Mark 1

Mark 1:1-8

Mark’s narrative takes not rise so early as those of Matthew and Luke do, from the birth of our Saviour, but from John’s baptism, from which he presently passed to Christ’s public ministry. Accordingly in this chapter we have, 1. The office of John Baptist illustrated by the prophets of him, ver. 1—3, and the history of him, ver. 4—8. 2. Christ’s baptism, and his being owned from heaven, ver. 9—11. 3. His temptation, ver. 12, 13. 4. His preaching, ver. 14, 15, 21, 22, 38, 39. 5. His calling disciples, ver. 16—20. 6. His praying, ver. 35. 7. His working miracles. (1.) His rebuking an unclean spirit, ver. 23—28. (2.) His curing Peter’s mother-in-law that was ill of a fever, ver. 29—31. (3.) His healing all that came to him, ver. 32, 34, 35. (4.) His cleansing a leper, ver. 40—45.

1. THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, 2. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance, for the remission of sins. 5. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins: and he did eat locusts and wild honey: 7. And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

St. Mark commences his history with the account of John’s baptism, the messenger sent before the Messiah, according to the ancient prophecies, to prepare his way. Isaiah and Malachi had both spoken of him, Isa. xl. 3. Mal. iii. 1. and agreeable thereunto John commenced his ministry in the wilderness, calling the people to repentance, and saith in the promised Messiah, in order that they might obtain remission of their sins.

1. John’s preaching was the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Not that the gospel then first began to be published; for it had been the subject of the ministry of all the prophets, and in the promise of the Seed of the woman had been preached to the first man immediately after his fall: but the gospel dispensation, in opposition to the law, began more immediately from the baptism of John, whose office it was particularly to point the people to the Lamb of God, now made manifest in the flesh to take away the sin of the world. This was the glad news John declared, the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is both the Author and Subject of it; and, as the Son of God, endured with all-sufficiency for the great work of man’s salvation, which he came to accomplish. To him the Baptist bore witness, acknowledging his surpassing dignity, and confessed his own unworthiness to be employed in the means of offices by his Lord; and whilst, in consequence of his preaching, and the people’s profession of repentance, he admitted them to baptism in token of the forgiveness of their sins, he had them expect a more efficacious baptism than this of water, even of the Holy Ghost, which the Messiah, to whom he directed them, should shed on them abundantly, to cleanse them from all their iniquities.

2. His appearance was singular, as that of the ancient prophets, and his dress and diet bespoke his mortised spirit and deadness to the world. A rough camel’s hair garment, tied with a leathern girdle, defended him from the cold; and locusts and wild honey, such as the wilderness afforded, satisfied his hunger. Note, They who preach the gospel must learn to endure hardness, and be ready, whenever duty calls, to forego any of the delights of sense for the sake of the service in which they are engaged.

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