Matthew 4
DODDMatthew 4:13
Christ goes to Capernaum, and teaches in the syne great acceptance; and calls Peter and Andrew John, to a more stated attendance upon him. N Luke IV. 31, 32. Mark I. 16—20.
MAT. IV. 13.
AND Jesus leaving Nazareth, from whence he was expelled and driven out in the ungrateful manner that was before described, came and dwelt for a while at Capernaum, which was a considerable city of Galilee, that lay on the sea-coast, even on the northern shore of the lake of Gennesareth, in the confines of Zebulon and Naphtali; and from thence he made several small excursions to visit the neighbouring places. And this was ordered by a special Divine Providence, that what was said by the prophet Isaiah (chap. ix. 1, 2) might be fulfilled,ᵃ When speaking of the land of Zebulon, and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, and the country about those parts of Jordan,ᵇ which is called by the general name of Galilee of the Gentilesᶜ (because so many Gentiles were early settled there, and had filled it with a variety of superstitions,) he says, “That though God had once made these nations vile, yet he would hereafter render them glorious;ᵈ since even there, by the
ᵃ That what was said by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.] The common translation is word for word correspondent to the original: but the sense, as it stands here, is so entirely the same, that I was unwilling to spoil the structure of the paraphrase by crowding in the word saying; nor do I think such an exactness necessary in order to render a version perfectly faithful.
ᵇ About those parts of Jordan.] That year sometimes has this signification will appear by comparing Josh. xii. 1, 7; and umb. xxxii. 19. Septuag.
ᶜ Galilee of the Gentiles.] The learned rusius has given a large account of the reason of this name, and concludes it was
the upper Galilee in the land of Naphtali, whereas the lower lay in Zebulon, and Capernaum was situated on the confines of both. Grotius traces the name up to Gen. xiv. 1, but most commentators refer it to 1 Kings ix. 11—13, supposing that Solomon’s giving a tract of land here to Hiram occasioned it to be filled with foreigners, and to be peopled with a mixture of Phœnicians, Egyptians, and Arabians; according to the account that Strabo gives, Geograph. lib. xvi. p. 523.
ᵈ Though God had made them vile, yet he would hereafter render them glorious.] I follow Mr. Mede’s just and beautiful version and interpretation of Isa. ix. 1.
where they are much enlightened by his preaching.
The people settlement and preaching of the Messiah among such that they, The people that sat in darkness saw great light; (that is, should surely see) a great and glorious light, to disperse that ignorance and vice which before clouded them: and even to them
that sat miserable and helpless in the dark region and gloomy shadow of death itself, in the most melancholy and the most dangerous condition, light has remarkably sprung up to cheer their hearts, and guide them into the ways of peace and happiness.”
And from that time of his departure into Galilee, Jesus began to preach in all the places that he came to in a more public manner, and to say, Repent, and turn unto the Lord, for he is now fulfilling his ancient promises, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And this was the doctrine which he was teaching them during the time of his abode at Capernaum, and this he made the subject of his preaching in their synagogue on the sabbath days; not being discouraged by the ill usage that he met with at Nazareth upon his preaching of the same doctrine there. And they were powerfully struck and very much affected with his doctrine; for his word was attended with an air of authority
See Mede’s Works, p. 101, 102; and Jeffery’s Review, p. 125, 126; where that interpretation is both vindicated and improved: and I see no reason to doubt that it is originally meant of the illumination and honour these afflicted countries should receive by the presence and preaching of Christ.
Light has sprung up.] The heathen writers represented the arrival of some great public benefactor in a place as a new light sprung up in the midst of darkness; see Elsner, Observ. Vol. 1. p. 19.
From that time of his departure into Galilee.] It is but just before that Matthew speaks of Christ’s departure into Galilee (ver. 12,) and it is much more probable that he refers in general to this, than to the time of his leaving Nazareth (which he has mentioned in ver. 13,) as it is evident from Luke iv. 14, 15, and John iv. 43-45, that Christ began to preach in the synagogues of Galilee before he went to Nazareth. And thus I might have introduced this text as parallel to Mark i. 15, but that I would avoid as much as possible breaking the thread of the narration; com are notes
and in sect. xxxi. p. 179, 180. The attentive reader will easily perceive that I suppose our Lord made only one tour about Galilee in the four or five last months preceding his second passover, of which Matthew gives a general account below, Mat. iv. 23-25. sect. xxxvi. Nor can I see that Sir Isaac Newton had any just reason to conclude it a second circuit quite distinct from the former. It is true indeed that our Lord is said, Mat. iv. 13, after leaving Nazareth, to have come and dwell at Capernaum: but if that should be allowed to imply his making this the place of his more stated residence so as to call it his home, it is evidently intimated that he did not stay long in it at first; and shortly after it is spoken of only as one of the cities in which he was sent to preach; Mark i. 38. Nor can I find that, after he began to preach, he ever continued long in any one place.
The kingdom of heaven is at hand.] See note on Mat. iii. 2, p. 99.
Powerfully struck.] See Luke ii. 47, 48, notes, p. 94.
e ca eter an ndrew; and majesty, which incomparably exceeded that low and servile manner of preaching which the Scribes and Pharisees commonly used in retailing their precarious traditions and insipid comments to the people. And it was about this time that as Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, that have been already mentioned, Simon, who was also called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for by their occupation they were fishers. And after some circumstances, an account of which will presently be given (sect. xxxiv.) Jesus said to them, Come after me, and from henceforth attend me constantly in the course of my ministry, and I will make you to become fishers of men, and give you such abundant success in your ministry, that the number of souls converted by you shall be greater than that of the fish you have been used to catch. And they being struck with a very wonderful miracle, the particulars of which i Two brethren, that have been already mentioned.] John gives us an account (chap. i. 40-42, sect. xxi) that Andrew and Simon had before been called to the knowledge of Christ upon the banks of Jordan, and that the name of Peter had been then given to Simon: and it is probable that, from their first acquaintance with him, they followed Jesus for some time, and went with him to Cana and Capernaum (John ii. 2, 12, sect. xxiii. xxiv.) and afterwards to Jerusalem (John ii. 13, 17, sect. xxiv.) and tarried with him while he continued in Judea, (John iii. 22, sect. xxvii.) But when the Pharisees grew jealous of the number of his followers, and Herod was offended at the popularity of John, we may suppose that Jesus at his return to Galilee might think it prudent to dismiss his disciples for a time, till he himself had gone about from place to place to preach the gospel, and had informed the people more particularly of the character of his person and the nature of his doctrine: or possibly they might leave him at the time when the Samaritans prevailed upon him to go with them to their city, (John iv. 40, sect. xxx.) for after this we read no more of his disciples being with him, till he now found them at the sea of Galilee. For they so sooner were gone home but they returned again to their old employment, and continued in it till they were now taken off from any further regard to their worldly business, and were particularly called by Christ to a constant and stated attendance upon him; see Lightfoot’s Harmony on Luke v. 3. k Being struck with a very wonderful miracle.] The account of this miracle (which is recorded by Luke, chap. v. 1- 11) I shall consider in the next section, and shall there give my reasons, in note a, for supposing it happened at this time, and was not, as Mr. Whiston would have it, the occasion of another call to these disciples. But I would here observe, that besides him, some who agree with me in this particular, yet, out of regard to the supposed regularity of St. Luke’s narration, place this call of the four disciples after the ejection of the devil, and the cure of Peter’s mother in law at Capernaum, and Christ’s travels through Galilee, which are recorded, Mat. viii. 14, 15; iv. 23-25; and Mark i. 21-39. (Sect. xxxv. xxxvi.) See Cradock, Le Clerc, Wells, Clarke, and L’Enfant, in their Harmonies. But they seem to have forgot that St. Mark expressly asserts (chap. i. 21) that after the calling of these four disciples they went into Capernaum, and straightway on the ensuing sabbath he entered into the synagogue, and there cast out the devil, &c. and then (verse 29) forthwith when they were
id immediately after James and John.
will presently be related, immediately forsook their nets, though the fishing trade was all they had to depend upon in life, and followed him.
And going a little way from thence he saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; and they were in a ship by the sea side, with Zebedee their father, employed in mending their nets, which had been broken by the vast draught of fishes they had taken just before. And he immediately applied to them as he had done before to Peter and Andrew, and called them to follow him: and they no sooner had received his orders, but presently they left their father Zebedee with the hired servants in the ship; and, in consequence of the secret energy which attended that call, they joined with Peter and Andrew, and with the greatest cheerfulness and readiness went after him, being determined to continue with him as his stated attendants: and they were all afterwards honoured with extraordinary favours from their Master; especially John, who was his bosom friend, and came to be called, by way of eminence, The disciple whom Jesus loved.
IMPROVEMENT.
SUCH was the zeal and courage of our blessed Redeemer, that he no sooner had been persecuted and assaulted at Nazareth, but he went and preached in the synagogue at Capernaum. Thus may all the opposition that we meet with in the course of our duty, animate, rather than overbear, our resolution in performing it!
How happy was the land of Zebulon and Naphtali in the visits of such a guest! And may we not add too, how happy is our own land in being visited by the everlasting gospel, which is now much more clearly discovered to us than it was to these coasts while Christ began to open his ministry among their inhabitants.
In us is this prophecy of Isaiah eminently fulfilled: We but a few ages ago sat in darkness; and behold we see a great light.
come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John, and Simon’s mother was cured. Now it seems one of the most important rules for settling the harmony of the evangelists, that where any one of them has expressly asserted that he follows the order of time, we should, in regard to him trans ose others who do not assert equal exactness in the particular: (see Jones’s Vindication of Matthew, p. 111, 112.) This is the case here; and therefore I have here transposed no only Luke, but also Matthew, who use notes of time much more frequently, an seems to me in the main more exact in the series of his story than Luke.
Reflections on the regard due to the word of Christ.
Our country, amidst all the advantages of its soil and situation, xxxiii was, in a spiritual sense, the region and the shadow of death; but the Sun of Righteousness is risen upon us, nor do we only behold his rising beams, but his meridian lustre. May we not be so ungrateful as obstinately to shut our eyes against it, lest the valley of vision, and Emanuel’s land, should on the whole prove to us the land of destruction, and the valley of death itself!
Luke That this may never be our case, let us diligently attend to IV.32 this Divine Teacher, who speaks with such authority, and whose words are so weighty and powerful. May we feel the energy and authority of them! May they call us off from every undue attachment to the business or the pleasures of life! And if he Mark should ever see fit to try us, as he did these his servants, with a I. 17 command to forsake our nearest relations, and our earthly all, for his service, let us do it with pleasure; remembering on the one hand, that he who loves father or mother, wife or children, houses or lands, more than Christ, is not worthy of him; and on the other hand, that he who abandons these engagements for his sake, shall receive an hundred fold now in this time, and in the world to come life everlasting. (Mat. x. 37, and Mark x. 29, 30.)