Mark

By Joyce Webb    2022

Chapter 1 Verses 16-34

Mark does not tell about Jesus going into the wilderness—where Satan tempted him. That happened right after Jesus was baptized.

Verse 16 Mark begins to tell about Jesus calling men to be his disciples.

Jesus was near the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were putting their fishing nets into the sea.

Jesus called to them and said, “Come, follow me, I will make you fishers of men.”

Simon Peter and Andrew left their nets and followed Jesus.

Verse 19 Jesus walked along farther and he saw James and John. They were brothers—-sons of Zebedee. They were mending their fishing nets.

Jesus called to James and John. They came to follow Jesus.

They left their father in the boat with other men —who they had hired to work.

Verse 21 They went to the town of Capernaum. It was the Sabbath day (Seventh day—Saturday—their holy day for worship).

Jesus went into the synagogue (Jewish church). Jesus began teaching.
Verse 22 The people were surprised when they heard Jesus teaching. He had such authority (spirit of power) and knowledge when he spoke.
He was so different from the scribes they were used to hearing.

(The scribes were a group of men who copied the scriptures onto scrolls (long rolls of paper).)

Verse 23 There was a man in the synagogue who had an unclean (evil) spirit in him. The man cried out.

Verse 24 The evil spirit in the man spoke through the man and said: “Let us alone. What do we have to do with you?
You are Jesus of Nazareth. Are you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God.”

(Notice: Evil spirits know who Jesus is. They know he is God. They tremble in fear.

They fear— the most of being sent to the Pit of hell to stay there.

They will have to go there at the end of time. But they do not want to go there before then. They were afraid that Jesus would send them there.)

Verse 25 Jesus spoke to the evil spirit in the man and said,
“Hold your peace. Come out of him.”

Verse 26 The evil spirit came out of the man, and when it did it threw the man’s body down, and the man was shaking and moving.
The evil spirit cried with a loud voice from the man—but the evil spirit came out of the man.

Verse 27 All the people were amazed at what they saw.
They talked among themselves—What is this? Is this some new teaching? This man speaks with power and authority and tells evil spirits what to do—-and the evil spirits obey him !!

Verse 28 The people went home, they talked about what happened. Soon all around the area of Galilee, the people heard what had happened at the synagogue with the man and the evil spirit.

Verse 29 After being at the church—Jesus and Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, —-went to Simon Peter’s house.

(The Bible does not say—but they were probably going there for a meal.)

When they got to the house, Simon Peter’s wife’s mother was very sick. She had a fever.

Jesus held the woman’s hand and lifted her to sit up. As soon as he did that, she was made well. The fever left and she felt fine.

She got up and served them—meaning she probably made a meal for them.

Verse 32 In the evening, when the sun was going down, people brought other people who were sick. They wanted Jesus to heal them. Some of them had evil spirits in them and they wanted the evil spirits to leave them.

Verse 33 There were so many people at Simon Peter ’s door that it seems the whole city was there.

Verse 34 Jesus healed many—of all kinds of sicknesses. He made the evil spirits to leave people. He made the evil spirits be quiet and not talk—–because they knew who he was.

(I have often wondered why Jesus told them to be quiet. I think Jesus did not want evil spirits to be “advertising” who he was.

Jesus wanted people to see the miracles and to hear what he taught——to believe in him for that reason—-not because of what an evil spirit said.

Jesus did not need evil spirits to prove who he was—-or to “introduce” him.)