Mark 1

Mark 1:1

I. THE SERVANT’S PREPARATION (1:1-13) A. The Servant’s Forerunner Prepares the Way (1:1-8) 1:1 Mark’s theme is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because his purpose is to emphasize the servant role of the Lord Jesus, he begins not with a genealogy, but with the public ministry of the Savior. This was announced by John the Baptist, the herald of the good news. 1:2, 3 Both Malachi and Isaiah predicted that a messenger would precede the Messiah, calling the people to be morally and spiritually prepared for His coming (Mal_3:1; Isa_40:3). John the Baptist fulfilled these prophecies. He was the messenger, … the voice of one crying in the wilderness.1:4 His message was that the people should repent (change their minds and forsake their sins) in order to receive the remission of sins. Otherwise they would be in no position to receive the Lord. Only holy people are able to appreciate the Holy Son of God. 1:5 When his hearers did repent, John baptized them as an outward expression of their about-face. Baptism separated them publicly from the mass of the nation of Israel who had forsaken the Lord. It united them with a remnant who were ready to receive the Christ. It might seem from verse 5 that the response to John’s preaching was universal. This was not the case. There may have been an initial burst of enthusiasm, with multitudes surging out to the desert to hear the fiery preacher, but the majority did not genuinely confess and forsake their sins. This will be seen as the narrative advances. 1:6 What kind of man was John? Today he would be called a fanatic and an ascetic. His home was the desert. His clothing, like Elijah’s was the coarsest and the simplest. His food was sufficient to maintain life and strength, but was scarcely luxurious. He was a man who subordinated all these things to the glorious task of making Christ known. Perhaps he could have been rich, but he chose to be poor. He thus became a fitting herald of Him who had nowhere to lay His head. We learn here that simplicity should characterize all who are servants of the Lord. 1:7 His message was the superiority of the Lord Jesus. He said that Jesus was greater in power, personal excellence, and in ministry. John did not consider himself worthy to loose the Savior’s sandal strapa menial duty of a slave. Spirit-filled preaching always exalts the Lord Jesus and dethrones self. 1:8 John’s baptism was with water. It was an external symbol, but produced no change in a person’s life. Jesus would baptize them with the Holy Spirit; this baptism would produce a great inflow of spiritual power (Act_1:8). Also it would incorporate all believers into the church, the body of Christ (1Co_12:13).

Mark 1:9

B. The Forerunner Baptizes the Servant (1:9-11) 1:9 The so-called thirty silent years in Nazareth were now at an end. The Lord Jesus was ready to enter upon His public ministry. First He traveled the sixty odd miles from Nazareth to the Jordan near Jericho. There He was baptized by John. In His case, of course, there was no repentance because there were no sins to confess. Baptism for the Lord was a symbolic action picturing His eventual baptism into death at Calvary and His rising from the dead. Thus at the very outset of His public ministry, there was this vivid foreshadow of a cross and an empty tomb. 1:10, 11 As soon as He came up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. The voice of God the Father was heard, acknowledging Jesus as His beloved Son. There never was a time in the life of our Lord when He was not filled with the Holy Spirit. But now the Holy Spirit came upon Him, anointing Him for service and enduing Him with power. It was a special ministry of the Spirit, preparatory to the three years of service that lay ahead. The power of the Holy Spirit is indispensable. A person may be educated, talented, and fluent, yet without that mysterious quality which we call unction, his service is lifeless and ineffective. The question is basic, Have I had an experience of the Holy Spirit, empowering me for the service of the Lord?

Mark 1:12

C. The Servant Tempted by Satan (1:12, 13) The Servant of Jehovah was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for forty days. The Spirit of God led Him to this rendezvousnot to see if He would sin, but to prove that He could not sin. If Jesus could have sinned as a Man on earth, what assurance do we have that He cannot now sin as a Man in heaven? Why does Mark say that He was with the wild beasts? Were these animals energized by Satan to seek to destroy the Lord? Or were they docile in the presence of their Creator? We can only ask the questions. The angels ministered to Him at the end of the forty days (cf. Mat_4:11); during the temptation He ate nothing (Luk_4:2). Testings are inevitable for the believer. The closer one follows the Lord, the more intense they will be. Satan does not waste his gunpowder on nominal Christians, but opens his big guns on those who are winning territory in the spiritual warfare. It is not a sin to be tempted. The sin lies in yielding to temptation. In our own strength we cannot resist. But the indwelling Holy Spirit is the believer’s power to subdue dark passions.

Mark 1:14

II. THE SERVANT’S EARLY GALILEAN MINISTRY (1:14-3:12) A. The Servant Begins His Ministry (1:14, 15) Mark skips over the Lord’s Judean ministry (see John 1:1-4:54) and begins with the great Galilean ministry, a period of one year and nine months (1:14-9:50). Then he deals briefly with the latter part of the Perean ministry (10:1-10:45) before moving on to the last week in Jerusalem. Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. His specific message was that:

1. The time was fulfilled. According to the prophetic time-table, a date had been fixed for the public appearing of the King. It had now arrived.
2. The kingdom of God was at hand; the King was present and was making a bona fide offer of the kingdom to the nation of Israel. The kingdom was at hand in the sense that the King had appeared on the scene.
3. Men were called on to repent and believe in the gospel. In order to be eligible to enter the kingdom, they had to do an about-face regarding sin, and believe the good news concerning the Lord Jesus.

Mark 1:16

B. Four Fishermen Called (1:16-20) 1:16-18 As He walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew fishing. He had met them before; in fact, they had become disciples of His at the outset of His ministry (Joh_1:40-41). Now He called them to be with Him, promising to make them fishers of men. Immediately they gave up their lucrative fishing business to follow Him. Their obedience was prompt, sacrificial, and complete. Fishing is an art, and so is soul-winning.

1. It requires patience. Often there are lonely hours of waiting.
2. It requires skill in the use of bait, lures or nets.
3. It requires discernment and common sense in going where the fish are running.
4. It requires persistence. A good fisherman is not easily discouraged.
5. It requires quietness. The best policy is to avoid disturbances and to keep self in the background. We become fishers of men by following Christ. The more like Him we are, the more successful we will be in winning others to Him. Our responsibility is to follow Him; He will take care of the rest. 1:19, 20 A little farther on, the Lord Jesus met James and John, the sons of Zebedee, as they were mending their nets. As soon as He called them, they said goodbye to their father and went after the Lord.

MIRACLEDELIVERANCE FROM:1. Healing of man with unclean spirit (1:23-26). 1. The uncleanness of sin. 2. Healing of Simon’s mother-in-law (1:19-31)2. The feverishness and restlessness of sin. 3. Healing of the leper (1:40-45). 3.

The loathesomeness of sin. 4. Healing of the paralytic (2:1-12). 4. The helplessness caused by sin. 5. Healing of the man with a withered hand (3:1-5)5. The uselessness cause by sin. 6. Deliverance of the demoniac (5:1-20)6.

The misery, violence, and terror of sin. 7. The woman with the flow of blood (5:25-34). 7. Sin’s power to sap life’s vitality. 8. The raising of Jairus daughter (5:21-24; 35-43). 8. Spiritual death caused by sin. 9. Healing of the Syro-Phoenician’s daughter (7:24-30). 9.

The thralldom of sin and Satan. 10. Healing of the deaf man with a speech impediment (7:31-37). 10. Inability to hear God’s Word and to speak of spiritual things. 11. Healing of the blind man (8:22-26)11. Blindness to the light of the gospel. 12. Healing of the demoniac boy (9:14-19). 12.

The cruelty of Satan’s dominion. 13. Healing of blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52). 13. The blind and beggarly state to which sin reduces.

Mark 1:21

C. An Unclean Spirit Cast Out (1:21-28) Verses 21-34 describe a typical day in the life of the Lord. Miracle followed miracle as the Great Physician healed the demon-possessed and diseased. The Savior’s healing miracles illustrate how He liberates men from the dread results of sin. This is illustrated in the chart above. Though the preacher of the gospel is not called upon to perform these acts of physical healing today, he is constantly called upon to deal with their spiritual counterparts. Are these not the greater miracles the Lord Jesus mentioned in Joh_14:12 : He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do?1:21, 22 But now let us return to Mark’s narrative. at Capernaum, Jesus had entered the synagogue and had begun to teach on the Sabbath. The people realized that here was no ordinary teacher. There was undeniable power connected with His words, unlike scribes who droned on mechanically. His sentences were arrows from the Almighty. His lessons were arresting, convicting, challenging.

The scribes peddled a second-hand religion. There was no unreality in the teaching of the Lord Jesus. He had the right to say what He did, because He lived what He taught. Everyone who teaches the Word of God should speak with authority or not speak at all. The Psalmist said, I believed, therefore I spoke (Psa_116:10). Paul echoed the words in 2Co_4:13. Their message was born of deep conviction. 1:23 In their synagogue there was a man possessed, or inhabited, by a demon. The demon is described as an unclean spirit. This probably means that the spirit manifested its presence by making the man physically or morally unclean. Let no one confuse demon-possession with various forms of insanity. The two are separate and distinct. A demon-possessed person is actually indwelt and controlled by an evil spirit. The person is often able to perform supernatural feats and often becomes violent or blasphemous when confronted with the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:24 Notice that the evil spirit recognized Jesus and spoke of Him as the Nazarene and the Holy One of God. Notice too the change of pronouns from plural to singular: What have we to do with You?. . . Did you come to destroy us? … I know You. . . . At first the demon speaks as joined to the man; then he speaks for himself alone. 1:25, 26 Jesus would not accept the witness of a demon, even if it was true. So He told the evil spirit to be quiet, then commanded him to come out of the man. It must have been strange to see the convulsed man and to hear the eerie cry of the demon as he left his victim. 1:27, 28 The miracle caused amazement. It was new and startling to the people that with a mere command, a Man could drive out a demon. Was this the beginning of a new school of religious teaching, they wondered? News of the miracle immediately spread throughout … Galilee. Before leaving this portion, let us note three things:

1. The First Advent of Christ apparently aroused a great outburst of demonic activity on the earth.
2. Christ’s power over these evil spirits foreshadows His eventual triumph over Satan and all his agents.
3. Wherever God works, Satan opposes. All who set out to serve the Lord can expect to be opposed every step of the way. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph_6:12).

Mark 1:29

D. Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed (1:29-31) Immediately is one of the characteristic words of this Gospel, and is especially suitable for the Gospel which stresses the servant character of the Lord Jesus. 1:29, 30 From the synagogue our Lord went to Simon’s house. As soon as He arrived, he learned that Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. Verse 30 states that they told Him about her at once. They wasted no time in bringing her need to the Physician’s attention. 1:31 Without a word, Jesus took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. She was cured immediately. Ordinarily a fever leaves a person in a weakened condition. In this case, the Lord not only cured the fever but gave immediate strength to serve. And she served them. J. R. Miller says: Every sick person who is restored, whether in an ordinary or extraordinary way, should hasten to consecrate to the service of God the life that is given back. … A great many persons are always sighing for opportunities to minister to Christ, imagining some fine and splendid service which they would like to render. Meantime they let slip past their hands the very things in which Christ wants them to serve Him. True ministry to Christ is doing first of all and well one’s daily duties. It is noticeable that in each of the healing miracles, the Savior’s procedure is different. This reminds us that no two conversions are exactly alike. Everyone must be dealt with on an individual basis. That Peter had a mother-in-law shows that the idea of a celibate priesthood was foreign to that day. It is a tradition of men which finds no support in the Word of God and which breeds a host of evils.

Mark 1:32

E. Healing At Sunset (1:32-34) News of the Savior’s presence had spread during the day. As long as it was the Sabbath, the people dared not bring the needy to Him. But when the sun had set and the Sabbath had ended, there was a rush to the door of Peter’s house. There the sick and the demon-possessed experienced the power that delivers from every phase and form of sin.

Mark 1:35

F. Preaching Throughout Galilee (1:35-39) 1:35 Jesus rose a long while before daylight and went out to a place where He would be free from distraction and spend time in prayer. The Servant of Jehovah opened His ear each morning to receive instructions for the day from God the Father (Isa_50:4-5). If the Lord Jesus felt the need of this early morning quiet time, how much more should we! Notice too that He prayed when it cost Him something; He rose and went out a long while before daylight. Prayer should not be a matter of personal convenience but of self-discipline and sacrifice. Does this explain why so much of our service is ineffective? 1:36, 37 By the time Simon and the others got up, the crowd was gathered outside the house again. The disciples went to tell the Lord of the rising popular sentiment. 1:38 Surprisingly, He did not go back to the city, but took the disciples into the surrounding towns, explaining that He must preach there also. Why did He not return to Capernaum?

1. First of all, He had just been in prayer and had learned what God wanted Him to do that day.
2. Secondly, He realized that the popular movement in Capernaum was shallow. The Savior was never attracted by large crowds. He looked below the surface to see what was in their hearts.
3. He knew the peril of popularity and taught the disciples by His example to beware when all men spoke well of them.
4. He consistently avoided any superficial, emotional demonstration that would have put the crown before the cross.
5. His great emphasis was on preaching the Word. The healing miracles, while intended to relieve human misery, were also designed to gain attention for the preaching. 1:39 Thus to the synagogues throughout all Galilee Jesus went preaching and casting out demons. He combined preaching and practicing, saying and doing. It is interesting to see how often He cast out demons in synagogues. Would liberal churches today correspond to the synagogues?

Mark 1:40

G. A Leper Cleansed (1:40-45) The account of the leper gives us an instructive example of the prayer that God answers:

1. It was earnest and desperateimploring Him.
2. It was reverentkneeling down to Him.
3. It was humble and submissiveIf You are willing.4. It was believingYou can.5. It acknowledged needmake me clean.6. It was specificnot bless me but make me clean.7. It was personal make me clean.8. It was brieffive words in the original. Notice what happened! Jesus was moved with compassion. Let us never read these words without a sense of exultation and gratitude. He stretched out His hand. Think of it! The hand of God stretched forth in answer to humble, believing prayer. He touched him. Under the law, a person became ceremonially unclean when he touched a leper. Also, there was of course the danger of contracting the disease. But the Holy Son of Man identified Himself with the miseries of mankind, dispelling the ravages of sin without being tainted by them. He said, I am willing. He is more willing to heal than we are to be healed. Then Be cleansed. In an instant the skin of the leper was smooth and clear. He forbade publicizing the miracle until first the man had appeared before the priest and had made the required offering (Lev_14:2 ff). This was a test, first of all, of the man’s obedience. Would he do as he was told? He did not; he publicized his case, and as a result, he hindered the work of the Lord (v. 45). It was also a test of the priest’s discernment. Would he perceive that the long-awaited Messiah had come, performing wonderful miracles of healing? If he was typical of the nation of Israel, he would not. Again we find that Jesus withdrew from the crowds and ministered in deserted places. He did not measure success by numbers.