Mark  01

The Ministry of John the Baptist

1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark was writing his gospel to the Romans. Over 50% of the Roman Empire consisted of slaves. The Roman citizens were looking for the perfect slave. Mark was going to prove that Jesus was the Perfect Servant. There are no genealogies, no birth stories, or no childhood events recorded by Mark. Romans were not concerned about these things. They only wanted to know if the Servant could perform the task. Mark was a disciple of Peter, so this could also be called Peter's gospel.

The gospel was the good news. The good news was that Jesus is the God of the universe who became a man to die for the sins of the world. Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew Yeshua, which means Jehovah is salvation. Christ is the Hebrew word for the Messiah, which means the Messianic King predicted by the Old Testament prophets. The Son of God means that Jesus is deity, like Father, like Son. Cults and isms will falsely claim that Jesus was only the Son of God, meaning that He was less than God. However, in Jewish thinking, the Father and Son is co-equal. The Son inherits everything that the Father possesses. The Son will be given all of the authority of the Father.

1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way,

Isaiah predicted that a herald would precede the King. The herald would smooth out the roads before the King arrived. Romans would understand this prophecy, as they were serving Caesar. Whenever he visited a city, extensive road work was prepared to make sure that he received a smooth and pleasant ride.

1:3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

John the Baptist was a rebel priest. He did not preach in the synagogues, like his father. He preached in the wilderness. His message was to "Israel prepare yourself for the King. Clean yourself up. The king is coming. Make sure that you are cleaned when he arrives."

1:4 In the wilderness John the baptizer began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

The Greek word for "baptize" is βαπτίζω (baptize), meaning to immerse a cloth in dye to change its color. For example, if a Gentile wanted to join Judaism, he would have to immerse himself in a Mikvah baptism. He would leave his pagan roots of idolatry. He would then identify himself with Judaism. He would change his colors and his identity. He would identify with the Jews and the One True God.

1:5 People from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem were going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

John did not teach in the synagogues like his father. Instead, he taught out in the desert. People would actually walk out in the desert to hear him speak.

1:6 John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

John dressed liked Elijah the prophet.

1:7 He proclaimed, “One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals.

John was just the herald. The King was coming.

1:8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The water identified the people with John.  John would identify the Messiah. Therefore, John's baptism identified one with John's teaching, the Messiah that he would eventually point out, the Jewish Messianic believers who were following John, and his message of the Kingdom to come.

All of those who believe in Jesus will be baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. This baptism occurs the instant that the individual believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord. One cannot accept Jesus into his heart. He simply has to believe Jesus is who He claims to be.

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

1:9 Now in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.

Jesus was baptized for at least five reasons. First, He was identifying with John's message. Second, He was identifying with the Jewish messianic believers. Third, He was Jewish, so He was keeping the Mosaic Law. Fourth, He identified with sinners. Fifth, He introduced Himself publicly to Israel. 

1:10 And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

The Trinity was present at the baptism of Jesus. Jesus was there in human form. The Holy Spirit was there in the form of a dove. 

1:11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”

The Father was there by His voice. His voice had not spoken to humans since the time of Malachi.

1:12 The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness.

The ministry of Jesus began after His baptism. The Holy Spirit immediately drove Him into the desert.

1:13 He was in the wilderness forty days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.

Satan attempted to turn Jesus against the Father. Satan had successfully turned 1/3 of the angels against God. Satan had also turned Adam and Eve against God, causing the entire human race to fall. Satan attempted these same temptations on Jesus, but failed. He failed, because Jesus quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy three times, causing Satan to flee. Satan left this time, but he came back often to tempt Jesus even more. Satan hates the Book of Deuteronomy, because it was used to defeat him three times by Jesus Himself. Deuteronomy is one of the most attacked books of the Bible. Liberals attack it constantly.

Preaching in Galilee and the Call of the Disciples

1:14 Now after John was imprisoned; Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.

John was imprisoned because he was not a seeker-friendly pastor. King Herod had married his brother's sister, Herodias. John the Baptizer was teaching the people that the king and queen had committed incest. John was arrested for treason.

1:15 He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

The gospel at this time was to the Jews only. The message was to change one's attitude, because the Messianic King was present to offer the Messianic Kingdom to the Jews.

1:16 As he went along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).

Jesus seeks the lost. The lost do not seek Jesus.

1:17 Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”

Notice that Jesus called the disciples. Simon and Andrew were totally depraved and evil, so they would never have sought after God. According to Romans 3:10-11, no man seeks after God. Therefore, God seeks men and invites them to become fishers of men.

1:18 they left their nets immediately and followed him.

This efficacious call was irresistible. They could not refuse it. They were snatched out of the Lake of Fire and adopted into God's royal family to become princes of God. Princes will one day inherit their father's throne.

1:19 going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother in their boat mending nets.

Jesus seeks after the lost.

1:20 immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Again, Jesus called these disciples as well. Jesus makes a general call to all men, but it is rejected. Man's sin nature will always say no to the general call. Therefore, Jesus has to make a specific efficacious call to His elect. This call is never refused. Without this efficacious call, no one would be saved.

Jesus’ Authority

1:21 Then they went to Capernaum. When the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.

After Jesus was tempted by the devil and proven to be deity, He chose some disciples and began teaching in the synagogues of Capernaum. Capernaum would become His home base of operation.

1:22 the people there were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, not like the experts in the law.

Jesus taught from the written Word of God. The rabbi taught from the man-made Oral Law often quoting other rabbi. The Oral Law was a mixture of truth and error, often giving human rabbinic opinions, superstitions, and mythologies. 

1:23 just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,

Satan sent many demons into synagogues in order to disrupt the teaching ministry of Jesus. He would rather have Jesus casting out demons than teaching Jews about the Kingdom of God. 

1:24 “Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”

It is interesting to note that the demons knew the identity of Jesus, but the Jewish leaders did not. 

1:25 But Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!”

Jesus did not accept testimony from demons.

1:26 after throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.

The unclean spirit attempted to make his victim suffer as much as possible before he was forced to leave.

1:27 they were all amazed so that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

Jesus commanded the demons to leave with a word and they did so instantly. The rabbi could not do this. They had a lengthy, pompous, showy ritual that sometimes worked and sometimes did not work.

Just because a charismatic casts out a demon, this does not mean that he is a man of God. Charismatics mix truth with error. Satan desires these kinds of teachers in the church. Therefore, demons will possess another person and allow the charismatic to cast him out in front of a large audience. The purpose of this ritual is to deceive ignorant believers into thinking that this charismatic teacher is a man of God. Then, the charismatic can teach this mixture of truth and error to the ignorant congregation. Also, Satan does not want the Word of God taught in the churches. He would rather fill that teaching time with music concerts, skits, plays, healings, tongues, prophecies, and the casting out of demons. Jude taught that the Scriptures were given "once and for all". Paul taught that tongues and prophecies would disappear from the Corinthian church. Therefore, the only divine revelation that a believer receives comes from the written Word of God. Anything else is a mixture of truth and error. The only defense against this type of spiritual attack is mastery of Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God.

1:28 so the news about him spread quickly throughout the entire region around Galilee.

Jesus was becoming a very popular teacher. However, many only came to see His miracles. Many did not like His teaching because He did not tickle their ears. 

Healings at Simon’s House

1:29 Now as soon as they left the synagogue, they entered Simon and Andrew’s house, with James and John.

After Jesus taught in the synagogue, the disciples met at Simon's house for a post-synagogue meal. 

1:30 Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down, sick with a fever, so they spoke to Jesus at once about her.

Notice that Simon Peter had a mother-in-law. The first Pope was the only married Pope!

1:31 He came and raised her up by gently taking her hand. Then the fever left her and she began to serve them.

Jesus healed her so that the post-synagogue meal could continue. This was a teaching and fellowship time that His disciples needed.

1:32 When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed.

Jesus healed "all", not just some, as the charismatic do. If charismatics were for real, then they should be able to heal every single person in every single hospital. However, they only heal in front of large crowds where there is a collection plate.

The purpose of the church is to build up the saints for ministry. The building-up process comes from studying the Word of God through a gifted pastor-teacher. Jesus healed to authenticate that His message was from God. The Word of God is the only testimony that a believer needs to authenticate that their message is from God.

1:33 the whole town gathered by the door.

The ministry of Jesus affected every single person in the town.

1:34 so he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons.  But he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Jesus healed every single person who came to him. He would not allow the demons to give testimony of him.

Praying and Preaching

1:35 Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer.

Jesus began His day with prayer. Prayer is important to the life of a believer. However, if a believer does not have strong Bible doctrine, then he does not know how to pray or what to pray.

1:36 Simon and his companions searched for him.

The disciples could not find Jesus.

1:37 when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

The crowds were looking for Jesus. Jesus had to find a quiet place early in the morning just so He could escape the crowds and spend time with the Father.

1:38 He replied, “Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages, so that I can preach there too. For that is what I came out here to do.”

Jesus desired to go into other villages. It was important that every village hear the offer of the Messianic Kingdom.

1:39 So he went into all of Galilee preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus continued going into the synagogues of Galilee and preaching the good news. The good news of that time was the offering of the Messianic Kingdom. He performed miracles, healed the sick, and cast out demons to authenticate that His message was from God.

Cleansing a Leper

1:40 Now a leper came to him and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said.

According to Dr. Luke, this leper was in the advanced stages of leprosy, which meant death was near. Notice that the leper did not ask to be healed, but he asked to be made clean. The rabbi falsely taught that lepers were unclean because of some individual sin that they had committed in their life, so God punished them with leprosy. Lepers were ostracized from Jewish society. They were not allowed to live in the towns or attend the rituals of the Temple. When a leper entered a town, he had to yell out for all to hear, "Unclean! Unclean!"

1:41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!”

Jesus is a God of love, so He was moved with compassion. No one would dare touch a leper, because he might catch the disease. Jesus had already healed the official's son in Capernaum from a distance of twenty miles away, so He could have healed the leper without touching him. However, Jesus chose to touch him and heal him.  This was the first time this leper had been touched since he was declared to be a leper by a priest. 

1:42 The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean.

Leviticus 13-14 teaches Jewish priests how to identify a leper. The Law also teaches that if the leper is healed, then he was to be examined by a priest for seven days. If the leprosy did not return in seven days, then the priest was to pronounce him clean. An offering was to be made for the leper. He was to be restored to Jewish society and temple rituals. This was the first time in Jewish history that a leper had ever been healed.

1:43 Immediately Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning.

The rabbi taught that only the Messiah could heal a leper. Therefore, Jesus was going to push the Jewish leadership into announcing Him as the Messiah.

1:44 He told him, “See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

Jesus commanded the leper to not tell anyone about this healing event. This is the very opposite of the charismatic healers today. They want to tell everybody.

Jesus commanded the leper to go show himself to a priest immediately. The priest would have to examine him for seven consecutive days. The priest would ask him the same three questions each day.

The first question that he would ask him would be "did you have leprosy". The answer would be "yes".

The second question would be "have you been healed of leprosy?" The answer would be "yes".

The third question would be "who healed you?" The answer would be "Jesus of Nazareth".

The priest would have to report this incident to the Jewish religious leaders. They would have to announce that Jesus is the Messiah.

1:45 But as the man went out he began to announce it publicly and spread the story widely, so that Jesus was no longer able to enter any town openly but stayed outside in remote places. Still they kept coming to him from everywhere.

The leper was healed, but he did not do what Jesus asked him to do. Instead, he announced it publicly himself. This caused crowds to flock to Jesus everywhere He went. The rabbi had taught the crowds that only the Messiah could heal a leper. Now that the leper had been healed, everyone came out to see this Messiah. Jesus was not able to enter any town openly, because the crowds would be too large for Him to enter. Therefore, He had to stay in remote places. However, this did not stop the crowds. They came from all over the Roman Empire to see Him perform miracles. They were not very excited to hear His teachings, but they did want to see miracles performed. Jesus became a circus attraction instead of a teacher.