Epaggelia

– 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.

The earliest eccelsiastical and unanimous opinion is that “John Mark” wrote it with the help of the Apostle Peter (1st Peter 5:13) Mark’s mother was also named Mary and lived in Jerusalem in a rather large house with an upper room, Acts 12:12, some people believe this may be where the Lord’s Supper was initiated. Mark is known to have traveled with Barnabas in their first missionary journey, but Mark turned back (Acts 13:5-13) which caused trouble between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41) but he later became a co-worker and a comfort to Paul (Philemon 1:24 & Colossians 4:10-11 & 2nd Timothy 4:11). According to tradition, most scholars believe Mark wrote this gospel before the Jewish Temple was destroyed, as early as 58AD, maybe earlier! Traditions outside the Bible state that Mark was an interpreter for Peter (ref. Papias, 130 A.D.), and that Mark composed his gospel mostly from Peter’s memoirs (ref. Justin Martyr, 150 A.D.) There are three reasons we believe Mark wrote his gospel primarily for Roman readers.

• Jewish customs are explained, Mk. 7:3-4
• A Roman understanding of time is used, Mk. 6:48 & 13:35
• Only Mark identifies Simon of Cyrene as the father of Rufus, Mk. 15:21 & Romans 16:13

The focus appears to be on Jesus as the Perfect Servant. Mark emphasizes the work of the Lord more than His words (he records nineteen miracles, but only four parables), the labor of a person who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mk. 10:45) and so we say that his theme is “JESUS CHRIST THE SERVANT”

It is a concise gospel. The shortest of the four gospels, may make it the best of the four gospels to try and memorize, if memory work is your forte. Luke has 1151 verses but Mark only has 661. Mark’s entire gospel can be read aloud in about 1½ hours. Only 31 verses are unique to Mark, all the rest are quoted by Matthew & Luke. 

It is a fast-paced gospel. Over 40 times he uses a word translated “straightway” or “immediately.” Two-thirds of the verses begin with “and”. The present tense is used frequently (e.g., they come…He says… He sends…). It opens with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ…” Mk. 1:1, and closes with “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15).

It is a vivid gospel. Mark presents little details not found in the other gospels, he wrote like he was an eyewitness which may have been Peter reminiscing.

MARK’S INTRODUCTION 1:1-8, Jesus is the Son of God! He is so important that God prophesied preparation for his service in the world and fulfilled the preparation work in the cousin of Jesus, John the Immersionist. The way which needed preparation is God’s way for his people to live. John used Isaiah 40:3 to emphasize “straight” paths, meaning repentance from a deceptive and twisted lifestyle. He used Malachi 3:1 to emphasize that it would be a very public path with God in full view. Mark is the only author that tells us John’s baptism of repentance is actually able to remiss sin. A powerful fact that gave John’s followers an advantage of purity to follow Jesus and serve God for the benefit of humanity’s salvation. John’s rough and ready lifestyle in the wilderness gave him an immediate audience, the common everyday Jew, so that the message would travel fast by word of mouth all over the Country, from the ground up to the top of society. John’s rudimentary clothing was probably making him look a little like Elijah instead of contemporary Jews, (2Kgs. 1:8) He was quick to teach people that although his baptism was for a big change in their lifestyle, that an even bigger change was ahead in the coming of the Lord.The Lamb of God would baptize by the Holy Spirit Himself, Acts 2:4 & 17, 10:45. The coming Christ was so powerful, that John proclaimed he was unworthy to even untie a sandal strap of Christ. How worthy are we?

Most Christians experience the “power of prayer” and are amazed by God’s grace in their daily life. Some Christians struggle to know His power personally for many years, but all Christians have access to God’s powerful love, message and presence. What the Psalms do in the New Testament is this: They make clear to the reader that God’s powerful message is related to song, as much as it is related to prayer. If a Christian doesn’t notice, learn and practice praise in song, as well as praise in prayer, a Christian can miss the whole plot of God’s power. Afterall, it’s not prayer that is powerful, it’s God! The same can be said for singing Psalms, don’t miss out on the full potential of God’s powerful word.

To sum up the Psalms, we must point out the continuing thread of prophetic promises made about Christ’s sacrifice in the Psalms. Now that’s power! 

Messiah would be called King, Psalm 2:6,  Zechariah 9:9 ~ Matthew 27:37 Mark 11:7-11

Messiah would be betrayed, Psalm 41:9 Zechariah 11:12-13 ~ Lk. 22:47-48 Mt. 26:14-16

Messiah would be falsely accused, Psalm 35:11 ~ Mark 14:57-58

Messiah would be hated without cause, Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4 ~ John 15:24-25

Messiah would be given vinegar to drink, Psalm 69:21 ~ Matthew 27:34 John 19:28-30

Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced, Psalm 22:16 Zech. 12:10 ~ John 20:25-27

Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed, Psalm 22:7-8 ~ Luke 23:35

Soldiers would gamble for Messiah’s garments, Psalm 22:18 ~ Lk. 23:34 Mt. 27:35-36

Messiah’s bones would not be broken, Exodus 12:46. Psalm 34:20 ~ John 19:33-36

Messiah would be forsaken by God, Psalm 22:1 ~ Matthew 27:46

Messiah would pray for his enemies, Psalm 109:4 ~ Luke 23:34

Messiah would resurrect from the dead, Psalm 16:10 & 49:15, Mt. 28:2-7 Acts 2:22-32

Messiah would ascend to heaven, Psalm 24:7-10 ~ Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51

Messiah would be seated at God’s right hand, Psa. 68:18 & 110:1 ~ Mk. 16:19 Mt. 22:44

All of these promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ just for our opportunity to be forgiven, empowered and delivered into eternity with Him. See Psalm 118:20-26. The apostle Paul quoted this referring to our place in The Spiritual Temple of Christ’s body, the church. See Ephesians 2:20-22.

Another amazing fact about the prophetic Psalms is that many of them are not generic phrases that can be understood and applied to any number of people or situations. Most of these prophecies are very specific with details that can only be applied to what Jesus actually did. Praise God for his sovereign grace and strength to perform the fulfillment of such loving acts in painful faith. God the Father is giving us a way and reason to praise Jesus for all he has done for each of us & will do! Praise Him!

v1-2, Declaring a determination to praise God, is the consequence of pursuing a relationship with Him. He always proves himself praiseworthy, Jesus attributed the greatest commandment humanity could obey was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, body and mind, Mark 12:30.

Verses 3 and 4 make a point by a play on Hebrew words. In Hebrew adam, meaning ‘man,’ is the same word for ‘earth’ or ‘ground.’ So dirt goes to dirt.

v6 is quoted twice in Acts 4:24 & 14:15. The praiseworthy position and character of Jesus as The Lord is based on the fundamental right of power over his own creation, which we are an innate part of. We are created to praise Him for our own benefit, strength & salvation. His integrity is real from beginning to end, see Titus 1:2 & Hebrews 6:18

v8-9

· Jesus opened the eyes of the blind (Matthew 9:27-29).

· Jesus raised those who are bowed down (Luke 13:11-13).

· Jesus loved the righteous (Matthew 13:43, 25:46).

· Jesus watched over the strangers (Matthew 8:5-10).

· Jesus blessed the fatherless and widow (Luke 7:12-15).

· Jesus turned the way of the wicked…upside down (Matthew 21:12).

· The logical conclusion is that Jesus is Yahweh, the LORD.

Like Father, like Son. For us, these lines may bring to mind the oracle of Isaiah 61 by which Jesus announced his mission, and further signs of his identity which he sent back to John the Baptist (Luke 4:18f.; 7:21f.).
 v10, The sovereignty of the LORD is seen both in the power of his creation, as well as the all encompassing reach of his grace to humanity, forever! John Newton put it this way, “One of the most beautiful paradoxes in God’s wisdom is sovereign grace. The same grace that is unmerited is also unstoppable”: So why stop praising His grace, once you get it?

v 1, 3, 13, The name of God makes known his character:

a. His name is good. Psa. 52:9“I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good.” Never forget this: God is good, even when bad things happen!

b. His name is majestic. Psa. 8:1, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” This means that His name, which stands for all that He is, is excellent and famous throughout the earth. There is no one else like Him. He is omnipotent and incomparable. Exd. 15:11 “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you–majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”

c. His name is glorious. Psa. 115:1 “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory…” The word “glory” encompasses all of His attributes. The word literally means, “heavy” and refers to the fact that God is weighty, or awesome. Sometimes we try to make a name for ourselves as we crave credit for what we’ve done. We need to remember that His name alone deserves the glory.

d. His name is holy. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray he told them to begin like this in Mat. 6:9, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” His name must be set apart because He is holy.

e. His name is near. God is high and holy and yet, amazingly, He is also close to us. Theologically speaking, He is both transcendent and He is immanent. Allow this truth to penetrate you. He is not distant, but has instead come close to each one of us so that we can get to know Him. Psa. 75:1 “We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.” God is powerful and He is also personal.

Praising the Lord’s name is “Pleasant”, v3, because he alone is good, Matthew 19:17. Before Jesus came, only The God of Israel was holy and to be ‘feared’. Isa. 6:3 & 8:13, all other nations had mere idols or stories of gods, but Israel boasted in a relationship with The unseen God that provided physical evidence of His omnipotent power over creation. The word Pleasant in Hebrew is “Naim”, meaning lovely, delightful and/or beautiful. When Jesus referred John to the necessity of his own baptism, he said that fulfilling righteousness (Matthew 3:15) was “comely”, “fitting”, “becometh” or “proper”. The Greek word Jesus used is “Prepo”, meaning conspicuously eminent and/or very appropriate. This is the same word the Hebrew writer uses to describe Jesus as a High Priest, in Heb. 7:26. Does our singing to praise God’s name give Him a beautiful demonstration of our love? Does our singing of God’s praiseworthy name seem pleasant? You might ask, does the music really fit appropriately with the words adoring God’s name?

v14 echoes Deut. 32:26-43, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people. When the Hebrew writer quotes this fact, he is reminding Christians of God’s perfect justice, which is very well explained by Moses and will be fulfilled in the future judgment day of our Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 10:29-39, is where he replaces persecuting foes, with fake Christians that shrink back away from their faith in Christ and end up living worldly selfish lives.

The God-fearers of v20 are evidence of God’s mercy towards the Nations through Israel. In the  beginning, God’s intention for the Tabernacle was to live among the people, Ex. 25:8, while moving through the nations and into the promised land. When He eventually had Solomon build it into a Temple, it’s obvious from Solomon’s prayer of the Temple’s dedication of God’s intent. Read carefully 1st Kings 8:31-33 and 41-43. This was God’s original intent for the Temple, Mark 11:17, the center of God’s praise, Isa. 56:7.
v21, the Lord “DESERVES” Praise. Since he is deserving, then what is the quality of what he deserves? Nothing less than the best we can offer. Here are some ancient tips in improving our praise, which John Wesley gave in his “Seven Directions for Singing”. I find them as relevant today even though the English is worn and a bit inept, the truth is in today’s reality as the moment they were inked.

This Psalm has two outstanding characteristics about it, firstly, it’s construction is very orderly, especially when you consider it is the longest Psalm. It has 176 verses comprising 22 stanzas of 8 lines each starting in the order of the Hebrew alphabet of 22 letters. So it was reputed to be used for centuries in synagogues teaching children as a school textbook. No one knows for sure who wrote it, but it was probably Ezra. Secondly, it is the only Psalm that exalts the word of God exclusively. Other Psalms praise God’s word in a verse, but Psalm 119 is the only Psalm that praises God’s word in every verse.

The word of God is described by using 7 different words. Pointing us to His POWER.

“Law”, v1 (what is legislative or a principle)

“Testimonies”, v2 (what is verbal)

“Precepts”, v4 (what is thought or meditated upon)

“Statutes”, v5, 8. (what is enforced)

“Commandments”, v6 (what is a direct priority)

“Judgments”, v7 (what is punitive)

“Ordinances or Regulations”, v13 (what is taught or practiced)

The psalm opens with two beatitudes. “Blessed” are those whose ways are blameless, who live according to God’s law, who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. The author of the psalm has experienced great trouble in this life, but is also one who has come through it with a deep and passionate understanding of God’s unfailing love and compassion, v75-77. The author clings to the truths learnt from the Scriptures, which are eternal and “stand firm in the heavens” v89-91. This is the recipe for happiness, as James 5:13 points us to. The Psalm ends with a cry for help, as if he is a lost sheep, needing to be delivered into safety, v169-176. This conclusion is from real experience in God’s word, meeting our needs for spiritual salvation, John 10:11. These are the lessons for us in this great psalm. The Word of God is sufficient to make us wise, train us in righteousness, and equip us for every good work, 2nd Tim. 3:15-17. The Scriptures are a reflection of God’s nature, and from them we learn that we can trust His character, His plan and promises for humanity, even when His plans include affliction and persecution, we can trust His purpose! Notice these attributes of God which are applied to Scripture itself:

1. Righteousness (verses 7, 62, 75, 106, 123, 138, 144, 160, 164, 172)

2. Trustworthiness (verse 42) God’s word always educates us in grace & knowledge

3. Truthfulness (verses 43, 142, 151, 160)

4. Faithfulness (verse 86)  God’s word is always powerful to help comfort or deliver.

5. Unchangeableness (verse 89) no fluctuation in character through changes in work.

6. Eternality (verses 90,152) no fluctuation in character through time in our world.

7. Light (verse 105)

8. Purity (verse 140)

The profound truth that the Word of God is praised as all-sufficient is an expansion of Psalm 19:7-9: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. Just as Christ Himself the Logos is, Jn. 1:1-14 & Matthew 5:43-48. He can even make us perfect in our Creator’s sight! But there is something very important which the Word can not do, which only Christ can do. That is: to love us! Because Love is the author of this word, for God is love.