The Gospel According to Mark:
Jesus Begins His Ministry | Mark 1:1-20
Read Mark 1:1-20
Introduction to the Book of Mark
As we prepare to study the Gospel according to Mark, it’s important to get some context about the book itself before we dive into what it is saying.
Now the book of Mark was likely the first Gospel to be written around 50-70 AD. It was in 70 AD that the Temple was destroyed for the third time and it was not rebuilt. Now there is only one wall that remains where the Temple stood.
The book of Mark is also the shortest Gospel with only 16 chapters. The Bible Project illustrates in one of their videos (https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/mark/) how the book follows a three act arc. The first act, Mark 1-8a, begins with the question of “Who Is Jesus?” and it highlights how Jesus began his ministry in Galilee. The second act, Mark 8b-10, focuses on the question “What does it mean for Jesus to be the Messiah?” while He’s on His way to Jerusalem. The third act, Mark 11-16, focuses on the question of “How does Jesus become the King?” and concludes with Jesus defeating sin and death.
I encourage you to take time to watch the video and learn more about the structure of the book of Mark. The Bible Project also has many videos on the other books in the Bible and a variety of topics.
Another favourite resource of mine is Enduring Word Commentary. This is what it has to say about the Gospel of Mark:
Revelation 4:7 describes the cherubim around God’s throne as beings with four faces: a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle. By long tradition, the church has attributed one of these “faces” to each of the Gospels, according to the character and message of the particular Gospel. In the cathedrals of Europe this motif is repeated again and again by carvings or paintings of each one of these creatures, typically with a book. Over the centuries, different traditions have connected these four faces of the cherubim in different ways. One way of thinking has connected the Gospel of Mark with the ox, because the Gospel of Mark shows Jesus as a servant, just as an ox is an animal of work and service. The Gospel of Mark shows Jesus as the Servant of God, as a Workman of God.
- Enduring Word Commentary, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/mark-1/
A lot of what Mark highlights in his Gospel is also heavily influenced by Peter, who Mark likely spent a lot of time with. The Gospel of Mark was also written primarily for Gentile converts, especially those who lived in Rome. Mark’s style of writing made the Gospel accessible to those who did not grow up in a Jewish context. It is still the most translated book in the entire world, according to Enduring Word Commentary.
The point: How Jesus prepared to start His ministry is how we must always prepare as a church and individually to serve God and do His Will. Start with declaring your faith through baptism, continue with seeking God and His Will all the time, and surround yourself with those who can help you grow your faith.
Jesus prepared for His ministry first by being baptised
What is baptism? And why did Jesus do it? Why should we, as Christians, do it?
Baptism simply means to “immerse or overwhelm.” John didn’t sprinkle when he came baptizing. As was the custom in some other Jewish ceremonial washings, John completely immersed those he baptized. “Naturally, therefore, the baptism was not a mere sprinkling with water, but a bath in which his whole body was bathed.” (Barclay)
- Enduring Word Commentary
Baptisms were used by Jews for ceremonial cleansings, mostly when a Gentile became a Jew. These are likely the types of baptisms that John the Baptist was performing, but unlike Christian baptisms, John was just baptising people in water, not the Holy Spirit.
I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Mark 1:8 NASB 1995
Jesus began preparing for His ministry by being baptised. Now Jesus did not need to repent of sin or declare He was turning away from a sinful nature because Jesus was sinless and perfect. Instead, He likely was baptised, firstly, for people to identify with Him, not just as God in the flesh but also their fellow man.
But also, by being baptised, Jesus made Himself identifiable to people. As Mark says,
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan [River]. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
Mark 1:9-11 NASB 1995
As Christians, when we repent of sins and turn our hearts back to God, we cannot keep it to ourselves. It’s something that we are called to share with the world. How each person does that will look different, as we are all made differently with our own unique skills and traits. Likely though, a lot of us have begun our Christian faith with baptism.
Jesus also spent time away from people to seek God
'Immediately the Spirit *impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him. '
Mark 1:12-13 NASB 1995
Not long after Jesus was baptised, He went into the wilderness alone. His first task following His baptism was not to go and preach the gospel, but instead to take time away from people and seek God. In the forty days and nights that He was in the wilderness, He was continually tempted by Satan, not just the three times that we hear about in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Just as Jesus identified with people through baptism, He also identified with people over temptations. Unlike us, Jesus never once succumbed to the temptation to sin against God.
The last bit of verse 13, initially confused not because of what it was saying but why it was even there. As I did a bit of digging and looked to my favourite resource, Enduring Word Commentary, it said this:
d. Was with the wild beasts: Matthew and Luke make no mention of this, but it is significant. In the ancient Greek grammar, the emphasis is on with. In other words, Jesus was at peace with the wild beasts. This shows two things:
· Jesus is the Second Adam, and like unfallen Adam, He enjoys a peaceful relationship with all the animals.
· Jesus remains the unfallen, sinless one despite all the temptation, with authority over the wild beasts.
i. “These fell creatures saw in Christ the perfect image of God; and therefore reverenced his as their Lord, as they did Adam before his fall.” (Trapp)
e. And the angels ministered to Him: The sense in Mark is that the angels ministered to Him at the end of this time of intense temptation. This shows Jesus’ authority, not only over the wild beasts, but also over the angels. They are His servants.
i. “Morally victorious, He was Master of the creation beneath Him, and the angels ran upon His errands, for such is the real suggestiveness of the word. Thus He is seen as God’s Man, perfect in spite of the temptation!” (Morgan)
- Enduring Word Commentary
As you read this passage, I encourage you to see the parallels between Jesus and us. What sets Jesus apart from us? In what ways is He the same?
Remember, spend time away from the world and its distractions to seek God and His Will.
Jesus sought a community to surround Him.
Only after Jesus submitted Himself to God through baptism and allowed Himself to be tempted, but not sin, did He start to seek a community to surround Him and support His ministry.
As He was going 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. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
Mark 1:16-20 NASB 1995
Jesus did not do things the way the Jews expected the Messiah to do, but rather He fulfilled the prophecies and His Father’s Will in the way that brought Him Honour. This included the men Jesus chose to be His disciples.
Starting with Simon and Andrew, fishermen with no formal theological training or special status. They weren’t chosen for what they could do on their own, but rather for what Jesus could do through them.
“Surely the good qualities of successful fishermen would make for success in the difficult ministry of winning lost souls: courage, the ability to work together, patience, energy, stamina, faith, and tenacity. Professional fishermen simply could not afford to be quitters or complainers!” (Wiersbe)
- Enduring Word Commentary
At the root of what Jesus is asking them to do is follow Him. That is the root of what He is calling all of us to too. Start there and the rest follows. Through time the Holy Spirit will reveal to us what our next steps will be. As the Holy Spirit reveals to us God’s Will, we must also surround ourselves with those who also seek the Lord’s Will.
Jesus was not alone, first in the Trinity as God the Son with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, but also because He surrounded Himself with friends and family that He could rely on, teach, and leave His Church to.
If you do not have people in your life who seek the Lord with you, encourage you, challenge you, correct you, and most importantly love you, I implore you to not stay that way. Go for coffee with someone from church, join a Bible Study with other believers, or go to events where you know other Christians will be to help you build that community like Jesus did.
The point: How Jesus prepared to start His ministry is how we must always prepare as a church and individually to serve God and do His Will. Start with declaring your faith through baptism, continue with seeking God and His Will all the time, and surround yourself with those who can help you grow your faith.
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