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Mark
Updated: June 16, 2007
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Written and compiled [C]2001-2007 by Richard L Zorek
- Mark 1:1: The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The beginning of the good news in a world constrained by time. The word "gospel" is an English word. It is a translation of the Ltin bona adnuntiatio, which was a translation of the Greek word usedin this text. Its original form was godspel, god being the Anglo-Saxon adjective "good," and spel menaing "news."
- Mark 1:12-13: At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and He was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. Jesus went into the desert under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to find the devil. Jesus, led by the Holy Spirit, passes into the wilderness and compels the adversary into direct combat. That is not the devils method. He generally puts something between himself and the man he would tempt. He hides his own personality whenever possible. To Adam and Eve he did not suggest that they should serve him, just they they should please themselves. Jesus' confrontation put the devil in the forefront and took him from behind everything. The initiative in the temptation was not taken by Satan, but by the Holy Spirit. He did not wait until the tempter came, but obliged the tempter to come. He forced the fight. It was a fine bit of offensive work. Most of us, wait until we are tempted, and then, half scared, seek for help. But we should always pray ahead, and take the ground before the Evil One can come. Here, the Holy Spirit forestalls the Evil One.
- Mark 1: 20: Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. One has to wonder what was going on in their lives up to this point where they just left their boats???
- Mark 1:24: Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou are Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God Notice "us" as in more than one.
- Mark 1: 40: A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." The man did not demand, he just said "if you are willing."
- Mark 2:25: "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither shall marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels, which are in heaven." The Lord makes it clear that sex and marriage are for this life only.
- Mark 3:27: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath God realized man needed rest.
- Mark 4: 11: He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables A clear explanation why those outside the kingdom cannot understand the meaning of the parables. The parables are the "Mystery of the kingdom of God" top those inside the kingdom.
- Mark 4:35-40: Jesus told them they were going to pass over to the other side. Then the storm came. Did they not hear, or did fear make them forget?
- Mark 4:41: They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" Clearly, even though they had given up everything to follow Him, they still didn't know who He was.....
- Mark 6:31: Let us go into the desert and rest awhile. How can Jesus talk of rest when so much is going on? Jesus knows better. He will not exhauist the strength of his servants prematurely and quench the light of Israel. Rest time is not waste. It is important to gather new strength.
- Mark 10:3-5: When the Pharisees reminded Jesus that Mosaic law permitted divorce, Jesus told them that divorce was a concession to the hardness of their hearts. How much has our own time become like the day of Moses?
- Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Jesus is quite clear that those who would be great in the Kingdom must become servants. Biblical leadership in the home, church, community, etc., must be based on the self-sacrifical example of the King of kings Himself, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant.
- Mark 11:12-24 The fig tree died from the roots up, not the leaves down. The change went unnoticed at the initial curse. The change (or fruit) wasn't noticed til later.
- Mark 12:17: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's": God and the civil magistrate has his rightful due. We are obligated to God first, but we are obligated to the civil government, even an evil one (i.e., the Roman Empire).
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