Matthew 4

Matthew 4:1

THE OF JESUS.–Matthew 4:1-11. GOLDEN TEXT.–He is able to succor them that are tempted.–Hebrews 2:18. TIME.–A. D. 26, forty days after the baptism of the Lord. PLACE.–Supposed to be west of the Jordan, a mountain region called Quarantania. HELPFUL .–Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13; Hebrews 4:13-16. LESSON .–1. First Temptation; 2. Second Temptation; 3. Third Temptation; 4. Ministering Angels.. The Baptism was the inauguration of Jesus in his work; the descent of the Spirit upon him was the anointing for his Christly office; the voice of the Father was the formal acknowledgment of him as the Son of God. He now stood forth as the head of a new race, a new manhood, a manhood in which the human would be permeated with the divine, and all the members of which would be the children of God. But for many reasons it was needful that he be tested and proved worthy. The first Adam, created holy, had fallen before the tempter; the second Adam, in whom the Divine had been incorporated with humanity, must also meet the tempter in conflict, and overcome him. The temptations were intended, not for Jesus in his nature as a man, so much as for Jesus in his official station, as the Messiah. God was putting it to the test, or rather demonstrating that Jesus was fully qualified for his office and mightier than the great enemy before whose assaults the human race had fallen and who had virtually the dominion of the world. No one could be mighty enough to deliver our race unless he could vanquish the tempter. This enemy, in assailing Jesus, was seeking to undermine the very foundations of the Kingdom that was to be established, by leading Christ, in some subtle way, into conduct inconsistent with the office to which he had been called. I. FIRST .—

1. Then was Jesus led of the Spirit. Mark says he was driven of the Spirit, a phrase that indicates a sudden and forcible impulsion: carried away by an irresistible impulse, our Lord went at once to the desert. Into the wilderness. Tradition has placed the scene of Christ’s temptation in that part of the wilderness of Judea (see note on ver. 4) which lies between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, and particularly in the mountain called, in modern geography, Quarantania, from this forty days’ fast. Naked and arid like a mountain of malediction, it rises precipitously from a scorched and desert plain, and looking over the sluggish, bituminous waters of the Sodomic Sea, thus offering a sharp contrast to the Mountain of Beatitudes, and the limpid crystal of the Lake of Gennesareth–Farrar. To be tempted. This was the purpose of the Spirit in directing him to this seclusion in the lonely wilderness. He was sent forth for conflict. Christ must be tempted–1. Because it was impossible that one who came to overthrow the kingdom of Satan should not be attacked by the great adversary at the very threshold. 2. It was to test him, whether he was the true Messiah, the real Son of God, qualified for his work of redemption. 3. It was the revealing to him as the Son of man the great work he had come to do. 4. It was to prepare him, by being tempted like as we are, and yet gaining the victory, to “succor them that are tempted.” The three great temptations mentioned by Matthew are the three great classes of temptations to which men are now exposed.–Peloubet. Of the devil. Here the existence and personality of Satan are placed before us in the most distinct language. It would be the boldest of all paradoxes to assert that the Scriptures do not teach the existence of an evil power, whom they call the Enemy, the Accuser, the Devil.–Ellicott. It is no more unreasonable to believe in a personal devil than in great bad leaders on earth. To deny the fact of the Devil is to lay much heavier charges of evil on the nature of man than does the belief in Satan.–Peloubet. The term devil is derived from the Greek, and means “false accuser;” the term satan is from the Hebrew, and means “adversary.” They are different designations of the same evil power.

Matthew 4:2

2. When he had fasted forty days and forty nights. Moses and Elijah each fasted for the same length of time. It was no doubt a period of spiritual exaltation, of meditation and prayer. It was a period of preparation for his work, and it is hardly probable that he felt the need of food. When the mind and spirit are intensely excited the needs of the body are forgotten. He was afterward an hungered. At the close of this period nature begins to assert her demands, and hunger was keenly felt.

Matthew 4:3

3. And when the tempter came to him. He chose the hour of weakness for his great assault, the hour of physical exhaustion, after his great spiritual season, the hour when hunger asserted itself most keenly. The tempter always craftily chooses the time when he will beset those he would destroy. If thou be the Son of God. Forty days before the voice of the Father from heaven proclaimed: “This is my beloved Son.” We cannot know that the full consciousness of his Sonship had come to him until the Spirit descended and this proclamation was made. During the forty days of loneliness in the wilderness it can hardly be doubted that the word from heaven was ringing in his ears. It is with this word upon his lips that the tempter appears. Just what form he assumed we cannot tell, but we know that it is not his policy to reveal himself as the arch-enemy. Probably he now came in the guise of a seeker after truth, as if he had said: “Art thou indeed the Son of God? If so, give a proof, that we may know thou hast then omnipotent power, and thou art now ready to perish with hunger.

If thou art the Son, use thy power; command that these stones be made bread. Thus thou wilt provide what thou needest, and will demonstrate to us whom thou art.” He came to save others, not himself; to feed others, not himself; to exert his divine power for others, not for himself. There is an insinuation of doubt–“if”–and of distrust that God should let him hunger. It was a call to use his power selfishly, and to assert his Sonship in a vain-glorious way. Abstinence from self-help and the practice of self-denial was the law of his life.

Matthew 4:4

4. It is written (Deuteronomy 8:3), Man shall not live by bread alone. The Lord uses the sword of the Spirit in his reply. The word quoted, found in Deuteronomy 8:3, should be used in its connection, in order to comprehend its force. It is addressed by Moses to the children of Israel, who hungered for bread in the wilderness, and assures them that man may live, not on bread alone, but on whatever the Word of God appoints. In that case God sent manna. So the Son of God in the wilderness need not live on bread alone, nor will he use his power to make bread of stones, but will trust the Father and live on whatever the Father provides. Notice that he does not assert that he is the Son, nor offer proof, but classes himself with men.

Hunger is a human incident, and he, as man, shall not live by bread alone. The temptation was to distrust God’s providence, under the pressure of want, on the plea that relief by other means might easily be had. The victory was to leave himself in the hands of God, and to declare a perfect trust in the means appointed by the Divine Word.

Matthew 4:5

II. THE SECOND .— 5. Then the devil taketh him into the holy city. What way the devil took him, whether bodily or in spirit, to the temple we are not told, and it would be in vain to inquire. Whichever be true it was doubtless a suggestion that for the Lord to cast himself down thus, in the holy city, in the presence of the multitudes, would at once establish his mission. On a pinnacle of the temple. The only portion of the temple that seems to answer to the context was the lofty porch overhanging the valley of the Kedron. Josephus says that from the apex to the valley below at this point was 600 feet. The devil’s first temptation, like that addressed to Eve in Eden, had been intended to awake distrust in the Father. The second goes to the opposite extreme and asks for such an excess of trust as to provoke rashness. One extreme of sin is to distrust God; the opposite extreme is to refuse to employ proper industry and precautions and to tempt God. One sin is to distrust providence and tile other is to presume upon it.

Matthew 4:6

6. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee. The devil can also quote Scripture and in, this instance appears in the guise of a very religious personage, but like many perverters of Scripture who profess to be very religious, he is a garbler of the Scripture and in quoting this passage leaves out one very important clause. The passage is in Psalms 91:11, and there reads, “He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” The devil omits the last which limits the promise to those who walk in the ways appointed for them.

Matthew 4:7

7. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the Savior replies in the words of Scripture, this time quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16. There is no argument, but a simple reply that shows what is asked is forbidden. Yet those who profess to be religious are sometimes ready to do the very thing Satan asked. The Tyndall “prayer test” was of this very class of sins. When also a man refuses to labor and provide for his family, claiming that the Lord will provide, he tempts (puts to the trial) the Lord. God calls upon every one to exercise all proper precautions and to do all in his own power, trusting in the Lord to supply wherein he fails, and he promises to keep such persons in all their ways. Religious fanatics are often tempters of God.

Matthew 4:8

III. THIRD .— In the first two temptations the devil comes as a deceiver, apparently seeking proof that Jesus was truly the Son of God, quoting Scripture, and in religious guise. In the third he throws off the vail and appears as the Prince of this world, the rival of God for the worship of man, and ready to offer every possible bribe to seduce from loyalty to God. 8. Taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain. From some lofty center he spreads before Jesus a panorama of the kingdoms of this world with all their glory. We are not to suppose that all the kingdoms were literally visible, but they were portrayed in such a way as to be present to the mental eyes. The term “sheweth” does not compel us to believe that they were necessarily seen by the natural eyes.

Matthew 4:9

9. All these things will I give thee. All disguise is laid aside. Satan claims to be a Prince of the world and the disposer of human kingdoms. Jesus came to be a King but the pathway to the crown is weary, painful, beset with thorns, and wet with tears and blood. Satan proposes an easier way. He will rally the Jewish nation around him, set him on the throne of David, make him the Messiah, King of the world, and have him rule surrounded by human glory if he will only consent to give up his idea of a spiritual kingdom “not of this world,” and worship the god of this world by conforming his kingdom to the worldly ideas of Israel. The temptation is to turn away from the path of self-denial, the cross and the tomb, and to establish an outward, worldly dominion.

Matthew 4:10

10. Get thee hence, Satan. Since the tempter was revealed Jesus rebukes him severely. The word, “Get thee hence,” “Begone,” expresses abhorrence of the proposal. The adversary is called by name and bidden to depart. Then his reason is added, in the words of Scripture, found in Deuteronomy 6:13. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. This passage forbids every kind of religious adoration to any other object than Jehovah, whether it be idols, false gods, popes, Virgin Mary, saints or angels. When Jesus permitted worship of himself it was a virtual assertion that he was “God with us.” The three temptations had been met, three times the tempter had been baffled, three times the victory had been won. The first assault had been made through the door of appetite, “the lust of flesh;” the second through vain glory, “the lust of the eyes;” the third through ambition, “the pride of life.” All had been met by this shield of faith and the tempter beaten back by the sword of the Spirit.

Matthew 4:11

IV. ANGELS.- 11. Then the devil leaveth him. Luke adds, “for a season,” for the defeated enemy was not ready to give up the conflict, was a chief counsellor among the enemies of Christ. When the devil is resisted he always flees. He is bold to attack only those who give him a welcome. Angels came and ministered to him. When he fought off the tempter alone then, after the victory was won, angels came to minister to him. We suppose this ministry was especially to supply him with food. He had refused to command the stones to be made bread but declared his trust in the means appointed by God. The Father now sends his angels to feed him. He had refused to tempt Jehovah, though the Scripture said the angels should bear him up; now the angels are sent to minister to him. Great joy was that to the angels! and it must have been as great to him!

In such a state of long, long conflict and trial, how blessed were these visitors from the great world of peace above; their communications how sweet, how rich in assurance! So, between the beasts and the angels, men being wholly away, Jesus gets tokens of sympathy that minister comfort, and help him to compose himself to the opening tragedy of his life.–Bushnell. At the close of the temptation, or possibly after different attacks of temptation during the forty days. Angels were spiritual beings, probably in visible form on this occasion. Alone in the contest, he had these companions after his victory. “Ministered” most naturally means " supplied him with food," as in the case of Elijah (1 Kings 19:5). Others think, “gave him spiritual companionship,” to support him.–Schaff.

Probably the angels did both. AND . At the beginning of the Christian life comes the great temptation,–the battle as to who shall rule the soul; its success is conversion.The greatest battles of the world are fought on the silent battle-field of the heart; there greater victories are won, greater heroisms done, than at Thermopylæ or Waterloo. The whole appeal of Satan, running through all three temptations was: Put forth your power in self-seeking and self-assertion, carry the Jewish nation by storm, and so begin the conquest of the world. Satan asks Jesus to be just such a Savior as the Jewish nation expected: a Christ who would feed them with bread miraculously made as Moses did, who would give them wonderful signs, and who would rule as a splendid worldly king. The temptations of Christ are an epitome of those that assail us. The tempter still whispers, If he be the Son of God and insinuates doubts; still tempts us not to do our part but to throw all on God; still makes splendid promises of pleasure, of wealth, or of power, if we will only worship the god of this world. To every whisper of the adversary we should reply, Get thee hence, Satan. The devil craftily chooses the seasons when he would assail us. Perhaps it may be after a season of spiritual exaltation and he may approach in the name of religion; perhaps it may be in an hour of physical weakness and may make his assault through the door of the flesh. We may be sure he will choose the weakest point at the time of assault. After a special manifestation to him of the Divine favor, thou shalt be sure to be assaulted by Satan; when thou hast received the greatest enlargements from heaven, either at the sacrament or in prayer, or in any other way, then look for an onset. This arch-pirate lets the empty ships pass, but lays wait for them when they return richest laden.–Leighton.HOW COULD CHRIST BE TEMPTED?–In every act of sin there are two distinct steps. (1) There is the rising of a desire which is natural, and, being natural, is not wrong. (2) There is the indulgence of that desire in forbidden circumstances, and that is sin. Sin is not in the appetites, but in the absence of a controlling will. There were in Christ all the natural appetites of mind and body. He suffered, being tempted, from the force of desire. But there was obedience at the expense of tortured, natural feeling.

Remember this; for the way in which some speak of the sinlessness of Christ destroys the reality of temptation, and converts the whole of his history into a mere fictitious drama, it which scenes of trial were represented, not felt.–F. W. Robertson. ‘Tis one thing to be tempted.–Eschylus. Another thing to fall.–Shakespeare. POINTS FOR . 1. Bring out the era in the life of Christ reached; baptized, inaugurated, anointed, proclaimed as the Son; yet, before he begins, even as the first Adam, he must be tried. 2. Point out where he went. 3. What for and why. 4. Bring out the circumstances of the First Temptation, the fast, the hunger, the craftiness of the demand, the force of “If,” the sin had the Lord complied with the demand. 5. Bring out the force and meaning of the Lord’s answer, from whence did he quote, what did Moses mean, what did Christ mean 6.

Show the underlying principles of each temptation. 7. Point out the wisdom of the Lord’s replies. 8. Bring out how the first Temptation was an appeal to appetites, the second to spiritual pride, the third to ambition. 9. Impress that the leading idea underlying all was to be just such a Messiah as the Jews expected. 10. Show how this would have defeated the divine work to which he was called. 11. Show that the Savior was tempted as we are, and how we should follow his example.

Matthew 4:17

JESUS IN GALILEE.–Matthew 4:17-25. GOLDEN TEXT.–The people which sat in darkness saw great light.–Matthew 4:16. TIME.–A. D. 28, more than a year after the last lesson. In the second year of the Lord’s ministry. PLACES.–Galilee, Capernaum, the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. HELPFUL .–Mark 1:14-28; Luke 4:14-15; John 4:46-54. LESSON .–1. Preaching the Kingdom; 2. Making Fishers of Men; 3. The Great Physician.. We learn from Mark 1:14 that this Galilean ministry took place after John was cast into prison. This shows that it did not occur immediately after the temptation, but more than a year later. The chronological order of events is undoubtedly best preserved in John. The intervening events are, (1) the return of Jesus from the wilderness to Bethabara, John 1:15-37, where the first disciples are called; (2) the return to Galilee and the miracle at Cana, John 2:1-11; (3) the first passover of the Lord’s ministry in Jerusalem and the temple cleansed, John 2:14-25; (4) interview with Nicodemus, John 3:1-21; (5) ministry in Judea, John 4:2; (6) leaves for Galilee, passed through Samaria, conversation at Sychar, John 4:4-52; (7) heals nobleman’s son, John 4:46-54; (8) a period of retirement in Galilee, John imprisoned, Matthew 4:12; (9) attends feast in Jerusalem, miracle at pool of Bethesda, John 5; (10) returns to Galilee, April A. D. 28. We thus see that an interval of more than a year is passed over in silence by Matthew, between the last verse of the last lesson and the first verse of this. A considerable part of this time was spent by Jesus in Judea, till so great an opposition rose against him that he left Judea, and spent almost two years in Galilee and the regions round about, with only an occasional visit to Jerusalem. I. THE KINGDOM.— 17. From that time Jesus began to preach. Probably from the time of the imprisonment of John the Baptist, spoken of in verse 12. The message which Jesus began to preach now was, not the gospel of the crucified Savior preached by his apostles, but the same message that John had preached. When John was silenced Jesus took up his message. All was still preparatory. The announcement made is that the kingdom is at hand, and men are called upon to repent as a preparation for it. This is the beginning of the Galilean ministry, to which Matthew confines himself; the Judæan ministry of many months, related by John, is passed in silence by Matthew. It can hardly be doubted that the Lord preached the same message in Judea. Repent. Not mere remorse, but conversion and reformation, or turning away from sin and unto God. The Greek word means change of mind or heart.–Schaff. They were called upon to repent now; for never had they so much reason to repent, and so much help to repent, and so many blessings if they did repent, as the coming of Christ in his kingdom would bring them. The cry “Repent!” shows (a) that men were in a false position; (b) that they had power to alter it; (c) that such power was immediately associated with a great opportunity.–Joseph Parker. The kingdom of heaven. What Matthew in general calls the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 4:17) is designated by Mark and Luke the kingdom of God. The two expressions, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, vary only in phase. The kingdom is divine, and hence heavenly. It is a thing of heaven. It originated in heaven, tends to heaven, culminates in heaven. It is a heavenly community, with a heavenly sovereign at its head.

All its objects are heavenly, whether they be on earth or in heaven. Our whole earth should have been a part of heaven. But it is a runaway world, having gone off from heaven. It is not, however, finally lost to heaven. God, the great moral Governor, has not and will not let it go. He desires, not by the use of physical omnipotence, but by glorious moral means, to win it back.

Long, long ago, he took the initiative for the accomplishment of this end. He reclaimed a foothold for heavenly institutions. And now the time was come for establishing, in a somewhat developed, and, as it were, completed form, the heavenly community–“the Kingdom of God.”–Morison. Is at hand. The end of the old covenant is at hand . . . the Son is born, grown up, anointed (in his baptism), tempted, gone forth, the testimony of his witness is given, and now he witnesses himself; now begins that last speaking of God, by his Son (Hebrews 1:2), which henceforth shall be proclaimed in all the world till the end comes.–Stier. The expression “at hand,” indicates that Jesus had not yet publicly declared himself as the Messiah.–Schaff. The Greek word translated “is at hand,” means “draws near.” The term shows that the kingdom was yet future. It was not inaugurated until Christ had demonstrated his Sonship by rising from the dead, and was “lifted up” from the cross and tomb to a heavenly throne.

Matthew 4:18

II. FISHERS OF MEN.— 18. And walking. He was probably on his way from Nazareth, from which place he had been driven away, to Capernaum. If he had already been at Capernaum he would not have waited till the Sabbath before healing Peter’s wife’s mother.–Peloubet. Sea of Galilee. So named from the province on its western side. It was also called the Sea of Tiberias from a city built by Herod Antipas on the southwest shore, and named in honor of the Emperor Tiberius (John 6:1; John 21:1). It is pear-shaped, the broad end being toward the north, the greatest width being six and three-quarter miles; it is twelve and a half miles long, and 165 feet deep. It is surrounded on all sides by hills, from 500 to nearly 2,000 feet high. Its waters are pure and sweet, and abound in fish. It is, according to Lieut. Lynch, 653 feet below the Mediterranean. Many populous towns once stood upon its shores, but they and their commerce are gone. Tiberias and Magdala are the only inhabited spots.–G. W. Clark. Simon called Peter. A contraction of Simeon, a Hebrew word which means “hearing.” He had previously been named Peter, “a rock” (John 1:42), the name by which he was called after the disciples were constituted apostles. Andrew. A Greek word meaning “manly.” Whether he was younger or older than his brother, Simon Peter, is not known. They had formerly lived in Bethsaida (John 1:44), but had afterward gone to Capernaum to live (Luke 4:31; Luke 4:38). Casting a net into the sea. A hand-net. Hand-nets are exceedingly common in the East, and of various kinds. They differ from drag-nets, which are trailed along the bottom of the fishing-place. Hand-nets are let down into the water, and are more or less of a bag shape. They were fishers. The occupation was, of course, a humble one, but not, as is often assumed, mean or servile, or incompatible with some degree of mental culture. His family were probably in easy circumstances. He and his brother Andrew were partners of John and James, the sons of Zebedee, who had hired servants; and from various indications in the sacred narrative we are led to the conclusion that their social position brought them into contact with men of education.–F. C. Cook.

Matthew 4:19

19. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. The Lord had already called them to be his disciples, at Bethabara, after the temptation. He now calls them to a preparation for the apostleship. Fish in the waters are as sinners in the world. It is the preacher’s art so to bait the hook of divine truth as that, with ready appetite, the sinner will receive it and be captured for salvation. Hence, there was a striking accordance, and perhaps even an intended typism, between the early engagements of these men and their subsequent profession as apostles–Whedon.

Matthew 4:20

20. They straightway left their nets. The words seem to suggest, as their immediate and strict sense, that the fishermen thus summoned left their nets lying where they were, without waiting to deposit or secure them.–J. A. Alexander. Followed him. That is, from this time, they were constant followers of the Lord. But when he happened to be in the neighborhood of their homes, they resumed their fishing.–Alford. : “Who will go to China?” asked the moderator of a Scotch Presbyterian assembly. “I will,” answered William C. Burns. “When can you leave?” “To-morrow!”–S. S. Journal.

Matthew 4:21

21. James the son of Zebedee. James (same as Jacob). He was a son of Zebedee; his mother’s name was Salome. Compare Matthew 27:56, with Mark 15:40. He probably resided at Bethsaida; joined Jesus, with his brother John, at the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:21); is never mentioned in the gospels except in connection with his brother John; was martyred under Herod Agrippa, A. D. 44 (Acts 12:2). There is reason to believe that he and his brother John were own cousins of our Lord.–Abbott. John. He was a brother of James, and, of course, is not to be confounded with John the Baptist. Several references in the New Testament indicate that his family was one of some wealth and social position (Mark 1:20; Luke 8:3; Luke 23:55; compare with Mark 16:1; John 19:27). He appears to have accompanied our Lord in his first ministry in Judea; and he is the only one of the evangelists who gives any account of that ministry. He is mentioned frequently in connection with Peter and James as especially intimate with Jesus (Matthew 17:1; Mark 5:37; John 13:23); and of those three, he appears to have been the one most beloved of our Lord.–Abbott. In a ship. The word translated “ship” means anything that sails, corresponding more exactly to craft, or vessel, than to ship, which in modern usage commonly implies a certain size, if not a certain form and structure. The vessels here meant were small fishing smacks, propelled both by sails and oars, and drawn up on the shore when not engaged in actual service.

Matthew 4:22

22. They left their father. All of these had already been directed to Jesus and attended his footsteps. See John 1:29-42. “There is a nearer conjunction between Christ and the faithful than there is with father and mother. Of them we have a being in nature; but of Christ, a being in grace; of them our being, of Christ our well being. To “honor father and mother” is the fifth commandment, but to honor God is the first commandment of the law, to show that to honor God is above all.

Matthew 4:23

III. THE GREAT .— 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee. In the next three verses are condensed the labors, preaching and journeying of a long period, of which the detailed account is given in the subsequent chapters. Jesus first offered the gospel to Judea and remained a number of months, until circumstances made it expedient to change to Galilee. Now a systematic and continued effort is made to leaven Galilee with the truth. Teaching in their synagogues. The synagogues, the Jewish houses of worship where the Jews met every Sabbath, furnished Jesus a congregation and a suitable place for teaching. It was customary to read the Old Testament in course, and after the reading, a famous teacher, or rabbi, was usually called on the speak. This custom gave Jesus and his apostles after him, a fine opportunity to declare the New Covenant. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Gospel means “good news.” He announced the good news of the speedy advent of the long expected and anxiously looked for kingdom of the Messiah. He did not, however, at this time proclaim himself to be the Messiah. This central truth of the kingdom was not preached until after he was risen from the dead. Healing all manner of sickness. Christ healed the body in order that he might heal the soul. So Christianity aims to help men in every respect, to improve their temporal condition and to save them eternally.

Matthew 4:24

24. His fame went throughout all Syria. Thus every miracle, besides relieving its immediate subject, and disposing him and all who saw it to the reception of the truth, helped to make our Lord more generally known, and to excite a spirit of inquiry with respect to him and his religion.–J. A. Alexander. Possessed with devils. The word demon is the correct translation and means an evil spirit. Persons were actually subject to the control of demons. Evidences: (1) Supernatural strength (Mark 5:4). (2) Mind not source of blindness (Matthew 12:22). (3) Insanity cannot divine (Acts 16:17). (4) Demons knew Jesus (Mark 1:24). (5) Jesus addresses the demons (Matthew 8:32). (6) Demoniacs confess this control (Mark 5:9). (7) Apostles assert it (Luke 10:17). (8) Jesus admitted it (Matthew 12:28). (9) Peter assures us of it (Acts 10:38).–W. H. Van Doren. Lunatics. Epileptics in the Revision.

Matthew 4:25

25. Great multitudes from Galilee. The fame of his teaching and miracles caused great multitudes to gather from all Palestine. The accounts elsewhere given confirm this statement. Galilee. The northern part of Palestine. Decapolis. A district containing ten cities east of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. AND . Wherever we are, we should by word and life preach the gospel of the kingdom. We should watch opportunities for doing good. While Jesus was walking he called the four. Jesus honored labor by calling his first ministers from the scenes of toil. Faithfulness in daily labor prepares us for Christ’s spiritual work. Therefore God calls busy people to serve him. None can do it better. It is observable that God has often called men to places of dignity and honor when they have been busy in the honest employment of their vocation. Saul was seeking his father’s asses, and David keeping his father’s sheep, when called to the kingdom. The shepherds were feeding their flocks when they had their glorious revelation. God called four apostles from their fishery, and Matthew from the receipt of custom: Amos from among the herdsmen of Tekoa; Moses from keeping Jethro’s sheep, and Gideon from the threshing-floor. God never encourages idleness, and despises not persons in the meanest employments.–Palmer.The earliest extant hymn of the Church, by Clement of Alexandria, at the end of his treatise on “Christ as the Instructor,” (pæedagogus,) dwells on the image with a rich and suggestive playfulness. Christ is thus addressed Fisher of men, the blest, Out of the world’s unrest, Out of sin’s troubled sea, Taking us, Lord, to thee: Out of the waves of strife, With bait of blissful life, Drawing thy nets to shore With choicest fish, good store. Notice, in the ministry of Jesus, (1) He was active; (2) He went where people were; (3) He went where the busiest people were–fishermen, those at work, Simon and Andrew–those preparing to work, James and John; (4) He went where worshiping people were; (5) He went where needy people were. POINTS FOR . 1. Bring out the idea of the Kingdom of heaven. It implies a King and subjects. Point to the King and show who are the subjects. 2. Show that prophets proclaimed it, John was the messenger and declared it near, Jesus still says it was near, but the apostle speaks of it as existing, show the date of its inauguration. 3. Point out conditions of entrance. Repentance a preparation. Faith, repentance and obedience to the risen Lord admit. 4. Point to Christ as the great Healer, doing good, curing all manner of sicknesses: still he heals. Can cure every soul of sickness, 5. Point to Christ calling men, whom he called, their prompt obedience, the reasons for it. 6. Point out the example in this lesson that we should follow, let all be named.