Mr 6:1
6:1 And {1} he went out from thence, and came into his own
    country; and his disciples follow him.

 (1) The faithless world by no means diminishes the virtue of
     Christ, but knowingly and willingly it deprives itself of
     the efficacy of it being offered unto them.

Mr 6:2
6:2 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 {a} mighty
    works are wrought by his hands?

    (a) The word signifies powers or virtues, by which are meant
        those wonderful works that Christ did which showed and
        set forth the virtue and power of his Godhead to all the
        world; Mt 7:22.

Mr 6:3
6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of
    James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his
    {b} sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

    (b) This word is used after the manner of the Hebrews, who
        by brethren and sisters understand all relatives.

Mr 6:4
6:4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without {c}
    honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and
    in his own house.

    (c) Not only has that honour taken from him which is rightly
        due to him, but also has evil spoken of him and his
        words are misrepresented.

Mr 6:5
6:5 And he {d} could there do no mighty work, save that he laid
    his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed [them].

    (d) That is, he would not: for we need to have faith if we
        are going to receive the works of God.

Mr 6:7
6:7 {2} And he called [unto him] the twelve, and began to send
    them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean
    spirits;

 (2) The disciples are prepared for that general apostleship by
     a special sending forth.

Mr 6:8
6:8 {3} And commanded them that they should take nothing for
    [their] journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no
    money in [their] purse:

 (3) Faithful pastors should not have their minds set even on
     things that are necessary for this life, if they might be a
     hindrance unto them, even if it is just a small hindrance.

Mr 6:9
6:9 But [be] shod with {e} sandals; and not put on {f} two
    coats.

    (e) The word properly signifies women's shoes.
    (f) That is they should take no change of garments with
        them, so that they might be lighter for this journey
        and travel more quickly.

Mr 6:10
6:10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into
     an house, {g} there abide till ye depart from that place.

     (g) That is, do not change your inns in this short journey.

Mr 6:11
6:11 {4} 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. Verily I say unto you, It shall be
     more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of
     judgment, than for that city.

 (4) The Lord severely avenges evil done to his servants.

Mr 6:13
6:13 And they cast out many devils, and {h} anointed with oil
     many that were sick, and healed [them].

     (h) This oil was a token and a sign of his marvellous
         virtue: and seeing that the gift of healing has stopped
         a good while since, the ceremony of anointing which is
         yet carried on by some is of no purpose.

Mr 6:14
6:14 {5} And king Herod heard [of him]; (for his name was spread
     abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from
     the dead, and therefore mighty {i} works do shew forth
     themselves in him.

 (5) The gospel confirms the godly and vexes the wicked.
     (i) The word signifies powers, by which is meant the power of
         working miracles.

Mr 6:15
6:15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is
     a prophet, or as one of {k} the prophets.

     (k) Of the old prophets.

Mr 6:16
6:16 But when Herod heard [thereof], he said, It is John, whom I
     {l} beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

     (l) Commanded to be beheaded.

Mr 6:19
6:19 Therefore Herodias {m} had a quarrel against him, and would
     have killed him; but she could not:

     (m) Sought all means to hurt him.

Mr 6:20
6:20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and
     an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did
     many things, and heard him {n} gladly.

     (n) The tyrant was very well content to hear sentence
         pronounced against himself, but the seed fell upon
         stony places.

Mr 6:22
6:22 And when the daughter {o} of the said Herodias came in, and
     danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the
     king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt,
     and I will give [it] thee.

     (o) This same Herodias had the daughter by Philip, not
         by Herod Antipas, and Josephus called the daughter
         Salome.

Mr 6:24
6:24 And {p} she went forth, and said unto her mother, What
     shall I ask?  And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

     (p) For women did not used to eat with men.

Mr 6:27
6:27 And immediately the king sent an {q} executioner, and
     commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded
     him in the prison,

     (q) The word signifies one that bears a short lance, and
         the king's guard was so called because they bore short
         lances.

Mr 6:31
6:31 {6} And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a
     desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming
     and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

 (6) Such as follow Christ will lack nothing, not even in the
     wilderness, but they will have an abundance.  And how
     wicked a thing it is not to look during this temporal life
     to the hands of the one who gives everlasting life!

Mr 6:37
6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And
     they say unto him, {r} Shall we go and buy {s} two hundred
     pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

     (r) This is a kind of demand and wondering, with a subtle
         mockery, which men commonly use when they begin to get
         angry and refuse to do something.
     (s) Which is about twenty crowns, which is five pounds.

Mr 6:39
6:39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by {t} companies
     upon the green grass.

     (t) Literally, "by banquets", after the manner of the
         Hebrews who have no distributive words; see Mr 6:7.
         Now he calls the rows of the sitters, "banquets".

Mr 6:40
6:40 And they sat down in {u} ranks, by hundreds, and by
     fifties.

     (u) The word signifies the beds in a garden, and it is
         literally, "by beds and beds", meaning by this that
         they sat down in rows one by another, as beds in a
         garden.

Mr 6:45
6:45 {7} And straightway he constrained his disciples to get
     into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto
     Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

 (7) The faithful servants of God after their little labour are
     subject to a great tempest which Christ, being present in
     power although absent in body, moderates in such a way
     that he brings them to a happy haven, at such time and by
     such means as they did not expect: A graphic image of the
     Church tossed to and fro in this world.

Mr 6:46
6:46 And when he had sent {x} them away, he departed into a
     mountain to pray.

     (x) His disciples.

Mr 6:51
6:51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind
     ceased: and they were {y} sore amazed in themselves beyond
     measure, and wondered.

     (y) They were still so amazed when they knew that it was
         no spirit, that they were much more astonished than
         they ever were before, when they saw the wind and the
         sea obey his commandment.

Mr 6:52
6:52 For they {z} considered not [the miracle] of the loaves:
     for their heart was hardened.

     (z) Either they did not perceive, or had not well
         considered that miracle of the five loaves, to the
         point that the virtue of Christ was just as strange to
         them as if they had not been present at that miracle
         which was done just a little before.

Mr 6:54
6:54 {8} And when they were come out of the ship, straightway
     they knew him,

 (8) Christ being rejected in his own country, and suddenly
     arriving to those who had not looked for him, is received
     to their great profit.

Mr 6:56
6:56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or
     country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought
     him that they might touch if it were but the border of his
     garment: and as many as touched {a} him were made whole.

     (a) Or the hem of his garment.