Wow, this gospel hits the ground running!1 - 7 The ministry of John the Baptist - John the Baptizer appears in the
wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He speaks of Jesus' coming, saying, "I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
8 - 11 Jesus is Baptized - After Jesus is baptized by John, the heavens open up and the Spirit descends upon him like a dove. A voice says, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.
12 - 13 The Tempting of Jesus The Spirit leads him into the wilderness for 40 days, where he is tempted by Satan. He is with the wild beasts, and the angels minister to him.
14 - 20 Jesus Begins to Preach his Ministry in Galilee and Calls His First Disciples - After John is arrested, Jesus begins preaching in Galilee. Simon and Andrew drop their fishnets and follow him. Then James and and John leave their father Zebedee (and his hired servants) to follow him.
21 - 28 Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum - Jesus astonishes with his teachings on the sabbath, "for he taught them as one who had authority." Then Jesus removes an unclean spirit from a man. His fame spreads.
29 - 34 Curing of Peter's Mother-in-Law and Many Sick People - Jesus and the 4 apostles go to Simon's mother-in-law (and she serves them). Then at sundown many gather at the door and Jesus heals the sick and casts out demons.
35 - 39 Jesus Goes to a Lonely Place to Pray - Simon and the other apostles have to get him because "Every one is searching for you." He goes throughout Galilee preaching in synagogues and casting out demons
40 - 44 Curing of a Leper - A leper comes to Jesus and Jesus touches him and tells him that he is clean, and commands him to go see a priest (for the cleansing of what Moses commanded). One of the most interesting things about this is (and it's in Luke too), is that Jesus commands the man not to say anything to anyone, but he does anyway.
There's so much going on in this chapter that it's difficult to comment on. I'll focus on Jesus' authority in the synagogue. My favorite note in my Bible states, "First he does and then he preaches (Acts 1:1) - not like the scribes who teach and do not do (Mt 23: 1-5).
4 comments:
This chapter is pretty awesome. The "fishers of men" are the best example of "good" Christians. They dropped everything to follow Jesus.
The gospels of Mark and John begin with Jesus' baptism and ministry.
The existence and work of John the Baptist was foretold in Isaiah and other Old Testament prophesies. He preached that his work was almost insignificant compare to "the one to come" (Jesus).
When Jesus was baptised God sent the Holy Spirit upon him which appeared as a dove. God said, "You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased." (This is evidence of the Trinity.)
After his baptism, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days where Satan tempted him. Angels cared for him.
John was put in prison. Jesus began his ministry and called Somon, Andrew, James, and John to follow him. They went without hesitation.
Jesus went to the synagogue in Capernaum and began to teach "with authority". (I imagine that this would be like taking a class where the teacher wrote the textbook. There are no hesitations or questions about anything.) A man there was posessed by a demon who recognized Jesus as "the Holy one of God". Jesus told him to be quiet and come out of him which it did. People were amazed that he had authority over demons.
The group went to Simon and Andrew's home where Simon's mother-in-law was sick. Jesus took her hand and she was immediatedly healed. She waited on them. The whole town brought sick and demon-possessed people to the house for Jesus to heal which he did. Jesus didn't allow the demons to speak because they knew who he was (Son of God) and Jesus didn't want this revealed yet.
The next morning, before light, Jesus went out to a "solitary place" to pray. Simon and the others went looking for him and told him that everyone was looking for him. Jesus wanted to move on and preach. (Jesus always went off by himself to pray. He didn't want to "get bogged down" in one place with one aspect of his minstry.)
A man with leprosy came to him and asked Jesus, "If you are willing, make me clean." Jesus immediately cured the disease and told the man NOT to tell anyone what happened but to show himself to the priests and offer the "sacrifices of Moses" for his cleansing. The man told everyone he was what happened. "As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places."
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