Mark 1_14_20 exegesis

The background for this text is seen in light of Mark’s writing to the Roman Christian, His emphasis is placed on the actions of Jesus and not His teachings. This is because Roman culture only cared about what a servant could do not what he taught. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus is portrayed as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 as understood by the key verse of this book, 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The text which leads up to this pericope points out three important events that lead up to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, the first as Jerry Vines records the announcement by John the Baptist that Jesus is the Christ. Mark quotes the prophecies of Malachi (3:1) and Isaiah (40:3) as being fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist who was the forerunner of the Christ who came in the spirit of Elijah to make straight the path for the Lord. John cleared the way preaching repentance with the attempt to prepare the hearts of the people to receive their Messiah. Second, Jesus was anointed by God the Father at His baptism for the ministry He would begin. At the Baptism the Father declares Jesus His son with whom He is well pleased and the observant student takes notes of the trinity on display at the Jordan River. Third, Jesus was approved to be the Christ at His temptation as God shows Jesus would not sin when tempted with the core temptation that lead to the fall of man, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Satan’s tactic was to get Jesus to act independently of God breaking the unity between the Father and Son. Satan failed and Jesus was victorious.

Therefore, before Jesus entered His public ministry and before He ever referred to Himself as the Son of Man the witness of John the Baptist, God the Father, and the adversary declares Him to be the Christ and He then enters into His ministry.

The text which comes immediately after this chosen pericope shows a continuation of Jesus’ public ministry as He teaches with authority in the synagogue of Capernaum, display’s His authority over demons and those possessed, display’s His authority over sickness as He heals Peter’s mother in law and the multitudes, and the chapter ends with Jesus healing the leper which was to be a great testimony to the priest that Jesus is the Christ.

Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee by preaching salvation to the sinner. Vs 14-15

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

The chosen pericope takes place after John was taken into custody by Herod Antipas due to John’s confrontation of the sinfulness of Herod taking his brother’s wife Herodias as his own. Some scholars believe this takes place approximately eight months after Jesus’ baptism. Once John is arrested Jesus withdraws from Judea and enters into the region of his childhood, Galilee. Galilee is a region in northern Israel just above Samaria, its eastern border is the lake which bears its name, the western border is the Mediterranean Sea, and its northern boundary is Tyre. During Jesus’ day Galilee was governed by Herod Antipas it is important to note that Jesus wasn’t running away from Herod but into His territory. Once in Galilee Mark tells his Roman audience that Jesus began to preach the Gospel of God, and His message was not unlike His forerunner’s.

The main verb in this section is “Preach” it is the Greek word κηρύσσω (kēryssō) which means to announce publicly with the goal to persuade, urge, or warn. It is the proclamation of the good news of God. What is this good news? The news of God’s salvation!

Salvation is the theme of the Bible both the Old Testament and the New Testament is rooted in God’s salvation of His people. Salvation centers on the person of Jesus and it is the total work of God in bringing people from condemnation to justification, from death eternal to life eternal. Its blessings reaches man in this life and the life to come.

Charles Ryrie points to three tenses of Salvation. First, believing man was saved from condemnation of sin. Second, believing man is being saved from the dominion of sin and is being sanctified and preserved. Third, believing man will be saved from the very presence of sin in heaven forever.

Salvation is rooted in God’s great love for His most precious creation, the man who was made in His image. John 3:16 speaks of His love being shown in the sending of His Son Jesus while Romans 5:8 speaks of His love being proven to man in the death of His Son Jesus. The basis of God’s salvation is love! One may ask the question why would God want man to be saved? The first reason is obviously explained above, He loves man. But there are two other reasons God blessed man with His salvation, first it is a great display of His grace. God is the giver of the undeserved to the undeserving. Two, man is offered salvation for good works which gives unsaved man a glimpse at God’s goodness though it is imperfect in man.

The Jews of Jesus’ day are not unlike many today, they believed the basis of salvation was righteousness. They are correct to a degree however as the Law proved there are none who are righteous because no one could live up to the moral standard of God except for Jesus who fulfilled all righteousness while on earth. Therefore, salvation is offered by grace through faith alone based on Jesus’ merits (righteousness) in which His righteousness is imputed to the believer making the one who believed the righteousness of God in Christ. In layman’s terms, salvation is God declaring one righteous by an act of His grace and our belief in Jesus as our personal savior. In fact, Jesus’ name means salvation. Jesus is derived from the Hebrew Joshua which means “Yahweh saves!”

Mark writes sharp and to the point explaining the Gospel which Jesus preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Jesus announced great news indeed, the time has finally come for the Kingdom of God to break into human history. The time has come, nothing else awaited God’s visitation as Isaiah prophesied Emmanuel, God with us! The kingdom of God had come with the arrival of the king of the kingdom. However, Jesus states two points which is essential to entering into the kingdom of God and receiving His good news, which are repentance and faith.

Mark uses the verb μετανοέω (metanoeō) which is translated “repent.” Repent means to change one mind and turn back to God. This means that man must agree with God’s view of him and come to the understanding that he is a sinner living outside of a relation with God and therefore hopeless. To view sin as God sees it drives man to confess his sin and turn from it while simultaneously turning to God. But repentance alone isn’t enough to save there is another point that Jesus preaches, believe the gospel.

Believe is the Greek verb πιστεύω (pisteuō), which means to trust in something based on its truthfulness and reliability. It is the idea of relying on the gospel of God. It’s like sitting in a chair; you approach it with certainty that it will hold your weight and keep you from falling. Jesus urges His listeners to trust that it is true, the kingdom of God had arrived with the Lord Jesus.

Repentance and Belief are necessary for one to enter into God’s salvation, what a wonderful message Jesus preached yet it was a touchy one for many who heard it. The Jews believed the kingdom of God belonged to them because of their ancestry, being born of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but Jesus’ message spoke to the Jew in a way that was foreign to their traditions making it hard to hear. Regardless of how hard it is to hear, repentance and belief in Jesus as Christ/Savior is absolutely necessary for salvation.

Jesus continued His public ministry in Galilee by calling disciples into the ministry. Vs. 16-20

16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

The opening words of this section of text reminds this author of Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It shows that Jesus lead by example, the NASB translation reveals verse 16 clearer, 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. Jesus’ intentional plan for global evangelism and discipleship was teaching everywhere you go, or as you are going.

There were many villages along the northern shores of Lake Galilee filled with fishermen and traders, fish were a primary source for many living Galilee. As Jesus walked he saw Simon and Andrew who he met while in Judea with John the Baptist, they were casting their nets into the sea and Jesus called them and commanded them to come and follow after Him. The word Greek word which translates the adverb follow is, δεῦτε (deute) it literally means, come! Jesus called these Galilean Fishermen from Capernaum to follow after Him to which He makes them a promise, “I will make you become fishers of men.” “I will make” is the main verb ποιέω (poieō) which describes the act of making, producing, or creating. This verb is used occasionally in the New Testament to describe God’s act of creating as seen below.

God made (poieō) the heavens and the earth. Acts 4:24

God made (poieō) the world through His Son. Heb. 1:2

What God has created (poieō), heaven and earth will be shaken. Heb. 12:7

God made (poieō) humans (Acts 17:26, Romans 9:20) male and female. (Mark 10:6, Matt 19:4)

Jesus will make these fisherman disciples who become disciple makers. The use of fishers of men is not a word original to Jesus. In this time the term “fishers of men” was a common description of philosophers and other teachers who “captured men’s mind” through teaching and persuasion. They would “bait the hook” with their teachings and catch disciples. But Jesus wasn’t a philosopher nor an ordinary teacher, He is the Christ the Son of God and would make these men disciples by living with them for close to three years, teaching them continually, at times rebuke and correct them, He will give them opportunities to minster under His, the Great Shepherd’s leadership and watchful eye. He would mold them into men who would continue His ministry as witnesses after His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

It is important to note that Andrew and John were disciples of John the Baptist and heard John declare Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Andrew went and found his brother Peter and brought him to the Lord, now was the moment of truth, will they leave their lucrative career fishing for fish to live with Jesus who they knew didn’t have a pillow for His head in order to catch people. Mark tells his reader that Peter and Andrew immediately left the net and followed after Jesus. Immediate or straightway (KJV) is the adverb εὐθέως ĕuthĕōs which means directly or at once. Jesus called Simon and Andrew to the urgent task of rescuing men from the impending judgment. The urgency demands an immediate response. “At once”

Jesus walked a little farther down the shore and calls John and James as they were mending their nets to the same task as Peter and Andrew who were with their father Zebedee and they left their father with the hired servants. John and James seems to come from a family wealthy enough to employ other fisherman which means they left behind the probable riches of the world, but it is important to note that they did not mistreat their father as they left to heed Christ’s call. With the help of the hired workers Zebedee could still manage his business.

Why did Jesus call fishermen to be his first disciples? In Peter and Andrew we see the dedication to work as they were casting their nets. In John and James we see preparation as they mended their nets to enable them to make a successful haul. Warren Weirsbe points out some characteristics of fisherman that would be essential to disciple making. “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!” The greater picture is seeing that Jesus calls people into His service out of everyday life where they really live and He equips the willing to carry on His task.

Application

Will you respond today to the message of Jesus, repent and believe the Gospel of God because it is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God. Jesus urged His listeners to receive Him as the Messiah and He was with them in the flesh, today we respond by faith that He is the Messiah by receiving His sacrifice for the remittance of our sin. Will you embrace His message.

In the lives of Peter, Andrew, James, and John we find 4 men who already responded to Jesus’ message, they trusted Him as the Messiah but now they are called to forsake their old lives and follow after Jesus and they were immediately obedient, the Bible teaches us that we show our love for Christ through our obedience to Christ, discipleship is a slow process one that takes commitment, this call is now extended to all believers who as they are going, or doing life they teach those around them the truth of Jesus’ message and ministry.

Will you today enter into discipleship with Christ so that you may know Him better and be more effective for Him, this is what we reserve Sunday evening for (EBC) but it takes more that 1 hour a week, it’s a daily life with Jesus in the lead.

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