LESSONS FROM MARK

LESSONS FROM MARK

Seeing and Serving from Mark

Introduction Mark 10:45. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Where would I start in telling the world the greatest story on earth? Normally the place to begin would be to start with someone's birth, but if people who listened were in imminent danger of losing their lives that day, I would need to get to the most important parts as quickly as possible. The Spirit of God knew what was needed when Peter and Mark were in Rome. Wickedness and evil were rampant in the city, and days of persecution had come, so they got right to the point of the Gospel message. It is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. A messenger was sent to introduce the glad tidings and make straight the path of the Lord.

Then Jesus Christ came, sent by the Father to bring glad tidings to men. Mark’s Gospel seems filled with urgency, telling the message in words with rapid, vigorous enthusiasm. The good tidings of the Gospel told to those in Rome are the same message entrusted to us that we are to teach and hold.

In Malachi's words, the Holy Spirit first tells of a messenger God sent ahead. Isaiah is quoted right after speaking of Jehovah's Servant He would send. Right away, we can identify the messenger and message as Jesus Christ, who is named as the starting point of the glad tidings to tell how the Gospel came. Matthew told the Jews about Christ and introduced Him as the King. Luke tells of Christ as a Perfect Man who came to bring forgiveness. John exalts Him as the Son of God and the high glories of His nature. Mark portrays Him as the Perfect Servant, preparing saints for the immediate future.

What a wonderful beginning when Jesus Christ is the first name in the book. He is identified as God's Son, and right away, we get a good look at the messenger John and the One who would follow his path. May I always be impressed with the glad tidings he gave so that I can grasp the Gospel truth.

The overall narrative of the Gospel of Mark was to make it plain to the Gentile believers in Rome that the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ were not limited in any way to Jewish traditions. Traditions were important to Jewish people, and the Gospel of Matthew addressed that matter by comparing the new covenant with the old one. Peter, through Mark, wrote this account of Jesus’ ministry in a simple yet vibrant style with vivid accounts of events that rapidly move through the three and a half years Peter was involved with the Lord physically.

There is no account of His birth and early years as in the other “Synoptic” (same look) Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The writing is succinct and to the point as Mark quickly moves from one event to another. This book has more to do with what Jesus did rather than what He taught. This is “the beginning of the Gospel,” the public proclaiming of the good news. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is the “beginning,” and the book of Acts until this present day is the continuation of the Gospel.

Reading through Mark’s account serves to move us to be ready for action in our service to the Lord. It is not for us to be waiting for a better or more opportune time to do what needs to be done. We are challenged by reading the book of Mark to reach out into the world in the times in which we live, with the Gospel, that we “might, by all means, save some.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that He is the Subject of the Gospel as well as the Source of the Gospel. The sure foundation of the Gospel message is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The approach to the message of salvation, all through this book, was to reach those who didn’t have the religious baggage of the Jews but also did not have a real clear picture of Jesus, who was always God and yet was found in fashion as a Man. The Son of God was the Perfect Servant of God.

Peter was the right person to put what needed to be said into words appropriate to those who were new to the faith but were not from the Jewish tradition. He was the first apostle to be sent to the Gentiles with the Gospel when the Lord Jesus sent him to Cornelius. They needed to know more about the personhood of the Savior in whom they had put their trust for salvation. Without going back over thirty years to the birth of Jesus, Mark’s Gospel starts after Luke wrote that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor with God and with man” in His boyhood years. No one could ever say that He didn’t know what it was to be a child, a teenager, or a working man. However, those events in His early life here weren’t the concern of those Gentiles who had heard of the death of Christ as the substitute for sinners and believed that the One who was buried and rose again was their own personal Savior. John the Baptist was a relative who began preaching as the forerunner of the Messiah six months before Jesus stepped out into the open publicly.

To the early assembly believers in Rome, many of whom were Gentiles and Jewish Christians, the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry was where they came into the picture. Mark's message of the Gospel would have strengthened their faith and given them hope. Dark days of opposition against Christians were already happening in the Roman Empire. Peter was put in prison in Rome and was waiting for the time of his execution, which the Lord Jesus had foretold. The memories of his time with Jesus would have given him much to think about, and the Holy Spirit guided those thoughts so that Mark could write down the account of Jesus’ time here on earth that was relevant to each believer.

It was likely that the accounts of the Lord Jesus Christ’s life, ministry, and teaching that Matthew and Luke wrote about were written after Mark’s Gospel was written. Much of what is in those accounts gives more detail about events and organizes how the teaching of Jesus was connected with the actions of Jesus. To the readers in Rome and then the other assemblies of that day and down through the centuries, hope for living and the eternal future has resulted.

Our sure hope is based on the fundamental nature of God. He is the eternal God who created men and women for His glory and fellowship with Him. When He created us, He made us in His image and gave us the characteristics of Himself. We have a mind that we can know Him, emotions that we can love Him, and a will that we can do those things that serve Him in kingdom life. He is holy, He is love, and He is faithful. It is to each individual human being that He brought into existence without their consent, toward whom He demonstrates His love and loyalty. Each person is a being by divine choice with a purpose for living. He gave us the ability to love Him and be faithful to Him. But that means we must choose to love Him or not, to be faithful to Him. His loyalty and love toward us are inherent in God because He gave us life. He created, appreciates, and cares for that which He created.

The distance between Him and sinful people has come about because of human sin, which separates us. In grace, He took steps to remove that barrier, which is what the Gospel is about. God loves us, and we can choose to love Him. He is loyal to us; we live, move, and have our being in Him. We can be loyal to Him, which becomes a fact when Christ is our life. Every person instinctively knows that sin is a fact in their life and not good. Many will not admit to what the stars, the sun, and the moon – even the Caesars- were people without hope, who knew to be true, but that does not change the fact of the matter—Gentiles who had deified animals.

Then Jesus came! He came “preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God,” of which He is the King. God came in the fashion of a sinless, innocent man. He lived as a man among men of common society, not as the ruling King. In that new way of looking at kingship, He showed us that serving is the way to lead. It was a whole new focus of life that was unfolded to us in the Gospel of Mark. Those individual believers who were given a new nature by the new birth were now given a new life to live by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The teaching of the Lord Jesus was sensible and applicable to every person's life. Scriptural teaching is that the Living God is the God of living people –individual persons! Every person He created in His own image is important to Him. Even though, because of sin, “death has passed upon all men for all have sinned,” the Gospel message is that there is hope for the lost.

Mark’s Gospel focuses on that Person who has brought hope to all mankind. God is naturally loyal to those He created to be with and for Him. His interest goes beyond merely knowing who we are. He made us just how He wanted us to be and loves us. He intends that all people be saved from their sins, but it is not His mind that people be mindless, impersonal robots. Mark’s Gospel tells of individuals who came to Jesus by their choice and believed in Him. It also tells of those who willfully rejected Him.

Our hope isn’t for this life only, so the book of Mark focuses on how people of various age groups, conditions, and occupations in life came to put their hope in God. That hope is not only for life but for all eternity. God had an objective in mind when He created man in His own image. The focus of His kingdom is not on the physical or political aspects of an earthly kingdom, which is often identified by whether it is prosperous or not. God’s kingdom is not concerned with the importance of “meat and drink” but with “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Reading Mark's book doesn’t take too long. I imagine those early believers in Rome, who got the written account of the three and a half years Peter was with the Lord, would have read it all through in one sitting. Peter likely was crucified by the time most believers would have been able to read it, but perhaps Mark was there to assure them of the accuracy of what he wrote as being what Peter had dictated to him. More importantly, the Holy Spirit has His way of confirming God's word to those He has made to be born again. God’s Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are sons and daughters of God. When we read or hear the truth, it resonates within our soul as to what it is. It is not hard for a believer to discern the difference between true and false if they are familiar with the Bible.

Reading the Bible for the first time enlightens us to the truth as the Holy Spirit unfolds the things our loving Father wants us to know. As we reread the scriptures, we find unfolding truths that we apply to our soul and spirit, which impact our lives and walk with the Lord. The more we read the scriptures, the greater our convictions become and the deeper and stronger our faith is in the Lord. Each time we read the same passages over, our faith is affirmed in ways that are new to us. The focus of our life and mind is lifted higher than the present physical circumstances in which we are found. Our Lord Jesus Christ becomes dearer to us; God is much nearer to us. The Holy Spirit makes the things of God much clearer to us.

Then, we become stronger in our faith, bolder in our testimony, and clearer in our understanding of divine things. Gentile believers living in the time Mark wrote this Gospel would have been so glad to be able to read over and over the accounts of the public life of Jesus that it would have been a major topic of their conversation. Then His death, burial, and resurrection would have assured them that their resurrected Lord and Savior was with them in those trying times and dark hours of martyrdom. We, too, are impacted by this Gospel account as we live in days that are deteriorating morally farther and farther into spiritual darkness. We may be called upon to experience similar pressures from government and society to conform to their demands and to reject what God says in the Bible.

May we focus on Jesus, the path of light, and the life he walked. We must walk in the light now “as He is in the light.” Reading the Gospel of Mark will help us focus on the “New Way” that has come.

If I were in Rome and had watched the suffering of the saints, And had been in a coliseum, hearing hymns instead of complaints; I would have wondered in my mind what these Christians have. It makes them different: they’re so prayerful, courageous, strong, peaceful, and brave!

It was in that context two men, Peter and Mark, began to review All that Peter had experienced when he was with Jesus, telling much of what he knew Of the many actions of mercy and grace, Jesus did for people when He was here, So those who were called to suffer for Christ now would be strong in faith; nothing to fear!

As Peter talked, Mark wrote line after line, and the Gospel began to unfold. Incident after incident, place after place, by the Holy Spirit’s guidance, truthfully told. The Person and work of the Savior burned bright in the apostle’s mind; Mark wrote faithfully those things down, that believers still might confidence find!

These were facts, not the vain imaginations of those who were not even there. Peter had lived and experienced those events that to others he was to share. Vividly and rapidly, the thoughts came, as in that Roman prison the light burned brighter. Mark would have sensed the urgency in Peter’s voice, and the history became real to the writer!

Peter knew he would soon die; the Lord Jesus had told him that specifically. As the words, thoughts and memories came alive to him; he told them to Mark precisely. Now we know what those early Roman believers learned from reading the Gospel of Mark. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, Jehovah’s Perfect Servant, was human – but from sin apart!

MARK 1 The average Roman could relate to action more than to doctrinal teaching. Peter seemed to be an energetic and impulsive man by nature, and the literary tone of the Gospel of Mark reflects that. It is a book full of actual incidents, “happenings,” that affected those who were there, but it also affects those who read it now. Those who read about those occasions in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth that the Holy Spirit led Peter and Mark to write about are given insight into the Perfect Servant of God who was busy in the work of God.

The arrival on the scene of the Lord Jesus Christ identified Him right away. He comes on the pages of Mark’s Gospel as a servant, so to tell of His genealogy, birth, and early years would not have a point in presenting Jesus as the Perfect Servant of Jehovah. He was not a servant only to the Jews but to all, as God reaches out to “the world” of people whom He loves and cares for. The Perfect Servant is the Son of God; He is the Eternal Son, perfectly fitted for the ministry He was to fulfill. The Holy Spirit identified Him visibly when He sat upon Him as a dove. The Father identified Him by speaking audibly and saying, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased!”

When Jesus came, all things were changed, and darkness yielded to light. Four hundred years of silence was over; wrong was now to be set right. The prophet saw and testified, and his words came true. The Lamb of God was pointed out when Jesus came into view. When Jesus came, heaven was moved, and the Holy Spirit came like a dove. Into a world of self-centered people came the embodiment of love in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit brings conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment and produces the new birth. Because Jesus came and put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, human life has worth.

When Jesus came, the Father spoke with a voice that sounded like thunder. The sound of the voice and the events at that baptism would cause the people to wonder. Something great was happening; dead spirits were coming to life. Darkness was being penetrated, and into the world came Light. When Jesus comes today, those in spiritual death are awakened. Through the Word, The Spirit of God urges people to hearken the truth. Some people in faith turn to the Lord and, by His grace, are saved. Life for them begins anew, and they appreciate what God gave them.

When Jesus comes today, and people gather to Him, there are gladdened hearts rejoicing together gathered to His name. He is the One Attraction; earthly pursuits have no place. All who gather to Him there are those who appreciate His grace. When Jesus comes today and comforts those who suffered loss, it helps us to rise above the pain when we remember what it cost Him who willingly gave His all for us when He died. We are comforted by His presence when we are close to Him.

When Jesus comes today, like in the past, He is the same. All powers in heaven and earth bow to the authority of His name. He is the same then and now as He will be forever. He came to His own in the past, and today, He comes to me.

To every believer, knowing that Jesus is the Son of God is of prime importance. He always was God and always will be God. He was God in every way when He was here on earth, even though He was “found in fashion as a man.” There was no part of His divine nature that He ever set aside, although He did veil His physical glory so people could look at Him without dying. His moral glory was evident in how He lived among people as a perfect man. He was perfect in His manhood, in the words He spoke, in the things He taught, and in the things He did that blessed others. He was a true friend of the outcasts of society without being involved in their sins and sinful ways. His holiness exposed the hypocrisy of those who practiced religion but didn’t live what they taught other people.

As Mark wrote, he must have become increasingly enthused about what it meant to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Gentile readers of the Gospel of Mark who lived in Rome and other parts of the Roman empire, where many false gods were worshipped, would be assured that the Son of God, Jesus, was not an imaginary object of man’s devising. Jesus was a real, living Person. When He was here, He was a Man among men. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the God of heaven who brought the good news of the Gospel here Himself. The Gospel message of salvation from sin that separates us from God began with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, preaching Himself. The coming of the Messiah had been foretold by the prophets Isaiah and Malachi, which are quoted at the beginning of this book. The Lord Jesus Himself gave other quotations in Mark’s Gospel in the words of His teaching.

Mark 1:1-13. The public preaching and baptism of John the Baptist. John’s preaching, v.1-8. The ministry of John the Baptist is where Peter began when he opened the door to the Gentiles in Acts chapter ten. “Preaching peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)” began with John’s message of repentance. He is called “My messenger” in the prophecy quoted here. This was no small matter because John was preparing the way of the Lord. He was leveling the road for Jesus to begin His public ministry. John wakes up complacent, self-centered people because all is not well between them and God.

John’s baptized Jesus, v.9-13 Seven witnesses present the greatness of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ right at the beginning of this Gospel account. Mark himself is the first one. The Holy Spirit used him to write that “Jesus Christ (is), the Son of God.” Second are the prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah and His glory. LORD is the word used for Jehovah, and Jesus is Jehovah, was the prophets’ message. The third witness was John the Baptist, who was the forerunner of the Perfect Servant. He testified to the sinfulness of mankind and the necessity of repentance for the remission of sins. John appealed to the consciences of those who came to hear him preach. He lived a separate life himself, and the point of his baptism was to testify to the necessity of separation of the people of Israel from the corruption of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John, even though He was sinless and in no way subject to sin. His baptism identified Him with the people He came to save. As a perfect man, He was approved of God as the only One who could be our substitute and bear away our sins.

The fourth witness to the Person of Jesus being the Son of God was the voice of the Father from heaven saying, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” The fifth witness was the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit testified to the deity of the Lord Jesus in the visible form of a dove. The sixth witnesses were the wild beasts in the wilderness who had no fear of their Creator and were under His control, no matter how much they feared sinful mankind. Creation itself is under His divine authority in every way.

The seventh witnesses were the angels who had witnessed His perfection as the Person who created them. They had watched and heard as He overcame the temptation of Satan. Neither the world, the flesh, nor the devil could make the Perfect Servant, in any way, yield to any of the temptations Satan put before Him. The angels of God worship Him, the first begotten of the Father, the Eternal Son of God. Heaven and earth testify to Jesus. Prophets and angels do the same. These all record the new “way of the Lord” as He began His public ministry, His service to people, and His grace to save lost souls. That same grace was extended to others in God’s service, which continues in His people today. We serve God when we serve people.

We can learn from John the Forerunner and Jesus the Perfect Servant that the Holy Spirit gives us faith in God through learning from the divine Teacher and God’s holy word. When we have learned the truth of God, then we can do what God commands. Loyalty to Him and grace are given to us when we need them, giving us the power to overcome the things that drag us down. Those who overcome can be of real service in the kingdom of God. Like our Lord Jesus, we can face temptation and not yield to sin. He promises to go through the “waters” and “fire” with us. He knows our needs because He has passed that way before us.

Jesus preaches good news, v. 14-15 When John finished his ministry and was put in prison, the time had come for God to carry out His plan of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. It began with Him preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God. God’s work does not stop when a worker is silenced for one reason or another. No one who labors in the work of the Gospel is indispensable. The Lord of the harvest is personally involved in what each faithful laborer does, and He knows when it is time to have others carry on His work. In Galilee, Jesus did that work and then chose others later to participate in His work. Those who had heard John’s preaching and had met the Lord Jesus personally were still at their daily work, even though they were believers in Him as their Savior/Messiah.

Jesus’ message was that the time of the kingdom of heaven was near. This is not simply a time on a clock or calendar but when something special is about to happen. In this case, it was a time of visitation when the power of God became evident to the public. The Lord Jesus forgave sinners, healed the sick, fed the hungry, and preached the Gospel to the poor and outcasts of society. He raised the dead to life, so it was obvious that it was a special time. In a sense, it still is today. People are coming from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Believers are becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus. People who know they have been forgiven of their sins are walking in the light of God's word and obeying what they know to be right in God’s sight. The kingdom of heaven is here.

Repentance and forgiveness of sins go together when a person is born again by the Spirit of God. Trusting Christ as my personal Savior begins with a consciousness of personal sin and an acknowledgment of guilt. It is then that I am made aware of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ for me as an individual. When faith makes that real to a person, God saves and forgives us. The change in heart and life will be real as righteousness takes the place of sinfulness in a person’s character, speech, attitude, and conduct.

Jesus calls four, v.16-20 “Follow Me!” wasn’t just a suggestion by the Lord to Peter and Andrew, James and John. There was the authority of Jesus as Lord in those words. The first disciples of Jesus were not super Christians. They were just like all of us who heard the word of the Lord and believed in Him. Appreciation for Him moved those young men busy with their vocation to drop what they were doing and do what He called them to do. Peter, Andrew, James, and John all left their duty in family life to take the step of faith and respond to His higher call to follow the Lord and serve Him.

Faith in our Lord Jesus means that we are willing to trust our families, obligations, and ambitions to Him, who knows everything. He is the sovereign God; we act on that fact in simple faith. It takes time to fit a person to serve the Lord appropriately. This only happens by being with the Lord and learning from Him in His training school. When our Lord Jesus is the Object of our soul’s ambition, we will be willing to surrender ourselves to His will, whether it be to continue fishing as Zebedee or to take the place of a learner and servant as his sons did. The word “immediately” is used five times in this chapter to describe how Peter learned the urgency of doing divine service for God.

Jesus speaks with authority, v.21-22 The Lord Jesus had moved to Capernaum from Nazareth and quickly applied Himself to preach the Gospel there. His preaching and teaching were so out of the ordinary that people were amazed. He wasn’t suggesting things nor making up suppositions. He spoke plainly and with absolute authority. What He said was not what He had memorized from the scripture and applied as He chose as the scribes did. His message was given as One who knew the mind of God and exactly what the scriptures meant, as well as what they said.

A message from God does not consist of mere arguments that appeal to reason but is the truth that is spoken with the power of conviction and convicting power. When a person speaks for God, we are to speak as the “oracles of God.” We should not spend the time presenting pro and con arguments but rather speak the truth with conviction, compassion, grace, and authority. Don’t leave people wondering what is right or wrong or wondering what you said and meant. We have been given the truth and must take time to know it well enough to express it. Speak with certainty, for it is those who are lowly and willing to learn who will know the mind of God. “The meek will He teach His way.”

When Jesus came, all things were changed, and darkness yielded to light. Four hundred years of silence was over; wrong was now to be set right, and what John saw and testified to come true. The Lamb of God was pointed out when Jesus came into view; heaven was moved; the Spirit came like a dove into a world of self-centered people. The Holy Spirit brings conviction and produces the new birth because Jesus came and put away sin. Now, human life has worth. The Father spoke with a voice that sounded like thunder at Jesus’ baptism, which caused people to wonder if something great was happening. Dead spirits were coming to life, and darkness was being penetrated when the Light of the world came into the world.

When Jesus comes today, those in spiritual death are awakened as the Spirit of God, through the Word, urges people to believe the truth. Those in faith turn to the Lord and are saved by His grace; life begins anew for them, and they appreciate that God gave His only begotten Son. When Jesus comes today, and people gather to Him, there are gladdened hearts rejoicing together when we are gathered to His name. He is the One Attraction; earthly pursuits there have no place. Each believer who gathers with others to Him appreciates His grace.

When Jesus comes today and comforts those who suffered loss, it helps us to rise above the pain when we remember what it cost Him who willingly gave His all when He died for us. We are comforted by His presence when we are close to Him abide. When Jesus comes today, like in the past, He is the same. All powers in heaven and earth bow to the authority of His name. He is the same then and now as He will forever be. He came to His own; the times passed, and today, He comes to me.

Jesus casts out an evil spirit, v.23-28 The teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ was supported right there in the synagogue as He spoke. The demon tried to stop the Perfect Servant because demons know who He is – the Son of God! The Holy One of God! The power of His word further demonstrated the authority of the Lord. Jesus did not want the testimony of the powers of darkness, so He rebuked the evil spirit, silenced it, and commanded it to leave the man whom it had possessed. With an audible shriek, the demon had to obey the authority and power of the Lord Jesus and left the man. The people of Capernaum had been amazed at the authority of His teaching and now were amazed at the authority of Him as a Person.

Devils believe and tremble at the presence of Christ, but they have no reverence for Him and no hope in Him, only a terrible fear and horror of Him. They are committed to a persistent rebellion against the Lord and His people. One of the reasons the Lord Jesus Christ came was to “destroy the works of the devil.” Opposition, persecution, and malice against the Lord Jesus and His people continue until this day.

Jesus heals many in Capernaum, v.29-34 Again, Jesus established His authority with even more evidence that same day. He went with James and John to the home of Simon, Peter, and Andrew, where they learned Peter’s mother-in-law was sick. With a measure of faith in the Lord Jesus, the first thing they did was to tell Him about her condition. When the Lord Jesus took her hand and lifted her up, she was instantly well and able to serve them. The news of that act late in the afternoon of the Sabbath spread throughout the community. Jesus healed on the Sabbath day, and that was entirely appropriate. Besides that, the fact is that He is Lord of the Sabbath.

Other people came for healing after sundown, the end of the Sabbath, carrying their sick and bringing those who were suffering from all kinds of sicknesses to Jesus to be healed. Perhaps they waited until the Sabbath was passed so they wouldn’t break any laws or traditions regarding labor on that day. Even so, the Lord healed them despite the fact they only wanted the results of His healing power, not the commitment of faith in Him for salvation.

I wonder if those people knew who had come into their midst. They could see the evidence of the power uniquely His, but even though miracles were done that day, He, who knew the people, turned and went away. Woes were pronounced on Capernaum even though the blessing had come. They took all He gave but never called on His name in repentance. Other places were blessed as the Gospel message brought the light of life, but that city where Jesus brought blessing never got repentance right.

I lived in a city where blessings once came to that place, and the work of God went on for over 100 years. Now, there is hardness, and all interest in the Gospel is gone. There are other places where we hear of God blessing His Word and of other places where there was darkness; now, the Gospel is heard and received. The "I will" of the Savior is not to some favored group but is received with gladness when, at His feet, people bow in repentance and faith. There is a great relief when we know God's Word in power is being proclaimed, and no doubt, every hour, some are responding to the "I will" of the Lord. By prayer and preaching, blessings are being given all over the world.

Jesus goes to pray in private, v.35-37 Early morning is a special time to connect with our gracious heavenly Father. Our minds tend to be clearer because there have not been activities that move in to crowd out spiritual thoughts that can be placed there. A “solitary place” to pray reminds us that public service needs private prayer first. Those things go together in that order. When we begin each day with the consciousness of being in the presence of God, we are making one of the most important steps in our service to the Lord. We need God in every aspect of service to which He calls us. The power to do God’s work comes from God Himself. Our Lord found the fellowship and private communion with the heavenly Father important when He was here among sinful people. How much more do we need God as we serve Him in a society that has little to do with God or hardly even thinks about Him?

It is in time spent with the Lord, listening to His word and instructions given to us from what we read, that we will be prepared to know what to do and say during the course of each day. Expressing openly to our heavenly Father our gratitude and appreciation for what He has done for us will give us the motivation to have Him work through us. That makes it possible for Him to trust us with service for Him that is beyond our natural ability. The Lord’s people sometimes go beyond their natural limitations when, in faith, they go forward despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Our natural limitations are such that we cannot effectively do the work of the Lord of our own volition. We need much more than “willpower.” Speaking and listening to God before facing people and speaking to them prepares us for the busy enterprise of divine service.

Jesus travels through Galilee, v. 38-45 The Lord was not interested in the popularity that arose because of the healing miracles he did. He had more important work. Sinners needed salvation, and to preach that message and provide a way of salvation was why He came. The Gospel had to be preached. The eternal destiny of people was what was important to Him. Physical healing was for this life only because it is “appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.” As He went to other towns in the area of Galilee, people heard Him preach, and He gave visual evidence of who He was by healing and casting out demons.

In one of those villages, a leprous man came in humility and reverence, kneeling down in respect. He knew who Jesus was, or at least what He could do if He were willing. He had a desire for healing but no assurance that the Lord Jesus would do it if He chose not to. He knew Jesus could heal him, but he submitted himself to the will of the Lord. His faith was sincere and there was humility in his attitude. There was reverence for who the Lord Jesus Christ was, and there was an expectation on his part that the Lord Jesus would be merciful to him. The compassion of Jesus for that outcast man was so great that He touched the leper, superseding ceremonial laws that forbade contact with leprosy. Considering the law, the Lord sent the leper to the priest and told him to follow the procedures and instructions given to Moses centuries before.

Jehovah’s Perfect Servant did not seek His own glory but showed God's compassion toward those in great need. Grace was demonstrated in everything the Servant did. “For our sakes, He became poor” and served in the path of lowly service with authority and power. He was accessible to those who were in need and overlooked. He did not demand nor want popularity or self-exaltation. He was the Perfect Servant who did “always those things that please the Father.” He was always in fellowship with the Father and made it unmistakably clear that the kingdom of heaven was here. The practices and principles of service the Lord Jesus Christ did should be our guidelines and motivate believers today to be about the work of the Lord with full hearts and faith.

I wonder if people knew who had come into their midst. They could see the evidence of the power that was uniquely His, but even though miracles were done on that day, He who knew the people went away. Woes were pronounced on Capernaum even though the blessing had come. They took all He gave but never called on His name in repentance. Other places were blessed as the Gospel message brought spiritual light. That city where Jesus brought blessings never got repentance right.

MARK 2 The previous chapter gives us a portrait of the Perfect Servant of God and His authority in teaching the word of God and its true meaning. His authority over the power of darkness, Satan, and the demons that rebelled against God are subject to His authority. Because this still remains man’s day, the powers of darkness have access to all areas of human life. They rebel against God in government, society, religions, and individuals in this present time. God in grace is still waiting for “whosoever will” to come to Him by faith and be saved from the wrath to come.

This second chapter brings our attention to the perfection of the service of the Perfect Servant. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ brings lasting benefits because of His perfect service. He doesn’t leave anything unfinished that needs to be accomplished. Perfect service, however, raises opposition from those who practice selfish service and profit from their deception. The ministry of the Lord was righteous before God and men, and it was full of grace toward needy people.

In righteousness, our Lord dealt with sin, not just sickness. In grace, He blessed sinners. That raised the ire and opposition of those concerned with the outward show of their religion and what they considered was their knowledge of how things should be. In the boldness of their opposition, they sought to undermine the perfect service of the Perfect Servant. The righteousness, which introduces the question of sin and how it is forgiven, is addressed in this chapter. Grace that forgives sins and brings sinners to Jesus for blessing is testified to us in the events that Peter, through Mark, has told us. Opposition to the righteousness of life by divine standards and grace that is needed rather than independence is shown to be real and deeply set in the minds of self-centered people.

The physical and spiritual needs around us today need to be faced. It is not enough to know what is wrong. As citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we have an obligation to do what we can to keep people from going down to hell. Miracles, prosperity, and religion are not what is needed. That was made plain by our Lord when He was here. What is needed is a clear understanding of the Gospel as given to us in the word of God. The entrance of God’s truth through His word gives light to souls in darkness. Our responsibility is to make this clear to those to whom we preach and teach. What people do with what we pass on to them is their responsibility. God will save those who come to Him in repentance and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus “preached the word unto them in the house.” That is what we are to do also. He preached in the synagogues, by the seashore, to large numbers and individuals. This is what we are to do in our homes, our assembly halls, and our communities.

Jesus forgives and heals, v.1-12 The authority of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God is further emphasized in the healing incident in the (his?) house at Capernaum. There was no question in the people's minds that Jesus had authority in His teaching and over sickness, as well as authority over demons and the powers of darkness. In the unfolding of the Lord Jesus as the Perfect Servant of Jehovah, that authority is demonstrated as divine authority. Only God can forgive sins, and that point is made in recounting this particular healing event.

“Preaching the word” to the people was the priority of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to bring the good news of the Gospel to lost souls. People came to Him to be cured, and likely, many came out of curiosity to see what Jesus would do next. He took full advantage of the situation to reach out to everyone with the message they needed most: the Gospel. Physical needs are important, but of greatest importance is the spiritual need of every person, not just the sick and afflicted.

Capernaum was certainly a favored place, but being in a place of favor does not necessarily produce faith. Rather, favor given demands responsibility accepted. People can be brought to the very door of heaven, but that does not mean they will enter heaven. If repentance for sin does not happen or is not real, and if a person does not place their personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from their sins, they will go down to hell right from the door of heaven. Hearing the Gospel, knowing it is true, and knowing that one needs to be saved and how to be saved does not mean a person will be saved. Salvation is provided for everyone. It is unto all, but it is only upon all that believe.

Large crowds attracted to the Gospel and/or religion do not mean that people are awakened in their consciences as to their sins and needs. It does not mean they are even interested in salvation. It may simply be that they want to know what is happening that has so many people interested in coming together at that place. To come to a place where God is working and then turn away without repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ leaves a person in a terrible place where all Christ-rejectors are presently in danger of being lost for all eternity. “Out of Christ without a Savior, O can it, can it be? Like a ship without a rudder on a wild and stormy sea!”

The four men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus on a bed were genuine friends. The character of true friendship is to want the best for a friend, especially when they are in need and can’t do anything about their problem themselves. In times of trouble and distress, move a true friend to help, not walk away or abandon the one in need. Genuine friendship means wanting what is good and needed by a friend. The best thing one can do for a friend is to bring them to Jesus, and when they come to know Him, to encourage that friend in their walk with the Lord.

True friendship does not stop when difficulties arise. In faith, one perseveres until faith becomes victorious over whatever obstacles are in the way of bringing the best possible results. Neither people nor the barrier of the crowd kept those four men of faith from getting the fifth man to the Savior. There will always be obstacles in life that challenge our faith in the Lord. That is why we have the word of God. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” What a blessing it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ who join us to deal with those things that have the potential of turning us aside and dampening our faith! As we read of this time of healing, how encouraging it is to know that the faith of the friends and the palsied man was recognized and rewarded by the Lord.

The need of the paralyzed man brought them all to seek the Lord, but there was already faith in the Lord Jesus that He recognized in the five of them. The consciousness of the sin problem didn’t likely enter their thoughts until Jesus spoke that startling, open sentence; “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee!” That “teaching moment” brought to the forefront of the whole gathering of people what Jesus had been preaching about. Sickness is a result of sin. Because of sin, death had passed upon all men because all have sinned. That is the fundamental and basic problem behind every sorrow, every pain, and every tear. “The worst of all diseases is light compared with sin. On every hand, it seizes but rages most within. ‘Tis palsy, dropsy, fever, and madness all combined. And none but a believer, the least relief can find.”

Jesus began by describing the root of the problem that the paralytic man had. The sick man’s deepest need was to have the sin problem settled. It was the most urgent and bitter need; the Lord first addressed His attention. Those wonderful words of forgiveness would have brought peace to his soul, even if he continued to be paralyzed. Fear and a burdened heart often increase in times of sickness and loss if one has not put one's personal faith in Christ. The “mustard seed” of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ moved the Lord to respond with the gracious words of forgiveness.

There have been times in the past, and doubtless will be further, when there are those who don't like what we do or agree with our methods as we seek to reach those still in sin and darkness. They may not even have heard that Jesus is passing by, so it is up to me and others who teach and preach to find them and tell them the Gospel. Perhaps they may reach out in faith to the Savior for the forgiveness of sins. When God saves them, a whole new life begins.

Immediately, those sitting there in smug complacency understood what had just been said and what it meant. Jesus had publicly declared His deity. The reaction to those words spoke directly to the consciences of those who were outwardly religious but inwardly sinful. When the consciousness of sin is awakened, men begin to oppose it. What those scribes said was right; only God can forgive sin. But their application of that truth was wrong. They refused to see or acknowledge that the person in front of them, who had just spoken divine words of forgiveness to a sinful man, was God manifest in the flesh. Their perception of God was limited to their own minds, not to reality. The Perfect Servant of God is also the Searcher of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Forgiver of sins is the Revealer of all that is within us. Those sitting by refused to recognize the truth of what they had just seen and heard. They would not accept the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Then, the Lord Jesus further proved that His authority and power are those of God alone. Both forgiving sins, healing diseases, and casting out demons are beyond human ability. The question the Lord asked was merely one of which is easier because both are impossible to humans, and both are easy for God to do. For people to say, “Thy sins are forgiven,” is easy, but that does not make it a fact. People have been deceived for centuries by those claiming the right to say, “Thy sins be forgiven.” To make that statement obviously true to those watching, Jesus said, “I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house!” The same Person with the authority to declare forgiveness of sins declared instant healing right in front of the eyes of all who were watching.

The Lord Jesus knows what faith is and where it is placed, whether in a person's own works or Him and His saving grace. He can declare plainly when the seeking sinner is forgiven. The healing of the soul is obvious when one starts for heaven. Others look on in smugness and self-complacency with jaundiced eyes and comment critically. Those words and those kinds of people are deliberately blind and will never be saved until they change their minds in true repentance.

The proof of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ was before them all. They watched a previously helpless man get off his bed, pick up his bed, carry it out through the door, and go to his home. They couldn’t say it wasn’t true because they all saw it and marveled at what they saw with their own eyes. Despite all of that, all the people of Capernaum saw was an event and unusual “happening” in their town. Unbelief is a blinding, soul-damning sin.

Jesus calls Levi, v.13-17 Why would the Lord Jesus Christ call a tax collector to follow Him as a disciple? To most Jewish people living in Israel at that time, a publican (tax collector) was no more than a thief and a sell-out to Rome. The Lord was able to see beyond the outward occupation of Levi and his outward appearance and could see his heart. Man looks at the outward appearance; God looks at the heart. He knew there was a spiritual vacuum in Levi and that Levi desired what life was supposed to be.

When the Lord Jesus said to Levi, “Follow Me,” there was no hesitation. He just got up from his tax collector’s booth and followed Jesus. He would have known who Jesus was, just like everyone else in Capernaum. But he was different, in that he saw beyond the next day and followed the Lord like the hymn-writer wrote, “Where He leads me, I will follow.” He invited other tax collectors and associates to come to a feast at his house to share his joy with them, the Lord Jesus and His disciples. He wanted to spread the good news. Truly, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.”

One obvious result of a person who professes to be saved is their willingness to obey their Lord. Another proof of reality is the joy and relief that comes when one knows God accepts them, has put their personal faith in Christ, and takes God at His word. They begin to practice what they know is true. Another evidence of new life is that they want others they know and care about to have the same blessing they received. The Gospel is real to those who have been redeemed. It is a great joy to believers when they hear of another person responding in faith to the grace of God.

There is no problem telling when a real work of God is done in one's soul. They have the assurance of the Word, and though they look the same on the outside, the change within gives them the confidence they have forgiven their sin. When one walks toward home after meeting the Savior, often those they meet on the way will see a behavior change. They will know by expressions and words we speak that something real has happened to those who meet the Savior. It may be that they will understand that they, too, need forgiveness of sins, and the Savior is waiting for them to be brought to Him. When I realize that person has a real felt need, may I always be ready to heed the call of the Savior!

Levi was essentially an outcast, but by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was accepted by the Lord and those other disciples. Those are the people who count in life. People who want God to use them and are willing to pay the price of following the Lord despite what most people do. Levi had certain skills that God could use, and God didn’t take those skills away. He could write, and as a tax collector, he would have been meticulous in what he wrote and recorded for the government. God used that ability in Levi (Matthew) and consecrated it in His new disciples, who eventually wrote the carefully crafted Gospel of Matthew. That Gospel account was used in a special way to encourage and strengthen the faith of Jewish believers in the early church and does the same for us now. Instead of using his pen to juggle figures and extort money, now Levi could use it to glorify God and benefit God’s people.

The fact that Jesus would eat and drink with people whom the religious leaders despised was scandalous to them. They believed they were better and more important than “publicans and sinners.” They would avoid such people and have nothing to do with them, let alone eat a meal with them. The Lord Jesus quickly answered the questions that religious people had asked His disciples. He made it plain that He knew what was in their minds and even what they said privately to the disciples. In a public way, before all of those at the feast, Jesus told them it was His purpose to save those who knew they were sinners, not to try to save those who didn’t think they needed to be saved. Grace to sinners doesn’t mean the Lord is indifferent to sins, no matter who that person is. Those who admit their need for God’s salvation are those who will find forgiveness of sins.

Jesus’ reply to tradition, v.18-22 To undermine the confidence the disciples and the people who came to the Lord had in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the Son of God, the Pharisees got some of John the Baptist’s disciples with them to question Jesus. Fasting had begun as an expression of sorrow for sin or some loss and was also a form of penitence by some people. When a loved one died, people would fast. When the guilt of sins committed became a burden on one’s soul, a person would fast. The Pharisees had made it into a rule and a religious tradition to practice. Some did that twice a week. Their motive was to appear holy before others who did not fast. They may have even deceived themselves into thinking that was true.

Fasting is to cease doing anything that would distract from an urgent matter that needs to be faced. Prayer and fasting take a person beyond the normal pursuits of a day to spend time before God without the distraction of eating, working, or engaging in any activity that would interfere with finding out the will of God and how to do what God’s will is. Faith is strengthened sometimes by fasting and prayer if a person has become side-tracked by the events in life and the uncertainty as to what to do next.

Instead of fasting, Jesus and His disciples lived and served in fellowship with each other and with God’s will as their goal. They didn’t need to fast because the Lord Jesus was with them, leading, teaching, and guiding them. Outward fasting would have been a sham or religious humbug when God Himself was with His people. Fasting is a personal act of privacy between an individual and God. Spiritual fasting is the same today. The purpose behind fasting has to do with our response to the call of God and the will of God for our lives and service. To fast in times of joy and fellowship has no merit at all. Fasting outwardly and the inward condition of our soul go together.

It isn't always easy to rejoice over the success of others. It can be a victory when I rejoice at the blessing God gives when other laborers have success. Our tendency to be critical is dealt with when we possess our souls. The Lord didn't stop His work because of critics who were against Him. He had a higher responsibility than trying to keep fellowship with them. All around were needy people who were in danger of being lost. His role, and ours too, is to reach those people regardless of the cost.

The Lord Jesus answered the question of John’s disciples by giving the first two parables in the Gospel of Mark as a means of teaching. To fast on a wedding day, or during the wedding week in Bible times, would have no meaning whatsoever and would be inappropriate. There is a time to fast and feast and enjoy fellowship with others. The disciples rejoiced because Jesus, the Bridegroom in the parable, was with them right there. After he is gone, it will be the time to fast and seek the faith, strength, and fellowship to conduct meaningful service for the Lord. The second parable of the wineskins illustrates the rigid, stiff old wineskins of religious tradition. That was like the Pharisees who would not accept the blessing of new life in Christ. New and abundant life and old religious forms do not go together.

Vital living faith is not limited, nor can it be confined to the stiff rules of men like the Pharisees. Faith is consistent with the spiritual changes when a person is born again by the Spirit of God. It is important for believers to find joy in our new life in Christ and live with His joy as our strength. Even though He is not physically here in a body, Christ is with us now. He is our life! He said He would be with us to the end of the age. We can live in and experience by faith now, the presence of our Lord and Savior at all times. We need our spiritual container to be pliable and open to taking in our Lord's daily blessings. We can be thankful; He doesn’t leave us empty nor “high and dry” when we are in daily communion with Him.

We may lose popularity, and important people may criticize us because we don't value what they prize. We can't stop the work we're called to because of what people say. Opportunities have come to us, and we dare not linger or delay. It goes with evangelizing that there are those who will oppose. We can't change their minds; that is God's work. He knows those He chose. Our responsibility is to preach the Word of God and be faithful. We can certainly be grateful if we make any efforts that God can use.

Jesus and the Sabbath, v. 23-28 In the Gospels, there are six times the Pharisees and religious leaders took offense to the way Jesus regarded the Sabbath. They had adopted a religious form they followed and added their own ideas and traditions to what they considered the Sabbath and how it should be observed. They accused and condemned Jesus for allowing His disciples to take grain from the field and rub it between their hands to get something to eat when they were hungry. The religionists considered that to be working in the sense of bringing in a harvest. They ignored what the law said and the purpose of the law by making the Sabbath an outward show of piety and observing the Jews’ religion.

The Lord was the true keeper of the Sabbath, rather than a Sabbath breaker of which the Pharisees accused Him and His disciples. There was no intent on His part to interfere with the Sabbath being a day of rest. People are prone to change what God’s intention is for the benefit of mankind; to be either of no value at all or go to the other extreme and consider it to be tight restrictions to their desire for pleasure. It was not wrong to eat on the Sabbath. Extenuating circumstances allow for needs to be met, as was the case of David and those with him. Their hunger was met by giving them bread that had been on the table of showbread, but after the week passed, it became food for the priests only. God set aside the Sabbath to bless people with rest and restore their physical and spiritual health. It was not a day set aside for increasing suffering and deprivation when there was a need and hunger.

Sabbath days were intended for, and designed by God, as a day of rest for laboring people and their animals. For the Jews, it became a sign of the covenant God made with them to remind them they were His people. It was to be a day of communion with God personally and a time to give praise and thanksgiving when God’s people focused their hearts on the Lord, not their work. Six days were for labor to provide for their needs, and one day was for rest and the enjoyment of their labor. In that way, their bodies, minds, souls, and spirits were revived. The Sabbath rest was not done by men for God but by God for men. God cares for His people and knows what human beings need better than they do themselves.

The Lord Jesus made it clear to those questioning Him when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Then, He further explained who He is as the Lord of the Sabbath. He is the One who forgives sins and can do that because He is perfect in His righteousness. In grace, he forgives and calls sinners to Himself for salvation. When people come to Him by faith, He saves and blesses them in many ways; these events must have cheered the hearts of those early Gentile believers! It would have given them spiritual strength in the dark days in which they lived, and many were called to give their lives for their testimony to the Lord’s saving power. The same scriptures in the Gospel of Mark do the same for us in the increasingly dark days we live as we consider and read about the Perfect Servant of God!

MARK 3 Sabbath keeping was never intended to burden the people of Israel but rather a blessing for them. By adding detailed rules and minute duties to law-keeping, the Pharisees had missed the whole purpose of a rest day. The Sabbath day was to meet man’s needs, not to curry favor with God. There are some today who keep “the Sabbath” as an obligation. It is a privilege, and it delights God’s people today to have a day set aside for fellowship and the worship of God collectively. When God’s people come together with praise, thanksgiving, and testimony, spiritual refreshment and holy joy result from having set aside a day of rest for holy things.

In a secular society, a day set aside for God has become an inconvenient interruption in life. More and more, it has become a day of pleasure, business, and self-centered activities. God is no longer considered to be of importance in the lives of many people. Instead of getting physical, mental, and spiritual refreshment, which was the intent of a day of rest, the fast pace of life is directed toward seeking pleasure and some vicarious satisfaction in watching games or participating in sports.

The Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated in the synagogue on a Sabbath day what it meant to “do good.” The healing of a man’s withered hand confirmed that to make a man whole, who was unable to work because of his disability, was more important than adhering to man-made rules and impositions. Those people who were looking for a way to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing were putting Him down to being no more than a medical practitioner working outside of office hours. They considered a person who violated their rules to be violating God’s laws, thus exalting themselves to be their own god or a god of their own imagination. This is also common today among many who do not believe in a personal and real God.

Some people now consider God to be whatever they think is God. In that frame of mind, people exalt themselves to be equal with God or a god themselves. When people become skeptical of the truth, that soon becomes a rejection of the truth. Then comes verbal opposition, which in turn leads to persecution. Because truth exposes the lies and deception of man’s opinion, with the light of holiness, integrity, righteousness, grace, and love that comes from God, opposition comes. The darkness and rejection by the leaders of a nation, a religion, or even a family soon leads to those who follow the popular leadership getting involved in the opposition, even if they don’t know what they are opposing. Popular opinion has a fearful power over the minds of people willing to follow blind leaders blindly.

Jesus heals on the Sabbath, v.1-6 The synagogue in Capernaum must have become a very popular place when Jesus was there. He entered there as God’s Perfect Servant, doing God’s will to bless others. He affirmed it to be a place where the law of God was read, even though the truth of the law wasn’t being practiced as it should have been. The Lord Jesus had grace in His heart to use the power and authority uniquely His to meet man’s deep needs. Religious people were there with no sense of their real needs. They had no discernment as to what was right according to the law. They also rejected the obvious evidence of the deity of Christ. They were indifferent to the needs of people who were right there in the same synagogue.

Instead of meeting the man with a shriveled hand's needs, those powerless leaders watched Jesus, whom they knew had the power to meet his needs. Their hope wasn’t that Jesus would help the poor man or that He could help him, but was to see if they could find a way to charge Jesus with working on the Sabbath day. For years, he had one hand with which to eat, one hand to feel the pain of double work, one hand with which to embrace and touch, one hand limiting his usefulness. Then Jesus spoke – and there was instant healing and therapy – on the Sabbath! Even His enemies didn’t expect Him to do evil. They and everyone else had learned they could count on Him doing good! How dark and deceitful are sinful men's hearts, even when involved in religious practices!

People today who are not Christians have a much higher expectation of those who are believers in Christ than they do of themselves. If those who follow Christ don’t rise to the expectations wicked people have of them, they use their own opinions as a way to excuse their own sins and a way to demean the truth of Christianity. One wonders why unbelievers expect Christians to live and conduct themselves in a way better than they do. Probably, they know enough of what our Lord Jesus Christ taught and practiced that they think Christians should be exactly like Him. That is because even today, people only consider Him to have been a good man. It is true that He had good teaching, but that is all. Many will not accept the fact that He is God.

Those who watched Jesus, the Son of God, heard Him call the man with the withered hand to step forward in front of them all. They could easily see his need for compassion and healing but were unwilling to meet it. The critics were looking for a crime to be committed by the Lord Jesus. By calling that man to “Stand forth,” Jesus appealed to their consciences. He was facing them with a simple, common-sense fact. It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day as He intended to do, in contrast to their plot to do evil and try to find a way to kill Him. He knew that was what they were seeking to do, and He wanted them to know that He knew that. Infidelity against the truth is obstinate, hard-hearted, cruel, and implacable. It is inflexible and antagonistic against the truth and cares not for righteousness. Infidelity cannot stop the truth but will not yield to it.

That was the reason Jesus was angry. His anger was not wrong because it was against sin that brought ruin to those who oppressed and opposed the One who brought blessing to the needy. They opposed divine grace greater than the sin they committed in the bitterness of their lost souls! How sad and fatal is the person and future of any person who rejects God’s grace and mercy that is offered to them by God who loves them!

Large Crowds Follow Jesus, v.7-12 Pharisees were the religious experts who should have led the people in righteousness and faith. The Herodians were a political group that favored Rome, and the various “Herods” ruled the people under Roman authority. Pharisees didn’t want people to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ because they would have lost their controlling power over the spiritual life of the people. That power was not only for personal glory and ambition on their part, but it was also quite lucrative financially. They made money off of religion. The Herodians wanted political power without religion. They became prosperous through their control over the everyday life of the people.

Those same reasons are why religion and politics come together in many places today. There is financial gain and prestige when religious leaders and political leadership unite, even though they are far apart philosophically. People who were unknown and had just enough finances, became wealthy and famous when they got into government and high religious positions. Biblical Christianity is contrary to both. Humility, grace, kindness, and compassion accompany true faith in Christ. True Christians follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are committed to walking in the light of our Savior and His word rather than doing or being what is expedient and advantageous to them personally.

Not all people are fooled by deceptive leaders. Some people came all the way from Jerusalem in the south to Galilee to see and hear Jesus. Others came from non-Jewish nations in the north, where Tyre and Sidon are located, and even Gentiles from the east of Jordan came to where Jesus was.

The whole country was stirred, including both Jews and Gentiles. Some wanted to see the great things that were happening to other people. Some wanted help and healing for themselves. Diseases were instantly and effectively cured, and demon-possessed people fell before Jesus. They audibly called out that Jesus was the Son of God, even though they didn’t believe in Him. They came from many places – wanting people, needy, and their infirmities, making them one. A great multitude – then as now – unclean. Unclean spirits with the right words. Then Jesus healed – putting to silence the power of darkness.

Knowing Jesus is the Son of God does not make a person a child of God. To be taught that Jesus is God, and He alone is the Savior of sinners, is common practice in Christian families. To assent to those facts is good, but that is not salvation from sin. A person is not saved merely by knowing facts. Life eternal is personally knowing God and Jesus. It is to those who know Him, speak to Him, listen to Him, and live consciously aware of Him who have His kind of life – eternal life. To put faith in Him as our personal Savior and daily trust and obey Him as our Lord means to be in the family of God. We know Him as a Person, not just facts about Him. When we know someone, we communicate with them, listen to them speak to us, and act on what that person says. To know Jesus and the Lord and confess Him as Lord means we will and want to obey Him. We will follow where He leads us and be happy to be allowed to participate in what He is doing. Those are the results of salvation but not the means of salvation.

Jesus chose twelve disciples, v.13-19 The day of grace had begun, and people's dependence on law-keeping was beginning to fade. There was an obvious difference between the demonstrations of grace that started when Jesus came and people's efforts to be religious before men and God. The “last days” began with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. As His ministry continued, it was easy to see the difference between the law, which was the “schoolmaster,” and which gave the “knowledge of sin,” and the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” After having faith in Christ, we are responsible to Him, not the law. Among all those who had followed the Lord Jesus by the sea of Galilee, there were those Jesus called to go up a mountain with Him. Mountains in scripture are often places of the revelation of divine things.

The Lord had plans for some special men. They responded first when He called them to leave what they were doing and follow Him. Their choice made them different from then on. He called them aside from all the other folks so that His Word would be known to them and through them. But before they could go out, they had to be shown the ways of God, and those ways had to be made their own.

They came from different walks and works in life. Many people would have had a lot of strife, but when the Lord called them living lights, He had in His mind to send them out with His might, authority, and message. Being with the Lord, they would learn how He did things. They would learn how to help others who would bring their problems to them, and they would learn how He prayed and how to make truth ring in their souls. They would lead others to understand their need for faith in Him.

After the Lord died, he rose from among the dead, was with them for a month, and went back to heaven, where the things they had learned from Him were passed on to other men. Through the years, other men have been leading people to Him, and the leadership process is repeated repeatedly.

Twelve men who had been witnesses to His teaching, manner of life, patience, and grace were separated from other followers of the Lord. The Lord Jesus chose twelve men “to be with Him.” He made the sovereign choice and appointed them for a specific purpose. They were to be separated unto Him. Submitting to His authority would be their major responsibility. He wanted them with Him to learn, and then, in His own time, He would send them forth to preach. Preaching was not a Jewish practice until John the Baptist came. Preaching was different from studying, discussing, and exchanging ideas, which were done in the synagogues. This was a new approach to divine service in the new dispensation of grace.

The Lord is the One who directed the work of the disciples, which they were going to do for Him. He gave them the power to do what he asked. He was specific in those. He chose to do this very responsible work. The variety of personal characteristics in the twelve men covered most of the character traits found in humanity. Those men were not like each other. They were all different in personality, ability, and accomplishments, and the Lord knew each of them. To expect believers in Christ to agree and be similar in everything is unrealistic and would not be good for the work of the kingdom of heaven. God wants all men to be saved, and He uses different people in different places and in different ways to present the message of the Gospel suitably to each listener’s need.

Peter was an impulsive and bold man. Andrew, his brother, was a quieter man eager to bring others to Jesus. James was ambitious and deeply committed to the Lord, although he may have had a short temper. On one occasion, he wanted to call down fire from heaven to deal with opposition. John, James' younger brother, was ambitious and judgmental and had a compassionate, loving attitude toward him. Philip seemed to feel the need to question things, but the Lord Jesus used those same questions as teaching moments. Nathanael was an openly honest man and was straightforward even when challenged. Matthew knew what it was like to be an “outsider” who had been despised and socially outcast by the fervent nationalistic Jews. In his past, he knew what it was to have failed to be what God intended, but God had changed him and was using him. Thomas was a courageous man, even though he was a skeptic by nature and was not easily changed. When his doubts were removed, his faith was bright and steadfast.

Not a lot is known about James the Less and Thaddaeus. Even so, the fact that the Lord chose them for the work He had before them means that God chooses whom He knows and wants, despite what people around them might think. God can use a seemingly obscure and perhaps overlooked person to do the work for which He fits them. There was nothing in them to set them apart from other people except for their faithfulness to the Lord. Simon, the Zealot, would have been a patriotic Jew who would have opposed the government of Rome politically. But when he came to Jesus, he was willing to submit to the higher and more important authority of Jesus and His kingdom. Treacherous Judas, who loved money, must have seemed out of place among those men. Or else, he may have been a man skilled at deception and bluffing people into thinking one thing about him, while he was just the opposite.

From different walks – twelve men came at His call to be with Him, learn, and be sent; it’s the same today. Servants are appointed, not freelancers, on their own with personal agendas—men to represent the Master, and then as now, to herald His coming. Then Jesus ordained – not the ordinances of men for a position, but of God for service. God can use ordinary people who live ordinary lives to do what he wants in His kingdom. “High flyers” are often overlooked in kingdom work because they either have an exalted opinion of themselves or others have an exalted opinion of them. God has chosen the weak and despised to do what needs to be done so that “no flesh shall glory” in His sight, nor will those who know and listen to them.

The Lord avoided choosing a Pharisee until He chose Paul after His resurrection and ascension. None of those first chosen men had developed religious skills or expertise at the schools of men. Paul was like “one born out of due time,” and then he was called to go to the Gentiles and kings, as well as to the people of Israel. All of those chosen to be the “foundation” on which we are built were not able to do divine service without the divine power to fulfill it. That is true of all of God’s people today. The only work we can do today that will last is what we have been able to accomplish by the power of God.

There may be times when we don't know what to do next. The pressures and expectations of others vex our souls, but when we stop to think it was for this work we are called, we are spoiled and cannot settle for a casual stroll through life on the way to heaven. We willingly take hold of our work for the Lord once again and follow on with His work like we did when we first began this journey with our Lord. We have to learn from Him first and then, in turn, go out to preach so that those who haven't heard the Gospel can be reached by God’s grace.

It is not in us to understand why He first chose us to serve Him in the Gospel, but in a sense, bands were unloosed that we might go forth to places into which He would send us with a message to give. The ultimate objective would be that people be turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then, in turn, those same people would pass on to others the power of His Word so that from them, others would go to keep the charge diligently. Then, others who hear the Gospel will earnestly seek the Savior through them.

A few "whom He would" started a work that still continues, although it seems small compared to all that is happening in the world. Still, in a small work, there are the sinews of earnest endeavor by those who pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more into the great field. They are called to go to distant shores so that those still in darkness can see God's great light. Through them, others will come to Christ, and they, in turn, see what God can do through them to bring others to Him. Victories will be won as many people turn to God from their sins.

Accusations against Jesus, v.20-30 How strange it is when one's faithful work is criticized as evil. Can't those who see the benefits understand that not all work is equal? Some are called to do great things; others are to stay by the "stuff." Each one does what must be done as to the Lord because He alone knows what is enough. The strength for each day comes from Him, who knows the end from the beginning. The efforts of all who love the Lord are needed in the service of soul-winning. Whatever my role to fill, of this, I am most sure, opposition by Satan and his host against us can't endure.

From the mountain of revelation, the Lord and His disciples entered a house that often involves earthly connections and relationships in scripture. There was a new and different connection with people after He had been rejected by those who led the people and had formed a religious and political coalition against Him. Even His friends and relatives felt the reproach of being connected to the One whom their leaders rejected. For them to say He was out of His mind when everything He did was a blessing to people indicated the pressure they were under.

The leaders from Jerusalem knew He was not out of His mind because He had power over demons controlling people's minds. They also knew His power was greater than the power of men. But they would not admit or accept that it was God's power at work in the Lord Jesus, who was the Son of God.

From deceptive critics came charges laid by men who deceive, making money for themselves in God’s name, blind leaders binding burdens on blind people – all heading for a deep ditch, charging Jesus – calling Him lord of the dung heap. Then Jesus challenged and, with the voice of God, silenced even the blasphemers. By laying the charge against the Lord Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit is done through him, which was the work of the devil, sealed their doom. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was attributing the work of God to being done by the devil.

The person who puts himself or herself outside of the redeeming grace of God today does not do that with just one act of defiant behavior against God. It is a state of opposition against God, which they willingly enter and continue in, that will lead them into hell. To call the words and works of Christ that were performed by the power of the Holy Spirit a work of Satan, is to call the work of heaven, a work of hell. There is no remedy or hope for someone who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this present day, committing that specific act is not something that is done because Christ is not here in His physical Person. However, if a person persists in insulting the Person and work of Christ and saying that it is the work of the devil, it may lead them to go beyond the point of no return themselves. To deliberately walk away from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior will ensure a person is eternally lost when they die in their sins. If people see no value in the work of the Savior and see nothing of God’s grace and goodness in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for them, then they are without hope for eternity.

Jesus and the family of God, v.31-35 In the kingdom of heaven, things are different than in national identity. No longer was Israel exclusively the object of Jesus’ coming. The leadership of Israel as a people rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men…” but they “comprehended it not.”

Spiritual relationships are more prioritized in heaven than human family relationships. From His family – staying away, outside the realm of faith and truth, they were calling for Him, needing His favor, claiming His time – not understanding. Others are sitting, listening, and learning, hearing His words of life and preparing for the future; a kingdom was in their heart – a King had claimed them. Then Jesus explained that a spiritual family commits to doing the will of God.

Kinship in the kingdom of God is based on a real, living, vital faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and obedience to His eternal word. Family feelings are not ignored, but they can be ignored and rejected by any, or even all, in a human family. Those who hear the word of God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ follow Him by faith. They have a bond with Him that is unique to the children of God. That bond is an unbreakable link that will last forever.

Christ came to pay the price of sin and can forgive the deepest, darkest sins men can commit no matter where they live. Any person who comes to Christ today in simple child-like faith will find Him willing to forgive and save them by His grace. "All sins" men have committed have a price that must be paid. By virtue of who He is, Christ was able to do this when God laid on Him the iniquities of us all and cleansed us by His blood. The cross-death of the Savior made possible peace between us and God. We never need to hesitate to tell people they can be saved. It was the cost to ransom lost sinners that Jesus paid when He gave His life for us on the cross. He can "save to the uttermost" all who come to God by Him. "All sins." He forgives those who believe He died for them.

MARK 4 An overview: