John Wesley

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened,

“Jesus praying, the heaven was opened - It is observable, that the three voices from heaven, see chap. ix, 29, 35; John xii, 28; by which the Father bore witness to Christ, were pronounced either while he was praying, or quickly after it.”

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

“The wilderness - Supposed by some to have been in Judea; by others to have been that great desert of Horeb or Sinai, where the children of Israel were tried for forty years, and Moses and Elijah fasted forty days.”

“I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said.

“I give it to whomsoever I will - Not so, Satan. It is God, not thou, that putteth down one, and setteth up another: although sometimes Satan, by God's permission, may occasion great revolutions in the world.”

Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,

“He stood up - Showing thereby that he had a desire to read the Scripture to the congregation: on which the book was given to him. It was the Jewish custom to read standing, but to preach sitting.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.

“To preach the Gospel to the poor - Literally and spiritually. How is the doctrine of the ever-blessed trinity interwoven, even in those scriptures where one would least expect it?”

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”

“Why I do not work miracles here, rather than at Capernaum? It is because of your unbelief. Nor is it any new thing for me to be despised in my own country.”

But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great…

“When the heaven was shut up three years and six months - Such a proof had they that God had sent him.”

On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

“And all in the synagogue were filled with fury - Perceiving the purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessing which they despised, would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles. So changeable are the hearts of wicked men!”

“Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

“The Holy One of God - Either this confession was extorted from him by terror, (for the devils believe and tremble, ) or he made it with a design to render the character of Christ suspected.”

Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

“He withdrew - The expression in the original implies, that he did so frequently.”

One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there.

“Sitting by - As being more honourable than the bulk of the congregation, who stood. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them - To heal the sickness of their souls, as well as all bodily diseases.”

but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of…

“Not being able to bring him in through the multitude, they went round about by a back passage, and going up the stairs on the outside, they came upon the flat-roofed house, and let him down through the trap door, such as was on the…”

One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.

“The first Sabbath - So the Jews reckoned their Sabbaths, from the passover to pentecost; the first, second, third, and so on, till the seventh Sabbath (after the second day.)”

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.

“It is greatly observable, our Lord has so little regard for one of the highest instances of natural virtue, namely, the returning love for love, that he does not account it even to deserve thanks.”

So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the…

“To the poor the Gospel is preached - Which is the greatest mercy, and the greatest miracle of all.”

After John’s messengers had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?

“To avoid all suspicion of this kind, he deferred his commendation of him, till the messengers were gone; and then delivered it to the people, to prevent all imaginations, as if John were wavering in his judgment, and had sent the two disciples for his…”

They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and…

“They are like children sitting in the market place - So froward and perverse, that no contrivance can be found to please them. It is plain our Lord means, that they were like the children complained of, not like those that made the complaint.”

But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

“But wisdom is justified by all her children - The children of wisdom are those who are truly wise unto salvation. The wisdom of God in all these dispensations, these various methods of calling sinners to repentance, is owned and heartily approved by all these.”

“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied. “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

“Which of them will love him most? - Neither of them will love him at all, before he has forgiven them. An insolvent debtor, till he is forgiven, does not love, but fly his creditor.”

And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?

“Thou gavest me no water - It was customary with the Jews to show respect and kindness to their welcome guests, by saluting them with a kiss, by washing their feet, and anointing their heads with oil, or some fine ointment.”

Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

“Those many sins of hers are forgiven; therefore she loveth much - The fruit of her having had much forgiven. It should carefully be observed here, that her love is mentioned as the effect and evidence, not the cause of her pardon.”

So the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in…

“For many times it had caught him - Therefore our compassionate Lord made the more haste to cast him out. The abyss - That is, the bottomless pit.”

Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.”

“She is not dead but sleepeth - Her soul is not separated finally from the body; and this short separation is rather to be called sleep than death.”

Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

“And he asked them - When he had done praying, during which they probably stayed at a distance. Saying - Ye must prepare for a scene far different from this.”

“Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”

“Let these sayings sink down into your ears - That is, consider them deeply. In joy remember the cross. So wisely does our Lord balance praise with sufferings.”