This is the third commentary that I am rewriting with the Messianic viewpoint. I attached an addendum of one previous study to this page. Rewriting is a huge task. I have commented on a large percentage of the Bible. I also feel that it is important to teach the truth accurately. In recent years, I have come to realize that we cannot understand biblical truth without understanding the Jewish view of that truth. When we take the Jewish view and study the scriptures, Christianity takes on a new depth. I am not worried about denominations. Most of the splits in denominations took place because of doctrinal squabbles over the accuracy of the Word. In my opinion, if we study the scriptures accurately, every Christian will be able to have fellowship regardless of the doctrinal flag that each of us flies.
Who am I? I am an independent writer who is running a very small home church. My task is to encourage you to study the scriptures accurately. The goal of this study is to give you the tools and a little insight which will infect your church with the truth of the Gospel. Perilous times are on the horizon. It is time that we as Christians and Jews pool our resources together in order to fight evil. The biggest portion of the fight is to equip each believer with sharp and accurate tools. That is what this study is designed for. I cannot “make” you read, or “infuse” you with wisdom. I can only encourage you to study.
Mark 1
Who was Mark? Mark was not an apostle. Mark never claimed authorship to this book, this was ascribed at about 125 C.E. by historians. Mark is credited authorship because of an entry of an early church father Paipas, Eusebius writes:
14 Papias gives also in his own work other accounts of the words of the Lord on the authority of Aristion who was mentioned above, and traditions as handed down by the presbyter John; to which we refer those who are fond of learning. But now we must add to the words of his which we have already quoted the tradition which he gives in regard to Mark, the author of the Gospel.
15 It is in the following words: “This also the presbyter said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not indeed in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord’s discourses, so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely.” These things are related by Papias concerning Mark.[1]
This stand is also taken by other early church fathers. Mark shows up in Acts as “John Mark” or “John who is also called Mark” (Acts 12:12). History indicates that Mark was Peter’s scribe. He wrote down what Peter told. Mark gives an eye witness account through the eyes of Peter. The flip side of this coin could also be true. Mark is thought to have been present due to the intimacy of his knowledge. It is possible that he was one of the followers of Jesus even though he was not a disciple. The best view of the book is Mark giving Peter’s account of Yeshua.
Think about the spontaneity of Peter. He demonstrates through the Gospels that he is a reactive, in-your-face type of person. He reacts first and thinks later. This sense of urgency comes out strongly in Mark’s testimony. The word immediately is used at least 40 times in this gospel of 16 chapters, transmitting clearly to us that Yeshua’s task was urgent.
When we look at the Gospel of Mark, we may be looking at the story of Jesus the Messiah through the eyes of Peter. This is important to keep in mind. Through the Gospels we see Peter as reactive. Later though, his ministry changes when he is influenced by the vision of the sheets. Peter was the first one commissioned to reach out to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11:18). It is easy to misinterpret the vision of the sheet and animals to think it is focused upon clean and unclean food. Peter gives the interpretation of the vision as one which clarifies that the Gentiles are no longer to be declared unclean. They are to be reached with the Gospel and experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit as testimony (Acts 11:17-18).
Peter was the leader of the Apostles. We will be looking to see where this commentary goes as we explore Hebrew thinking, Biblical prophecy, and the view of Yeshua through the eyes of Mark. What will we see? Stay tuned and join me in the study.
Mark 1:1-3 Introduction by Mark It may be easily construed that Mark made a mistake in his quote. The first two lines are from the book of Malachi, wile the second are from Isaiah. David Stern points out that it was a common practice for the Jewish sages to refer to the first page of a scroll as the reference. In this case, the scroll of the prophets began with Isaiah so the reference that is given is to the Isaiah scroll.[2]
With the Jewish writers, referring to one verse in a passage indicates that the entire passage is referred to. Part of understanding Jewish writing is to understand the teaching from the Old Testament from a Jewish perspective.
We established earlier that Peter was most likely the one who dictated this book to John Mark. If we consider this to be true, then Peter wrote from a devout Jewish perspective. We see Peter’s devotion to Torah demonstrated in Acts where he refuses to eat of the unclean animals even though he has been commanded three times to do so (Acts 11:1-10). Peter understood that the vision had a deeper meaning and refused to defile himself with unclean food. Peter brought with him a Jewish perspective and a determination to follow the instructions of Torah. When he taught, he also taught from the attitude of Torah.
Malachi 3:1 is quoted by Mark: John the Baptist cleared the way and prepared people for the message of Jesus. His job was to set up the Messiah. Read through Malachi 3, consider that the reference is not just to the single verse, but to the entire section. This chapter considers the Lord, His role and His book of remembrance (Mal 3:16-18). Let’s consider the first few verses of Malachi for a moment.
The messenger is sent to clear the way for Adonai (Lord). Who is Adonai? He is the YHVH (Lord) who comes to set things straight:
Malachi 3:1–7 (NET)
1 “I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all. 2 Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. 3 He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the Lord a proper offering. 4 The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in former times and years past. 5 “I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all. 6 “Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises, you, sons of Jacob, have not perished. 7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. “But you say, ‘How should we return?’
Isaiah 40:3 is quoted by Mark: This passage begins with comfort to Jerusalem. It is a promise that her sins will completely be forgiven through the Lord’s hand with a double blessing (Isa 40:1-2). The voice calling announces this magnificent prophecy coming into being. Reading through the rest of Isaiah 40 gives a clear picture of the Messiah. The end of the chapter establishes that the dumb idols that are made by human hands are worthless. The God who created and maintains the heavens and earth will watch over His people. The last verse of the chapter says this:
Isaiah 40:27–31 (NET)
27 “Why do you say, Jacob, Why do you say, Israel, “The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, My God is not concerned with my vindication”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth. He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom. 29 He gives strength to those who are tired; to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy. 30 Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble. 31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”
John the Baptist announced God becoming flesh and fulfilling the entire chapter of Isaiah 40.
Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist. Let’s take his name apart for a moment. John was his name, Baptist was his function or his definitive action. The Greek word for Baptist is “baptizo”. It carries the idea of plunging or immersing. The idea does not carry a baptistic attitude. Many think that baptism or immersion is a new idea that started with John. This thinking does not take into account the Jewish idea of a mikvah, or immersion. The Jewish people used immersion from the beginning. It is intricately woven into temple practice and is a part of Torah. Washing with water has always been a symbol of turning from or “washing away” sin or uncleanliness.
John was preaching a unique message. The English translations mislead us a little bit. They say he was baptizing for the forgiveness of sin. In reality, He was immersing in order to “send a person away” from sin. The idea is to release, leave behind, or depart from something that has one in bondage. The English translators almost exclusively translate this word as “forgiveness” when in reality it has nothing to do with forgiveness. It has to do with leaving bondage behind. The word is a strange one since it also indicates remission or causing one to reject their former errors. When interpreting a word, you have to consider context.
In English the word “forgiveness” means to have been pardoned from a debt, insult, or offense. It carries the idea of being released from accountability. John did not have the power to release or pardon sin. Therefore, his usage of the word meant that he “turned people away” from sin.
Whittling this down a little further: Sin, in the biblical context means violating the instructions of God. Specifically, in the New Testament times, sin meant violating Torah, which is the personal instructions of God. Turning people away from sin meant turning people back to Torah. Or turning errant people who did not know Torah to Torah.
Christian evangelists today preach the same message. The difference is the wording. We preach that you have to turn people to Jesus. Literal forgiveness of sin is found in following Him and His instructions. The ability to avoid or stop sinning is the personal ability to follow the teachings of Jesus. Turning people away from sin who do not know God is to turn people toward Jesus. The bible teaches that Jesus is living Torah (John 1:1-14). The difference between John’s message and the message of Jesus is true redemption. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for sin as the perfect Passover lamb and is able to completely cancel out the debt of sin (Col 2: 13-14).
John was a rugged prophet. He preached a simple message. That message was to be immersed to demonstrate turning from sin to God’s instructions. John carried a special office that everyone recognized. He was the forerunner of the Messiah.
Prior to the return of the Messiah, Elijah is prophesied to return. The Jewish people look for Elijah every year at the Passover Seder. There is an extra plate set at every Seder for Elijah. During the Seder a small child is sent to the door to see if Elijah is standing outside. When he is not outside, the child states that no one is there. Then the Jewish people respond, maybe next year…
Jesus said that John was Elijah (Matt 17:10-13). Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return to set hearts back to Torah prior to the day of the Lord. Let’s look at that prophecy:
Malachi 4:4–6 (NET)
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, to whom at Horeb I gave rules and regulations for all Israel to obey.5 Look, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord arrives. 6 He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment.”
John took on the attributes of Elijah by living in the wilderness. He also dressed like Elijah (2 Ki 1:8). Yeshua’s words about John helps us to understand that Elijah’s spirit was on John. The message that he gave is the same one we discussed above. John preached a return to Torah for avoiding sin. Jesus would soon impart the Holy Spirit on people so that they could live by Torah (Mark 1:8). The idea here is that just as John immersed people in water, Jesus would soon immerse people in the Holy Spirit.
We may see Elijah pop on the scene one more time. This is when the two witnesses are sent to declare the coming of the Messiah to judge the earth (Rev 11). These two witnesses are not named. The nature of the witnesses compares to both Elijah and Elisha. There is a lot of debate on their identity. One other aspect of this possibility is the nature of Hebrew prophecy. Normally there is a “near” fulfillment of a prophecy and a “far” fulfillment. With Elijah, the “near” fulfillment was when John announced Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah. The “far” fulfillment may be when he announces the wrath of the Messiah Jesus coming prior to the end of the age, also called “The Day of the Lord” (Mal 4:5).
Mark 1:9-13 Jesus is Baptized and Verified. John was rather disturbed at Jesus coming for immersion. He felt that it would be better to be baptized by Jesus (Matt 3:13-17). The purpose of this immersion was not for repentance, it was to set the record straight for His ministry on earth. When we look to Torah, the Levites were washed and cleansed prior to their commission as priests before God (Numbers 8). The entire tribe was cleansed and offered as a wave offering before the Lord (Num 8:21).
We discussed immersion in the previous few verses to indicate returning to Torah. It was a matter of turning from a path that led away from Torah to one that followed Torah. Baptism or immersion can be used in a different way. In the case of Yeshua, He used it to indicate a redirection of His life. He was immersed, then changed direction from being a carpenter’s son to entering His earthly ministry. The purpose of immersion was not for repentance. It was a public declaration that His life was taking on a new direction.
Picture this in your mind, Jesus comes out of the water, and the heavens divide, then the Spirit of God descends on Jesus head like a dove, along with the Father speaking in an audible voice from Heaven. What a picture. What a verification of Jesus’ ministry. Yet it goes ignored. The religious of that day either did not hear it or did not believe it to be true.
This event is extremely important. God spoke from heaven to verify that Jesus was His son. This is a very unique statement. When Luke went through the Genealogy, each person was spoken of as “the son of”, right down to Adam (Luke 3:38). Adam was identified as the “son of God”. The idea was that Adam was brought into existence by God. Jesus was brought into existence only through the power of God.
The term “beloved” is interesting. To my knowledge we do not have an English word which translates the idea of the Greek. The Greek root for this is “agapetos”. There are several types of love in the Greek language. For example, Phileo or philadelphia is brotherly love, the type that reciprocates. I love you and in response, you love me back. Eros is the sexual type of love. Agape is a type of love that gives without expecting any return on the effort. It is an unselfish love that gives even if hate is given in return. This type of love does not expect or require any response at all. It is freely given. This makes the love unique and nearly impossible to find.
When the Father identified Jesus as the “agapetos son”, it tweaks our thinking. Jesus was a gift freely given to mankind. On the other side of the coin, Jesus was by nature “agape”. He lived His life pouring God’s restoring life into mankind. There are many occasions where Jesus healed people and they did not follow His instructions afterward. He gave freely without expecting a response. His name meant “salvation”. His nature was to give without expecting a response. His purpose was to return people to Torah for redemption through His own sacrifice which was freely given to all.
I wonder when the original biblical translators ran across this word how the discussion went. First of all, the word “love” is not adequate. Perhaps their thought was to create a new word “beloved” and let the chips fall where they may. The word was not placed there as a concession to the inadequacy of English though. It pointed back to a significant prophecy.
Jeremiah was disturbed over the wickedness in the world. He was disturbed that wicked people prospered. Then he pleaded with God for justice for the righteous. Read Jeremiah 12:1-6. God’s response is interesting. He speaks of His people as “beloved” (Jer 12:7). There is an extension of this response that quickly turns from the people of God to a picture of the coming Messiah (Jer 12:7-17). God will send the Messiah. The rejection of the Messiah will bring about judgment on the land. Yet, God will restore His people in the end. Read Jeremiah 12 for context.
Beloved then carries more than just an endearing term. It identifies Jesus as the instrument of judgment and love that God has sent to earth to carry forth His purpose. This same idea is put forth in Isaiah 5:1-7. God is noticeably upset since people are in distress due to a lack of the knowledge of God (Isa 5:12-13).
When we see the Father refer to Jesus as “beloved”, it is the very picture and endorsement of Him as the Messiah. It identifies who Jesus really is and what His purpose on earth was.
Mark 1:12-13: Then Jesus departed for His time of testing in the wilderness. Notice the urgency! He went into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, and to prepare for His ministry on earth. Yeshua was alone at this time. This time of testing was the preparation for the ministry. Mark does not dwell on the details.
Mark 1:14-15 The Message. The constant reminder in this study is context! John had been taken into custody. His preaching was effectively stopped. Jesus preached a simple sermon. It’s easy to look at these two verses and put into them the “gospel” that you preach. Context gives us the Gospel that Yeshua was preaching. Let’s look back a few verses to Mark 1:1-8. John preached repentance, turning from sin to following Torah. Repentance involves turning. Stern makes a good argument on this in his commentary on Matthew 3:2:
Turn from your sins to God. The English language has a perfectly good word for this, “repent,” used in the King James and most other versions; but those who image an overwrought, undereducated charlatan yelling it at a frightened and equally illiterate crowd can no longer hear the message in the word. For this reason I have gone back to the original languages to educe the original sense. The Greek word “metanoiete,” related to “nous” (“mind”), means “change your mind, have a complete change of heart.” The underlying Hebrew concept is expressed in the word “t’shuvah” (“turning, returning”), which in the context of religious behavior means “turning” from one’s sins and “returning” to God. Note that there is not only a “from” but a “to,” for turning from one’s sins is impossible unless at the same time one turns to God—otherwise one only turns from one set of sins to another! The Jewish understanding of repentance, correct on this point, is that each individual must do it, yet it requires God’s grace to be able to do it—“Turn us to you, O Adonai, and we will be turned” (Lamentations 5:21). [3]
John preached “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:2 NASB). In Mark we see him preaching the same message but with more action involved. Be immersed and put an action into place of repentance or turning away from sin (Mark 1:4 embellished). Along with his preaching to turn from sin to God’s instruction, John embellishes his statement. One is following who is mightier. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8). This is the announcement of the New Covenant that was promised:
Jeremiah 31:31–34 (NET)
31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord.33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. 34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”
With that review, let’s look at the message that Yeshua was preaching. When Jesus said “the time is fulfilled”, it may be better translated as: The time has come to full completion, the schedule has been met, what was scheduled will now take place. The idea is that what was prophesied to happen will now take place. Jesus preached that the Kingdom of heaven is very near (Matt 3:2). Jesus preached that since the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is very near. John’s preaching moved people toward heaven (righteousness) or turning away from sin to God’s instruction. Jesus preached turning away from sin to God. John’s promise that Jesus would fill people with the Holy Spirit moved the message of Jesus from preaching simple repentance to imparting the New Covenant from Jeremiah 31 (quoted above).
Jesus preached simply to repent (take a different direction) and believe that this good news is taking place. “Believe” is the same word that is translated as “faith”. It comes from the Greek word “pisteuo”. Faith is a verb, not a noun, just as believe is a verb. The idea is to take what you know and act upon it as if it is fact. Let’s look to the NET Bible:
Hebrews 11:1 (NET)
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.
Faith (Greek pistis), is an action word. Yeshua was not teaching that the people make a mental assent to consider that what He preached was true. He was preaching that they take action and aggressively move forward knowing that the time was fulfilled. The New Covenant that was hoped for is now a fact. This is the good news that we see John the Baptist preaching. Jesus picked up the same message and embellished it. Remember, John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah. He came to prepare the people for the message of the Messiah.
Mark 1:16-20 Calling of the Apostles. Simon was the first apostle to be called. It is interesting that in this Gospel Peter refers back to his given name as Simon. John tells us that as soon as Simon was called, he was renamed as Peter by Yeshua (John 1:42). We discussed earlier that Peter was the one who dictated this Gospel to Mark. Calling himself by his given name demonstrates the humility that he learned at the cowing of the rooster and events that took place at the crucifixion.
Notice also the urgency of the calling. These men who were called did not hesitate. They left everything immediately to follow Yeshua. He promised to make them fishers of men. You would think that when someone hears the message of the good news they would be ready and willing to listen. Often, evangelizing is just like fishing. Bait is cast and a constant vigil must be made to attempt to interest the listener in the Messiah. It is very frustrating at times. The scriptures note that Zebedee was not left without workers since hired men were already in place.
Four disciples are called at this point. Simon Peter, Andrew, James (Jacob) and John. These are the most visible of the disciples. James is a mistranslation that has been in place since King James had the Bible translated. He wanted his name in the Bible and had the translators exchange James for Jacob. This takes place everywhere in the New Testament except where Jacob refers to the patriarch.
Mark 1:21-28 Yeshua is verified as the “holy one of God” by the demon. This is the cap of several verifications. First, we had John the Baptist verify Yeshua. Second, The Father verified Yeshua. Third, the four disciples verified Yeshua. Fourth, His teaching verified Him. Fifth, the demons verified Him. His command to the demons was simple. “Be quiet”. In the following verses we will see the crowds as the sixth verification. Lastly, the lepers are the seventh verification. This is significant because it is the sign of the Messiah. Seven verifications take place outside of the healings in this chapter. The lepers are the key to the message. The Messiah was often referred to as the “Leper Messiah” since many scriptures point to a Messiah who would cure the Lepers. We will get to that later.
A Rabbit Trail: We could learn something from the synagogue structure. Yeshua came into the synagogue and began to teach. How is this possible? Let’s consider the way that the synagogue was set up. A ruler of the synagogue was selected from the elders in the congregation. Note on this, elders were not elected, they were the oldest men in the congregation. This ruler oversaw the activities of the synagogue. He was not a preacher. He may have selected ones to teach/preach. There was a marked effort not to have a designated preacher in the synagogue:
“RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE — the leader or president of a Synagogue. As an administrator, he was charged with supervision of all matters pertaining to the synagogue. He was not a dictator over the congregation. He was elected by the board of elders to oversee the worship services and the upkeep of the building. He chose the men to read the Scriptures, to offer prayer, and to preach or explain the Scripture for each meeting.
“If discipline was called for, the ruler of the synagogue could reprimand or excommunicate a member (John 9:22; 16:2), or even order that a scourging or a whipping be carried out (Matt. 10:17; Mark 13:9). Rulers of the synagogue mentioned by name in the New Testament are Jairus (Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41), Crispus (Acts 18:8), and Sosthenes (Acts 18:17).”[4]
Why is this important? There was a Jewish tradition that many of us are not aware of. When we think of Rabbi’s, we put our ideas of “preachers” on them. The preacher has a church where he preaches. More often than not, he is the sole preacher in the church. Rabbi’s in the New Testament era did not have “synagogues” that belonged to them. These men often had their own house of teaching where students came to them for learning or discipleship. We are familiar with two “rabbi’s” intimately. John the Baptist was a Rabbi of sorts since he had a following and taught his followers in the form of discipleship. Jesus also was a Rabbi of sorts since He had the twelve apostles and a large following. These men were rabbi’s by honor.
In the New Testament era, the term “rabbi” was relatively new. The word “rabbi” is not even used in the Old Testament. There are allusions to teachers and “great ones” that give the idea of rabbi though (2 Kings 18:17; 25:8; Jer 39:3, 13; Dan 1:3). The term seems to have originated just a few hundred years prior to the birth of Jesus. The Rabbi was considered a teacher who had students. These students entered his school and were trained under him. His title was “my master” or “my teacher”. Then the student was bound to the teacher for the rest of his life and would become a “rabbi” later. It spoke of an intimate discipleship of the student by the teacher. I boiled down a very detailed explanation found in The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.[5]
The term was born after the Babylonian captivity and after the writing of the Septuagint. This set up a situation where Yeshua could disciple his followers in order to train them in Torah. Yeshua warned the disciples not to seek or take on the title of “rabbi” since they were brothers and servants (Matt 23:6-12). The idea was not born from Torah, it may have mirrored the Greek sages who taught their students in similar manners. There were two sides to the term. One side referred to a layman who was studied in Torah and considered to be an authority. The other side was more of a mentor who trained others.
Here is another quote from The Complete Word Study Dictionary:
- ῥαββί rhabbí; indeclinable masc. noun transliterated from the Hebr. rabbī (not found in the OT), my master. A doctor, teacher, master; a title of honor in the Jewish schools which continues until modern times (Matt. 23:7, 8; 26:25, 49; Mark 9:5; 11:21; 14:45; John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26; 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8). In Matt. 23:8 it is explained by kathēgētḗs (2519), a teacher, master; in John 1:39 by didáskalos (1320), an instructor in reference to usage rather than to meaning.
In Hebr. rhabbí means a great one, chief, master. This was introduced as a title into the Jewish schools under a three–fold form, Rab, as the lowest degree of honor; Rab with the first person suffix i, Rabbi, my master, with higher dignity; and Rabboni, meaning my great master, the most honorable of all. This was publicly given to only seven persons, all of the school of Hillel and of great eminence.
In the days of Christ the title was misused by Jewish teachers in that they used it to require implicit obedience to their decisions and traditions and words rather than to those of the law and the prophets. Our Lord charged the Jewish scribes and Pharisees with being very fond of this presumptuous title, but commands His disciples not to be called Rabbi in the Jewish acceptance of the word (Matt. 23:7, 8). Although the title Rabbi was often given to the Lord Jesus, we do not find that He ever rebuked those who gave it to Him because He was in truth the Teacher sent from God, even that great Prophet who should come into the world, and of whom the Lord had said by Moses in Deut. 18:18, 19: “It shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
Deriv.: rhabboní (4462), my great master.
Syn.: didáskolos (1320), teacher, instructor.
Ant.: mathētḗs (3101), a discipl[6]
In a similar manner, the Synagogue was also developed during or after the Babylonian captivity. It is possible that it was developed as an effort by the people to preserve Torah and the original language. It acted as a community center of sorts that served as a school, house of worship, place for prayer, hostel, and other assorted needs. The development of the Synagogue was a strategic move on God’s part. General feasts and festivals were observed, and people joined together to celebrate the various feast days, new moon festivals, and such. No sacrifices took place in the synagogue, these were only to be done in the temple. The synagogue was put in place strategically and became a vital part of Hebrew society just prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D..
“A. Secular Greek. 1. The General Meaning. The basic sense of synagōgḗ is that of bringing together or assembling (cf. a gathering of people, a collection of books or letters, the ingathering of harvest, the mustering of troops, the knitting of brows, the drawing in of a sail, and in logic the deduction or demonstration).
“2. Societies. Relative to societies, the term usually denotes the periodic meeting. Only rarely is synagōgḗ the place of meeting. Often a festal assembly (cultic or otherwise) is denoted, e.g., a feast or even a picnic.”[7]
The Greek word Synagogue simply means “assembly” or “gathering place”. The word synagogue is a Greek word, the word is not found in Hebrew. The Septuagint translates the Hebrew words “eda and Qahal” as synagogue. But in all the 200 translations, it is never used for a meeting place or building.[8] The Greek name for the synagogue stuck from whatever origin that the word came from. Those who claim that anything Greek is profane to the Jews should take note here.
Perhaps by this time you are being confused by the details. What does this have to do with Yeshua teaching in the Synagogue? Synagogue structure did not have a designated teacher or preacher that preached on the Sabbath! Synagogues were houses of worship where prayers were held. It included reading from the Torah scrolls and discussion or comments from the readers.
When Torah was read, it was common for the one reading Torah to comment on it. Synagogues did not have “teachers” or “rabbi’s” assigned to them. Teaching of Torah was a function of the older men. This was augmented by rabbi’s such as the appearance of Yeshua at the synagogue.
During the New Testament times, pulpits in the synagogues were open to teachers that varied between the thoughtful student of Torah to Rabbi’s. Synagogues were a place where deep discussion took place. Yeshua used the synagogue to teach on a regular basis. Paul also reasoned with the Jews every Sabbath in the synagogues (Acts 13:15ff; 17:17; 18:4, 19; 19:8). The synagogue offered a new platform where teaching took place. The men of the synagogue were not sheep who blindly followed the leaders. They argued, reasoned and were quickly militant against teachings that were contrary to their understanding of Torah.
From what I can gather, the topic for discussion was announced on Saturday evening. During the following week, people would read, discuss and argue over the passage. On the Sabbath, the scripture would be read. An interpreter was present who was designated to translate the scripture from Hebrew into common language. Then discussion would begin. This would be in the form of a respected teacher or a combination of the members of the synagogue. By the way, this is the idea behind an interpreter being present for those who speak in tongues:
1 Corinthians 14:26–28 (NET)
26 What should you do then, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church. 27 If someone speaks in a tongue, it should be two, or at the most three, one after the other, and someone must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, he should be silent in the church. Let him speak to himself and to God.
Today, Synagogues have developed to the point where a Rabbi is in place in each synagogue. His role is much like the preacher in a Christian church. He officiates the service and gives a teaching based on Torah. It is almost like the chicken and the egg argument. Did Rabbi’s begin to occupy each synagogue to compete with Christians? Did the Rabbi morph into a preacher because of Christian influence? Or, was the development of local Rabbi’s a natural development of time? We simply do not know.
Thinking further: Christians took the idea of the synagogue and developed churches from it. We changed it from focusing upon Torah to focusing upon the teaching of the preacher. This quickly moved from being a community discussion to becoming a lecture from the preacher.
The early Catholic church had a lot to do with this. They standardized the message and had each church preach the same message. The Catholic church ruled the people with an iron fist. Masses were given in Latin, priests were dictated sermons, and doctrine was taught to the people. They were not allowed to think or reason for themselves. The church held the final word on any interpretation. People were taught that they simply did not have the wisdom to interpret spiritual matters. This attitude carries on today.
When the Protestant Revolution took place, the ties of the Roman Catholic Church were severed. In its place, the new churches kept the order of worship. They kept the preacher in the pulpit indoctrinating the people. They also kept the pagan festivals that the Roman Catholic Church blended with Christianity. The major change was to remove the Catholic rule only to replace it with different rule.
In my opinion, reform took place, but not enough reform. If we as Christians had returned to the original design of the Synagogue, we would have been better off. This would have opened the doors to critical Bible study and soon removed the error of our Catholic brothers. I believe that Bible study in context will remove error. This should not just be the function of the preacher. It should be the heart throb of every single Christian. If we as Christians return to Torah, and design our worship after the synagogue, we will see power that is similar to the power displayed in Acts and the Epistles. I emphasize, this is simply my opinion. Only time will tell when we change our worship to a different pattern.
This means that we as Christians remove the Pastor from being the only preacher. He becomes a caretaker of the church, one who oversees the congregation. Worship services become a community effort. Teaching is done by the older men of the church preparing through the week by studying the passage individually. Then on the day of worship, each shares a nugget from his finding. When visiting teachers are present, they are allowed to teach. Then following the teaching, they must defend their claims with a community open forum where a question and answer session takes place. In this method we will move from a style of lecture to the pattern that embraces discipleship.
This pattern has one drawback, it must be done on much smaller scale than our churches today are built upon. This will never work in the mega church where thousands are in attendance. It must be done on a small scale. The synagogue was built when ten men in a community joined together. This setting will work from ten to fifteen men (families).
I believe that as we approach the end times we will soon be driven to underground churches in private homes. Persecution will close the majority of churches and leave only state-run churches functioning. True believers will have to go into hiding in order to continue to worship, study and grow spiritually. At that time, the original idea of the synagogue will come full circle. The relatively few pastors that are in place today will not be able to travel from home to home on the day of worship. Therefore, it will be up to the leader of the home church to officiate the service. On that same token, preachers will soon return to the function of the early Rabbi’s. They will primarily mentor other men who will become traveling teachers.
Let’s return to the study: When we as Christians read about Yeshua teaching in a synagogue, we often have the picture of Him preaching from a pulpit to a group of listeners. Try to picture the structure I spoke of above. Jesus was in a community setting where argument and discussion took place. He was allowed to speak because He had a reputation as a man with deep insight into Torah. In the small community, you can also be sure that they knew of the baptism of John the Baptist and the voice from heaven. This was followed by Yeshua disappearing from view for forty days as He wandered in the wilderness. Remember, it was a small community. People knew and spoke of what was happening.
Mark 1:22-28 The people were amazed at the teaching that Yeshua gave. He spoke from the position of authority. He did not speak as the scribes who they were used to hearing. The authority was challenged by the demon.
The demon demanded to know if Yeshua was going to destroy them. The demon’s question can be taken two ways. First it can be taken as the demon asking if God was going to destroy the demons. The second way it could be taken is a demon possessed member of the congregation could have been asking if God was going to destroy the congregation. The implication in this way was to cast doubt upon Yeshua and on His intentions. This may be a better way to view the question.
Yeshua is identified as the Messiah by the demon. Yeshua did an unexpected thing. He commanded the demon to come out of the man. It did, the man was thrown into convulsions as the demon exited his body.
The effect on the people was tremendous. They recognized that a new authority was displayed in Yeshua. They spread the word to everyone in the surrounding community of Galilee.
Mark 1:29-34 Yeshua had spoken on the Sabbath at the synagogue. This is the setting of this set of healings. After leaving the Synagogue, Yeshua went to Simon Peter’s house with the four chosen apostles. Jesus entered the house and went to Simon’s mother-in-law who was sick with a fever. He took her by the hand and the fever left her, she was immediately healed. The picture given is the fever or sickness simply left.
I have never been to the Holy Land. Those that have been there tell me that the entire country shuts down for the Sabbath. At sundown on Saturday evening it is as if a light switch is thrown. The entire country comes alive instantly. People flood the market places and come out of the Sabbath rested and busy. This is the scene that we have here. There was a quiet healing at Simon Peter’s house. The disease left of its own volition. Then the Sun went down. This is called Havdalah, or the closing of the Sabbath.
Evening had come, Mark specified that the sun had set. The Sabbath ends at sundown. The healing that soon follows takes place on the first day of the week, which begins at sundown Saturday evening. The entire town turns out to visit the amazing new teacher. They saw the healing that took place in the Synagogue. The people waited and rested on the Sabbath. At sundown, everyone turned up with those who were sick, diseased and demon possessed. Yeshua was busy at that point healing all who came to the house. The town came alive after the Sabbath was over to visit Yeshua.
In the scene we have two separate healings going on. So, let’s back up a bit and examine the details closely one more time. The first actual “healing” took place when Yeshua cast the demon out of the person in the synagogue (Mark 1:23-26). I consider this a healing since the man was obviously distressed emotionally, and displayed physical symptoms when the demon was exercised. The second healing took place when Yeshua entered Peter’s house. The fever left her. Then, full of energy the woman got up and served her guests. Both of these healings took place on the Sabbath. In both situations, the healings were incidental to where Jesus was located. He was in the synagogue and He was in Peter’s house. Two people were in immediate distress and He healed them both. He healed these people by the use of authority. The demon possessed man was healed by a command. Peter’s mother was healed by the authority of his presence.
Then we have a break, the Sabbath is over. Now Mark used the word “therapeuo” which translated into English is “healing” (Mark 1:34). Kittle gives this Greek definition to be “This word, in secular Greek, means a. “to serve,” “to be serviceable,” and b. “to care for the sick,” “to treat,” “to cure” (also figuratively).”[9] Then went on several pages to define the word biblically… When this word is translated into English we lose this meaning. Healing in this sense uses the root word for our modern-day word “therapy”. This gives us the idea of medical treatment. Which any doctor will tell you is very hard work.
When the city showed up at Peter’s door, Yeshua went to work healing the sick. He went to work casting out demons. Mark specified that this healing was different than the healing that was done on the Sabbath. Why?
Let’s go to Torah briefly. Torah teaches that if a donkey or ox that has fallen down, you are to help them (Deut 22:2). If you see an ox that has gotten out and wandered away, you are to return them to their owner and if the donkey is overloaded, you are to unload it to give it relief (Ex 23:4-5). These commands were given regardless of the day of the week. This was a command of mercy or grace toward animals. Yeshua took these commands and applied them in a different way:
Matthew 12:11–12 (NET)
11 He said to them, “Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
With both of the Sabbath cases, healing was incidental. Yeshua noticed the need because it came up in His presence on the Sabbath. He healed these two people in the same manner as one who sees a donkey in distress will help it. The later healings were of a different nature. They involved the work of healing.
The demons were silenced. Yeshua did not allow the demons to speak because they would reveal His identity too soon. Yeshua knew His mission on earth, He was not going to allow the enemy to reveal who he was.
Mark 1:35-39 Jesus prays and carries on with His mission. Jesus did not ask anyone to pray with Him, He went off on His own, and prayed. This took place early morning before sunrise on the first day of the week. We do not know what He prayed about or if this was a daily habit that Yeshua had developed. Remember, Simon and the other three had just been commissioned. This was the first day that they stayed with Yeshua. It is possible that Yeshua had a daily habit of rising early to spend time in prayer. There has been a modern movement that has the slogan “what would Jesus do?” We know that this is what Jesus did. Perhaps we could learn from Him and devote the early morning time to prayer…
Yeshua went on a journey after this time. He went from synagogue to synagogue preaching and casting out demons. If we follow the thought of Mark, these situations arose on the Sabbath and casting these demons out were in line of releasing people from captivity. Just as one would release a donkey from a load that was too great for him (Ex 23:5).
Mark 1:40-45 Leper Messiah. I am going to give you a preview of the book that I am in the process of writing. Here is an excerpt from a section that looks a the nature of the Messiah:
The Jewish sages had figured out through the scriptures that the coming Messiah would minister to the lepers. In this brief section we will look at some of the expectations of the Messiah according to the Jewish teachers that were handed down through the ages.
“D. He said to him, “When is the Messiah coming?”
- He said to him, “Go and ask him.”
- “And where is he sitting?”
- “At the gate of the city.”
- “And what are the marks that indicate who he is?”
- “He is sitting among the poor who suffer illness, and all of them untie and tie their bandages all together, but he unties them and ties them one by one. He is thinking, ‘Perhaps I may be wanted, and I do not want to be held up.’ ”[10]
The idea of an illness which requires bandages to be utilized points directly to leprosy. It is interesting that the Jewish sages pointed to this disease in reference to prophecies. Hosea prophesied that the Messiah will bandage the wounded. The following verse points to the resurrection of the Messiah (Hosea 6:1-2). Hosea goes on to prophecy that the Messiah will heal the apostasy of the land and turn the anger of the Lord away from them (Hosea 14:1-5). Jeremiah prophesied that the Messiah will move Jacob from being an outcast to complete restoration by healing the wounds (Jer 30:17). Perhaps it was from these verses that the Jewish sages developed the idea that the Messiah will heal leprosy. It could also come from extra-biblical writings. The Jewish sages expected the Messiah to minister to the Lepers as one of the ear-marks of his ministry. In the following discussion we will note several places where Yeshua heals lepers. These carry special instructions for reporting to the priests. The Jewish teachers were scholars who carefully examined the scriptures. Just as with Christians who study eschatology, so also Jewish people who studied prophecy made errors. Some Jewish scholars saw the messiah as one who was an overwhelming conqueror. We see evidence of this in the arguments of the disciples when they argue over who will be greatest in the kingdom, and who would rank highest (Mat 18:1; 20:20-24; Mark 9:34; 10:37-41; Lk 22:24). They pictured the Messiah Yeshua as one who would eventually overthrow the Roman Empire and move into His earthly reign.
The Leper Messiah idea from the Jewish scholars is drawn from many scriptures. The prophetic Messiah would heal lepers, restore sight to the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf and cure the lame (Isa 35:6; 53:3-6;
What is important in this discussion is regardless of the scriptural support for their deduction, Yeshua made special effort to heal leprosy and send the healed ones to the priests as a witness.
Returning to Mark: Without adding to the discussion on the Leper Messiah that the Jewish people were looking for. Yeshua ordered the man to go to the priests so that he could go through the process of being declared healed. This required a two-week period where the priest verified the healing of temporary leprosy (Lev 13:1-6; 30-33). Complete healing of a leper involved greater verification from the priest (Lev 14:1-32). This verification also took two weeks but also involved intimate inspection and many sacrifices. The point. Healing was verified by the priest. Yeshua was sending a message to the priests that the “Leper Messiah” had arrived.
Free will: Yeshua commanded the man to be silent about his healing and to go to the priest for verification and cleansing. The man did not keep silent. He went out and spread his great news of being healed to everyone. This caused Yeshua great problems. Instead of continuing his synagogue tour, His strategy was altered. This man disobeyed God after being healed. He also retained his healing. For modern faith healers, this should be a lesson. They often preach that if a person does not continue on the narrow path, the disease they are healed from will return. In my opinion, if the disease returns, they were not healed in the first place. I am very tired of hearing the garbage spewed by some modern faith healers.
I am going to close here. I discovered when rewriting this study that previously I had rewritten this study twice. I will go through the second rewriting and see if it adds to the commentary. If it is significant it will be added to the bottom of the archived page on the internet. Thank you for bearing with me through the first chapter of Mark. The previous study will be attached to the archived copy as an addendum.
Joe Turner.
Addendum to the study. This section is a previous writing of the Mark 1 commentary. It adds details that were missed in the discussion above that was posted as a blog during March 2019. I did not discover these notes until finishing the study of Mark 1.
Mark Introduction
Today we are going to revisit Mark for those who have been with this study from the beginnning. The intention is to rewrite each study that is already posted on the website. I am planning to break the studies down into segments by focusing on a single section at a time.
One question that we may address from the start is why Mark did not address the birth of Christ. The answer to this follows two lines of thinking. First, we simply do not know why. Second, one of the unique ways that the Jews thought is that they did not consider the story of a childhood to be important in telling the story of a person. They were not trapped in Freudian thinking where everything is thought to be a result of childhood influences. Rather, the adult is what God intended for the adult to be. This idea is rather refreshing because it takes away the responsibility of upbringing and places that on God for the formation of the person. One example of this is the kings of the Old Testament. Jehoash became king when he was seven years old (2 Kings 11:21). He did a pretty good job compared to the other kings. Several of the other kings were in their twenties when they took the throne. The point is that these men were seen as kings from an early stage in life. Today if a twenty-year-old were to run for presidency, they would laugh him out of the election. The idea in the Jewish mind was that a person has always been who they were designed to be. If a child is born to be destined to be a king, then he will always be a king. Jesus was born King. In the Jewish mind, telling the story of his childhood is more of a novelty than helping you understand why Jesus is King. If the Jewish people thought like we do, the we would have books on the childhood of Jesus so that we could understand how Jesus developed through his formative years to become the Messiah. The truth is that Jesus was always the Messiah, telling of his childhood does not shed light on that.
With this argument, why did Matthew and Luke address the birth of Christ? I believe that with Matthew it was important that he focus on the birth of Christ because his primary audience was the Hebrew people. In order to establish that Jesus was the Messiah, Matthew saw it necessary to explain how that the prophecies concerning Christ were fulfilled in the birth and childhood of Christ. Other than prophecies being fulfilled, Matthew does not give us much further insight into the childhood of Christ. Luke focused on the childhood of Christ from another angle. He is thought to have written the Gospel for pay from Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4). His idea was to research the life of Christ and tell a story of his life. He was a gentile writing from a gentile perspective. His predisposition was to tell the story from the beginning. It is thought that Luke interviewed Mary to get the information regarding the early days of Christ life because some of the stuff that he writes is exclusive knowledge that only Mary could have known. I want to stress that this is my take on the situation. We do not know why Mark did not address Christ’ childhood. I believe that this helps us understand why we have such little information on the childhood of Christ.
Luke 1:1-4 Mark is an anonymous Gospel. We do not know for certain that it was written by Mark. The early church recognized Mark as the writer of the Gospel. Papias wrote that Mark was the writer, and authorship hinges on his testimony (A.D. 120-130).
“The elder also said: “Mark was the interpreter of Peter and wrote accurately but not in order whatever he remembered about the things which were said or done by the Lord.” He [Mark] neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but later, as I said, [he relied upon] Peter who adapted his teachings to the needs [of his hearers] without setting forth an orderly account of the Lord’s sayings. Therefore Mark did not err in writing various things as he remembered them, for he made it his first priority not to omit or falsify anything which he heard.”[11]
Mark is also thought to be the first Gospel written. Matthew and Luke draw on it as source material for their gospels copying in many cases word for word from Mark’s text. From the beginning, it hs been one of the most disputed of the Gospels. The early history of the New Testament is pockmarked with disputes concerning this Gospel. Yet, it has been included in the canon of the scriptures and is undisputed today as the Word of God.
Here is an interesting note from the Bible Knowledge Commentary:
“To say that Mark was the author of this Gospel does not mean he created the material in it. A “Gospel” was a unique literary form in the first century. It was not simply a biography of Jesus’ life, a chronicle of His “mighty deeds,” or a set of reminiscences by His followers, though it contains elements of all these. Rather it is a theological proclamation to a particular audience of God’s “good news” centered in the historical events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In line with his purpose Mark arranged and adapted the historical material he acquired from his sources.”[12]
I have never seen much point in arguing when a book was written. It can be safe to say that it was written prior to Matthew and Luke. I’ll leave it up to the scholars to debate when and why because in the scope of this study it is rather pointless.
Mark 1:1 Mark was written to tell the story concerning the “Gospel” literally translated as “Good News” of Christ (Mark 1:1). Mark told the story that served several purposes. One of the most important purposes was to write down the events he recorded. Until this time none of the miracles of Christ had been documented. Mark used the word “immediately” to promote a sense of urgency to his letter. The good news needed to be declared so Mark took up the task of telling the story.
Some feel that Mark is a pastoral Gospel written for his church so that they could understand who Christ is. Jesus was both the Messiah to the Jews and the “Lord of the Gentiles”. He taught through the Gospel the true meaning of discipleship. As we develop the study, I hope that we will be able to learn how to apply discipleship to our lives and to develop a deeper understanding of Christ as Lord.
Mark 1:1-8 Mark quotes two scriptures in his description of John which come from two different places in the Old Testament. The first one is from Malachai 3:1. Let’s take a look at that passage.
Malachi 3:1-7 Verses 1-4 specifically refer to John the Baptist. It is not hard to see how that John was revered by the Jews since he clearly fulfilled this prophecy. One thing that strikes me funny is that many people consider this prophecy to be Messianic. That means that a prophecy looks forward to Christ and describes His life. Verses 1-4 are clearly looking at John telling us the character that John would have. The results of the prophecy in verses 5-7 give God’s response to John’s ministry.
The Musical Handel’s Messiah applies verse 3 to Jesus. Think about it though, if John were to be addressed in verse 1, wouldn’t it stand to reason that verse 2 gives us further information on Jesus? How was John a refiners fire? He didn’t take any gruff from anyone. John spoke God’s word in a radical way that caused people to repent and be baptized. Baptism in that sense was a radical act since it was not associated with a religious ritual. Baptism was in place in the synagogue as a custom that carried over from Judaism. It was originally used where the priests would wash in the laver to symbolize cleansing or an attitude of cleanliness (Exodus 30:18-21
Later, it was mostly reserved for proselytes that were accepted from the Gentile world into the Jewish religion. Many mistakenly believe that baptism originated with John the Baptist. Baptism was already a significant part of the synagogue structure prior to John. Christians have developed a huge amount of amnesia concerning the Jewish roots of Christianity. We adapted the ordinance of baptism from Judaism. It took on a different meaning from Judaism which originally symbolized the entrance of a Jewish proselyte into Judaism. Now it symbolizes the believer being immersed into the death of Christ and raised with Him to new life. When people came to John, they understood that baptism meant that they were self-imposing a new attitude toward spiritual change in their lives. We do not know what John’s message was.
The second prophecy quoted is from Isaiah 40:3 (context Isa 40:1-8). John quite literally paved the road for the Lord to travel down. He spoke out regarding the message of the Lord and called for a spiritual change within the people. God’s word stands forever, it never fails. Isaiah made this very clear. Mark backed it up by declaring that John was the direct fulfillment of this prophecy.
To press the study a little further, Jesus said that John was Elijah. Mark bears witness to this as well as he describes John’s clothing, look for a moment at the verses below. John wore the same type of clothes that Elijah did, and in many ways was similar to him in attitude (Matthew 11:11-15; 2 Ki 1:8; Zech 3:4) The last point that we will look at is John’s words. In verse 8 he declared that his baptism was with water, Jesus’ was with the Holy Spirit.
Mark 1:9-13 Jesus is Baptized and Verified. Picture this in your mind, Jesus comes out of the water, and the heavens divide, then the Spirit of God descends on Jesus head like a dove, along with the Father speaking in an audible voice from Heaven. What a picture. What a verification of Jesus’ ministry. Yet it goes ignored. The religious of that day either did not hear it, or did not believe it to be true. John was reaching out to the common folk of the day. I would wager that although he was observed by the religious, they did not see him as harmful and probably did not attend all of the baptism services. So it could be that no one was there who could officially verify that the Father spoke audibly outside of the peasants. Mark does not address the rest of the story where John first refuses to be baptized but rather focuses on the intense result of the fact (Matthew 3:13-17). God the Father spoke audibly from heaven verifying that Jesus was His Son. He also focused on the fact that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus. This pointed to the prophecy that John made regarding Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus departed for His time of testing in the wilderness. Notice the urgency! He went into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, and to prepare for His ministry on earth. Mark gives us snapshots of these events because the immediate importance of them is that they established that Jesus was the Messiah. We are given a picture of Moses as he went to Mount Horeb to converse with God on two seperate occasions. One to receive the Mosaic Covenant and second to receive the Ten Commandments. After coming down from the Mountain the second time, Israel was worshipping the golden calf. Moses was tested at that point where he killed all those who worhipped the golden calf. The Jewish people would not have missed this picture because it is one that is typical of the Jewish past. Jesus went into the wilderness and returned empowered by God to teach. The writer of Hebrews makes the point that it was necessary for Jesus to go into the wilderness because the temptation and suffering he endured enabled Jesus to personally understand temptation from a first-hand experience. Think about it, Jesus, God in the flesh, was never able to be tempted prior to this time in the history of the universe. For the rest of the story of the wilderness temptation, look at Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13. Compare to Exodus 24:17-18; 34:28-29; Hebrews 2:17-18.
I wonder if Jesus did these things just to be an example to us, in order to show us the proper way that things ought to go. In other words, we should go into the desert, separate ourselves before beginning a ministry in order to get it right with God. This also would apply to our daily lives, do we go into our prayer closet, and prepare our hearts to meet the day? Or do we attack the day with vigor and hope that we are all right spiritually? Jesus set the example for us. Here He went into the wilderness to prepare his heart. This happened immediately after His baptism.
Mark 1:14-20 Archived study: Calling of the Apostles. v. 15, “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus did not waste any time. Notice that John being arrested is acknowledged, but largely ignored in this gospel. In the other gospels, we are given an insight into the ministry of John, and a lot about him. But here, he was a pawn that served a function. Now is the time to move on. There is a sense of urgency, so urgent that when the apostles are called, they don’t even hesitate, they leave their jobs immediately to follow Jesus.
Verses 14-16 New Thoughts: John’s arrest is given more attention on in Matthew where we find out the gory details of his execution (Matthew 14:3-12). He made a significant impact on the people during Jesus’ ministry since his arrest is mentioned in all of the Gospels. He makes a good character study of one who is truly devoted to the calling that God has given. It is equally important to consider that even though his life had a powerful impact, his wrongful death was not a result of his action but a result of living in a fallen world. Bad things happen to good people. John proved to be true to God to the point of being imprisoned for speaking against the king for a wrong relationship.
Verse 15 carries the brunt of John’s message, the good news (gospel) is that the kingdom of God was near for all, it is time to repent and believe. Thinking further on that, the same message is true today. Jesus paid the price on the cross, rose from the dead and is soon to return. Just as in those days, it is time to consider that God is soon to return. John spoke of an individual repentance that was on an individual basis. This was directly in opposition to the thought of the day that the temple sacrifices covered their sin. Many Christians have fallen into the same trap today by thinking that the tithe and religious actions that they give to the church will insure their position in heaven. The true good news is that repentance is on an individual basis because that is where we determine that we are going to follow the Lord. To finish this thought, repentance is not some huge mysterious action, it is simply making a determined change of direction in your life. Repenting is determining to follow the Lord and determining to stop following our own way. The message of John is still the same today because we are preparing for the Messiah to return a second time.
Verses 18-20 One of the things that has fascinated me about the Gospels is that the apostles dropped their lives on the spot and followed Jesus. Mark does an excellent job of giving us this picture of the immediacy of their turning to Christ. Following on the coat-tails of John’s message, Jesus told the disciples that they would be fishers of men. The call to Christianity is not one to lethargic pew warming, it is one of action. Often faith does not mean to count the cost of following Christ, but simply moving when He calls. The apostles walked away from their jobs without a second thought. How many of us would move if God directed our hearts with the simple command to follow Him? More important than that, when God directs us are we able to hear him speak? Is our faith to the point that we are willing to make immediate changes in our lives to follow Him? Or, are we so comfortable that the idea of changing our lives to follow Christ an inconvenience? John carried the message to change our lives because the kingdom of God is near. Jesus calls for us to follow Him. Following means that we must make life changes to follow him.
There are too many today that think Christianity is a badge of honor worn because we prayed a little prayer or was sprinkled when we were babies. Christianity is a life that is sold out to Christ completely, anything less is bogus and false to the core.
Mark 1:21-45 Jesus teaching and casting out a demon. Jesus immediately launches into His ministry. He walked into a synagogue and began to teach. Then in the same meeting, He casts out a demon from one of the attendees’, and as a difference to the other Gospels, the follow-up on the individual is not discussed, here we see that His message is critical. His teaching was different from anyone else’s because it displayed authority. To verify the authority, the demons were brought into submission.
Verses 21-22 It seems interesting that Jesus was able to go into the synagogue and start teaching right away. Put it in perspective for a moment. Jesus was thought to be the son of Joseph the carpenter. Since He was teaching, he was most likely invited to teach. Yet, his teaching was incredibly different than the teaching of the scribes. Try to picture this in your mind, Jesus taught the scriptures from the authoritative position as the author of the scriptures. He did not teach the scriptures like the scribes who taught what they learned from their teachers. The scribes were able to quote scriptures, teach what the scriptures said. Jesus went beyond that by teaching in a dynamic way that literally astounded the listeners.
Verses 23-28 It doesn’t stop there. Jesus taught as one who had authority. There was a man in the congregation that had a demon. Look at the profession of the demon who recognized that Jesus was the “Holy One of God”. Jesus quieted the demon at that point. The authority that Jesus taught with was validated by the demonic opposition. Not only that, the demon came out of the man at Jesus’ command. A different greek word is used here giving the idea of utter astonishment. Jesus was the talk of the town after this.
Verses 29-31 Mark continues his story impressing on the reader the incredible power that Jesus displayed. It’s as if Jesus suddenly pops on the scene performing fantastic teaching, casting out demons and healing. Mark makes the point of Jesus immediately entering into his public ministry full force. Try to picture the scene with Simon’s mother. She is extremely sick with a fever when Jesus enters the house. Jesus heals her and she immediately is fully restored to full health. This is demonstrated by the way that she starts serving others.
Verses 32-34 The incredible story has gotten out. This was before modern medicine. Sicknesses that are treated today with antibiotics and such were untreated in that day. They ran their full course and often resulted in death. The word that Jesus could heal with a word caused an incredible amount of sick and demon possessed to be brought to Jesus. Try to imagine what it would take to mobilize an entire city.
Verses 35-39 Jesus taught a new way of praying to the Lord. It would be interesting to contrast the Old Testament view of prayer with the way that Jesus is demonstrated as praying here. The Old Testament way of praying was to make requests of the Lord, interceding for someone, or asking God to perform certain functions. Jesus demonstrated a different kind of prayer in the New Testament. This prayer was more of a worshipful communication to God which was based on an established relationship. I may be splitting hairs here, your comments are welcomed. The Old Testament way would have placed Jesus in prayer prior to the fantastic ministry establishing that God had empowered him to perform the miraculous actions. Since Mark placed the prayer time after the miraculous actions, Jesus is viewed as the source for the power behind the teaching, healing, and casting out of demons. It’s a different attitude. Seemingly as a result of the prayer, Jesus moves his ministry into the broader area of Galilee.
Verses 40-45 The leper throws an interesting twist to the story. Jesus heals the leper then commands him to keep quiet. Jesus also commanded him to follow the law in observing appropriate rituals required by the law. We don’t know if the man kept the rituals, we do know that he did not keep silent. This demonstrates that this is not a fairy tale. The Bible records both the good and the bad that happened. How many people missed healing as a direct result of the sin of the leper? We do not know. Notice also that the leper did not have the faith to be healed. He acknowledged that if Jesus wanted to heal him, he was willing to receive the healing.
I read a book on leprosy recently. It is an extremely interesting disease. Somehow the nerves quit communicating pain to the body. Therefore when a sore or injury happens, it is not taken care of and the infection spreads. That’s my understanding in a nutshell. To date medicine has not found a way to restore the nerve endings or regenerate feeling in a limb with leprosy. They are able to do incredible surgeries to repair the damage and restore functionality to the injured limbs. Jesus completely healed the leper. In that day, it was impossible to reverse the effects of leprosy even if they were able to stop the infection in order to restore a person to society. Imagine how excited the former leper was to be completely restored.
This is the end of the archived study… I posted this addendum for reference only
[1] Eusebius of Caesaria, “The Church History of Eusebius,” in Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, vol. 1, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1890), 172–173.
[2] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mk 1:2.
[3] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mt 3:2.
[4] Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).
[5] Eduard Lohse, “Ῥαββί, Ῥαββουνί,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 962–963.
Hebr (Hebrew)
[6] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
[7] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 1108.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 331.
[10] Jacob Neusner, The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, vol. 16 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2011), 525.
[11] Cited ca. A.D. 325 by Eusebius, Church History 3.39.15. James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic e., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 18.
[12] John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:96.
