26
MARK 5:22-43
LUKE 8:41-56

This section relates two healing miracles, one embedded within the other.  First, Jairus is desperate for Christ to heal his twelve year old daughter, his only child.  Within his encounter, a woman who has been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. These miracles give you a sense of the pressing nature of the humanity that sought Jesus, the urgency and deep need of these people, and of Christ's own pace and peace within their chaos.

"And Jesus arose and followed him, and so did his disciples"

"From Matthew's table. Jesus did not fast for form's sake, but he was ever ready to leave a feast that he might confer a favor."  -Fourfold Gospel

In the midst of his response to Jairus, he is interrupted by the actions of this unnamed woman:

"The nature of her disease made her unclean (Lev. 15:26). Her consciousness of this made her, therefore, timidly approach Jesus from behind."-Fourfold

"The hem or fringe of a garment, a tassel or tuft hanging from the edge of the outer garment according to Num_15:38. It was made of twisted wool. Jesus wore the dress of other people with these fringes at the four corners of the outer garment. The Jews actually counted the words Jehovah One from the numbers of the twisted white threads, a refinement that Jesus had no concern for. This poor woman had an element of superstition in her faith as many people have, but Jesus honours her faith and cures her." -Vincent's Word Studies

"To attach importance to external means of grace, rites, ordinances, sacraments, outward connection with Christian organisations, is the very same misconception in a slightly different form. Such error is always near us; it is especially rife in countries where there has long been a visible Church. It has received strange new vigour to-day, partly by reaction from extreme rationalism, partly by the growing cultivation of the aesthetic faculties. It is threatening to corrupt the simplicity and spirituality of Christian worship, and needs to be strenuously resisted. But the more we have to fight against it, the more do we need to remember that, along with this clinging to the hem of the garment instead of to the heart of its Wearer, there may be a very real trust, which might shame some of those who profess to hold a less sensuous form of faith."  -Andrew MacLaren

And the woman was made whole from that hour. [Faith healed her by causing her to so act as to obtain healing. Faith thus saves; not of itself, but by that which it causes us to do. It causes us to so run that we obtain.]  -Fourfold Gospel

I've always found this passage of the story odd:

And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 
-Luke 8:45-46

What does Christ mean by this questioning and his statement "for I perceive that power has gone out from me"?  I can't believe that as the Son of God he didn't a)know exactly who touched him  b)have complete control over who he healed and when, that power did not just go out from him.  It's all the more curious that these details are rendered from Luke, the physician.

The more obvious explanation would be that Jesus asked the question for others, not for himself, as a way of explaining and giving context to the miracle:

"To have permitted the woman to depart without this exposure would have confirmed her in the mistaken notion that Jesus healed rather by his nature than by his will. Hence he questions her, not that he may obtain information, but rather as a means of imparting it. By his questions he reveals to her that no work of his is wrought without his consciousness, and that it was himself and not his garment which had blessed her." -Fourfold Gospel

"We never go on an errand of mercy but we pass a hundred other sorrowing hearts, so close packed lie the griefs of men." -Andrew MacLaren

Back to the outward story of Jairus and his daughter:

by Jeremy Winborg

"The delay caused by healing this woman must have sorely tried the ruler's patience, and the sad news which followed it must have severely tested his faith; but we hear no word of murmuring or bitterness from him." -Fourfold

"When Jesus went into the home of the official and saw the musicians and the crowd of mourners,
he said, "Get out of here! The little girl isn't dead. She is just asleep." Everyone started laughing at Jesus. Matthew 9:23-24

"His words formed a criticism as to their judgment and experience as to death, and threatened to interrupt them in earning their funeral dues."
-Fourfold

"Jesus took with him five witnesses, because in the small space of the room few could see distinctly what happened, and those not seeing distinctly might circulate inaccurate reports and confused statements as to what occurred. Besides, Jesus worked his miracles as privately as possible in order to suppress undue excitement. -Fourfold

"...and took {b taking} the child {c her} by the hand, called, saying, {b saith} unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, {cMaiden,} b I say unto thee, Arise." Mark 9: 54-55

"Mark gives the Aramaic words which Jesus used. They were the simple words with which anyone would awaken a child in the morning." -Fourfold

"And her spirit returned." Luke 8:55

Christ needed the companionship of the Apostles because their faith counted. Do not mind small numbers; they are often the condition of Christ’s mightiest achievements. He will do what man cannot do, and leave man to do his little part. “Give her to eat.”

There was a certain sacredness about these tassels, as being part of the memorial dress enjoined by the Levitical Law, which, no doubt, induced the woman to touch this particular portion of the Saviour’s dress. And immediately her issue of blood stanched. This is not the only instance of this kind of strange faith mingled with superstition being signally rewarded. The case of the miraculous efficacy of the handkerchiefs and aprons which had had contact with Paul’s body (Act_19:12) is an interesting example. A still more startling one exists in the healing influence of the shadow of Peter falling on the sick as he passed along the street (Act_5:15). The lesson evidently intended to be left on the Church of Christ by this and similar incidents is a very instructive one. Faith in Christ is a broad inclusive term: it is accepted and blest by the Master, as we see from the gospel story, in all its many degrees of development, from the elementary shape which it assumed in the case of this poor loving superstitious soul, to the splendid proportions which it reached in the lives of a Stephen and a Paul. Faith in him, from its rudest form to its grandest development, the Master knew would ever purify and elevate the character.

Hanging Out with the World, the Old and the New...

Section 57 
MATTHEW'S FEAST. DISCOURSE ON FASTING
(Capernaum) 
MATT. 9:10-17
MARK 2:15-22
LUKE 5:29-39

Jesus eats at Levi's (Matthew
"I didn't come to invite good people to turn to God. I came to invite sinners."  Luke 5:32 CEV

A clear statement that he was not basing his ministry on people's abilities to do good or be sinless but on the movement of God.  Paul himself was an example of God's "endless patience":

"I used to say terrible and insulting things about him, and I was cruel. But he had mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in him. Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life."  1 Timothy 1:13-16

Futhermore, if we are to distance ourselves from "sinners," Paul teaches that we should distance ourselves and judge those who are sinning within the Church, not the larger world:

"In my other letter I told you not to have anything to do with immoral people. But I wasn't talking about the people of this world. You would have to leave this world to get away from everyone who is immoral or greedy or who cheats or worships idols. I was talking about your own people who are immoral or greedy or worship idols or curse others or get drunk or cheat. Don't even eat with them! Why should I judge outsiders? Aren't we supposed to judge only church members? God judges everyone else."  1 Corinthians 5:9-13

In our weird "post church" culture, Christians band together against our hostile culture, affirming and justifying ourselves. We are to support each other, but if the Church is to reflect Christ, their should also be an honest feedback loop with regard to those who claim to be Christian yet live in such a way that they deny Christ.

Instead, the Church would rather focus on judging outsiders--this keeps our inner lives more comfortable, as we don't have to confront friends and Christian community. The unspoken agreement is:  I turn a blind eye to your sin and you turn a blind eye toward mine. However, the higher standard is to be held up to the Church, not the World.

Even then, Paul calls the Church to reflect His love and be unified:

"God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful." Col 3:12-15

"New wine must be put only into new wineskins. No one wants new wine after drinking old wine. They say, "The old wine is better."  Luke 5:38-39

A distinction between the first movement of God's work in the OT and the second movement in the New...

Healing two men of demon possession

Section 56 
JESUS HEALS TWO GERGESENE DEMONIACS
Gergesa, now called Khersa
MATT. 8:28-34, 9:1
MARK 5:1-21 
LUKE 8:26-40


Re location of town:

"Jesus and His disciples went to the east side of the lake (Sea of Galilee) into the region of the Gerasenes. Greek manuscripts are divided on the precise location involved, citing three names: Gadarenes (Mat_8:28), Gergesenes (from Origen), and Gerasenes.... Reliable evidence favors the name Gerasenes which probably referred to the small town Gersa (modern Khersa) located on the lake’s eastern shore. Most of its inhabitants were Gentiles (cf. Mar_5:11, Mar_5:19)." -BKC

"The country of the Gadarenes (ten chōran tōn Gadarēnōn). This is the correct text in Matthew while in Mar_5:1 and Luk_8:26 it is “the country of the Gerasenes.” Dr. Thomson discovered by the lake the ruins of Khersa (Gerasa). This village is in the district of the city of Gadara some miles southeastward so that it can be called after Gerasa or Gadara. So Matthew speaks of “two demoniacs” while Mark and Luke mention only one, the leading one." -RWP

Three accounts of this episode:

In Mark and Luke there is one man.  In Matthew, there are two.  All accounts have the man/men seeking out Jesus, although in Mark and Luke, the man falls before him. Mark and Luke's accounts are very similar, sharing that the man's name is "legion" which means many.  Is this similar to a multiple personality disorder?  Mark's account is the most different of the three.

Here are  some of my initial questions and biases approaching this passage along with some of the commentator's "answers:"

1) Why did Jesus send the evil spirits into the pigs? (It strikes me as unnecessarily unfair to the pigs.) Could he not just cast the demons out of the men and into the spiritual realm?

"For what end was this request? Was it simply the way they chose to enter the abyss by? We know that the lives of the creatures, after the permission was given, lasted but a few minutes at most. Was it a desire to do more mischief during their brief sojourn on earth? Theophylact (eighth century) suggests that the purpose of the evil spirits, in their request, was to injure Jesus in that part of the country by arousing fears among the covetous inhabitants lest they too might lose, in a similar way, their herds. But to the writer of this note it seems best to confess that no satisfactory answer can ever be given here. We know so little of these dread spirits of evil. The reason of the Lord’s permission is more obvious. Some such visible proof as the sight of the evil and unclean forces that had mastered him so long, transferred to the bodies of other creatures and working their wild will upon them, was probably a necessary element in his perfect cure. It is likely also that Jesus wished to show his indignation at the flagrant disregard of the Mosaic Law, at the open disobedience to the Divine injunctions respecting swine, which was shown by the presence of so vast a herd of these animals pronounced unclean by the Mosaic Law under which these people were professedly living. In this district the large majority of the inhabitants were Jews. The keeping or the rearing of swine was strictly forbidden by the Jewish canon law. Other Oriental peoples also held these animals as unclean. Herodotus (it. 47) tells us that in Egypt there was a special class of swineherds, who alone among the inhabitants of the country were forbidden to enter a temple. This degraded caste were only allowed to marry among themselves. The eating of swine’s flesh is referred to by Isaiah (Isa_65:3, Isa_65:4) as among the acts of the people which continually provoked the Lord to anger." --Pulpit Commentary

The Pulpit Commentary raises two possible reasons:

               A) the swine themselves are regarded as unclean by the Jews.

               B) driving demons into swine provided visible proof of the miracle

Robertson's Word Pictures adds a third:

"The incidental destruction of the hogs need not trouble us when we are so familiar with nature’s tragedies which we cannot comprehend." -RWP

2) Do demons exist in people today who struggle with mental illness?  Is "demon possession" the same as mental illness----a physiological condition or a spiritual condition?  Can it be both?  Or is it just one or the other?  How do we differentiate between a physical imbalance and a spiritual imbalance?  Are they intertwined sometimes, never, or always?

My sense, after reading through the commentaries and other reliable Christian sources on the web is that demon possession and mental illness are two distinct things.  However, I think that being mentally ill makes you more vulnerable, in a sense, to both emotional and spiritual waves--whether bad or good.  This is my take on it...not strictly Biblical.

Torment (βασαμίσῃς)
See on Mat_4:24. Luke never uses the word of sickness, as Mat_8:6. See on Luk_4:41.  -VWS

So...does Luke then distinguish that demon possession is NOT a medical condition, only a spiritual one?

"Compare Mat_14:36; Mar_6:56, where διεσώθησαν, were thoroughly saved, and ἐσώζοντο, were saved, are used. Luke is more technical, using the strictly medical term, which occurs twenty-eight times in the New Testament, seventeen of these in Luke. Luke also uses the two words employed by Matthew and Mark, but always with some addition showing the nature of the saving. Thus Luk_7:3, where διασώσῃ (A. V., heal) is explained by Luk_7:7, ἰαθήσεται, the technical word, shall be healed, and by Luk_7:10, “found the servant whole (ὑγιαίνοντα, another professional word - see on Luk_5:31) that had been sick.” Compare, also, Luk_8:35, Luk_8:36, Luk_8:44, Luk_8:47, Luk_8:48. Medical writers do not use σώζειν or διασώζειν, to save, as equivalent to ἰᾶσθαι, to heal, but in the sense of escaping from a severe illness or from some calamity. Luke employs it in this sense - Act_27:44; Act_28:1." -VWS

I'm intrigued that Luke may help differentiate this issue of mental illness vs. demon possession because as a medical doctor he had greater knowledge of and was more specific with his terms.  I'm not certain exactly what this comment above hints at except that Luke differentiated between physical sickness and spiritual sickness.

It had seized (συνηρπάκει)
Used by Luke only. See Act_6:12; Act_27:15. The verb literally means to snatch and carry away with (σύν). -VWS

Mark 5:5 seems to indirectly teach cutting oneself is a sign of evil/imbalance

I love the full circle account in Mark--that the man longed to stay with Jesus, but that he followed his directives to tell how much Jesus had done for him:

"As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. -Mark 5:18-20

Interesting point:

For he was commanding the unclean spirit to come out from the man. "The demons showed the supremacy of Jesus not only by their cries to be let alone, but by the fact that they made no effort to escape from him. They ran to him, knowing that it was useless to do otherwise." -Fourfold

 And they entreated him that he would not [345] command them to depart into the abyss. [The abyss or bottomless pit was the proper abode of the demons. It is mentioned nine times in Scripture: here and at Rom. 10:7; Rev. 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 10:1, 3. How these demons escaped from the abyss is one of the unsolved mysteries of the spirit world; but we have a parallel in the releasing of Satan--Rev. 20:1-3.]

"The abyss was also thought of as a “watery place,” which made the outcome of this encounter all the more ironic and climactic." -BKC

"This was the first recorded witness of Jesus in a Gentile area." -BKC

"Hopefully, we too will find ourselves sharing with people the great things God has done for us. The storms are stilled by faith. The devil is defeated through faith. Faith is the key." -Jon Courson

"What have I to do with thee? (τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ)
Lit., what is there to me and thee ? What have we in common?"
-Vincent's Word Studies

I adjure thee by God
Stronger than Luke's I pray thee. The verb ὁρκίζω, I adjure, is condemned by the grammarians as inelegant. -VWS

The deep (ἄβυσσον)
Lit., the bottomless. Transcribed into our abyss, as Rev. Mark has a quite different request, that he would not send them out of the country (Mar_5:10). In Rom_10:7, used of Hades, to which Christ descended; and in Revelation always of the bottomless pit. The demons refer to their place of abode and torment. -VWS

 "And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country;" apparently here partly conscious of his own personal being, and partly identifying himself with the demoniac forces which were afflicting him. The request is a strange one, and suggests much anxious thought. What is the abyss these rebel-spirits dreaded with so great a dread? It would seem as though, to use Godet’s thought, that for beings alienated from God, the power of acting on the world is a temporary solace to their unrest, and that to be deprived of this power is for them just what a return to prison is for the captive.

St. Mark’s expression here is a curious one. He represents the spirits requesting Jesus "not to send them away out of the country." The two accounts put together tell us that these spirits were aware, if they were driven out of the country—whatever that expression signified, this earth possibly—they must go out into the deep, the abyss, what is called "the bottomless pit" in Rev_9:1, Rev_9:2, Rev_9:11. Any doom seemed to these lost ones preferable to that. The whole train of thought suggested by the incident and the words of the Lord is very terrible. We see at least one reason why the first preachers of the Word have selected this exorcism. It indeed lifts a bit of the curtain which hangs between us and the night of endless woe!

Helpful in thinking through why Christ would choose to send the spirits into the pigs:

And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

On the death of the hogs:

I find it sobering that prophesy and casting out demons in Christ's name are listed here as acts of dis-genuine outward religion:

"On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" -Matthew 7:22-23

 THE SELF-DECEPTION OF THE FLUENT SPEAKER. "Have we not prophesied in thy Name?" Reference may be made, not merely to glib and easy public speaking, but also to glib and easy expression in prayer; and in the utterance of religious feelings and experiences. Strange is the power of self-deception in these things. Because we can express, we feel sure we must feel. Because we can express earnestly, we satisfy ourselves that we must be feeling deeply. It costs great heart-searching, and continuous watchfulness, if our speech is made and kept strictly sincere. And it will soon be found that the talker is too often a mere talker.- pulpit

Notice that many will say, "Did not we prophesy?" Always be wary of people who promote themselves in ministry. Whenever I hear a ministry say, "Look what we are doing," bells ring, and red flags go up in my mind because Jesus taught humility and secrecy -Courson

 The moment our Saviour came into the presence of this man he brought a distributing force. Two spheres came together that were antagonistic. Evil claims its rights, liberty. This is the keynote of the opposition in modern society to every attempt to make men better. BB

 We should oppose these malign influences front self-interest, and in self-defence. It is not going away from our own affairs when we attempt to break down everything that is destroying the industry and virtue of society. We are bound to meddle with the demonized part of society. Men ought to stand on the ground of goodness and assert the dignity of rectitude over immorality. (Beecher.)

Psalm 22

A psalm of David who is discouraged in the face of his enemies--he's making a public statement to trust God, recounting God's faithfulness to him:

"Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts."  Psalm 22:9

"For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. "  Psalm 22:24

I made a version of this verse that hung on my mother's bedroom wall at my sister's home.  She suffered from MS for many years, and this verse was (and is) a comfort in face of that.

"From you comes my praise in the great congregation." -Psalm 22:25

Even all praise--something we feel we are gifting to Him--originates in Him.  We are just gifting back the gift at best.

"When your people meet, you will fill my heart with your praises, LORD, and everyone will see me keep my promises to you." Psalm 22:25 CEV

This version of the same verse brings in more a sense of the full circle community of God's people--praise comes from God, we return it, and live in a way that we honor Him with the community seeing this too.  In this sense, it's very much a community expression, influencing the community and testifying to the community.

The gift is perpetual----it carries on through the ages:

Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. -Psalm 22:30-31

On Demons and Demon Possession

A good summary of the nuts and bolts of what the Bible teaches about demons with references:

"Demons are spirits Mat_12:43; Mat_12:45 are Satan’s emissaries; Mat_12:26; Mat_12:27; Mat_25:41 and so numerous as to make Satan’s power practically ubiquitous. Mar_5:9. They are capable of entering and controlling both men and beasts Mar_5:8; Mar_5:11-13 and earnestly seek embodiment, without which, apparently, they are powerless for evil.; Mat_12:43; Mat_12:44; Mar_5:10-12.

Demon influence and demon possession are discriminated in the N. T. Instances of the latter are; Mat_4:24; Mat_8:16; Mat_8:28; Mat_8:33; Mat_9:32; Mat_12:22; Mar_1:32; Mar_5:15; Mar_5:16; Mar_5:18; Luk_8:35; Act_8:7; Act_16:16.

They are unclean, sullen, violent, and malicious; Mat_8:28; Mat_9:23; Mat_10:1; Mat_12:43; Mar_1:23; Mar_5:3-5; Mar_9:17; Mar_9:20; Luk_6:18; Luk_9:39. They know Jesus Christ as Most High God, and recognize His supreme authority; Mat_8:31; Mat_8:32; Mar_1:24; Act_19:15; Jas_2:19. They know their eternal fate to be one of torment; Mat_8:29; Luk_8:31. They inflict physical maladies; Mat_12:22; Mat_17:15-18; Luk_13:16 but mental disease is to be distinguished from the disorder of mind due to demonical control.

Demon influence may manifest itself in religion asceticism and formalism 1Ti_4:1-3 degenerating into uncleanness 2Pe_2:10-12. The sign of demon influence in religion is departing from the faith, i.e. the body of revealed truth in the Scriptures. 1Ti_4:1. The demons maintain especially a conflict with believers who would be spiritual.; Eph_6:12; 1Ti_4:1-3. All unbelievers are open to demon possession Eph_2:2. The believer’s resources, prayer and bodily control Mat_17:21 "the whole armour of God" Eph_6:13-18. Exorcism in the name of Jesus Christ Act_16:18 was practised for demon possession. One of the awful features of the apocalyptic judgments in which this age will end is an irruption of demons out the abyss. Rev_9:1-11." -Scofield

From Robertson's Word Pictures on the healing of the two demon-possessed men of Gadara:

"Thou Son of God (huie tou theou). The recognition of Jesus by the demons is surprising. The whole subject of demonology is difficult. Some hold that it is merely the ancient way of describing disease. But that does not explain the situation here. Jesus is represented as treating the demons as real existences separate from the human personality. Missionaries in China today claim that they have seen demons cast out. The devil knew Jesus clearly and it is not strange that Jesus was recognized by the devil’s agents. They know that there is nothing in common between them and the Son of God (hēmin kai soi, ethical dative) and they fear torment “before the time” (pro kairou).

Usually ta daimonia is the word in the New Testament for demons, but in Mat_8:31 we have hoi daimones (the only example in the N.T.). Daimonion is a diminutive of daimōn. In Homer daimōn is used synonymously with theos and thea. Hesiod employed daimōn of men of the golden age as tutelary deities. Homer has the adjective daimonios usually in an evil sense. Empedocles considered the demons both bad and good. They were thus used to relieve the gods and goddesses of much rascality. Grote (History of Greece) notes that the Christians were thus by pagan usage justified in calling idolatry the worship of demons. See notes on 1Co_10:20.; note on 1Ti_4:1; note on Rev_9:20; and notes on Rev_16:13. In the Gospels demons are the same as unclean spirits (Mar_5:12, Mar_5:15; Mar_3:22, Mar_3:30; Luk_4:33). The demons are disturbers (Vincent) of the whole life of man (Mar_5:2.; Mar_7:25; Mat_12:45; Luk_13:11, Luk_13:16)."

Paul weighs in on the topic in 1 Corinthians:

"No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons." 1 Cor 10:20

"The word daimonia, so common in the Gospels, occurs in Paul’s writings only here and 1Ti_4:1. Demonology is a deep and dark subject here pictured by Paul as the explanation of heathenism which is a departure from God (Rom_1:19-23) and a substitute for the worship of God. It is a terrible indictment which is justified by the licentious worship associated with paganism then and now." -Robertson's Word Pictures

Here's Paul again in 1 Timothy 4:1:

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons..." 

"In the Gospels demons are the same as unclean spirits (Mar_5:12, Mar_5:15; Mar_3:22, Mar_3:30; Luk_4:33). The demons are disturbers (Vincent) of the whole life of man (Mar_5:2.; Mar_7:25; Mat_12:45; Luk_13:11, Luk_13:16).

From these verses we learn that not all miracles are of divine origin and that not all miracle workers are divinely accredited. A miracle simply means that a supernatural power is at work. That power may be divine or satanic. Satan may empower his workers to cast out demons temporarily, in order to create the illusion that the miracle is divine. He is not dividing his kingdom against itself in such a case, but is plotting an even worse invasion of demons in the future. the purpose of demons is without exception to destroy. If Jesus had simply cast them out of the maniacs, the demons would have been a menace to the other people of the area. By allowing them to go into the swine, He prevented their entering men and women and confined their destructive power to animals." Believer's Bible

"This incident demonstrates that the ultimate aim of demons is to destroy, and underlines the terrifying possibility that two men can be indwelt by the number of demons it takes to destroy two thousand swine (Mar_5:13)." Believer's Bible

Jon Courson makes a bold statement here:

"This demonized individual was wearing no clothes and was obsessed with death—not unlike what we see happening in our own day. Nudity and obsession with death are the direct insignias of Satanic and demonic activity."

I still have not unraveled my question about mental illness and demon possession, though I did find this article interesting.   I'm definitely skewed toward cynicism of dramatic displays of a spiritual nature.  It's not that I don't believe there is another world, a fight, surrounding us, as I have seen too many uneducated and emotionally driven people use the supernatural as a tool for their flakiness.

However, I am tend toward Biblical literalism---in other words, if it's clearly taught as a reality or principle in the Bible, I believe it's true today.  Demons are mentioned throughout the scriptures in multiple instances and as distinct from mental illness.  I do think demon possession happens--that it is a real  thing.  It's the rare person who will not allow a belief in anything beyond the physical, a hard core atheist.

John Piper's about as non-flaky as they get and here's a small snippet of his position:

Question: Do you believe in casting out demons? How would you go about it?
Answer: "I do, and I think there is a steady state, normal way to go about it from 2 Timothy 2:24-26....

The steady state, ordinary way of bringing people out of the clutches of the devil is described in 2 Timothy 2 where it says, "Teach with gentleness, correct your opponents in love. God may perhaps grant them to repent and come to a knowledge of the truth and be delivered or escape from the power of the evil one who had taken them captive." That's a paraphrase. So clearly in that passage, teaching and love and patience and God's sovereignty—maybe he'll intervene—is the normal way that Timothy is being told to free people from the will and the bondage of the devil

So there are lots of ways, at least the three that I'm describing here. This teaching way, this self-sacrificing, gospel way, and this occasional exorcistic way.

Demons are real, Satan is real, and every pastor should do a serious study of the devil and of his ways and of demons, and decide how he is going to deal with that. Because there is an attack on the church in various forms all the time."   -John Piper

Followers and Faith

Section 55
JESUS STILLS THE STORM
 (Sea of Galilee; same day as last section)
MATT. 8:18-27
MARK 4:35-41
LUKE 8:22-25

Types of Followers

"Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:18-22

If you read the events of Matthew 8:18-22 quickly and woodenly, it can seem that Jesus is issuing difficult directives bluntly.  He is always direct, but also compassionate and thoughtful.  The following commentaries help me to tease out the context of his replies, leaving  me with a view of the text that lines up more consistently with Christ's overarching character and goals.

"In this section Matthew gave three illustrations to demonstrate the right of the King to ask servants to follow Him and to deny requests from those who were motivated improperly."  -BKC

a 19 "And there came a scribe" [Literally, one scribe. The number is emphatic; for, so far as the record shows, Jesus had none of this class among his disciples], -Fourfold Gospel

"This scribe had heard the wonderful parables concerning the kingdom. He, like all others, expected an earthly kingdom and sought to have a place in it. Jesus so replied as to correct his false expectations." -Fourfold Gospel

"Though Jesus desired disciples who would follow Him and work in His harvest fields, He wanted only those who were properly motivated....The Lord obviously knew the heart of this person and saw that he desired fame in following a prominent Teacher. Such was not Jesus’ character." -BKC

"This disciple must have been one of the twelve, for these only were required to follow Jesus." Mark 3:14

 "This man’s father was not dead or even at the point of death. This disciple was simply saying he wanted to return home and wait until his father died. Then he would return and follow Jesus. His request demonstrated he felt discipleship was something he could pick up or lay down at will. He put material concerns ahead of Jesus, for he apparently wanted to receive the estate when his father died." -BKC

Sea of Galilee

The Storm on Galilee

Out of the three gospel portraits of the calming of the storm, I prefer Mark's account:

"On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” -Mark 4:35-41

The larger context of Mark's ordering:

"Mark’s selection of parables is followed by a series of miracles, indicating that what Jesus did (His works) authenticated what He said (His words). Both relate to the presence of God’s sovereign rule (kingdom) in Jesus." -BKC

"With only three exceptions Mark put all the miracles he recorded before Mar_8:27. (Cf. the list “The Miracles of Jesus” at Joh_2:1-11.) This was to highlight the fact that Jesus would not tell His disciples about His coming death and resurrection until they openly acknowledged Him as God’s Messiah.

On Christ's Sovereign Authority

This section contains four miracles that clearly show Jesus’ sovereign authority over various hostile powers: a storm at sea (Mar_4:35-41); demon possession (Mar_5:1-20); incurable physical illness (Mar_5:25-34); and death (Mar_5:21-24, Mar_5:35-43)." -BKC

"In addressing the winds and waves Jesus personified them to give emphasis to his authority over them. The calm showed the perfection of the miracle, for the waves of such a lake continue to roll long after the winds have ceased." -Fourfold Gospel

"Jesus rebuked (lit., “ordered”; cf. Mar_1:25) the wind and said to the waves, “Be silent! Be muzzled and remain so!” (the force of the Gr. perf. Tense, pephimōso) This verb, “be muzzled,” was somewhat of a technical term for dispossessing a demon of his power (cf. Mar_1:25) and may suggest that Jesus recognized demonic powers behind the ferocious storm." -BKC

O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.-Psalm 89:8-9

In stilling the storm Jesus assumed the authority exercised only by God in the Old Testament (cf. Psa_89:8-9; Psa_104:5-9; Psa_106:8-9; Psa_107:23-32). That is why the disciples were terrified (lit., “feared a great fear”) when they saw that even the forces of nature did obey Him. The verb “terrified” (from phobeomai, “have awe;” cf. deilos, “cowardly fear,” in Mar_4:40) refers to a reverence that overtakes people in the presence of supernatural power (cf. Mar_16:8). However, their question to one another, Who is this? indicated that they did not fully comprehend the significance of it all.-BKC

Psa 89:8  O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?

"Fear which drives us to Jesus is not all wrong. The cry to Him, even though it is the cry of unnecessary terror, brings Him to His feet for our help." -Alexander MacLaren

"A symbol of what frequently occurs. Let every disciple remember that a sleeping Christ is not a dead Christ." BI

II. That good people sometimes get very much frightened. And so it is now that you often find good people wildly agitated. “Oh!” says some Christian man, “the infidel magazines, the bad newspapers, the spiritualistic societies, the importation of so many foreign errors, the Church of God is going to be lost, the ship is going to founder! The ship is going down!” What are you frightened about? An old lion goes into his cavern to take a sleep, and he lies down until his shaggy mane covers his paws. Meanwhile, the spiders outside begin to spin webs over the mouth of his cavern, and say, “That lion cannot break out through this web,” and they keep on spinning the gossamer threads until they get the mouth of the cavern covered over. “Now,” they say, “the lion’s done, the lion’s done.” After awhile the lion awakes and shakes himself, and he walks out from the cavern, never knowing there were any spiders’ webs, and with his voice he shakes the mountain. Let the infidels and the sceptics of this day go on spinning their webs, spinning their infidel gossamer theories, spinning them all over the place where Christ seems to be sleeping. They say: “Christ can never again come out; the work is done; He can never get through this logical web we have been spinning.” The day will come when the Lion of Judah’s tribe will rouse Himself and come forth and shake mightily the nations. What then all your gossamer threads? What is a spider’s web to an aroused lion? Do not fret, then, about the world’s going backward. It is going forward. BI

On Toil 

Alexander MacLaren does an excellent job of teasing out the context of this episode in relation to the entire hurried pace of the book of Mark.

"Among the many loftier characteristics belonging to Christ’s life and work, there is a very homely one which is often lost sight of; and that is, the amount of hard physical exertion, prolonged even to fatigue and exhaustion, which He endured.

Rembrandt's The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, 1632

Christ is our pattern in a great many other things more impressive and more striking; and He is our pattern in this, that ‘in the sweat of His brow’ He did His work, and knew not only what it was to suffer, but what it was to toil for man’s salvation. And, perhaps, if we thought a little more than we do of such a prosaic characteristic of His life as that, it might invest it with some more reality for us, besides teaching us other large and important lessons."   -MacLaren

This, then, is the one lesson which I wish to consider now, and there are three points which I deal with in pursuance of my task. I wish to point out a little more in detail the signs that we have in the Gospels of this characteristic of Christ’s work-the toilsomeness of His service; then to consider, secondly, the motives which He Himself tells us impelled to such service; and then, finally, the worth which that toil bears for us.

There is one thing that makes life mighty in its veriest trifles, worthy in its smallest deeds, that delivers it from monotony, that delivers it from insignificance. All will be great, and nothing will be overpowering, when, living in communion with Jesus Christ, we say as He says, ‘My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me.’

And so, if I might so say, He was a miser of the moments, and carefully husbanding and garnering up every capacity and every opportunity. He toiled with the toil of a man who has a task before him, that must be done before the clock strikes six, and who sees the hands move over the dial, and by every glance that he casts at it is stimulated to intenser service and to harder toil.
Christ felt that impulse to service which we all ought to feel-’The night cometh; let me fill the day with work.’

The true corporeal manhood of Jesus Christ, and the fact that that manhood is the tabernacle of God-without these two facts the morality and the teaching of Christianity swing loose in vacuo, and have no holdfast in history, nor any leverage by which they can move men’s hearts!

Labour is a curse until communion with God in it, which is possible through Jesus Christ, makes it a blessing and a joy. Christ, in the sweat of His brow, won our salvation; and our work only becomes great when it is work done in, and for, and by Him.

There is a fatal monotony in all our lives-a terrible amount of hard drudgery in them all. We have to set ourselves morning after morning to tasks that look to be utterly insignificant and disproportionate to the power that we bring to bear upon them, so that men are like elephants picking up pins with their trunks; and yet we may make all our commonplace drudgery great, and wondrous, and fair, and full of help and profit to our souls, if, over it all-our shops, our desks, our ledgers, our studies, our kitchens, and our nurseries-we write, ‘My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.’ We may bring the greatest principles to bear upon the smallest duties.

What more do we learn from Christ’s toil? The possible harmony of communion and service. His labour did not break His fellowship with God. He was ever in the ‘secret place of the Most High,’ even while He was in the midst of crowds. He has taught us that it is possible to be in the ‘house of the Lord’ all the days of our lives, and by His ensample, as by His granted Spirit, encourages us to aim at so serving that we shall never cease to behold, and so beholding that we shall never cease to serve our Father. The life of contemplation and the life of practice, so hard to harmonise in our experience, perfectly meet in Christ.

Of Treasures...

Section 54
THE FIRST GREAT GROUP OF PARABLES 
(Beside the Sea of Galilee) 
Subdivision G 
PARABLES OF TREASURE, PEARL, AND NET
MATT 13:44-53

A miscellany of commentaries of the parables of the treasure, pearl and nets---but first some context on the progression of this gospel:

"The previous chapter (Mat_12:1-50) is probably the major turning point in the book. The King had authenticated His power by various miracles. But growing opposition to the King climaxed when Israel’s leaders concluded that Jesus worked not by divine power but by satanic power (Mat_9:34; Mat_12:22-37). While their full rejection of Him did not occur until later, the die was cast. Therefore Jesus turned to His disciples and began to instruct them along different lines. This is one of several major discourses in the Gospel of Matthew (others are in chaps. 5-7; Mat_10:1-42; 23-25)." -BKC

Commentary on these parables:

"You may say that the treasure is the blessing that comes from Christianity, or the inward wealth of a submissive heart, or may use various modes of expression, but below them all lies this one great thought, that it is laid on my heart, dear brethren, to try and lay on yours now, that, when all is said and done, the only possession that makes us rich is-is what? God Himself. For that is the deepest meaning of the treasure. And whatever other forms of expression we may use to designate it, they all come back at last to this, that the wealth of the human soul is to have God for its very own."
-MacLaren

"You remember the beautiful emphasis of one of the parables in our text about the man that dissipated himself in seeking for many goodly pearls? He had secured a whole casket full of little ones. They were pearls, they were many; but then he saw one Orient pearl, and he said, ‘The one is more than the many. Let me have unity, for there is rest; whereas in multiplicity there is restlessness and change.’ The sky to-night may be filled with galaxies of stars. Better one sun than a million twinkling tininesses that fill the heavens, and yet do not scatter the darkness. Oh, brethren, to have one aim, one love, one treasure, one Christ, one God-there is the secret of blessedness. ‘Unite my heart to fear Thy name’; and then all the miseries of multiplicity, and of drawing our supplies from a multitude of separate lakes, will be at an end, when our souls are flooded from the one fountain of life that can never fail or be turbid.Thus, the unity of the treasure is the supreme excellence of the treasure." MacLaren

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

"And I beseech you to ask yourselves, Is there anything worth calling wealth, except that wealth which meets my deepest need, which satisfies my whole nature, which I may have all in one, and which, if I have, I may have for ever?" MacLaren

"No one but a fool will deny the convenience and the good of having a competency of this world’s possessions. But all these have this miserable defect, or rather limitation, that they each satisfy some little corner of a man’s nature, and leave all the rest, if I may so say, like the beasts in a menagerie whose turn has not yet come to be fed, yelping and growling while the keeper is at the den of another one. There is only one thing that, being applied, as it were, at the very centre, will diffuse itself, like some fragrant perfume, through the whole sphere, and fill the else scentless air with its rich and refreshing fragrance. There is but one wealth which meets the whole of human nature. You, however small you are, however insignificant people may think you, however humbly you may think of yourselves, you are so great that the whole created Universe, if it were yours, would be all too little for you."  -MacLaren

In these seven parables He presented some truths they were well aware of and others that were new to them. They knew about a kingdom over which Messiah would rule and reign, but they did not know it would be rejected at the time it was offered. They knew the kingdom would include righteousness, but they did not know it would also include evil. Jesus pointed up a new truth that the period between His rejection and His second coming would be characterized by professing followers, both good and evil. This era would have a small beginning, but it would grow into a great “kingdom” of professors. Once this process began, it could not be stopped, and within it God is maintaining His people Israel and creating His church. This interadvent period will end with a time of judgment in which God will separate the wicked from the righteous and the righteous will then enter the earthly kingdom to rule and reign with Christ. Through these parables Jesus answered the question, What happened to the kingdom? The answer: God’s will be established on earth at Jesus’ second coming; meanwhile good and evil coexist. -Bible Knowledge Commentary

Parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13
Parables
References
Meaning

1. The Sower
Mat_13:1-23
The good news of the gospel will be rejected by most people.

2. The Wheat and the Weeds
Mat_13:24-30, Mat_13:36-43
People with genuine faith and people with a false profession of faith will exist together between Christ’s two Advents.

3. The Mustard Seed
Mat_13:31-32
Christendom, including believers and unbelievers, will grow rapidly from a small beginning.

4. The Yeast
Mat_13:33-35
People who profess to belong to God will grow in numbers without being stopped.

5. The Hidden Treasure
Mat_13:44
Christ came to purchase (redeem) Israel, God’s treasured possession.

6. The Pearl
Mat_13:45-46
Christ gave His life to provide redemption for the church.

7. The Net
Mat_13:47-52
Angels will separate the wicked from the righteous when Christ comes.

-BKC

"It is hid, not in a garden enclosed, or a spring shut up, but in a field, an open field; whoever will, let him come, and search the scriptures; let him dig in this field (Pro_2:4); and whatever royal mines we find, they are all our own, if we take the right course." -Matthew Henry

"While the net is in the sea, it is not known what is in it, the fishermen themselves cannot distinguish; but they carefully draw it, and all that is in it, to the shore, for the sake of the good that is in it. Such is God's care for the visible church, and such should ministers' concern be for those under their charge, though they are mixed." -Matthew Henry

"Note, [1.] Those who are to instruct others, have need to be well instructed themselves." -MH

"God’s truth is always new and always old. It is as fresh as the morning breeze for each coming generation. But however stated, the fundamental facts are invariable. Let us store our minds and hearts with holy and helpful thoughts, so as to deal them out as the occasions serve." MH

"He compares them to a good householder, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old; fruits of last year's growth and this year's gathering, abundance and variety, for the entertainment of his friends, Son_7:13. See here, [1.] What should be a minister's furniture, a treasure of things new and old. Those who have so many and various occasions, have need to stock themselves well in their gathering days with truths new and old, out of the Old Testament and out of the new; with ancient and modern improvements, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished, 2Ti_3:16, 2Ti_3:17. Old experiences, and new observations, all have their use; and we must not content ourselves with old discoveries, but must be adding new. Live and learn." -MH

"What use he should make of this furniture; he should bring forth: laying up is in order to laying out, for the benefit of others.  Sic vox non vobis - You are to lay up, but not for yourselves. Many are full, but they have no vent (Job_32:19); have a talent, but they bury it; such are unprofitable servants; Christ himself received that he might give; so must we, and we shall have more. In bringing forth, things new and old do best together; old truths, but new methods and expressions, especially new affections." MH

"God’s truth is always new and always old. It is as fresh as the morning breeze for each coming generation. But however stated, the fundamental facts are invariable. Let us store our minds and hearts with holy and helpful thoughts, so as to deal them out as the occasions serve."  FB Meyer

"Sons and daughters were born to Joseph and Mary, whose names are here given. Alas, that we do not see the glory in common, familiar people and circumstances! Never forget that the absence of expectant faith does more to limit the progress of the gospel than the lack of funds!" FB Meyer

"The scribes, you see, were not originally as off the wall as we think of them today. Originally, in the days when Ezra brought a group of exiled Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city after the captivity, the purpose of the scribes was to teach truth. Initially, the scribes were great seekers and teachers of truth. And Jesus is here saying, "You should be like scribes—drawing from the Old Testament and from the New Covenant." -FB Meyer