Mark 1: 35-39, Galilean Ministry Begins

Jesus has been healing people in Capernaum, at the end of the Sabbath.  This is the town of Peter and Andrew, in the region of Caesarea. The next day he slips away....

Mark 1: 35-39, Slipping out before dawn

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 
36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 
37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus gets away from the crowds by walking in the dark before dawn. This would not have been easy and probably required some knowledge of the area, but certainly guaranteed solitude. Eventually, after dawn, he is missed by Peter and others. Apparently a lot of people are still looking for healing.

Mark 1: 38-39, The ministry begins

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 
39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

After healing Simon's mother-in-law and many in the community of Caesarea, Jesus begins a more general ministry throughout Galilee (northern Israel.)   The ministry begins with Jesus isolated and praying.  (Why does God need to pray?)

Where does Jesus preach?  What are the results?  (Why?)

As is typical of this gospel, the story moves on quickly, leaving out details.

Mark 1: 29-34, Healer!

Jesus has just spoken in the synagogue and healed a man with an "unclean spirit".

Mark 1:29-31, Sick mother-in-law

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 
30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 
31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

Simon Peter is surely the main source for the gospel of Mark.  One of the early miracles of Jesus is to heal the mother of Peter's wife. 

This event occurred right after Jesus has spoken in the synagogue.  It would not be uncommon for the wife's mother to be living with the family and so when they get to the home of Peter and Andrew (brothers), Jesus learns about the woman's illness.  His reaction is immediate -- he apparently walks to the bed, takes her hand and lifts her up.

We don't know the severity of the fever but, like a typical mother, once she is feeling better, Simon's mother-in-law begins to serve the small crowd in her home!

Mark 1:32-34, The people respond

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.
33 The whole town gathered at the door, 
34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

The effect is immediate.  After sunset (when it is cooler?) the crowds come.  The "whole town" has heard and shows up as the door.  And Jesus responds.  Once again there are "evil spirits"; once again they are commanded not to identify Jesus!

William Barclay suggests that the reason for people bringing the sick after sunset is to avoid working on the Sabbath.

The "whole town" is natural hyperbole -- certainly LOTS of people arrived.

I wonder how we, in this age, would describe the driving out of "many demons".

Yes, we all need help -- both teaching and healing.  And there are times to identify Jesus (we will see some later) and times to be quiet. Jesus particularly does not need the demons to announce him.

Mark 1: 40-45, A Leper

 

After healing people in Capernaum, in the region of Caesarea, Jesus travels around Galilee, speaking and healing.

Mark 1: 40-43, A leper approaches
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 
42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

The man with "leprosy" (which could have been a number of different skin diseases, not necessarily the leprosy of modern medicine) comes to Jesus aggressive and desperate, convinced that all Jesus needs to do is respond.  Jesus does, quickly.

From the NIV footnotes:  "The Greek word traditionally translated `leprosy' was used for various diseases affecting the skin." And in verse 41, many manuscripts say that "Jesus was filled with compassion".

Then, as is reported in other cases, Jesus gives the man instructions, which the man ignores!

Mark 1: 43-45, A strong warning

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 
44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 

45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Why did Jesus give him the strong warning?  What is wrong with the leper telling everyone of Jesus's work? I think foremost, Jesus is simply trying to heal the man.  The miracle is not intended as a form of self-promotion. Much like a counseling session might be done with privacy and compassion, Jesus privately meets the man's needs.  And then, secondly, the telling of the miracle obviously cuts dramatically into the teaching ministry of Jesus.

Mark 1: 21-28, An Amazing Teacher!

Capernaum is near Nazareth, in northern Israel (Galilee.)  Jesus first begins teaching, as any Jew would, in a synagogue, on the Sabbath (Saturday.)

Mark 1:21-22, A different teacher!
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 
22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 

The teaching of Jesus has is observed as having a different authority, a different atmosphere. The teachings of Jesus focused on the true intent of the God and the Scriptures, instead of the regimentation of the Law and its many additions.

Jesus's teachings are received with "amazement". Will the people follow?

Mark 1:23-26, An unclean spirit

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 
24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 
26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

Jesus is interrupted by a man "with an impure spirit".  (NIV footnotes say "evil spirit" might be "unclean spirit".)

The interruption acknowledges who Jesus is, but Jesus confronts the spirit and, according to the witnesses, leaves the man with a shriek.

Why does Jesus hush up the spirit?!

Mark 1:27-28, A different teacher!

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 
28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

The authority in the teaching has been demonstrated by the command Jesus has over the spirit.

Of course, news spreads!  Is this good?

Mark 1: 14-20, Ministry Begins

 Mark 1: 14-20, Ministry begins

Jesus has finished his time in the desert and is ready for ministry. 

Mark 1:14-15, The kingdom begins
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 
15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The imprisonment of John seems to stir Jesus to ministry.  The "good news" is indeed good -- one can turn around and become a member of God's kingdom.

Mark 1:16-20, Four disciples
As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 
17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 
18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 
20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

There are now four official disciples, Simon, Andrew, James and John.  Why does Jesus suddenly pick these people?  (Is it really sudden?  Or does it appear this way through Mark's collapsing of time?)

This occurs along the Sea of Galilee, as these men are fishing. Nazareth is a bit inland; this not Jesus's home but about 30 miles away.  As Jesus calls these men, he uses a metaphor based on their work.

The men respond quickly. They probably have known Jesus for some time; the Gospel of John has Jesus talking to some of them (Andrew, Peter, maybe one more) in Judea, after the baptism of John.

James and John, brothers, will be the next pair of fishermen that he calls. Jesus tends to invite them in pairs (in the gospel of John, Philip brings Nathaniel.)

The immediate response of the disciples is emphasized by the father Zebedee being abandoned with his hired workers!

Mark 1: 9-15, The Messiah Arrives

 

A pericope is a short dynamic story, somewhat self-contained.  Much of the Gospel of Mark consists of these short events, dramatically recalled by Peter, copied down later by Mark. Here is the second pericope in Mark's gospel:

Mark 1:9-13, The beginning of Jesus' ministry -- baptism and temptation
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 
10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 
11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 
13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Nazareth is some distance north of Galilee, 70-80 miles. So Jesus and his followers are many days travel from Nazareth.

Why is Jesus baptized?  What happens when he is baptized?  Theologically, philosophically, this is an intriguing passage.  If Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, as taught elsewhere in the New Testament – and in the early church – why does he need to be baptized? (Surely baptism comes from the Jewish ritual bathing, something especially required of a Jewish convert.)

Note that heaven was "torn" open!  This describes a dramatic, almost violent, action. I find this difficult to visualize, although it need not be a physical (meteorological) event, but a statement about domains, that heaven is changed by this event.

What does Jesus do after the baptism? Why?

Why does Mark leave out so much?  (Eg. "He was with the wild animals and angels attended him.") Couldn't he have said a little more? Mark's stories will be quick and short, usually with lots of energy.

According to the NIV footnotes, the Greek word for "tempted" can also mean "tested".

Mark 1:14-15, The kingdom begins
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 
15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus has finished his time in the desert and is ready for ministry.  The imprisonment of John seems to stir Jesus to ministry.

Jesus emphasizes the "good news" (or "gospel") of the coming kingdom.  The concept of repentance is a positive change, in the direction of the kingdom of God.

Mark 1:1-8, The Beginning of the Messianic Ministry

 

The gospel of Mark is one of the earliest New Testament writings, probably the earliest gospel.  It is brief, energetic, dynamic.  It starts right in....

Mark 1:1-8, The beginning of Jesus' ministry -- John the baptizer
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,
2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 
6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 
7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 
8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Mark skips any significant prologue.  The others gospels tell us a little about Jesus's life before his ministry began.  Mark is simpler, more direct.  All that matters here is the short three years of Jesus's ministry!

The Greek word used for the Jewish Messiah was "Christ" but let us not forget its Jewish meaning.  The Jews had long awaited this promised Messiah, of the lineage of David.  

Some manuscripts do not have "the Son of God" in verse 1.

The quote in verse 2 is from the Old Testament prophet, Malachi (Mal. 3:1) and the quote in verse 3 is from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3.) Both passages imply that the Messiah will be led by a messenger, a prophet, who points people to the Messiah.

What do these quotes say about the expected recipients of this letter by Mark?

Judea was the center of the ancient homeland of the Jews, the descendants of Israel.  In this time, the region was under the control of the Roman empire, with considerable autonomy left to the local peoples.  The phrase, "make straight paths for him", is an announcement that significant change is coming.

How is John the Baptist described?  What type of individual is he?  And why does the story seem to begin with him?  Even to the ancient reader, John is a strange character.  The reader is expected to be a little shocked by him -- and by his ritual of baptism.

The baptism ritual was most likely the ritual washings required of a convert to Judaism.  So John's "baptism" is a symbolic statement that these people are renewing their membership in Judaism, in preparation for this great change.

The preposition "with" in verse 8 could just as easily be translated "in" (say the NIV footnotes.) The physical baptism in water is a prelude to the immersion in the Holy Spirit which is to come.