|
Mark 1:1-39
“The
beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2 as it is written in
the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John did baptize in
the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5
And
there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were
all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 And John was clothed
with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat
locusts and wild honey; 7 and preached, saying, There
cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy
to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with
water: but he shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost. 9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming
up out of the water, he saw the heavens open, and the Spirit like a dove
descending upon him: 11 and there came a voice from
heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the Spirit
driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in
the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and
the angels ministered unto him. 14 Now after that John
was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God, 15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom
of God is at hand: repent ye, and
believe the gospel. 16 Now as he walked by the sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto
them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they
forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And when he had gone a
little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he
called them: and they left their father
Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. 21 And they went into
Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue,
and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority,
and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue
a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, Let us
alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of
God. 25
And
Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, come out of him. 26 And when the unclean
spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all
amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is
this? what new doctrine is this?
for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey
him. 28
And
immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about
Galilee. 29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the
synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and
John. 30
But
Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took
her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she
ministered unto them. 32 And at even, when the sun did
set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed
with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many
that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not
the devils to speak, because they knew him. 35 And in the morning,
rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary
place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with
him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they
said unto him, All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them,
Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore I came forth. 39 And he preached in
their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. 40 And there came a leper
to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou
wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with
compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I
will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken,
immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly
charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 and saith unto him,
See thou say nothing to any man: but go
they way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things
which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and
began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that
Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert
places: and they came to him from every
quarter.”
There Are Four Beginnings In The
Bible
Paul
said, “Be imitators of God.” In this book, we are about to watch God in action
as a man--God the Son--God himself in action. If we can learn Christ, we can imitate God. As you look upon Christ, learning him, you
become sanctified.
There are four beginnings mentioned in the Bible. We know that God created the angels, and that
they are created beings. God doesn’t say
when this was, but makes reference to it in Ezekiel 28:12-17 in the creation
and subsequent fall of Lucifer. Three of these beginnings have to do with man:
The beginning of space and time, John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1,
the recreation of earth after the fall and subsequent destruction of earth
(often called the Gap Theory). (Isaiah 14:12-17 describes Lucifer’s fall back
to earth. The dinosaur age contained a bio-system which was not conducive to
man. This was all mysteriously destroyed
65 million years ago. Jesus remarks that
he saw Satan fall like lightning to the earth. Isaiah 14 describes Lucifer, now Satan trying
to ascend to heaven to throw God off his throne and being thrown back to earth.
Revelation 12:3-4 describes Satan
drawing a third of all the angels into his rebellion. It then describes a second war in heaven, yet
to come, in verses 7-9. This second war
must be very similar to the first, where we see Lucifer being cast down to
earth in Isaiah 14:12-14.) So we see
that Genesis 1:2-31 describes the re-creation of earth with a bio-system
adapted to man, and then the creation of man (see https://unityinchrist.com/Does/Genesis%201%201-31.html).
Who Is Mark?
Then
in Mark 1:1 we see another beginning, “the beginning of the gospel about
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark
starts with the ministry of Jesus Christ. The main thrust of the book of Mark
is that Jesus is the servant of God. There
is more action in the book of Mark, more about Jesus’ actions than his words.
The theme for the book: Jesus came to
serve. He came to push the plow and lay
on the altar. Mark 10:45, “For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many.” The book of Mark
is a fast moving gospel of miracles, power and service. John Mark was a young boy when Jesus was
around. It is thought that he may have
been writing from the knowledge of Peter. Peter’s words in Acts 10:34-43 correspond with
the account in Mark. As we read through
the account in Mark, look back from time to time and read Peter’s account here
in Acts 10:34-43, which states, “Then Peter began to speak:
‘I now realize how true it is that God
does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do
what is right. You know the message God
sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus
Christ, who is Lord of all. You know
what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that
John preached--how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the
power of the devil, because God was with him.
We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in
Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging
him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him
to be seen. He was not seen by all the
people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank
with him after he rose from the dead. He
commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God
appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that
everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’” It is strongly suspected that John
Mark made reference to himself in Mark 14:51-52, which states, “A
young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they
seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.” This was when the Romans and temple guard had
seized Jesus at night and were taking him to the high priest.
In 1st Peter 5:13, Peter calls Mark his son, obviously in a
spiritual sense. 1st Peter 5:13, “She who is in Babylon,
chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.”
Mark most likely wrote the book in Rome
around 50-70 A.D., his main audience being Gentile. If you lost the book of
Mark, all the information in the book can be found in Matthew and Luke, so this
is probably the first gospel account written. Acts 12:5-12, “So Peter was kept in
prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to
trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and
sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly
an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell
off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said
to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’
the angel told him. Peter followed him
out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really
happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and
came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went
through it. When they had walked the
length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I
know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s
clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.’ When this had dawned on him, he went to
the house of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had
gathered and were praying.” So
we see, John Mark’s mother was a believer, and that many had gathered to pray
for Peter’s release.
John Mark is a cousin of Barnabas, who was another apostle (but not of the
twelve). In Acts 12:25 we
see John Mark was part of a missionary team made up of Paul and Barnabas. “When Barnabas and Saul had finished
their mission, they returned from [or to in some manuscripts] Jerusalem, taking
with them John, also called Mark.” (Read Acts 13:2-5. John Mark was their helper,
as verse 5 states. This is Paul's first
missionary journey, and Barnabas and John Mark were part of it. John Mark was invited to go along as an
assistant. For some reason John Mark
turned around and deserted them (verse 13). This created a split between John Mark and
Paul that wasn't healed for some time. For
years Paul would not trust him to accompany him, so Mark would accompany
Barnabas. But in 2 Timothy 4:11 we see there was a healing
between Paul and John Mark. “Only
Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me
in my ministry.”
Jesus, The Gospel In Action!
Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
(NIV) “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (New King
James Version). Most Americans don’t agree with the Christian perspective
anymore. We now are outnumbered. The situation is changing very quickly. With the changing of a very few laws in our
land our freedoms as Christians could be gone, and we could become a persecuted
group. Our world no longer thinks the
gospel is Good News. Persecution is
coming to the church. As real Christians
we are a very small minority now, even in America. [Nominal Christians may abound Matthew 7:21-23,
see https://unityinchrist.com/history/saga.htm] But this must be our attitude: Romans
1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
The gospel is indeed Good News to those who receive it. Simplistically the
gospel of Christ is ‘You are a sinner, you need a savior and Jesus is
your savior.’ Psalm 33:12.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his
inheritance.” We are no longer
going to be a great nation. But if you
want to become like God, stare at Jesus. You want to know what Jesus would do? Read the book of Mark. Ephesians 6:19-20, “Pray also for me,
that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly
make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I
should.” We mustn’t be ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, which leads people to salvation. There is power in the gospel, “For in
the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by
faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by
faith’” (Romans 1:17). The
gospel in action was good news to this man we’re going to read about. This man had all these demons in him, keeping
him a prisoner. Mark 5:1-20, “They
went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes [Gadarenes]. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an
evil [Greek: unclean] spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could
bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot,
but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills
he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front
of him. He shouted at the top of his
voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!’ For
Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you evil spirit!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are
many.’ And he begged Jesus again and
again not to send them out of the area. A
large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the
pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave
them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed
down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported
this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had
happened. When they came to Jesus, they
saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there,
dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had
happened to the demon-possessed man--and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to
leave their region. As Jesus was getting
into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to
your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has
had mercy on you.’ So the man went away
and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.”
How Should We Serve God?
How
do you serve God, with joy, or grudgingly? Your heart is important. Mark focuses on Jesus the Servant. Mark 10:45, “For the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Malachi 3:14-15, “You have said, ‘It is
futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and
going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even
those who challenge God escape.” God through Malachi was trying to deal with
this problem. There is no blessing in
heartless service. A true servant serves
because he or she loves God. It is out
of love. Psalm 100:2, “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His
presence with singing.” It is
our duty to serve God--serving with gladness.
Jesus gets into this subject when his disciples got into a dispute about
which would be the greatest. Mark
10:42-45, “Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are
regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials
exercise authority over them. Not so
with you. Instead, whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must
be slave of all. For the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The Beginning Of The Gospel Of
Mark
Mark
starts out with the ministry of John the Baptist. Mark 1:1-8, “The beginning
of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the
prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead
of you, who will prepare your way’ --[Mal. 3:1], ‘a voice of one calling in the
desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him’’ [Isaiah
40:3]. And so John came, baptizing in
the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins. The whole Judean countryside and
all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by
him in the Jordan River. John wore
clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate
locusts and wild honey. And this was his
message: ‘After me will come one more
powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and
untie. I baptize you with [or in]
water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” John was submissive, humbly obedient to
God, exhibiting the quality of a servant of God. Mark quoted Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 here
to describe John’s ministry. John is a
radical in the eyes of the Jews. He
lives isolated, alone, separated from society. He wore clothes that were different from what
those in society wore. He was wearing
the type clothes Elijah the Tishbite wore. He was called to be separate. He came with a very bold message--calling
people to repentance in preparation for the gospel. Repentance meant not just sorrow for your
sins, but coming out of them. It was a
very radical thing John was doing, calling people to repentance and baptism. He
drew them to the Jordan, a wilderness area--a symbol of separating themselves
from the world and it’s society. In verse
4 it states, “for the remission of sin.” The Greek word used for for = with
reference to. i.e. with reference to the remission of sins. This is because the baptism of Jesus, his
death, burial and resurrection hadn’t taken place yet. This baptism was forward looking, to
the sacrifice that would pay for the sins of the world. Some scholars say John baptized as many as
300,000 people. In John 3:30
John the Baptist states, “He must become greater; I must become less.”
John wasn’t offended when signs of the
end of his ministry started to appear. That’s
the true heart of a servant--that Jesus would increase and that John would
decrease. We should want Jesus to
increase in our lives and that our own selves should decrease. This is a very deep thing that will end up
going deeper and deeper into our wills. This always involves some dying of our own
wills and desires in our own lives. “He
must become greater; I must become less.” There is an infinite God who desires to become
greater in us. “May I decrease,
may you increase (in me)” should be in our prayers daily.
The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
For Ministry
Verse
8, “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark was talking of the baptism of the Holy Spirit
into the body of Christ. Jesus came and
the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ. There is a specific baptism or filling of us
in the Holy Spirit to ministry that goes far beyond the initial receiving of
God’s Holy Spirit in our lives at conversion or being born-again. The book They Found the Secret by V.
Raymond Edman [available from http://www.amazon.com] details this baptism
of the Holy Spirit for ministry. Jesus
refers to this ministry work the Holy Spirit will do in Christians in Acts
1:5-8, “So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know
the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on [NKJs: upon] you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” [Some believe the apostles had the Holy Spirit
dwelling in them before Acts 2, and that Acts 2 describes a further empowerment
of the Holy Spirit for ministry. This
could be true. There are indications in
Scripture that indicate it could have been so.] A true servant of God is empowered by the Holy
Spirit. [Refer to the section about D.L. Moody in the Ephesians link.]
The Baptism Of Jesus
Verses
9-11, “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by
John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming
up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on
him like a dove. And a voice came from
heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love;
with you I am well pleased.’” This baptism
of Jesus, although he was sinless, was placing himself amongst sinners as a
symbol of his coming to save sinners, covering their sins in his own death,
burial and resurrection--which baptism symbolizes. Jesus said in Luke 11:11-13, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you
will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a
fish will give him a snake instead? Or
if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Seek
God for a greater work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Between verses 13 and 14 of Mark 1 is a time
omission of about a year. The events which are missing are depicted in John
chapters 2-3. The territory of Galilee
was Herod’s territory. Jesus started
preaching boldly, moving into the danger zone. In verses 16-20 Jesus called his disciples. We see that a true servant of God abandons all
to serve God. Luke 9:23-24, “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Verses 14-20, “After John was put in
prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God [New King
James Version: preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God ]. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of
God is near. Repent and believe the good
news!’ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’
Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.
When he had gone a little farther, he
saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left
their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”
Mark 1:21-45
“And
they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into
the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were
astonished at his doctrine: for he
taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their
synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, 24 saying, Let us
alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to
destroy us? I know thee who thou art,
the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying,
Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean
spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all
amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is
this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even
the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his
fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. 29 And forthwith, when
they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and
Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s
mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took
her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she
ministered unto them. 32 And at even, when the sun did
set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed
with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many
that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not
the devils to speak, because they knew him. 35 And in the morning,
rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary
place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with
him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they
said unto him, All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them,
Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And he preached in
their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. 40 And there came a leper
to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou
wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with
compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I
will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken,
immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly
charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 and saith unto him,
See thou say nothing to any man: but go
thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things
which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and
began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that
Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert
places: and they came to him from every
quarter.”
What is our definition of a
servant of God?
A servant of God is submissive to God.
A servant of God is empowered by the Holy Spirit,
A servant of God is resistant to evil, sin.
A servant of God is voracious for the Truth, God's Word.
A servant of God is one who abandons all for God.
A servant of God is one who is noticed, especially by the demon world. A
servant is also noticed by the needy.
A servant of God is taught by God.
Add all the letters up that start these words, submissive, empowered,
resistant, voracious, abandons, noticed and taught, and that spells servant.
Jesus Goes To A Local Synagogue
On The Sabbath--And Really Stirs Things Up!
Verses 21-28, “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went
into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching,
because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the
law. Just then a man in their synagogue
who was possessed by an evil spirit [demon] cried out, ‘What do you want with
us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to
destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy
One of God!’ ‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The evil spirit shook the man violently and
came out of him with a shriek. The
people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new
teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they
obey him.’ News about him spread quickly
over the whole region of Galilee.” [The Sabbath-keeping Churches of
God use this as one of their proof texts for believing the Sabbath command has
not been abrogated or transferred to Sunday. To learn why, log onto:
http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Has%20the%20Sabbath%20Been%20Abrogated.htm] The ruins of a 4th
Century synagogue has been found in Capernaum. The foundation stones date to Christ’s time! Probably was this synagogue. Synagogues didn’t have any set rabbi. Rabbi’s who preached at synagogues were
usually just passing through town. Most rabbi’s would only teach what they had
heard other higher ranking rabbi’s teach. So they taught without much conviction. Then Jesus came in and taught with the
authority of very God. He taught with
such great authority and power that it struck like a bolt of lightning. The presence of Jesus caused this demon to
cringe in abject fear. This demon
literally freaked out! After Jesus
cast this demon out, everyone really started to question and notice. But a servant of God, as we see here, is
especially noticed by the demonic world. The more Jesus is in your life, the more the
demonic world takes notice. If
everything is going smoothly, think about it. Are you on the path of light? The more Jesus is in you, the more the enemy
will attack you. But God is doing a good
work in those who find themselves in this boat.
Verses 29-31, “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James
and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever,
and they told Jesus about her. So he
went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on
them.” We see here that the apostle
Peter was married. His mother-in-law was
healed by Jesus and then she started to serve in gratitude. The response of Jesus’ healing is to serve
Him. As Jesus heals us our desire should
be to serve. Husbands and wives, give
Jesus more room to serve in your family. Verses 32-34, “That evening after sunset
the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus
healed many who had various diseases. He
also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they
knew who he was.” After sundown,
Jesus was still serving, still giving, tirelessly. The needy had come, the demon-possessed--the
real down and outers around Capernaum. Jesus had been going all day long. These were people no one wanted to be around. His fame had gone all around town. Now as they showed up he rolled up his sleeves
and started healing all these people. You see here the depth of his compassion. Now it’s late at night, and he’s still serving
and ministering to others. No one will
ever come to Jesus or the Father and see he’s too distracted or tired to deal
with you. A true servant of God is
compassionate, not trying to avoid others in need. Pray God just opens your heart with love and
compassion for others. Here’s another
point, a servant of God is noticed by the needy. When Jesus is there, the needy will notice and
come.
Jesus Taught In Their Synagogues
On The Sabbath, All Across Galilee
Verses
35-39, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left
the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him,
and when they found him they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ Jesus
replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach
there also. That is why I have come.’ So
he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and
driving out demons.” After this late night,
the Greek implies Jesus got up around the last watch, which starts at 3 a.m. in
the morning, to pray to the Father. Peter
came looking for him saying that many had been stirred up in Capernaum and were
looking for him, but Jesus said that he had to go to the other nearby villages
so he could preach there also. Verses
40-45, “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are
willing, you can make me clean.’ Filled
with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him and he was
cured. Jesus sent him away at once with
a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t
tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the
sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’ Instead he went out and began to talk freely,
spreading the news. As a result, Jesus
could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in the lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from
everywhere.” Here is a man with such
a great need. And Jesus heals him. Jesus pointedly tells him not to tell anyone
about what he had done. But this man
couldn’t keep his mouth shut about how he was healed. But because this guy didn’t do what Jesus
said, Jesus was hindered in his intentions of going into any of the area towns
to preach the gospel. Jesus reached out
and touched this leper in great compassion. But as a result he was forced to go out into
the wilderness to preach, areas that would contain the crowds, allowing him the
space to preach to them in an orderly manner. God is not a God of confusion, but of order. He wants a degree of control of what's done in
his name.
Mark 1:40-45 and Mark 2:1-12
This
is a transcription of two sermons given by Pastor Al Ebeling, pastor of the
Waltham congregation of the Worldwide Church of God, given on 12 & 19
February 2000.
Mark 1:40-45, “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If
you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Filled with compassion, Jesus reached
out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’
Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer
the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’
Instead he went out and began to talk
freely, spreading the news. As a result,
Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in the lonely
places. Yet the people still came to him
from everywhere.” This is quite a
powerful story here in the pages of Mark, one that catches our sensitivity and
emotions. This Scripture is talking
about a couple different things. Leprosy
and healing. This account brings to mind
a story that is somewhat parallel to this in the book of 2nd Kings
5:1-15. This is the story and account of
Naaman. He was the commanding general of
the Syrian army, and he had leprosy. One
of his wife’s servants was a Hebrew, and Naaman’s wife through talking with
this servant came to the realization that God could intervene for Naaman and
heal him of his leprosy. This account
goes well beyond what we’re going to talk about in the book of Mark, but it is
similar in many ways. Naaman, at first,
didn’t believe Elijah’s instructions about going into the Jordan 7 times would
bring about his healing. He thought it
was a bunch of bunk, so he stormed off. [Eventually
he followed Elijah’ s instructions and was healed by God, right after he did.] Now there’s a description of the type of
leprosy in this magazine I'd like to read to you, the type of leprosy that
Naaman had. Naaman suffered from a
disease traditionally designated leprosy. The range of the Hebrew word, which includes
conditions of effecting clothing (which is from Leviticus 13) and buildings
(from Leviticus 14). You know the
clothing couldn’t come in contact with anyone else. If a leper went into a certain building, no
one else could go into that building. So
the range of the Hebrew word makes it clear that the word denotes more than
Hansen’s disease, which is Hansen’s disease, which is the modern terminology
for leprosy, which is caused by the micro-bacterium lepri-baccilus and effects
humans exclusively. So this particular
disease is only known to humans. Naaman
may have been suffering from, in addition to Hansen’s disease, lupus,
scoriasis, small pox, skin cancer, vertigo or a nutritional deficiency such as
polagra, etc. And so here Naaman is a
hurting guy. No matter how you look at
his particular health situation, he was hurting. Finally, probably in utter fatigue he goes and
dips himself seven times in the river and comes out clean. He doubted initially that he could be healed. Especially, he doubted that it could be that
simple. He would rather have seen some
waving arms, some chants, maybe a few sacrifices here and there, maybe some
gold or silver offered to idols, anything but what was required, and that was
faith, of simply going into the river 7 times. It is curious how this leper in Mark 1:40-45
approaches Christ, and he simply says to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can
make me clean.” Jesus didn’t wave
his arms, he didn’t chant, he didn’t offer sacrifices, he didn’t do any of
those things. What Jesus did was he just
tenderly and lovingly reached down and he touched the leper. Jesus did the unthinkable thing. He touched something unclean, only to make it
clean. Jesus put himself at risk by
touching something so unclean that it was anathema to society. And his loving care and his grace extended
healing.
You know, ironically enough, the verse here, verse 41, that says, “Filled
with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand,” that particular phrase among
scholars today is argued. There are some
who say that rather, that translation should be “Filled with anger” instead of “filled
with compassion”--"with anger” Jesus reaches out and touches that
individual. And the reasoning is, they
believe this, because the tone Jesus uses when he’s sending the leper off. When he says, “Now don’t go and tell
anyone what I’ve told you--don't tell anyone who you see what I did for you.”
And their thinking is that Jesus is so
upset with the way humanity has to live, that his anger came to the surface
rather than his compassion. But
nonetheless, his strong warning, because of what he did to the leper, Jesus had
to alter his ministry, and wasn’t able to just walk into a community from that
point forward. Without, it says,
throngs, multitudes of people waiting for him to enter that city so that they
could be healed. And I’ll tell you what,
brethren, today if there was one person, two, three or more people, that could
walk anywhere and all they had to do is touch you and you would be healed, you
couldn't keep people away. People would
come to that individual by the scores. Jesus knew that. And he asked the man not to tell anyone. But, for whatever reason, the leper didn’t
heed that advice, but rather went and told everyone.
Who Did Jesus Come To Earth For?
Now
I want to change gears. When Jesus came
here to earth, he did so because he had something to tell us. He came with a purpose. He came with authority. And as a result of the
authority that was given him to come here, he spoke with authority. He lived with authority. He was God. But more than that he was God in the flesh. And when Jesus walked this earth during his
earthly ministry he effected people’s lives. Their lives were never the same as a result of
an encounter with him. And I want to ask
us that same question. Are our
lives any different because we know Jesus Christ than if we didn't know Jesus
Christ? Are our lives different?
Many people listened to what Jesus had
to say. They even sensed his power. They even sensed his authority in everything
that he said. But even though they did,
they did not necessarily believe what he said. They liked what he said. They appreciated what he said. They reaped the benefit in some instances of
what he said and did for them. But did
they believe him? You know, the point
is, Jesus’ word produces results. All he
has to do is say something and there are results. There’s never not a result. You and I have the responsibility to
bear, or as bearers of his Word to make sure that this Word is heard among a
society that doesn’t want to listen. Now, what society do we live in? Many people today suffer from something called
loneliness. And I know you can relate to
it. I know without a doubt you can
relate to it. I can relate to it. You don’t have to be a certain type of person
to relate to loneliness. If I were to
ask for a show of hands of people in this room, right now, in this room who are
or who have experienced loneliness I venture to say that we would all raise our
hands. I venture to say that, that we
have either experienced it or are involved with it. But more than that, some of us live in
loneliness. Some of us live in
loneliness. And we can sight various
reasons as to why we do. The society
that we live in today, the mechanized society by many instances lives by
computers, where we’re isolated at work from any other human beings because we’re
on our computer. We’re isolated at home
for the same reason at times. We have
beepers in our possession to be in touch with people, we have pagers to find
where someone is. There’s a certain
degree of loneliness that can be involved in that. There’s also the lonely feeling of being
abandoned by a mother, by a father, by a spouse [that happened to me], and that
in turn creates an empty spot in our hearts. Human situations like divorce, disease, or
deformity also separate us from society. Some of us experience isolation and rejection
from others, as though we're not accepted--we don’t fit in--and so we withdraw.
And we also can experience death, the
death of a spouse, death of a child, death of a parent. Either of those can catapult us into
loneliness that almost seems inescapable. This past week I talked to my sister who is
just a few years older than me. And she
just found out that she has a blockage to her heart. She’s going to have to have some surgery. And in talking with her, she said, “You
know, I’ve come to a realization.” I said, “What is that?” And she said, “Life is too short.” And
I said, “Well, I agree with you there. Is there anything I can do for you?” And she said, “Just something that you're
already doing.” And I said, “What's
that?” And she said, “Keep praying for me.” Loneliness is a painful existence. Any one of us can find ourselves in it for
awhile. As we examine the life of this
leper, we find that loneliness is a way of life with lepers. It’s a way of life. This passage includes a lot of information. But between the lines of this man with leprosy
coming to him and begging on his knees and saying “If you're willing you can
heal me,” between the lines there we can realize that this leper lived a
lonely life. He didn’t wake up in the
morning and go to work and get that simple pat on the back from someone. He couldn’t look forward to a handshake by
someone who is able to touch. He couldn’t
look forward to the warm embrace of a friend or even family, emotions that you
see were missing from his life as a leper. He was excluded from society, from all
corners. He couldn’t wake up or look
forward to a hug from his wife, or his child, or his family. You see, we touch one another every day, not
physically sometimes, but just by being around people we’re touched by people. You know that studies have shown that newborn
babies who even if they’re provided food and drink, but are minus human touch
will die. That’s sad. When we experience an event that isolates us,
there is no doubt that we go through many, many emotions. Some of them being anger, denial, hatred,
bitterness. They’re all emotions that
you and I go through when we experience loneliness. Can you imagine what it would have been like
five or ten years before we were introduced to this leper? What was it like in his life before he came to
Jesus? Can you imagine the very first
days when he began to get those little signs that leprosy was within his own
frame, where he began to realize that these sores that were appearing on his
skin weren’t going away? And that there
was definitely something wrong with him, something wrong that he didn’t want to
face. Eventually these sores would break
open and bleed and cause all kinds of difficulty for him health-wise. You can imagine living with his fear, the
torment that he was going through, and the apprehension as he looked at what
the future was going to hold for him. Imagine
what it must have been like for him the first time his own child must have
said, “I can't touch you, Dad. You’re
unclean.” That was the law. What was to follow was a life of banishment, a
life of banishment, of isolation, a life without that familiar touch from
someone like a wife, a child, a brother or sister, a friend, a neighbor--a life
of others constantly staying away from you. Mothers, as he walked down the street, would
grab their children, to keep them away from him. People would suddenly turn around and walk the
other way. Each day this man would have
to cover his skin to keep the sores isolated. And then finally the day came when he would
have to go to the High Priest. And he
knew what the High Priest was going to say. The High Priest was going to declare him
unclean, and banish him from living within society. And his life of isolation and loneliness would
be heightened. Now while we don’t have
leper colonies today, we still do build walls around us, and often times we are
stuck behind them. If you are not the
run-of-the-mill, the normal, the traditional, you often wear a label. You might be a drunk, or your parents might be
divorced, or you are divorced. You may
be handicapped, and often if you’re deaf you’re labeled as dumb, stupid. You may be crippled, you may have cancer. Sadly our attitudes sometimes say “We have
places that we can put people that are in this condition. And we don’t have to deal with them.” “There are others that will deal with them.” Many of these type of individuals live in
voluntary exile, knowing that they are going to be isolated from society and
certainly often are. And they don’t term
themselves normal anymore. Then there
are those who are marginalized by society--those considered the outcasts of the
world. It seems as though these are the
people that Jesus was drawn to, those outcasts, those people who were kind of
pushed to the side by society. That’s
who Jesus came to. That’s who Jesus said
“I am here for you.” And yet those considered normal are repulsed
by these outcasts, repulsed by this type of person. If we honestly examine the message of Jesus we
come to realize that he came specifically to the marginalized people of
society. If you’ll turn with me to Luke
chapter 4 I’m going to read verses 17 through 19 where
Jesus says: “The Spirit of the
Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Jesus
said that he came to those people--all the outcasts, all the misfits, all the
geeks that came to him. There is not one
person that would want to associate themselves with a group like this. People with money often don’t want to be
around people who are poor. Those that
are criminals we want as far away from us as possible. Don’t we have institutions for the blind? Most of society can't be bothered, at least
until it happens to you or somebody you know. And then perhaps your interest may be peaked. When we begin to think in physical terms we
make a serious mistake. I want to say
that again. When we begin to think in
physical terms we make a serious mistake, and we prevent the full understanding
of grace and its effects on our minds and hearts. Most of us grow up with the “be good and
you’ll be rewarded” mentality. I can’t
tell you how many times I heard my parents say that one over the years. You know “If you're good, good things will
happen to you.” “Pick up your
room and you won't get in trouble.” “Do
this and that will happen.” And I
find myself sometimes saying the same things. And I’m misrepresenting something that God so
much wants to demonstrate to us as human beings. “Be good and you go to heaven.” How often have we heard that? We relate this concept to the idea that if we
receive physical blessings, then God must be happy with us. And if we don’t receive physical blessings,
then God must be upset with us. How many
times have we thought or felt that way? How
many times did this leper look up into the sky and say “Why me?!?” How many times have you and I shouted the very
same words, because we’re looking at our physical predicament, and we just can’t
figure it out. This is not a New
Testament teaching. Christians make a
mistake when they equate their physical stature in life with God’s grace. Jesus pronounced very boldly, as he often did
because he had authority, that the age of grace was upon human-kind. That’s what he said, that’s what he
pronounced. In fact, he said, “The
year of the Lord’s favor is here.” That’s what he said, referring to the age in
which would be known as the Messianic Age. Jesus Christ came and demonstrated by his
power, by his healing, physically to show what the eye cannot typically see,
that humanity itself needs the spiritual healing touch of Jesus Christ--the
touch that heals more than the body, more than the limbs--that reaches inside
and it touches our hearts and our souls. When we look at this particular account of the
leper, or the woman who was taken in adultery [John 8], Jesus’ grace was not
limited to “good people.” Jesus reached
out to the “bad people” and extended them grace [unmerited pardon] without any
hesitation. In fact, when the young man
came to him and said “Jesus, what good things must I do to receive
eternal life?,” the response that Jesus gave him was the keeping of the
commandments was not sufficient for eternal life. He pointed out that a complete
abandonment of what this life offers, and that an intimate relationship with
him--that is Jesus--was what was necessary for eternal life. He said, “Unless you are willing
to leave everything and come and follow me,” the very same thing he
said to the fishermen, the very same thing he says to you and me. Can you give up physical for spiritual? That's a very hard thing to give up, isn’t it?
That’s a very hard thing to look at,
that’s a very hard reality to come to. And
it’s a mistake for Christians to view the physical condition of people, or
their financial status as having anything to do with blessings or cursings.
I know so many times someone will say to
me “I can't understand why that person is blessed.” “They don’t go to church, they don’t do this”--and
what they're saying is--“I go to church, I pay my tithes or my offerings, I
do all these things. Why is it not
happening to me?” What are they
looking at? What am I looking at? What can I say to someone like that? You know, I know the success of life is based upon
Jesus Christ. That person doesn’t. Will they have to be taught it? Yeah. I
know that Jesus Christ is my personal savior. I know that I have been saved as a result of
his extending to me unmerited grace. I
know that. And so many times we forget
it. We do not live under the old
covenant, a covenant that was done so long ago that people forgot that Christ
came. That was “the age of blessings and
cursings.” But we now live in the time
of grace, the time of grace, where we have received every spiritual blessing. Let’s turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with
every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Every blessing we have is in Christ. Being in Christ has nothing to do with our
behavior but with the finished work of Christ on the cross, and his gracious
extension of eternal life to all of us, to all of us. This leper represents the ultimate outcast. The person in society that no one wants. In your mind’s eye conjure up a person that no
one wants, and it’s represented by this account of the leper. He’s an outcast, who didn’t accept his
condition, but believed that there was to be a restoration and redemption. He believed, as an outcast, someone put down
by society, that he could be healed. That’s
the dichotomy of this little story. Christ
is what every jot and tittle of the Old Testament pointed to, every one. He is the fulfillment, and is more than
sufficient to save us, to heal us, and to touch us. God touches us. His sufficiency extends beyond salvation to
being righteousness for us. You know it’s
funny because we are called God’s workmanship. Every law of the old covenant, every Holy Day,
every prophecy pointed to the Messiah, and the age of grace that only he could
bring, and only he could fulfill.
The Leper’s Route To Christ
In
preparation for his encounter with Jesus Christ this leper had to go on a
specific route. He had to go on the
route that would prepare him to be an outcast so he could be accepted by
Christ. It’s not an easy route, is it? It’s a route though that we all walk if we
want to be accepted by Christ, because we have to realize that society is
without him. When Christ came over the
hill that day the leper jumped out. Let’s
turn back to Mark 1. The leper jumped
out, and begged him on his knees. He
could not walk along as normal people do and talk to Christ. He could not be counted among those that
easily blend in with the crowd. You
know, this leper had to strategically position himself so that he could have an
encounter with Christ. And so he waited.
And when Christ came over the hill the
leper jumped out. You see, if you’re an
outcast, you don’t have to worry about much do you? [tape reversal missed
some]...[To] my sister-in-law that I would be praying for, I said, “I'll get
on my knees and pray for you.” And
she said, “You don't have to pray on your knees!” I said, “You're right. I could pray standing up, lying down,
sideways, anyway.” And maybe you
pray a lot of different ways too. There’s
probably some pretty extreme ways that we found ourselves praying but whatever
it is that you do, whatever it is that you pray each week, I want you to open
your heart and ask him to show you how you can reach out and touch someone
else, even if it is only one person, that’s a person who needed to be touched. And as we drive away and as we drive home this
afternoon, I want you to look at people you pass along the road and ask
yourself, “Do I want to be that person, or am I glad that God is using me?”
Because God is glad he is using you. There is no one else that God will use in
your situation than you. Let’s pray. “Eternal God, we thank you so much for
opening our eyes and our hearts. We ask
Father that as we look at ourselves this coming week that we are able to see
you in more dramatic ways than ever before. We ask that you help us to see those who are
hurting and lonely, those who, Father, need your assurance and need your touch.
It’s not easy to overcome loneliness,
but Father we know that you can make it happen. We have to come to you when we're lonely. We have to come to you when we're hurting. We have to come to you when we’re isolated. We have to come to you and ask you Father to
help us. And you said that you would,
and we thank you. And we ask for your
will to be done in our lives. And so
Father we here collectively thank you for all that you do for us. And we ask for your inspiration and guidance,
for your blessings, and Father for your will to be done. Help us to be able to touch those who are out
in this world, Father, needing to be given that hope that we have, that's a
part of us because your Son lives in us. We thank you Father for your Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.”
|
