Mark 1:1-35

SECTION 1. The Establishment of His Ministry (1:1-3:35).

This section commences with Jesus' emergence from the wilderness as the Spirit anointed King and Servant (Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 61:1) Who is God's beloved Son (Mark 1:11), continues with His initial revelation of Himself as introducing the Kingly Rule of God (Mark 1:15), and as consequently doing mighty works in God's Name, includes the idea of the formation of a group of disciples who are to extend His ministry (Mark 1:16; Mark 2:13; Mark 3:13), and finalises with the idea of the open community which is being formed who will do the will of God, and will thus reveal themselves as sharing with Him in His sonship as His ‘brother, sister and mother' (Mark 3:31; compare Romans 8:15).

Analysis of 1:1-3:35.

a Jesus Christ comes, is borne witness to by John the Baptiser, and is acknowledged by God as His Son, with Whom He is well pleased (Mark 1:1).

b In the Spirit's power He is driven into the wilderness to be tested by Satan, and is so tested among the wild beasts, while being assisted by heavenly resources (Mark 1:12),

c He goes about preaching the Kingly Rule of God and calls on four men to follow Him as His disciples, with the aim of their becoming ‘fishers of men' (Mark 1:14).

d Crowds gather and wonder at Him, unclean spirits/demons are cast out, healings take place, and He warns the demons not to make Him known ‘because they knew Him' (Mark 1:21).

e Jesus stresses that He must go to ‘the next towns' in order to preach, for that is why He has been sent (Mark 1:35).

f Jesus heals a leper with a touch and a word and sends him as a testimony to the priests in Jerusalem (Mark 1:40 --45).

g The healing of a paralytic - the Scribes criticise Jesus for declaring that the man's sins are forgiven and learn that ‘the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins' (Mark 2:1).

h The ‘surprising' calling of Levi, a public servant and outcast, to be a disciple (Mark 2:13).

i Jesus and His disciples feast in Levi's house along with many public servants and sinners, and the Pharisees grumble because He eats with sinners (Mark 2:14).

j Jesus makes clear that He has come as the Healer of those who acknowledge that they are ‘sick', that is, not of those who claim to be righteous but of those who acknowledge themselves as sinners (Mark 2:17).

i The disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, and they grumble because Jesus' disciples do not fast, at which Jesus points out that He has come as the Bridegroom introducing what is totally new and incompatible with the old so that fasting would be out of place (Mark 2:18).

h He illustrates the fact that the new ways have come to replace the old (Mark 2:21).

g The Pharisees criticise Jesus' disciples for eating in the grainfields on the Sabbath and learn that ‘the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath' (Mark 2:23).

f Jesus heals the man with a withered hand, as a testimony to the Pharisees (Mark 3:1).

e Jesus goes out among the crowds to preach and they gather to Him from every quarter (Mark 3:7).

d Jesus heals many people, unclean spirits are cast out declaring Him to be the Son of God and He charges them not to make Him known (Mark 3:10).

c Jesus calls the twelve Apostles who are to go out and preach and have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:13 a).

b Jesus in His coming is facing up to Satan and will prove to be the stronger, although being found among those who are His antagonists (are behaving like wild beasts), who, in contrast with the ‘sons of men' who receive forgiveness, oppose the truth about Him, not recognising that the heavenly Holy Spirit is at work through Him (Mark 3:19).

a Those who gather to Jesus and hear Him are members of His true family (and therefore sons of God who have responded to the Holy Spirit) as long as they do the will of God (Mark 3:31).

Note that in ‘a' the Son of God is here and does the will of God (He is well pleased with Him), and in the parallel the new sons of God are here, evidenced by the fact that they do the will of God. In ‘b' Jesus faces Satan in the wilderness among the wild beasts with heavenly support, and in the parallel He outfaces Satan among antagonistic unbelievers, with the Holy Spirit's support. In ‘c' He goes out proclaiming the Kingly Rule of God and calls four disciples to follow Him so that they might become fishers of men, and in the parallel He calls His twelve Apostles and sends them out to preach and have authority over demons. In ‘d' crowds gather and unclean spirits/demons are cast out who ‘know Him', and He commands them not to make Him known, and in the parallel crowds gather, demons are cast out who reveal that they know Him for they declare Him to be the Son of God, and He commands them not to make Him known. In ‘e' He stresses the urgency to go to other towns in order to preach, and in the parallel the crowds gather from everywhere to hear Him preach. In ‘f' the leper is healed as a testimony to the priests, and in the parallel the man with the withered hand is healed as a testimony to the Pharisees. In ‘g'' the Son of Man, Who is criticised by the Scribes, has power on earth to forgive sins, and in the parallel the Son of Man, Whose disciples are criticised by the Pharisees, is Lord of the Sabbath. In ‘h' the new is contrasted with the old as Jesus calls an outcast public servant to be His disciple, and in the parallel He reveals in parables that the new ways have replaced the old. In ‘i' Jesus and His disciples feast with sinners, and the Pharisees grumble, while in the parallel the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, and grumble because Jesus disciples do not fast. Jesus explains that they cannot fast because He has come as the Bridegroom in order to bring joy to men. In ‘j' Jesus declares that He has come as a Physician with a new message of ‘healing' for sinners.