Mark 1

Mark 1:1-8

CHAPTER 2 “The Beginning of the Gospel” “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 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; 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. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” Mark 1:1-8 There is much speculation about the evangelist Mark and his gospel. I will leave the speculations to the people who are interested in chasing rabbits. We will be content with what is revealed. The book we are studying is called, “The Gospel according to St. Mark. “It is “a joyful account of the ministry, miracles, actions, and sufferings of Christ” (John Gill). The human author of this gospel narrative was John Mark, the son of Barnabas’ sister, Mary (Acts 12:12; Acts 12:25; Colossians 4:12). He is probably the same Mark whom Peter describes as his son in the faith (1 Peter 5:13). Mark’s Gospel is somewhat different from the other three. He tells us nothing about the birth and early life of our Lord. He gives us very few details about our Lord’s sermons. Yet he gives greater details than others about his miracles. Of the four inspired histories of our Savior, Mark’s is the shortest. Yet it is not in any way less significant.

Mark used greater brevity than the others; but his narrative is just as important. Those who suggest that Mark simply copied down some facts from Matthew, or that he wrote what Peter told him to write both miss the purpose of Mark’s work and undermine the inspiration and authority of Holy Scripture. J.C. Ryle very properly observed that Mark’s gospel is, “The independent narrative of an independent witness, who was inspired to write a history of our Lord’s works, rather than of his words.” As we go through these sixteen chapters, I hope we will read every word with reverence and that God the Holy Spirit will give us understanding in the things written in them. I quote Ryle again, — “Like all the rest of Scripture, every word of St. Mark is ‘given by inspiration of God,’ and every word is ‘profitable.’” Passing by the incarnation, birth, and early life of our Savior, Mark begins his gospel narrative by telling us who Jesus Christ is, and his starting point is the ministry of John the Baptist, when the Lord Jesus was about thirty years old. The Beginning“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (Mark 1:1). — Obviously, Mark does not mean for us to understand that the gospel began at this time, or that he was the first to preach it. There are a few religious imposters like that around; but Mark was not one of them. The gospel of Christ began back in eternity, in the mind and purpose of God almighty, when Christ was in his decree “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). It was preached by God himself to our fallen parents in the garden (Genesis 3:15). It was preached to, believed by, and then preached by Job, Noah, Abraham, and the prophets of God throughout the days of the Old Testament. By these opening words of Mark’s Gospel, the Holy Spirit simply means for us to understand that this gospel age, this dispensation of grace, began with the ministry of John the Baptist, which was introductory to and one with the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. John’s ministry announced the end of the legal dispensation, the fulfillment and termination of the law by Christ, and the dawn of this day of grace. This is not a guess, but exactly what the Scriptures state (Matthew 11:13; Luke 16:16). The gospel revealed in Holy Scripture, the gospel by which the Word of God is preached and expounded to sinners is here called “the gospel of Jesus Christ.” It is not the Baptist gospel, the Protestant gospel, the Catholic gospel, the Arminian gospel, or even the Calvinist gospel. It is “the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The gospel is not a theological system, a denominational creed, or a religious practice. The gospel is a Person. Mark calls it; no, the Holy Spirit calls it, “the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ is the gospel. Do you see that? Very few people do. He is the Author of it, the great Preacher of it, the Substance of it, and the Message of it. The gospel is God’s good word, faithful and true, about his Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel is the revelation and proclamation of Jesus Christ, who he is and what he has done.

You cannot separate Christ and the gospel. Christ is the gospel; and the gospel is Christ. It is God’s revelation and declaration that his Son is Jesus, the Redeemer and Savior of lost sinners, — the Christ, the Messiah, who was promised in the Old Testament, — the Mediator between God and men, — the Prophet who has declared all the mind and will of God, — the Great High Priest who has offered himself a sacrifice for his people’s sins, made peace, procured pardon, brought in everlasting righteousness, obtained eternal redemption, and now lives to make intercession for us according to the will of God, and — the King of Glory who reigns over all things to save, defend, protect, provide for, and preserve his redeemed ones. That is the commencement of the gospel. It began with, and has its beginning in our hearts with the coming, the revelation, and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Claim of ChristianityLook at verse one again. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” — That is the unique, foundational, essential, basic claim of Christianity. Jesus Christ is himself God the eternal Son. Those who deny the eternal deity and godhead of the man Christ Jesus, either openly and directly, or by inference of their teachings, are not Christians. When Mark asserts that Jesus Christ is “the Son of God,” he makes no effort to prove his claim. He simply states it as a matter of well-known, commonly received fact, because among Christians, it is a well-known, commonly received fact. The man Jesus Christ is God the eternal Son, in every way one with and equal with the Father and the Spirit, of the same nature and essence, possessing the same perfections and the same glory. He is “over all God, blessed forever.” In him “dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily.” The whole of the gospel stands or falls here. Christianity stands or falls here. The satisfaction of Christ is of infinite merit and efficacy because he is God. His death upon the cross is of infinite value to God and infinitely effectual for sinners because he is God. The death of Christ was not the death of a mere man, but the death of a man who is God.

That means He cannot fail. Those for whom he died must and shall be saved. Those who deny the efficacy of Christ’s atonement, in effect, deny the deity of his Person, for if his blood is not effectual, his sacrifice is worthless! John Gill wrote… “Matthew began his Gospel with the humanity, Mark with the divinity of Christ. The one calls him the Son of David, the other the Son of God. Both (are) true. Christ is the Son of David according to his human nature, (and) the Son of God according to his divine nature. So a testimony is borne to the truth of both his natures, which are united in one person.”The Unity of Holy Scripture “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Mark 1:2-3). Matthew Henry observed that, “The gospel of Jesus Christ begins, and goes on, just as it is written in the prophets; for it saith no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said should come (Acts 26:22).” The gospel of Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. From Genesis through Malachi we see the event foretold again and again with constantly increasing clarity. The promise was made to Adam, renewed to the patriarchs, and repeated to the prophets that the Redeemer would come. His birth, his character, his life of obedience, his sin-atoning death, his resurrection, even his forerunner, were prophesied and typified hundreds of years before he came. Our Savior’s great work of redemption was accomplished in every detail exactly as the Old Testament Scriptures declared it must be. That is what Paul preached to the Jews at Antioch. — “And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre” (Acts 13:29). In this passage Mark quotes from both Malachi (Malachi 3:1) and Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3), two Old Testament prophets who lived three hundred years or more apart, telling us that both wrote of the coming of Christ and redemption by him. In doing so he tells us three things about John the Baptist, and really about every true gospel preacher. As John was God’s messenger sent ahead of Christ, so every true gospel preacher is God’s messenger sent to those to whom he shall send his Son in saving grace. As John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Christ, so God’s servants are sent to prepare the way for Christ by the preaching of the gospel. As John’s was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” so gospel preachers are voices crying in a spiritually dark, empty, desolate wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” That means, “Prepare to meet thy God.” The only way any sinner can prepare to meet God is to turn to him in genuine repentance, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. We have read the Old Testament with absolutely no spiritual profit, with no profit to our souls, if we have only observed its historical facts, moral laws, supernatural events, and fulfilled prophecies. The message of the Old Testament is Christ. Our Lord was referring to the Old Testament when he said, “These are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). The Old Testament and the New Testament is one revelation of God. We do not have two Bibles, just one; and its theme is “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Believer’s Baptism. “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:4-5). We must not make more of baptism than the New Testament makes of it. Yet, we dare not make less of it than the New Testament does. Baptism has absolutely no saving merit or efficacy; but it is not a matter of indifference. It is not an optional, insignificant religious ritual. Baptism is not a sacrament by which grace is conferred or even received; but it is an ordinance of divine worship, by which we confess our faith in and allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, by whose blood we have the remission of sins. Taking John the Baptist as our example, three things are clearly revealed in these verses about the gospel ordinance of baptism. Baptism is and must be by immersion. We read, “John did baptize in the wilderness.” We do not read that he sprinkled, or that he poured, but that he baptized (dipped, plunged, immersed) those who came to him. The word translated “baptize” in the New Testament cannot, with honesty, be made to mean “sprinkle” or “pour.” The word means, “dip, plunge, or immerse.” Immersion is not a mode of baptism. Immersion is baptism. Baptism has reference to redemption. John preached “the baptism of repentance for (unto or because of) the remission of sins.” He did not preach that baptism washes away or remits our sins, but that it symbolizes and portrays the washing away and remission of our sins by the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Baptism does not represent regeneration, or conversion, or sanctification; and it sure doesn’t represent circumcision! Baptism represents the remission of sins by the sin-atoning death of our great Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why it is always described as a burial. Believers are buried with Christ in the watery grave of baptism symbolizing our death, burial, and resurrection with him representatively as our Substitute (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:10-12). Baptism is for believers only. Those who were baptized by John came to him. They were not brought to him. They were baptized in the river, not with a teacup. And when they were baptized, they personally confessed their sins by the symbolic act of water baptism. That is to say, they confessed their need of a Savior because of their sins, their faith in Christ by whose blood their sins were (in the decree of God and soon would be by the actual shedding of his blood) put away, and their allegiance to him who would put away their sins by the sacrifice of himself. Throughout the New Testament, the one pre-requisite for baptism is personal faith in Christ. This is one reason why we reject the practice of infant baptism (Acts 8:35-39). There is absolutely no precedent for infant baptism or for sprinkling in the place of baptism in the Word of God. Those things are nothing but remnants of papacy in Protestant churches. There is no reason to practice sprinkling, except to make it convenient to baptize babies; and there is no reason to baptize babies, unless you think there is some spiritual, saving efficacy in doing so. Thus, in reality, infant baptism is as much a denial of the gospel of salvation by grace alone as the Roman doctrine of indulgences. Another fact that is displayed in John’s ministry is that outward success and popularity is never to be depended upon or used as the measure of a preacher’s usefulness. We read in Mark 1:5 that “there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.” Large crowds are always pleasing to see and encouraging; but we must never forget that very few of those who heard John and were baptized by him were truly converted. John the Baptist stirred things up. People were scared, emotionally excited, and greatly moved by his preaching; but few heard his message. It is not enough to hear and approve of popular preachers. We must hear Christ.

It is not enough to follow the crowd, even when the crowd is right. We must follow Christ. We must never judge the success or failure of a ministry by those things that we can see. It is not enough to be baptized in water. We must be baptized into Christ. — “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). A True Prophet“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; 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. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost” (Mark 1:6-8). John did not live delicately in luxury. He was not much concerned about the brand of clothes he wore or the ratings of the restaurants in which he ate. His concern was for the kingdom of God, the gospel of God, the truth of God, the glory of God, and the Son of God. He never tried to please men, and never sought the approval of men. John the Baptist was a prophet, a man sent from God with a message from God, a message that eternity bound sinners must hear and obey. He really was not very concerned about anything else. John was a prophet. That which John preached is exactly what every prophet of God in every generation is sent of God to preach. Let me show you seven things about the preaching of John the Baptist. If these seven things do not characterize me, and my preaching, I am not God’s servant, I have no business claiming to be a preacher, and no human being should hear me preach or read anything I write. The same is true of every other man to whom the term “preacher” is applied. John preached the remission of sins by the blood atonement accomplished by the sacrificial death of Christ, the Lamb of God. He preached repentance because of the remission of sins. We do not preach repentance to get your sins forgiven, but because of sin’s forgiveness experienced in the soul (Zechariah 12:10). John preached Jesus Christ and him crucified. As Matthew Henry wrote, “The preaching of Christ is pure gospel preaching, and that was John Baptist’s preaching.” I say to myself and to every man who dares speak to eternity bound sinners in the name of God, preach Christ or preach nothing! John preached Christ’s great pre-eminence. He had such high views of Christ and such low views of himself that he felt totally unfit to serve his Savor in the lowest, most menial, insignificant way, unfit to stoop down and untie his shoes. He preached the great power of Christ. Men thought he was something and somebody. He said, “No, I’m nothing and nobody; but I have come to tell you about one who is mighty the mighty God and mighty to save. John preached the mighty, saving operations of Christ. — “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” The Word of God nowhere talks about the Holy Spirit baptizing us into Christ; but it does talk about Christ baptizing chosen, redeemed sinners into the Holy Spirit. Christ baptized his church into the Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The Kingdom of God was then immersed in the Spirit. It ceased to be a carnal, family kingdom, and became a spiritual kingdom. In a sense, believers are baptized by Christ into the Holy Spirit in the new birth. That is to say, when a person is born again he is translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. He is taken from being in the flesh to being in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-14). John the Baptist was a man who preached with genuine humility. He thought of himself as nothing but a voice, unworthy of and unfit for the least service to God, but willing to be used by God, and hoping God would be pleased to use him (2 Corinthians 4:7). This was John’s attitude. I pray that it is mine and that it is yours. — “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Mark 1:9-20

CHAPTER 3 Our Savior’s Baptism, His Temptation, and His First Disciples “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. (18) And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.” Mark 1:9-20 These few verses are typical of Mark’s writing. They cover a great amount of matter in a very brief amount of space. Within the scope of these twelve verses, Mark relates a brief account of the baptism of our Lord, his temptation in the wilderness, his earliest preaching, and the calling of his first disciples. We will look at each of these things in the order in which they are given. Our Lord’s Baptism This paragraph opens with a brief record of our Lord’s baptism. — “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11). Our Lord’s public, earthly ministry began with him submitting to baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, that he might symbolically fulfill all righteousness and justify God. Baptism was not considered a light, insignificant thing by the Son of God. He walked all the way from Nazareth of Galilee to Jerusalem to be baptized by John. Why? I can give one very good reason, and only one. — He knew it was his Father’s will. It was not convenient; but it was his Father’s will.

It might not be understood by his family and friends; but it was his Father’s will. He might be ridiculed as a fanatic; but none of that mattered to him. It was his Father’s will for him to be baptized by John. So he came to John at Jerusalem to be baptized. There is much to be learned from our Master’s baptism. Let me direct your attention to just four things concerning it. His baptism was an act of humility. Remember, this is the Son of God, the Lord of glory. He came to be baptized in that same river that Naaman despised. Not only did he submit to the ordinance; but he came to John to observe it. He did not call for John to come to him. He came to John. Our Savior’s baptism was an act of obedience. He had come into this world to do his Father’s will; and part of that will was this act by which, at the very outset of his public ministry, he identified himself with God’s prophet, his message, and his people. There are many reasons for the practice of believer’s baptism. It is the answer of a good conscience toward God. It is a picture of the gospel. It identifies us with Christ, his people, and the gospel of his grace. But there is no reason more noble than this: — The Lord commands it. Baptism is the believer’s first act of obedience to Christ as his Lord. And nothing is nobler in a servant than implicit obedience to his master. Our Lord’s baptism was a very meaningful, very significant act. Baptism is not an empty, meaningless religious ritual. It is now and has been from its inception a highly symbolic act. Though Mark does not give the details, both Matthew and Luke tell us the meaning and significance of baptism. Our Master’s baptism meant exactly the same thing that our baptism means. Matthew tells us that our Savior insisted on being baptized “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13-15). Obviously, baptism did not make the Son of God righteous. But it did signify the means by which he must establish and bring in righteousness for his people. As our Substitute, the Lord Jesus brought in and fulfilled all righteousness as Man by his perfect obedience unto death (Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 10:5-14). Having perfectly obeyed the law of God, he was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. When he was made sin for us, he was slaughtered under the fury of God’s unmitigated wrath. When he was slain as our Substitute, he was buried in the earth. After he had been in the earth for three days, to prove that he had indeed fulfilled all righteousness and had put away our sins, he was raised from the dead. That is exactly what was pictured in his baptism; and that is exactly what is pictured in believer’s baptism today (Romans 6:3-6). Then Luke records our Lord’s later explanation of his baptism by John to have been an act by which he “justified God” (Luke 7:29-30). We know that baptism does nothing to make God just; but it is the symbolic confession that our God is and must be just. His justice must be satisfied; and our Savior, by his baptism, confessed that he would satisfy the justice of God by dying under the wrath of God as our Substitute. We come to the waters of baptism for exactly the same reason: — To confess our sins and to confess our faith in him by whose blood God can be both “a just God and a Savior.” Our Lord’s baptism was also an extraordinarily honorable act. It was an act by which he was publicly owned to be the Son of God, in whom God the Father is well pleased. At his baptism, God the Father publicly announced his full, complete acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice as our Mediator, Surety, and Substitute. There is a great wealth of spiritual instruction in these words: — “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The text does not say, with whom, but “in whom I am well pleased.” That means that the Father is well pleased with all his people in his Son, by virtue of his obedience unto death, by virtue of his sin atoning sacrifice. “With His spotless garments on, I am as holy as God’s Son!” Let every believer find comfort and assurance here. God looks on us in Christ. Looking on us in Christ, he sees no spot in us (Son 4:7). He beholds us in Christ as being clothed from head to foot with the garments of salvation, his robe of perfect righteousness, invested with his perfect merit, “accepted in the Beloved,” and a people with whom he is well pleased” It is at our baptism that believers are honored and publicly owned as the sons of God. Baptism does not make us the sons of God. But in the watery grave of baptism, as we there own our God when we are buried with Christ, so we are owned of God as his sons and daughters in Christ. — “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Our Savior’s Temptation Second, Mark gives us a brief description of our Savior’s temptation n the wilderness. — “And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 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 1:12-13). When trials, troubles, and temptations come upon you, do not imagine that some strange thing has happened to you. The Son of God was also tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin (1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 4:15-16). Here are four things in Mark 1:12-13 that are of tremendous importance. As they were true concerning our Lord, so they are true concerning every child of God. May God be pleased to inscribe these four things upon every believing heart. You may not need them now, but as sure as you belong to and follow Christ, you will soon need to know these things. Though he was tempted of the devil, he was still the Son of God and the Spirit of God was with him. Though he was the Son of God, his temptations were many, they were real, and they lasted a long time. Though he was among wild beasts in the wilderness of temptation, he was under special divine protection, and the angels of God ministered to him. Though he was tempted for forty days, tempted in all points of human weakness, and tempted among wild beasts, his temptations did come to an end. When trials, temptations, or sorrows come to us, rather than asking, “Why do God’s people suffer?”, we should be asking, “Why shouldn’t we suffer?” After all, we are sinners, like all other people. Our Lord Jesus suffered as no man ever suffered, in order to redeem and save us. If he who knew no sin was in this world a “man of sorrows,” why shouldn’t we have sorrows to endure? Yet, it is not altogether wrong for us to ask, “Why?”, when sorrows come to us, as long as our questions arise from submissive, believing hearts. When believers suffer, it is because it is the will of God, our heavenly Father. Satan could not touch Job, but by the will of God. And sorrow does not come to your house or mine, in any form, but by the will of God. It is written, “All things are of God.” Nothing happens by “chance” in a world controlled by God (Romans 11:36). Sorrow is intended to wean us of this world. God says to his saints, “Give me thine heart.” And he graciously sees to it that we give him our hearts. He will never allow his own to be completely content with life in this world. God visits his saints with affliction to correct us for sin and cause us to call upon him. Read Psalms 107 and learn the mystery of providence. Blessed is that sorrow that turns our hearts to Christ in firmer faith, greater gratitude, and more loyal love. “Who knoweth what is good for a man’s life?” (Ecclesiastes 6:12). Is it better for me to be wealthy or poor? Is it better for me to be healthy or sick? Is it better for me to be strong or weak? The fact is, only God knows. Wealth, health, and strength of life may be a great blessing or a great curse. Poverty, sickness, and weakness, the things all men seek to avoid, may be tremendous blessings from God. All these things come from him (Isaiah 45:7; Romans 11:36). This much I know: — Whatever it takes for God to get my attention is good for me. Whatever makes me wake up and think upon my sin, my immortal soul, the brevity of life, the certainty of God’s judgment, and the eternality of heaven and hell; whatever God uses to drive me to my knees, to force me to call upon him for mercy is good for me. Whatever it takes to reconcile this rebel’s heart to God and bring me to Jesus Christ in faith, to wean me from this world and keep me looking to Christ is good for me. — “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Christ’s Preaching In Mark 1:14-15 Mark describes the preaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. — “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” After John the Baptist was cast into prison for his bold preaching, the Lord Jesus came into Galilee preaching the very same thing that John had preached before him and his apostles preached after him. It is the message every gospel preacher is commanded of God to preach. “Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” — The long and short of that is this: — Our Lord came pressing upon men the claims of God as their rightful sovereign, as their Lord and King, demanding that all who heard him submit and surrender to his dominion over them (Matthew 10:39; Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33; John 12:25). Our Savior proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand.” — The fullness of time had now come (Romans 5:6-8; Galatians 4:4-5). The King of grace had now come and the Kingdom of God was at hand. The kingdom of God is that spiritual kingdom which is the church of God, the kingdom in which God rules by his Son through his Word. The Lord Jesus commanded all who heard him, saying, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” This is what God requires of all: repentance and faith. The two always go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. This is what Noah preached in his generation, and what Paul preached in his (Acts 20:21). Repentance and faith were the foundation stones of Christ’s ministry. J.

C. Ryle wrote, “Repentance and faith must always be the main subjects of every faithful ministers instruction.” We must repent. We must believe the gospel. It is only by repentance toward God and faith in Christ that we obtain peace. Church membership will not bring us to God. Baptism will not bring us to God.

The priestly pronouncement of some man that our sins are absolved will not give us peace. The only way to peace is repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. These things are not one time acts, but a continual way of life. Believers turn to God with willing hearts, surrendering themselves to him in all things, looking to Christ alone for acceptance with him. The First Disciples The last thing to which Mark directs our attention in this passage is the calling of our Lord’s first disciples. “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him” (Mark 1:16-20). Mark does not describe the salvation of these men. Our text is not talking about the effectual call of grace, but about the call of believing men to the work of the ministry. Let me point out three things in these verses about our Lord’s first disciples. Our Lord Jesus did not choose the great, the mighty, and the noble to be his disciples. The church of God began with a few, simple fishermen, not with rich, well-educated, influential men (Zechariah 4:6; 1 Corinthians 1:26-29). There is an abhorrent notion among men that there is something noble about being rich and something shameful about being poor. We must never subscribe to that folly. Plain, ordinary, blue collar, working men were the men chosen of God to turn the world upside down. It is a disgrace to be proud, to be covetous, to be a drunk, a cheat, or a thief; but it is no disgrace to be poor. Those who were called to the work of the ministry were occupied with and were faithfully pursuing honorable careers when the Lord called them. The trend in religion is for a man to announce his call to preach and then go about figuring out a way to put himself in the ministry. That is totally wrong. God finds his preachers in the field tending sheep like Moses, or plowing corn like Elisha, or thrashing wheat like Gideon, or by the seaside mending nets. He never finds them sitting in a pew or Bible college waiting for a church to open up! Those who are called by Christ to be his servants are called to be “fishers of men,” — men who fish for the souls of men. Fishermen have a purpose. They go out to catch fish. Fishermen must be very diligent. And fishermen must be very patient. I ask all who read these lines to pray for me and for every faithful, gospel preacher you are privileged to know. “Who is sufficient for these things?” Yet, we know that “Our sufficiency is of God.” — “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

Mark 1:21-34

CHAPTER 4 Lessons From A Day of Miracles “And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.” Mark 1:21-34 This passage is the beginning of a long list of miracles recorded by Mark. As I read it, I cannot avoid noticing how much our Savior crammed into one day. Our Lord seems to have rested little. He was always about his Father’s business, either preaching the good news of salvation by the grace of God or performing good works of mercy by the power of his grace as God. We recognize, of course, that the days of visible, demonstrative miracles being performed ended with the completion of Holy Scripture. There have been none with the gift and ability to do those things by the Spirit of God since the days of the apostles. Those who yet pretend to possess such supernatural gift are just pretenders. They are not the servants of Christ. Our Lord still performs miracles, but not in a public, demonstrative way. However, he did perform great miracles of mercy upon the bodies of men and women and for the benefit of their lives while he lived upon the earth. He did so, and gave his apostles power to do so, to confirm in a public manner his claims as the Messiah. In the passage before us, we begin on Saturday morning, the sabbath day, with our Lord and his disciples in the synagogue at Capernaum. There he taught with authority the Word of God and cast a demon out of a man. Then he healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. The news of his power and mercy spread like wildfire through the town. By nightfall “all the city was gathered at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils.” These miracles performed by our Master are instructive pictures of his grace and power, and are here recorded by Divine inspiration to teach us about him, his grace, and his salvation. False Doctrine The first thing we learn from this passage is that it is right, and sometimes necessary, to correct false doctrine. — “And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:21-22). Our Lord and his disciples went into the synagogue because that was the place where men and women met in the name of God, claiming to worship God. There he opened the Word of God and taught them as one having authority. He spoke boldly and plainly. He spoke the truth of God in such unmistakable terms that those who heard him were astonished by his doctrine. I am sometimes told, when I am asked to preach in churches and places where people do not believe the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, I ought to be careful not to offend. That means, “Be careful not to preach the gospel. Let men go to hell with a Bible in their hands. Do not cause a disturbance just because people are lost, Christ is blasphemed, and the truth of God is perverted.” God’s servants are not such self-serving creatures. Faithful men are faithful to the souls of men, faithful to the truth of Holy Scripture, and faithful to the glory of God. They who have a word from God speak the word of the Lord clearly and distinctly, regardless of cost or consequence. Only a hireling courts the favor of his hearers or fears their frowns. Heart Faith The second thing we see in these verse is the necessity of heart faith. We are specifically told twice that the demons knew the Lord Jesus. — “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:23-24). — “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him” (Mark 1:34). The Scribes did not know him. The Pharisees did not know him or acknowledge the truthfulness of his doctrine. The religious leaders of the day denounced the Son of God as a false prophet. But those demons knew both who he was and the truthfulness of all that he taught. Yet, they were not saved. Their knowledge was not unto salvation. We should lay this to heart. The mere belief and acknowledgment of Bible facts and Bible doctrine is not salvation. I realize that there is no salvation apart from the knowledge of gospel truth. But merely having your head full of facts is not salvation. That kind of faith is no better than the faith of devils. They all believe and know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The demons all know that he died at Calvary as the victorious, effectual, sin-atoning substitute for God’s elect. They all know that he is seated upon his throne in heaven. And all the demons know that he is coming again in judgment and will cast them, along with all the wicked, into everlasting hell. The demons of hell know a heap sight more than most preachers and most professing Christians. There is no infidelity among them. But saving faith is no more an act of the head than it is an act of man’s imaginary free will. Saving faith is a matter of the heart (James 2:19; Romans 10:9-10). Heart faith is more than information in the head. It is the transformation of the life, from the inside out. Heart faith is more than knowing about Christ. It is trusting him, loving him, rejoicing in him, commitment to him, and cleaving to him. Martin Luther once wrote, “Christianity consists of personal pronouns.” It is one thing to say, “Christ alone is Savior.” It is another thing altogether to lift your heart to heaven and say, “Christ alone is my Savior.” The demons of hell acknowledge the first. Only a child of God can truthfully state the last. Salvation is not a reformed life or a reformed creed. Salvation is the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ revealed in your heart by the Holy Spirit. It is not information in you, but Christ in you, which is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Simplicity in Prayer “And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them” (Mark 1:29-31). Third, we have set before us the simplicity of true prayer. Faith, worship, and prayer are simple, unadorned, unpretentious things. Where they are true and sincere, there is nothing about them that even resembles show, formality, ceremony, or hypocrisy. Far too often, particularly in acts of public worship and prayer, I fear that most of what is said and done is said and done to be heard and seen of men. Carefully observe the simplicity of everything in these three verses. When we are in trouble, when we have heavy burdens and cares, we ought to follow the example of simplicity we see in these verses. I call your attention to three facts set before us by the Spirit of God in Mark 1:29-31. Simon Peter was a married man. I mention this fact simply because the church of Rome has historically claimed Peter as the first pope, while at the same time teaching the necessity of clerical celibacy, as though celibacy is somehow more spiritual than marriage. They are wrong on all counts. Peter was never a papist. He was a married man. (It is hard to have a mother-in-law without being married!) And celibacy and spirituality have nothing to do with one another. Though Peter’s mother-in-law appears to have been a believer, a true, faithful servant of the Lord, she got very sick. Peter’s relationship to Christ did not exempt his family from trouble. His mother-in-law’s relationship with the Savior did not keep her from trouble. The fact is, God’s children suffer in this world just as other people do. As long as we live in this world of woe, we will have trials, troubles, sicknesses, bereavements, and sorrows. When we have troubles of different kinds, it is both prudent and proper to use the means at our disposal by God’s providence. There is no contradiction between faith and the diligent use of means. When you get sick, go to the doctor. If you have legal problems, hire a lawyer. When you need help, turn to your family and friends; and say, “I need help.” But be sure you do not fail to recognize this third thing… The best remedy for our troubles, the best cure for our cares is the simple prayer of faith. When Peter’s mother-in-law was sick, “they told him (The Lord Jesus) of her.” This is the first and best thing to be done in all cases. When trouble comes, cry out to him who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. No one else is so compassionate and willing to help as he is. No one else is so powerful and able to help as he is. When Jacob was in trouble, he turned to the Lord for help. He cried, “Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of Esau” (Genesis 32:11). When Hezekiah was in trouble, he spread Sennacherib’s letter before the Lord, and said, “I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand” (2 Kings 19:19). When Lazarus was sick, Martha and Mary sent a message to the Lord Jesus, saying, “Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3). We ought always to do the same. When sicknesses, bereavements, sorrows, trials, and troubles come, let us act in the simplicity of faith and tell him who is able and willing to help. “Are you weary, are you heavy hearted? Are you grieving over joys departed? Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow? Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow? Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus; He is a Friend that’s well-known; You’ve no other such a friend or brother, Tell it to Jesus alone. This is the counsel we are given in the Word of God. — “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalms 55:22). — “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6) — “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Christ’s Perfect Work In Mark 1:31 we are given a picture of our great Savior’s work. It is always perfect. — “And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.” When the Son of God heals, he heals. One minute this woman was lying in bed, sick with a fever. The Master took her by the hand, lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. The next minute she is serving him. Such a fever, even after it is broken, usually leaves a person very, very weak; but when our Savior works a work, he leaves nothing undone. This is certainly a picture of the way he deals with sin-sick souls. He who redeemed us with his blood, when he comes in saving grace to our souls in the power of his Spirit, gives us everything we need to make us completely whole. — He who chose us redeemed us. — He who redeemed us justified us. — He who justified us calls us. — He who calls us gives us faith. — He who paid our debt gives us grace. — He who obtained eternal redemption with his blood gives life to all his redeemed ones. — He who gives us life gives us faith. — He who gives us faith gives us power to become the sons of God. — He who washed away our sins with his blood cleanses us by his Spirit in regenerating grace. — He who justified us also sanctifies us. — He who sanctifies us will also glorify us. — He who has saved us also gives us the grace and strength to serve and minister unto him. The sin-sick soul is not merely cured, and then left to itself. It is also supplied with a new heart and a right spirit, and grace and strength sufficient for all that is required of it. Whatever God demands, he gives. Here is encouragement and comfort for those who are reluctant to publicly confess faith in Christ and identify themselves with him. Some fear that if they come forward and take up their cross to follow him, they may not be able to continue, that they will in time fall away. That was one of the things with which I struggled greatly, as Satan tried to keep me from confessing my Redeemer in believer’s baptism. The fact is, if you come in your own strength, trusting yourself, you will soon fall. But if Christ calls you, Christ will keep you. There are no half-cured cases with the Son of God!

He leaves nothing unfinished. Every pardoned soul shall be preserved unto the end and perfected at last. It is written, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). — “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Here is comfort to those who are serving the Savior, but cast down by the sense of their own weakness and insufficiency. As your days demand shall your strength ever be. The difficulties you fear shall vanish before you. The lion that roars before you, as you walk in the path set before you, has no teeth, and no claws, and is on a chain; and the one holding the chain is our Redeemer. The lion cannot hurt you! The very worst he can do is make a lot of noise. He who gives you grace will also give you glory. Christ’s Dominion and Grace We are assured of these things just in proportion as we grasp the fifth thing taught in these verses; and that is the totality of our Savior’s dominion, particularly in the exercise of his saving grace. In this portion of Holy Scripture we see that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, truly is “God over all.” Sickness and disease, Satan and the demons of hell, sin and death all flee at his word. “With authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.” “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). And here we see our Redeemer, the Holy One of God, destroying the works of the devil in the life of a chosen sinner by his omnipotent grace. That poor soul in the synagogue aptly portrays fallen man under the dominion of Satan. God’s elect, like all others, are by nature “children of wrath” and vassals of the devil. Yet, on the sabbath day, this poor soul came to the house of God. There he sat, as Satan’s helpless captive, until the Lord Jesus met him in his house and delivered him by his almighty grace, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 49:24-26). At the very approach of our Savior, the unclean spirit in that poor wretch trembled, knowing that the Lord Jesus possesses all power and authority, even over Satan himself, as “the Holy One of God.” What confidence believing souls ought to have in such a Savior! No weapon formed against us can prosper (Isaiah 54:17). No temptation can destroy us (1 Corinthians 10:13). And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under our heals shortly (Romans 16:20). He who loved us and gave himself for us is the absolute, sovereign Monarch of the universe. We may safely trust him. He is too wise to err, too good to do wrong, and too strong to fail.

Mark 1:35-39

CHAPTER 5 A Sunday with the Savior “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.” Mark 1:35-39 Every event in our Lord’s earthly life, every word he spoke, every act he performed ought to be regarded by us as matters of immense importance and deep interest. In all that he said, in all that he did, in all that he refused to do our Savior is both our Example and our Teacher, showing us both what we are to believe and how we are to live in this world for the glory of God. On Saturday, the sabbath day, the Lord Jesus crammed as much into the day as possible for the glory of God and the good of men. He taught in the synagogue at Capernaum, cast out devils, and healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many in the city who were sick. In this passage, after an exhausting sabbath day, we see our Savior rising early for prayer on Sunday morning. Mark records the events of that day for our learning. May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher as we seek to learn from the things which transpired on that Sunday that Mark describes in these five verses. Diligence in Prayer First, I want us to take notice of and learn from our Savior’s diligence in prayer. — “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Remember, Mark is telling us about the incarnate God. This is not a weak, sinful, fallen, and needy man. This man is God. Yet, as a man, he placed great importance upon the matter of prayer, especially private prayer. Throughout the days of his humiliation, we find our Master engaged in prayer. We do not often see him engaging in public prayer. He seems to have avoided, as much as possible, any public show or display of devotion; but private prayer, private worship was another matter. Most do just the opposite. Most people make a great show of devotion publicly, but greatly neglect private prayer, private worship, and private communion with God. Our Savior seems never to have begun anything; he seems never to have made a decision without prayer. When he was baptized, Luke tells us he was “praying” (Luke 3:21). When he was transfigured upon the mount, we read that, “as he prayed, the fashion of his face was altered” (Luke 9:29). Before choosing his apostles, our Savior “continued all night in prayer” (Luke 6:12). When all men spoke well of him, and wanted to make him a king, Matthew tells us, “He went up into a mountain apart to pray” (Matthew 14:23). When he was assaulted by Satan in Gethsemane, our Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit ye here, while I shall pray” (Mark 14:32). Our Savior prayed always and did not faint. Though he was sinless, he prayed as sinner never prayed. He diligently sought to maintain communion with God his Father as a man, giving us an example. His eternal godhead did not cause him to live independent of God’s ordained means of ministering to men. Here is the God to whom we pray, as a man, showing us the necessity of prayer. The Son of God, as a man, never considered himself strong enough, wise enough, or spiritual enough to live in this world without private prayer and public worship. “In the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” (Hebrews 5:7). “We ought to see in all this,” wrote J.C. Ryle, “the immense importance of private devotion.” If the Son of God felt it important to pray, how much more important it is for us to pray. If he who is holy, sinless, and always pleasing to God spent much time in private prayer, how much more important it is for us to do so. Our Savior never neglected the worship of God, neither the public worship of God nor private worship. Let us follow his example. What does this tell us about men and women who do not pray, who willfully neglect the worship of God? There are multitudes who, while professing to be believers, exercise no diligence at all in the matter of worship. Their profession is a delusion. Prayerless men and women are not the servants of this praying Savior. Prayerless souls are Christless souls. The Spirit of adoption always causes adopted children to call upon their Father in prayer. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Let all who know, trust, and worship the Lord Jesus Christ always be watchful over their souls in this matter. Prayer is the pulse of spiritual life. With believers, this is not a duty. Yet, it must be dutifully maintained. Prayer is not an act of life, but a way of life. Those who do not pray are yet without life before God. Do we pray? The disciples knew Saul of Tarsus had experienced grace when they were told, “Behold, he prayeth.” We are urged by God the Holy Spirit to diligently maintain the use of every means of grace. Our engagement in prayer and worship is not the cause of grace. Without doubt, many who carefully keep up the exercise of both private and public prayer are lost. Their religion is all form and formality. But anyone who altogether despises and neglects worship and prayer is altogether without life and grace before God (Hebrews 10:24-39. Christ’s Sovereignty Second, Mark sets before us an example of our Savior’s sovereignty. “And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth” (Mark 1:36-38). We are all far too much inclined to judge the blessings of God by the outward response of men to what we are doing. This is nowhere more common and nowhere more foolish than in the matter of preaching. Our Lord’s disciples were very excited because he was so popularly received in their hometown. They thought this was a sure evidence that he would give a repeat performance; but they were mistaken. Instead, our Lord gave a clear, unmistakable display of his total sovereignty in the exercise of his mercy, grace, and saving power. Though there were many in Capernaum who sought him, he turned from them. The fact is there are many who seek the Lord today who never find him, who never obtain mercy from him, many who seek him from whom he hides himself. Without question, all who seek the Lord spiritually, all who truly seek him in faith, all who seek him because they need him and want him shall find him (Jeremiah 29:12-14). Yet, Mark here tells us of a great multitude who sought the Lord Jesus from whom he withdrew and hid himself. Why? They sought him in the wrong way and for the wrong reason. These people of Capernaum sought him physically, not spiritually. They sought him with their words and deeds, but not with their hearts. And they sought him for the wrong reasons. They sought nothing from him but carnal things. They did not seek him. They sought what he could do for them! Many seek Christ, but not by faith. Like the Jews described by Paul, they seek him upon the merit and in the strength of the flesh (Romans 9:30-33; Romans 10:1-4). Not only did those at Capernaum seek the Lord Jesus carnally, they sought him too late. The Savior passed through Capernaum the day before. He would not go back now. They did not seek him when he was to be found. It is written, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Our Lord Jesus refused to go back to Capernaum, the larger, more populated city, and carried his grace to the smaller towns and villages surrounding it, because he has mercy on whom he will have mercy. We need to learn this. No one dictates to God almighty. He does what he will. He is gracious to whom he will be gracious. The sooner we learn this, the better! God always displays his sovereignty in every aspect of grace. He chose to save fallen men, but not fallen angels. He chose some, and passed by others. He redeemed some, but not all. He sends the gospel to some, and hides it from others. He calls some who hear the gospel, and leaves others in darkness, death, and condemnation (Matthew 11:20-30). Christ the Preacher Third, Mark directs our attention to our Master’s chosen occupation. — “And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils” (Mark 1:38-39). When the Son of God came into this world, he chose to be a gospel preacher. He came here to be a preacher of the gospel. He came to fulfill the Scriptures by coming as a prophet, the prophet greater than Moses, who had been foretold by Moses himself (Deuteronomy 13:15). What a high, high honor the Son of God put upon the office and work of the gospel preacher. He might have chosen to come as a ceremonial priest, like Aaron. He could have worn a crown like David. But he chose to be a preacher. The Son of God left the glory which he had with the Father before the worlds were made to do the work of an evangelist, to be a street preacher. He came down here not only to establish peace, but to preach it, not only to bring in righteousness, but to preach it, not only to obtain eternal redemption by the shedding of his blood, but to peach it! Jesus Christ came preaching the gospel, proclaiming deliverance to the captive, the recovering of sight to the blind, and peace to them that were far off (Isaiah 61:1-3). I stress this fact with very good reason. In our day men and women everywhere have decided that preaching is out-of-date. It is no longer accepted in intellectual circles for a man to stand in a pulpit and preach the gospel to men. Many have given up preaching because it is not popular. They have become spiritual counselors. Rather than preaching to sinners, they engage in dialogue. Instead of preaching, we have cantatas, plays, ceremonies, celebrations, and candlelight services! What utter nonsense! The Son of God came here as a preacher. The church of Christ was originally gathered by preaching. Throughout history her health, strength, and prosperity have been promoted and maintained by preaching. It is by the preaching of the gospel that sinners are saved, saints are edified, and the kingdom of God is built up. Take care that you never despise or lightly esteem this great, God honored, God ordained service. “Despise not prophesyings” (1 Thessalonians 5:20). The preacher may be very learned or very plain, very deep or very simple, very polished or very rough, but if he is the messenger of God to your soul, treat him as the angel of God, the messenger of God to your soul; and teach your children to do the same. May God the Holy Spirit graciously enable us to remember the things set before us in this passage of Scripture and apply effectually them to our hearts. Nothing is more important than the worship of our God. We “ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1), “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy” (Luke 21:36). Our God is always sovereign in the operations of his grace. Let us ever seek his will and bow to his will. He has mercy on whom he will. And, as he is sovereign in all his works of grace, he is effectual. He will save his people from their sins. And the means by which he has chosen to do so is the preaching of the gospel. Gospel preaching is the one thing that is called “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth…For therein is the righteousness of God revealed” (Romans 1:16-17). It is God’s ordained instrument of spiritual blessing and benefit to the souls of men. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth” (Isaiah 52:7). “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; (13) And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation…Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17). Mark speaks of “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” in direct connection with the preaching of John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-4), because God makes known the good news of redemption and grace, salvation and eternal life in Christ by sending preachers to proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the means itself is of no benefit to our souls without the power and grace of God the Holy Spirit. It is only by the Spirit of God that the preached Word of God can make us wise unto salvation through the faith that is in Jesus Christ. To use the words of Robert Hawker, “May the Holy Three, which bear record in heaven, grant to us such sweet testimonies in our hearts and consciences of the truth as it is in Jesus, that we may enjoy that life eternal, to know the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, to be the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.” The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which began before the worlds were made, has its beginning in the hearts of chosen sinners as it “is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God…For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 1:21), “to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Ephesians 3:10).

Mark 1:40-45

CHAPTER 6 How can A Sinner Obtain Mercy? “And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.” Mark 1:40-45 Here is an unclean leper seeking mercy from the hands of Christ. And he obtained mercy. The Lord made him whole. If there is a sinner, like the leper, unclean, hopeless, helpless, friendless, and alone who reads these lines, I want you to know that there is hope for sinners like you in Christ. The man who writes them is such a sinner; and when I read about this leper and the mercy he obtained from the Lord Jesus, I think to myself, “If one has been made whole, why not another? Does God forgive sin, then why not my sin? Does God justify the ungodly, then why not me? Does Christ receive sinners, then why not me? Is there mercy with the Lord for the guilty, then why not for me? Did Christ die for sinners, then why not for me? Does God save the unrighteous, then why not me?” If we would obtain mercy, we must seek mercy like this poor leper, from the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let every saved sinner, as he reads again of God’s free, saving grace in Christ, remember and rejoice in what the Lord has done for him by his matchless, free, and sovereign grace in Christ Jesus. Let every poor, lost soul, whose uncleanness before God causes him to crave the cleansing that Christ alone can give, look to the Son of God by faith. Deep Sense of Need This poor wretch came to the Lord Jesus with a deep sense of his need. We do not read anything else in the Bible about the history of this man. We do not know who his parents were, where he was from, how old he was, or what became of him. He seems to be set before us for one reason - He shows us how a sinner must come to the Lord, if he would have mercy. And the first thing is this: — If you would obtain mercy from Christ, you must come to him because you need him. No sinner will ever come to Christ in faith until God the Holy Spirit creates in him a sense of his need. No one seeks mercy until he needs mercy. You are all familiar with what leprosy is and what it represents. Leprosy was a loathsome disease, common during the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry. It was a disease so peculiar that it was always considered a mark of divine displeasure on those who were afflicted with it (Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27; 2 Chronicles 26:19). Because they were ceremonially unclean, lepers were not allowed to walk in the company of others, or come into the house of God. Leprosy fitly represents the plague of sin with which sons of Adam are diseased. It is to the body what sin is to the soul. Mr. Thomson in his famous work, “The Land and the Book,” describes lepers in Israel like this: — “The hair falls from the head and eyebrows. The nails loosen, decay, and drop off. Joint after joint of the fingers and toes shrink up and slowly fall away. The gums are absorbed, and the teeth disappear. The nose, the eyes, the tongue, and the palate are slowly consumed.” The leper was a loathsome, miserable, outcast creature. He was walking death. Leprosy, like sin, was a loathsome, unclean disease. Leprosy, like sin, was (by human means) an incurable disease. Leprosy, like sin, was a consuming disease. Leprosy, like sin, was the sure forerunner of death. The man here held before us by the Spirit of God had a keen sense of his desperate need. Here is a man whose body was covered from head to toe with leprosy. His disease was always before him. There was no hiding it. His body was covered with ulcers oozing with a liquid of sickening smell. His body was racked with pain. Luke tells us that he was “full of leprosy.” He knew that he needed help. He needed supernatural, merciful, divine help. He needed the help of God. Without it, he would surely die. This is the very reason men and women do not come to Christ. — They do not have any sense of need. They do not know their need of Christ. But when the plague of sin in a man’s heart causes his very soul to burn with fever, when the sinners knows he is lost, helpless, unclean, and doomed, that without Christ he must surely die, he seeks him. Christ alone has power to heal our souls. This was portrayed in the ceremonial law (Leviticus 14). But the cleansing of grace is found only in Christ (Ezekiel 36:25; 1 John 7-9). His blood alone can cleanse the leprous soul. His mercy alone can save. Christ alone can make the unclean clean and righteous before God. Those who know their need of mercy will soon obtain mercy. “All the fitness he requireth Is to feel your need of Him.” And it is the work of God the Holy Spirit that makes us know our need of Christ. Robert Hawker wrote, “This poor creature, which came to Jesus, is the representative of every poor sinner, when convinced of the leprosy of sin, from the teaching of God the Holy Ghost. Such an one is convinced of Christ’s ability, because God the Spirit hath taught him who Christ is, and what Christ is able to perform.” Joseph Hart gives us the same thing in one of his great hymn… “What comfort can a Savior bring To those who never felt their woe? A sinner is a sacred thing; The Holy Ghost hath made him so. New life from Him we must receive, Before for sin we rightly grieve. This faithful saying let us own, Well worthy ‘tis to be believed, That Christ into the world came down, That sinners might by Him be saved. Sinners are high in His esteem.” Utter Humiliation This leper came to the Lord Jesus in utter humiliation. Matthew tells us he came “worshipping.” Luke says that, “Seeing Jesus, he fell on his face.” Mark tells us that he came “kneeling.” That is just the way sinners must come to the Savior, kneeling and falling on their face at his feet, worshipping! The sinner must come down, down from his pride, down from his self-righteousness, down from his self-sufficiency! He must come down in his own eyes, down, down, down, all the way down to the feet of Christ (Luke 18:9-14). If ever we see who and what we are, we will come down. You and I are poor sons and daughters of Adam, full of uncleanness, cursed, condemned, and ready to die. We are utterly helpless, and completely unworthy of God’s slightest notice. If ever we see who Christ is and what he is, we will come down. He is holy, righteous, and true. He is a God full of mercy, love, and compassion. He is a God able and willing to save. He is a Fountain opened for cleansing. He is God, whose glory it is to forgive sin. And God knows how to bring sinners down to the feet of his Son. Psalms 107 is a song of praise to God for his wondrous work of providence, by which he brings chosen sinners down. But providence alone will not cause sinners to seek the Lord. God brings sinners down by causing his holy law to enter their hearts, exposing their sin, pronouncing their uncleanness, and declaring their guilt (Romans 7:9). And God brings sinners down by the gospel, by revealing Christ to them and in them (Zechariah 12:10; Galatians 1:15-16). Do you feel your desperate need of Christ? Has your heart been broken and humbled at the feet of Christ? Are you sweetly compelled, like Job, to cry, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6)? Great and Weak Faith This poor leper came to the Lord Jesus in very weak faith, but faith that obtained great grace. And that makes the weakest faith great faith (Hebrews 11:6). I do not know how he came to have faith in Christ. Perhaps he had heard our Lord preach. Perhaps he was familiar with the Old Testament prophets. Perhaps he had heard the fame of our Lord from others. But this much is certain: — He knew who Christ was. He believed his claims. And he came to the Savior in faith, because God the Holy Spirit had given him faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:12). The leper came to the Lord by himself. Others had been led to Christ by one of his disciples, but not this man. Others had been picked up and brought to the Lord, but not the leper. Others, who could not come and were not brought, were blessed by a visit from the Lord himself, but not this leper. Everyone had given this poor man up as a hopeless case. He was a lonely, isolated man. No man cared for his soul. No one could or would take him to the Savior. But it is our Lord’s delight to save the hopeless, the helpless, and the friendless. This leper came to the Lord against many obstacles. He had no precedent to follow. No leper had come to the Lord Jesus before him. He had no promise of cure. He was not invited to come. And he had no legal right to come. Yet, the leper came to Christ confessing faith in him. He worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ as God. It appears that he believed him to be the very God by whom others like him were healed in days of old. He bowed to and worshipped Christ as his Lord. He knew the Christ had it in his power to make him clean and whole. And he confessed his faith in Christ in his own words. He did not merely repeat a prayer someone else told him to say! In all those things this man’s faith appears to be great and remarkable. Truly, it was. Yet, he displayed a great weakness of faith. Though he had no doubt that the Lord Jesus was able to heal him, he doubted whether he would heal him. He said, to the Lord Jesus, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” All God’s children in this world know, by experience, what it is to come to the Lord Jesus with such weakness of faith. Where is the saved sinner who has not come to the throne of grace, seeking mercy and grace in time of need, while very greatly in doubt that God would give the mercy and grace needed? God forgive our unbelief! It was in just such weakness of faith that this poor leper came to the Savior. But such is the greatness of our Savior’s grace, such is the character of our God “who delighteth in mercy,” that the weakness of our faith does not restrain his arm of grace! — “Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (Mark 1:41). Total Submission This leper came to the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing his need of him, in great humiliation, and in faith. And he came to the Savior in total submission. He recognized that the whole issue was in the hands of Christ. He cried, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” He understood what few understand. Grace is God’s prerogative alone. Salvation depends entirely upon the will of the Lord our God, who has mercy on whom he will have mercy. Christ alone has the right to save and the power to save; and the whole matter of salvation is according to his own sovereign will (Romans 9:16; Romans 9:18). Recognizing the sovereignty of Christ’s power and the sovereignty of his will, the leper submitted to the Lord with joyful hope. He simply threw himself upon Christ. And we must do the same. — “Lord, if you will you can save me.” Yet, he had hope. The Lord had never refused such a request before. And there is hope for us. God never has yet turned away one seeking, believing, submissive sinner. It seems likely, therefore, that he will not turn any away now. “Perhaps he will admit my plea, Perhaps will hear my prayer; But if I perish, I will pray, And perish only there. I can but perish if I go, I am resolved to try; For if I stay away I know, I must forever die. But if I die with mercy sought, When I the king have tried; This were to die (delightful thought!) As sinner never died.” The leper could not be worse off, even if he had been rejected. And if it were to happen that you sued for mercy and obtained it not, what would be your loss? Mercy Obtained But that was not the case. This poor leper obtained the mercy he desperately needed. — “Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.” The Lord Jesus was moved with compassion toward him. And being moved with compassion toward him, he healed him immediately and completely. Yet, there is more. The Lord Jesus healed this poor leper by touching him. Imagine that! Infinite, spotless purity reached down and touched utter corruption! The spotless Lamb of God took into union with himself our nature. He became one of us that he might save us poor, leprous sinners from our sin and make us clean by the sacrifice of himself.

Upon the cursed tree, our Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). He who is altogether holy and pure, clean and righteous was made unclean before his own holy law, just as the priest who burned the red heifer with her dung was made unclean by the sacrifice required in Numbers 19:7. The Lord Jesus was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He died for his elect, the just for the unjust, because there was no other way he could make us just! An Important Lesson When we read the last three verses of this passage, we will find a very important lesson taught by our Master. “And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter” (Mark 1:43-45). This cured leper’s disobedience to the Savior’s express command is here recorded by divine inspiration for a reason. The Holy Spirit is here showing us that there is a time to be silent about the things of God as well as a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Our Savior says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6). I realize that this is a matter to be dealt with carefully; but sometimes we serve the cause of Christ better by silence than by speech. It is best for us to be silent when the cause of Christ cannot be served by us speaking. We do not serve the cause of Christ by trying to cram our doctrine down the throats of those who oppose it. It is best to leave such people alone, until God opens the door to minister to them. It is best for us to be silent when those around us have no interest in hearing the good news of God’s grace. It is best for us to be silent when those around us only quibble and scoff at the things of God.

And it is certainly best for us to be silent when we are supposed to be doing something else. It is a rare thing for an employer to pay a man wages to teach others the things of God. No doubt, this man was sincere, and blazed the matter abroad because he wanted all around him to know what great grace he had experienced. But the result was “that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city.” There is a zeal which is “not according to knowledge.” Such zeal causes much harm. I would not attempt to prescribe to any when he should be silent and when he should “blaze abroad” the things of God. Yet, I do know that there are times when we serve our Savior and the interests of his kingdom far more effectively in silence than in other way. Commenting on this passage, J. C. Ryle cautions, “The subject is a delicate and difficult one, without doubt. Unquestionably the majority of Christians are far more inclined to be silent about their glorious Master than to confess Him before men — and do not need the bridle so much as the spur. But still it is undeniable that there is a time for all things; and to know the time should be one great aim of a Christian. There are good men who have more zeal than discretion, and even help the enemy of truth by unseasonable acts and words.” May God give us the Spirit of wisdom, that we may serve and not hinder his cause in this world, that we may serve our Savior with good sense. We must never be fearful to confess Christ before Pharaoh as Moses did, or before Herod as John the Baptist did. Yet, we must not cast the pearls of his grace before swine to be trampled beneath their feet with contempt. Still, there is more. Not only did the Savior command this man, “See that thou say nothing to any man,” he also said, “Go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” He told him to go and show himself to the priest, specifically “for a testimony unto them.” He was told to go to the priest, so that the priest would pronounce him clean, as a testimony to the priests, either a convincing testimony to them that the Lord Jesus was the Son of God and true Messiah, or a standing testimony against them forever. Certainly there is still more in this command. For all grace and mercy we should, first and foremost, show ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest and Almighty Savior, the Author and Giver of all. He is to be eyed and acknowledged first in all things. In all things let us live before him and unto him, not before men and unto men. As Paul puts it, “Do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).