Chapter 8:18-27 Discipleship Tested

8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
He gave commandment to depart unto the other side - Different were the reasons, which at certain times moved Christ to depart from the multitude; as that He might have an opportunity of private prayer, or to preach to others, or to show He sought not popular applause: His reasons here seem to be--- 

*with respect to Himself, that being wearied as man, with the work of the day, He might have an opportunity of refreshing Himself with sleep; 

*with respect to His disciples, that He might have a trial of their faith, when in danger at sea; 

*and with respect to the multitude, because of their carnality, and sole concern for their temporal, and worldly good.

8:19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.
and said unto Him, Master, or Rabbi, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest - One would have thought, that this man desired in good earnest to be a disciple of Christ, were it not for Christ's answer to him, who knew his heart: from whence it appears.

8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.

but the son of man has not where to lay His head - when He is weary, and wants rest and sleep, as He did at this time. 

So that though he was Lord of all, as being the mighty God; yet as "the son of man", a phrase, expressive both of the truth and meanness of His human nature, the most despicable of creatures in the earth and air, were richer than He. 

This He said, to convince the Scribe of his mistake; who expected much worldly grandeur and wealth, by becoming His disciple.

8:21 And another of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

Another of His disciples - This does not mean any of the twelve, but one of those who were constant hearers of our Lord's preaching; the name of disciple being common to all those who professed to believe in Him.

8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow Me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Nothing, not even the duties of filial love, must be allowed to come in conflict with the command of Christ, “Follow me.”

I take it that this is not so much a word to the common disciple as to a disciple called out to a special ministry: “Your ministry is to be your first, your main, your only occupation: ‘follow me: and let the dead bury their dead.’

8:23 And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed Him.

His disciples followed Him into the ship, and they only; for as for the men hereafter mentioned, they were the men that belonged to the ship, and had the management of it: the multitude were dismissed, and in order to be clear of them.

8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but He was asleep.

Q: What! a tempest where Christ is? 

A: Yes, it is generally so. If all seems very calm, thou mayest question whether Christ is there, but when He goes into the ship, and His disciples follow Him, it is not remarkable that the devil comes after Him.

8:25 And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

Lord, save us: we perish - One advantage of trials is to make us know our weakness, so as to oblige us to have recourse to God by faith in Christ.

8:26 And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

“A great calm.” No ordinary stillness of the sea; but it was a great calm, as the tempest had been great which had preceded it.

8:27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!

They did not know their Lord yet; nor do we. 

Perhaps we have to go to sea to learn more of Him, 

I mean that troubles and trials of a greater sort 

than we have known before may yet have to come 

to be our schoolmasters to teach us what Jesus is.

Chapter 8:14-17 Peter's Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed

8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
And when Jesus was come into Peter's house - And which was also Andrew's, for these two brothers lived together, and this was in Capernaum, as appears from the context.
and sick of a fever - Luke says, Luke 4:38 that she "was taken", or rather held, or "detained with a great fever"; the distemper was very raging and furious, it had got to a very great height.

8:15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

And He touched her hand -  Sometimes He healed by a word, as the centurion's servant; and sometimes by a touch, as here; and sometimes by both, as the leper. And she arose and ministered unto them - the former of these actions is a proof of her being restored to health and strength, in so much that she could rise and walk about of herself;

8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick:

When the even was come - because the cool of the evening, and when the sun was set, it was more seasonable and convenient, in those hot countries, to bring out their sick, than in the heat of the day.

8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Whereby was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah - He spoke it in a more exalted sense. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in His own body on the tree: in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and healing us of the diseases which were the fruit of sin.