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Mark 1 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
It’s fascinating to identify the different writing styles of the Gospel authors. Matthew began with genealogy. His mission was to write to the Jews and prove that Jesus was the heir to David’s throne. Luke opens with the Savior’s birth because his focus was on the sympathetic ministry of the Son of Man. John’s Gospel begins with eternity which is no surprise considering he also penned Revelation. His focus was to convince his readers that Jesus was the Son of God. So, with all that said, where does Mark’s Gospel fit in?
Mark was writing to the Romans and his theme centers around servanthood. In his book, an emphasis is placed on the works of Jesus both physically and spiritually as he serves those in need. When reading Mark, you will notice that the stories contain more of what Jesus did rather than what He said. Knowing this, it is not surprising that we see no genealogy or record of birth. Mark gets to the action with a concise and direct style. Just consider all the ground he covers in Mark 1 alone!
Many believe that Mark was converted by Peter and served as his “personal interpreter.” Although this is unclear, we know with certainty that Peter had a close relationship with Mark because he calls him “my son” in 1 Peter 5:13. Therefore, some scholars consider the Gospel of Mark to be based on Peter as the main source. Most scholars agree that Mark was the first of the Gospels to be composed and that Luke and Matthew used it as a source for their work.
At the beginning of Paul’s first missionary journey, Mark was considered a failure. He deserted the group and went back to Jerusalem. I can only imagine the conversations that he had with Peter following that decision.
Peter, of course, had experienced great failure. He denied Jesus and went back to fishing after the crucifixion. However, through perseverance, repentance, and faith, he was restored. In time, we find that Mark was also restored. Paul later asks for Mark by name in 2 Timothy 4 calling him “useful for ministry.”
Immersion
Mark 1 begins with John the Baptist. Interestingly, traditional Judaism would have recognized baptism as purification before converting to the Jewish religion. It was also a common practice required before entering the temple or tabernacle. Ritual purity could be lost and would have to be repeated over and over. John’s message differed in that it was not a purification process to become religious, but forgiveness of sin directly from God. His message foretold the spiritual cleansing that Jesus would accomplish once and for all. This was the establishment of a relationship based on a new covenant.
Authority
According to Jewish writings, Torah-teachers (also known as scribes) were not ordained as rabbis. They were not permitted to bring new interpretations of the text (which Jesus did a lot) or even make legal judgments. This is one reason why people were so amazed by Jesus’ teaching style. He immediately stepped onto the scene with the authority of a rabbi.
Second, it was well-known in Jewish culture that a rabbi would never judge contrary to his own rabbi’s halakhah (judgment of the law). Jesus had no human rabbi but taught with absolute spiritual authority. He even commanded authority over unclean spirits. This shocked the people and clearly demonstrated that His power was not taught by man but could only come from God Himself.
The rapid-fire account of the early life of Jesus here in Mark 1 packs quite a punch in 45 concise verses. If you like action movies, you will love the Gospel of Mark!