Mark 1:1-3
Malachi prophesied that there was a time coming. It was a day of judgment of fire. Then he said, "But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings." From these dark times, God gave these people a hope on the horizon. This was the promise of a better time, a better day when righteousness and justice would prevail and all sin would be called to account. This prophecy was a threat for those who rebelled against the Lord, but a great promise to those who feared His name.
Mark begins his account with the announcement of the 'beginning'. It was a new beginning, a new time. The silence was coming to an end, the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ had dawned. This came about just as it had been written by the prophets. The quotation is a blend of Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1; both announce the coming messenger. Mark pointed to these passages to show that John the Baptist is the fulfillment of them. He was a messenger to announce the coming of the Sun of Righteousness.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Mark 1:4-8
John seemed to show up in the wilderness baptizing and preaching. John is identifiable by his clothes and diet as an Old Testament prophet. Suddenly, in the midst of the wilderness of dark and silent years came a voice of one crying out that the messiah was coming. The language of Isiah and Malachi speaks of a messenger preparing the way for a very great king. John called folks to repentance and baptized them as a ceremonial cleansing. This baptism would soon be identified as a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
John's message spread far and wide. Mark said all the land of Judea , as well as Jerusalem, went out to be baptized. The Jordan was twenty miles east of Jerusalem; so, folks in Jerusalem were traveling that far. Some of those in Judea were traveling much further than that. The other gospels tell of the priests and Levites coming out to question John. They wanted to know if he was the messiah, Elijah (Mal 4:5) or the Prophet (Deut 18:15-18), a reference to Moses. The Pharisees were there also questioning John, wanting to know why he was baptizing. They were questioning his authority to do this. Jews washed with water as a purification ritual, but baptism was associated with the conversion of Gentiles. It's clear the religious powers of Judaism were feeling threatened by John as he got all this attention.
John brought the promise of another baptism, that of the Holy Spirit. The One that was coming was greater than he. John said he didn't even qualify to perform the task of a slave for the coming messiah. The apostle John,
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. (John 1:9)
Mark 1:9-11
It was in these days of John's ministry when Jesus came to John to be baptized. Mark didn't give a reason for this. After all, Jesus had no sin to be cleansed from or to repent of. Matthew 3:15 tells us it was to 'fulfill all righteousness'. The fulfilling of righteousness was the working out of God's plan. In baptism, Jesus is identifying Himself as a man, to step fully into man's predicament. It was also symbolic of his death and resurrection for us; a picture of what He was about to do. In doing so, an acceptance of the ministry He would perform. Much more is said of the baptism in the other gospels but Mark keeps is simple.
Jesus came. He was baptized. When He came up from the water, testimony was given by God the Father to the identity of Jesus and evidenced by the descending of the Spirit. There were many people coming to John to be baptized. John recognized Jesus as the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. There were likely many who saw this event. Imagine standing nearby. Most Jews would have known from their teaching that some day the messiah would come. But coming to this Elijah-like prophet in the wilderness is vastly different than they would have expected.
Mark 1:12-13
Jesus was driven to the wilderness by the Spirit. The words 'drove Him' are forceful. They don't imply that Jesus fought against this in any way. This was a necessary season Jesus had to experience as part of being a man and identifying with man. The wilderness was a 'desolate place' where Jesus was confronted by Satan. Mark uses the word Satan, adversary and accuser while Mathew and Luke both say he was confronted by 'diablos'; the devil. Jesus was tested for 40 days by the Satan and then Mark adds, he 'was with the wild beasts". In the Hebrew mind, the wilderness was a gloomy and scary place, a place of terror where devils and unclean beasts resided.
The forty days spent in the wilderness was probably to show association with the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness. Jesus would accomplish what they would not.
- Satan tested: If you are the Son, tell the stones to become bread.
- Jesus replied, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Deut 8:3)
- In their Journey from the slavery of Egypt to the promised land, God's children grumbled for bread while failing to trust God's word. Where they failed to trust the Lord's provision and care, Jesus succeeded
- Satan took him to the pinnacle of the temple and tested: If you are the Son throw yourself down. Then Satan quotes scripture imply the angels would care for Him if He is really the Son.
- Jesus replied, " "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Deut 6:16)
- The children of Israel doubted the Lord's presence and longed to return to the comfortable place of slavery where each day was like the previous and no faith was required. They didn't trust the Lord for water and tested Him at Massah. Where they failed to trust and exercise faith Jesus succeeded.
- Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and promised Him the kingdoms if He would just bow down and worship him.
- Jesus rebuked Satan, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Deut 6:13)
- The passage Jesus quotes is a warning about forgetting Yahweh and forgetting all the promises He made to them. He didn't lead them from slavery to abandon them in the wilderness. Yet, the Israelites were fearful and didn't believe God was able to deliver them to these promises. They were timid, reserved and looking for a safe and comfortable place for flesh when faith could lead to the great promised blessings. Where they failed, Jesus would succeed. He would be the firstfruits of many to follow Him to the eternal promise of eternal life.
The first Adam failed the test in the garden of beauty; the second Adam passed His test in the lonely wilderness. The law could not deliver the children to the promised land; their flesh overwhelmed their faith. Christ came to do what no mere man could accomplish so that by grace all mankind might enter the promise.
It was forty days of fasting and preparation by Jesus to face these three tests. If Jesus had to fast for forty days to face the devil, how much more preparation do we need when we find our self in the wilderness?
We can see, in the presence of faith and trust; in obedience and submission God sent His angels to minister to Jesus. I believe He still does this today for us when we exercise faith and trust, obedience and submission in a difficult season or place in the wilderness.
Mark 1:14-15
John was taken into custody by Herod and thrown in prison. John had announced a new era and his work was done. Mark shows us that John's ministry had come to an end and the ministry of Jesus was beginning. This is the official close of the Old Testament. Knowledge of Jesus became widespread. The time had come, as determined by God, for the good news of Jesus. The kingdom of God was drawing near. God had not ruled on the earth since the garden of Eden. Now, He has come and the time is rapidly approaching. The beginning of the gospel ministry brought the kingdom of God one step closer.
Jesus went to Galilee, out of the reach of Herod. Luke tells us He returned there in the 'power of the Spirit'. He wasn't running from anything but moving into His home base of ministry. There were men there who He would call, who would follow Him as He changed the world.
Luke tells us at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus went to Nazareth, He entered the synagogue and read from Isaiah:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,[1]
This is the beginning of the mission statement of Jesus. He would bring the good news to those who are poor in spirit, those who know their need and cry out to Him. He would heal those brokenhearted over sin. He would free those enslaved to sin and proclaim liberty and victory. He would loose those bound with the chains of death by offering eternal life. He would proclaim the 'acceptable year'; the changing of covenants. The time had come. There silence was broken. The Sun of Righteousness was rising, the darkness was ending.
It's worth noting that Jesus stopped in the middle of a sentence when He quoted Isaiah. There was a comma there, not a period, in the middle of Isaiah 61:2. The rest of the send is:
And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.
We live in the church age, the days of the spread of the good news. But that season will end when Jesus finishes the sentence. The Day of the Lord is coming. It is a day of vengeance when all sin debt would come due. There won't be any unbelievers or agnostics left in those days. Everyone will know of the Lord. Those who have rejected His kind offer of Grace will pay their own penalty of sin. Christ bore the sins of man and all who repent and trust in Him would have their sin debt erased. Not only that, but we would also be given an account of righteousness. This is amazing grace.
Finish reading Isaiah 61.
Mark 1:16-20
For Simon and Andrew, it was just another day at work as fishermen. This was primary means of earning a living for many in that region. For Simon and Andrew, this was their life; at least until that day Jesus came by. They were called by Jesus to, "Follow me". Instead of a life spent fishing in the sea of Galilee to feed themselves and men, Jesus called them and equipped them to fish for the souls of men in the endless sea of humanity. Immediately they left that previous life, the only life they knew, and followed Jesus.
A few thoughts and important points:
- It was normal for a rabbi to invite disciples to join him in his ministry. Rabbi Jesus had a ministry journey set before Him. These were just the first He called. He's still calling today.
- The disciples would have minimal education. They probably couldn't read or write. They held no position of power nor did they possess any status in the world. Not qualified in the eyes of the world.
- Andrew & Peter understood the urgency of this message; thereby responding immediately.
- They understood the importance; leaving all they ever knew, a stable life and income for the unknown.
- They probably had a sense of how important this was; but probably didn't have a clue God would use them to change the world.
The unique qualification of these men was their willingness to follow Jesus. This is what the core of Christianity is about, following Him. We often attach so much baggage to this idea of walking with Christ, it begins to look like a religious yoke. We should be willingly following Jesus, not being dragged along by religious entanglement.
A little further along the way, Jesus saw James and John and called them to follow Him. These men also walked away from a familiar and stable life. They walked away leaving their father in the boat with the hired hands as they chased after Jesus.
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus and His new followers went to Capernaum. On the Sabbath day He entered the synagogue. There were likely other rabbis who taught there. As an itinerant rabbi, Jesus would be allowed to speak. The people took note that this teacher was different. He wasn't like the scribes who taught with no authority. To teach with authority meant He taught like they were His words; as if He had the power to bring blessing or curse, to forgive or condemn. After all He did, and the people were amazed at Him.
There was a man in the synagogue who had an unclean spirit. We have to at least wonder if this spoke of the spiritual condition of the synagogue. Several points to ponder:
- This spirit knew who Jesus right away. It knew His authority and power without question.
- It said, "Let us alone" as if the very presence of Jesus tormented it.
- It knows Jesus has the power to destroy them and wonders if that was the day it would happen.
- Jesus does not converse with the spirit; He gives it commands.
- He silenced the spirit so as to keep his identity as the messiah quiet for a while yet. It's fascinating that the spirits recognized the messiah but the scribes, Pharisees and priest did not.
Jesus became famous in the region. He was the man with authority over the unclean spirits. The people wondered if this was something new. This got the attention of those present. Among those present were the four new apostles. They followed Jesus to the synagogue. We know nothing of their response to casting our of this unclean spirit.
Mark 1:29-34
Peter's mother in law was sick. We really know nothing of her or Peter's wife. They wasted no time in telling Jesus about her fever. We might learn a lesson with this. We often try everything else first, then tell Jesus. The Lord took her by the hand – he laid hands on her; He lifted her up. The word used for 'lifted her up' is the same used for resurrection. It's raising them from this low place to a more elevated stature.
Note the progression:
- Jesus was brought by others.
- They placed the concern before Jesus (intercession)
- Jesus lifted her up
- She was healed
- She served Him
News traveled pretty fast; by evening they were bringing him everyone who was sick and demon possessed. It was as if the entire city was at the door seeking Him. He healed man, not all; He cast out many demons, but apparently not all. Again, we see in 34 that he didn't let the demons speak. Keeping His true identity low key was important for a while.
Mark 1:35-39
Jesus got up extremely early. Solitude would become a rare thing as His ministry took off, everyone wanted to hear Him, speak to Him and be healed. It is almost feels like the disciples are implying that Jesus shouldn't be messing around in a solitary place, people were looking for Him. But solitude and prayer were important for Christ as He maintained connection with the Father. He was also setting an example for us.
Solitude is even more rare in this crazy busy world. It isn't accidentally discovered any more. Our every waking moment is filled with life and every available moment is then filled with an electronic device made to entertain and help keep us busy in the quiet moments. How is possible to hear the still, small voice over the roar of this world? Solitude is still available, but it must be sought out. Amazing things happen when we meet the Lord in a quiet place.
The ministry of Christ was introduced in the synagogue in Capernaum. Now it was time to move on to other towns in Galilee to preach. In going to the synagogues, Jesus went to the Jews first. He preached the good news to them and cast out demons; He preached with authority and demonstrated that authority. They were wowed but Jesus isn't interested in popularity. He came to preach the good news.
Mark 1:40-46
Leprosy was a nasty disease that couldn't be healed. A leper was outcast, unclean and kept away from others. A person lived an average of 9 years after they contracted this disease; and it was a particularly miserable, lonely and secluded existence. Rabbis did not go around touching lepers. At the approach of others, the leper was to announce he was unclean. A person was considered unclean by being in the area of lepers. In approaching Jesus, this man was more apt to be stoned to death for his offense than to be healed.
Jesus had already shown His authority over demons, but no one would have believed He could heal leprosy. This man came to Jesus 'imploring' Him, believing Jesus could make Him clean. Jesus didn't see an unclean, ugly, diseased man He should run from. He saw a tortured child, in bondage and seeking release, redemption and cleansing. Jesus was moved and stretched out His hand and touched Him. By the law, touching a leper made you unclean and you were considered unclean for some period of time. But instead of the leper making Jesus unclean, Jesus made the leper clean. Jesus was indeed willing to heal this man.
Those standing near would have been shocked to see a leper approach the rabbi. Some likely yelled a the leper to get away; they might have yelled at Jesus to run away before He was made unclean. But when Jesus reached out to touch this man, there had to have been a gasp. But the gasp was nothing compared to the murmur of wonder as their eyes saw the leprosy leave. They witnessed this man healed and cleansed immediately.
Jesus strictly warned this man not to say anything to anyone in an effort to not reveal His identity. He was supposed to visit the priests who would inspect him and eventually declare him clean before he could resume a normal life in society. However, this was a new man. How could he not tell anyone who would listen about his healing and restoration? How could any of us not tell anyone and everyone of our healing and restoration?
Jesus became so popular so fast he couldn't enter populated areas.
©2018 Doug Ford
[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Is 61:1–2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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