Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:
(Mark 1:1) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark began his retelling of the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ. He acknowledged He was the Son of God. Mark began by stating that what followed was the good news of Christ, not so much a life story, but the part that pertained to the salvation over death.
Mark was one of the extended group of disciples or followers of Jesus, a member of the early church. The disciples met at his mother's home (Acts 12:12). The early church leader Papias (c. 60-135 A.D.) wrote that Mark transcribed the teachings of Peter, so he had the eyewitness reports of Peter. It is possible he witnessed the arrest of Jesus, as there is a veiled reference to that in his gospel account. Called John Mark in references in the Bible, he probably wrote his account about 20 years after the death of Christ.
(2) As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."
Mark began his gospel account with the prophecies in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, that God would send a messenger before Jesus who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
(3) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'"
The rest of the prophecy speaks of a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. This was, of course, John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. He did so in the wilderness that represented the lost world, and he made straight the crooked paths of false doctrine and faulty judgment.
(4) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Mark went on to describe what John did in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. He preached repentance and performed baptisms as a sign of repentance for the remission of sins.
(5) And there went out to him all the land of Judea, and those of Jerusalem, and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
People from Jerusalem and all the region of Judea came out to see and hear John and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, after confessing their sins.
(6) And John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt about his loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
John came very plainly, not in royal pomp and circumstance, but he lived an austere life in the wilderness, wearing animal skins and eating only what was readily available to him. His only purpose was to proclaim the coming Messiah and prepare the way for Him.
(7) And preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen."
John preached about One coming after him who was much greater than he was, meaning, of course, the Messiah. He described himself as being totally unworthy to even unstrap His sandals.
(8) "I indeed have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost."
It was as if John was saying not to rest solely in his water baptism. His external water baptism was just a sign of a repentant heart, but the greater One coming after him would baptize the inner man with the Holy Spirit.
(9) And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
While John was preaching and baptizing in the wilderness, Jesus came to him for the expressed purpose of being baptized by him according to the account in Matthew (Matthew 3:13). Jesus was indeed baptized by John in the Jordan River.
(10) And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.
As Jesus came up out of the water of His baptism, the heavens opened up, and the Holy Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove lighting on Him.
(11) And there came a voice from heaven, saying, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Matthew described it as the voice saying "This is My beloved Son..." Mark described the voice as speaking directly to Jesus. The point is that the three distinct persons of the Holy Trinity were represented here and well pleasing to God: God the Father in heaven above, His Holy Spirit, and His Son in human form on earth.
(12) And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
Immediately after His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit deeper into the wilderness. Matthew added in Matthew 4:1 that this was for the purpose of being tempted by the devil.
(13) And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
Mark gave a very concise account of Jesus's temptations in the wilderness. According to Matthew 4:2-11 Jesus was indeed there in the wilderness forty days and He was fasting, at which point Satan tempted our Lord when He was at His weakest as a human. Of course, Jesus, having no sin in Him, did not give in to the temptations, and sent Satan packing, at which time the angels came and ministered to Him.
(14) Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.
In the concise manner that Mark wrote this, it shows that when John's work was done and he was put into prison, then Jesus came into Galilee and began His ministry, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.
(15) And saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel."
Jesus preached that the time of the Messiah, as foretold by the prophets, was at that time come. He called the people to repent and believe His gospel.
(16) Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
As Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon, who was also called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea, as they were fishermen.
(17) And Jesus said to them, "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
Jesus called to Simon Peter and Andrew to come follow Him and He would make them fishers of men, surely a more excellent employment.
(18) And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
Immediately they left the tools of their livelihood behind to follow Jesus. There must have been some Holy Spirit guidance to have them give up all at Jesus's first call.
(19) And when He had gone a little further from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the ship mending their nets.
Jesus went a little further from where He had called Peter and Andrew, and He saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, also in the ship mending their nets. Perhaps He had seen Peter and Andrew on one end of a ship casting their nets while James and John were mending their nets at the opposite end of the same ship, or perhaps also meant that they, too, were employed with nets for fishing.
(20) And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him.
Jesus called James and John immediately upon seeing them, as you can be sure that they had been called long before their births for that time. They also left their livelihoods and their father to join Jesus and follow Him.
(21) And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the sabbath day, He entered the synagogue and taught.
Jesus and His disciples went to Capernaum. It seems it was on the Sabbath, and Jesus immediately entered the synagogue and taught.
(22) And they were astonished at His doctrine, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
The people were astonished at Jesus's teaching, for He taught as one with authority, one who really knew God and His doctrine, not as the scribes who would merely read off the pages.
(23) And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, (24) Saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!"
There was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit, or spirits, as it appears from what they said to Jesus. Perhaps rather the spirit was talking for all the other demonic spirits that possessed people all over the region. The evil spirit recognized Jesus right away, even though the man it possessed probably did not up to that point. If that doesn't prove Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against...spiritual wickedness..," I don't know what does! If only we could remember that! The spirit asked Jesus to leave them, all evil spirits, alone, saying they had nothing to do with Him, which of course they didn't, but He certainly had something to do with them as they destroyed men's souls. The evil spirit asked if Jesus had come to destroy them, recognizing Him as the Holy One of God, who was quite capable of doing just that.
(25) And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Hold your peace and come out of him."
Jesus told the spirit to be quiet and commanded it to come out of the man it was possessing.
(26) And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried with a loud voice, it came out of him.
The evil spirit had to obey Jesus's command, but on its way out of the man, it caused the man to convulse and cry out in a loud voice.
(27) And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him."
The people in the synagogue were amazed and began to talk among themselves, wondering what they were witnessing. They were hearing a doctrine spoken by someone who seemed to have authority, and they had never heard anything like that from the scribes. He also had authority over unclean spirits that had to obey Him, and they had certainly never witnessed anything like that!
(28) And immediately His fame spread abroad throughout all the region around Galilee.
Jesus's fame spread beyond Capernaum where He had taught in the synagogue and driven out the evil spirit, throughout all the region beyond Galilee, as people reported what they had witnessed.
(29) And immediately after they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
The sermon in the synagogue being over, Simon Peter and Andrew went home, and apparently invited Jesus, James, and John into their home, as well.
(30) But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and at once they told Him about her.
There in Simon Peter's home was also his mother-in-law who was sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her right away upon entering his house.
(31) And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered to them.
Jesus came to the woman, took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. She was so completely recovered that she then began to serve the men.
(32) And at evening when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were diseased and those who were possessed with devils.
In the evening, after the sun had set, and the Sabbath was over, when it was now seen as lawful to heal, they, either His disciples with Him at the time or more likely people hearing of his fame, brought to Jesus all manner of people who were diseased and those who were demon-possessed.
(33) And all the city was gathered together at the door.
All the inhabitants of the city of Capernaum were gathered at Peter's door to witness the healing of the people that had been brought to Jesus.
(34) And He healed many who were sick of diverse diseases, and cast out many devils, and did not allow the devils to speak because they knew Him.
Jesus healed many who were sick with various different diseases and He cast out many demons. The verse does not mean to suggest He did not cure them all, but rather that the number who were cured was many. The evil spirits who possessed people all knew Jesus, but He did not allow them to speak this time. I believe the spirit was allowed to speak the first time to demonstrate to us that the spirit knew Jesus, but now it was not helpful to have all those demonic spirits testifying of Jesus, as it might seem to the people that He had a confederacy with them, as the Pharisees had suggested back in Matthew, that He worked miracles by the power of the devil.
(35) And in the morning, having risen a great while before day, He went out and departed to a solitary place and there prayed.
Very early the next morning Jesus left Peter's house and went to a solitary place to pray. It is worthy to note how often Jesus prayed. You would think as God, He didn't need to pray. However, as man, He may have used prayer to strengthen Himself for the work at hand, or perhaps most importantly to teach us that we should pray about all things.
(36) And Simon and those with him followed after Him.
Simon Peter and probably just those who would have spent the night in Peter's house, certainly Andrew and perhaps James and John, followed after Jesus.
(37) And when they had found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for you."
It seems they may not have immediately followed after Jesus and seen where He had gone, but rather had to search for Him. When they found Him, they told Him that everyone was looking for Him.
(38) And He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came."
Jesus was not concerned with the multitudes who were looking for Him, but rather suggested to His disciples that they go into other towns to also preach there, for that is the reason He had come into this world, to preach the Gospel.
(39) And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
Jesus indeed preached in the synagogues of the towns throughout Galilee. Jesus also cast out devils. Mark doesn't say here that Jesus healed people, but that He cast out devils. I'm sure He did both, but it makes one wonder if many diseases are demon-caused? Perhaps Mark was just making the point that Jesus came to destroy Satan and death.
I had to wonder at this point if Jesus was preaching throughout Galilee with just the four disciples He had called up to that time. The answer can be found in Papias's description of Mark's writing, "Mark became Peter's interpreter and wrote accurately all that he remembered, not, indeed, in order, of the things said and done by the Lord." Although Mark was accurate, he did not write events in the order that they occurred, so it is very likely that the twelve disciples were with Jesus by the time He taught throughout Galilee.
Another point of interest regarding the writings of Mark, is that Luke, when beginning his gospel account, wrote in the first verse of the first chapter that he would "set forth in order" the events in the gospel, and then again in verse 3, "It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you in order..." It really does seem that Luke is making the point that his gospel would be in order, whereas others, probably particularly Mark, had not written the events in order. That is not to say that Luke disputed anything that Mark wrote, as he appears to have quoted Mark more often than any other source. Luke 1:2 acknowledges that "...those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us." However, Luke set out to write it in a more orderly fashion.
(40) And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying to Him, "If You will, You can make me clean."
While Jesus was preaching in the towns throughout Galilee, there came to Him a leper on his knees begging Him to heal him. The man had no doubt that Jesus could heal him, but he asked that He be willing to do it for him.
(41) And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean."
Jesus was moved with compassion for the man who had so humbly sought His help. He reached out and touched the man, which was actually unlawful to do, to touch anything unclean. He told the man He was willing to make him clean, and commanded so.
(42) And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
As soon as Jesus spoke the command to be clean, the leprosy left the man and he was cleansed. It was not necessary that Jesus touch the unclean man; He could have just commanded he be healed. I believe the reason is in the statement that Jesus was moved with compassion, with love for this poor man who had so long suffered, who had come to Him humbly, having faith He could cure him if He wanted. Jesus loves all us poor sinners, and He came to be in the midst of our filthy sinful world to rescue us all. I believe with His gesture, Jesus showed us that no sin is too unclean or too bad that He cannot forgive and heal us. Another way to look at this is that Jesus saw the man as he was, as God created him to be. He was not unclean; he was a victim of sin in a sinful world. As Jesus touched him, he indeed was made clean.
(43) And He sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, (44) And said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
Jesus sternly warned the man to say nothing about Jesus's healing of him, but to go immediately to the priest, make his offering as commanded by Moses in the law, and be pronounced clean by the priest as the law required, and that would be his public testimony. Although he was completely cleansed by Jesus, at that time, Jesus wanted to have him obey the law and not bring unwanted attention too soon to Jesus's ministry. It was not the time yet. Besides, another reason might have been that people would not have judged him to be truly clean if they knew it came from Jesus and not from the priest's proclamation that he was genuinely cured.
(45) But he went out and began to publish it much and blaze the matter abroad, so much that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every quarter.
Despite Jesus's stern charge, the man went out spreading the good news of his healing far and wide. I'm sure it was not with any bad intention to disobey Jesus, but he was so overjoyed, he could not contain himself. However, the result was that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but He stayed out in more deserted places, but still the people came to him from all over.
In this first chapter of Mark, he tells how Jesus began His ministry. He did not write about Jesus's birth and early years, as some of the other gospel writers did, but began with what he called from the beginning, "the gospel of Jesus Christ," His message and ministry.
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