Mark 1

About Mark:

The writer of Mark was known as “John Mark”

John was his Jewish name and Mark was his Roman name.

It’s widely accepted that Mark’s gospel account was compiled from Peter’s sermons, writings, and personal conversations, combined with Mark’s personal experiences.

Each Gospel depicts Jesus as something...

Matthew depicts Jesus as King.

Mark depicts Jesus as a servant.

This gospel is more concerned with what Jesus did, and not with what he said.

The most common word used in Mark is “and.”

He shares so many stories, like rapid fire, so the word “and” holds the stories together.

This book for us, seeing how Jesus was a servant and always responded to the Father’s instructions is good for us. Jesus is showing us how we should be living.

The Forerunner

V.1

Gospel..

This word means “Good News”

It’s good news that Jesus came down to earth to die for our sins.

It’s good news that our sins can now be forgiven. It’s good news that we can be adopted into God’s family.

Son of God..

Jesus is his divinely given name.. In Hebrew it is “Yehosua, or Joshua. Which means “Yaweh is salvation.

Christ is in Greek.. it is the equivalent of the Hebrew title, Messiah. (Anointed One.)

Christ is not His last name, it is a title.

The title son of God

Points to Jesus’ unique relationship to God.

He is a Man

He is God’s special agent (Messiah)

He is fully divine

V.2-3

Who do you think the Messenger is?

It is talking about John the Baptist.

These two verses are prophecies from

Malachi 3:1 NKJV

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 40:3 NKJV

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.

These prophecies declare that John would be providing the way for Yahweh, for God.

So, this is telling us that Jesus is in fact, Yahweh… Jesus is God.

A lot of religions and people don’t believe that Jesus is God.. I bet there are even some “Christians” who don’t believe Jesus to be God… If you don’t believe Jesus christ to be God, then you aren’t saved.

Why? Because you believe in the wrong Jesus.

V. 4-5

John was baptizing.. that is how he made the way for the Lord.

He baptized and preach the forgiveness of sins.

They would first repent from their sins and then they would be baptized.

Baptism is not necessary for salvation, but it is commanded from God.

We should be baptized, because it represents putting your flesh to death.

V. 6-8

John is crazy...

He is a man of the desert.

He resembled the prophet Elijah.

Locust and wild honey was the common diet in the desert regions.

Honey isn’t bee honey, it’s date honey.

He preached...

He preached about one who would do mightier things than Him.

John understood that Jesus is mightier. He understood that He was unworthy to do anything for him.

There are 2 baptisms in the Bible..

First is the baptism of repentance.. So water baptism.

Second, is the spiritual, which is where we are baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Some think the baptism is where people are saved others think that is when we are baptized with the gifts of the spirit.

I believe that you are baptized with the Spirit when you get saved.

V. 9-11

Could you image that you were the one to baptize Jesus? Jeez… I would feel sooooo unworthy.

Here, we see the Trinity.

Jesus being baptized

Father speaking

Holy Spirit descending

The holy spirit descended like a dove, resembles the Holy Spirit empowering Jesus for the ministry.

V.12-13

The Holy Spirit drove Jesus to the wilderness.

The Spirit who empowers Jesus, not tests him to determine if Jesus will use His Divine Sonship for his own advantage or to submit to The Father.

What happens in this is not coincidence, it is divine.

This temptation establishes the free, sovereign agency of Jesus, who, like all humans, must choose to make God’s will his own.

Matthew 4:1–11 NKJV

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.