This is a devotional with my thoughts added to verses from the Bible. I highly encourage you to dig into the word with your own thoughts. The Daily Devotion series is one way to do this. However, I know that sometimes we want to read other people’s ideas about Bible passages, so I am starting the Everyday series. I hope and pray that these posts will draw you nearer to Jesus.
DAY 1–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 1:1 Background and Introduction
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
According to early church tradition, the gospel of Mark was written by a Jewish man named John Mark. John Mark grew up in the house where the first church in Jerusalem used to meet. His mother’s name was Mary (not Jesus’ mother or Mary Magdalene). When Peter escaped from prison (Acts 12:12), he rushed to John Mark’s house, not to stay, but to give them the news of his freedom. Peter knew that the believers would be gathered there praying. He also knew that this was the place where the information of his heavenly rescue could flow out to all the other believers in Jerusalem. Although there were no official deaconesses yet, John Mark’s mother seems to have been acting in the role of head deaconess. Not surprisingly, this was not John Mark’s only interaction with Peter. John Mark grew up with Peter around, and in fact, in 1 Peter 5:13, Peter calls John Mark his son, not in the genetic sense but in the spiritual sense. This verse in First Peter also demonstrates that Mark was physically present with Peter when the letter was written.
Between being a close associate of the early church leaders and writing a gospel, you might think that John Mark led a charmed life spiritually, but the truth is that John Mark was a screw-up. In his gospel, Mark tells the story of a young man who fled naked from the Garden of Gethsemane. Most scholars believe that this young man was John Mark. After Jesus’ ascension, Mark had the opportunity to accompany Paul and Barnabas on the very first missionary journey because he was a close relative of Barnabas. However, Mark only made it through the first leg of the journey before he abandoned the mission. Later events would prove that this was not a planned exit. Instead, he left Paul and Barnabas in a lurch as he ran home to mama in Jerusalem. When Paul and Barnabas were planning a second journey, Barnabas argued with Paul that they should give John Mark a second chance, but Paul did not trust Mark and refused. The two older men separated over this disagreement, and Barnabas took Mark on a missionary journey with him while Paul chose a new traveling companion. In other words, Mark broke up the dream team of Paul and Barnabas. Up to this point in his life, John Mark did not seem to have much potential as a faithful servant of Jesus.
Something must have happened during that second missionary journey with Barnabas, however, because all the later mentions of Mark are favorable. Mark evidently won Paul’s trust at some point because Paul mentions him as a faithful companion three different times (Colossians 4:10, 2 Timothy 4:11, and Philemon 1:23-24). Thus, Barnabas’ faith in Mark’s potential was justified.
Mark knew the apostles; he was at the center of the action of the first church in Jerusalem; he worked closely with the early leaders of the church in missionary work. Thus, it is logical that he would write the first gospel. Some sources claim that the book of Mark should be called the gospel of Peter since Peter seems to have been Mark’s primary source of stories. In fact, early church tradition says that Mark was Peter’s scribe. Without a doubt, the early believers would have wanted to have a written record of the memories of Jesus’ leading disciple and the leader of the apostles after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but it is doubtful that Peter had the literacy skills or the time to write a gospel. Considering the strong evidence of Peter’s input into the gospel of Mark, we should read its stories through the eyes of Peter’s devotion to Jesus and lack of self-understanding. Peter was not a subtle man. Instead, he was direct and to the point. This style is reflected throughout the gospel of Mark.
Mark starts his gospel by telling us that Jesus is the Son of God. He is telling us that his book will be about more than a man. This is not a biography. This is how the Son of God interacted with people in a manner that brought Good News, the Gospel, to all people. Indeed, Mark’s life is an example of how Jesus brings good news into the lives of everyone who comes to Him. Like Mark, we have nothing to brag about because we are all screw-ups, but Jesus entered this world to transform us into children of God. Also, like Mark, when we offer our small talents and efforts in service to Jesus, He can turn even our mistakes into triumphs.
What can we learn from John Mark’s story? First, when you fail, give that failure to God and be willing to try again when He offers you another opportunity to serve Him. Second, be a Barnabas, who was willing to invest his time, energy, and trust in a young man named Paul when no one would believe in him (Acts 9:27) and in another young man named John Mark when Paul rejected him. Young people need experienced mentors who will not give up on them. Finally, the most important lesson is that we must know Jesus, who is the only way that any of us can be transformed. The stated purpose of the gospel of Mark is to introduce us to the Son of God, so in every verse look for Jesus.
DAY 2–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 1:2-8 John the Baptist
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
It is important to remember that anything that is included in the Bible must have a purpose. One of the reasons for including the story of John the Baptist is to set the stage for Jesus’ baptism. In verse one, Mark has stated that Jesus is the Son of God. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father identified Jesus as His son, so this is important evidence to support the assertion made in verse one. Mark’s source, Peter, would have included the story of Jesus’ baptism when he spoke to people because the baptism was when either Peter heard directly or people Peter knew directly heard God the Father testify that Jesus was His son. In order to introduce Jesus’ baptism, Mark had to first set the scene for those who had not experienced Peter’s firsthand account. Mark began his narrative with a scriptural prophecy that John the Baptist had applied to himself. Then Mark showed how John the Baptist was a fulfillment of this prophecy and how popular John was with the people.
John the Baptist was the herald of the Messiah, so he had to prepare the Jews for Jesus’ coming in several ways. First, he announced to the people that not only were they sinful, but that through repentance, they could receive forgiveness from God. He was turning their hearts towards Jesus so that they would be ready to meet the Son of God. In addition, John was the star witness testifying that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. It was necessary for John to be accepted as a true prophet with as many people as possible before Jesus arrived on the scene so that John’s testimony would be believed and accepted.
John the Baptist already knew about being baptized by the Holy Spirit before he witnessed the dove at Jesus’ baptism. John had been filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb and drawn to Jesus even before either of them was born (Luke 1:41). Thus, John knew how to listen to God and follow His instructions. John was still human with doubts and lacked some key knowledge. However, his humility allowed him to hear and be led by the Spirit. He had a connection with God that allowed him to be used in an extraordinary way. John the Baptist had been given the most important job that any prophet, including Moses, had ever performed, and he carried out his duties faithfully. He truly was the greatest of the prophets, even though he only served for a few short years and performed no miracles. His humility and focus on his mission for God allowed him to reach the hearts of the Jewish nation so that they would be ready for the most important event in the history of the world.
Multiple gospels describe John’s unique way of life. He had previously spent most of his time in the desert. He wore a robe of camel’s hair and a leather belt. He ate locusts and honey. Although there is some disagreement about whether the locusts were bugs or a kind of plant, this does not negate the fact that John the Baptist was weird. Why did he dress and act this way? And why was this description included in multiple gospels? One reason was to show that John was a Nazarite. This does not mean that he was from Nazareth. Instead, it is the term for someone who has been dedicated to God in a special way (Numbers 6:1-21). Normally, the Nazarite vow was for a limited time period, but for two men in history—Samson and John the Baptist—it was lifelong. Thus, the description reminded people that John had been testified to by an angel and a miracle and dedicated to God from his conception. Another reason for the description was to connect John to Elijah in the people’s minds. The Jews were familiar with a prophecy that Elijah had to come before the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6). John’s manner of dress was reminiscent of the scriptural description of Elijah (Kings 1:8). Thus, the accounts of John’s appearance provided by Mark and others reminded people that John was a credentialed prophet whose testimony of Jesus’ as the Messiah must be accepted.
What do today’s verses remind us about God’s character? God wants everyone to be saved. He made every effort to prepare people’s hearts so that they would be ready for the Messiah. He will leave no stone unturned in His efforts to keep humanity from eternal death. In fact, He is making the same effort today. Our Father is leaving no avenue untried as He attempts to reach even the most hardened heart with His love. From prophecies to signs to spoken messages to details about a person’s life, God pays attention to any factor that might reach us and draw us nearer. This means that He will never forget us or absentmindedly leave us out of His plans. We need to trust in His love and attention to us.
John was able to serve God so well because of his humility. We need to emulate John’s humility–his ability to listen to God and follow the lessons provided, as well as his lack of ego where his Master was concerned. John did not let his popularity go to his head. He knew that he was a messenger and that the greater One was always to be his focus. We also must be careful to leave our egos behind and focus on service to God rather than our own glory and desires. John knew that His Master was coming even though he did not know what his Master looked like. We have not seen Jesus physically, but we know that Jesus is coming soon. We must never forget that this world is living on borrowed time. John’s faith in the Messiah’s coming was strong enough for him to move the nation of Israel to repentance so that they would be ready for the appearance of their Master. We, too, need the faith to prepare the way for the coming of our Master. It is only by faith that we can allow the Sprit to work in us to bring people to repentance so that they are ready to face their Creator. We are to prepare the way for the Lord just as much as John.
DAY 3–Remember to pray before you begin.
Mark 1:9-13 Jesus’ Baptism
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
It is helpful to try to picture the events that are being described. This process helps us focus in on details that might otherwise be missed. For example, here it says that when Jesus came up out of the water, He immediately saw the heavens being torn open. This verse is cross referenced back to Isaiah. “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence” (Isaiah 64:1). According to Strong’s dictionary, the word for torn open is /schizō/ skhid’-zo which is “Apparently a primary verb; to split or sever (literally or figuratively): – break, divide, open, rend, make a rent.” The Thayer dictionary definition is “1) to cleave, cleave asunder, rend 2) to divide by rending 3) to split into factions, be divided.” Thus, not only did a dove come down, but there was some kind of change in the sky that could only be described as opening up or being rent. Other examples in the Bible make it clear that when God shows Himself in His power, there are reactions in the air. For example, in Ezekiel’s vision of cherubim and God, he said “I was amazed to see a wind storm blow in from the north, consisting of a massive cloud and fire that was flashing back and forth, surrounded by bright light. From deep within the cloud something was shining that appeared to have a color like bronze that had been placed in fire until it glowed” (Ezekiel 1:4). Thus, it is not surprising that the movement of the Spirit would cause something to happen in the sky. Movies and paintings all make it seem just like the dove was coming down from a bright light, but Mark does not mention that kind of light—only that the heavens were split apart.
Another detail that Mark brings out is that the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. This was not Jesus’ carefully thought-out plan. It was an action that was forcefully directed by the Spirit. As a human, Jesus did not have the knowledge that He had possessed before His incarnation. Thus, He was dependent upon the Spirit to direct and guide Him, just as we are. The idea of being driven into the wilderness contains the feeling of urgency. This wilderness time was necessary.
It is important to investigate questions that we have as we study God’s word. Sometimes, the questions lead to useless speculation so that we need to put the question aside, but other times, our questions lead us into important insights into God’s character and the reason for certain details in the narrative. For example, it says that Jesus was in the wilderness without any people around for forty days which is about a month and ten days. Other gospels say that he fasted for that time period. “After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry” (Matthew 4:2). Of course, He was hungry, so why tell the reader that information? It becomes a little more meaningful when we look at the original word for hungry, which according to Strong’s dictionary, was peinaō /pi-nah’-o/ “(through the idea of pinching toil; “pine”); to famish (absolutely or comparatively); figuratively to crave: – be an hungered.” In other words, Jesus was very, very, very hungry or famished. Another question is to ask how Jesus could have gone that long without eating. One explanation is that He did not continuously fast, but that He fasted, then ate, then fasted some more, repeat. Another explanation is that God sustained Him. A third explanation is that it was a fast that was not totally without liquids, i.e. He drank water and maybe the juice of some plants. Another example of a question to ask about the passage is why it was necessary for Jesus to fast that long. Forty days is a very specific number. Why make a point of the time? The answer is that there are strong implications, especially in the gospel of Matthew, that Jesus’ life was a kind of re-enactment of the history of Israel, except that He succeeded where Israel failed. The forty-day period would represent Israel’s forty years in wilderness, where they learned to trust God enough to be able to enter the Promised Land. If we analyze our three questions, we see that the first question was mildly useful. The second question led to speculation without much value. However, the third question led to a deep insight into patterns found in Jesus’ life and connections between the gospels and the events of the Old Testament. Asking questions during a devotion are important.
What are some other questions about the details of this passage? The Bible says that Jesus was with the wild animals and that angels were ministering to Him. The angels must have been excited to be able to speak with Jesus again. Did Jesus remember any of the angels as old friends? We are not told the answer to this question in the Bible, but the question helps us to remember that the angels must love Jesus just as we are to love Him.
What does this passage tell us about Jesus’ character? Jesus said in one place in the Bible that His food was doing the Father’s will. “Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, have something to eat.” But he told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” So the disciples began to say to one another, “No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?” Jesus told them, “My food is doing the will of the one who sent me and completing his work” (John 4:31-34). Thus, food may not have been that important to Jesus while He was able to commune with the Father. He may have been so focused on His Father and friends, the angels, that eating was irrelevant. Or maybe food would have interfered with the connection. When that intense communication was finished, and it was time to return to ministering to humans, Jesus may have finally listened to the demands of His body which by that time was weak with hunger. Thus, this question tells me that for Jesus, His time with His Father was more important than hunger.
Jesus loves His Father intensely and passionately. He loves us intensely and passionately also. We do not understand the kind of love that keeps on loving in spite of pain. All too often, we have learned to protect our hearts so that we stop short of loving too deeply for fear of being hurt. It is difficult to comprehend the kind of love that Jesus has because it is almost nonexistent in our society. God’s love is both cerebral and emotional. There is both passion and principle. Jesus commands us to love as He loves. This is something that we cannot do on our own, but through the Spirit living in us, we can be transformed. Let us pray for that kind of love.