THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 1:1-13

1. The Title (1:1). This first verse may be taken as a heading for the entire book or as referring only to the ministry of John the Baptist. Many of the early church Fathers preferred the latter. Modern commentators are divided in their opinions about this.

The word gospel (euangelion) means "good news." So we might translate the title: "The beginning of the glad tidings about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The good news of salvation begins with the historical fact of Christ's life, death and resurrection. Christianity is not some nebulous philosophy; it is firmly rooted in history. It is more than an ethical system; it is a way of salvation. Someone has well said that the gospel is "not good advice but good news." It is the glad tidings that what we could not do for ourselves Christ has done for us on the cross.

2. The Ministry of John the Baptist (1:2-8). All the gospels present the events connected with Jesus' life and ministry as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. So here Mark quotes Malachi 3:1 (v. 2) and Isaiah 40:3 (v. 3) as predicting the work of the forerunner of the Messiah. John was to prepare the way for Jesus. Recent versions have "Isaiah the prophet" instead of "the prophets" in verse 2 (see ASV) in accordance with the oldest Greek manuscripts. The main emphasis was on the quotation from Isaiah, as a comparison with Matthew and Luke will show. His prophecy was the best loved and most widely read by devout Jews in Jesus' time, as the large number of Isaiah manuscripts in the collection of Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran would seem to indicate.

John told the people to repent, in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Those who repented he baptized in the Jordan River, as they were "confessing their sins" (v. 5). Repentance (v. 4) means literally a change of mind, that is, a changed attitude toward God, sin, and oneself. The Baptist declared that while he baptized with water, the coming one would baptize with the Holy Ghost (v. 8). Water baptism, practiced by Judaism and other religions, is important. But the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which only Christ can give, is all-important.

John the Baptist was a rugged prophet from the wilderness. He was clothed in the rough sackcloth made of camel's hair. He ate locusts (similar to grasshoppers) and wild bees' honey (v. 6). He was a fearless preacher like Elijah of old.

3. The Baptism of Jesus (1:9-11). Large crowds were coming to hear John preach and to be baptized by him (v. 5). But one day a unique figure appeared on the banks of the Jordan. It was John's relative, Jesus. He had come from His hometown of Nazareth, which was situated to the northwest in central Galilee. He did not need to repent, for He had never sinned. But as the representative man who was to die for our sins He had to identify Himself with mankind and submit to the repentance-baptism (cf. Mt 3:13-15).

As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened. Mark alone uses here the strong word schizo (cf. schism), which means "split apart." This is an example of the vivid language of Peter.

It is at the baptism of Jesus that we have the first clear revelation of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit descended as a dove on Jesus, and the voice of the Father proclaimed: "Thou art my beloved Son." Here the three Persons are clearly distinguished. The deity of Jesus is a basic, vital part of the gospel. Without a divine Redeemer there is no salvation from sin. Christianity is the only religion which claims an eternally divine Founder (cf. 1:1). When we surrender the deity of Jesus, we relegate Christianity to a lower place as simply one of the many religions of the world.

4. The Temptation of Jesus (1:12-13). Again we note the word immediately (cf. Introduction). All three synoptic gospels place the temptation of Jesus right after His baptism.

Once more we find Mark using a stronger word than Matthew and Luke. He says that the Spirit driveth Jesus into the wilderness. There on the rocky, barren hillsides of the Wilderness of Judea, Christ was tempted for forty days by Satan. Matthew and Luke each record three distinct temptations of Jesus. Mark gives only a brief summary statement of this crucial experience in Christ's life.

It was necessary that Jesus' public baptism should be followed by a private period of testing. He must be tempted in all points as we are, that He might be our merciful and faithful High Priest (Heb 2:17-18; 4:14-16).

THE GALILEAN MINISTRY 1:14–9:50

1. The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry (1:14-15). The arrest and imprisonment of John the Baptist marked the commencement of Jesus' great Galilean ministry. He did not wish to run in competition with His forerunner. But when John's voice was silenced, a greater Preacher appeared. He was "preaching [lit., proclaiming or heralding] the gospel of the kingdom of God." This kingdom had now come in the person of the Messiah. The command was "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." To the Baptist's preaching of repentance there was added the new note of believing the gospel, the good news of salvation.

2. The Call of the Four Fishermen (1:16-20). John 1:35-42 shows that these four men formerly had been disciples of John the Baptist. But when he pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, they followed Him to His abode. This poses no conflict with the synoptic account. In the latter we have the call of these four fishermen to full-time service. They were asked to leave their business on the lake and follow Jesus as fishers of men (v. 17). They "straightway forsook their nets, and followed him" (v. 18). Their obedience was immediate and complete. It should be noted that forsaking must always precede following. We cannot follow Jesus until we are willing to forsake our own plans and wishes.

As usual, Mark adds a little item of interest. He says that James and John left their father Zebedee "in the ship with the hired servants" (v. 20). The aging father was not left bereft and helpless by the departure of his sons. The hired servants would enable him to carry on the prosperous business of the family.

Christ calls busy men. The ministry is no place for idlers and quitters. The New Testament portrays these four apostles as active workers before the Master called them to His service.

3. The Cure of a Demoniac at Capernaum (1:21-28). Jesus chose Capernaum as the headquarters of His great Galilean ministry. This commercial city was on the main road of caravan traffic between Egypt and Damascus. While the obscure mountain village of Nazareth was a better place for Christ to live in as a child, His public ministry needed the wider perspective of a busy city.

On the Sabbath day Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach (v. 21). The people were astonished at His doctrine (better, "teaching"). The scribes were in the habit of quoting the opinions of various rabbis, but Jesus spoke with direct divine authority (v. 22).

In the synagogue that Saturday morning was a man with an...