Mark - Chapter 1
1:1
The title:
The title names the central character of the gospel: Jesus Christ. It attributes to Him the divine description “Son of God”.
1:2-8
The Preaching of John:
The first eight verses begin the gospel of Jesus Christ with a clear announcement of the coming of the Lord. The passage addresses us with a message that almost seems to say “NOW HEAR THIS”.
Three major themes correspond in the passage: scriptural promises, repentance (what the hearers will do), and the coming One (what God will do).
The phrase “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” seems simple enough. The context makes it plain that John preaches and baptizes, the hearers sin and repent, and God forgives.
In verses 6-8 John, dressed as a prophet foretells God's intervention in the immediate future. He proclaims the coming of the King. This is the major focus of the mission of John. He affirms two things: first that the coming One is greater than the one who speaks of him, and second, John announces what the One to come will do. He will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit”.
1:9-11
The Baptism of Jesus:
Why does this baptism matter?
It is not placed within the ministry of Jesus but at the beginning. Along with the temptation to come next, it establishes the identity and authority of Jesus of Nazareth.
As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened. The original language here uses the same word that described the ripping of the Temple veil from top to bottom later when Jesus died. In both cases, what had long been sealed away from the access of man has now been opened. The Spirit descends upon Jesus and a voice from heaven announces that Jesus is the Son of God. In Mark, unlike Matthew and John, this message from the voice is intended for Jesus alone. Nothing in this passage reveals to us that the voice was heard by anyone else.
1:12-13
The Temptation of Jesus:
As soon as Jesus was attested to be Son of God at His baptism, “... the Spirit immediately drove Him out into the wilderness...”. The temptation time tells us something about God, about Jesus, and about ourselves.
About God: The verb used here is extremely harsh. Jesus was not led of the Spirit, not drawn of the Spirit, but was driven of the Spirit. God Himself drove Jesus out in order that temptation would occur and would arrive with the presence of Satan himself, not some demon or evil spirit but by the bringer of evil in person.
About Jesus: He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. Jesus was in the wilderness for the same reason that the Hebrew people were in the wilderness for forty years, to assure they were dependent only upon God for deliverance. The single combat with Satan is the ordeal which shows us Jesus as the bearer of God's banner throughout the ages to come. Through our identification with the Son of God we are children of God, so with Him we are driven into the wilderness of sin and are expected to gain deliverance in the same way, through His Holy Word by our faith in it. His Holy Word was Jesus (John 1:1).
1:14-15
The Gospel of God:
While Mark as a whole presents the gospel about Jesus, this passage presents the gospel Jesus preached. Verse 14 tells us Jesus came into Galilee, giving us the geographic location for the first half of Mark. He came preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
What was the content of His preaching?
Announcement:
The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Appeal:
Repent. Believe in the gospel.
When Jesus appeared the time is fulfilled. The proper response to this great change in the relationship between God and man is to repent of our sin and to welcome the good news.
1:16-20
The Call of the First Disciples:
As soon as Jesus announces the Kingdom of God, He calls people to enter it (“... follow me...”) and they will invite others to enter it also ( … I will make you become fishers of men...”). In Mark this is the first encounter with these men. No prior contact is revealed to serve as a reason for their immediate response to Jesus. Here are two of the basic focuses of the entire work of Jesus. The presence and word of Jesus on one hand and the response to His call to discipleship on the other.
Jesus Himself offers the best example of what he calls these disciples to do. He acts here as the fisherman and the four men by the sea are the fish. He casts His word, and they are caught up into the Kingdom of God. The story about the beginning of discipleship is not only about four fishermen, but is also about us here and now. For us, as for them, the heart of discipleship and the Kingdom of God in our lives lies in the following of Jesus.
1:21-28
Exorcism:
Jesus begins teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. He first publicly confronted and defeated the powers of evil in the place of worship of the chosen people of God. The scribes belonged there (verse 22) and the unclean spirit did not. In this passage Jesus is in battle against both.
Scribes were more than secretaries. These were spiritual descendants of Ezra the scribe as shown in Neh 8:1. These were the doctors of the law, the assigned scripture scholars of their time. Mark 1:22 distances Jesus from the scribes in a way that will later become full conflict.
The “Holy One of God” is what the unclean spirit, speaking through the man, calls Jesus. We are expected to remember the title of this gospel and to understand that this Holy One of God is Christ, the Son of God. The primary emphasis is on the positive but there is scripture here that shows all were astonished and amazed. At once His fame spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
1:29-39 Preaching in Galilee:
The complete story consists of four episodes and a summary.
Jesus at Capernaum 21-29
Exorcism in the Synagogue 21-28
Healing Peter's Mother-In-Law 29-31
The Sick Healed at Evening 32-34
Departing to a Lonely Place 35-38
Summary & Preaching in Galilee 39
The first two of these incidents are miracle stories and the next is an ordinary fever healing. The point is that Jesus heals all sorts of issues.
1:40-45
The Leper Touched by Jesus:
On His first preaching tour throughout Galilee, Jesus meets and heals a leper. This account includes a striking exchange between Jesus and the diseased man.
The leper says that “if you will you can make me clean”. Jesus then says, “I will, be clean”. The sequence of healing narratives at the beginning of Mark's gospel shows a growing emphasis on faith.
The text gives us a rare glimpse into the motivation of Jesus. We are told Jesus was moved with pity. This seems to satisfy our desire to know how Jesus felt and why He acted as He did. This healing of the leper confirms the impression given throughout Mark that Jesus is the great physician. Human experience makes it evident that God does not always will healing, at least not at the time or in the way that we beg for it.
The stern command of Jesus for the leper not to tell anyone is significant. Though Jesus does perform a miracle, he wishes to be known as more than a miracle worker.