Mark Chapter 1

Read Mark 1:1-8, John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In chapter 1, Mark introduces John the Baptist as the answer to Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord”. Verse 4 says John appeared preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. The interesting thing about this message is it was in stark contrast to the religious leaders message of following the Law. And yet, verse 5 says…

⁵The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

John testified in verse 8…

I baptize with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Read Mark 1:9-13, the Baptism and Tempting of Jesus

Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan. At that joyous moment, the whole Trinity appeared to John. Verses 10 and 11 say…

¹⁰Just as Jesus was coming out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.”

Imagine for a moment you are John. What are you thinking? Could you ever have doubt in your faith that Jesus was the Messiah after observing a moment like that? And yet, in Luke 7:20, John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or should we expect someone else. There are moments in Scripture that help us see God’s hand in our life by allowing us to see that a Biblical hero can faulter in their faith. It is okay that We doubt sometimes. After all, even John doubted.

Verse 12 says at once Jesus was sent into the dessert to be tempted by Satan. Mark does not expound on the temptation. We can read about it in Matthew 4:1-11. He was there for 40 days and angels attended to Him. Have you ever felt like you were in a spiritual dessert? The Father has given all His children His Holy Spirit to “attend us” when we travel on those dark, lonely paths. We are never left alone to Satan’s temptations.

Read Mark 1:14-20, Jesus announces the good news and calls His first disciples

After John was put in prison Jesus began proclaiming the good news. John’s work was done. Jesus’ ministry begins.

¹⁵The time has come, He said. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!

Then Jesus began to call His disciples to follow Him. He went beside the Sea of Galilee where fishing boats were and called to first Peter and Andrew and the James and John. He said to them in verse 17…

¹⁷Come follow Me and I will send you out to fish for people.

Verse 18 says they followed Him at once. They left their fathers’ fishing businesses to follow Jesus with no idea what was in store for them. Can you imagine walking away from your family and your job to an unknown future? Moments like these show me God’s hand in His story. When the time is right, He calls His people to do His work, and they simply follow because He gives them the peace to do what He is asking them to do. These guys were not superheroes. They were common fishermen. Just regular people like us called into God’s service.

Jesus’ public ministry begins

Commentaries mention that the stories in Mark are not all recorded chronically. Mark wrote them down as Peter told him about the stories over time. However, the first four Mark records do seem to be in the same few days.

Something that stands out to me is how far Jesus and His disciples travel on foot. For example, Capernaum to Jerusalem is around 90 miles. Capernaum to Cana, where He turned water into wine, is about 25 miles. Considering the average speed people walk is 3 miles/hour, Capernaum to Cana is an 8-hour walk. Jerusalem would be 30 hours away and yet they made that journey several times a year for the holy days.

Read Mark 1:21-39, Jesus begins healing

Mark 1:21-28 Jesus begins teaching on a sabbath in a synagogue in Capernaum. Capernaum was a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee, home to Peter, Andrew, James and John, and became Jesus home base while in the area of Galilee. Verse 22 says…

²² The people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them as One who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 

First John tells them they must be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and now Jesus teaches with greater authority than their teachers. We are starting to see the early issues the Pharisees would have to deal with as their ways are being challenged.

Then in verse 23-28 Jesus drives out an impure spirit from a man showing His total authority. The impure spirit recognizes Jesus is “the Holy One from God” and cries out. Jesus tells him to “be quiet and come out of him”. When the spirit came out the people were amazed. 

Verse 27-28 say…

²⁷“What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey Him.” ²⁸ News about Him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of that congregation. It is a typical Sabbath. You go to the synagogue and talk to a few friends. A new teacher stands up and “teaches with authority”. You are impressed. Then a man possessed with an unclean spirit begins yelling that Jesus is “the Holy One from God” and Jesus commands the spirit to “be quiet and come out of him” and it does. What are you thinking? Who is this guy? I can imagine telling all our friends and neighbors about what we saw when we get back home.

After they left the synagogue, they went to Peter’s house along with Andrew, James and John. Peter’s house was Jesus’ residence when in Capernaum. Peter’s mother was sick with a fever. Jesus took her hand and help her up and her fever left immediately. That evening the whole town gathered at the door and Jesus healed many and drove out many demons. He would not let the demons tell who He was.

It always amazes me that the demons always knew who Jesus was, but the people missed it. Did they come to see the “show”, the healings? Did their religious leaders miss who He was because He did not “follow their rules”? How many church leaders and attenders today fall into that trap?

I absolutely love verse 35…

³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

After a big day of ministry, Jesus knew where to go to get Himself refilled. He needed to spend time with His Father. So do we. It was the first thing He did in His day.

When Peter and the others found Him, they said, “everyone is looking for you.” However, Jesus knowing His ministry’s purpose said to them, let’s go to nearby villages to preach. That is why I have come. Do you think Peter was surprised? Jesus had just drawn a large crowd of curious people and now He wants to leave. Jesus was not looking to be popular. He wanted to tell others the good news. Verse 39 says it all…

³⁹ So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

He knew what He came for.

Read Mark 1:40-45, Jesus heals a man with leprosy

In the final miracle in chapter 1, a man with leprosy came to Jesus and asked to be healed. Jesus simply said, “Be clean” and he was healed. He told the man not to tell this to anyone, but the man went out and spread the word about his healing. I always wonder about Jesus telling people to not tell anyone. First, Jesus already knows he is going to tell. Second, if your life was totally changed in some way could you not tell anyone? Those that knew him would know even without being told. That is one of those statements I hope to understand when I get to heaven.