The Gospel According to Saint Mark
Mark 1
Chapter I · Vol. IV, pp. 112–113
1 The office of John the Baptist. 9 Jesus is baptized, 12 tempted of the devil, 14 he preacheth: 16 calleth Peter, Andrew, James, and John: 23 healeth one that had a devil, 29 Peter's mother-in-law, 32 many diseased persons, 40 and cleanseth the leper.
1 The abeginning1 of the gospel of Jesus Christ, bthe Son of God;2
a Mat.11.12. Lu.2.10,11. Is.40.1-11. Mat.3.2;17.11.
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ was the preaching of John the Baptist, calling upon men to prepare the way of Jehovah.—C.
b He.1.1,2. Ps.2.7. Mat.3.17; 16.16; 17.5; 26.63,64. Jn.1.49; 6.69; 10.30,35; 3.16; 1.14. Ro.8.3.
2 Mark's object being to develop the system of religion established by our Lord, and not to write a mere biography, he passes over Christ's early life, and begins with the preaching of John, which was the introduction to our Lord's mission; and with his baptism, which was his solemn consecration to office.—P.
2 As it is cwritten in the 3prophets, dBehold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The evoice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
e Is.40.3. Lu.3.4; 1.76. Jn.1.15,23. Mat.3.3.
4 Johng did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for4 the remission of sins.Cited in WLC 165 · WCF 28.1
5 Andh there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, iconfessing their sins.
6 And John was jclothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
7 And preached, saying, kThere cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
9 Andn it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
A.D. cir. 29.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened,5 and the Spirit,o like a dove descending upon him:
5 Or, cloven or rent.
o Is.42.1.
11 And pthere came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.6
p Ps.2.7. Is.42.1,21; 49.3. Mat.3.17; 17.5. ch.9.7. Col.1.13. Jn.10.17. 2 Pe.1.17.
6 See note * in second column.
* We have three independent accounts of the baptism. In the English version the words of the 'voice from heaven' are different in all three. In Matthew they are as follows:—'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;' in Mark: 'Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;' in Luke: 'Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.' In the Greek Mark differs from Luke only in one word; the former has ᾧ ('whom'), the latter σοι ('thee'). The best MSS. have σοι in both, and this is the true reading; so that Mark and Luke exactly agree. In them 'the voice' speaks to Jesus. In Matthew the voice speaks to the people: 'This is,' &c. Is it not probable, is it not natural, to conclude that both utterances were given?—P.
12 Andq immediately the Spirit driveth him7 into the wilderness.
q Mat.4.1-11. Lu.4.1-13. He.2.17,18; 4.15, with De.9.18,25. 1 Ki.19.8.
7 Driveth him. Not by force, but by spiritual impulse.—C.
13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was rwith the wild beasts; and the angels sministered unto him.8
r Ps.22.6; 102.6. Job 30.29. Mat.8.20.
s 1 Ki.19.7. Mat.26.53. 1 Ti.3.16.
8 The angels ministered unto him. Forget not this, O tempted and troubled believer! thy Lord was one hour with 'the wild beasts,' the next hour 'the angels' were with him! Battles, like Paul, thou mayest have with beasts at Ephesus; but glory, like the Lord, thou shalt have in heaven!—C.
14 Now after that tJohn was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching uthe gospel of the kingdom of God,
A.D. cir. 30.
t Mat.4.12; 11.2; 14.3. Lu.3.19. Jn.3.30.
u Mat.4.17,23. He.2.3. Lu.4.14-22,45,46. Ac.10.36-38. Is.61.1-3. Ep.2.17. Lu.2.10,11; 8.1.
15 And saying, vThe time is fulfilled, xand the kingdom of God is at hand: yrepent ye, and believe the gospel.Cited in WSC 85 · WCF 15.1
16 Nowz as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20 And straightway he called them: and they bleft their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
b Mat.10.37. ch.10.28.
21 Andc they went into Capernaum: and straightway on the sabbath-day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
c Mat.4.13,23. Lu.4.16,31; 13.10. Ac.13.14,27,44; 15.21; 17.2; 18.4.
22 Andd they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 Ande there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
e Lu.4.33-37. 1 Jn.5.19.
24 Saying, gLet us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, hthe Holy One of God.9
g Lu.4.41. Mat.8.29. ver.34; ch.5.7.
h Ps.16.10. Ac.2.31; 4.27. Da.9.24. Lu.1.35.
9 By this title and acknowledgment the unclean spirit sought to discredit our Lord, as if he and that spirit were acquaintances. Our Lord casts him out, to show his mercy to the sufferer, and his power over the tormentor.—C.
26 Andj when the unclean spirit had torn 1him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
j ch.9.20,26. Lu.9.39,42; 11.22.
1 Torn him. Rather, 'convulsed him.'—C.
27 Andk they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
29 Andn forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and anon they tell him of her.
31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; oand immediately the fever left her, and she pministered unto them.
32 And qat even, when the sun did set,2 they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
q ver.21; ch.3.2; 14.1. Mat.8.16,17. Lu.4.40,41. Ge.49.10. Is.53.4,5.
2 We learn from ver. 21 that the day on which Christ healed the man with an unclean spirit was the Sabbath. Our Lord performed on that day acts of mercy; but the Jews considered it wrong to bring to him their sick to be healed. When even was come, however, and the Sabbath concluded, they brought the sick to our Lord.—P.
33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.
34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases,3 and cast out many devils; rand suffered not the devils 4to speak, because they knew him.5
3 This verse affords the most decided evidence of the evangelical distinction between ordinary sickness and demoniacal possession.—C.
r ch.3.12; ver.25. Ps.50.16. Ac.16.17,18.
4 Or, to say that they knew him.
5 Because they knew him, and would therefore address him as Messiah, 'the Holy One of God;' a title whereby prejudice would be excited (see Lu. 4. 41) before he had time to establish his claims to that character, and an evidence from which a charge would arise accusing him of a league with demons, because he received their testimony.—Note, While Christians should never court persecution, or an ill name, from unbelievers, nor reject either kindness or a good name, if unbelievers are inclined to give them; yet let them beware lest the desire of popularity, or the fear of censure, should lead them into any sacrifice of principle; and rather let them reject a good name, than defile a pure conscience.—C.
35 And sin the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.6
s Lu.4.42-45. Ec.9.10. Jn.4.34. He.5.7. Ps.109.4.
6 See note * below.
* What a lesson does this teach the Christian! Jesus was overwhelmed with work; his whole time was absorbed by the labours of his great office. Business, however, did not prevent him from the exercise of prayer. When neither time nor opportunity could be secured for it by day, or in the city, he rose before dawn, and selecting a retired spot, there prayed. So should it be with us. When ordinary occupations, or pressing business, break in upon stated times of devotion, we should take the time from the rest of the night. No earthly object, in fact, ought to be permitted to abridge our times of prayer.—P.
36 And Simon, and they that were with him, followed after him.
38 And he said unto them, uLet us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
40 Andx there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, yIf thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
x Mat.8.1-4. Lu.5.12-15. Mat.11.5; 7.7. Lu.18.1-13.
41 And Jesus, zmoved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
z Mat.9.36. He.4.15; 2.17. Ho.11.8. Je.31.18-20.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, aimmediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
a ver.31; ch.5.29. Ps.33.9. Mat.15.28. Jn.4.50,53; 15.3. Lu.17.12-14.
43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
Notes
Ver. 4. The baptism of repentance—because his principal topic was calling 'a generation of vipers' to repent, and 'flee from the wrath to come,' see Mat. 1. 7, 8; and his chief argument to enforce attention and obedience was the doctrine of the grace of God, which proclaims to every believing penitent sinner remission of his sins through Jesus Christ. C.
Ver. 10. Straightway. That is, 'And coming up out of the water, he (John) straightway (immediately after) saw the Spirit descending,' &c. Bloomfield, in conjunction with some very high authorities, says it was Jesus, and not John, who saw the Spirit descending; but a reference to Jn. 1. 32-34 seems to refer it unquestionably to John. C.—Like a dove. 'The expression does not define the form of appearance (though we learn from Luke that it was in a bodily form), but the manner of its descent, namely, like the rapid gliding of a dove.' Bloomfield.
Ver. 13. Wild beasts are not mentioned by Matthew, for he wrote for Jews who knew the wilderness: but they are mentioned by Mark, who wrote for Roman citizens, and to whom this circumstance would afford a striking feature in our Lord's temptation. C.
Reflections.—John delightfully, but humbly, prepares the way that grace and truth may come through our incarnate God. But the greatest of ministers are but emptiness and nothing if compared with their divine Master. When multitudes attend their ministrations, all must issue in repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And highly criminal is our unbelief of the gospel, which has been attested by concurrent reports of inspired evangelists, by the sermons of John and of Jesus, by victories over devils, the approbation of angels, by Jehovah's testimony from heaven, by the Spirit's descent, and by miracles unnumbered. O what do I owe to Christ! If I am accepted of God, it is in him:—if I receive the Spirit, it is through him:—if I am tempted as a Christian, it is in conformity to him:—if I resist the devil, and he flee from me, it is through his having been tempted, that he might succour them that are tempted:—if angels minister to me, it is at his command and for his sake:—if I am called or qualified as a Christian or minister, it is by him:—if I am delivered from diseases or devils, I owe all to him. Let me then never act the part of a devil in asking, What have I to do with him? And if I have experienced his grace, let me gratefully employ all that I have in his service and praise.