Mark 1
EverettMark 1:1-3
Foreknowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The opening verses of the Gospel of Mark declare the institution of the Gospel of Jesus Christ upon earth as predicted in Old Testament prophecy through the divine foreknowledge of God the Father . Two Old Testament prophecies of the coming of John the Baptist are used to open the Gospel of Mark (Mark 1:2-3), serving a two-fold emphasis. First, they refer to the coming of John the Baptist to preach the Gospel of the coming of the Messiah, and second, they speak figuratively of him turning the hearts of the people to God, using the words “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” These prophetic passages establish John’s ministry as a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These verses also reflect the foundational theme of the four Gospels, which is the claim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. These verses also reflect Mark’s secondary theme, which is the witness to Jesus’ deity through the preaching of the Gospel, beginning with John the Baptist, who claimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and the Son of God. He preached the mystery of godliness, of how God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world and how He was received up into glory (1 Timothy 3:16). 1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; Mark 1:1 — “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ” - Word Study on “the gospel” – Webster says the English word “gospel” is derived from the old English word “godspel” (God story), and serves as the translation of the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον. Mark 1:1 — “the Son of God” – Comments – The underlying theme of the Gospels and Acts is the claim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; thus, the opening verse of Mark’s Gospel reflects this foundational theme. Jesus was the Son of God the Father by His divine birth through the virgin Mary. Mark 1:1 — Comments - The Title of the Gospel of Mark – The opening verse of Mark is often viewed as a title for his Gospel. Comments The Theme of the Gospel of Mark - The theme of any book in the Holy Bible can be found in the first verse or passage of the book. For example, the opening verse of the Gospel of Mark reflects the preaching ministry of Jesus Christ as He proclaims the arrival of the Kingdom of God, which reflects the secondary theme of the Gospel of Mark: the testimony of the miracles of Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Gospel that Jesus is the Son of God. The opening verse of the Gospel of Matthew reveals the genealogy of Jesus Christ, which is takes the form of a chronological fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures of the coming of the Messiah, and this verse reflects the secondary theme of Matthew: the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus is the Son of God. The opening verses of Luke’s Gospel make the claim that this book is a collection of eye-witness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, which reflects the secondary theme of Luke: the testimony of John the Baptist and other eye witnesses through prophetic utterances that Jesus is the Son of God. The theme of a collection of many testimonies is declared in the closing verse of the Gospel of Luke as well, saying, “And ye are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:48) Comments - The Earliest Form of Preaching - The Gospel of Matthew, which was written first according the early Church tradition, emphasizes the earliest form of preaching by the early Church regarding the Kingdom of God and its teachings. The first Gospel preaching that Jesus taught His disciples to declare was the arrival of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 10:7). The message continued to develop as the Holy Spirit moved within the Church. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the testimony of the miracles of Jesus Christ. These miracles were manifested with the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, the first verse of Mark declared the theme of his Gospel as the “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Matthew 10:7, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Comments - Preaching with Signs and Miracles - As the apostles continued to teach the people how that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, their message was accompanied with signs and miracles (Acts 4:33). The need to explain why miracles accompanied the preaching of the apostles brought the need for a Gospel that taught on the miracles of Jesus. Thus, the need for the Gospel of Mark emerged. We see these miracles frequently in the early chapters of the book of Acts as the early Church preached on the Kingdom of God. Thus, Mark reveals his theme when he entitles his writing, “The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The Gospel of Mark declares its work to be the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which message was accompanied by signs following. Note how this theme is stated in the closing verses of his Gospel when Jesus gives the Great Commission, which reads, “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16:20) Acts 4:33, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Comments - The Gospel of Jesus Christ - Regarding the question as to whether Mark 1:1 refers to the message preached by Jesus Christ Himself, or to the Gospel message preached by the early church, the answer is found in the structure of the book. This is both a compilation of the preaching ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and according to early Church tradition, Mark composed his Gospel as an outline of the messages that was preached by Peter the apostle woven into the story of Jesus. Thus, the answer is that “the Gospel of Jesus Christ” is the Gospel as delivered by Jesus as well as by the early Church. Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Mark 1:2 — Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament - Scholars tell us that Mark 2:2 is quoted from Malachi 3:1 a. Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” We also see a similar phrase in Exodus 23:20 a. Exodus 23:20, “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” Mark 1:2 — “As it is written in the prophets” – Comments - Most modern versions translate Mark 1:2 with the words “as it is written in Isaiah the prophet” in contrast to the KJV translation “as it is written in the prophets.” This is because there is strong manuscript attestation for using the word “Isaiah the prophet.” Perhaps the translators of the KJV revised their translation because it is not a quote from the book of Isaiah, but from books of Exodus and Malachi. Thus, they took the paraphrase “as it is written in the prophets” or followed a less attested manuscript that used this phrase. Mark 1:2 — “which shall prepare thy way before thee” - Comments - How was John the Baptist going to do this preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ? Note in verse 5 that all the land went out to him “confessing their sins”. John the Baptist was preparing their hearts for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, by leading them into repentance. Mark 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Mark 1:3 — Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament - Mark 1:3 is a quote from Isaiah 40:3. Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Mark 1:3 — “make his paths straight” - Comments - Straight paths prevented someone from stumbling (Jeremiah 31:9). Jeremiah 31:9, “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” The wicked walk in crooked paths (Isaiah 59:8). Isaiah 59:8, “The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.” Mark 1:3 — Comments - Preparing the way of the Lord, making His paths straight, involves repentance. No church has ever had revival except there has been a preparation period. The Lord once spoke to me saying, “This is My house. There will be revival in My house when the sins of the flesh are destroyed.” (Fall 1988) Illustration - The sons of Israel at Mt. Sinai prepared themselves with three days of sanctification before God’s glory came down.
Mark 1:4-13
Justification - Public Ministry of John the Baptist – Mark 1:4-13 emphasizes the justification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God through the public ministry of John the Baptist, whose ministry was prophesied in the Old Testament through the foreknowledge of God the Father (Mark 1:1-3). According to Mark’s Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ begins with the ministry of John the Baptist. Thus, Mark makes no reference to the nativity of Jesus Christ the Saviour as does Matthew and Luke, but goes right into the events surrounding the preaching of the Gospel. Mark opens His Gospel by explaining how John the Baptist was sent before Jesus’ arrival in order to prepare the hearts of the Jewish people to receive Him. His ministry culminated with the baptism of Jesus Christ as God used this event to present the Messiah to His people using the preaching testimony of John the Baptist, the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Father from Heaven, which served as three testimonies to the Jewish people to justify Jesus Christ as the Son of God. After quoting the Old Testament prophecies in Mark 1:1-3, Mark explains in Mark 1:4-8 how John fulfilled them both as he preached (Mark 1:4) and as the people repented (Mark 1:5). Then Mark describes the culmination of John’s ministry with the account of Jesus’ water baptism (Mark 1:9-11) and temptation (Mark 1:12-13). Note the proposed outline of the public ministry of John the Baptist: Outline: Here is a proposed outline:
- John’s Proclamation of Jesus’ Righteousness — Mark 1:4-82. God the Father’s Proclamation of Jesus’ Righteousness — Mark 1:9-113. Jesus’ Testimony of His Righteousness — Mark 1:12-13
Mark 1:9-11
God the Father’s Proclamation of Jesus’ Righteousness (Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3:21-22) – Mark 1:9-11 gives us the account of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. There were three people at this baptism to testify to the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God: John the Baptist (Mark 1:9), the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:10), and the Heavenly Father (Mark 1:11). Mark 1:9-11 emphasizes the testimony from God the Father justifying Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. Mark 1:9 — Comments - Jesus must have heard about John’s preaching before He decided to leave home; after all John was His cousin through His mother Mary. The Spirit of God must have revealed to Jesus that His own time of ministry had come, and that it would begin with manifesting Himself to the world as the Messiah through the baptism of John the Baptist. Mark 1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: Mark 1:10 — Comments - Just as Jesus Christ took the bodily form of the son of man in order to manifest Himself to the world, the Holy Spirit took the bodily form of a dove as a visible testimony that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mark 1:11 — Comments - Even the Heavenly Father manifested Himself to the Jews at Jesus’ water baptism as a witness that He was the Son of God. Comments – The voice of God the Father spoke from Heaven to mankind on a number of occasions. God spoke to King Nebuchadnezzar when he took his mind from him for a season (Daniel 4:31). God spoke from Heaven at the water baptism of His Son Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22). God spoke to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35-36, 2 Peter 1:17-18). God spoke to Jesus when He rode into Jerusalem before His Passion (John 12:28-29). Jesus spoke to Paul from Heaven on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-7).
Mark 1:12-13
Jesus’ Testimony of His Righteousness (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) – Mark 1:12-13 gives us the account of the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness. Of the three Synoptic Gospels, Mark gives the shortest account. This passage of Scripture justifies Jesus Christ as the sinless Son of God during His temptation by associating Him in conflict with Satan and the wild beasts, and joined by heavenly angels. Mark 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. Mark 1:12 — Comments - Matthew 4:1 and Luke 4:1 say that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. In contrast, Mark 1:12 says the Spirit drove Jesus in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Luke 4:1, “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” The Holy Spirit comes into our lives and indwells us in order to move us into our destiny. He does not waste any time of our lives; for the Scripture says, “and immediately the Spirit drove Him…” Many young people with a calling in their lives will also feel a driving force, the Holy Spirit within them, to bring them away from worldly activities and to set themselves apart for prayer and sanctification for a period in their life. Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Mark 1:14-13
The Preaching Ministry of Jesus Christ – Mark 1:14 to Mark 13:37 describes the preaching ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as the miracles that accompanying the proclamation of the Gospel. His public ministry can be divided into sections that reflect God’s divine plan of redemption being fulfilled in Jesus’s life. Outline – Here is a proposed outline:
- Indoctrination - The Preaching of Jesus Christ in Galilee — Mark 1:14 to Mark 4:342. Divine Service – Training the Twelve in Galilee — Mark 4:35 to Mark 6:133. Perseverance: Preaching against Man’s Traditions — Mark 6:14 to Mark 7:234. Perseverance - Beyond Galilee — Mark 7:24 to Mark 9:505. Glorification - In Route to and in Jerusalem — Mark 10:1 to Mark 13:37
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Demon (Luke 4:31-37) – Mark 1:21-28 gives us the account of Jesus casting out an unclean spirit from a man in the synagogue. In the midst of Jesus’ teaching, a miracle is performed. This event fits the theme of Mark’s Gospel, which is the testimony of Jesus’ miracles. These testimonies of the miracles of Jesus are presented in the context of Mark’s record of Peter’s preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. Mark 1:21 — Comments - What did Jesus Christ teach in the synagogues of Galilee? We must refer to Luke 4:16-21 to find the testimony of the message He taught. Luke 4:16-21, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. Mark 1:22 — Comments - When Jesus responded to Nicodemus with the opening phrase, “verily, verily…” in John 3:3, He offered Nicodemus the highest source of authority, which is Himself. While the Jewish rabbis often referred to the long, traditional of rabbinic authority in order to interpret the Old Testament Scriptures, Jesus shifts the weight of authority from Jewish tradition to Himself, something Nicodemus would be keen to pick up because he has just told Jesus, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God…” Likewise, in the synagogues Jesus spoke with divine authority rather than teaching by rabbinic authority. Mark 1:27 — “And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this” – Comments - The people asked this question because of the miracle that had just occurred while Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. This is a clear illustration of how Jesus preached and taught in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 1 Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” Mark 1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
Mark 1:29-31
Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15, Luke 4:38-39) – Mark 1:29-31 gives us the account of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law.
Mark 1:32-41
Comments - Jesus touched them in the process of healing them. Mark 1:32-34 — Jesus Heals the Multitudes (Matthew 8:16-17, Luke 40-41) – Mark 1:32-34 gives us the account of Jesus healing the multitudes.
Mark 1:35-2
Jesus Preaches Throughout Galilee - After calling His disciples (Mark 1:16-20), Jesus began His public ministry in Capernaum (Mark 1:21-34). He now expands His preaching ministry to other cities in Galilee. Outline – Here is a proposed outline: a) Jesus Preaches in Galilee — Mark 1:35-39b) Jesus Heals a Leper — Mark 1:40-45c) Jesus Heals a Paralytic — Mark 2:1-12
Mark 1:40-45
Jesus Heals a Leper (Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 5:12-16) – Mark 1:40-45 gives us the account of Jesus cleansing a leper. Mark 1:45 — Comments - When Jesus began His ministry, He tried to keep certain matters silent, like His identity. The reason is so that He could enter a city in order to preach and heal the lepers and sick ones because of the crowds that it created. Also, note Matthew 12:15-21 for the reason. It was to fulfill a prophecy in Isaiah 42:1-4.