THERE are three divisions I would make in the portion before us, in order to examine it more conveniently: first, the unbelieving rejection of Christ in “His own country;” secondly, the mission of the twelve; thirdly, the power, yet alas! fatal weakness withal, of an unpurged conscience, as illustrated in king Herod's behavior to John the Baptist.
First, the unwearied Servant comes into His own country, followed by His disciples. “And when the sabbath-day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him, were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at Him.”
But what a lesson! The power of His teaching was owned, and the mighty works done by His hands; but even the despised Nazarenes were stumbled at the lowly Lord—the lowly Servant—of all. The meanest of mankind is not free from the same spirit of the world which blinds the highest. In truth the god of this world blinds all that are lost. The fact may come out more conspicuously in the princes of this world, where resources cannot help them to discern and proclaim the Lord of glory; but the universality of the moral blindness is shown in such conduct as that of the men of Nazareth to the Lord Jesus. That the true heir to the throne of David, to speak of His regal glory, should be a “carpenter” was and is too much for flesh and blood. And yet, when it is believed, the grace of His humiliation is as striking, as the need for it was urgent and absolute, if God was to be glorified and man delivered according to His mind. It is clear also that the grace of all He became and endured is only rightly seen by those who see in Him the Son—He is the true God and eternal life.
Here, however, even as prophet He is rejected; and Jesus bows to it as the common lot of those who labor for God in a world which knows them too well to pay them honor, and yet knows them not, as it knew Him not. “A prophet,” said He, “is not without honor but in his own country and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And as thus He speaks, so He acts, or rather does not act. For “he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.” How admirable the perfection of His service! It seems to me that nothing displays it more than such ways as these: “He could there do no mighty work.” Yes, He, the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, could do nothing mighty there. He was the ever dependent and obedient man who had come to do not His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made;” yet He could there do no mighty work. Blessed Lord! greater art Thou to me in Thy weakness thus, than in Thy strength, whereby all things consist. And yet there was the gracious exercise of healing as far as was morally consistent with the people and the place in God's eyes. For He did lay His hands upon a few sick folk and healed them. “And he marveled,” adds the Spirit of God, “because of their unbelief.” This did not, however, hinder His testimony in the neighborhood; for He “went round about the villages teaching.”
Secondly, He called the twelve and began to send them forth by two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits, and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only, &c. I do not think the importance of the Lord's sending out His servants, whether the twelve or others, is adequately estimated by most. It was not yet, it could not be till His death and resurrection, that their mission could have its full character of world-wide grace. Still it is a most precious principle, this sending out of His messengers with a message of grace; as it was a new thing in the earth. And what a tale it told of the real, though hidden, glory of Him who sent them! For who could thus commission, and qualify with power over unclean spirits, save one who was consciously divine? And what injunctions for His ambassadors! “No scrip, no bread, no money in their purse, but shod with sandals, and not two coats.” Truly His kingdom and His service were not of this world: else would the Lord have provided otherwise. Yet they went forth with the fullest sense of authority. “And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.” How wise and careful of the dignity of His messengers, as well as watchful lest the message should be compromised by the self-seeking of those charged with it! “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.” That He was the Son of God, the Savior, did not lessen but aggravate the criminality of those who despised Him in their persons. “Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city.” The substance of this preaching was that men should repent. There is no divine work in the sinner without repentance. There may be a sort of belief of no value without it: indeed nothing is more common in Christendom. But it is not so where the Holy Spirit is at work, who plows up the conscience as well as brings home to the heart the good seed that may be sown. External signs accompanied them; for they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
The third point to be noticed now is the solemn history of conscience in king Herod; who, on hearing the fame of Jesus, imputed the miracles to John the Baptist, as risen from the dead. There was the usual variety of opinion and uncertainty among men: but Herod's bad conscience made him positive that it was John whom he had beheaded. What a torment even here it is, unless in the yet more desperate case of those who are religiously seared! the Holy Spirit then turns aside to give the account of the circumstances, and to explain why Herod was thus uneasy and perplexed. The wicked Herodias, whom the tetrarch had guiltily married, though she was his brother's wife, had sought her revenge in vain. For, spite of his censure, John stood high in Herod's esteem as a just and holy man; and Herod, having heard him, did much and listened gladly. But there the fair show ended. Satan found the way to shut him up to a course from which there was no escape, save by repentance and the acknowledgment of his sins. It grew out of a royal revel where Herodias' daughter danced to the content of Herod and his guests, and drew from the king the rash promise, with an oath, to give her what she asked to the half of his kingdom. Now was the opportunity of the vindictive adulteress, who instructed her daughter to demand at once the head of John the Baptist upon a dish. And the king, (whose fear for John had no higher source than nature,) while very sorry, yields for the sake of his character before his guests, immediately sends one of the guard to dispatch the prisoner, and presents his head to the damsel, as she also does to her mother. What an evident net of Satan's laying for the feet of one who was not without feeling! and how powerless is conscience, where God's servant is in one scale and the poor plighted honor of man in the other! How simple it all is in God's presence! The devil's promises are better broken than kept.