_dead_: for he received his disciples in prison and could give counsel and direction to those without. He did not cease to shine for _them_. I take these words to mean that he was no longer a light to the Priests and Levites. They had gone to him when he was preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, Matth. iii. 5, and afterwards they had sent to him in Bethany beyond Jordan: he was now in the territory of Herod, and there he was out of sight, and with the Priests and Levites he was out of mind. They could not make him a partisan or an ally and they had given him up. If John was in prison at this time, his imprisonment must have been a recent event, and we should expect our Lord to allude to it when He speaks of him. 140 Mark i. 14, 15. 141 Mark i. 16-20. 142 For instance, if the separate probability of each of two events is 1/10, that of the joint event is 1/10 x 1/10 or 1/100, or there are ninety-nine chances to one against it. 143 Acts ii. 41. 144 Luke v. 4. 145 Luke v. 8. 146 Mark i. 22. 147 By comparing the Sermon on the Mount with the parallel passages in St Luke we find that much of it must have been spoken after the call of the Apostles: this applies particularly to the latter half of the discourse. 148 Matt. v. 38-41. 149 Acts i. 8. 150 Luke v. 17. 151 Matth. ix. 14-17. I here adopt St Matthew’s version in preference to that of St Mark ii. 16-22. St Matthew was not likely to forget any circumstance of his call, least of all the words then used by our Lord; and the quotation “I will have mercy and not sacrifice” which he alone relates, is exactly in our Lord’s manner. The passage printed above differs also from St Mark’s version in this, that in the latter the _disciples of the Pharisees_ put the question together with John’s disciples. Some disciples of John may have belonged to the Pharisees as their religious party. 152 Luke xi. 1. 153 St Mark distinguishes between these two objects of our Lord’s care, the multitude and the disciples. When our Lord after His journey to the North is passing through Galilee we read that “He passed through Galilee, and would not that any man should know it, for he taught His _disciples_.” Mark ix. 31. And soon after, when he is beyond Jordan, we have “and _multitudes_ came together unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught _them_ again.” Mark x. 1. 154 viz. after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Matth. xiv. 23. 155 viz., “that they might be with him and that he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to cast out devils.” Mark iii. 14, 15.