Mark 1-3
There is a short introduction available for the book of Mark. You can read it here.
Key Themes (Mark)
The book of Mark is the second Gospel in the New Testament and is known for its fast-paced, action-oriented narrative. It presents Jesus as the suffering servant and Son of God who came to bring the Kingdom of God through His ministry, death, and resurrection. Mark emphasizes the urgency of Jesus' mission and the call to discipleship. The key themes include:
- The Identity of Jesus as the Son of God: A central theme in Mark is the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. From the opening verse, Mark declares Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God, a theme that is repeatedly affirmed through Jesus’ miracles, teachings, and the divine voice at His baptism and transfiguration. This theme underscores Jesus' divine nature and authority, inviting readers to recognize and respond to Him as the Messiah.
- The Kingdom of God: Mark emphasizes the proclamation and arrival of the Kingdom of God as central to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus begins His public ministry with the announcement that the Kingdom of God is near and calls people to repent and believe the good news. This theme highlights the transformative power of God’s reign, which breaks into human history through Jesus’ actions and teachings, challenging the status quo and bringing hope to the oppressed.
- The Authority of Jesus: Throughout Mark, Jesus’ authority is a prominent theme. He demonstrates authority over demons, disease, nature, and even death. Jesus also speaks with authority in His teachings, challenging religious leaders and offering new interpretations of the Law. This theme reinforces Jesus’ divine power and His role as the ultimate authority in the spiritual and physical realms.
- Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus: Mark places significant emphasis on the nature of discipleship, often highlighting the challenges and misunderstandings of Jesus’ followers. Jesus calls His disciples to take up their cross, deny themselves, and follow Him, which involves sacrifice and suffering. This theme underscores the cost of true discipleship, which requires total commitment and the willingness to endure hardship for the sake of the Gospel.
- The Suffering Servant and the Passion of Christ: Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering servant, a Messiah who fulfills His mission through suffering and sacrifice. The Passion narrative is central to Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus is betrayed, tried, crucified, and ultimately resurrected. This theme emphasizes the necessity of Jesus’ suffering for the salvation of humanity and highlights the paradox of the Messiah who conquers through weakness and death.
- The Messianic Secret: A recurring theme in Mark is the "Messianic Secret," where Jesus often instructs those He heals, His disciples, and even demons to keep His identity as the Messiah confidential. This theme explores the idea that Jesus' full identity and mission could only be understood in light of His death and resurrection, suggesting that His role as the suffering Messiah was not immediately apparent.
- Human Weakness and Failure: Mark does not shy away from portraying the weaknesses and failures of the disciples and other characters. The disciples often misunderstand Jesus’ teachings, lack faith, and abandon Him in His time of need. This theme highlights the frailty of human nature and the need for God’s grace and patience, while also demonstrating that Jesus continues to work through imperfect people.
- Urgency and Action: Mark’s Gospel is known for its sense of urgency, often using the word “immediately” to transition from one event to another. This fast-paced narrative conveys the urgency of Jesus’ mission and the need for a decisive response to His call. This theme emphasizes the immediacy of the Kingdom of God and the necessity of responding to Jesus with faith and action.
- The Triumph of the Resurrection: Although Mark’s Gospel ends abruptly, with the women discovering the empty tomb and fleeing in fear, the resurrection is a pivotal theme. It confirms Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and serves as the foundation for Christian hope. This theme highlights the victory of Jesus over sin and death, offering assurance of eternal life to those who believe.
The book of Mark is a dynamic and powerful account of Jesus’ life, emphasizing His identity as the Son of God and the suffering servant who brings the Kingdom of God through His death and resurrection. Through its themes of authority, discipleship, urgency, and the triumph of the resurrection, Mark calls readers to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. It challenges believers to embrace the cost of discipleship and to respond to the Gospel with faith and action.
What I Noticed Today (Mark 1-3)
Mark 1
In verse 1, Mark announces the theme of his book: The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God.
Note: “Gospel” means “good news.” “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew for Joshua, which means “Yahweh is salvation.” “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Messiah.” Both “Christ” and “Son of God” are titles.
In verses 2-3, Mark records a mixed quotation from Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:10.
Note: This is the only instance in which Mark refers to the Old Testament.
In verses 4-8, John came into the wilderness, teaching baptism for repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
Note: Repentance means to “turn about, a deliberate change of mind.” Forgiveness means “the removal or cancellation of debt,” in this case, through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Note: John’s attire marked him as a man of the desert and a prophet resembling Elijah (Zechariah 13:4, 2 Kings 1:8).
While he came baptizing with water, John announced the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
In verses 9-11, Jesus came to John to be baptized in the Jordan River. When He was baptized, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended upon Jesus, and the voice of God said, “You are my beloved Son, with you, I am well pleased.”
Note: Jesus was without sin, so his baptism was not a confession of sin but an act of obedience to God.
In verses 12-13, Jesus was immediately driven into the wilderness for 40-days, where Satan tempted him, and angels ministered to him. (See also Matthew 4:1-11)
In verses 14-15, after John was arrested, Jesus began his ministry proclaiming the gospel of God in Galilee.
In verses 16-20, as He passed along the Sea of Galilee, Jesus called Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew who were fishermen, to follow Him. Immediately, they left their nets and followed Jesus.
A little further on, Jesus saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and He called them to follow Him also. They also immediately left their nets and followed Jesus. (See also Matthew 4:18-22)
Note: In Jewish tradition, a disciple would seek out a Rabbi for instruction. Jesus instead called those who He wanted to disciple.
In verses 21-28, Jesus and the four disciples he had just called made their way to Capernaum (northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee). While Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, a man with unclean spirits came. The spirits addressed Jesus as the Holy One of God. Jesus commanded the spirit to leave the man, and it did. Because of this, Jesus’ fame spread throughout the surrounding region.
Note: Interestingly, the demons recognize Jesus immediately as the Holy One of God, but the people who witnessed the miracles and heard His teaching, for the most part, did not.
In verses 29-34, Jesus immediately left the synagogue and went to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick, and Jesus healed her. In the evening, many people from the city gathered at their door, and Jesus healed them. (See also Matthew 8:14-15)
In verses 34-39, Jesus rose early the next morning for prayer. When the disciples found him, He told them it was time to leave to preach the Gospel in other towns throughout Galilee.
In verses 40-45, a leper came to Jesus humbly asking Him out of faith to be healed. Jesus healed him and told him not to say anything to anyone but to go and show himself to the priests and make the required offering (Leviticus 14:2-31). But the man told people about what Jesus had done so that He was surrounded by people coming to him to be healed. (See also Matthew 8:1-4)
Note: Leprosy included a number of serious skin diseases, not just the disease of leprosy that we think about today. A person with leprosy was exiled from society because they were unclean. Leprosy was considered incurable, except by an act of God.
Mark 2
In verses 1-12, after returning to Capernaum, people found Jesus (probably in Simon’s house), and He taught them. While he was teaching them, four men carrying a paralyzed friend dug a hole through the roof of the house and lowered the man on a mat down to Jesus, asking that he be healed. Because of their faith, Jesus said to the man, your sins are forgiven. Scribes in the audience viewed this as blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. Because of the Scribes’ doubt, Jesus then also healed the man who got up and walked out. (See also Matthew 9:1-8)
Note: Typical homes had a flat roof with a set of outside stairs leading up to the roof.
In verses 13-17, Jesus went out to the Sea of Galilee, where a large crowd assembled, and He taught them. As he was going, Jesus passed Levi, a tax collector, the son of Alphaeus, and called him to follow him. Levi immediately followed Jesus. Jesus had dinner with Levi and other tax collectors, and when the Scribes and Pharisees saw this, they wondered what kind of man eats with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus replied it is not the well who need a physician but the sick. He came not to call the righteous but the sinners. (See also Matthew 9:9-13)
In verses 18-22, people came to Jesus asking why John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus’ disciples did not. Jesus answered the wedding guests do not fast while the bridegroom is with them. When the bridegroom is not there, they will fast.
Note: Jesus is the bridegroom, and the day he is taken away is the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Fasting was a time of sorrow, so the guests (believers) would not be sorrowful while the bridegroom was still there.
Two parables of Jesus:
- Jesus refers to the unshrunk cloth. No one puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment, or it will tear away.
- Jesus refers to a wineskin. One does not put new wine in an old wineskin, or it will burst.
(See also Matthew 9:14-17)
Note: The point of these parables is one does not try to “fix” an old system (the religion of Judaism). The new replaces the old. Salvation available through faith in Jesus Christ replaced the old system of Judaism.
In verses 23-28, on a Sabbath day, Jesus and the disciples were walking through a grain field, and while they were going, they plucked some heads of grain and ate. The Pharisees said this was illegal (it was considered work that was not allowed on the Sabbath). Jesus responded to the Pharisees reminded them that David took the showbread from the temple, which was legal only for the priests to eat (1 Samuel 21:1-6). (See also Matthew 12:1-8)
Jesus said, 1) God made the Sabbath for man’s benefit not to be a burden, and 2) the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
Note: Mark is the only Gospel writer to record the statement in verses 27-28 about the Son of Man having authority over the Sabbath.
Mark 3
In verses 1-6, on a Sabbath, Jesus was in the synagogue (probably Capernaum) when a man with a withered hand came to Him. They (probably the Pharisees) watched Him to see if He would heal the man (only life-saving emergencies were legal to treat on the Sabbath). Jesus asked them if it was legal to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath. When they did not answer, He healed the man. From there, the Pharisees immediately met with the Herodians plotting to destroy Jesus. (See also Matthew 12:9-14)
Note: Only Mark mentions the Herodians.
Mark 3:7-6:6
The emphasis of this section shifts demonstrating Jesus’ ministry in the face of opposition and unbelief.
In verses 7-12, Jesus and the disciples withdrew to the Sea of Galilee, and a large crowd followed him coming from miles away (Tyre and Sidon were in Phoenicia, a largely Gentile region). Jesus healed many, and whenever he cast out a demon, they recognized Him as the Son of God, but Jesus ordered them not to speak. (See also Matthew 12:14-21)
Note: I wonder if Jesus ordered the demons not to speak because He wanted the people to recognize Him as the Son of God on their own.
In verses 13-21, Jesus went up to the mountain and called those whom He wanted as disciples, and they came to him (probably many more than the 12 He appointed to be apostles). Among these, He appointed twelve as apostles (ones sent out on a mission) and gave them the authority to do the work He called them to. The twelve apostles included: Peter, James, John, Andrew, Judas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew (Levi), Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot. (See also Matthew 10:1-4)
Note: Judas was the only apostle not from Galilee.
In verses 22-30, the scribes came from Jerusalem and accused Jesus of getting His power from Beelzebul (aka Beelzebub), the prince of demons (Satan). Jesus answered them with two parables (See also Matthew 12:22-32):
- How can a kingdom or a house divided against itself stand? If he was with Satan, why would he cast out Satan’s demons and thus weaken Satan’s control?
- How can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder it unless he first binds the strong man? How could he cast out Satan’s demons unless he also had power over Satan himself?
In verses 31-35, (these verses relate to verse 21), Jesus’ mother and His brothers called to Him through the crowd. Jesus asked who are my mother and brothers, and answered these (referring to those around him) are my mother and brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father is my mother and brother.
Note: Jesus is not rejecting his mother and brothers here. Rather, He is expanding the definition of the spiritual family to be all those who do the Father's will.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.