December 23, 2008

Mark  Introduction

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters,

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 (NASB95)
¹ Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, ³ it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; ⁴ so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.^[1]

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.[2]

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.^[3]

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 (NASB95)
¹ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.^[4]

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”.[5] 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. 

Enough for today, please respond with any comments you may have.  I will attach them to the next study.

Father, as we study Your word, open our minds so that we can perceive and apply it to our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

Mark 1:1-8

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I hope that everyone has had an excellent time with their families during Christmas season.  I enjoyed the tremendous amount of time that was spent with my family but am glad that things are starting to wind down to normal again.  One thing that has been on my mind is that we can get so busy in life and allow the Lord to be shelved in our lives.  If we do this, is He truly Lord of our life?  It's something to think about.  We focus on what is important to us.  On with the study.

Mark 1:1-8 (NASB95)
¹ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; ³ The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’ ” ⁴ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. ⁶ John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. ⁸ “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”^[1] 

Previously posted: John the Baptist.  What a description of John, he sounds like a mans man.  If we were to meet him, we would probably want to be upwind.  He doesn't sound as if he was too worried about what people thought.  Yet people were flocking to see him, and they were confessing their sins and repenting.  When the Holy Spirit is on a person and blessing their ministry, it doesn't much matter what they look like, what they dress like or what their diet is, because if God is blessing the ministry, the work will be beyond reason.

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 (NASB95)
¹ “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. ² “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³ “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. ⁴ “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. ⁵ “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts. ⁶ “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷ “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

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 (NASB95)
¹⁸ “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. ¹⁹ “Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; ²⁰ when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the Lord. ²¹ “So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”

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.  Let's look at it in context;

Isaiah 40:1-8 (NASB95)
¹ “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. ² “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.” ³ A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴ “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; ⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ⁶ A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. ⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

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 (NASB95)
¹¹ “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. ¹³ “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

2 Kings 1:8 (NASB95)
⁸ They answered him, “He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Zechariah 3:4 (NASB95)
⁴ He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.”

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. 

We will end the study here.  If you have any comments, please feel free to send them in.

Father, as we consider Your word, open our eyes in this new study to understand who Jesus is and the way that He works in our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

December 30, 2008

Mark 1:9-13

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters,

I am using my old study previously posted as an outline for the one's I am developing on Mark.  If you wish to see a preview, look at the website. http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Studies/Mark/mark1.htm

Mark 1:9-13 (NASB95)
⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; ¹¹ and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” ¹² Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. ¹³ And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.^[1] 

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.

Exodus 24:17-18 (NASB95)
¹⁷ And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. ¹⁸ Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 34:28-29 (NASB95)
²⁸ So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. ²⁹ It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.

Hebrews 2:17-18 (NASB95)
¹⁷ Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.^[2]

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. 

I am going to stop here for today just to let that thought rest.  All comments are welcomed.

Father, as we consider Your word, enable each of us to understand and apply Your word to our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

January 3, 2009

Read the Bible through this year: Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:1-23

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I made a few phone calls this morning.  Several e-mail addresses have changed and have been updated on the study.  For those who missed yesterday's email, look at the schedule page on the website the new schedule for the year is posted there (http://www.emailbiblestudy.com/Schedule.htm).

Mark 1:14-20 (NASB95)
¹⁴ Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” ¹⁶ As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” ¹⁸ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. ¹⁹ Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. ²⁰ Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.^[1] 

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 u-turn 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.  As we enter the new year, let's determine together to allow God to direct our lives.  Then put our words into action by moving as He directs us.

I'm going to close here, all comments are welcomed.

Father, speak to each of our hearts revealing our walk with You to us.  Then give us the will and determination to change our lives by determining to follow You in every area of our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

January 4, 2009

Read the Bible through this year: Genesis 5:1-6:22; Matthew 3:1-17

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

Mark 1:21-45 (NASB95)
²¹ They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. ²² They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³ Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, ²⁴ saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” ²⁵ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. ²⁷ They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” ²⁸ Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee. ²⁹ And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. ³¹ And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. ³² When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city had gathered at the door. ³⁴ And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. ³⁵ In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. ³⁶ Simon and his companions searched for Him; ³⁷ they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” ³⁸ He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” ³⁹ And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. ⁴⁰ And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, ⁴⁴ and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.^[1] 

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.

I am going to quit here.  As an overview of the lesson, look at how Mark gives the events of Jesus' beginning ministry in a rapid fire manner.  The key word is immediately.  The idea transfers urgency to the message. 

Father, as we consider Your word, open our eyes so that we can understand the message and apply it to our lives.

In Him,

Joe Turner