Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

“Thus, as He rode into Jerusalem upon an ass "whereon yet never man sat" (Lu 19:30), and lay in a sepulchre "wherein was never man yet laid" (Joh 19:41), so in His baptism, too. He would be "separate from sinners."”

“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.

“The import of circumcision and of baptism seems to be radically the same. And if our remarks on the circumcision of our Lord (see on Lu 2:21-24) are well founded, He would seem to have said, "Thus do I impledge Myself to the whole righteousness…”

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and…

“"My dove, my undefiled is one," says the Song of Solomon (So 6:9). Again, "Be ye harmless as doves," says Christ Himself (Mt 10:16). This is the same thing, in the form of inoffensiveness towards men.”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

“Thus, Ge 22:1, "It came to pass that God did tempt Abraham," or put his faith to a severe proof. But for the most part in Scripture the word is used in a bad sense, and means to entice, solicit, or provoke to sin.”

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

“So it was apparently with Moses (Ex 34:28) and Elijah (1Ki 19:8) for the same period. A supernatural power of endurance was of course imparted to the body, but this probably operated through a natural law--the absorption of the Redeemer's Spirit in the dread conflict…”

The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

“And when the tempter came to him--Evidently we have here a new scene. he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread--rather, "loaves," answering to "stones" in the plural; whereas Luke, having said, "Command this stone," in the…”

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.

“Then the devil taketh him up--rather, "conducteth Him." into the holy city--so called (as in Isa 48:2; Ne 11:1) from its being "the city of the Great King," the seat of the temple, the metropolis of all Jewish worship.”

“If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in…

“He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands--rather, "on their hands." they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone--The quotation is, precisely as it stands in the Hebrew and the Septuagint, save that…”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

“Again, the devil taketh him up--"conducteth him," as before. into--or "unto" an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them--Luke (Lu 4:5) adds the important clause, "in a moment of time"; a clause which seems to…”

“All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will fall down and worship me.”

“And still further, is it not said that Christ came to destroy by His death "him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14)?”

“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

“Once more the word "only," in the second clause--not expressed in the Hebrew and the Septuagint--is here added to bring out emphatically the negative and prohibitory feature of the command.”

When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.

“Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison--more simply, "was delivered up," as recorded in Mt 14:3-5; Lu 3:19, 20. he departed--rather, "withdrew." into Galilee--as recorded, in its proper place, in Joh 4:1-3.”

Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

“But how, in that case, are we to take the word "leaving Nazareth" here? We answer, just as the same word is used in Ac 21:3, "Now when we had sighted Cyprus, and left it on the left, we sailed into Syria,"--that is, without entering…”

“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

“In the time of the Christian era this original disadvantage of their position was still felt; the speech of the Galileans "bewrayed them" by its uncouth pronunciation (Mt 26:73); and their distance from the seats of government and civilization at Jerusalem and Cæsarea gave them…”

the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”

“By Messiah's taking up His abode in those very regions of Galilee, and shedding His glorious light upon them, this prediction, He says, of the Evangelical prophet was now fulfilled; and if it was not thus fulfilled, we may confidently affirm it was not fulfilled…”

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

“Our Lord sometimes speaks of the new kingdom as already come--in His own Person and ministry; but the economy of it was only "at hand" until the blood of the cross was shed, and the Spirit on the day of Pentecost opened the fountain for…”

“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

“And he saith unto them, Follow me--rather, as the same expression is rendered in Mark, "Come ye after Me" (Mr 1:17).”

and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

“(2) Here, Christ calls Andrew: there, Andrew solicits an interview with Christ. (3) Here, Andrew and Peter are called together: there, Andrew having been called, with an unnamed disciple, who was clearly the beloved disciple (see on Joh 1:40), goes and fetches Peter his brother…”

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

“In point of officers and mode of worship, the Christian congregations are modelled after the synagogue. and preaching the gospel of the kingdom--proclaiming the glad tidings of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness--every disease. and all manner of disease among the people--every complaint.”

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,

“So charming is the whole landscape that the descriptions of it, from JOSEPHUS downwards [Wars of the Jews, 4.10,8], are apt to be thought a little colored. and when he was set--had sat or seated Himself.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Without it we are inaccessible to the riches of Christ; with it we are in the fitting state for receiving all spiritual supplies (Re 3:17, 18; Mt 9:12, 13). for theirs is the kingdom of heaven--(See on Mt 3:2).”

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted--This "mourning" must not be taken loosely for that feeling which is wrung from men under pressure of the ills of life, nor yet strictly for sorrow on account of committed sins.”

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth--This promise to the meek is but a repetition of Ps 37:11; only the word which our Evangelist renders "the meek," after the Septuagint, is the same which we have found so often translated "the poor,"…”

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“But what is the precise meaning of "righteousness" here? Lutheran expositors, and some of our own, seem to have a hankering after that more restricted sense of the term in which it is used with reference to the sinner's justification before God.”

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with the other"--He with us and we with…”