(12) He went out into a mountain to pray.--Better, into the mountain, or, the hill-country. The stress laid on the prayers of Jesus is again characteristic of St. Luke. Continued all night in prayer to God.--The original, at least, admits of another rendering. The word translated "prayer" (proseuche) had come to be applied to the place dedicated to prayer--the chapel or oratory by the river-side, or on the mountain-side, where there was a running stream available for ablutions, to which devout Jews could retire for their devotions. Such a proseuche there seems to have been at Philippi (Acts 16:13). Another is named at Halicarnassus. Such, the language of Roman poets (in qua te qu?ro proseucha, Juvenal, Sat. iii. 296) shows us, there were at Rome. The fact mentioned by Josephus that there was one near Tiberias (Life, c. 54) shows that they were not unknown in Galilee. The precise combination of words--literally, in the prayer of God--is not found elsewhere for prayer as offered to God. Verses 12-19. - The choice of the twelve. Verse 12. And it came to pass in those days. That is to say, in the course of his ministry in Galilee, especially in the thickly populated district lying round the Lake of Genessaret, and after the events related in ch. 5. and the first eleven verses of ch. 6, Jesus proceeded to choose, out of the company of those who had especially attached themselves to him, twelve who should henceforth be always with him. These he purposed to train up as the authorized exponents of his doctrine, and as the future leaders of his Church. Things had assumed a new aspect during the last few months. Jerusalem and the hierarchy, supported by the great teachers of that form of Judaism which for so long a period had swayed the hearts of the people, had, although not yet openly, declared against the views and teaching of Jesus. His acts - but far more his words - had gathered round him, especially in Galilee, in the north and central districts of Palestine, a large and rapidly increasing following. It was necessary that some steps should be taken at once to introduce among the people who had received his words gladly, some kind of organization; hence the formal choice of the twelve, who from henceforth stood nearest to him. We possess the following four lists of these twelve men: - Matthew 10:2-4....Simon Andrew James John Philip Bartholomew Thomas Matthew James of Alphaeus Lebbaeus Simon the Kananite Judas Iscariot Mark 3:16-19.... Simon James John Andrew Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James of Alphaeus Thaddaeus Simon the Kananite Judas Iscariot Luke 6:14-16.... Simon Andrew James John Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas James of Alphaeus Simon Zelotes Judas of James Judas Iscariot Acts 1:13.... Peter James John Andrew Philip Thomas Bartholomew Matthew James of Alphaeus Simon Zelotes Judas of James He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 6:12-19 We often think one half hour a great deal to spend in meditation and secret prayer, but Christ was whole nights engaged in these duties. In serving God, our great care should be not to lose time, but to make the end of one good duty the beginning of another. The twelve apostles are here named; never were men so privileged, yet one of them had a devil, and proved a traitor. Those who have not faithful preaching near them, had better travel far than be without it. It is indeed worth while to go a great way to hear the word of Christ, and to go out of the way of other business for it. They came to be cured by him, and he healed them. There is a fulness of grace in Christ, and healing virtue in him, ready to go out from him, that is enough for all, enough for each. Men regard the diseases of the body as greater evils than those of their souls; but the Scripture teaches us differently.And it came to pass in those days,.... When Christ was teaching by the lake of Gennesaret, or in one or other of the cities of Galilee near that place: that he went out; of the synagogue and city where he had been: into a mountain to pray; for the sake of solitude, and which lay near the sea of Tiberias; See Gill on Matthew 14:23. and continued all night in prayer to God; or "with" God, as the Ethiopic version renders it; or "in the prayer of God" as the phrase may be literally rendered; not in a prayer of God's making; though the Jews (m) sometimes speak of the prayer of God, and give us a form of it: but either this respects the object of his prayer; it was made to God, as our translation suggests; or the nature, matter, and manner of it: it was a divine prayer, it regarded divine things, and was put up in a very fervent manner, and with great vehemence; so the coals of love or jealousy are said to be "coals of fire, which hath , the flame of Jehovah"; that is as we render it, "a most vehement flame", Sol 8:6 In like manner, "prayer of God" is a most vehement prayer; strong cries sent up to God with great eagerness and importunity, fervency, and devotion; and such was Christ's prayer, and in which he continued all night: unless by the prayer of God should be meant, as is thought by many, an house of prayer to God, in which Christ lodged all night, and spent it in prayer to God in it. Certain it is, the Jews had their "proseuchre", or prayer houses. Philo the Jew (n) often speaks of them, and so does Josephus (o); and there seems to be mention made of them in the Talmudic writings: when R. Jochanan ben Zaccai came to Vespasian, in his camp before Jerusalem, Vespasian asked him, what he should give him? he replied (p), "I desire nothing of thee but this "Jabneh", (a famous university,) that I may teach in it the disciples, and fix in it "an oratory", or "prayer house", and do in it, all the commandments said in the law.'' And in another place (q), "R. Judah says, that Samuel said it is free for a man to make water within four cubits, , which I should choose to render, "of the proseucha", or "prayer house":'' though the Gemarists afterwards, and so the gloss seem to explain it of the time after prayer, in which a man should wait before he evacuates, even as long as he might go the length of four cubits. Juvenal (r) has reference to one of these oratories, when he says, "in qua te qucero proseucha?" and in one of these, it is very likely, Christ was in prayer all night long; for by the sea side, and by the side of rivers, these oratories were used to be; Acts 16:13. (m) T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 7. 1. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 56, fol. 50. 2.((n) De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 685. in Flaccum, p. 971, 972, 982. leg. ad Caium. p. 1011, 1012, 1013, 1014, 1016, 1040, 1043. (o) In Vita. (p) Abot R. Nathan, c. 4. fol. 2. 4. (q) T. Bab. Megilia, fol. 27. 2.((r) Satyr. 3. l. 295. |
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