MARK 1:14 - 45

MARK 1:14 - 45

MARK 1:14-15 - It was after Herod had placed John the Baptist in confinement in the prison of Machaerus (if we trust early Christian writers and the testimony of Josephus) that Jesus, as recorded in John’s Gospel, went up into Galilee after a brief stay in Judea; and there he began His public ministry by preaching the good news that the kingdom of God had come nigh. Referring doubtless to the great time-prophecy of Daniel 9 He exclaimed, “The time is fulfilled;” and He called upon all men to repent—that is, to judge themselves before God, and to believe the glad tidings. 

  MARK 1:16-20 - The Lord called the four fishermen to become fishers of men. He saw that they were expert at and diligent in their work on the Sea of Galilee, and He called and equipped them for higher and nobler service, even to win souls for Himself. We are not to conclude from this that all who follow the Lord Jesus Christ will become great soul-winners. Some are called to serve in a much humbler capacity. Some have no ability to preach, or even to do effective personal work. But each one is called to serve in whatever place the Lord puts him, even if it be but to suffer for His sake. All can participate in the ministry of prayer and thereby be a real help to those to whom is committed the preaching of the Word. 

  The teaching and healing ministries of the Lord Jesus Christ were ever intimately connected. The latter complemented the former, and in a sense authenticated it. His works of power proved that He was the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel and the Saviour of the world. In all that He did He had in view the Father’s glory and the blessing of mankind. It was His prerogative to undo the work of Satan and to free sufferers from the effects of sin, both spiritually and physically. In this He gave to Israel a foretaste of the blessing to become universal when the kingdom of God is set up, and mankind will be delivered from the bondage of corruption (Rom. 8:20, 21). 

The Synagogue in Israel. The first mention of a synagogue is in Psalm 74:8. The last is in Revelation 3:9, where we read of a synagogue of Satan. The word itself means just a place of gathering or assembling together. Unlike the Temple which was divinely appointed, the synagogue was a voluntary display of loyalty to the law of God. The Jews felt the need of such places when they might come together for instruction and fellowship. There was but one recognized Temple at any given time, and that was in Jerusalem. There were synagogues wherever there were enough Jewish families to maintain them, and often several were in one city.  

As a child Jesus was accustomed to attend the synagogue. He early began to participate in its services (Luke 4:16). Note the words, “as His custom was.” He honored the place where the Word of God was read and expounded, and commanded others to do so, even though those who taught were not always men of consistent lives (Matt. 23:2). We are so prone to go to extremes, either in manifesting utter indifference to evil doctrine or unholy behavior, or else taking a supercilious and self-righteous attitude toward all who do not see chapter just as we do or do not behave according to our standards. It is important to realize that while, as individuals, we are exhorted, “Cease to do evil; learn to do well” (Isa. 1:16, 17), we are not called to ascend the judgment-seat and censure others who may be as sincere as we, but have not learned to look at everything in our way. 

 MARK 1:23-28 - “A man with an unclean spirit.” The Scriptures plainly tell us of the reality of demon possession. This was not just a Jewish superstition. On this occasion the service was interrupted by a man under the control of a wicked and unclean spirit.

“I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God.” The demon who possessed the man recognized the Person and authority of Jesus, and feared lest He was about to visit the evil spirits with judgment, confining them in the eternal prison-house of the damned. Men might be incredulous regarding Christ’s claims, but fallen spirits knew Him for what He professed to be.

“Jesus rebuked him.” Our Lord did not desire testimony from demons. He commanded the spirit to be silent and to come out of the frenzied man.

The life of our Lord on earth was one of ceaseless service. This does not imply that He was actively engaged always in teaching and healing. He found abundant time for quiet communion with the Father. Yet none of His disciples were so busily engaged as He. The record of this one Sabbath day in Capernaum is but a sample of the many such days He spent in proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and meeting the needs of men and women, as a testimony to the divine interest in human concerns. In all this He has left us an example. We waste so much time upon things that do not profit. He made every moment count for the glory of God. In our lives there is so much that is of no real and lasting value. In all He said or did there was a worth-whileness that counted for eternity. 

   Every unsaved soul is afflicted with this dread disease and is an unclean sinner in the sight of God. A man was not a leper because he had horrible ulcers and other sores upon his body. These were but manifestations of the disease within. And a man is not a sinner because he sins: he sins because he is a sinner, and as such he is corrupt constitutionally. Only the power of the Lord can give deliverance