sign in sign up
<<
Home , Luke 1, Mark 1

Session 1 > :9-20 Calls is the promised , worthy of being followed.

Clay firmly that called him into a life of Christian ministry. He also admits that his experience does not fit the mold of what many believers envision as a call to ministry. That admission, however, has not dampened his commitment to serve the Lord faithfully through the abilities, opportunities, and situations God has given to him. I met Clay years ago while in seminary. He had resigned from a successful accounting business in another state, sold his home, and moved with his family into a small apartment on the seminary’s campus. He proved to be an exceptional student who made good grades and excelled in ministry activities. He was more faithful in sharing the one-on-one with others than any other student I knew. Then Clay made an announcement one day that took me by complete surprise. After completing a year of training, Clay decided to leave the seminary and restart his accounting business. He told me that he had come to understand God was not calling him into ministry as a preacher, pastor, or missionary. When I asked what he planned to do, he replied, “I’m going to be the best layman I can possibly be.” And that is precisely what he did—until God later put before Clay a new opportunity to fulfill his call to ministry and return to the seminary at the same time. Clay was hired as the seminary’s vice- president for business affairs. He then spent the next thirty years of his life serving the Lord in that ministry role by utilizing the gifts, abilities, and business experience God had given him. This session focuses on Jesus’ calling disciples to follow Him. In Mark’s Gospel, the narrative moves quickly to the beginning of Jesus’ preaching ministry. His basic message was concise: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). He then called two pairs of brothers—all of whom were in the fishing business—to follow Him and begin to “fish for people” (1:17). As we explore this text, we will be challenged to hear Jesus’ call to ministry as well. His call begins as the call to through faith in Him. It continues as a call to lifelong ministry: going where He leads and doing what He directs.

10 Explore © 2019 LifeWay UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

MARK 1:1-20 Where should a Gospel account of Jesus’ life and ministry begin? To judge from the four , the answer to this question depends on the Gospel writer’s circumstances and purpose, the initial audience’s needs, and the ’s guidance. Matthew began his Gospel with a genealogy that showed Jesus’ messianic lineage from through King to “Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Christ” (Matt. 1:16). Luke chose to begin his Gospel account with a statement of his credentials and purpose in writing followed by two birth announcements delivered by the —the first announcement to an aged priest whose wife would give birth to the Messiah’s prophetic forerunner and the second announcement to Mary, a young, engaged virgin who would miraculously conceive and give birth to the Messiah (:1-38). John’s Gospel, on the other hand, opens with an emphasis on Jesus’ eternal nature: Jesus was (and is) the Eternal Word who was with God in the beginning and created all things, including life itself (:1-5). Mark’s Gospel begins by stating who the gospel is about and pointing to the gospel’s being anticipated in . Mark coupled quotations from :1 and 40:3 to introduce the prophetic ministry of , the Messiah’s forerunner. John the Baptist called on people to be baptized, demonstrating their , from , and preparation for the Messiah’s appearance (Mark 1:1-8). Mark did not dwell long on John’s ministry but moved quickly to emphasize Jesus’ by John (1:9-11). Jesus’ baptism did not indicate His need of repentance, for Jesus had not sinned. Instead, Jesus submitted to baptism to identify with sinners and show that He was the source of forgiveness and righteousness. In a unified response of divine affirmation, the Spirit descended on Jesus after the baptism and the Father’s voice declared from that Jesus was God’s Son with whom He was pleased. Jesus’ baptism was followed immediately by a time of testing (1:12-13). Jesus spent forty days alone in the wilderness, during which time tempted Him. At the same time, however, ministered to Jesus. After John the Baptist’s arrest, Jesus began His public preaching ministry. He proclaimed the message that God’s kingdom had arrived and called on people to repent and believe the good news (1:14-15). He then called two pairs of brothers, Simon (Peter) and Andrew as well as James and John, to leave their fishing business and follow Him as His disciples 1:16-20).(

Session 1 : Calls 11 © 2019 LifeWay EXPLORE THE TEXT

AFFIRMED (Mark 1:9-11) Mark asserted in 1:1 that the gospel is first and foremost a Person: “Jesus Christ, the .” The name Jesus emphasized His true humanity. The title Christ emphasized Jesus’ role as the Messiah. The phrase the Son of God emphasized Jesus’ deity. To buttress his bold statement about the gospel, Mark immediately offered supportive evidence from the Old Testament (1:2- 3), from John the Baptist (1:4-8), and then from God Himself (1:9-11).

VERSE 9 In those days Jesus came from in and was baptized in the Jordan by John. The phrase in those days refers to the period of John the Baptist’s ministry along the in the region of (1:5). Luke’s Gospel dates the beginning of John’s ministry as “the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar, while was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of and Trachonitis, and tetrarch of , during the high priesthood of and ” (:1-2). Given these historical references, a date for Jesus’ baptism around AD 27–29 seems likely. The words Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee remind us that He grew up in that small Galilean village located about ninety miles north of . Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea (five miles south of Jerusalem), both Mary, His mother, and Joseph lived in Nazareth prior to Jesus’ birth (Luke 1:26-27; 2:4-5). The family returned to Nazareth after a brief time of refuge in Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15,19-23; see also :39-40). Since Joseph was a carpenter by trade, Jesus likely worked in this trade from His youth until his early manhood (see Matt. 13:55; :3). Some Bible scholars suggest that Joseph died during Jesus’ teenage years and that Jesus continued the carpentry business until Mary’s younger sons were old enough to work and provide for the family. In any case, the day came when Jesus knew that He must be about His heavenly Father’s business. That divinely preordained mission would go public with Jesus’ being baptized in the Jordan by John. John the Baptist had been preaching a message of repentance and baptizing for some time before Jesus came to him for baptism. John’s message struck a chord with many people (Mark 1:5), although many Jewish leaders did not know how to respond to John (John 1:22). Had Jesus met John prior to

12 Explore the Bible © 2019 LifeWay His baptism? Had He heard John preach? The Bible does not say, but we can safely assume that Jesus knew about John’s message and ministry activities. Where along the Jordan River was Jesus baptized? John 1:28 states that John the Baptist was baptizing “in across the Jordan.” However, the location of that site is uncertain. Speculation ranges from a site east of the Jordan near Jericho to a site a few miles south of the . Mark 1:5 indicates that “all the people of Jerusalem were going out” to be baptized by John, so the location probably was nearer to that city than to Galilee. The baptism account in Matthew’s Gospel includes the detail that initially John hesitated to comply with Jesus’ request for baptism. John realized that Jesus had no need for a baptism of repentance; indeed, John needed Jesus to baptize him! Jesus insisted, however, that His baptism by John would fulfill all righteousness (see Matt. 3:14-15).

VERSE 10 As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. The words as soon as (“straightway,” KJV; “immediately,” ESV) render the Greek term euthus [YOO thuhs], an adverb that Mark used more than forty times in his Gospel to advance the narrative and heighten dramatic tension from one event to the next. The term appears eleven times in chapter one alone (1:10,12,18,20,21,23,28,29,30,42,43) with various shades of meaning, including “immediately,” “right away,” “just then,” and “at once.” In 1:10, euthus signals a series of events that immediately followed Jesus’ baptism. The phrase came up out of the water supports the view that New Testament baptism—the Greek term literally means “to dip, immerse”— involved being immersed in water. That said, Mark’s primary emphasis in 1:10 was the divine affirmation of Jesus’ act of commitment. First, Jesus saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. The tearing open of the heavens affirmed the renewal of God’s redemptive revelation after a period of silence. It also signaled the affirmation of Jesus as the promised Messiah when the Holy Spirit descended on Him. The phrase like a dove could emphasize either the unexpected visible manifestation of the Spirit’s descent or the mission of and purity the Spirit heralded and that Jesus embraced in His baptism. In either case, the most important aspect was the divine affirmation of Jesus as eth Messiah. Did Jesus alone witness these manifestations of divine approval? Mark’s Gospel leaves this question unanswered, as do the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In John’s Gospel, however, John the Baptist, on seeing Jesus walking toward him one day, declared, “This is the one I told you about … I saw the

Session 1 : Calls 13 © 2019 LifeWay Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he [the Spirit] rested on him. I didn’t know him, but he [God] who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God’ ” (John 1:30-34).

VERSE 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” Along with the Spirit’s visible affirmation of Jesus as the Son of God came an audible affirmation. A voice came from heaven. Mark did not specify that the voice was God the Father’s; however, the statement that came from the voice left no doubt. The voice was not directed to John the Baptist or anyone standing nearby. The double use of the pronounyou makes clear that the voice addressed—and likely was heard by—only one Person: Jesus. The Father declared that Jesus was His beloved Son. The word rendered beloved is a form of the Greek word agape [ah GAH pay] that refers to pure, unconditional that seeks the complete well-being of its object. The words you are my beloved Son echo Psalm 2:7. This psalm was used in the coronation ceremonies of a new Israelite king. Mark 1:11 reveals that the statement foreshadowed Jesus’ role as the King of kings. Similarly, the words with you I am well-pleased are reminiscent of :1, a messianic prophecy about the Servant of the Lord.

EXPLORE FURTHER Read the article titled “Baptism” on pages 170–172 in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revised and Expanded. How was Jesus’ baptism different from other kinds of baptism? How does Jesus’ baptism demonstrate the meaning and importance of baptism for believers today?

TESTED (Mark 1:12-13)

VERSE 12 Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. As many believers can attest, spiritual high points often are followed by times of testing. Jesus experienced this phenomenon immediately (“at once,” NIV) following His baptism. The same Spirit who came upon Jesus

14 Explore the Bible © 2019 LifeWay in affirmation following His baptism now drove (“sent him out,” NIV) Jesus into the wilderness. The Greek term rendered drove can also mean “throw,” “cast out,” or “banish.” It could refer to both the exorcism of (see Mark 1:39; 3:15) and Jesus’ expulsion of moneychangers from the temple area (11:15). The word in 1:12 emphasizes that the Spirit moved deliberately and quickly. What Jesus was about to experience could not be delayed. From Old Testament times, the wilderness had come to be viewed as a proving ground of faith and loyalty to God. told the camped at the edge of the promised land, “Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deut. 8:2). Just as John the Baptist received his prophetic voice and mission in the wilderness (see Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:3-4; Luke 3:2-6; John 1:23), now Jesus went into the isolation of the wilderness to do battle with the enemy. His mission and our salvation hung in the balance.

VERSE 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him. Consistent with his rapidly moving narrative style, Mark summarized Jesus’ temptation experience in a single verse. He succinctly described several key aspects and activities of the overall temptation event. First, the temptations occurred in the wilderness. The theological significance of this phrase was discussed in the comments on the previous verse. Suffice it to say here that Jesus could expect to face physical struggles from isolation, hunger and thirst, exposure to the elements, and dangers from predators. He would be tested both physically and spiritually (see Heb. 4:15). Second, Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness. As with the location, this particular time period has theological significance in Scripture. Moses twice spent forty days and nights on the mountain with God when he received the Commandments (Ex. 24:18; 34:28). The took a desperate journey of forty days and nights to spend time on that same holy mountain (1 Kings 19:8). Following His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days appearing to His followers, demonstrating His victory over death and instructing them about God’s kingdom (:3). Both :2 and :2 indicate that Jesus fasted during the forty days of His temptation experience. His weakened physical condition became one of the ways in which Satan tempted him (Matt. 4:3-4; Luke 4:3-4). Third, Jesus was tempted by Satan. James 1:13 instructs that “God [the Father] is not tempted by , and he himself does not tempt anyone.”

Session 1 : Calls 15 © 2019 LifeWay , on the other hand, took on nature in His incarnation and identified fully with humanity, which included the experience of temptation. The Spirit led Jesus to a place where He could begin His work of overcoming the work of the devil (see 1 John 3:8). Satan, the same enemy of God who successfully tempted the first man and woman in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3), would not be successful in tempting Jesus. Fourth, Jesus was with the wild animals. Only Mark’s Gospel mentions this detail. One view holds that Mark emphasized the peaceful coexistence between predatory beasts and that would characterize the fulfilled messianic kingdom (see Isa. 11:6). An alternate view suggests that Mark drew upon an ancient tradition that the wilderness was a place of threats and evil. In either case, the detail underscores Jesus’ isolation. Fifth, the angels were serving Jesus. The Greek verb rendered were serving (“ministered,” KJV; “attended,” NIV) appears in a form that emphasizes the beginning of an action. Matthew’s Gospel underscores this point by indicating that only after Jesus rejected the devil’s temptations and the devil left Him did the angels come and begin to minister to Jesus (Matt. 4:11). Luke’s Gospel does not mention the angels’ ministry to Jesus but underscores that the wilderness experience was not the final time Satan tempted Him (Luke 4:13).

EXPLORE FURTHER What conditions make you more vulnerable to temptation? How do isolation and physical weakness make your testing more difficult? In what ways does Jesus’ victory over temptation encourage you?

HEARD (Mark 1:14-15)

VERSE 14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: Following the wilderness temptations, Jesus began His ministry. The notation that this occurred after John [the Baptist] was arrested reveals that Mark’s Gospel was not a strictly chronological narrative. An interval of perhaps a year falls between Mark 1:13 and 1:14, during which time Jesus had contact with John the Baptist and some of John’s disciples as well as performed a miracle in Cana and interacted with Jewish religious leaders (see John 1:29–3:36). Mark placed the actual account of John’s arrest (and martyrdom) by Herod

16 Explore the Bible © 2019 LifeWay Antipas later in 6:17-29. In that context, the account explained the reason Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist having come back from the dead. Mark did not describe Jesus’ early ministry in Judea. Rather, he started with a succinct summary of His Galilean ministry—namely, proclaiming the good news of God (“preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,” KJV). The term rendered good news (“gospel,” KJV; ESV) is a single Greek word from which we get our English word evangelism. Some ancient Bible manuscripts include the phrase “of the kingdom” (see the KJV rendering). The subsequent verse indicates that Jesus’ message indeed emphasized the arrival of God’s kingdom, or righteous rule, in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

VERSE 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Jesus’ message about God’s kingdom was the same as John the Baptist’s message in some respects. Both men declared that the kingdom of God has come near and called for repentance. (Compare Matt. 3:1-2; Matthew used the synonymous phrase “kingdom of heaven.”) However, while John’s ministry and message sought to prepare the way for the Messiah’s appearance, Jesus preached that the time is fulfilled (“the time has come,” NIV). In other words, Jesus fulfilled a prophetic expectation that went back as far as humanity’s sin in the garden of Eden (see Gen. 3:15). Numerous Old Testament foresaw various features of this event (see Isa. 9:6-7; 53:1-12; Jer. 31:31-34; Micah 5:2; Zech. 9:9). The apostle Paul later affirmed, “When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). All of human history prepared the way for Jesus’ implementation of God’s kingdom. In Old Testament times, the Israelites often equated God’s sovereign rule with Israel’s political fortunes. Jesus demonstrated that God’s kingdom, fulfilled in Him, went vastly deeper—to the heart and soul of every person. Therefore, Jesus called for His hearers to repent and believe the good news. The Greek word rendered repent is an imperative, not a suggestion. The term literally means “to turn around, to reverse one’s direction.” Spiritually, the term refers to a radical change of heart and mind about God. The good news (“gospel,” KJV, ESV) that people are to believe (also an imperative) is that in Jesus, God has come to defeat sin and death and to provide the way of salvation for sinners. The way of salvation would be unveiled fully in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It would demand faith on the part of the sinner, putting one’s complete trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Session 1 : Calls 17 © 2019 LifeWay EXPLORE FURTHER Read the article titled “Gospel” on pages 662–664 in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revised and Expanded. How is Jesus’ life and ministry good news to you? His crucifixion and resurrection?

FOLLOWED (Mark 1:16-20)

VERSES 16-17 As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” Early in His ministry, Jesus called and mentored a small group of disciples to carry on His gospel mission after His resurrection and ascension. The first two disciples were brothers, Simon and Andrew. John’s Gospel gives a fuller picture of how these two brothers came to be Jesus’ disciples (see John 1:35-42). John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to Andrew who, in turn, introduced his brother to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus immediately gave Simon a nickname, Cephas [SEE fuhs], an name that means “rock.” The equivalent name in Greek is Peter; thus, Simon Peter or simply Peter soon became this ’s preferred name. The brothers’ call as disciples in Mark’s Gospel likely occurred after the events described in John’s Gospel. Jesus came to the brothers as they were working, casting a net into the sea. Simon and Andrew were fishermen by trade. The life to which Jesus called them had a similar aspect but much greater stakes. They would learn to fish for people. Jesus did not explain where they would go or how they would be funded. He simply challenged them to follow Him, trusting Him to provide everything they needed (see :1-11).

VERSE 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. The call to follow Jesus allows for no debate or negotiation, only decisive action. Simon and Andrew showed no hesitation. They responded immediately (“straightway,” KJV; “at once,” NIV). This term was Mark’s favorite for keeping the narrative moving toward its ultimate goal.

18 Explore the Bible © 2019 LifeWay The brothers’ response to Jesus’ call was both immediate and decisive. They realized that following Jesus involved radical faith and obedience, leaving behind self-made plans and security in favor of trusting Jesus and doing what He asked. The call to discipleship is a call of total ommitment.c

VERSE 19 Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. The words a little farther indicate that another pair of fishing brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, fished the same waters in the Sea of Galilee as did Simon and Andrew. Indeed, Luke’s Gospel indicates the four men were business partners (Luke 5:10). James and John, like their partners, were busy working (putting their nets in order) as Jesus approached them. Whether Simon and Andrew accompanied Jesus at this time is not clear, although Mark 1:18 suggests they did. Their presence could encourage James and John to make a similar life-changing commitment to Christ.

VERSE 20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. As He had done with Simon and Andrew, Jesus called James and John to follow Him. Mark did not indicate whether Jesus repeated His explanation about the brothers becoming fishers of people. In any case, James and John did not hesitate to respond decisively: they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Jesus. Following Jesus demands that we give Him our wholehearted devotion and priority—priority over occupations, hobbies, interests, and yes, even family. Simon Peter reminded Jesus one day that the disciples had left everything and followed Him. Jesus responded by assuring them, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29). Christ is worthy of our highest devotion.

EXPLORE FURTHER How have you responded to Christ’s call to follow Him? How have other believers encouraged you as you follow Jesus? In what ways could you help others in their responses to Christ’s call?

Session 1 : Calls 19 © 2019 LifeWay