Gospel of Mark Study #2

“Down by the Riverside”

Mark 1:9-13

Study #2 in Mark Series

INTRODUCTION:

Last week we began a study of the Gospel of Mark. I shared with you that John Mark wrote his account of the Lord’s earthly ministry with the intent of explaining the story to Gentile Christian converts, and specifically those from the Roman culture. Mark himself was a Jew but there is a good chance that, like Paul, Mark was also a Roman citizen. I say this because of his Roman name, Marcus. He had also been a travelling companion of Paul, Barnabas, and Peter. 

He had a rocky beginning in ministry. Setting out with Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey, he chickened out halfway through the trip and went back home to Jerusalem. Later, Barnabas wanted to give him another chance, but Paul refused, resulting in a rift between Paul and Barnabas and the formation of a second ministry team. Paul took Silas, and Barnabas took John Mark and set out for Cyprus. Under Barnabas’ encouraging tutelage, and later under Peter’s, John Mark turned out to be a man of God that even Paul came to value highly. The rift between Paul and Mark was eventually resolved and at the end, Mark was by Paul’s side right up until his death in Rome. 

Tradition credits Mark with being the one who first carried the Gospel to Alexandria, Egypt resulting in the founding of the first African Church, called the Coptic Church.

TRANSITION:

Mark chapter 1 contains the three main elements to the story of Jesus’ early ministry.

1.       His ANNOUNCEMENT by John

2.      His BAPTISM by John in the Jordan

3.      His TEMPTATION in the wilderness by Satan

 

Matthew recounts these same three events in 42 verses. Luke uses 51. But Mark does it in just 13. Obviously, his goal is to get past these more commonly known stories to concentrate on other things. Mark’s account focuses more on the miracles of Jesus and less on His teaching. It is like reading a “breaking news” story. He gives the barebones version, leaving the reader to draw the obvious conclusions about who Jesus was, based on the things that Jesus did. Jesus’ miracles were His calling card, His way of proving that everything He said was true. 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 9: And it came about in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

·         “…in those days” What were those days like? Jesus began his public ministry in the 15^th year of the reign of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar (AD 27-28). John began his preaching and baptizing ministry a short time before that. Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch, was the Romans’ puppet governor who ruled over Judea and Perea. The Jews were still religious, but most of them had drifted either into liberalism or ritualism and were more concerned with defeating the Romans than with pleasing God. Others mixed their Judaism with paganism, giving honor both to Jehovah and to the Roman gods. Israel was a busy commercial center, linking Egypt and the kingdoms to the north. Business was good. People were going about their lives, giving little thought to their eternal souls. The Romans were hated, but on the other hand, they had brought law and order, and they put in some great roads and built great public works projects, which was a boost to the economy.

·         “Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” Today it is 71 miles from Nazareth to Jericho by car, plus about 8 more from Jericho to the area called Bethabara at the fords of the Jordan where John was baptizing. That means that Jesus walked approximately 80 miles to have John baptize him. How far would you walk to do something like that?

·         Why was it important for Jesus to get baptized? After all, He was perfect, sinless. He had nothing to repent of. I think His baptism was important for several reasons:

o   It was a moment of decisive action – After 30 years of living in Nazareth and waiting for exactly the right moment to present Himself to the world, that moment had finally arrived.

o   It was a moment of identification – By His baptism He aligned Himself with the righteous remnant in Israel who were awaiting the appearing of Messiah and were concerned with the lack of true righteousness in Israel. By His baptism He flew His flag for all to see. Matthew 3:5 records Jesus’ words: “But Jesus answering said to [John], ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he permitted Him [to be baptized].”

o   It was a moment of approval – It was an important moment for the Father to make the public announcement that this was indeed the Son of God who had come to take away the sins of the world.

o   It was a moment of equipping – At His baptism, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in a new way to empower and equip Him to complete His mission. 

Verse 10: “And immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.”

·         “Immediately.” Here Mark uses one of his favorite Greek words, euthus. It is usually translated by “immediately,” or “straightway.” It is an adverb of action, which fits in very well with Mark’s Gospel of Action. Mark uses this word 47 times throughout the 16 chapters, 9 times in chapter 1. The point is that the supernatural manifestations occurred right after Jesus was baptized, while He was still standing there in the water. Luke’s account adds that Jesus was praying when this occurred.

·         “…he saw the heavens opening” This word, “opening,” does not cover the original word. The Greek word means to “rip, tear apart, or rend asunder.” What did that look like? We do not know but it must have been very impressive indeed!

·         So exactly who heard the voice, saw the heavens opened, and witnessed the physical manifestation of the Spirit resting on Jesus? ANSWER: John himself, and possibly all the other people gathered there, although the text does not say for sure. But this was an affirmation to John that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the Son of God. And notice something else... it does not say that a dove flew down and landed on Jesus, as unusual as that might have been. It says, “like a dove.” Matthew and Luke use the exact same phrase. We do not know exactly what John saw but for him it was proof positive that Jesus was the Anointed One for whom he had been waiting and looking. 

Verse 11: “and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well pleased.’”

·         As unusual as the visual manifestation was, this audible voice from Heaven must have been totally mind-blowing. Does God have a voice like ours? Apparently, He does when He needs one. He can do anything. 

Verse 12: “And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.”

·         Here again Mark uses his favorite word, “immediately,” telling us that this happened right after the baptism.

·         “The Spirit impelled Him to go.” The KJV translates this as “driveth.” We find the exact same Greek word used two more times in this chapter, in both cases translated “cast out.” Look at verses 34 and 39. Jesus “cast out” the demons. With the same force and authority, the Spirit of God “cast Jesus out” into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. This tells us that the temptation of Jesus was no unavoidable accident. This experience was part of His preparation for ministry. It was a God-planned part of Jesus’ spiritual preparation to face what was coming. Sometimes God puts us through wilderness experiences too because He knows that we need it to toughen us up and to teach us greater dependence on Him. Jesus would have probably preferred not to spend those 40-days in the desert, but they were necessary for many different reasons.

·         Mark does something else regularly that is not always evident in our English translations. He often uses what grammarians call “the historical present tense” to add intensity, heighten vividness, and to give a sense of forward motion to the narrative. (By the way, teenage girls talk like this all the time.) Let me give you the 8 examples in chapter 1 so that you will know what to look for:

o   Verse 12 – “impelled” (lit. impels)

o   Verse 21 – “went” (lit. goes)

o   Verse 30 – “spoke” (lit. speaks)

o   Verse 37 – “said” (lit. says)

o   Verse 38 – “said” (lit. says)

o   Verse 40 – “came” (lit. comes)

o   Verse 41 – “said” (lit. says)

o   Verse 44 – “said” (lit. says) 

Verse 13: “And He was in the wilderness 40 days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.”

·         What wilderness? – The Judean Wilderness is located south and southeast of Jerusalem. Because of its lack of water and good routes, the Judean wilderness has been mostly uninhabited throughout history. Consequently, it was an ideal place for those seeking refuge from their enemies or a retreat from the world. When on the run from King Saul, David hid in various places in the Judean Wilderness (e.g., the wildernesses of Ziph, Maon, and EnGedi are part of the Judean Wilderness). John the Baptist lived and preached there, and it seems likely that this was the wilderness where Jesus was tempted. Herod the Great built two fortresses (Herodium and Masada) in the Judean Wilderness in this area for his protection should his people ever decide to revolt against him.

·         That this was a genuine temptation, which Christ found necessary to resist, may be deduced from Hebrews 2:18 and 4:15. “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted… For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” It is fitting that the Savior’s ministry began this way. In the temptation in the desert Jesus further revealed His solidarity with mankind by submitting to the temptations that the Bible affirms are “common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able; but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”). Jesus led the way, leaving a well-marked path for us to follow. Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 2:21, “For you have been called for this purpose [i.e., to suffer for righteousness’ sake], since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” Thus, the temptation in the desert was a reality, not a farce, and by means of its awful reality Christ became qualified to be our High Priest and our Example in times of temptation. The Bible says, “He was tempted in all points such as we yet without sin.” How did He fight off the attacks of the enemy without yielding to the temptations? Answer = By using the Word of God and depending on the power of the Spirit of God. We have the very same tools at our disposal too. We too can be victorious over temptation.

·         “He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.” The Judean Wilderness was home to the lion, the bear, the wild boar, and the jackal, among others. Mark alone mentions the wild animals that Jesus had to contend with during the 40-days. It was no picnic out there! But he is also the only one of the Gospel writers to mention the fact that during Jesus’ stay in the wilderness the angels of Heaven were watching out for Him and ministering to Him. The application we can draw from that fact is obvious. When God thrusts us out into a wilderness experience, He does not leave us without help. Heaven is never far away and He Himself is never more than a prayer away from His children. That is a great comfort to me.

CONCLUSION:

This book is called The Gospel According to Mark. Under the inspiration and supervision of the Holy Spirit it is an explanation of the Good News from Mark’s perspective. Good News—that is what the word “Gospel” means. But as I explained in our last study, no one can understand the Good News without also understanding the Bad News, because the Good News is only good as it presents the solution to mankind’s fundamental problem. 

That problem is not financial. More money will not solve the problem. The problem of humanity is also not about poor nutrition. Feeding the starving millions will not solve the problem. The issue is not something that governments can fix. The problem cannot be solved by educating the masses. Moreover, even sincere religion and better morals likewise cannot fix what is broken.

Man’s basic problem is called SIN. We are rotten to the core, every one of us. Paul quotes God’s conclusion about humanity in Romans 3:10-12, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.” We are sinners by nature and by choice. The Bible says that “all of us have sinned and fallen short” of God’s perfectly righteous standard. Without exception every man, woman, and child on planet earth is doomed and destined for Hell unless he/she comes to Jesus Christ, the Saviour. Our good works cannot save us. Our sincerity cannot save us. Religion cannot save us. We are all lost in sin, fatally flawed, and headed for Hell. That is the Bad News I was talking about.

Of course, you can reject the Bad News. You can say that I am all wet and that is not what the Bible really says. But in that case, I challenge you to read the Bible for yourself and see if I have lied to you. You will find that I have simply told you what the Bible declares and what the prophets, the apostles, and preachers down through the ages have been telling all of us.

Against that horrific backdrop the Good News is amazingly wonderfully GOOD! God so loved us that He sent Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin, so that by believing in Him we might have everlasting life. It is God’s gift to you and to me. We cannot earn it. We cannot make ourselves good enough to work our way to Heaven. We can only do what the Bible says to do: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Have you done that yet? Why not do it today? Do not put it off another second!