Mark 1
Encyclopedia
Mark 1 is the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark
of the New Testament
of the Christian
Bible
. It begins "The beginning of the gospel
about Jesus
Christ
, the Son of God
" (in the NIV translation) stating right from the start Mark
's belief
. However, because there is no article
in the Koine Greek
some have suggested be translated
"...a Son of God". Robert Miller translates it as "The good news
of Jesus the Anointed
" on the basis that χριστου means "anointed" and the phrase υιου του θεου is not present in a few early witnesses. The "beginning" could refer to the beginning of the book, or the next verse, or the beginning of the story of Jesus, as Mark is only beginning to tell you about Jesus' life, not writing his entire biography
.
By saying he is the anointed, Mark is declaring Jesus the Messiah
, the successor to King David
. Mark always uses "Christ" which is derived from the Greek translation, he never uses "Messias" (Strong's G3323) which is derived from the Greek transliteration
of the Aramaic
word for "Messiah". Son of God can be seen as synonymous with a political messiah, in this case the King of the Jews, but can also be seen as expressing divinity
, as in the phrase "God the Son
". Only the demon
ic opponents of Jesus call him this in Mark until the centurion
in . The good news could refer to the news about Jesus or from Jesus or Jesus as the good news or a combination of them all.
Henry Barclay Swete
's Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, pages 456-457 states:
Mark introduces verses 2 and 3 with "It is written in Isaiah the prophet:", however his quote does not exactly match any extant Book of Isaiah
, not even those found in the Dead Sea Scrolls
. Some manuscripts of Mark instead have "... in the prophets". Some think this might indicate he did not use a complete Jewish Bible but instead used a general collection of quotations from them. The quote appears to be a composite from the books of Exodus, Malachi
and Isaiah: , and , linking the good news of Jesus with a fulfillment of the "Old Testament"
. Mark assumes these refer to John the Baptist.
The passage from Malachi describes one who will prepare the way of God for God. Mark has changed the statement of Malachi, which refers to Elijah returning to prepare God's way, to one in which John is seen as Elijah, because the spirit of Elijah rested on him and "my" way has been changed to "your" way, i.e. Jesus' way. Mark thus might be equating Jesus with God
.
In more detail, it appears Mark has taken part of Exodus 23:20 of the Septuagint: ( Brenton Ex 23:20: "behold, I send my angel before thy face") and combined it with part of Malachi 3:1 of the Septuagint: (Brenton Mal 3:1: "survey the way") to create in the Westcott-Hort Greek NT: . The significant differences are ("survey" -Brenton) is replaced with ("prepare" -NRSV) and a final ("your" -NRSV) has been added: "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" ( in the NRSV). The following quote of Isaiah 40:3 is specifically from the Septuagint, compare Brenton Isa 40:3: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God." to the Masoretic Text
: "Hark! one calleth: 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make plain in the desert a highway for our God." or the NRSV : "A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." or the new JPS Tanakh (1985)
40:3: "A voice rings out: Clear in the desert A road for the Lord! Level in the wilderness A highway for our God!"
All four gospels use the quote from Septuagint Isaiah. It is in Luke
in , Matthew
in Matthew 3:3
, and John
in . This section of Isaiah is about the return journey home from the Babylonian captivity
and was a passage Jews
often used as a way of expressing the help of God. Isaiah probably uses this passage symbolically to describe moral cleansing and renewal. Thus John is linked to Isaiah
as well and once again Mark equates the lord of this passage, Yahweh
, with Jesus. Some see John's statement patterned on the Book of Exodus, in . Other books used this pattern to describe other prophet
s, such as Hosea
in and .
Mark then describes John's activities, preaching repentance
and forgiveness
of sin
s and baptising
in the Jordan river. He says he wore camel hair
, a leather
belt, and survived off locust
s and wild honey
. His clothes resemble Elijah's described in . There is also the prophecy
of true prophet's clothing in the Book of Zechariah
. His diet may have been his attempt at purity There has been much speculation that John was an Essene, perhaps also Jesus
, but there is no hard evidence either way. According to Luke
, Jesus and John were relatives and John is described as being a Nazarite from birth . All portraits of him paint him as certainly an ascetic, but also as a popular and respected preacher.
This portrait of John is somewhat the same but somewhat different from the one Josephus
gives us. Josephus states that John baptized, but not for the forgiveness of sins and that he was a great leader of the people, making no mention of Jesus regarding John. This difference might show how Mark views John, as a representative of Elijah and merely the herald of who Mark deems the more important, Jesus. According to the Q hypothesis
John baptising was also found at the beginning of that book as well. John is revered in Mandaeism
.
Many people come to be baptised by John. He tells them "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
." Untying someone's sandals was a task commonly done by someone's slave. What baptising with the Holy Spirit refers too, as Jesus never baptises in Mark, is uncertain if one only considers Mark. has Jesus' disciples
(but not Jesus) baptising at the same time as John the Baptist. (See also Paraclete
, , , , .) Matthew 3:11
and specify baptism with holy spirit and fire.
The Jesus Seminar
concluded that this was one of the authentic ("red") acts of Jesus, recorded in , , , Gospel of the Ebionites
1, and which it calls "A voice in the wilderness".
Jesus is one of the many who come to be baptised, in his case from Nazareth
in Galilee
. Since John, according to Mark, baptised for the forgiveness of sins some have argued Jesus also is coming to be forgiven for his sins. Mark also has John's function as preparing things for Jesus, and some argue this baptism is meant to forward the fulfillment of Jesus' plan. has John say his baptism was his method of revealing Jesus to Israel
. Perhaps Jesus is doing this to embrace the doctrine of baptism and repentance of sins and his oneness with those who embrace it. The Epistle to the Hebrews
, in , says Jesus was "just as we are—yet was without sin
" and states: "...sin is lawlessness
."
Mark introduces Jesus without a history or a description, suggesting the intended reader already has heard of him. Mark, like all the Gospels, gives no physical description of Jesus, unlike the short previous description of John. Mark's readers are presumed to already know about the two of them.
John baptizes him and Jesus then sees a theophany
. He sees "heaven
being torn open and the spirit
descending on him like a dove
." , telling him that he is his son whom he loves and is pleased with. This could be related to a Psalm, , as well as . The opening of the heavens is often seen as the union and beginning of communication between God and the world. Whether anyone else besides Jesus saw this has been often debated. says the Spirit descended in "bodily
" form. says John said he saw the Spirit descend onto Jesus. Some have speculated that this event may have been a story that has its origins in the Early Christian practice of baptism, but Robert J. Karris argues that is unlikely.
Some have argued that since Mark begins his story here, at the baptism, that this could be seen as a form of adoption
, as it is God's action which changed Jesus' life, although Mark probably is confirming the two's preexistent relationship Jesus is never declared as God's adopted son anywhere in the book, but Mark does not exactly state how or when Jesus became God's son. Both Matthew and Luke use their infancy narratives
to show he was God's son from the moment of conception
, and has him as the word of God
from the moment of creation.
The voice from heaven calls Jesus "beloved". Some see a relationship between this description and that of Isaac
in Genesis , where Abraham
had shown his devotion to God by being willing to sacrifice his son
, so God shows his love for human
ity by actually sacrificing his son, see also Substitutionary atonement
. There is also the possible link with this and the beloved servant of God in , , , and .
The spirit then "At once", Kai euthys (Strong's G2117), sends him out into the desert to be tempted
by Satan
for forty days. Forty is a common numerological
device in the Bible, such as the forty days of the flood in and the forty years of the Israelites wandering in the desert in Exodus. Elijah also spent forty days and nights travelling to Mount Horeb
in . Unlike Matthew 4:1
-11
and the number of temptations or what they were are not described. Mark does say that Angels came to minister to him. Karris argues the angels and the wilderness are related to .
John is put into prison, presumably by Herod Antipas
. Mark uses the term paradothēnai (Strong's G3860) to describe John being turned over, which Mark also uses to describe Jesus being arrested during his Passion
. Mark has already highlighted two themes, Jesus' power from and favor of God, contrasted with his confrontation with Satan and John being arrested, showing his power and mission have already encountered the most extreme challenges both from the authorities of this world
and supernatural
powers.
The Jesus Seminar
concluded that parts of these accounts were authentic ("red") acts of Jesus, specifically: "John baptizes Jesus": , , , Gospel of the Ebionites
4, and "Jesus proclaims the good news": .
Jesus then goes into Galilee
, preaching "The kingdom of God
is near (ēngiken). Repent and believe the good news (euangelion)!" The kingdom of God can be seen as a physical or spiritual place. It could also be translated as "God's imperial rule", indicating the power of God over all things. The good news is seen as not just God's message but his actions. Jesus here links the coming of God with the term ēngiken (Strong's G1448), which some see as meaning near as in upcoming in the future but others argue it means near as in Jesus himself is near and the coming of God has arrived. These are then linked with repentance, a change of heart, and then belief. Belief and repentance are thus what Jesus says God desires. See also Justification (theology)
.
Jesus goes to the Sea of Galilee
and finds Simon
(whom he will name Rock (Peter) in ) and his brother Andrew
. They are fishing
, a large business then in Galilee. He speaks the famous phrase "Come, follow me,...and I will make you fishers of men." Some have argued their status as fishermen is metaphor
ical, based perhaps on , but Karris argues that their occupations as fishermen was historical and related by Mark to show the costliness of being a disciple, as they had to leave a presumably thriving business. Andrew was a disciple
of John the Baptist according to John
. He only appears three times in Mark, here, and in and . They follow him and then soon come upon James
and John
(whom he will name the Sons of Thunder in ), who also quickly join the group, "they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men." Peter, James, and John will play a prominent part in several incidents in the Gospel. Mark does not relate that Jesus convinced them to follow him in any way. Mark simply has them follow him without question. Kilgallen argues that historically this calling was not so sudden, with perhaps a prior meeting, but Mark has shortened it for extra effect to emphasize total devotion to Jesus. John relates Jesus convincing Nathanael
to join the group.
Mark says they had nets in and they and their father, Zebedee
, employed other men in . Karris argues this shows they had money and a high probability of being educated, with a knowledge of the Jewish Bible. Others point to to show that they were unschooled, but Karris argues against reading this too literally.
has Andrew and someone else who are with John the Baptist follow Jesus after John calls him the Lamb of God
. They then bring Simon to Jesus, who gives him the Aramaic name Cephas, meaning Rock (Peter). Philip
and Nathanael are then called secondly, not James and John. The calling of disciples is also found in and Matthew 4:18
22
.
Jesus and the four go to Capernaum
, which Mark has as Jesus's center of activity and Jesus teaches in the synagogue
on the sabbath. Eventually, in , at the Transfiguration of Jesus
, Mark uses the technical term Rabbi
, Strong's G4461, meaning a Jewish teacher of Mosaic Law
. See also Rabboni. Gathering disciples (students) and teaching are thus the first part of what Jesus does to proclaim the kingdom of God. Mark does not relate what Jesus taught, which could mean he left it out because he did not deem it important enough for his book or because he did not know what Jesus taught there. Some archaeologists believe a synagogue in Capernaum that has been excavated lies on top of the synagogue that existed at this time that would have been the one Jesus would have gone to. Anyone who showed a sufficient knowledge of the scriptures could preach in the synagogue. Mark says the people thought Jesus taught with "authority
", which the scribes
did not. The scribes would answer questions in a traditional, official manner, see also Pharisaic Principles and Values. Jesus in Mark operates on no authority but his own judgement. According to Jesus attended the Marriage at Cana
before going to Capernaum.
He then performs an exorcism
on a demon possessed
man. Curing people, especially possessed people, will be another major method Jesus uses in his mission
in Mark. The demon recognizes Jesus as "the Holy
one of God", the first time Jesus' supernatural opponents are shown to know his true identity. Jesus simply says "Be quiet, and come out of him!", healing the man with words alone. The people are amazed. This follows a path Mark often uses, that of a description of the affliction, Jesus' cure of the affliction, and then a demonstration of the cure to others. The power of Jesus' word over the demon might be Mark's way of trying to show to his audience, perhaps under the threat of persecution
, that Jesus' message will overcome evil
. By showing Jesus' teaching first before his exorcism Mark might be placing emphasis on Jesus' teachings as more important that any miracle
he could perform.
There were several people who were claimed to have the ability to perform exorcisms in the ancient world and many ancient opponents of Christianity dismissed Jesus as just another magician. Most descriptions of exorcisms at the time tended to involve the exorcist tricking the spirit or demon into leaving the victim by convincing them the exorcist had more power than the being, not a method Jesus employs. Parallels in Hellenistic
cultural stories of exorcisms differ in that they usually involve an associated disease
, which is not the case here. John P. Meier
sees a clear distinction between these incidents and descriptions of magicians at the time.
They go to Peter and Andrew's house and Jesus cures Peter's sick mother-in-law. The house was presumably near the synagogue. She then gets up and helps Jesus and his companions. Attending to her guests would have been her social duty in the Jewish culture. Mark uses the term ēgeiren (Strong's G1453), to lift up, to describe Jesus' cure of her, followed by diēkonei (Strong's G1247), she served, which some have seen as a theological message about Jesus' power requiring service. Karris argues for this event's historicity, perhaps based on an eyewitness. A story about Peter's mother-in-law might have survived due to the popularity of Peter among early Christians.
Peter is clearly listed here as having a wife, as Jesus healed his mother-in-law. Paul
says that other Apostles, Cephas (Peter), and Jesus' brothers
have wives, but not him, in . See also Clerical celibacy
.
It is now night. Mark says "That evening after sunset…," one of his examples of redundancy as evening and after sunset are really the same thing repeated. Both Luke and Matthew do not have this redundancy. By this time word has spread and the people have brought the sick and possessed for Jesus to heal, which he does. Mark says the "whole city" came to see Jesus, which is probably an exaggeration. Both Luke and Matthew just state there were many people. The demons leaving the possessed people are not allowed to tell people who Jesus is, a common theme of Mark called the Messianic Secret
. Jesus is able to cure every affliction of the people who come to see him.
He then leaves town in the morning for solitary prayer, see also Discourse on ostentation#Prayer. Mark says prōi ennycha lian, a complicated description of time employing three adverb
s. His disciples find him and tell him that everyone is looking for him. He says "Let's go somewhere else", to the nearby villages and he will preach to them there also. He says "That is why I have come", using the word exēlthon (Strong's G1831) which some see as meaning a statement about Jesus divine mandate or a rejection of Capernaum, but there is no general agreement on these points. He then travels over all of Galilee preaching and curing.
He cures a leper who comes to him asking for a cure and tells him to show the priests and offer the cleaning sacrifices Moses
had commanded , but not to tell people that Jesus had done it. Jesus here seems to stress the importance of the Mosaic law, see also Expounding of the Law
. This episode is also recorded in the Egerton Gospel
2:1-4. People have seen Jesus telling the man to be quiet about what had happened as related to the Messianic Secret, although it could be Jesus just telling the man to immediately go to the priests. Leprosy could mean many skin diseases, such as favus
or psoriasis
. Mark says Jesus had "compassion" for the man, although a few manuscripts say he was angry, and some have argued that angry was the original word intentionally changed to make Jesus look less angry, as he is described as giving a "stern", embrimēsamenos (Strong's G1690), warning to the man in verse 43. Mark however also shows Jesus' anger in many other places, such as and the incident at the Temple
, see also Expounding of the Law#Anger. Bruce Metzger
's Textual Commentary on the Greek NT postulates a possible "confusion between similar words in Aramaic (compare Syriac ethraham, "he had pity," with ethra'em, "he was enraged")." See also Aramaic primacy
. The man then seems to disobey and spreads the news, increasing Jesus's popularity even more. Whether or not he ever made it to the priests Mark does not say. This is the first of many times in Mark that Jesus unsuccessfully tries to conceal his workings by telling people to keep what he has done a secret. Karris argues that one could also read it as Jesus "spreading the news", not the man He then spends more and more time in "lonely places" but the people follow him there too.
Matthew has all this without an explicit mention of the exorcism and the curing of Peter's mother-in-law, in . The curing of the leper then seems to be in after the Sermon on the Mount
along with the healing of Peter's mother-in-law in .
Luke largely has the same order as Mark in except Jesus calls his disciples after meeting Peter and curing his mother-in-law. Luke also has Jesus going to Nazareth
after his temptation and arguing with the people there. Matthew says he left Nazareth and went to Galilee, but does not relate what happened there.
John has Jesus' baptism and calling of disciples in . John also has Jesus' disciples baptising at the same time as John the Baptist and so has more occur before John's arrest than the Synoptics
do.
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. It begins "The beginning of the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
about Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, the Son of God
Son of God
"Son of God" is a phrase which according to most Christian denominations, Trinitarian in belief, refers to the relationship between Jesus and God, specifically as "God the Son"...
" (in the NIV translation) stating right from the start Mark
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
's belief
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
. However, because there is no article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
in the Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
some have suggested be translated
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
"...a Son of God". Robert Miller translates it as "The good news
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
of Jesus the Anointed
Anointing
To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil, milk, water, melted butter or other substances, a process employed ritually by many religions. People and things are anointed to symbolize the introduction of a sacramental or divine influence, a holy emanation, spirit, power or God...
" on the basis that χριστου means "anointed" and the phrase υιου του θεου is not present in a few early witnesses. The "beginning" could refer to the beginning of the book, or the next verse, or the beginning of the story of Jesus, as Mark is only beginning to tell you about Jesus' life, not writing his entire biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
.
By saying he is the anointed, Mark is declaring Jesus the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
, the successor to King David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
. Mark always uses "Christ" which is derived from the Greek translation, he never uses "Messias" (Strong's G3323) which is derived from the Greek transliteration
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
of the Aramaic
Aramaic of Jesus
It is generally agreed that the historical Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic, perhaps along with some Hebrew and Greek . The towns of Nazareth and Capernaum, where Jesus lived, were primarily Aramaic-speaking communities, although Greek was widely spoken in the major cities of the Eastern Mediterranean...
word for "Messiah". Son of God can be seen as synonymous with a political messiah, in this case the King of the Jews, but can also be seen as expressing divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
, as in the phrase "God the Son
God the Son
God the Son is the second person of the Trinity in Christian theology. The doctrine of the Trinity identifies Jesus of Nazareth as God the Son, united in essence but distinct in person with regard to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit...
". Only the demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
ic opponents of Jesus call him this in Mark until the centurion
Centurion
A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army .Centurion may also refer to:-Military:* Centurion tank, British battle tank* HMS Centurion, name of several ships and a shore base of the British Royal Navy...
in . The good news could refer to the news about Jesus or from Jesus or Jesus as the good news or a combination of them all.
Henry Barclay Swete
Henry Barclay Swete
Henry Barclay Swete was an English Biblical scholar. He became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1890. He is known for his 1906 commentary on the Book of Revelation, and other works of exegesis....
's Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, pages 456-457 states:
- " [Good news or Gospel] in the LXX occurs only in the plural, and perhaps only in the classical sense of 'a reward for good tidings' ( [also , , , ]); in the N.T.New TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
it is from the first appropriated to the Messianic good tidings , probably deriving this new meaning from the use of in , , , ."
John the Baptist
Mark introduces verses 2 and 3 with "It is written in Isaiah the prophet:", however his quote does not exactly match any extant Book of Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
, not even those found in the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
. Some manuscripts of Mark instead have "... in the prophets". Some think this might indicate he did not use a complete Jewish Bible but instead used a general collection of quotations from them. The quote appears to be a composite from the books of Exodus, Malachi
Book of Malachi
Malachi is a book of the Hebrew Bible, the last of the twelve minor prophets and the final book of the Neviim...
and Isaiah: , and , linking the good news of Jesus with a fulfillment of the "Old Testament"
Messianic prophecies of Jesus
Jews and Christians do not agree on what Biblical statements constitute messianic prophecies. Christians point to many statements that they assert are messianic prophecies that Jews do not hold as referring to the Jewish Messiah at all....
. Mark assumes these refer to John the Baptist.
The passage from Malachi describes one who will prepare the way of God for God. Mark has changed the statement of Malachi, which refers to Elijah returning to prepare God's way, to one in which John is seen as Elijah, because the spirit of Elijah rested on him and "my" way has been changed to "your" way, i.e. Jesus' way. Mark thus might be equating Jesus with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
In more detail, it appears Mark has taken part of Exodus 23:20 of the Septuagint: ( Brenton Ex 23:20: "behold, I send my angel before thy face") and combined it with part of Malachi 3:1 of the Septuagint: (Brenton Mal 3:1: "survey the way") to create in the Westcott-Hort Greek NT: . The significant differences are ("survey" -Brenton) is replaced with ("prepare" -NRSV) and a final ("your" -NRSV) has been added: "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" ( in the NRSV). The following quote of Isaiah 40:3 is specifically from the Septuagint, compare Brenton Isa 40:3: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God." to the Masoretic Text
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
: "Hark! one calleth: 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD, make plain in the desert a highway for our God." or the NRSV : "A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." or the new JPS Tanakh (1985)
New Jewish Publication Society of America Version
The JPS TANAKH, published in 1985, is a modern Jewish translation of Hebrew Scripture into English.This translation emerged from the collaborative efforts of an interdenominational team of Jewish scholars and rabbis working together over a thirty-year period...
40:3: "A voice rings out: Clear in the desert A road for the Lord! Level in the wilderness A highway for our God!"
All four gospels use the quote from Septuagint Isaiah. It is in Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
in , Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in Matthew 3:3
Matthew 3:3
Matthew 3:3 is the third verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist. This verse links him to messianic prophecies.In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:...
, and John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
in . This section of Isaiah is about the return journey home from the Babylonian captivity
Babylonian captivity
The Babylonian captivity was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon—conventionally 587–538 BCE....
and was a passage Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
often used as a way of expressing the help of God. Isaiah probably uses this passage symbolically to describe moral cleansing and renewal. Thus John is linked to Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
as well and once again Mark equates the lord of this passage, Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
, with Jesus. Some see John's statement patterned on the Book of Exodus, in . Other books used this pattern to describe other prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s, such as Hosea
Hosea
Hosea was the son of Beeri and a prophet in Israel in the 8th century BC. He is one of the Twelve Prophets of the Jewish Hebrew Bible, also known as the Minor Prophets of the Christian Old Testament. Hosea is often seen as a "prophet of doom", but underneath his message of destruction is a promise...
in and .
Mark then describes John's activities, preaching repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
and forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
of sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
s and baptising
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in the Jordan river. He says he wore camel hair
Camel hair
Camel hair is, variously, the hair of a camel; a type of cloth made from camel hair; or a substitute for authentic camel hair; and is classified as a specialty hair fibre. When woven into haircloth, using the outer protective fur called guard hair, camel hair is coarse and inflexible...
, a leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
belt, and survived off locust
Locust
Locusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
s and wild honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
. His clothes resemble Elijah's described in . There is also the prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
of true prophet's clothing in the Book of Zechariah
Book of Zechariah
The Book of Zechariah is the penultimate book of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew and Christian Bible, attributed to the prophet Zechariah.-Historical context:...
. His diet may have been his attempt at purity There has been much speculation that John was an Essene, perhaps also Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, but there is no hard evidence either way. According to Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
, Jesus and John were relatives and John is described as being a Nazarite from birth . All portraits of him paint him as certainly an ascetic, but also as a popular and respected preacher.
This portrait of John is somewhat the same but somewhat different from the one Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
gives us. Josephus states that John baptized, but not for the forgiveness of sins and that he was a great leader of the people, making no mention of Jesus regarding John. This difference might show how Mark views John, as a representative of Elijah and merely the herald of who Mark deems the more important, Jesus. According to the Q hypothesis
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
John baptising was also found at the beginning of that book as well. John is revered in Mandaeism
Mandaeism
Mandaeism or Mandaeanism is a Gnostic religion with a strongly dualistic worldview. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, Seth, Enosh, Noah, Shem, Aram and especially John the Baptist...
.
Many people come to be baptised by John. He tells them "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
." Untying someone's sandals was a task commonly done by someone's slave. What baptising with the Holy Spirit refers too, as Jesus never baptises in Mark, is uncertain if one only considers Mark. has Jesus' disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
(but not Jesus) baptising at the same time as John the Baptist. (See also Paraclete
Paraclete
Paraclete means advocate or helper. In Christianity, the term most commonly refers to the Holy Spirit.-Etymology:...
, , , , .) Matthew 3:11
Matthew 3:11
Matthew 3:11 is the tenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section relating the preachings of John the Baptist. In this verse he predicts that he will be followed by someone much greater than himself...
and specify baptism with holy spirit and fire.
The Jesus Seminar
Jesus Seminar
The Jesus Seminar is a group of about 150 critical scholars and laymen founded in 1985 by Robert Funk under the auspices of the Westar Institute....
concluded that this was one of the authentic ("red") acts of Jesus, recorded in , , , Gospel of the Ebionites
Gospel of the Ebionites
Gospel of the Ebionites is the conventional name given to the description by Epiphanius of Salamis of a gospel used by the Ebionites. All that is known of the gospel text consists of seven brief quotations found in Chapter 30 of a heresiology written by Epiphanius known as the Panarion...
1, and which it calls "A voice in the wilderness".
Jesus' baptism and temptation
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
in Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. Since John, according to Mark, baptised for the forgiveness of sins some have argued Jesus also is coming to be forgiven for his sins. Mark also has John's function as preparing things for Jesus, and some argue this baptism is meant to forward the fulfillment of Jesus' plan. has John say his baptism was his method of revealing Jesus to Israel
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
. Perhaps Jesus is doing this to embrace the doctrine of baptism and repentance of sins and his oneness with those who embrace it. The Epistle to the Hebrews
Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Its author is not known.The primary purpose of the Letter to the Hebrews is to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. The central thought of the entire Epistle is the doctrine of the Person of Christ and his...
, in , says Jesus was "just as we are—yet was without sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
" and states: "...sin is lawlessness
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is defined as holding that, under the gospel dispensation of grace, moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation....
."
Mark introduces Jesus without a history or a description, suggesting the intended reader already has heard of him. Mark, like all the Gospels, gives no physical description of Jesus, unlike the short previous description of John. Mark's readers are presumed to already know about the two of them.
John baptizes him and Jesus then sees a theophany
Theophany
Theophany, from the Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of God"), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being, or to a divine disclosure....
. He sees "heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
being torn open and the spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
descending on him like a dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
." , telling him that he is his son whom he loves and is pleased with. This could be related to a Psalm, , as well as . The opening of the heavens is often seen as the union and beginning of communication between God and the world. Whether anyone else besides Jesus saw this has been often debated. says the Spirit descended in "bodily
Physical body
In physics, a physical body or physical object is a collection of masses, taken to be one...
" form. says John said he saw the Spirit descend onto Jesus. Some have speculated that this event may have been a story that has its origins in the Early Christian practice of baptism, but Robert J. Karris argues that is unlikely.
Some have argued that since Mark begins his story here, at the baptism, that this could be seen as a form of adoption
Adoptionism
Adoptionism, sometimes called dynamic monarchianism, is a minority Christian belief that Jesus was adopted as God's son at his baptism...
, as it is God's action which changed Jesus' life, although Mark probably is confirming the two's preexistent relationship Jesus is never declared as God's adopted son anywhere in the book, but Mark does not exactly state how or when Jesus became God's son. Both Matthew and Luke use their infancy narratives
Genealogy of Jesus
The genealogy of Jesus is described in two passages of the Gospels: Luke 3:23–38 and Matthew 1:1–17.* Matthew's genealogy commences with Abraham and then from King David's son Solomon follows the legal line of the kings through Jeconiah, the king whose descendants were cursed, to Joseph, legal...
to show he was God's son from the moment of conception
Fertilisation
Fertilisation is the fusion of gametes to produce a new organism. In animals, the process involves the fusion of an ovum with a sperm, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo...
, and has him as the word of God
Logos
' is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and religion. Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word," "speech," "account," "reason," it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus ' is an important term in...
from the moment of creation.
The voice from heaven calls Jesus "beloved". Some see a relationship between this description and that of Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
in Genesis , where Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
had shown his devotion to God by being willing to sacrifice his son
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
, so God shows his love for human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
ity by actually sacrificing his son, see also Substitutionary atonement
Substitutionary atonement
Technically speaking, substitutionary atonement is the name given to a number of Christian models of the atonement that all regard Jesus as dying as a substitute for others, "instead of" them...
. There is also the possible link with this and the beloved servant of God in , , , and .
Temptation of Christ
The temptation of Christ is detailed in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. According to these texts, after being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judean desert. During this time, the devil appeared to Jesus and tempted him...
by Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
for forty days. Forty is a common numerological
Number
A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....
device in the Bible, such as the forty days of the flood in and the forty years of the Israelites wandering in the desert in Exodus. Elijah also spent forty days and nights travelling to Mount Horeb
Mount Horeb
Mount Horeb, Hebrew: , Greek in the Septuagint: , Latin in the Vulgate: , is the mountain at which the book of Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Bible states that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God. It is described in two places as the Mountain of God or perhaps Mountain of the gods...
in . Unlike Matthew 4:1
Matthew 4:1
Matthew 4:1 is the first verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the section in Matthew dealing with the temptation of Christ by Satan...
-11
Matthew 4:11
Matthew 4:11 is the eleventh verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just rebuffed Satan's third temptation and order him away...
and the number of temptations or what they were are not described. Mark does say that Angels came to minister to him. Karris argues the angels and the wilderness are related to .
John is put into prison, presumably by Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipater , known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century AD ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch...
. Mark uses the term paradothēnai (Strong's G3860) to describe John being turned over, which Mark also uses to describe Jesus being arrested during his Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
. Mark has already highlighted two themes, Jesus' power from and favor of God, contrasted with his confrontation with Satan and John being arrested, showing his power and mission have already encountered the most extreme challenges both from the authorities of this world
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
powers.
The Jesus Seminar
Jesus Seminar
The Jesus Seminar is a group of about 150 critical scholars and laymen founded in 1985 by Robert Funk under the auspices of the Westar Institute....
concluded that parts of these accounts were authentic ("red") acts of Jesus, specifically: "John baptizes Jesus": , , , Gospel of the Ebionites
Gospel of the Ebionites
Gospel of the Ebionites is the conventional name given to the description by Epiphanius of Salamis of a gospel used by the Ebionites. All that is known of the gospel text consists of seven brief quotations found in Chapter 30 of a heresiology written by Epiphanius known as the Panarion...
4, and "Jesus proclaims the good news": .
Calling of the four disciples
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, preaching "The kingdom of God
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
is near (ēngiken). Repent and believe the good news (euangelion)!" The kingdom of God can be seen as a physical or spiritual place. It could also be translated as "God's imperial rule", indicating the power of God over all things. The good news is seen as not just God's message but his actions. Jesus here links the coming of God with the term ēngiken (Strong's G1448), which some see as meaning near as in upcoming in the future but others argue it means near as in Jesus himself is near and the coming of God has arrived. These are then linked with repentance, a change of heart, and then belief. Belief and repentance are thus what Jesus says God desires. See also Justification (theology)
Justification (theology)
Rising out of the Protestant Reformation, Justification is the chief article of faith describing God's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous through Christ's atoning sacrifice....
.
Jesus goes to the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
and finds Simon
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
(whom he will name Rock (Peter) in ) and his brother Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
. They are fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, a large business then in Galilee. He speaks the famous phrase "Come, follow me,...and I will make you fishers of men." Some have argued their status as fishermen is metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
ical, based perhaps on , but Karris argues that their occupations as fishermen was historical and related by Mark to show the costliness of being a disciple, as they had to leave a presumably thriving business. Andrew was a disciple
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
of John the Baptist according to John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
. He only appears three times in Mark, here, and in and . They follow him and then soon come upon James
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
and John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
(whom he will name the Sons of Thunder in ), who also quickly join the group, "they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men." Peter, James, and John will play a prominent part in several incidents in the Gospel. Mark does not relate that Jesus convinced them to follow him in any way. Mark simply has them follow him without question. Kilgallen argues that historically this calling was not so sudden, with perhaps a prior meeting, but Mark has shortened it for extra effect to emphasize total devotion to Jesus. John relates Jesus convincing Nathanael
Bartholomew
Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel . He was introduced to Christ through St. Philip, another of the twelve apostles as per , where the name Nathaniel first appears. He is also mentioned as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” in...
to join the group.
Mark says they had nets in and they and their father, Zebedee
Zebedee
Zebedee is a name which may refer to:-People:* Zebedee , father of James and John* Zebedee Armstrong , an American outsider artist...
, employed other men in . Karris argues this shows they had money and a high probability of being educated, with a knowledge of the Jewish Bible. Others point to to show that they were unschooled, but Karris argues against reading this too literally.
has Andrew and someone else who are with John the Baptist follow Jesus after John calls him the Lamb of God
Lamb of God
The title Lamb of God appears in the Gospel of John, with the exclamation of John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29 when he sees Jesus....
. They then bring Simon to Jesus, who gives him the Aramaic name Cephas, meaning Rock (Peter). Philip
Philip the Apostle
Philip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia....
and Nathanael are then called secondly, not James and John. The calling of disciples is also found in and Matthew 4:18
Matthew 4:18
Matthew 4:18 is the eighteenth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just begun preaching in Galilee...
22
Matthew 4:22
Matthew 4:22 is the twenty-second verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. After recruiting Simon Peter and Andrew as disciples Jesus encountered the brothers James and John and their father Zebedee...
.
Jesus in Capernaum and the tour of Galilee
Capernaum
Capernaum was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans. Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other...
, which Mark has as Jesus's center of activity and Jesus teaches in the synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
on the sabbath. Eventually, in , at the Transfiguration of Jesus
Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
, Mark uses the technical term Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, Strong's G4461, meaning a Jewish teacher of Mosaic Law
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. See also Rabboni. Gathering disciples (students) and teaching are thus the first part of what Jesus does to proclaim the kingdom of God. Mark does not relate what Jesus taught, which could mean he left it out because he did not deem it important enough for his book or because he did not know what Jesus taught there. Some archaeologists believe a synagogue in Capernaum that has been excavated lies on top of the synagogue that existed at this time that would have been the one Jesus would have gone to. Anyone who showed a sufficient knowledge of the scriptures could preach in the synagogue. Mark says the people thought Jesus taught with "authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
", which the scribes
Scribes
Scribes is a minimalist and extensible text editor for GNOME that combines simplicity with power. Scribes focuses on ways workflow and productivity can be intelligently automated and radically improved...
did not. The scribes would answer questions in a traditional, official manner, see also Pharisaic Principles and Values. Jesus in Mark operates on no authority but his own judgement. According to Jesus attended the Marriage at Cana
Marriage at Cana
In Christianity, the transformation of water into wine at the Marriage at Cana or Wedding at Cana is the first miracle of Jesus in the Gospel of John....
before going to Capernaum.
He then performs an exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
on a demon possessed
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
man. Curing people, especially possessed people, will be another major method Jesus uses in his mission
Ministry of Jesus
In the Christian gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his Baptism in the countryside of Judea, near the River Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry...
in Mark. The demon recognizes Jesus as "the Holy
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
one of God", the first time Jesus' supernatural opponents are shown to know his true identity. Jesus simply says "Be quiet, and come out of him!", healing the man with words alone. The people are amazed. This follows a path Mark often uses, that of a description of the affliction, Jesus' cure of the affliction, and then a demonstration of the cure to others. The power of Jesus' word over the demon might be Mark's way of trying to show to his audience, perhaps under the threat of persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
, that Jesus' message will overcome evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
. By showing Jesus' teaching first before his exorcism Mark might be placing emphasis on Jesus' teachings as more important that any miracle
Miracles of Jesus
The miracles of Jesus are the supernatural deeds of Jesus, as recorded in Gospels, in the course of his ministry. According to the Gospel of John, only some of these were recorded. states that "Jesus did many other things as well...
he could perform.
There were several people who were claimed to have the ability to perform exorcisms in the ancient world and many ancient opponents of Christianity dismissed Jesus as just another magician. Most descriptions of exorcisms at the time tended to involve the exorcist tricking the spirit or demon into leaving the victim by convincing them the exorcist had more power than the being, not a method Jesus employs. Parallels in Hellenistic
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
cultural stories of exorcisms differ in that they usually involve an associated disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
, which is not the case here. John P. Meier
John P. Meier
John Paul Meier is a Biblical scholar and Catholic priest. He attended St. Joseph's Seminary and College , Gregorian University [Rome] , and the Biblical Institute [Rome]...
sees a clear distinction between these incidents and descriptions of magicians at the time.
They go to Peter and Andrew's house and Jesus cures Peter's sick mother-in-law. The house was presumably near the synagogue. She then gets up and helps Jesus and his companions. Attending to her guests would have been her social duty in the Jewish culture. Mark uses the term ēgeiren (Strong's G1453), to lift up, to describe Jesus' cure of her, followed by diēkonei (Strong's G1247), she served, which some have seen as a theological message about Jesus' power requiring service. Karris argues for this event's historicity, perhaps based on an eyewitness. A story about Peter's mother-in-law might have survived due to the popularity of Peter among early Christians.
Peter is clearly listed here as having a wife, as Jesus healed his mother-in-law. Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
says that other Apostles, Cephas (Peter), and Jesus' brothers
Desposyni
The term Desposyni refers to alleged blood relatives of Jesus. The term was coined by Sextus Julius Africanus, a writer of the early 3rd century. Some scholars argue that Jesus' relatives held positions of special honor in the Early Christian Church...
have wives, but not him, in . See also Clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy is the discipline by which some or all members of the clergy in certain religions are required to be unmarried. Since these religions consider deliberate sexual thoughts, feelings, and behavior outside of marriage to be sinful, clerical celibacy also requires abstension from these...
.
It is now night. Mark says "That evening after sunset…," one of his examples of redundancy as evening and after sunset are really the same thing repeated. Both Luke and Matthew do not have this redundancy. By this time word has spread and the people have brought the sick and possessed for Jesus to heal, which he does. Mark says the "whole city" came to see Jesus, which is probably an exaggeration. Both Luke and Matthew just state there were many people. The demons leaving the possessed people are not allowed to tell people who Jesus is, a common theme of Mark called the Messianic Secret
Messianic Secret
In Biblical criticism, the Messianic Secret refers to a proposed motif primarily in the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus is portrayed as commanding his followers to silence about his Messianic mission...
. Jesus is able to cure every affliction of the people who come to see him.
He then leaves town in the morning for solitary prayer, see also Discourse on ostentation#Prayer. Mark says prōi ennycha lian, a complicated description of time employing three adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
s. His disciples find him and tell him that everyone is looking for him. He says "Let's go somewhere else", to the nearby villages and he will preach to them there also. He says "That is why I have come", using the word exēlthon (Strong's G1831) which some see as meaning a statement about Jesus divine mandate or a rejection of Capernaum, but there is no general agreement on these points. He then travels over all of Galilee preaching and curing.
He cures a leper who comes to him asking for a cure and tells him to show the priests and offer the cleaning sacrifices Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
had commanded , but not to tell people that Jesus had done it. Jesus here seems to stress the importance of the Mosaic law, see also Expounding of the Law
Expounding of the Law
The Expounding of the Law is a highly structured part of the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament...
. This episode is also recorded in the Egerton Gospel
Egerton Gospel
The Egerton Gospel refers to a group of papyrus fragments of a codex of a previously unknown gospel, found in Egypt and sold to the British Museum in 1934; the physical fragments are now dated to the very end of the 2nd century AD, although the date of composition is less clear – perhaps 50-100 AD...
2:1-4. People have seen Jesus telling the man to be quiet about what had happened as related to the Messianic Secret, although it could be Jesus just telling the man to immediately go to the priests. Leprosy could mean many skin diseases, such as favus
Favus
Favus is a disease usually affecting the scalp, but occurring occasionally on any part of the skin, and even at times on mucous membranes.-Presentation:...
or psoriasis
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as a pathogen, and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious. However, psoriasis has been linked to an increased risk of...
. Mark says Jesus had "compassion" for the man, although a few manuscripts say he was angry, and some have argued that angry was the original word intentionally changed to make Jesus look less angry, as he is described as giving a "stern", embrimēsamenos (Strong's G1690), warning to the man in verse 43. Mark however also shows Jesus' anger in many other places, such as and the incident at the Temple
Jesus and the Money Changers
The narrative of Jesus and the money changers, commonly referred to as the cleansing of the Temple, occurs in all four canonical gospels of the New Testament....
, see also Expounding of the Law#Anger. Bruce Metzger
Bruce Metzger
Bruce Manning Metzger was a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and Bible editor who served on the board of the American Bible Society. He was a scholar of Greek, New Testament and Old Testament, and wrote prolifically on these subjects.- Biography :Metzger was born in Middletown,...
's Textual Commentary on the Greek NT postulates a possible "confusion between similar words in Aramaic (compare Syriac ethraham, "he had pity," with ethra'em, "he was enraged")." See also Aramaic primacy
Aramaic primacy
The hypothesis of Aramaic primacy holds that the original text of the New Testament was not written in Greek, as held by the majority of scholars, but in the Aramaic language, which was the primary language of Jesus and his Twelve Apostles....
. The man then seems to disobey and spreads the news, increasing Jesus's popularity even more. Whether or not he ever made it to the priests Mark does not say. This is the first of many times in Mark that Jesus unsuccessfully tries to conceal his workings by telling people to keep what he has done a secret. Karris argues that one could also read it as Jesus "spreading the news", not the man He then spends more and more time in "lonely places" but the people follow him there too.
Matthew has all this without an explicit mention of the exorcism and the curing of Peter's mother-in-law, in . The curing of the leper then seems to be in after the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
along with the healing of Peter's mother-in-law in .
Luke largely has the same order as Mark in except Jesus calls his disciples after meeting Peter and curing his mother-in-law. Luke also has Jesus going to Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
after his temptation and arguing with the people there. Matthew says he left Nazareth and went to Galilee, but does not relate what happened there.
John has Jesus' baptism and calling of disciples in . John also has Jesus' disciples baptising at the same time as John the Baptist and so has more occur before John's arrest than the Synoptics
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
do.
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Jesus: As Healer and Wonder-Worker
- Tabgha, traditionally considered the site of the calling of the fisherman
Matthew 28 Matthew 28 is the twenty-eighth and final chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This chapter covers the events around the resurrection of Jesus.-Content:... |
Gospel of Mark Gospel of Mark The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second... |
Mark 2 Mark 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It has the first argument in Mark between Jesus and other Jewish religious teachers... |