John Wesley

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him,

“Probably he came a little way toward him, and then went back. He thought himself not worthy to come in person, and therefore spoke the words that follow by his messengers.”

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes.

“For I am a man under authority - I am only an inferior officer: and what I command, is done even in my absence: how much more what thou commandest, who art Lord of all!”

But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

“The outer darkness - Our Lord here alludes to the custom the ancients had of making their feast in the night time. Probably while he was speaking this, the centurion came in person.”

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.”

“Such instances are frequent in the sacred writings, and are elegancies rather than imperfections. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and…”

And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

“The Son of man - The expression is borrowed from Dan. vii, 13, and is the appellation which Christ generally gives himself: which he seems to do out of humility, as having some relation to his mean appearance in this world.”

Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

“Another said - I will follow thee without any such view; but I must mind my business first. It is not certain that his father was already dead. Perhaps his son desired to stay with him, being very old, till his death.”

When Jesus arrived on the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs.

“Hence the country between them took its name, sometimes from the one, sometimes from the other. There met him two demoniacs - St. Mark and St.”

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was cured from that very hour.

“Take courage - Probably she was struck with fear, when he turned and looked upon her, Mark v, 33; Luke viii, 47; lest she should have offended him, by touching his garment privately; and the more so, because she was unclean according to the law…”

“Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

“Withdraw - There is no need of you now; for the maid is not dead - Her life is not at an end; but sleepeth - This is only a temporary suspension of sense and motion, which should rather be termed sleep than death.”

After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

“The maid arose - Christ raised three dead persons to life; this child, the widow's son, and Lazarus: one newly departed, another on the bier, the third smelling in the grave: to show us that no degree of death is so desperate as to be…”

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

“The harvest truly is great - When Christ came into the world, it was properly the time of harvest; till then it was the seed time only. But the labourers are few - Those whom God sends; who are holy, and convert sinners.”

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

“The Lord of the harvest - Whose peculiar work and office it is, and who alone is able to do it: that he would thrust forth - for it is an employ not pleasing to flesh and blood; so full of reproach, labour, danger, temptation…”

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

“These twelve Jesus sent forth - Herein exercising his supreme authority, as God over all. None but God can give men authority to preach his word.”

Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

“He that had one might take it; they that had none, might not provide any. For the workman is worthy of his maintenance - The word includes all that is mentioned in the 9th and 10th verses; all that they were forbidden to provide for…”

If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.

“If the house be worthy - of it, God shall give them the peace you wish them. If not, he shall give you what they refuse. The same will be the case, when we pray for them that are not worthy.”

And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

“Therefore the action here enjoined was a lively intimation, that those Jews who had rejected the Gospel were holy no longer, but were on a level with heathens and idolaters.”

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

“And be not afraid - of any thing which ye may suffer for proclaiming it. Be afraid of him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell - It is remarkable, that our Lord commands those who love God, still to fear…”

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.

“Whosoever shall confess me - Publicly acknowledge me for the promised Messiah. But this confession implies the receiving his whole doctrine, Mark viii, 38, and obeying all his commandments.”

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

“The poor have the Gospel preached to them - The greatest mercy of all.”

As John’s disciples were leaving, 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?

“As they departed, he said concerning John - Of whom probably he would not have said so much when they were present. A reed shaken by the wind? - No; nothing could ever shake John in the testimony he gave to the truth.”

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

“John came neither eating nor drinking - In a rigorous austere way, like Elijah. And they say, He hath a devil - Is melancholy, from the influence of an evil spirit.”

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

“Then began he to upbraid the cities - It is observable he had never upbraided them before. Indeed at first they received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular.”

“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 to thee, Chorazin - That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves.”

At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little…

“Jesus answering - This word does not always imply, that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the speaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding.”

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 to me - Our Lord, here addressing himself to his disciples, shows why men, wise in other things, do not know this: namely, because none can know it by natural reason: none but those to whom he revealeth it.”