Epaggelia

Capernaum was a town that Jesus kept returning to, see Mark 1:21 & 9:33. Later in his ministry he would judge the majority of it’s inhabitants for a lack of repentance, Luke 10:13-15.

If you see God’s power and hear God’s word, what does He expect? __________________

Which came first for the paralyzed man? Forgiveness or Healing?

Would you take anyone paralyzed up on top of a house to meet a Doctor?

What kind of paralyzed person would consent or desire to be taken up above a house and lowered down through a hole in the roof for the opportunity of healing?

Why didn’t the friends of the paralyzed man wait till the crowds thinned out and get access to Jesus later?  Why jump the line, so to speak?

What was the reaction of most people when they saw Jesus perform a miracle to prove he had the power to forgive sins?

Initially what was the first reason Jesus called Levi the tax collector to follow Him?

1. To get a free meal
2. To make hypocrites feel guilty
3. To show his priority in healing sinners

Jesus stated his purpose in coming and going out into the world was:

“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to _____________________”

What was the first fact Jesus taught about fasting? It’s about the…

1. Timing of who’s presence you’re in.
2. Faith of who’s power you’re using.
3. Health of who’s doing the fasting.

In using the analogy of mismatching new cloth with old garments, or new wine/old wineskins, 

Jesus claimed to be the new ____________________ and his disciples to be the new ___________

Did Jesus expect his disciples to fast? Yes/No

Are marriage relationships always happy, or do marriages have highs and lows?

What three descriptions does Jesus make of himself in the following verses:

v10___________________________

v17___________________________

v19-20_________________________

– Casting out an unclean spirit in the synagogue at Capernaum. Synagogues grew from Israel’s need to have a place to study the Law for prevention of idolatry threatening to invade their society. The first dated evidence we have of synagogues is 250 years before Christ came, during the period of God’s silence between the old and new testaments. Jesus habitually used Synagogues to make known God’s powerful mercy, Matthew 4:23. Demons would often try to invade his teaching but would not be allowed to rule any longer, Mk. 1:39. They were ignorant of exactly why Jesus came into their realm with us, but the demons were certain of his true identity as The Holy One of God.

– Healing the mother-in-law of Simon-Peter from a fever is the powerful compassion Jesus demonstrated on the people his disciples loved. This is a reminder that God takes care of what we can’t take care of. We must do our best with what God gives us, but what we can not do, God can see to, IF we prayerfully ask for His help, trusting His sovereign grace.  Remember James 5:14-15.

– Healing many who were sick of various diseases, and casting out demons; God’s mercy was powerful towards any and all he could physically reach, with the exception of the demoniacs themselves. Because there were so many people, the tireless and powerful work of Jesus took a toll on him and he needed a “desolate” place to pray and refresh himself with his Father for more work in front of him. Jesus had at least two reasons why he silenced them, firstly because they were evil and had no right to speak, it was inappropriate for evil to proclaim what is holy, and secondly because if he let them speak the truth, in any capacity, the obvious political implications are not what Jesus wanted people to pursue, the timing of the public’s desire for a King had to wait till he was nearer the passion week. In this way Jesus was still in complete charge of his self-sacrifice. Don’t forget Paul wouldn’t let the slave girl be used by demons to speak the truth either, see Acts 16:17-18, but preaching the true good news was his priority. This primary purpose of Christ is stated clearly at the beginning of Mark’s gospel, 1:38. 

– Cleansing a leper who came to Him, is the only miraculous work of Christ that is described as a cleansing, not a healing. Leprosy is a disease that the law of Moses linked to sin itself, see Leviticus 13:3-15 for relating the priest’s declaration of leprosy with a ‘cleansing’. While Jesus was more than perturbed with the man’s uncertainty of being healed, God’s mercy was so powerful, despite the anger of Jesus, his compassion towards the leper was able to cleanse him anyway. This is proof that God’s grace & mercy works on the problems of people He is not entirely yet pleased with, this is really good news!  The immediate cleansing of leprosy was mandated by Jesus, but Christ under the law of Moses was obliged to send the cleansed man to the priesthood and offer what God’s law required, see Leviticus 14:1-32. Notice that Jesus himself touched the leper, and was not concerned about catching the illness or being declared unclean by anyone. Why? Because all the previous miracles established his holiness was powerful in the eyes of his disciples. Cleansing someone from leprosy instantly would put Him above any High Priest regarding levels of power. All priests had to wait for what would happen over time, to see if the leper would be cleansed, read Leviticus 13 and you’ll see seven days mentioned over 11 times regarding the long purification process the priesthood had to practice on lepers.

The public announcement of this amazing power above the priesthood, put Jesus in a different position with the public than before. His ministry is about to take a change towards an immense amount of popularity and he would need discretion to keep working and preaching effectively, v45.

v9, Jesus was immersed by his cousin John the Immersionist, with his baptism of repentance. This marked a change in Christ’s life, from secular to spiritual. Jesus was Immanuel, God with us, he didn’t need repentance because He was already righteous, however, before his baptism, he was not involved in the service of being the Lamb of God. He was indeed the Son of God, but now, after his baptism the Son of God would work, live and die as the Lamb of God. See John 1:29. Whenever we are immersed it is primarily to be forgiven and repentance is an immediate reaction to the gospel, which should take on a part of our lifestyle becoming a sheep! But Jesus had no sins to forgive, and his lifestyle was already righteous, so his baptism was a change in service & sacrifice. Two events immediately took place as soon as Jesus was immersed, Firstly; Heaven being ‘torn open’, and Secondly; His Temptation.

v10, The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended and remained (Jn. 1:32 “MENO”) on Jesus. This is significant when we read John 3:33-35 “without measure” is shown by the dove staying with him. The descent of the Spirit upon the apostles was tongues of fire resting “KATHIZO”, on them with the sound of rushing wind, which of course soon dissipated, Acts 2:3-4, else how would anyone hear anything of the sermon being translated? What would the purpose of a “dove” serve? Read Ephesians 2:14.

v11, The Voice clarified what John was reminded of, upon seeing the dove, leaving no one in any doubt that God just came closer now to all of them. God was WELL pleased with Jesus. This would certainly give everyone there a sense of privilege to be in His presence. The same pleasure God felt that day is what He feels when he gives anyone the Kingdom today, see Luke 12:32. 

v12-13, As strangely as it would seem for a dove to remain on someone, just as strangely Jesus was driven to a desolate place where wild beasts lived, to be tempted by the devil himself for forty days. During the 1st century this would include bears and lions! Not a place to weaken yourself by fasting alone, making yourself vulnerable to even Satan. What kind of courage would Jesus be driven to display? It’s one thing for a human being to be tempted while other people are present, but what about when you’re alone?

v14-15, For now, Mark ends the role of John’s service in prison, here, but his martyrdom is recorded in 6:1. In the meantime, Jesus starts preaching good news about His Father’s dominion, calling it the Kingdom of God, (not an Old Testament phrase). Pleading for people to trust his message and change their lifestyle, because time is running out. In just 4 decades, Israel would lose their Temple and Economy, only to be left to find security, holiness and purpose in Him, or else. Even today Judaism is a veneer of religion with no Temple and enjoys an economy based entirely on historical references and allies in the world, not God! The phrase “Gospel of the Kingdom” is a phrase Matthew uses in Mat.4:23, 9:35 & 24:14, not Mark, but it emphasizes the power of Christ’s message, which is what Mark is referring to here.

v16-20, The first disciples Jesus calls are fishermen. The majority of employed people in Israel are based in Agriculture, so he is starting off with people who are familiar with not fitting in with a common majority. Cicero wrote this about fishermen in this region at approximately 40BC: “the most shameful occupations are those which cater to our sensual pleasures: ‘fish-sellers, butchers, cooks, poultry-raisers, and fishermen” ~ Cicero, On Duties 1.42. Do you ever think that being a Christian is something the world should respect? Do you think Jesus ever intended the world to respect the church? No, He expects the world to respect His Father! The point of this passage is to teach us what Jesus expects of us, that is: To be fishers of people, so that we can be in a real relationship with Him and get home! Every Christian in some capacity and to some degree must live out a love for the lost souls in this world that will give our Heavenly Father, more than just acknowledgement. What is needed from our neighbor is for them to give Jesus their lives! Peter learnt that and said so in Acts 4:12, it’s a matter of life and death.