Mark 1

Table of Contents

Mark 2
Mark 3
Mark 4
Mark 5
Mark 6
Mark 7
Mark 8
Mark 9
Mark 10
Mark 11
Mark 12
Mark 13
Mark 14
Mark 15
Mark 16
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John the Baptist, the Prophet of God

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

The gospel, the good news, starting at the beginning, telling the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark starts the gospel proclaiming that Jesus is the Son of God. Some people do not believe that he is God, the Son, yet the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all show Jesus as the Son of God who came in the form of a human. He is also referred to as the son of man, the son of David the king, the fulfillment of prophecy.

Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mark 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Isa 40:6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
Isa 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isa 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Mark 1:4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

John, the Baptist, not the apostle John, was out in the desert region near the Jordan River. He baptized, immersing people in the river. He preached the baptism of repentance, the change of mind, turning from sin. He preached the remission of sins, not by his baptism, but by one who would follow him. He was preparing His path and preparing the peoples hearts to receive him.

Mark 1:5 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.

Many from all around came to John, the prophet of God, to be baptized, confessing their sins. His baptism did not forgive sins, Jesus would be the one who forgives their sins, removing them completely.

Mark 1:6 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;

This was not a prophet as Baalam, seeking money or material wealth. He lived alone in the desert, eating what was available in the desert; locusts and wild honey. He covered his loins with the skin of the camel, a coarse hair, the hair used to make sack cloth, the cloth used for repentance. John did not preach a prosperity message, dressed in fancy clothing, he came to preach the way of repentance and to prepare the way for the Son of God.

Jesus would later speak of John in this way: concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? Jesus confirmed that this was the prophet spoken of by Isaiah.

Mat 11:8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Mat 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
Mat 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

John was the last of the old testament prophets. The new testament began with the shedding of the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, the son of man.

Baptism of Jesus

Mark 1:7 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.

In the Jewish customs, a disciple was not allowed to remove the masters shoe. This was too lowly a task and was delegated to a slave. The slave would remove the dusty sandals of guests and wash their feet. Here, John said that he was not even worthy to even untie the shoe, let alone remove it. In authority and in Spirit, Jesus, the Son of God was greater than all men.

Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

The baptism of Jesus is to be born again of God's Spirit. Water baptism represents going down in the grave and being raised in new life in His Spirit. Being born again of His Spirit is more then the physical act of water baptism, it is a new heart, given by God.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

What about tongues, isn't that the baptism of the Holy Ghost? It may be an evidence, yet the fruit that follows is a better evidence. It is an encounter with God that changes your life, not a ritual or requirement of a church.

Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

John had never met Jesus, even though their mothers were cousins. He knew Jesus by the Holy Ghost. Even in His mother Elisabeth's, womb he knew the presence of Jesus.

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Mark 1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The evidence of the Triune or Trinity God. God the Son, in Jesus, the man. The voice of God the Father from heaven and the coming down of the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, these are the three personal forms of God reaching out to redeem us and to bring us back as the son's of God.

Testing in the Wilderness

Mark 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

The Spirit driveth, to lead one forth or away somewhere with a force which he cannot resist, into the wilderness. From a time of the presence of the fullness of the Godhead, the Triune God, he immediately is sent out to be alone in the desert, for prayer and fasting. In our own life a Spiritual high time is often followed by the Spirit removing us to a quiet place. The reason is that satan comes to stop our Spiritual progress. Be aware of this, and be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit. One thing that often occurs, is we may think we have arrived in heaven, Spiritually we are with Jesus, basking in His presence, but don't forget that an enemy will try to stop us, with words from another or thoughts in our mind. We must get in even closer and most importantly study God's Bible. His word will renew our minds. We will know the voice of God and the voice of the enemy.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Jesus was never a sinner, but we were sinners. Satan continually wants to remind us of our past.

1 Pet 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1 Pet 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1 Pet 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

He was tempted by satan, and he resisted by quoting the scriptures, the written word of God. In Luke's gospel we read that he was tempted in the flesh, to make bread to eat. (Luke 4:2-4) He was tempted to receive power and dominion by worshipping satan and he was tempted to kill himself, testing God. (Luke 4:5-13) No, we do not do suicide, or seek things from satan, for he wishes to steal kill and to destroy us. (John 10:10) Jesus successfully resisted the devil by quoting scriptures, and the devil departed from him.

God sent angels to minister to him. When we are in need, we are never forgotten by our Father who loves us. We must have faith, quoting scriptures and staying close to God in prayer. Jesus is our teacher, in all things, we follow his example.

A word about the wild beasts. Some people have a calming affect on animals. Jesus the perfect man had dominion over all the animals. They recognized his authority and His gentle spirit. Later we will see that he had dominion over all the earth. He spoke to calm the wind and the sea.

Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Gospel of the Kingdom

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

For a time both Jesus and John were preaching repentance of sins and that the kingdom of God was near; the gospel of the kingdom.

John was cast into prison because he confronted Herod and his adulterous relationship. His wife took out her anger on John. He was imprisoned and later the wife required his head.

Mat 14:3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.
Mat 14:4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

Sin covered by more sins just leads to a greater punishment; repentance is required. Jesus came preaching repentance and forgiveness for all who would trust him.

Jesus is the entrance to the kingdom and the propitiation, the place of forgiveness and the offering for sins. We are commanded to preach the gospel of the kingdom.

Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

We are to continue to preach repentance, forsaking sin and turning to God. But now we can know our sins are forgiven, because Jesus has shed his blood for our sins and is risen to eternal life. Because he lives we shall live with him, forever.

Fishers of Men

Mark 1:16 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.

Two fisherman, brothers about their business.

Mark 1:17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
Mark 1:18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

A miraculous calling, for they immediately left their nets and their way of life behind and followed Jesus, the master teacher, the Son of God.

Mark 1:19 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.

Two more disciples were called; James the elder son and heir of Zebedee and John his brother, who were mending their nets. John the Baptist was the son of the priest, Zacharius.

Mark 1:20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

They too immediately followed Jesus. James had been a disciple of John the Baptist. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, we should always point people to Jesus. Perhaps they remembered John's words concerning Jesus?

John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
John 3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
John 3:32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
John 3:33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jesus is the one for all people to follow.

Testimony of the unclean spirit

Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

Jesus and those he had chosen as disciples were with him as he journeyed to Capernaum, Jesus had just begun his ministry. The law required that to be a priest one had to be thirty years of age. The disciples were to learn from Jesus. They followed him because of the testimony of the prophet, John the Baptist.

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

What was Jesus like when he preached? Like no other, they were astonished at his teachings. He spoke the word of God with authority, being himself the Son of God, come in the flesh. No one really knew this was God speaking; but the spirit world knew who Jesus was.

Mark 1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
Mark 1:24 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.

A man in the synagogue, it could be a man in a church, but when Jesus was in his presence he cried out! What spirit is this? It is a fallen spirit, probably angels that had fallen with Lucifer, the angel of light, the devil. These know the spiritual powers. They saw the Holy one of God, God the Word, the Son of God, in the man Jesus. They also knew that this Word of God would judge them and cast them into the lake of fire. They were afraid that their time was up. They would be judged by his word and cast into the lake of fire after his second coming. Still he had power and authority even over the angels and demons.

Mark 1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
Mark 1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. The unclean spirit had to come out at the command of Jesus. He tore him. Often to cast out a devil, in my experience, there is discomfort, headache, or nausea, it is the unclean spirit trying to cause the person to turn from the spiritual to the needs of the body.

So the disciples themselves witnessed the power of the word and the authority of Jesus. The unclean spirit was the first to see Jesus as he was, the first was the witness of the prophet John. Also the witness of the Father and the Holy Spirit at his baptism.

Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:27 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.
Mark 1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

The people were amazed as well and he became famous. This would make their religious leaders envious. With every victory, the enemy sends in more of his dark ones to interfere with the moving of God. Expect it, success will be followed by attacks, but in the name of Jesus is power and authority over all things.

Take His Hand

Mark 1:29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

After the casting out of the demon from the man in the synagogue, they visited the home of Simon (Peter) and Andrew, with the son's of Zebedee.

Mark 1:30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

Simon had a wife, or was widowed, but his wife's mother lived in his parents home and was sick of the fever. This is important; none told him of her condition, but he knew she was ill.

Mark 1:31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

Without being asked, he came to her and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; the fever left her at once, and she served him. Are you ill? Are you sick of your life of sin? Jesus knows and is reaching his hand out to you. Will you serve him.

I was in a hospital bed with cancer when Jesus spoke to me. Soon I was promising him that I would serve him. He took my hand. The road of life can be hard, It is very hard if we serve him by our own efforts. But when we make him master, taking his hand, being yoked with Jesus while serving him, he does most of the work for us.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The Great Physician

Mark 1:32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

In the darkness, those overcome by the dark things were brought to him. The diseased, those with things that afflicted the health of the body. Jesus can heal all diseases, from a headache, to aids or leprosy. Even worse then physical ailments, were those afflicted by devils, the spirits of darkness that tormented the mind and caused mental illness or strange behavior.

Mark 1:33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.

Imagine this, at night all the city gathered at the door where Jesus was staying, at the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother in law may have been serving them refreshments and comforting them while Dr. Jesus met with each patient, heart to heart. He also could forgive their sins.

Mark 1:34 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.

This was better than a free health clinic, for all were healed and loved by Jesus. Every need was met, for in Jesus are all things good. In him are all our needs met.

A Solitary Place

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Jesus was always busy, morning to night, but not too busy to spend time with his Father. It appears that he had little sleep, yet his time was always well spent. Do you have a place to be alone to pray, without distractions?

Mark 1:36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

He wasn't completely alone, for his close disciples followed him.

John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Mark 1:37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

Never alone for long, his disciples come to him with the needs of the people. All men sought him now, for he spoke the true word of God and healed the afflicted. He was greater than John the Baptist who also had many followers. John pointed all to Jesus and so should we.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Too Popular

Mark 1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

By hearing the good news, many would be saved from sins punishment. He came to redeem, restore and reconcile people unto God.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Mark 1:39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

The synagogue or meeting place was the first place to preach the word of God and again he cast out many devils. Better to preach the word and cast out the devils then to have a devil friendly meeting place where the word is not preached. Jesus showed us what we are to do.

Mark 1:40 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.
Mark 1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

No one was supposed to touch a leper, because they were unclean and this would defile you. Jesus was more than a man, he was God in a man. His purity touched the leper and the leper was made clean. Leprosy is a type of sin, Jesus removes our sins and cleanses us.

Mark 1:42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Mark 1:43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
Mark 1:44 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.
Mark 1:45 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.

The law required that a priest examines a leper who claims to be healed. Jesus wasn't looking for new people to follow him, already he had great crowds pressing in to him. For the leper to publicly point others to Jesus, would make moving around in the city difficult and would make the priests envious.

A word here to pastors and priests. Follow Jesus and do as he did, do not be a crowd pleaser, nor count numbers as success. Be faithful to preach the word, the Lord gives the increase. Jesus had to go back to where John had preached, because of the great crowds. He was in the desert, not a great building. It is the message, followed by miracles, that drew the people to him. The people wanted to see this man who did what no other had ever done; healed lepers, the blind, all manner of illness and cast out devils. This man spoke with authority.

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