Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on.

“And into whatsoever city or town--town or village. ye shall enter inquire--carefully. who in it is worthy--or "meet" to entertain such messengers; not in point of rank, of course, but of congenial disposition.”

As you enter the home, greet its occupants.

“And when ye come into an house--or "the house," but it means not the worthy house, but the house ye first enter, to try if it be worthy. salute it--show it the usual civilities.”

Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

“Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable--more bearable. for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city--Those Cities of the Plain, which were given to the flames for their loathsome impurities, shall be treated as less criminal, we…”

Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

“Behold, I send you forth--The "I" here is emphatic, holding up Himself as the Fountain of the Gospel ministry, as He is also the Great Burden of it. as sheep--defenseless. in the midst of wolves--ready to make a prey of you (Joh 10:12).”

But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.

“But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils--the local courts, used here for civil magistrates in general. and they will scourge you in their synagogues--By this is meant persecution at the hands of the ecclesiastics.”

On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

“And ye shall be brought before governors--provincial rulers. and kings--the highest tribunals. for my sake, for a testimony against them--rather, "to them," in order to bear testimony to the truth and its glorious effects.”

Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.

“The deep and virulent hostility of the old nature and life to the new--as of Belial to Christ--was to issue in awful wrenches of the dearest ties; and the disciples, in the prospect of their cause and themselves being launched upon society, are here prepared…”

When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

“"The coming of the Son of man" has a fixed doctrinal sense, here referring immediately to the crisis of Israel's history as the visible kingdom of God, when Christ was to come and judge it; when "the wrath would come upon it to the uttermost"…”

So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.

“Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known--that is, There is no use, and no need, of concealing anything; right and wrong, truth and error, are about to come into open and…”

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?--In Luke (Lu 12:6) it is "five sparrows for two farthings"; so that, if the purchaser took two farthings' worth, he got one in addition--of such small value were they.”

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

“An entire sacrifice of the lower, with all its relationships and interests--or, a willingness to make it which is the same thing--is indispensable to the preservation of the higher life; and he who cannot bring himself to surrender the one for the sake of the…”

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.

“He that receiveth you--entertaineth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me--As the treatment which an ambassador receives is understood and regarded as expressing the light in which he that sends him is viewed, so, says our Lord here, "Your…”

Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous…

“(See Joh 3:5-8). and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man--from sympathy with his character and esteem for himself as such shall receive a righteous man's reward--for he must himself have the seed of righteousness who has any real…”

Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples

“OUTBURST OF FEELING SUGGESTED TO THE MIND OF JESUS BY THE RESULT OF HIS LABORS IN GALILEE. The connection of this with what goes before it and the similarity of its tone make it evident, we think, that it was delivered on the same occasion…”

“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…

“As their wealth and prosperity engendered luxury and its concomitant evils--irreligion and moral degeneracy--their overthrow was repeatedly foretold in ancient prophecy, and once and again fulfilled by victorious enemies.”

All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to…

“All things are delivered unto me of my Father--He does not say, They are revealed--as to one who knew them not, and was an entire stranger to them save as they were discovered to Him--but, They are "delivered over," or "committed," to Me of My…”

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

“What gentleness, what sweetness is there in the very style of the invitation--"Hither to Me"; and in the words, "All ye that toil and are burdened," the universal wretchedness of man is depicted, on both its sides--the active and the passive forms of it.”

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light--Matchless paradox, even among the paradoxically couched maxims in which our Lord delights! That rest which the soul experiences when once safe under Christ's wing makes all yokes easy, all burdens light.”

Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

“But he said unto them, Have ye not read--or, as Mark (Mr 2:25) has it, "Have ye never read." what David did when he was an hungered, and they that were with him-- (1Sa 21:1-6)”

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.

“Mark (Mr 2:26) says this occurred "in the days of Abiathar the high priest." But this means not during his high priesthood--for it was under that of his father Ahimelech--but simply, in his time.”

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

“But our Lord added a specific application of this great principle to the law of the sabbath, preserved only in Mark: "And he said unto them, the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mr 2:27).”

Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,

“And when he was departed thence--but "on another sabbath" (Lu 6:6). he went into their synagogue--"and taught."”

Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other.

“And he stretched it forth--the power to obey going forth with the word of command. and it was restored whole, like as the other--The poor man, having faith in this wonderful Healer--which no doubt the whole scene would singularly help to strengthen--disregarded the proud and…”

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

“Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him--This is the first explicit mention of their murderous designs against our Lord.”

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

“(See on Mt 12:14). they said, This fellow--an expression of contempt. doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub--rather, "Beelzebul" (see on Mt 10:25).”