John Gill

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago…

“Woe unto thee, Chorazin!.... Though many of Christ's mighty works were done in this place, yet mention is made of it no where else, but here; whether it was a single city, or a country, is not easy to determine: the word חורשין, "Chorasin", signifying…”

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

“But I say unto you,.... What may be depended upon as true, and which shall certainly come to pass, however the inhabitants of these cities might flatter themselves; or in whatsoever light they might look upon their neighbours, the Tyrians and Sidonians; and fancy themselves…”

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

“Take my yoke upon you,.... The phrase is Rabbinical. The Jewish doctors often speak (a) of עול מלכות שמים, "the yoke of the kingdom of heaven", and of persons taking it upon them; and which they exhort to, and express in much such language as…”

He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.

“How he entered into the house of God,.... Not the temple, which was not then built; but the tabernacle, which was then at Nob, the city of the priests, and which probably adjoined to Abimelech's house: and did eat the shewbread; for that this is…”

Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?

“Or have ye not read in the law,.... Num 28:9 by which law the priests were obliged, every sabbath day, to offer up two lambs for a burnt offering; to which were annexed many servile works, as killing the sacrifice, flaying it, cutting it in…”

But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

“But I say unto you,.... Who Christ knew would be ready to object, as above, and therefore prevents them, by saying, that in this place is one greater than the temple; meaning himself, who was the Lord and Proprietor of the temple, and in his…”

If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

“But if ye had known what this meaneth, The passage of Scripture in Hos 6:6 I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; of the sense of which, see Gill on Mat 9:13. ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”

Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,

“And when he was departed thence,.... From the corn fields, where the disciples had plucked the ears of corn, and this conversation passed between Christ and the Pharisees about the violation of the sabbath, he went into their synagogue; not on the same sabbath day…”

and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

“And behold, there was a man which had his hand withered,.... Or dry; the juices were dried up, the nerves and sinews contracted, so that it was of no manner of use to him: Luke says, it was his right hand, which was so much…”

But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

“Then the Pharisees went out,.... Of the synagogue, being, as Luke says, filled with madness, at the unanswerableness of his arguments; and because of the violation of the sabbath, as they thought; and most of all, because of the miracle wrought by him; and which…”

Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,

“But when Jesus knew it,.... Their consultation against him, as he did, not by any discovery made to him by men, but as the omniscient God; he withdrew himself from thence; from the synagogue and city, where he was, to the sea of Galilee, and…”

“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,.... These are the words of God the Father, speaking to the church, concerning Christ, as mediator; who, as such, is God's servant, employed by him, and obedient to him, in the work of man's salvation; and is a…”

A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.

“A bruised reed shall he not break,.... Various are the thoughts of interpreters, about what is meant by this, and by the smoking flax shall he not quench.”

In His name the nations will put their hope.”

“And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. The former part of the text is omitted, "he shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth"; but is inserted in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; and which some understand of the bruised…”

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.

“Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil,.... About this time, or some little time after, when he was returned from the sea of Galilee, and was come into a certain house; see Mar 3:19 some persons brought him a demoniac, in compassion…”

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

“But when the Pharisees heard it,.... Very probably not the same that went out, and held a council against Christ to destroy him, Mat 12:14 but others that were come from Judea and Jerusalem, and were with him in the house, and saw the miracle…”

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

“He that is not with me, is against me,.... These words chiefly refer to Satan, and are a further proof, that Christ did not cast out devils by him; since they two are as much opposites, as can possibly be; Satan is not on the…”

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the…

“And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man,.... By whom is meant, not any man, as Grotius thought, but the Lord Jesus Christ, so often called "the son of man", on account of his human nature, in which he appeared in great meanness…”

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

“O generation of vipers,.... Though they boasted of their being the seed of Abraham, yet their immediate ancestors were no other than vipers, deceitful, hurtful, poisonous creatures; and they were exactly like them: for though they made a fair show in the flesh, and outwardly…”

But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

“But I say unto you,.... This form of speaking is used, the more strongly to asseverate the truth of what is after said; and the rather, because men are apt to indulge a liberty with their tongues; fancying no great crime is committed, when only…”

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

“For by thy words thou shalt be justified,.... Theophylact seems to take these words to be a passage of Scripture cited by Christ, in proof of what he had said, but does not point to any; nor is any such Scripture to be found.”

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of…

“The queen of the south,.... Called the queen of Sheba, 1Ki 10:1. Sheba was one of the sons of Joktan, a grandchild of Arphaxad, who settled in the southern parts of Arabia: hence this queen is called the queen of the south.”

Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order.

“Then he said, I will return into my house,.... Into the land of Judea, particularly into the Scribes and Pharisees, outward professors of religion; who, notwithstanding their outward reformation, and great pretensions to holiness, are Satan's house still: he has a property in them, a…”

Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

“Then one said unto him,.... Either one of his auditors, or, as the Ethiopic version has it, one "of his disciples": the other evangelists intimate, that more than one acquainted him with it; which is easily reconciled: for, upon his mother and brethren calling to…”

Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.

“And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples,.... By whom are meant, not only the twelve, but all others present, who truly believed in him, both men and women; and who might sit near him and together, and whom, by this motion of his…”