Jesus Calls His First Disciples
Mark 1:16-20
First to be called were Simon, who had been recently renamed as Peter and his brother Andrew. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptizer and had chosen to follow Jesus when John pointed him out. Read John 1:35-42 to see this earlier meeting between Jesus and Andrew and Simon – renamed Peter after this exchange. Many believe the second disciple mentioned in John’s account to have been John himself, though he is not named. When Jesus called to Peter and Andrew to follow him, Mark says they “At once” left their nets to do so.
Next called were James and John. They, too, “immediately” left their source of income behind and followed Jesus.
Jesus Drives out an Impure Spirit
Mark says that “they” went to Capernaum. It is likely that “they” included Simon Peter, Andrew his brother, John and his brother James, along with Phillip and Nathaniel. There may have been more of them, but these are the ones mentioned in Mark and John. Most likely, these were all called while Jesus was in Bethsaida where Phillip, Simon and Andrew were from. It was a very short walk from there to Capernaum.
Jesus entered the local synagogue on the Sabbath and began teaching. We will see several occasions where Mark will record that the people were amazed at the teaching of Jesus. Here, Mark indicated the reason why they were amazed. It was because He spoke with an authority that was vastly different from the “teachers of the law” (the religious leadership in the synagogue). Jesus authority came directly from God and it was very clear to those listening that this was the case. His authority was not “man made”, as the religious leaders’ authority was.
While he was there, a man posessed by a demon was in the synagogue and the demon inside him spoke out. It is important to note that this demon recognized Jesus for who he was and he recognized the power that Jesus carried. With a word, Jesus could lay waste to the entirety of Satan’s kingdom.
With the above being true, why do you suppose God permits the evil that exists (clearly so) to continue? This is a question that I hear often and it is one that I would like to discuss. Why do you suppose Jesus did not want the demon announcing who he was (verses 24 and 25 – Also verse 34)?
As we read on, we see that Jesus authority over the demons drew even further amazement from the people and word of mouth went before him into all of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many Others
After the synagogue, Jesus and others, including James and John, walked to the home of Simon and Andrew, where Simon’s mother-in-law was ill. After he healed her, she took care of feeding them. Later that night, many more were brought in for healing.
Since so many were brought to Jesus for healing that evening, it is clear that word spread quickly through town. Capernaum was a town of about 1500 during this period, so Mark’s statement that “the whole town gathered at the door..” seems pretty likely.
Jesus Prayer
Mark says “Very early in the morning, but before daybreak, Jesus awoke and went to pray. When Peter and companions (probably the other 4) found him, he told them they were leaving to preach in the other villages.
It is interesting to me to note that Jesus prayer time was followed by the action of going out. Jesus had a unique relationship with the Father, as he was divine, too, but he was also human and I believe his humanity craved for the presence of God in the same way we do. Can you recall a time in your life where the presence of God was so real that you find yourself trying to “get back” to that place? Jesus, as a former resident in Heaven, had, for an eternity past, been physically in the presence of the Father. Maybe this is part of his very often seeking to be alone with God.
Jesus Heals the Leper
Mark 1:40-45
This exchange between Jesus and the leper is one of the most interesting conversations I have read. The man came and “begged him on his knees”… There are several things “wrong” with this picture:
1. Since this man was a leper, he should not be within 6 feet of any other human.
2. If the wind was blowing, he cannot come within 150 feet of other people
3. He must be wearing torn clothes, his hair loose, upper lip covered and be crying out “Unclean, Unclean”
This man was actually speaking to Jesus instead of shouting to him and all others around that he was Unclean. The leper said to Jesus, “if you are willing, you can make me clean.” There are some things that are noteworthy in this statement:
1. It is NOT a question – It is clear that this leper believed that Jesus possessed the power to make him clean. He had no doubts about this capability.
2. What he DID doubt was Jesus willingness to heal him.
Leprosy was a disease that had no human cure. It was a picture of the nature of sin in our lives, and the Jews viewed it that way…and not JUST figuratively so. They believed that a person with leprosy as sick due to some sin in their lives. It was from this perspective that this man came to Jesus: “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” It is doubtful that the man believed Jesus to be God, however, he likely had heard enough about him to know that he came FROM God (remember how fast Jesus “fame” spread throughout the region).
The next verse contains Jesus response. Some manuscripts read “Jesus was indignant”, but many read “Jesus was moved with compassion” (Greek: “splanchnistheis” really means “Moved to the innermost parts”). Most translators use the latter set of manuscripts, however, the NIV is translated as “indignant”. Jesus indignation is important here, too.
1. God hates sin and this disease is a clear picture of the way sin ravages our body and mind.
2. Jesus likely hated to see the way this man had been treated and the (perhaps false) assumptions on the part of his family and friends concerning the sin in his life.
3. It is possible that Jesus felt indignant toward the religious leadership that enforced the social stigma upon this man.
No matter if you interpret his response as “indignant” or “compassionate”, Jesus said to the man, “I am willing…Be clean!” This is a beautiful picture of how God responds to us as well:
Even though we are slowly decaying physically, spiritually and emotionally as a result of the sin in our lives, it is exactly THAT sin that Christ came to pay for. His is both willing and able to heal us 100% and wants nothing less that 100% restoration of our relationship with him made possible by HIS sacrifice and HIS forgiveness.