Bede

Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit cried out in the synagogue: “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us?

“And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, etc. This is not a confession of the will, which follows the reward of confessing, but an extortion of necessity, which compels the guilty to confess.”

At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.

“(ubi sup.) But it may appear to be a discrepancy, that he should have gone out of him, tearing him, or, as some copies have it, vexing him, when, according to Luke, he did not hurt him.”

So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

“(in Marc. i. 6, 8) But in that He gives most profusely His gifts of healing and doctrine on the sabbath day, He teaches, that He is not under the Law, but above the Law, and does not choose the Jewish sabbath, but the true…”

That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed,

“(ubi sup.) Again, in a mystical sense, the setting of the sun signifies the passion of Him, who said, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

And immediately the leprosy left him, and the man was cleansed.

“(ubi sup.) For there is no interval between the work of God and the command, because the work is in the command, for He commanded, and they were created. (Ps. 148:5) There follows: And he straitly charged him, and forthwith, &c.”

But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news.

“(in Marc. i. 10) Even after working a miracle in that city, the Lord retires into the desert, to show that He loves best a quiet life, and one far removed from the cares of the world, and that it is on account of this…”

they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.

“(ubi sup.) Moreover, whilst the Lord is preaching in the house, there is not room for them, not even at the door, because whilst Christ is preaching in Judæa, the Gentiles are not yet able to enter to hear Him, to whom, however, though placed…”

But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking in their hearts,

“Now there were some of the scribes sitting there, thinking in their hearts, etc. The scribes speak truly, that no one can forgive sins but God alone, who through them also forgives, to whom He has granted the power to forgive.”

One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along.

“(ubi sup.) But in a mystical sense the disciples pass through the corn fields, when the holy doctors look with the care of a pious solicitude upon those whom they have initiated in the faith, and who, it is implied, are hungering for the best…”

During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests.

“(ubi sup.) There is, however, no discrepancy, for both were there, when David came to ask for bread, and received it: that is to say, Abimelech, the High Priest, and Abiathar his son; but Abimelech having been slain by Saul, Abiathar fled to David, and…”

Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

“It goes on: And he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. For greater is the care to be taken of the health and life of a man, than the keeping of the sabbath.”

In order to accuse Jesus, they were watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

“(in Marc. i. 14) For, since He had defended the breaking of the sabbath, which they objected to His disciples, by an approved example, now they wish, by watching Him, to calumniate Himself, that they might accuse Him of a transgression, if He cured on…”

At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

“But the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. He refers to the Herodians as the ministers of Herod the tetrarch, who, on account of the enmity which their lord exercised against John, also plotted against…”

So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

“(ubi sup.) It goes on, But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea; He fled from their treachery, because the hour of His passion had not yet come, and no place away from Jerusalem was proper for His Passion.”

For He had healed so many that all who had diseases were pressing forward to touch Him.

“(ubi sup.) Both therefore fell down before the Lord, those who had the plagues of bodily diseases, and those who were vexed by unclean spirits.”

But He warned them sternly not to make Him known.

“Therefore, the sinner is forbidden to preach the Lord, lest anyone follow the erring while they preach. For the devil is a deceitful teacher, who often mixes falsehoods with truths, so that he may conceal the testimony of deceit under the appearance of truth.”

He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons.

“(ubi sup.) For as a sacrament of this the children of Israel once used to encamp about the Tabernacle, so that on each of the four sides of the square three tribes were stationed.”

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

“(ubi sup.) But Thaddæus is the same person, as Luke calls in the Gospel and in the Acts, Jude of James, for he was the brother of James, the brother of the Lord, as he himself has written in his Epistle.”

Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.

“(ubi sup.) The Lord leads the Apostles, when they were elected, into a house, as if admonishing them, that after having received the Apostleship, they should retire to look on their own consciences.”

And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”

“(ubi sup.) Now there is a great difference between those who do not understand the word of God from slowness of intellect, such as those, who are here spoken of, and those who purposely blaspheme, of whom it is added, And the Scribes which came…”

Jesus made this statement because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

“Because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit." For those who neither believe in the Holy Spirit nor believe He is God, nor believe He is indeed God but less than the Father and the Son, and confess this, being led by human ignorance…”

and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.”

“And they say to him: Behold your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you. And responding to them, he said: Who is my mother and my brothers? Inside is the word, inside is the light.”

Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the…

“(in Marc. i. 18) For if we look into the Gospel of Matthew, it appears that this same teaching of the Lord at the sea, was delivered on the same day as the former.”

When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”

“(ubi sup.) Or else the ship into which He embarked, is taken to mean the tree of His passion, by which the faithful attain to the security of the safe shore.”

Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.

“And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves were beating into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. And he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.”