Mark 1
Summary. . In Chapter 1, we have eight points summary. 1) The announcement of the messenger of the Lord Jesus. John the Baptist is the messenger of the Lord, and he announces the arrival of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God who will baptize the people with the Holy Spirit and will take away the sins of the world. 2) The Lord Jesus is an example for all believers; all must be baptized in the water as a follower of the Lord, no exception. 3) The Lord Jesus, in the form of a human, has been tested and tempted by Satan himself; the Lord Jesus prays to win the temptation. 4) John is put away, and the Lord Jesus starts proclaiming the Gospel of God. The Bible tells us that there is only one begotten Son of God; Jesus is the begotten Son of God, and He is the Gospel of God. 5) The Lord Jesus called His first disciples; they were fishermen, and they responded to the call immediately. 6) The Lord Jesus has authority and power over the dark. Here all had seen His authority and power when He commanded the unclean spirit to leave a man; this has shown power in the Word He spoke. 7) The Lord Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law by touching her; she was sick with fever, and Jesus took her by her hand, and the fever left her. 8) The Lord Jesus did not come to follow but to fulfill the law, yet He always follows the law; Jesus heals a leper and commands him to make the offering required by the law for his cleansing.
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The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ , the Son of God .
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Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
Who shall prepareThy way;
Who shall prepare
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The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make you ready the way of theLord ,
MakeHis paths straight;
Make you ready the way of the
Make
Comments Mark 1:2-3
(See also Comments Matthew 3:1-11 and Comments Luke 3:2-16). “My messenger.” John is the messenger of the Lord. The Lord chose John to announce the coming of the Mighty One; he is the messenger of the Lord. “Before Thy face” refers to the coming of the Lord Jesus. “Who shall prepare Thy way,” is John’s message. He always announces to the One who is coming after him and that he, himself, John, is not worthy (See Verse 7). And that is why the Lord chose John; John always humbles himself and accepts who he is, below, never lifting himself up to be at the same level with the Lord.
John calls for repentance and waiting for the One that is coming. John himself is the voice that cries in the wilderness. John tries to tell people that there is only one way to be saved: to go straight to the Lord; there is only one way: to follow the One that will come. That is why he is the messenger that tells people to come to follow the righteous One.
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John came, who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance to remission of sins.
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And there went out to him all the country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem; And they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
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And John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather belt about his waist, and did eat locusts and wild honey.
Comments Mark 1:6
(See also Comments Matthew 3:1-11). Here it tells clear about John, who he is, how he lives his life. He is separated from the world, and that is why he can hear the voice of the Lord. He lives his life differently than everybody in that time.
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And he preached, saying, There comes after me He that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
Comments Mark 1:7
(See also Comments Matthew 3:11). Here it tells clear; John admits himself to be below. People come to him to be baptized, but he proclaims someone else higher than him. John is a humble one.
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I baptized you in water; But He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
Comments Mark 1:8
(See also Comments Matthew 3:11). Here the meaning is clear why John is the messenger and who will give the Holy Spirit. John admits that he himself does not have that authority, but the One who comes after him has the authority to give the Holy Spirit.
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And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
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And straightaway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens torn open, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon Him :
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And a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art My beloved Son , in Thee I am well pleased.
Comments Mark 1:9-11
(See also Comments Matthew 3:13-17, Comments Luke 3:21-22, and Comments John 1:32-34). Here is a compressed account of the baptism of Jesus by John.
“Heavens torn open.” This is like when you put a cloth on the top of something, and that cloth is torn apart, and you can see everything. The heaven is like a cover, and here it was torn open for the Lord to see His home. Jesus could always access His home, but here now, He could see His home in human form.
“Heavens torn open.” This is like when you put a cloth on the top of something, and that cloth is torn apart, and you can see everything. The heaven is like a cover, and here it was torn open for the Lord to see His home. Jesus could always access His home, but here now, He could see His home in human form.
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And straightaway the Spirit driveth Him out into the wilderness.
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And He was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; And He was with the wild beasts; And the angels ministered unto Him .
Comments Mark 1:12-13
(See also Comments Matthew 4:1-11, and Comments Luke 4:1-13). In the Gospel of Mark, the purpose is to capture each individual thing the Lord encountered (that is why it is brief) and how the Lord Himself faced challenges as well as humans did. In this passage, the Bible shows the way the Lord walked through temptations, forty days alone in the wilderness. Both Gospels of Matthew and Mark have a similar way of showing the events, just from a different point of view.
“He was with the wild beasts.” Here in Mark, this is an addition to show that Jesus was in the wilderness alone; there were no humans around Him, just wild animals. Jesus can be with wild animals; no animal will harm Him, peace goes to all.
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Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God ,
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and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent [], and believe in the gospel.
Comments Mark 1:14-15
(See also Comments Matthew 4:12-17). Son of God. The Bible tells us that there is only one begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ; He is the Gospel of God.
“The time is fulfilled.” When the Lord mentions “the time is fulfilled,” He refers to the time when John was put away. The work of John is a turning point to point out when and what will start. When things happened to John, the time for the Son of God to work began. This point in time, the Father set it out; the Son of God starts the work on earth, and the time has come to fulfill the Father’s will. John and Jesus had their own time to do the Father’s will on earth.
“And the kingdom of God is at hand” refers to when the Lord Jesus Himself is on earth and gives the Gospel to humans. He tells humans to repent, believe in the Gospel, and come to the Lord. That is why the kingdom of God is at hand because the Lord Himself is on earth. Now Jesus talks about the work of the Son, that He comes to give Himself instead of humans. God Himself has paid the price by His own blood; repent so you can enter the kingdom of God.
“The time is fulfilled.” When the Lord mentions “the time is fulfilled,” He refers to the time when John was put away. The work of John is a turning point to point out when and what will start. When things happened to John, the time for the Son of God to work began. This point in time, the Father set it out; the Son of God starts the work on earth, and the time has come to fulfill the Father’s will. John and Jesus had their own time to do the Father’s will on earth.
“And the kingdom of God is at hand” refers to when the Lord Jesus Himself is on earth and gives the Gospel to humans. He tells humans to repent, believe in the Gospel, and come to the Lord. That is why the kingdom of God is at hand because the Lord Himself is on earth. Now Jesus talks about the work of the Son, that He comes to give Himself instead of humans. God Himself has paid the price by His own blood; repent so you can enter the kingdom of God.
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And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
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And Jesus said to them, Come you after Me , and I will make you to become fishers of men.
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And straightaway they left the nets, and followed Him .
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And going on a little further, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets.
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And straightaway He called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him .
Comments Mark 1:16-20
(See also Comments Matthew 4:18-22). “Zebedee.” Sometimes the Bible will refer to the generation before the person to let us see. If the sons do good, the father will be mentioned as well.
“Straightaway.” Pay attention to the fact that Simon, Andrew, James, and John left everything just by calling. They did not see miracles but heard the Lord’s call; they left everything and followed, which is why they are mentioned here to show their faithfulness.
At those time, being a fisherman was a commoner’s job. The disciples are commoners but had a special call that refers to the heart, not to their work.
“Straightaway.” Pay attention to the fact that Simon, Andrew, James, and John left everything just by calling. They did not see miracles but heard the Lord’s call; they left everything and followed, which is why they are mentioned here to show their faithfulness.
At those time, being a fisherman was a commoner’s job. The disciples are commoners but had a special call that refers to the heart, not to their work.
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And they go into Capernaum; and straightaway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue and taught.
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And they were astonished at His teaching: For He taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.
Comments Mark 1:21-22
(See also Comments Matthew 7:28-29). In most places in the land where the people of God will go, they will consistently build a synagogue as a place of gathering to worship.
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And straightaway there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
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saying, What have we to do with Thee , Jesus Thou Nazarene? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God .
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And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him.
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And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
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And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? a new teaching! with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him .
Comments Mark 1:23-27
(See also Comments Matthew 7:28-29). “And Jesus rebuked him." This shows clearly that Jesus ordered by mouth; as the Word comes out of the mouth of the Lord, all things obey Him. Here it shows clearly the authority, and the people have seen that authority.
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And the report of Him went out straightaway everywhere into all the region of Galilee round about.
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And straightaway, when they were come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
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Now Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightaway they tell Him of her:
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and He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Comments Mark 1:29-31
(See also Comments Matthew 8:14-15). Notice that not all the events presented in the gospels are given in the chronological order of the traveling way of the Lord. Also, notice right away, there is no copy from Matthew in the Gospel of Mark; here, it shows “they tell Him of her” sickness, which is not given in Matthew. The account is the same, as the Holy Spirit gives it, but the details in Mark and Matthew are different. The whole Bible has no copy portions, all it is given by the Holy Spirit as the Living Word to each writer. The writers did not copy from each other; they wrote down what the Holy Spirit dictated to them, which is why it is called the Living Word.
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And at evening, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were sick, and them that were possessed with demons.
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And all the city was gathered together at the door.
Comments Mark 1:32-33
(See also Comments Matthew 8:16-17). Jesus and the disciples went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day (See Verse 29). In many places, it confirms that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, and the Lord will always participate and teach in the Sabbath when people gather together to glorify the Lord. After preaching in the synagogue, the Lord stayed to answer people’s questions; then, they went to Simon’s house.
“And at the evening." When people do the Sabbath day, when the sun goes down, the people can do something else. They can go and continue their daily activities; the Sabbath day ends at this time. After the Sabbath is over, people come to Jesus to seek help.
“At the door.” This shows that people came to the house of Simon, where Jesus lodged.
“And at the evening." When people do the Sabbath day, when the sun goes down, the people can do something else. They can go and continue their daily activities; the Sabbath day ends at this time. After the Sabbath is over, people come to Jesus to seek help.
“At the door.” This shows that people came to the house of Simon, where Jesus lodged.
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And He healed many that were sick with diverse diseases, and cast out many demons; and He suffered not the demons to speak, because they knew Him .
Comments Mark 1:34
This verse clearly shows Jesus’ authority and power above the dark side; they know Him, but they can’t talk unless He permits them. So, the dark stays under Jesus’ authority; they know who has authority above them.
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And in the morning, a great while before day, He rose up and went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed.
Comments Mark 1:35
In this verse, pay attention; a great while before daylight (still dark), the Lord went out to pray. If the only Son of God needs to pray, then prayer is vital for all believers to practice and do. If the Son of God must pray, how come humans do not pray? This verse confirms that praying is important.
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And Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him ;
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and they found Him , and said unto Him , All are seeking Thee .
Comments Mark 1:36-37
This verse shows that Jesus is alone praying. If the only Son of God always finds time and goes to pray, how much more should we? Here we have a clear example.
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And He says to them, Let us go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for to this end came I out.
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And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
Comments Mark 1:38-39
This verse tells that the Lord always does the work first. The work that the Lord came to fulfill He will do it, regardless of the time. He always goes in synagogues throughout all Galilee. If the Lord always goes in synagogues preaching and healing, always the Lord works. Think, how many times does the Bible mention when the Lord rested?
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And there comes to Him a leper, beseeching Him , and kneeling down to Him , and saying unto Him , If Thou wilt, Thou can make me clean.
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And being moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and says to him, I will; be you made clean.
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And straightaway the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean.
Comments Mark 1:40-42
(See also Comments Matthew 8:1-4, and Comments Luke 5:12-14). This leper here in Mark 1:40-45 is the same leper as the one in Matthew 8:1-4 and Luke 5:12-14. This leper has shown humans that he first seeks the will of the Lord towards him. Even though by his own will he wants to be clean, but he seeks first the will of the Lord, what the Lord wants for him; the humble heart he has, has been shown out (“If Thou wilt, Thou can make me clean”). We all should do the same way, come with our need, pour our need to the Lord, but seek the will of the Lord first and see what the Lord’s will is for us.
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And He strictly charged him, and straightaway sent him out,
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and says to him, See you say nothing to any man: but go show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
Comments Mark 1:43-44
(See also Comments Matthew 8:1-4). Here it shows to all humans, with all the mighty works the Lord performed, but first, the Lord follows the rules the Father has put. What has the Lord told him to do first here?
“Offer for your cleansing.” To offer as it has been commanded, as the Bible has told. Jesus did not come to follow but fulfill the law, yet He always followed the law.
“Offer for your cleansing.” To offer as it has been commanded, as the Bible has told. Jesus did not come to follow but fulfill the law, yet He always followed the law.
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But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to spread abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places: and they came to Him from every quarter.
Comments Mark 1:45
(See also Comments Matthew 9:31). This is supposed to be happening; the way has happened was to bring people's hearts, those hearts that search the Lord will go in the desolate place. This is supposed to be done so just the chosen hearts that are calling for the Lord will go to seek Him.
Life and Faith Applications. 1) Each faithful follower of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, must be baptized in the water and acknowledge Jesus the Son of God as their Lord and Savior. 2) Jesus, the Son of God, always finds time to pray to the Father; Jesus is our Lord and our example to follow, so we should always find time to pray and glorify the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. 3) Bring all our needs to the Lord but seek first the will of the Lord in everything. 4) If the Lord calls us to serve Him in any capacity, we should respond immediately and do the work He calls us to do.