Mark 1

CHAPTER 1THEME: John introduces the Servant; God the Father identifies the Servant; the temptation initiates the Servant; works and words illustrate (illumine) the Servant; preaching the gospel of the kingdom; call of disciples; man in synagogue; preaching in Galilee; Peter’s wife’s mother (fever), and others healed; demons in Galilee; leper healedThere probably is more content in this first chapter of Mark than any other chapter in the Bible (with the exception of Gen. 1). It covers the ministry of John the Baptist after going back to the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi. It takes in the first year’s ministry of Jesus and follows Him through a busy Sabbath Day. It concludes with the mighty work of cleansing the leper. In spite of the pressure of a busy life, Jesus took time to pray. This chapter of crowded content is made striking by the absence of genealogy which is so prominent in Matthew. We have already stated why. A king must have a genealogy. A servant needs references, not a “birth certificate.” It is not a question as to His ancestors, rather as to His actionscan He do the job? Jehovah’s Servant is marked out here by His accomplishments. Besides this, the Romans or other outsiders would not be concerned with the genealogy of Jesus, which is traced back to Abraham. As we begin the text of this Gospel, let us ask God to bring us into vital relationship with Jesus. We are going to behold the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. A. J. Gordon wrote: “The look saves but the gaze sanctifies.”

Mark 1:1

JOHN INTRODUCES THE SERVANTThis is not the beginning of either John or Jesus. It is the beginning of the gospel when the Lord Jesus came to this earth and died upon a cross and rose again. That, my friend, is the gospel. There are three beginnings recorded in Scripture. Let us put them down in chronological order.

1. “In the beginning was the Word” (Joh_1:1). This goes back to a dateless beginning, a beginning before all time. Here the human mind can only grope. It is logical rather than chronological because in my thinking, I must put my peg somewhere in the past in order to take off. If I see an airplane in the air, I assume there is an airport somewhere. I may not know where it is, but I know the plane took off from some place. So when I look around at the universe, I know that it took off from somewhere and that somewhere there is a God. But I don’t know anything about that beginning. God comes out of eternity to meet us. I just have to put down the peg at the point where He does meet us, back as far as I can think, and realize He was there before that.
2. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen_1:1). This is where we move out of eternity into time. However, although many people have been attempting to date this universe, no man so far knows. Man’s guesses have ranged from six thousand years to three billion years. We know so little, but when we come into His presence and begin to know even as we are known, then we will realize how we saw through a glass darkly. I’m sure we will marvel at our stupidity and our ignorance. Our God is a great God. He has plenty of time.
3. “The beginning of the gospel …” (v. Mar_1:1) is the same as “That which was from the beginning …” (1Jn_1:1). This is dated. It goes back to Jesus Christ at the precise moment He took upon Himself human flesh. Jesus Christ is the gospel! Then Mark, who has very few quotations from the Old Testament, quotes two prophecies. The Romans knew very little about prophecy. He does this to show them that this One whom he is talking about doesn’t need a genealogy, but He does need references. So Mark shows that His references go back to Isaiah and to Malachi. Both John and Mark declare that the coming of John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecies of the one who would be the forerunner of Christ.

Mark 1:4

I want to change the wording so that we can get the meaning of this verse. John preached repentance and baptized unto remission for sins, not for remission of sins. The Greek preposition eis is used with remission and is translated “unto” or “into.” His ministry was preparatory. It was preparing them for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. Jesus Christ is the One who remits sins.

Mark 1:5

John the Baptist was remarkable, not only in his message, but remarkable in his dress and in his diet. This man was one who had been set aside for this ministry. He was of the order of the priests, a Levite, and was expected to minister in the temple in Jerusalem. But God had called him as a prophet, and he is out in the wilderness preaching. And the people come out to hear him! Today, we like to put a church in a location where people live or where they can congregate and come together. We feel that the church should be accessible. John didn’t work on that theory at all. He was way out yonder in the wilderness and the multitudes went out to him.

Mark 1:7

This reveals something of how remarkable this man really was. He stirred the multitudes. He was a strange and a strong man, but his was a solo voice. Notice his humility. John the Baptist was an humble man.

Mark 1:8

This is the great distinction between John and Jesus. The real baptism is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Ritual baptism is by water. Water baptism is very important today because it is a testimony. In the Gospel of Matthew we learned that the reason the Lord Jesus was baptized was actually to identify Himself with mankind.

Mark 1:9

GOD THE FATHER IDENTIFIES THE SERVANTNotice Mark’s headline"JESUS CAME." What a thrill! Jesus is coming again someday. That’s another wonderful headline. But here, the Lord Jesus came from the obscurity of thirty years of quiet training in little Nazareth. He comes now and identifies Himself with the human family in His baptism. You remember that Jesus had said to John, “…Suffer it to be so now …” (Mat_3:15), because John didn’t think he should baptize Jesus. Notice also that His name Jesus is used here. Jesus came. We will find that it is His common name that is used in this Gospel. The name Jesus is used more frequently in Mark than any other name.

Mark 1:10

Here we see the Trinity brought together in a very definite way. We see the Lord Jesus, the second Person of the Godhead; the Spirit of God who descends like a dove upon Himthe Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead; and the voice from heaven saying, “Thou art my beloved Son” is that of the Father, the first Person of the Godhead. So the Trinity is brought to our attention. And this, by the way, is heaven’s seal upon the Person and dedication of Jesus. You will notice that things are happening very fast here. He is the Servant. John the Baptist is the one who introduces Him, and then God the Father identifies Him and puts His seal upon Him. Next the temptation will initiate Him.

Mark 1:12

THE TEMPTATION INITIATES THE SERVANTDriveth is a word of fierceness and seriousness. The Spirit of God moved Him right out into the wilderness that He might be tempted. This is something that is very important for us to see. We come again to that question: Can He do the job? Other men had failed; they couldn’t stand up under temptation. Adam failed. Noah got through the Flood, and then he fell miserably on his face. We saw that Abraham failed. Moses failedhe led the children of Israel out of Egypt, but he wasn’t permitted to enter the Promised Land. And poor David failed. So we see that the temptation initiates Him into His work.

Mark 1:13

We do not have the detail given here that we find in Matthew and in Luke. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan. He was tempted during the whole forty days. Some people seem to have the impression that He fasted forty days and then Satan tempted Him. My friend, He was being tempted all the time. Some people have the idea that He was there tempted of Satan and that the wild beasts more or less contributed to the temptation. Mark is saying here that He was with the wild beasts and the angels and they both ministered to Him. The beasts are a part of creation put under the dominion of man. That’s the reason God created these creatures. Remember in Genesis we learned that everything was a preparation to make a home for man. As far as we know, this earth is the only place in which there is mankind and which is habitable for man. Here, the beasts which were below the Man Christ Jesus ministered to Him, and the angels above Him ministered to Him. That is what Mark is saying here.

Mark 1:14

PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOMAfter the temptation, we find Jesus beginning His ministry. Notice again Mark’s flaming headline: JESUS CAME. After John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus came into Galilee. He begins His ministry now, preaching the gospel of God, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” “Of the kingdom” is not in the better manuscripts and I, personally, think it should be “preaching the gospel of God and saying, The time is fulfilled.” The gospel of God is that the Kingdom of God is at hand. In Matthew it was the “kingdom of heaven.” Is there a distinction between the two? Yes, there is, and there is also an overlapping. The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s rule over the earth; the Kingdom of God includes His entire universe, even beyond the bounds of this earth. So the Kingdom of Heaven is in the Kingdom of God. Matthew is applying God’s rule specifically to this earth.

Mark is reaching out and including a wider area because the Kingdom of God includes the entire universe with all of His creatures. As far as the earth is concerned, to say “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” or “the kingdom of God is at hand” would be synonymous. But the Kingdom of God would include regions beyond the earth while the Kingdom of Heaven means the reign of the heavens over the earth. “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The message of Jesus is the same as the message of John the Baptist in Matthew’s Gospel. “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat_3:2; Mat_4:17). I believe that in our day, the message is really turned aroundthat is, we put faith before repentance. When you turn to Jesus Christ in faith, you are actually turning to Him from something else, and that turning from something is repentance. If there was not that turning from something, then apparently there was not a real turning to Christ. It is true that if there is a real turning to Christ, there will be a manifestation of a change in the life showing that the believer is turning from something. So there is no contradiction at all. The important thing is for the people to believe in the gospel. We are seeing fast action here, but, remember, this Gospel is written for the Romans who were men of action. They were men of power who ruled the world. Matthew is directed to the religious man. Mark was written to the strong man. Luke is addressed to the thinking man. The Gospel of John is directed to the wretched man, the man who needs salvation.

Mark 1:16

CALL OF DISCIPLESThere were three separate and distinct calls made to the apostles:

1. In Joh_1:35-51 we are told that when Jesus went up to Jerusalem He met these men and gave them a general call, informal and casual. They wanted to know where He lived because John the Baptist had marked Him out, and some of John’s disciples followed Him. But they didn’t stay with HimHe didn’t ask them to at this time. They went back to their fishing in Galilee.
2. Now, we find here in Mark that at the beginning of His ministry, He walks along the sand and finds the disciples fishing, and He calls them to discipleship. They are to be “fishers of men.” However, we find in Luk_5:1-11 that again they went back to their fishing.
3. The final call was a call to apostleship. It is recorded in Mark 3; Matthew 10; and Luke 6. They had gone back to fishing, and Simon Peter said to Him, “…Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luk_5:8). What he is really saying is, “Why don’t you go and get somebody else. Let me alone because I have failed you soI’m a sinful man.” But the Lord didn’t give him up; thank God for that. So the Lord came to them the third time and appointed them to apostleship.

Mark 1:21

MAN IN SYNAGOGUEYou will remember that when the religious leaders would question Him about what He did on the Sabbath Day, He would make it very clear, “…My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (Joh_5:17). We are going to see that He didn’t work an eight-hour day"Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psa_121:4). This Sabbath Day started out early in the morning when He entered into the synagogue and taught. This synagogue in Capernaum was not a center of vital religion in that day. It seems that He left Nazareth because His own people would not receive Him and He went down to Capernaum, which He made His headquarters all during His earthly ministry.

Mark 1:22

Here we see the effect of the potency of truth and the manner of this Man. The criticism against the church today and against the ministry is that we do not speak with authority. The reason the ministry does not speak with authority is that we have lost our faith. When I say “we,” I do not mean I have lost my faith. I mean that, as a class, the ministry today does not attempt to preach and to teach the Word of God. There has been a departure from the truth and a tremendous bifurcation between the pulpit and the Word of God. The synagogue offered nothing vital in that day, and as a result, when our Lord spoke, they were astonished at His doctrine.

Mark 1:23

This first miracle of the Gospel of Mark is in the spiritual realm. Only God is in control in the spiritual realm; He is in control of the demons. There is a great deal of historical evidence that demonism was rampant in the entire Roman Empire. The only way demonism can be met is by the Lord Jesus because He, and He alone, is able to move in this realm. That is the reason Mark gives this as the first miracle. He brings this miracle first because if Jesus has power in this realm, then there are two things that are implied. First, He has power in any realm. Second, only God could do such a thing. This was a part of His credentials, you see. He had authority; He had power. He taught as One who had authority, and now He demonstrates that He has power. If you are aware of what is taking place in our contemporary culture today, you recognize that Satan worship has become very prominent. There are things happening today in the realm of the occult that can be explained only on the basis that it is satanic and that it is supernatural. You cannot explain reasonably why young people today will leave homes where they are loved, join a vagrant band, and then go out and murder! That seems unbelievable. That’s satanic, friend. And we’re going to see actual demon possession if this continues. Christian friend, there is only one way to deal with this, and that is in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone can control the demons. That is the first miracle that is given to us in Mark.

Mark 1:25

Notice, friend, He is demonstrating His power and His authority in His teaching and in His miracles and they cannot understand it. He has authority which they cannot comprehend.

Mark 1:28

PREACHING IN GALILEEMark takes us on to the next incident which evidently took place the same day but sometime in the afternoon.

Mark 1:29

PETER’S WIFE’S MOTHER AND OTHERS HEALEDShe’s not called a mother-in-law, she’s called Simon’s wife’s mother. My own mother-in-law used to call this to my attention. She thought this was a nice way of saying it, and I’m sure it is. So here was another miracle which He performed that same day. Then we follow Him on into the evening.

Mark 1:32

I am sure you recognize that “devils” in the King James Version should be translated demons. There is only one Devil, who is Satan, but there are many demons, as we shall see.

Mark 1:33

Now Mark is doing precisely the same thing that Matthew did. He calls our attention to the fact that he tells us only very few incidents of Jesus’ healing. He literally healed hundreds and hundreds of people, but only a few isolated incidents are recorded for us. It is interesting to note that the demon world recognized Him. They knew and believed who He was, and yet they are not saved, of course. We’ve gone through a busy day with Him, and you would think that after such an exhausting Sabbath Day, He would sleep late the next morning. But we read:

Mark 1:35

DEMONS IN GALILEEI know a lot of preachers take Monday off after a busy Sunday. I don’t blame them for that. I formerly did it myself, but I haven’t done it for quite a few years now. No, we see Jesus rising up early to go to a solitary place to pray. What a lesson this is for us.

Mark 1:36

This is the beginning of the gospel, you see, for by His teaching He is preparing them for that which is salvationthat is, His death and His resurrection. His teaching will not save you, friend, but rather it is His work on the Cross that saves us. Notice that He preached in their synagogues and cast out demons throughout all Galilee. He covers that entire territory in His three years of ministry. Again we note that there was a great manifestation of demon power at this time. There are three such periods: one was during the time of Moses, one was during the time of Elijah, and one was during the time of our Lord here on earth. We come now to the last miracle of the chapter. All of these have been hard cases, and they all have been different. This one is a leper. Leprosy was not incurable, as we see in Leviticus, but it was a disease that could be fatal. It was certainly a tragic disease as it deformed and mutilated the victim and barred him from society.

Mark 1:40

LEPER HEALEDThere is a tremendous psychological side to this miracle. One doesn’t touch a leper. This man hadn’t been touched in many years. Nor had he been able to touch anyone. I imagine his family brought out the food and drink for him, left it, and after they had retired he would come up and get it. He probably could wave to them, but he could never come to them again, never hold them in his arms, never touch them. But now the Lord touches this man, and He cleanses him!

Mark 1:42

The cleansing of a leper was to follow a Mosaic ritual. Our Lord did not break the Mosaic Law.

Mark 1:45

This man, instead of keeping quiet about it, went out and published it. If you want to get a thing out, publish it, put it in the paper or on the radio. That’s what this man did. To “blaze” abroad means to set something on fire like a forest fire. Friends, if you are having trouble getting your neighbors to listen to you, just set your place on fire! I can assure you that the whole neighborhood will come around you. Some years ago I was holding meetings in a church in Prescott, Arizona, and I jokingly remarked to the preacher, “If you want to get a crowd here this week, set the place on fire.” Do you know that when I was preaching on Sunday night he got up, walked out in the Sunday school department, came back in, pushed me aside, and said, “Friends, the church is on fire.” He asked them to file out in an orderly way, and by then we could hear the sirens and the fire engines coming. Now I tell you, we had a good crowd all week. The announcement of the meeting had been on the back pages of the newspaper, but on Monday, it was on the front page with the account of the fire at the church and the assurance that the meetings would go on. So the crowds came all week. After that I facetiously recommended to every preacher who was going to hold meetings that he set the place on fire! That’s one way to get a crowd. So this healed man blazed abroad the news. He disobeyed the Lord, however. I used to go over after I had finished preaching to help preach for a black man, a very wonderful preacher in Texas. I got over there one evening before he had finished preaching, and I want to tell you, he said one of the wisest things I’ve heard about this. Preaching on this section of the Gospel of Mark, he said, “The Lord told him not to tell anybody and he told everybody. He tells us to tell everybody and we tell nobody.” I thought that was good. I want to say, friend, the disobedience of this cleansed leper is not as bad as our disobedience today. We are to tell everybody and we tell nobody. However, because he blazed abroad the news, the crowds came, and our Lord had to withdraw from Capernaum for a time.