Class Notes, Mark 1:1-45 (1:14-31)

· Overview (Constable, 2008):

· Early church fathers all agree on John Mark as the writer (140 AD, 160, 195, etc)

· John Mark, by tradition, accompanied Peter, and as such was not an eyewitness, but based it on eyewitness accounts

· It is not in strict chronological sequence, but it is accurate

· Time of the writing: Prior to Fall of Jerusalem and near the time of Peter and Paul's death (between 63-70 AD). Again, using church fathers as sources

· Location: early tradition has Italy, and Rome

· Characteristics:

· Limited vocabulary: only 80 unique words (in contrast Luke uses 250)

· Apparently transliterated Latin words into Greek

· Frequent use of the Greek adverb euthys translated "immediately"

· More focus on Jesus' works than words. Portrays Jesus as a man of action

· Emphasizes Jesus' role as the Servant of the Lord

· Purpose:

· Many references to suffering and opposition

· Stressed the true humanity of the Son of God

· Emphasizes Jesus obedience to the Father despite suffering

· Relationship to other gospels

· Mark contains 90 percent of info in Matthew and 40 percent of info in Luke

· Great debate on which Gospel is first

· Mark omits references to Jesus birth and youth, which are irrelevant to the life of a servant

Mark 1:9-15 (NIV)

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, 13 and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

· The phrase "at that time" is referring to John the Baptist's ministry in the wilderness. At this point, Mark has identified Jesus as the Son of God (v1) and as the one that Isaiah (and also Malachi) were prophesying. Finally, we see John dressed very clearly in garments like Elijah

· Here, two very important things happen. The first is the dove and the voice. Why are these important?

· A rabbi needed to be trained by another rabbi, and have the blessing of two rabbis who had authority. A common question to Jesus concerns where he got his authority

· Jesus' authority is confirmed by the Holy Spirit and by God the Father

· Technically, it is confirmed by who he is, not needing any other confirmation, but the visual and auditory confirmation is for us

· The first thing Jesus does after the identification by John, the messenger, is go into the desert, why?

· The temptations. He has power over sin and he is sinless, and unlike Adam, Jesus does not give in to Satan

· Time alone with the Father before a major change in life (sets an example for all of us)

· Suffering and trial. We all suffer and undergo trials --Jesus identifies with our suffering

· The second important point is the message of Jesus Christ

· The time has come. OT prophecy is fulfilled. The beginning of the messianic age and the end of the present age

· The kingdom of God is near. He said it was near, and I believe it would be nearer if the Jews had accepted the message. The kingdom is growing spiritually, like a mustard seed, but the physical rule of God on earth is still in the future

· Repent. It involves an emotional response to our rebellion from God and a strong desire to turn from sin

· Believe the good news. The good news is that the Messiah is here

Mark 1:16-20 (NIV)

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

· Probably 15 months into the ministry, Apr 28AD (based on a 26AD to 30AD timeline). A year earlier we had the baptism. Do Simon, Andrew, James, and John know Jesus?

· Probably Peter, Andrew, Nathaniel, and Philip accompany Jesus to the Wedding (John 1-2). Since John is the only one to write about the first year of Jesus' ministry, he, and consequently his brother also knew Jesus

· The statement "follow me" is an invitation. But in view of who said it, I wonder if it felt more like a command. Sometimes we trivialize God's commands to us, as if they really have no weight behind them

· Also emphasizes Jesus' authority to call men to serve Him

· Do we serve God because we want to or because we must (not sure there is an answer)?

· All four are fishermen and would suggest they knew each other before Jesus. The phrase "fisher of men" was not invented by Jesus but was common description of philosophers and other teachers

· What do you think of James and John leaving their Father to follow Jesus?

· There were hired men, so this was a prosperous business

· They evidently had thought about it. They already knew that there was something different about this man

· There is a pattern in the call to discipleship:

· Underway

· Jesus sees the brothers

· Calls them

· Immediately they go after him

Mark 1:21-28 (NIV)

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!"

25 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching — and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

· Background:

· The synagogues came into existence during the Babylonian exile. The word originally described a group of people, but it later became associated with the building in which the people met. The word "church" has experienced a similar evolution. Customarily the leaders of a local synagogue would invite recognized visiting teachers to speak to the congregation. Mark referred to Jesus' teaching ministry frequently, but he did not record much of what Jesus taught. Jesus' actions were of more interest to him. This seems to reflect the active disposition of Peter who influenced Mark's writing and perhaps the active character of the Romans for whom Mark wrote. (Constable, 2008)

· "What Jesus says discloses his understanding of himself and his purposes. What Jesus does reveals primarily the extent and nature of his authority from God. Both what Jesus does and says determine his values and the dynamics of his relations with other characters. They also show Jesus' integrity in living up to his values and commitments."(Rhoads and Michie, no date)

· Once again, Mark focuses on Jesus' authority. First, his authority derives from who he is (v1). Second, his authority is revealed by the other two persons of the trinity (vs 9-10). Now his authority is revealed …

· His teaching (he taught as if he had authority)

· His power over demons

· There is no doubt in Mark's mind that Jesus is not some new character with some charisma. This person is completely different

· The statement "Jesus was a good teacher" is so off the mark and completely misses the message of the gospels

· Finally, we see that Jesus discourages people from identifying him. We find out the reason at the trial, when Jesus does declare his identity. The Jews immediately charge him with blasphemy. This is the reason he is killed (from the Jewish perspective). The Roman reason is weak, they were only appeasing the crowd

Mark 1:29-31 (NIV)

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

· Mark continues to provide arguments to Jesus authority. Here we see that he has authority over sickness. He can heal people as well as cast demons out

· What contrast do we see between these verses and the previous story?

· The casting out of the demon was in the synagogue and was public; the healing of Peter's mother-in-law was in his home and private

· One is demon-possession; the other is just a sickness (not everything can be ascribed to demon possession)

· One resulted in amazement and public validation of the message; the other resulted in the person serving

· APPLICATION: Miracles should have a positive effect for the kingdom, or we might wonder if they are truly from God