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49 him: Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said: Behold, my mother, 50 and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

bly passed from one to another through the multitude.

48. Our Lord, ever ready to convert to a moral account the passing incidents of the day and hour, turns to his disciples, and enforcing his words with a gesture of his hand, verse 49, he declared who were his mother and his brethren. We are not to suppose that it was any want of filial and fraternal affection that dictated the questions of this verse. Jesus was a dutiful son and an affectionate brother. He discharged the domestic obligations with perfect integrity. He loved the circle of his family none the less, because he loved mankind the more. It was not coldness of affection, but the desire of fastening the attention of the people upon his words, that led him to say, "Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?" Luke ii. 51. John xix. 25-27. Some degree of rebuke, at an untimely interruption of his work and teaching by their officiousness, may be supposed to have been mixed with his words.

49. Stretched forth his hand, &c. How vivid the picture of our Saviour's manner here presented! We seem to see him stand with outstretched haud, and countenance beaming with affection upon his disciples, and sublimely saying, Behold my mother and my brethren! behold those who by their spiritual attachment supply the place to me of the nearest kindred!

"Who is my mother? or my brethren?

He spake, and looked on them who sat around With a meek smilé of pity, blent with love, More melting than e'er gleamed from human face,

As when a sunbeam, through a summer shower,

Shines mildly on a little bill-side flock;
And with what look of love he said, Behold
My mother, and my brethren; for I say,
That whosoe'er shall do the will of God,

He is my brother, sister, mother, all."

50. For whosoever shall do the will, &c. Remark here, how simple is the test he proposes of fellowship and relationship: the doing of the will of God. He sets up no arbitrary standard, no dogma of faith, no ecclesiastical rule, but advances one essential and comprehensive requisite, as beautiful as it is explicit. John xiv. 21.-Is my brother, and sister, and mother. Is dear to me as all relatives in one. Says a beautiful writer on the Gospels, Furness," Is it looking at the passage too curiously, to see in the introduction of the word 'sister' a little fraction, as it were, a bright but delicate hue of truth?" in relation to the woman who had spoken, Luke xi. 27. Jesus declares the superiority of the spiritual to the natural ties. He elevates the connections of the good with each other above the tenderest attachments of kindred. He thus proclaims the brotherhood of his disciples with one another and with himself. If, then, we do the will of Heaven, we are encouraged with the thought, that we are forming holy and happy ties with the beings of higher and brighter worlds; that we are entering into blessed associations, not only with the goodly fellowship of the prophets, the glorious company of the aposties, the noble army of martyrs, and the holy church throughout all the earth, but also with him who is Head over all, the beloved Son of God. We are not called to a life of solitary and uncheered virtue. The good are

THERM

CHAPTER XIII.

Parables of Jesus.

HE same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea-side; and great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he 2 went into a ship, and sat ; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying: Behold, a 3

bound together and joined to God and Jesus by the ties of an everlasting sympathy. The golden chain of love which has been let down from heaven joins all below to one another, and all below to all above. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world," "for the world passeth away and the lust thereof," "but whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven," said Jesus," the same is my brother, and sister, and mother," and he abideth forever.

CHAP. XIII.

1-23. See Mark iv. 1-20. Luke viii. 4-15. The latter Evangelist gives a less full and particular

account.

withdraw from the shore, and address them from the water.—And sat, &c. It was customary among the Jews for their teachers to give their instructions sitting, but for their hearers to receive them standing. Jesus followed the manners of his day, so far as they were innocent.

3. Parables. A parable is a comparison, or similitude. But the term has a wider meaning. It stands often in the Old Testament for proverb. Fables and apologues are parabolical. In the New Testament, parables are usually stories to illustrate spiritual doctrines or facts. It is immaterial whether the narrative be a historical account or not, provided only it is appropriate to the illustration of the truth in hand. This mode of teaching was very popular in the east, and especially among the Jews. We find innumerable specimens of it. In the Old Testament some instances of it occur, as that of the trees, in Jud. ix. 8-15, and that of the poor man, in 2 Sam. xii. 1-7. The Talmudical writings are full of this species of composition. Jesus, therefore, einploys it in the instructions of his religion. But it is remarkable, that he commenced it so late in his ministry. Would it not seem that the 2. He went into a ship. The ori- method of direct precept and provginal is, the ship or boat, meaning a erb had proved inadequate, and that particular one kept for this pur- he now resorts to a new instrument pose, or more probably one owned of address, better suited to the stuby his disciples, who were fisher-pidity of the people, and to the spirThe crowds were so dense ituality of his doctrine? The only as to render it necessary for him to instance of a parable before this is

1. The same day. Or, perhaps, at that time. For we can hardly conceive that the events and instructions mentioned in the last and this chapter, with those related in the parallel passages, could all have happened in one day.-House. Mat. xvii. 24. His home seems to have been at the house of Peter.-Sat by the sea-side. Capernaum was situated on the Sea of Galilee. He left the house because the multitudes were unable, on account of their number, to hear him, except in a larger place.

men.

4 sower went forth to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the 5 way-side; and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprung 6 up, because they had no deepness of earth; and when the sun was up,

supposed to have been that of the unclean spirit, Mat. xii. 43-45, illustrating the increasing depravity of the Jewish people. The disciples question him, verse 10, as if he were now introducing a novel way of teaching. There were advantages in it, both to the teacher and to the taught. It saved the one from the bald and open statement of doctrines that would be misunderstood by the people, and draw down their immediate violence, and crush their propagator ere he could explain himself. On the other hand, it delicately veiled spiritual truths in the robes of fancy and imagination, for the benefit of the hearer. It spoke a material language to those who were buried in sense. Again, it conveyed a hidden meaning, which could only be attained by an honest and unprejudiced inquirer, and left those in ignorance who preferred blindness. It taught only those who wished to be taught. In the words of another, “It is naturally adapted to engage the attention, and is level with the capacity of all, and conveys moral or religious truths in a more vivid and impressive manner than the dry, didactic mode, and, by laying hold of the imagination, insinuates itself into the understanding and affections, and while it opens the doctrines it professes to conceal, it gives no alarm to men's prejudices." It extorted assent ere the prejudiced hearer put his mind on the defensive against the truth which it was intended to convey. Furthermore, it planted truths in the memory, which, understood long afterwards, might spring up and bear fruit. The parables of our

Lord are always simple, beautiful, and forcible. They often interpret themselves. They are level to the comprehension of the humblest honest mind, whilst they are the vehicle of the profoundest principles of our religion. They have been classified as relating, 1. to the design of the Gospel, as a scheme of mercy; 2. to its rise and progress, both in the individual and the race; 3. its fruits; and 4. its grand consummation in futurity. The following parable is ranked in the second class.-A sower went forth to sow. This parable is taken from agriculture, with which the majority of mankind are familiar, and is therefore intelligible and interesting to them. The original is, the sower, referring perhaps to soine individual then in sight.

4. Some seeds fell by the way-side. See verse 19. As we have Jesus' own interpretation of this parable, there is no need of an elaborate explanation. The Jews had ways and paths running through and by the side of their cultivated fields, which were trodden hard by men and beasts. Mat. xii. 1. It was in one of these paths that our Saviour and his disciples passed through the grain fields on the Sabbath-day. -Fowls came and devoured them up. As the seeds did not sink into the earth, but lay exposed upon the surface, they were carried away by the birds. Luke adds, viii. 5, "and it was trodden down."

5. Stony places. Rather, rocky or ledgy places, where the earth was very thin, and not merely a soil filled with stones.- -Sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. The

they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and 7 choked them. But other fell into good ground; and brought forth 8 fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. Who 9 hath ears to hear, let him hear.And the disciples came, and said 10 unto him: Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered 11 and said unto them: Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them it is not given. For 12

soil was so shallow, that they soon reached the surface, but had no sufficient root.

6. When the sun was up, &c. In Palestine, seed-time was in November, when the sun was overclouded. But when the short winter is past, the heat of the sun parches up the earth, and withers plants that are not deeply rooted.

7. Fell among thorns. Several different kinds of thorns are mentioned in the Scriptures. A part of the field is here spoken of in which the shrubs and briers had not been. entirely rooted out. These sprang up and choked the tender plants.

8. Brought forth fruit. Yielded. An hundred-fold, &c. In eastern countries this was a credible increase, where the soil is fertile, and stimulated by a warın atmosphere. Gen. xxvi. 12. This incidental allusion to the fertility of the country, which might be deemed extravagant in some parts of the earth, is a proof of the uncalculating honesty of the account. The terms, an hundred, sixty, and thirty fold are not to be taken literally, but as expressing great fruitfulness. This reference to the productiveness of the land of Palestine is an argument that the great population mentioned in the Old Testament might have been supported upon it. Owing to neglect, the country is less fruitful than in former times.

9. Who hath ears, &c. A form of expression frequently used at the

close of his instructions, or of some remarkable passage; see note on Mat. xi. 15; but, as Campbell observes, always after some parable, or prophetic declaration figuratively expressed. Jesus distinguished those, who had ears to hear and a disposition to learn, from the rest of the thoughtless multitude.

10. Why speakest thou unto them in parables? They ask the question, as if it were a new mode of teaching, to which they were not accustomed.

11. Answered and said. Mark represents the succeeding conversation as taking place in private, with the Twelve and other disciples. Jesus now mentions a reason in answer to the question, why he spoke in parables. Amongst other causes, he adopted this mode because he would not longer favor the multitude with privileges which they abused. He wrapped up his meaning in the drapery of parables, because they had not profited by his plainer teachings, and because such seeds of truth might in this way be dropped into their minds, as might, after he was gone, germinate and bring forth fruit.-It is given unto you. It is your privilege, because of your fidelity to the truth as far as you know it. It would be their duty moreover to spread it to others. -The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Not things incomprehensible in their nature, or seemingly strange and contradictory ; but

whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even 13 that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

truths before secret, and now made known; such as the spiritual nature of the Gospel, its designed extension to the Gentiles, the suffering character of the Messiah, and the succession of Christianity in the place of Judaism. These were mysteries, that is, something hidden. But as soon as they were revealed, they became objects of knowledge, and were no longer mysteries. Rom. xvi. 25, 1 Cor. xiii. 2, Eph. i. 9, iii. 3, 4.-But to them it is not given. This does not mean that they were denied arbitrarily the privilege of understanding the truths and instructions of the Christian system, but had incapacitated themselves by their own perversity. They did not welcome or relish the plainest teachings of the Gospel. Jesus elsewhere said, John iii. 20, 21:"Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, but he that doeth truth cometh to the light ;" and vii. 17: "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine," i. e. so far as one is faithful to the light he already enjoys, will that light increase in distinctness.

12. Whosoever hath, to him shall be given. Mat. xxv. 29. Luke xix. 26. This was a proverbial expression. Hath is used in two senses, first, that of possession, and second, that of improvement. The signification is, that whosoever hath much and makes a good use of it will have a greater abundance; but whosoever hath not, i. e. hath little, shall lose even that little which he seemeth to have, Luke viii. 18, by carelessness and negligence. It is not meant that the privileges of the

slothful are wrested violently from them, but that they naturally lose them by neglect. The application is, that the Jews, by their inattention and prejudice, lose what they had, little though it were, of spiritual privileges, while those who profited by the instructions of Christ would

have more and more.

13. Therefore. So then. He states in this verse still further his reason for using parables. The people were in a moral condition incapable of receiving truth in its naked form. They would be dazzled by its full blaze; it must come to them in the guise of figures and allegories.-Because, or since, they seeing see not, &c. They saw the works of Christ and heard his teachings, but they were made none the wiser or better, for they did not understand or welcome them. Jesus did not use this mode of teaching to keep the people in ignorance; but being ignorant and perverse, he used such style of address as would instruct those who were well disposed, but would not arouse the passions of the prejudiced. And such truths would be stamped upon their minds by this imagery as might revive, in the course of time, and renovate the character. Their not seeing, hearing, and understanding, was not therefore the end he had in view in employing parables, but simply the occasion of their use. These fig

a

ures insinuated the truth, so that it would be remembered; whereas had he spoken plainly, they were so sinful that they could not or would not understand his doctrine.

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