GOSPEL OF MARK - CHAPTER 1
The Beginning - 1:1
v1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Commentary
Verse 1
The human Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah that the Jews were expecting. The Greek word ‘Christ’ and the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ mean the ‘Anointed Man’. Jesus was the king who came to bring people into his kingdom. He came to make people free from the power of sin. Jesus was also a priest who was giving a sacrifice to God. The sacrifice that He gave was Himself. Jesus is both king and priest.
Mark writes about Jesus as the true ‘Son of God’. As the Son of God, he showed God’s love and power in all that he did. Mark records more of Jesus’ actions than of his words.
The Work of John the Baptist - 1:2-8
Old Testament prophecy spoke about someone who would prepare the way for the Messiah. John the Baptist urged people to show that they were ready for the Messiah. When they wanted to change their behavior, John baptized them in the River Jordan.
v2 In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said,
‘Look, I am sending my messenger before you.
And he will prepare your way.
v3 A voice is calling out in the wild country,
“Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make straight paths for him.'”
v4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He appeared in the desert. He was preaching that people should turn away from their sins. Baptism would show that they wanted God to forgive them. v5 People from all the country of Judea and from Jerusalem went out to John. They confessed that they had done wrong things. So John baptized them in the River Jordan. v6 John wore clothes that he had made from camel hair. He had a leather belt around him. He ate insects called locusts. And he ate wild honey that came from another kind of insect. v7 He announced, ‘Someone will come after me. He is much greater than I am. I am not even good enough to be his slave. v8 I have baptized you with water. But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’
Commentary
Verses 2-3
John the Baptist’s work was like that of someone who announced the arrival of an important official. There had been no prophet for 400 years, since the time of Malachi. Malachi wrote about the messenger.
Verses 4-5
The Jews baptized Gentiles who wanted to accept the Jewish faith. John changed this custom. Water cleans the body. John baptized Jews to be ‘clean’ in their behavior towards God and other people. Then they would be ready for the Messiah. The Messiah would help them to know that God had really forgiven them.
Verse 6
John lived a simple life in the desert. He wore rough clothes like those of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). He was therefore very different from the proud religious leaders with their long clothes (Mark 12:38). His food was simple. Locusts were insects that the law allowed people to eat (Leviticus 11:22-23). John could obtain honey from wild insects.
Verse 7
John was humble. The Messiah would be much more important than he was. John knew that. He said that he was not even good enough to be the Messiah’s slave.
Verse 8
John’s baptism with water showed that people were willing to turn away from their sins. Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit would give people the power to live a new life.
The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus - 1:9-13
Jesus came to the River Jordan, where John baptized him. Immediately afterward, he went into the desert, where Satan tempted him.
v9 At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. John baptized him in the River Jordan. v10 When Jesus came up out of the water, at once he saw the heavens open. He saw the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came down like a gentle bird on Jesus. v11 Then a voice from heaven spoke. ‘You are my son whom I love. I am very pleased with you’, the voice said. v12 The Spirit immediately made him go out into the desert. v13 He was in the desert for 40 days. There Satan tempted him. Jesus was with the wild animals. God’s messengers took care of him.
Commentary
Verse 9
Jesus did not need baptism, because he had no sin to confess. But he made himself united with the people that he came to rescue from their sins. His baptism also was to show the beginning of his work.
Verse 10
The Holy Spirit gave him the power for his future work. The Holy Spirit came in the shape of a gentle bird. This may mean that he came in a gentle way. He came as a bird would fly down.
Verse 11 The message from heaven used words from the Old Testament. Isaac was the son whom Abraham loved (Genesis 22:2). God was ‘very pleased’ with the Servant whom he had chosen. Jesus, therefore, knew that God approved of him. He also knew that his work would be that of a servant. He would know that the last of Isaiah’s ‘Servant’ songs spoke about a ‘suffering’ servant (Isaiah 53).
Verse 12
‘made him go.’ Jesus had a very powerful feeling that God was urging him to go into the desert. For Mark’s readers, the desert was a place where evil spirits lived. Jesus went there to begin the battle with Satan.
Verse 13
‘Forty (40) days’ may be an exact number or it may mean a fairly long time. ‘Satan’ is God’s enemy. He tried to make Jesus use his power in ways that would not please God. Mark does not record the nature of the temptations. Matthew and Luke tell us how Satan tempted Jesus.
Mark adds that Jesus was ‘with the wild animals’. This detail may show that the desert was a very frightening place. But it may also be Mark’s way to show the age when men and animals would live together in peace (Isaiah 11:6-9). Jesus could live in safety with the animals. This would be because the animals were already recognizing him as their king. ‘God’s messengers took care of Jesus.’
The Message of Jesus 1:14-15
After Herod put John in prison, Jesus went to Galilee. He preached that God’s kingdom had arrived. Men must change their ways and believe him and his message.
v14 After Herod put John in prison, Jesus came into Galilee district. He preached the good news about God’s rule. v15 He said, ‘The right time has come. God’s rule is coming near. Repent and believe in the good news.’
Commentary
Verses 14-15
Mark explains in Chapter 6:17-18 why Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, put John in prison.
‘The right time.’ God chose the time to send Jesus when everything was ready. There were good Roman roads. Greek was a very well-known language. The message could therefore spread easily. Jewish belief in only one God also prepared for the good news.
The kingdom of God is not a place. It is God’s rule over the world. All those people who let God rule over their lives belong to his kingdom. God had always been king. Jesus was giving people a new opportunity to obey him. The message was ‘good news’. It helped people to have peace because God had forgiven them. It helped them to hope that they could win the struggle against sin.
‘Repent’ means to turn away from wrong things and to turn to God. It means that we decide to live in a new way. We start to obey God.
‘Believe’ means ‘trust in’. Those who believe Jesus have confidence in him. They know that he spoke the truth. And they know that he will keep his promises.
Jesus Calls His First Disciples 1:16-20
v16 Jesus was walking along next to lake Galilee. There he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake because they were working. Their work was to catch fish. v17 Jesus spoke to them. ‘Come and follow me. I will show you how to fish for people’, he said. v18 Immediately, they left their nets and they followed him. v19 Jesus walked on a little distance from there. Then he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. They were in their boat and they were mending the nets. v20 Immediately, he called them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the paid servants. And they went after Jesus.
Commentary
Verse 16
Galilee is a lake about 12 miles long. To catch fish was an important business. Many men earned their income by supplying fish to people in their own country. They also exported fish, even as far as Rome. Salt stopped it from going off.
Verses 17-20
These four men, who became Jesus’ first disciples, had met him before. They were probably John the Baptist’s disciples in Judea (John 1:35-42). They had listened to Jesus and they had talked with him. He called them while they were carrying out their ordinary work.
Verse 17
They had worked to bring in fish. So they must work to bring people to Jesus. They needed patience and skill to catch fish in their nets. Jesus would teach them the patience and skill to bring people into his kingdom.
Verse 20
Zebedee still had his paid servants. They would look after him and his business when his two sons left to follow Jesus.
Jesus in the Jewish Meeting Place at Capernaum 1:21-28
v21 They went into Capernaum. Immediately on the Sabbath day, he went into the Jewish meeting place and he taught. v22 They were astonished at the way that he taught. He taught them like someone who had real authority. He did not teach as the scribes did. v23 And immediately, a man whom an evil spirit possessed was in the meeting place. v24 He shouted out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy Man that God has sent.’ v25 But Jesus gave a command. He said, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ v26 Then, the evil spirit threw the man down and it shook him hard. Then it screamed and it came out of him. v27 All the people were astonished. They asked each other, ‘What kind of teaching is this? He has such authority. He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.’ v28 The news about what Jesus had done spread quickly through the whole of Galilee.
Commentary
Verse 21
Capernaum was an ideal place for Jesus to work in. Both Jews and Gentiles would hear his message because Capernaum was an important town on a trade route. The Sabbath was the Jewish day of rest from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. It was a special day for worship. There was a meeting place wherever there were ten Jewish families. In this meeting place, Jews met to pray, and to study the Old Testament. They would attend other public meetings there. On the Sabbath, people would go to the meeting place in order to hear a teacher. The teacher would read and explain the Scriptures. There was no permanent teacher. So the leader would invite visiting teachers to give the talk. Jesus was therefore able to teach in meeting places wherever he went.
Verse 22
Scribes were men who studied the Old Testament, especially the first five books. These five books were the ‘Torah’, which means the ‘Law’. These experts never gave their own decision about the meaning of a passage. They always gave the opinions of well-known teachers. Because they gave more than one opinion, people did not receive satisfactory answers to their questions. Jesus knew the Scriptures. And he knew what they meant. He spoke with his own authority. He often used the words, ‘I say to you’ (Matthew 5:18-44).
Verses 23-24
A man whom an evil spirit possessed. Some people say that this was a way to describe mental illness. They say that evil spirits did not exist. But people in those days believed that they existed. And they believed that they could control a person. Many people believe that evil spirits did exist in the time of Jesus. They believe that they still exist today. The evil spirits inside the man recognized that Jesus had come to destroy every evil thing. They were afraid and they asked Jesus not to do anything against them.
Verses 25-26
Jesus stopped the man from shouting. He gave a strict command and he cured the man. People who tried to send evil spirits out of people used all kinds of ceremonies and special words. But Jesus threw out the evil spirit by his order alone.
Mark tells us about many other times when Jesus sent evil spirits out of people. He wanted to show the authority and power of Jesus. He wanted to show that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Jesus Cures the Mother of Peter’s Wife 1:29-31
v29 Immediately, Jesus and his disciples left the meeting place. They went to Simon and Andrew’s home. James and John were with them. v30 The mother of Simon’s wife was ill in bed and she was very hot. They spoke to Jesus about her at once. v31 Jesus came and he took her by the hand. He helped her up and the illness left her. She prepared a meal for them.
Commentary
Verse 29
Mark does not use the name ‘Peter’ until he gives the list of the 12 apostles (Mark 3:16). Jesus gave Simon the name ‘Peter’ when they met in Judea. John tells us that (John 1:42).
Verse 30
Peter was married. After the resurrection, he and his wife traveled together in God’s service (1 Corinthians 9:5).
They told Jesus about her illness. Perhaps they were explaining why a meal was not ready. They may have hoped that Jesus would help her. Christians can always tell Jesus about the needs of other people.
Commentary
Verse 31
Usually, people feel very weak after they have been ill like that. Jesus cured this lady completely. She was able to get up at once and she prepared a meal for them.
Jesus Cures Many People 1:32-34
v32 That evening at sunset, people brought to Jesus all the people who were sick. They also brought those whom evil spirits controlled. v33 And the whole city gathered together at the door. v34 And Jesus cured great numbers of sick people who had many different kinds of diseases. He ordered many evil spirits to come out. But they knew who he was. So, he would not allow the evil spirits to speak.
Commentary
Verse 32
People could not carry their sick relatives on the Sabbath. The scribes said that to carry something was ‘work’. The Sabbath ended when the sun set on Saturday. Then they brought their sick friends and relatives to Jesus.
Verse 33
Mark probably did not mean that all the inhabitants of Capernaum were outside Peter’s door. He meant that there was a large crowd.
Verse 34
Jesus would not allow the evil spirits to speak. They knew that he was the Messiah. Jesus wanted people to discover for themselves who he was. They would follow him for the wrong reason if they thought of him as a political leader. Jesus was a Messiah who would suffer to free them from sin. He wanted to show people that.
Jesus’ Prayer 1:35-39
v35 In the morning, a long time before day, Jesus got up. He went out to a place where he could be alone. There he prayed. v36 Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. v37 When they found him, they said, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ v38 Jesus replied, ‘Let us go on to the next towns so that I can preach there also. Because that is why I came.’ v39 So Jesus traveled all through Galilee. He preached in the places where the Jewish people met. And he threw out evil spirits.
Verse 35
Jesus had helped crowds of people. He needed to pray to God in order to receive new strength and peace of mind. He also needed God to guide him. He must decide whether he should continue to work in Capernaum. He needed to know if it was right to move to other places.
Verses 36-37
Simon and his friends realized that Jesus had gone. The people who were searching for Jesus probably hoped for more healing miracles.
Verse 38
Jesus knew that his first task was to preach. He must take time to invite people into his kingdom. He had come into the world to teach as many people as possible.
Jesus Cures a Man with a Very Bad Skin Disease 1:40-45
The man had a skin disease that prevented him from living a normal life. Jesus cured him. So he was able to go back to live among other people.
v40 A man who had a very bad skin disease came to Jesus. He went on his knees in front of Jesus and he asked Jesus to cure him. ‘If you want to, you can make me clean’, he said. v41 Jesus pitied him greatly. He reached out and he touched the man with his hand. He said, ‘I do want to. Be clean.’ v42 Immediately, the disease left him and he was clean. v43 Jesus sent him away at once. He gave him a strict order. v44 He said, ‘Do not tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. Offer to God the gift that Moses ordered. That will show people that you are clean.’ v45 But the man went away and he began to talk to everyone. He spread the news so that Jesus could not enter a town in public. He had to stay outside in places where few people lived. People still came to him from everywhere.
Commentary
Verse 40
The word ‘leprosy’ is in many Bibles and it can mean various skin diseases. One was the serious disease that is called ‘leprosy’ today. Anyone with this disease had to stay away from other people. He suffered in two ways. He had to suffer from his disease. He also suffered from his lonely situation outside society. This man approached Jesus. He believed that Jesus had the power to cure him. But he did not know that Jesus loved people. He was not sure whether Jesus would want to cure him.
Verse 41
Jesus touched the man who had the skin disease. When he did that, Jesus showed his love. Jews would not normally want to touch anyone who had such a skin disease. They believed that such an action would make them unholy.
Verse 44
Jesus was obeying the law when he sent the man to the priest. The priest would examine him. And the priest would decide that he was healthy again. After the man had carried out the proper ceremonies, he would be able to mix with other people again (Leviticus 14:1-32).
Verse 45
The man who had the skin disease did not obey Jesus. So, he made it difficult for Jesus to continue his work in towns. There were so many people who wanted to see Jesus. They came because of curiosity or because they needed his help.
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