Mark’s Good News
An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Mark’s Gospel
Hilda Bright
This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are from the Bible.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
A The *disciples met in Jerusalem at the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12).
B Mark was a relative of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). He went to help Paul and Barnabas on their first journey to *preach the good news (Acts 13:5). He turned back at Perga and he went home (Acts 13:13). Paul, therefore, refused to take him on the next journey. Mark then went with Barnabas to Cyprus (Acts 15:37-39).
C Mark was a ‘worker’ with Paul. Paul was in prison in Rome (Philemon 24; Colossians 4:10). He had been a help to Paul. Paul wanted Timothy to bring Mark to him. He would help Paul again (2 Timothy 4:11).
D Peter called him ‘Mark, my son’ (1 Peter 5:13). This was probably because he had helped Mark to believe in Christ.
There are some details that are in this *Gospel only. These details show that they probably come from an eye-witness. An eye-witness was there when the events happened. Two early writers said that Peter gave Mark the information for his *Gospel.
Mark went to Alexandria, the important centre for trade and learning. There he started a Christian church.
Most writers agree that Mark was the first person to write a *Gospel. Both Matthew and Luke seem to use it. Mark perhaps completed it in the year 65, soon after Peter’s death.
1 Mark wanted to show that Jesus was the ‘Son of God’. So he emphasises how the crowds and the *disciples were very often astonished at Jesus’ actions. Jesus made the storm on the lake become calm (4:41). Then the *disciples asked, ‘Who is this?’ They had a feeling of fear. And they greatly respected Jesus. Evil *spirits recognised who Jesus was. Mark also records that (3:11; 5:7).
2 At the same time, Mark shows that Jesus was really human. He was ‘the *carpenter’ (6:3). He became tired and he became asleep (4:38). He had human feelings. He felt sad (6:34), and he was angry at wrong ideas and actions (3:5; 11:15-17).
3 There are details that are only in Mark’s *Gospel. They give us the idea that someone had been an eye-witness. (See ‘Early Christian writers’ above.) In the account of the storm on the lake, ‘there were other boats with him’. Jesus was ‘in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion’ (4:35, 38). The groups of people were sitting on the ‘green’ grass (6:39). On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ‘ahead of them’ (10:32). Jesus ‘took the children into his arms’ (10:16). The blind man ‘threw off his coat’ (10:50).
4 Mark records some of the actual *Aramaic words that Jesus used. He gave James and John the name ‘Boanerges’ (3:17). He raised Jairus’s daughter with the words ‘Talitha cumi’ (5:41). He said ‘Ephphatha’ to the deaf man (7:34). He called his Father ‘*Abba’ (14:36). The cry from the *cross was in *Aramaic (15:34).
5 Mark shows how the crowds, the *disciples and Jesus’ own family did not understand Jesus. The *religious leaders opposed him. Most people had the wrong idea about what the *Messiah should be like.
6 Christians were suffering for their *faith when Mark wrote. He showed them that Jesus suffered. He suffered in the plan of God and he made the *Scriptures come true.
7 Mark uses the word ‘immediately’ very many times. He wants to emphasise the power of Jesus, whose command always brought a quick result (1:20, 42; 2:12; 5:42). It is also as if he is anxious to reach the end of the story. He cannot wait to tell everyone about the death and *resurrection of Jesus. Mark knew that these two events were ‘good news’ for everyone. When Jesus suffered, it made it possible for God to *save people. ‘The Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. Instead, he came to serve other people. He came to give his life as the price to make many people free’ (10:45).
v1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Verse 1 The first verse is also the title of the *Gospel. The human Jesus was the Christ, the *Messiah that the *Jews were expecting. The *Greek word ‘Christ’ and the *Hebrew word ‘*Messiah’ mean the ‘*Anointed Man’. To *anoint someone showed that God had chosen them for a special responsibility. Samuel *anointed Saul to be king (1 Samuel 10:1). Jesus was the king who came to bring people into his *kingdom. He came to make people free from the power of *sin. Moses made Aaron and his sons special as priests by *anointing them with oil (Leviticus 8:12). Jesus was also a priest who was giving a *sacrifice to God. The *sacrifice that he gave was himself. Jesus is both king and priest. That is the good news.
Mark writes about Jesus as the true ‘Son of God’. As the Son of God, he showed God’s love and power in all that he did. Mark records more of Jesus’ actions than of his words.
*Old Testament *prophecy spoke about someone who would prepare the way for the *Messiah. John the *Baptist urged people to show that they were ready for the *Messiah. When they wanted to change their behaviour, John *baptised them in the River Jordan.
v2 In the book of the *prophet Isaiah, God said,
‘Look, I am sending my *messenger before you.
And he will prepare your way.
v3 A voice is calling out in the wild country,
“Prepare the way for the *Lord.
Make straight paths for him.” ’
v4 This *messenger was John the *Baptist. He appeared in the desert. He was *preaching that people should turn away from their *sins. *Baptism would show that they wanted God to forgive them. v5 People from all the country of Judea and from Jerusalem went out to John. They confessed that they had done wrong things. So John *baptised them in the River Jordan. v6 John wore clothes that he had made from camel’s hair. He had a leather belt round him. He ate insects called locusts. And he ate wild honey that came from another kind of insect. v7 He announced, ‘Someone will come after me. He is much greater than I am. I am not even good enough to be his slave. v8 I have *baptised you with water. But he will *baptise you with the *Holy Spirit.’
Verses 2-3 John the *Baptist’s work was like that of someone who announced the arrival of an important official. There had been no *prophet for 400 years, since the time of Malachi. Malachi wrote about the *messenger (verse 2 is from Malachi 3:1). Mark combines this verse with one from Isaiah (40:3). Isaiah describes a ‘voice’ that is shouting in the desert. John the *Baptist describes himself as that ‘voice’ (John 1:23).
Verses 4-5 The *Jews *baptised *Gentiles who wanted to accept the *Jewish *faith. John changed this custom. Water cleans the body. John *baptised *Jews to be ‘clean’ in their behaviour towards God and other people. Then they would be ready for the *Messiah. The Messiah would help them to know that God had really forgiven them.
Verse 6 John lived a simple life in the desert. He wore rough clothes like those of the *prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). He was therefore very different from the proud *religious leaders with their long clothes (Mark 12:38). His food was simple. Locusts were insects that the law allowed people to eat (Leviticus 11:22-23). John could obtain honey from wild insects.
Verse 7 John was humble. The *Messiah would be much more important than he was. John knew that. He said that he was not even good enough to be the *Messiah’s slave.
Verse 8 John’s *baptism with water showed that people were willing to turn away from their *sin. Jesus’ gift of the *Holy Spirit would give people the power to live a new life.
Jesus came to the River Jordan, where John *baptised him. Immediately afterwards, he went into the desert, where *Satan *tempted him.
v9 At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. John *baptised him in the River Jordan. v10 When Jesus came up out of the water, at once he saw the heavens open. He saw the *Holy Spirit. The Spirit came down like a gentle bird on Jesus. v11 Then a voice from heaven spoke. ‘You are my son whom I love. I am very pleased with you’, the voice said. v12 The Spirit immediately made him go out into the desert. v13 He was in the desert for 40 days. There *Satan *tempted him. Jesus was with the wild animals. God’s *messengers took care of him.
Verse 9 Jesus did not need *baptism, because he had no *sin to confess. But he made himself united with the people that he came to rescue from their *sins. His *baptism also was to show the beginning of his work.
Verse 10 The *Holy Spirit gave him the power for his future work. The *Holy Spirit came in the shape of a gentle bird. This may mean that he came in a gentle way. He came as a bird would fly down. This would also remind Mark’s readers of the same kind of gentle bird in Genesis 8:5-12. That bird came back to Noah in his special boat. It was the sign of a new beginning (Genesis 8:6-12).
Verse 11 The message from heaven used words from the *Old Testament. Isaac was the son whom Abraham loved (Genesis 22:2). God was ‘very pleased’ with the Servant whom he had chosen. Jesus therefore knew that God approved of him. He also knew that his work would be that of a servant. He would know that the last of Isaiah’s ‘Servant’ songs spoke about a ‘suffering’ servant (Isaiah 53).
Verse 12 ‘made him go’. Jesus had a very powerful feeling that God was urging him to go into the desert. For Mark’s readers, the desert was a place where evil *spirits lived. Jesus went there to begin the battle with *Satan.
Verse 13 ‘Forty (40) days’ may be an exact number or it may mean a fairly long time. ‘*Satan’ is God’s enemy. He tried to make Jesus use his power in ways that would not please God. Mark does not record the nature of the *temptations. Matthew and Luke tell us how *Satan *tempted Jesus. He tempted him to gain *disciples by providing for their *physical needs. They would follow him if he astonished them with *miracles. They wanted a *Messiah who would lead an army against the *Romans to gain their political freedom. Jesus chose the hard way to persuade people to love and obey God. He would love them. Love meant that he would suffer. But he would satisfy ‘*spiritual hunger’ and he would give people freedom from *sin. Jesus can encourage Christians because he has had all sorts of *temptations himself. ‘The Devil tried to make him do all kinds of wrong things. So, Jesus understands all the wrong things that we might do. But he never did anything wrong himself’ (Hebrews 4:15).
Mark adds that Jesus was ‘with the wild animals’. This detail may show that the desert was a very frightening place. But it may also be Mark’s way to show the age when men and animals would live together in peace (Isaiah 11:6-9). Jesus could live in safety with the animals. This would be because the animals were already recognising him as their king.
‘God’s *messengers took care of him.’ God does not leave men alone in a time of *temptation. His *messengers helped Jesus.
After Herod put John in prison, Jesus went into Galilee. He *preached that God’s *kingdom had arrived. Men must change their ways and believe him and his message.
v14 After Herod put John in prison, Jesus came into Galilee district. He *preached the good news about God’s rule. v15 He said, ‘The right time has come. God’s rule is coming near. *Repent and believe in the good news.’
Verses 14-15 Mark explains in chapter 6:17-18 why Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, put John in prison.
‘The right time’. God chose the time to send Jesus when everything was ready. There were good *Roman roads. *Greek was a very well-known language. The message could therefore spread easily. *Jewish belief in only one God also prepared for the good news.
The *kingdom of God is not a place. It is God’s rule over the world. All those people who let God rule over their lives belong to his *kingdom. God had always been king. But, by Jesus, he was giving people a new opportunity to obey him. The message was ‘good news’. It helped people to have peace because God had forgiven them. It helped them to hope that they could win the struggle against *sin.
‘*Repent’ means to turn away from wrong things and to turn to God. It means that we decide to live in a new way. We start to obey God.
‘Believe’ means ‘trust in’. Those who believe Jesus have confidence in him. They know that he spoke the truth. And they know that he will *keep his promises.
v16 Jesus was walking along next to lake Galilee. There he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake because they were working. Their work was to catch fish. v17 Jesus spoke to them. ‘Come and follow me. I will show you how to fish for people’, he said. v18 Immediately, they left their nets and they followed him. v19 Jesus walked on a little distance from there. Then he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. They were in their boat and they were mending the nets. v20 Immediately, he called them. They left their father Zebedee in the boat with the paid servants. And they went after Jesus.
Verse 16 Galilee is a lake about 12 miles long. To catch fish was an important business. Many men earned their income by supplying fish to people in their own country. They also exported fish, even as far as Rome. Salt stopped it from going off.
Verses 17-20 These four men, who became Jesus’ first *disciples, had met him before. They were probably John the *Baptist’s *disciples in Judea (John 1:35-42). They had listened to Jesus and they had talked with him. He called them while they were carrying out their ordinary work.
Verse 17 They had worked to bring in fish. So they must work to bring people to Jesus. They needed patience and skill to catch fish in their nets. Jesus would teach them the patience and skill to bring people into his *kingdom.
Verse 20 Zebedee still had his paid servants. They would look after him and his business when his two sons left to follow Jesus.
Jesus astonished people by the authority with which he taught. And he astonished people by his power to cure a man with an evil *spirit.
v21 They went into Capernaum. Immediately on the *Sabbath day, he went into the *Jewish meeting place and he taught. v22 They were astonished at the way that he taught. He taught them like someone who had real authority. He did not teach as the *scribes did. v23 And immediately, a man whom an evil *spirit possessed was in the meeting place. v24 He shouted out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy Man that God has sent.’ v25 But Jesus gave a command. He said, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ v26 Then, the evil *spirit threw the man down and it shook him hard. Then it screamed and it came out of him. v27 All the people were astonished. They asked each other, ‘What kind of teaching is this? He has such authority. He even gives orders to evil *spirits and they obey him.’ v28 The news about what Jesus had done spread quickly through the whole of Galilee.
Verse 21 Capernaum was an ideal place for Jesus to work in. Both *Jews and *Gentiles would hear his message because Capernaum was an important town on a trade route. The *Sabbath was the *Jewish day of rest from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. It was a special day for *worship. There was a meeting place wherever there were ten *Jewish families. In this meeting place, *Jews met to pray, and to study the *Old Testament. They would attend other public meetings there. On the *Sabbath, people would go to the meeting place in order to hear a teacher. The teacher would read and explain the *Scriptures. There was no permanent teacher. So the leader would invite visiting teachers to give the talk. Jesus was therefore able to teach in meeting places wherever he went.
Verse 22 *Scribes were men who studied the *Old Testament, especially the first five books. These five books were the ‘Torah’, which means the ‘Law’. These experts never gave their own decision about the meaning of a passage. They always gave the opinions of well-known teachers. Because they gave more than one opinion, people did not receive satisfactory answers to their questions. Jesus knew the *Scriptures. And he knew what they meant. He spoke with his own authority. He often used the words, ‘I say to you’ (Matthew 5:18-44).
Verses 23-24 A man whom an evil *spirit possessed. Some people say that this was a way to describe mental illness. They say that evil *spirits did not exist. But people in those days believed that they existed. And they believed that they could control a person. Many people believe that evil *spirits did exist in the time of Jesus. They believe that they still exist today. The evil *spirits inside the man recognised that Jesus had come to destroy every evil thing. They were afraid and they asked Jesus not to do anything against them.
Verses 25-26 Jesus stopped the man from shouting. He gave a strict command and he cured the man. People who tried to send evil *spirits out of people used all kinds of ceremonies and special words. But Jesus threw out the evil *spirit by his order alone.
Mark tells us about many other times when Jesus sent evil *spirits out of people. He wanted to show the authority and power of Jesus. He wanted to show that Jesus is the *Messiah, the Son of God.
v29 Immediately, Jesus and his *disciples left the meeting place. They went to Simon and Andrew’s home. James and John were with them. v30 The mother of Simon’s wife was ill in bed and she was very hot. They spoke to Jesus about her at once. v31 Jesus came and he took her by the hand. He helped her up and the illness left her. She prepared a meal for them.
Verse 29 Mark does not use the name ‘Peter’ until he gives the list of the 12 *apostles (Mark 3:16). Jesus gave Simon the name ‘Peter’ when they met in Judea. John tells us that (John 1:42).
Verse 30 Peter was married. After the *resurrection, he and his wife travelled together in God’s service (1 Corinthians 9:5).
They told Jesus about her illness. Perhaps they were explaining why a meal was not ready. They may have hoped that Jesus would help her. Christians can always tell Jesus about the needs of other people.
Verse 31 Usually people feel very weak after they have been ill like that. Jesus cured this lady completely. She was able to get up at once and she prepared a meal for them.
v32 That evening at sunset, people brought to Jesus all the people who were sick. They also brought those whom evil *spirits controlled. v33 And the whole city gathered together at the door. v34 And Jesus cured great numbers of sick people who had many different kinds of diseases. He ordered many evil *spirits to come out. But they knew who he was. So, he would not allow the evil *spirits to speak.
Verse 32 People could not carry their sick relatives on the *Sabbath. The *scribes said that to carry something was ‘work’. The *Sabbath ended when the sun set on Saturday. Then they brought their sick friends and relatives to Jesus.
Verse 33 Mark probably did not mean that all the inhabitants of Capernaum were outside Peter’s door. He meant that there was a large crowd.
Verse 34 Jesus would not allow the evil *spirits to speak. They knew that he was the *Messiah. Jesus wanted people to discover for themselves who he was. They would follow him for the wrong reason if they thought of him as a political leader. Jesus was a *Messiah who would suffer to free them from *sin. He wanted to show people that.
v35 In the morning, a long time before day, Jesus got up. He went out to a place where he could be alone. There he prayed. v36 Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. v37 When they found him, they said, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ v38 Jesus replied, ‘Let us go on to the next towns so that I can *preach there also. Because that is why I came.’ v39 So Jesus travelled all through Galilee. He *preached in the places where the *Jewish people met. And he threw out evil *spirits.
Verse 35 Jesus had helped crowds of people. He needed to pray to God in order to receive new strength and peace of mind. He also needed God to guide him. He must decide whether he should continue to work in Capernaum. He needed to know if it was right to move to other places.
Verses 36-37 Simon and his friends realised that Jesus had gone. The people who were searching for Jesus probably hoped for more healing *miracles.
Verse 38 Jesus knew that his first task was to *preach. He must take time to invite people into his *kingdom. He had come into the world to teach as many people as possible.
The man had a skin disease that prevented him from living a normal life. Jesus cured him. So he was able to go back to live among other people.
v40 A man who had a very bad skin disease came to Jesus. He went on his knees in front of Jesus and he asked Jesus to cure him. ‘If you want to, you can make me clean’, he said. v41 Jesus pitied him greatly. He reached out and he touched the man with his hand. He said, ‘I do want to. Be clean.’ v42 Immediately, the disease left him and he was clean. v43 Jesus sent him away at once. He gave him a strict order. v44 He said, ‘Do not tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. Offer to God the gift that Moses ordered. That will show people that you are clean.’ v45 But the man went away and he began to talk to everyone. He spread the news, so that Jesus could not enter a town in public. He had to stay outside in places where few people lived. People still came to him from everywhere.
Verse 40 The word ‘leprosy’ is in many Bibles and it can mean various skin diseases. One was the serious disease that is called ‘leprosy’ today. Anyone with this disease had to stay away from other people. He suffered in two ways. He had to suffer from his disease. He also suffered from his lonely situation outside society. This man approached Jesus. He believed that Jesus had the power to cure him. But he did not know that Jesus loved people. He was not sure whether Jesus would want to cure him.
Verse 41 Jesus touched the man who had the skin disease. When he did that, Jesus showed his love. *Jews would not normally want to touch anyone who had such a skin disease. They believed that such an action would make them unholy.
Verse 44 Jesus was obeying the law when he sent the man to the priest. The priest would examine him. And the priest would decide that he was healthy again. After the man had carried out the proper ceremonies, he would be able to mix with other people again (Leviticus 14:1-32).
Verse 45 The man who had the skin disease did not obey Jesus. So, he made it difficult for Jesus to continue his work in towns. There were so many people who wanted to see Jesus. They came because of curiosity or because they needed his help.
Mark has written about Jesus’ popularity in Galilee. Now he records five incidents. These incidents all show that the *religious leaders opposed Jesus:
1 2:1-12 They said that he spoke evil words against God.
2 2:13-17 He ate with people who collected taxes.
3 2:18-22 He did not make his *disciples obey the *religious rules about times when people should not eat.
4 2:23-28 He allowed his *disciples to ‘work’ on the *Sabbath.
5 3:1-6 He cured a man’s hand on the *Sabbath.
v1 After some time, Jesus went back to Capernaum again. People heard that he was at home. v2 So many people gathered that there was no room left. There was not even room outside the door. Jesus was *preaching the message to them. v3 Four men came to him. They were carrying a man who could not walk. v4 They could not get near Jesus because of the crowd. So they made a hole in the roof above Jesus. Then they let the man down, through the hole, on his mat. v5 Jesus saw that these men believed him. He spoke to the man who could not walk. ‘Son, you are free from your *sins’, he said. v6 Some of the *scribes were sitting there. They were thinking, v7 ‘This man should not talk like that! He is insulting God! Only God can forgive *sins.’ v8 Jesus knew at once what they were thinking. He said to them, ‘You should not think such things. v9 Ask yourselves this question. Is it easier to say to this man, “God has forgiven your *sins”, or to say “Stand up. Pick up your mat and walk”? v10 I want you to know that the Son of Man really has authority to forgive *sins on earth.’ So Jesus spoke to the man who could not walk. v11 ‘I tell you’, he said. ‘Stand up. Take your mat and go home.’ v12 The man got up. He took up his mat at once. He went out in front of them all. All the people were astonished. They praised God. ‘We have never seen anything like this’, they said.
Verse 1 The words ‘at home’ show that it was probably Peter’s own house.
Verse 4 The roof was flat. People made it out of sticks. And they covered it with earth that the sun had baked hard. There were stone steps outside to reach the roof.
Verse 5 Jesus knew the *faith of the four men. They had shown *faith when they carried the man to Jesus. They did not give up when they could not get through the door.
Some people do become ill when they have done wrong things. Their guilty conscience affects their body. But a person may suffer because of no fault of his own. However, many people believe that all disease is a punishment from God for *sin. Jesus did not believe this (John 9:2-3; Luke 13:1-5). The man who could not walk may have agreed with the wrong idea. For whatever reason, he felt guilty. He needed to know that God had forgiven him. Only then, would he be able to recover.
Verses 6-7 The *scribes may have come to examine what Jesus was teaching. They were accusing Jesus of insulting God. They were right to think that only God can forgive *sins. But they were wrong about Jesus. He had God’s authority.
Verses 8-9 It would be easy to say, ‘You are free from your *sins.’ But it would be more difficult to prove. If the man could walk again, that would prove the truth of Jesus’ words.
Verses 10-11 Jesus used the title ‘Son of Man’ for himself many times. It can mean ‘a man’. It would emphasise that Jesus was really human. It was also the title of a powerful person. That person would come in order to establish a *kingdom. And that *kingdom would never end (Daniel 7:13-14). The name might almost mean ‘*Messiah’. Jesus used the title to describe himself, but he did not say ‘*Messiah’. He showed his authority in the words ‘I tell you’, and by brief commands, ‘Stand up. Take your mat. Go home.’
Verse 12 More than once, Mark describes how Jesus’ words and actions astonished people (1:22, 27).
v13 Jesus went out again at the side of the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd came and they gathered round him. He taught them. v14 As he walked along, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus. He was sitting in the office where he collected taxes. ‘Follow me’, Jesus said to him. So Levi stood up and followed him. v15 Later, Jesus was having a meal in Levi’s house. Many ‘*sinners’ were there with Jesus and his *disciples. These *sinners included men who collected taxes. There were many people like these in the crowds that followed Jesus. v16 Some teachers of the law and *Pharisees saw Jesus. He was eating with people who *sinned. And he was eating with people who collected taxes. So they asked his *disciples, ‘Why does he eat and drink with people like that?’ v17 Jesus heard what they were saying. So he said to them, ‘Healthy people do not need a doctor. Sick people do. I have not come to call people who are good already. I have come to call bad people to follow me.’
Verse 14 Levi was probably another name for Matthew. The first *Gospel records that Jesus called Matthew (Matthew 9:9). And Matthew collected taxes. The name Levi is not in the list of the 12 *apostles (Mark 3:16-19).
His work was to collect taxes from people in Capernaum and from merchants who were travelling through the city. People hated those who collected taxes. There were two reasons:
1 They were working for the *Romans who were their enemies.
2 They had to keep some money for themselves after they had collected the required amount. It was easy for them to cheat people and to demand too much money. They became rich.
Verse 15 Levi invited his friends to a meal. He wanted them to meet Jesus. ‘*Sinners’ describes two kinds of people:
1 Those with bad moral behaviour.
2 Those who did not obey all the extra rules that the *scribes had made up. The *scribes tried to make a rule for every situation.
Verse 16 The *Pharisees were strict *Jews. Their name means ‘the separate men’. They tried to keep their *faith ‘separate’ from the bad effect of other religions. Many of them lived very good lives. But they said that the rules of the *scribes were as important as the *Old Testament laws. They even refused to obey a command of God in order to obey one of these traditions (Mark 7:9-13). They became proud that they obeyed God’s laws. And they obeyed all the rules that the *scribes had made up. They would avoid completely those people that they called ‘*sinners’. They believed that Jesus was encouraging wrong behaviour. He would also make himself ‘*unclean’ when he ate with ‘*sinners’.
The *Pharisees made two mistakes:
1 Jesus had come to look for ‘*sinners’ in order to bring them into his *kingdom.
2 Jesus could meet with all kinds of people, even wicked ones. He would not let them change his own behaviour.
Verse 17 The *Pharisees were like healthy people who do not need a doctor. They thought that they had good *spiritual health. So they would not come to Jesus for help. Jesus had come to look for *sinners. Those *sinners were like sick people, who need a doctor’s help. Jesus had come to give them the ‘remedy’ of God’s love. Then they might change their ways. They could start to obey God and so live a ‘healthy’ life.
v18 The *disciples of John, and of the *Pharisees, used to stop eating sometimes. People came and asked Jesus, ‘Sometimes we do not eat because we want to obey the rules. Sometimes the *Pharisees' *disciples do not eat. Why do your *disciples continue to eat every day?’ v19 Jesus said, ‘The bridegroom’s guests cannot stop eating while he is still with them. While they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot stop eating. v20 But the time will come when people will take the bridegroom away from them. Then they will stop eating. v21 Nobody sews a piece of new cloth onto old clothes. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old. It will make the hole much worse. v22 And nobody puts new wine into old leather bottles. If they do, the wine will burst the leather bottles. Then the wine will run out and the leather bottles will be of no use. No, people pour new wine into new leather bottles.’
Verse 18 To stop eating food is a way to control the desires of the body. It is also a way to be sorry when a person has done wrong things. Jesus stopped eating when he was in the desert. That was because he was praying. The Day of *Atonement was the only time in the year when *Jews must not eat. Some *Jews stopped eating for two days each week as well. The *Pharisees did it. They wanted other people to see how good they were. So they went about with untidy clothes. They made their faces look as miserable as possible. Jesus taught that their way to stop eating was wrong (Matthew 6:16-18).
Verse 19 There are references in the *Old Testament to God as a bridegroom. The nation of the *Jews was like his bride (Isaiah 62:5; Hosea 2:16). Here, Jesus was the bridegroom. His *disciples were like the friends of the bridegroom at a wedding. A *Jewish wedding party went on for a week. It was a time of great happiness. Nobody would stop eating. While Jesus was with them, the *disciples did not need to stop eating.
Verse 20 Jesus knew that people would kill him one day. Then the *disciples would stop eating.
Verse 21 A piece of new material that you used to mend old clothing would be too strong. It would tear the old clothing and it would make a bigger hole. What Jesus was teaching was new and different from the religion of people like the *Pharisees.
Verse 22 People kept wine in a ‘bottle’ that someone had made from the skin of a goat. Old skins became dry and hard. New wine, as it became mature, would press against the skin. A new skin could stretch, but an old skin would burst. Both the wine and the skin would be of no more use.
The message of Jesus was as powerful as new wine. The question of the *Pharisees about not eating showed that their attitude was as hard as an old leather bottle. They were refusing to accept the joy that Jesus could give them. Jesus’ love and the power of the *Holy Spirit would give men the freedom to serve God with joy. The *Pharisees could not accept new ideas. They believed only in all their rules and therefore they could not serve God in the right way.
v23 On God’s rest day, Jesus was walking through some fields of corn. His *disciples picked some of the corn as they went along. v24 Some *Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘They should not be doing what is against the law on God’s rest day.’ v25 And Jesus answered, ‘Surely you have read what David did. He and his men were hungry. v26 He went into God’s house when Abiathar was *chief priest. He took the bread that people had offered to God. Our Law did not allow them to eat that bread. Only the priests had the right to eat it. David ate it and he even gave it to his men as well.’ v27 Jesus said, ‘God made the rest day for man. He did not make man for the rest day. v28 So the Son of Man is *Lord even of God’s rest day.’
Verse 23 It was legal for people to pick the top parts of the corn plants. The *disciples were not stealing (Deuteronomy 23:25).
Verse 24 The *Pharisees said that the *disciples were ‘working’ on the rest day. They were picking the grain, so they were bringing in a harvest. The *disciples would have separated the grain from the dry outer part. The *Pharisees said that they were doing farming work.
Verses 25-26 Jesus reminded them about what David did. When he was escaping from king Saul, David and his men went into the holy place at Nob. He and his men ate the bread that God intended only for the priests. This bread was called ‘the bread of the *Lord’s presence’. That meant that it showed that God was there. Twelve (12) loaves for the 12 *tribes of Israel’s people were a sign of God’s provision of their food. Every rest day, the priests put new loaves on the special table. It was ‘holy’ bread. So the priests were the only people whom the law allowed to eat the old loaves (Leviticus 24:5-9). But because David and his men were hungry, their need was more important than the law.
Verse 27 God gave the rest day to make life better for everyone. It existed in order to give people rest for their body. It was also a special opportunity to *worship God. God did not create man to become the slaves of all kinds of rules.
Verse 28 ‘Son of Man’ can mean just ‘man’. Jesus said that the *Pharisees were changing God’s law. They were not allowing people to have the help that God intended. But ‘Son of Man’ might mean Jesus himself. He was the *Messiah who came from the family line of king David. If David could take no notice of a law for a good reason, Jesus could take no notice of men’s traditions.
v1 Jesus went again into the building where they met to *worship God. A man was there. Something had damaged his hand. v2 The *Pharisees wanted a reason to say that Jesus was not obeying the law. So they watched him to see if he would cure on God’s rest day. v3 Jesus said to the man with the bad hand, ‘Come here.’ v4 And Jesus asked them, ‘Does the law allow us to do good things on God’s rest day or to do bad things? Does it allow us to save life or to kill?’ But they would not answer. v5 Jesus looked round at them in anger. He was very upset because their hearts were so hard. He said to the man, ‘Reach out your hand.’ So the man reached out his hand, and it became well again. It was quite as good as his other hand. v6 The *Pharisees went out and they immediately plotted with the *Herodians. They tried to decide how to kill Jesus.
Verse 2 The *Pharisees were jealous of Jesus’ popularity. He had shown that their attitudes were wrong. They were very careful about what they should not do on the rest day. They were less careful about what they should do. They allowed someone to cure on the rest day if the patient might die. Anyone else who was ill must wait until the end of the rest day.
Verse 4 Jesus was going to use the rest day to do a good deed. They were already trying to find a reason to kill him.
Verse 5 Mark made it clear that Jesus was angry. Many people are angry for selfish reasons. They are angry when other people have not been kind to them. Jesus was angry because the *Pharisees were going to use the man as a way to oppose Jesus. They were showing no love towards a man who needed their sympathy. Jesus cured the man with a brief order.
Verse 6 The *Herodians were friends of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee. Usually the *Pharisees hated the *Herodians because Herod’s *disciples were friends with the *Romans. But both the *Pharisees and the *Herodians were afraid of Jesus. The *Pharisees thought that they might lose their *religious authority. The *Herodians thought that trouble with the *Romans would spoil their political ambitions. So the *Pharisees and the *Herodians joined together in order to oppose Jesus.
v7 Jesus went off to the Sea of Galilee with his *disciples. A large crowd from Galilee followed. v8 Many people heard about all that Jesus was doing. So they came to him. They came from Judea, Jerusalem and Idumea. They came from the lands east of the River Jordan. They came from the area of Tyre and Sidon. v9 Because of the crowd, Jesus told his *disciples to get a boat ready for him. Crowds of people were coming too close to Jesus. There was a danger that they would hurt him by their pressure. v10 Jesus had cured many people. So all those with diseases were pushing forward in order to touch him. v11 Whenever people with evil *spirits saw him, they fell down in front of him. They shouted, ‘You are the Son of God.’ v12 But Jesus gave them a strict order not to tell who he was.
Verse 7 Jesus left the *Jewish meeting places because the *scribes were trying stop his work. He wanted to teach more people. So he chose the side of the lake as a place where he could teach.
Verse 8 The crowds came to him from beyond the region called Galilee. They travelled long distances from Jerusalem in the south, and from the region called Idumea even further south. People came from the *Gentile cities east of the Jordan. They even came from the foreign ports of Tyre and Sidon in the north.
Verses 9-10 The crowd was so large that it was difficult for Jesus to teach them. Also, people who wanted Jesus to cure them were trying to get near enough to touch him. Jesus was therefore in danger because the crowd were pressing against him. So he used a small boat a little way from the shore. Then everyone could see and hear him.
Verse 11 The men with evil *spirits knew that Jesus had a very close *relationship with God. They were afraid and they fell down in front of him.
Verse 12 It was too soon for people to know that Jesus was the *Messiah. They needed to know that Jesus brought freedom from *sin. They were hoping for a country free from *Roman rule. Jesus did not want people to think that a political *Messiah had arrived. There would have been trouble if people thought that. They would want him to lead them against the *Romans. So Jesus insisted that the men with evil *spirits should keep their knowledge secret.
v13 Jesus went up into the hills. He called those that he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. v14 He chose 12 men to be with him. He also wanted to send them out to *preach. v15 And he wanted them to have authority to throw out evil *spirits. v16 He chose Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter. v17 He chose James and John, the sons of Zebedee. He gave them the name ‘Boanerges’. Boanerges means ‘Sons of *Thunder’. v18 There were Andrew, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus. There were Thaddeus and Simon the Eager Man. v19 Judas Iscariot was one of them. He was the person who handed Jesus over to his enemies.
Verse 13 Jesus knew that he must find a way for his work to continue. He went up into the hills in order to get away from the crowds. He needed to decide which of his *disciples he should teach in a special way. Luke says that he prayed all night (Luke 6:12).
Verses 14-15 There were 12 *tribes of the *Jews. Jesus chose 12 men to become the beginning of the new people of God, the church. They would be with Jesus. They would learn more about him and they would follow his example. They would learn his message so that they could tell other people. Then he would send them out with his authority. Jesus would give them the power to cure people that evil *spirits controlled.
None of those whom he chose was a rich person or an important person. Jesus chose ordinary people. But those people would become extraordinary because they had been with him.
Verse 16 Jesus gave Simon, who used to catch fish, the name ‘Peter’. The name Peter means ‘Rock’. He would become a person whom God could use. God would use him as people use a rock to build on (Matthew 16:18).
Verse 17 The two sons of Zebedee were very ready to give their opinions in a loud, angry way. So Jesus called them ‘Sons of Thunder’. (Thunder is the loud noise that you may hear in a storm.)
Verse 18 Andrew was Simon’s brother. Bartholomew is a surname. He was probably the same person as Nathanael, whom Philip knew (John 1:45). Bible students think that Thaddeus is the same person as Judas, son of James (Luke 6:16). Matthew had collected taxes for the *Romans. Mark calls Simon an ‘Eager Man’. The Eager Men were a group who wanted to force out the *Romans. Matthew and Simon became friends because they both served Jesus.
Verse 19 Kerioth was a village in Judea. ‘Iscariot’ may mean ‘man from Kerioth’. If so, Judas was the only man of the 12 *disciples who did not come from Galilee.
The *religious leaders say that Jesus is getting his power from *Satan.
v20 Then Jesus went into a house. A crowd gathered again. The crowd was so large that Jesus and his *disciples could not even find time to eat. v21 When his friends heard it, they said, ‘He is mad.’ So they went to take care of him. v22 Some *scribes were there who had come down from Jerusalem. They said, ‘*Beelzebub controls him. He throws out evil *spirits with the power of the prince of evil *spirits.’ v23 Jesus called them to him. He spoke to them in *parables. ‘Surely *Satan cannot drive out *Satan. v24 If a *kingdom fights against itself, it cannot remain. v25 And if a family fights against itself, it cannot last. v26 And if *Satan fights against himself, his power will be divided. And he will come to an end. v27 But nobody can enter a strong man’s house and steal his things. He must first tie up the strong man. Then he can steal from his house.
v28 I am telling you the truth. God will forgive everyone’s *sins and the insults that they speak against him. v29 But God can never forgive anyone who insults the *Holy Spirit. He is in danger of *eternal punishment.’ v30 The *scribes had said that Jesus had an evil *spirit. That is why Jesus said this.
Verses 20-21 Jesus’ friends thought that a sensible person would not behave like Jesus. He had left the security of his home. He was getting into trouble with the *religious authorities. He was working so hard that he was even missing meals. They thought that he had gone mad. They must go to take him home.
Verse 22 *Beelzebub was the name of a false god in the *Old Testament (2 Kings 1:3). The *Jews used it as a name for *Satan. The *scribes did not deny that Jesus could free people from evil *spirits. But they said that he got this power from *Satan, the chief evil *spirit.
Verses 23-26 It would not be sensible for *Satan to fight against himself. Jesus showed that by what he said. If one part of a *kingdom fights against another part, the *kingdom will not last. If there are quarrels in a family, that family will suffer. If *Satan was fighting his own evil *spirits, he was destroying himself.
Verse 27 Nobody can steal from a strong man’s house unless a stronger man first ties him up. *Satan was the ‘strong man’. Jesus is more powerful than *Satan. Because he had defeated the evil *spirits, Jesus had begun to rob *Satan of his power.
Verses 28-30 Someone may decide to take no notice of his conscience. He knows that certain things are wrong. But he still does them. If he continues to do this, he will no longer be able to distinguish right things from wrong things. Isaiah spoke about people like that. He said that ‘they call evil things good, and they call good things evil’ (Isaiah 5:20). The *scribes had seen all the good things that Jesus had done. But they said that *Satan was giving him the power. So they were insulting the *Holy Spirit, who gave Jesus the power to do his work. God is willing to forgive almost anything. But he will not forgive someone who insults the *Holy Spirit.
Jesus shows his human family the nature of God’s family.
v31 Jesus’ mother and brothers came. They stood outside the house. They sent someone in to give him a message. v32 A crowd was sitting round Jesus. They told him, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside. They are asking for you.’ v33 Jesus replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ v34 Jesus looked at the people who were sitting in a circle round him. He said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. v35 Whoever obeys God is my brother and my sister and my mother.’
Verse 31 Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters (Mark 6:3). The brothers were probably the sons of Joseph and Mary that were born after Jesus, her ‘first son’ (Luke 2:7). Some Christians believe that Mary did not have any more children after Jesus. Some of them believe that the word ‘brothers’ may mean cousins or close relatives. And some of them believe that the word ‘brothers’ may mean the sons and daughters of Joseph by a former wife. If so, this wife died before Joseph married Mary.
Verses 33-35 Jesus was not saying that he did not care about his human family. The *Pharisees did not take responsibility for their parents. But Jesus told them that they were wrong about that (Mark 7:9-13). Even when he was hanging on the *cross, he was looking after his mother. He made sure that she had a home (John 19:26-27). But he has a much larger family. His brothers and sisters are all those who obey God. They are not relatives by birth. But they are part of God’s family. So their *relationship with each other can be stronger than a *physical *relationship.
1 The *parable of the four soils 4:1-9
2 Jesus explains the *parable 4:10-20
3 A collection of things that Jesus said 4:21-25
4 The *parable of the growing seed 4:26-29
5 The *parable of the tiny seed 4:30-32
6 Jesus’ use of *parables 4:33-34
v1 Again Jesus began to teach at the side of the sea. A very large crowd gathered round him. So he got into a boat and he sat in it on the sea. The whole crowd was at the side of the sea, on the land. v2 He taught them many things in *parables. This was one of them. v3 ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow some seed. v4 As he scattered the seed, some fell along the path. The birds came and they ate it up. v5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with rock underneath. Immediately the seed sprang up, because the soil was not deep. v6 When the sun came up, it burnt the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. v7 Some seed fell among weeds. The weeds grew up and they stopped the plant from growing. It therefore could not yield any grain. v8 Other seeds fell into good soil. They grew up. They yielded a crop 30, 60 or a hundred times as much as the seed that the farmer had planted.’ v9 And Jesus said, ‘He who has ears should listen.’
Verses 3-4 Farmers used to scatter the seed by hand. Afterwards they would plough it in. People who used a path through a field would make the ground hard. Birds would quickly eat seeds that fell on top of the path.
Verses 5-6 Seeds could not make strong roots where there was only a thin amount of soil over the rock. They would grow, but the plants would be thin and weak. The hot sun would therefore destroy the weak young plants.
Verse 7 Weeds would use up the goodness in the soil. They would stop the light of the sun from reaching the plants. They would take up all the space. So the plants would not be able to grow enough to yield a crop.
Verse 8 Enough seed would fall on good ground to yield a harvest.
Verse 9 Jesus meant, ‘You have ears to hear with. Listen carefully to what I am saying.’
v10 When Jesus was alone, the 12 *disciples asked him about the *parables. So did the other *disciples round him. v11 Jesus told them, ‘You have received the secret of God’s *kingdom. But I use *parables to tell everything to those outside. v12 In this way they will see. But they will never know what they are seeing. They will hear, but they will not understand. Otherwise, they might change their ways and God might forgive them.’ v13 And he said to them, ‘If you do not understand this *parable, you will never understand all the *parables. v14 The farmer sows the word (God’s message). v15 The ones on the path mean people who hear God’s message. But as soon as they hear it, *Satan at once takes away the message from their minds. v16 In the same way, some seed fell on the shallow soil over rocks. That means other people who hear the message. They believe it immediately with joy. v17 But their roots are not very deep. They last for a while. But when trouble or pain happen because of God’s word, they lose their *faith. v18 Other people are like the seeds among weeds. They hear and believe the message. v19 But the worries of this life, the delight in wealth and the desire for other things come. They stop the message, so that their *faith never grows. So it never yields fruit. v20 And there are those seeds that fall on the good soil. Those people hear the message and they believe it. They yield fruit, 30, 60 or even one hundred times as much as the farmer planted.’
Verses 10-11 Jesus contrasted his *disciples with other people. The truths of the *kingdom are ‘secrets’ because people cannot discover them for themselves. But some people are willing to believe. And God shows that Jesus is king to those people. The ordinary person would hear the story but he or she would not understand its meaning.
Verse 12 Jesus used words from Isaiah (6:9). People were ‘blind’ because of their prejudices. They were ‘deaf’ to the truth because they were not willing to change their ways. Those who sincerely want to obey God will think about the meaning of the *parables. They will understand the truths in them. Those who have no real desire to obey God will not understand. The *parable will hide the truth from them.
Verse 14 The ‘farmer’ means first of all Jesus himself. Then the farmer can mean anyone who tells people about the *gospel.
Verse 15 The ‘seed’ of God’s message cannot enter the minds of people who are like the hard path. They have no interest at all in the *gospel. They do not realise how important it is.
Verses 16-17 Some people may accept what Jesus taught with joy. But, like a plant without deep roots, their *faith is not very strong. They do not let their *faith make a real difference to the way that they live. Problems and *temptations come. People insult or even attack them. Then their *faith dies like the plant in the hot sun.
Verses 18-19 Like tall weeds, there are many things that push out the life of *faith. They may be responsibilities, ambitions, the desire for money. Or they may be any of a wide variety of things that people enjoy doing. Some of these things are not wrong in themselves. But they can provide excuses to neglect the *spiritual life of prayer and *worship. They occupy so much time and attention that there is no space left for God.
Verse 20 Some people accept and believe the message. They are serious about their *faith and they produce the ‘fruit’ of a good life.
The *parable might cause people to think about their own ‘soil’. Their attitude would show whether their *faith was genuine. The *parable would also encourage the *disciples. There would be a ‘harvest’ of those who believed Jesus and his *disciples. This was true even if some of their efforts seemed to have no good result. God’s word would not ‘return to him without succeeding’ (Isaiah 55:11).
Mark groups together some of the things that Jesus said. In Matthew and Luke, they are separate from each other.
v21 Jesus said to them, ‘You do not bring in a lamp in order to put it under a large bowl or under a bed. You put it on something tall. v22 One day, everyone will see clearly whatever people are hiding now. Every secret must come out into the light.’
Verse 21 A lamp would be of no use if people hid it under something. It should light up a room so that people can see. Jesus’ *disciples must not hide their *faith. They must allow other people to see the ‘light’ of God’s good news.
Verse 22 Men may try to cover up their actions, words and thoughts. But they will not be successful. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God, but they failed (Genesis 3:8-9). In the end, God will bring everything into the ‘light’ of his judgement.
v23 ‘Anyone who has ears must listen’, he said. v24 And he said to them, ‘Be careful how you listen. You will get whatever you give. And you will receive even more. v25 Because the person who has will receive more. But some people do not have much of anything. They will lose whatever they do have.’
Verses 23-24 People must listen so that they can understand. Then they should obey what Jesus taught. Then, they will be able to understand more of the truth.
Verse 25 For example, a man may play football or he may run fast. He becomes more skilful if he practises. But he loses his skill if he does not practise. Some people do not try to understand Jesus’ *parables. In the end, they will lose the power to take any notice of them.
This *parable is in Mark’s *Gospel only.
v26 Jesus said, ‘This is what the *kingdom of God is like. A farmer plants seeds in his field. v27 He goes to sleep at night and he wakes up in the day. The seed begins to grow, but he does not know how. v28 The earth produces fruit without help from anyone. First, there is the stem, then the part that will have seeds in, then all the seeds in that part. v29 When the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts the corn at once. He cuts it because the time of harvest has come.’
Verses 26-28 A farmer can prepare the ground, but he cannot make the seed grow. He does not even understand how it grows. While he is carrying on his normal life, the seed is growing. *Disciples are like the farmer. They can work to give the ‘seed’ of God’s message to other people. But it is God who works out his purpose. His purpose is to bring more people into his *kingdom. People think that the *kingdom grows slowly. But *disciples know that God will bring a harvest.
Verse 29 There is also a final harvest. It is God’s day of judgement. Christians should wait for that time with patience and hope. They are like the farmer who is waiting for the harvest.
v30 Jesus said, ‘It is hard to say what the *kingdom of God is like. It is hard to find a *parable to use for it.
v31 It is like the tiny seed called mustard. It is the smallest of all seeds when you put it into the ground. v32 But it grows up and it becomes the largest of all bushes. So even the birds can make nests in its shade.’
Verses 31-32 The mustard seed is very tiny. The *Jews spoke about it as the smallest seed. But it can grow into a very tall bush, more like a tree. The *kingdom of God began with few *disciples. But it has grown and it has become world-wide. A tree was picture language for a powerful nation. Many people will find safety in God’s *Kingdom.
v33 Jesus used many such *parables. He taught as much as the people were able to understand. v34 He did not speak without *parables. But when he was alone with his *disciples, he explained the meaning to them.
Verse 33 Jesus used *parables so that people would think about the meaning of his words. He told stories that were suitable for the hearers.
Verse 34 The *disciples wanted to understand. Jesus could therefore help them to understand what he taught completely.
Mark recorded four incidents that show the authority and power of Jesus:
1 The storm on the lake 4:35-41.
2 The mad man from Gerasa 5:1-20.
3 The daughter of Jairus 5:21-24; 35-43. This incident is in two parts.
4 The account of the woman who was bleeding (5:25-34). This account is between the two parts of the account of Jairus’s daughter.
v35 That day, in the evening, Jesus said to his *disciples, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ v36 So they left the crowd. They took him with them, exactly as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. v37 A great storm of wind started and the waves came over the side into the boat. It was nearly full of water. v38 But Jesus was in the back of the boat. He was asleep with his head on a cushion. They woke him up, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we die?’ v39 Jesus woke and he gave a command to the wind, ‘Be quiet!’ And he said to the sea, ‘Be still!’ And the wind became less strong, and everything became very calm. v40 Jesus said to them, ‘There is no reason for you to be so afraid. You still do not seem to believe at all!’ v41 They felt fear and surprise. They said to each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
Verse 35 You hardly believe me at all! There is no reason for you to be so afraid Jesus had been so busy all day that he needed rest away from the crowds. The ‘other side’ means the east side of the lake.
Verse 36 Jesus had taught from a boat. The words ‘exactly as he was’ probably mean that Jesus did not leave that boat. The detail about the ‘other boats’ is in Mark’s *Gospel only.
Verse 37 The lake is below sea level and there are mountains on both sides of it. The wind can rush down the valley without warning. And it can make the lake very dangerous. Some of the *disciples used to catch fish and so they knew about these sudden storms. They knew how easily the boat might sink. Then they would drown.
Verse 38 Jesus was so tired that he was asleep. He was not even aware of the storm until the frightened *disciples woke him.
Verse 39 Jesus gave orders that immediately brought calmness to the lake. The writer of the Psalms says that God makes the stormy sea calm (Psalm 89:9; 107:28-29). Jesus had shown his authority over nature in the same way as God who created everything. Jesus said that his *disciples ‘still’ did not seem to believe at all. He was sad. They had heard so much that he had said. And they had seen so many things that he had done. But they were still not able to trust him.
Jesus can bring calmness in the events in life that are like ‘storms’. Christians often use this event in Matthew 4 to show that he can do that. Sudden *temptations, illness, family problems and political troubles are a great danger to a person’s peace of mind. To have *faith in the care and power of Jesus is better than to worry and to be afraid.
v1 Jesus and the *disciples came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They came to the territory of the people from Gerasa. v2 As soon as Jesus came out of the boat, a man with an ‘*unclean’ *spirit met him from among the graves. v3 The man lived among the graves. Nobody could tie him up any longer, even with a chain. v4 People had often bound him with chains on his hands and feet. But he tore the chains apart and he broke the chains on his feet into pieces. He was too strong for anyone to control him. v5 All day and all night he wandered among the graves and through the hills. He was always screaming and cutting himself with stones.
v6 As soon as he saw Jesus in the distance, he ran to meet him. He went on his knees in front of Jesus. v7 He screamed, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the most high God? In the name of God, do not make me suffer!’ v8 This was because Jesus had said, ‘Evil *spirit, come out of this man!’
v9 Then Jesus asked the man, ‘What is your name?’ The man answered, ‘My name is *Legion, because there are so many of us.’ v10 Then he asked Jesus again and again not to send the evil *spirits out of that region.
v11 There was a large number of pigs there. They were feeding themselves on the side of the hill. v12 The evil *spirits urged Jesus, ‘Send us to the pigs and let us go into them.’ v13 So Jesus allowed them to go. The evil *spirits came out of the man and they went into the pigs. All the pigs, about two thousand of them, rushed down the steep hill into the lake, and they drowned. v14 The men who had looked after the pigs ran off. They spread the report of what had happened, in the town and the country. Then the people came out to see what had happened. v15 They came to Jesus. Then they saw the man whom evil *spirits had controlled. He was sitting there with clothes on. He was completely normal. He was the same man who used to have the *legion of evil *spirits in him. The people were very frightened. v16 Those who had seen the incident told the people about the man and about the pigs. v17 Then the people began to urge Jesus to leave their neighbourhood.
v18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man kept on asking to go with Jesus. v19 But Jesus would not let him. He said to the man, ‘Go home to your family and friends. Tell them how much the *Lord has done for you. Tell them how he has had pity on you.’ v20 So the man went away. He began to tell all through the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. All the people who heard were astonished.
Verse 1 Jesus went to the east side of the lake. Some copies of Mark’s book have ‘Gergesenes’ as a name for these people from Gerasa. And some copies have ‘Gadarenes’.
Verse 2 The graves were caves among the rocks. People thought that evil *spirits lived among graves.
Verses 2-3 The details about the chains show how strong the mad man was. Mark perhaps wants to show that the power of Jesus to cure the man was much stronger. Perhaps that is why he includes these details.
Verse 5 The man could never stop to rest and he was a great danger to himself.
Verses 6-8 The man called Jesus ‘the Son of the most high God’. He perhaps meant, ‘You are the *Messiah.’ The ‘*unclean’ *spirits were afraid that Jesus was going to punish them. They recognised his power.
Verse 9 In those days (and even in some countries today), to know a person’s name is to have some power over him. People also thought that nobody could send an evil *spirit out of a person unless they knew the evil *spirit’s name. Perhaps Jesus asked the man’s name to show that he wanted to help him. A ‘*legion’ was a section of the *Roman army, of about 6000 soldiers. The man believed that many evil *spirits had gone into him. It is possible that *Roman soldiers had frightened the man in the past. This may have caused his very disturbed mental state.
Verses 10-13 Some people do not believe that evil *spirits exist. They think that the man’s screams probably frightened the pigs. The men should have guarded the pigs. But the men were watching Jesus instead. So they could not stop the pigs from rushing down the hill into the lake.
Luke (8:31) says that the evil *spirits did not want Jesus to send them into the place for punishment. This is the place where God will put evil *spirits on the day of judgement. The evil *spirits were afraid that Jesus would punish them now. *Jews would not keep pigs. The law said that they must not eat pigs (Leviticus 11:7). The owners of the pigs would therefore have been *Gentiles. Some people blame Jesus because he allowed the death of 2000 pigs. They say that the owners had lost their way to earn money. But the healthy mind of a person is more important than money. The death of the pigs convinced the man that he was now free from control by evil *spirits.
Verse 15 The man was sitting as a *disciple would sit. He was waiting for Jesus to teach him.
Verse 17 The man was no longer a dangerous public nuisance. The people should have been happy for the man’s return to health. But, instead, they were frightened. They did not want Jesus to disturb their lives any more. His power might affect them too much.
Verses 18-20 Jesus did not usually tell a person to speak about his healing. But Jesus was in ‘Decapolis’. ‘Decapolis’ is a *Greek word that means ‘Ten Towns’. They were cities east and south of the River Jordan, where Greek people had lived for about three hundred years. So Jesus was in *Gentile territory to which he would not return. Therefore there was no danger that crowds of *Jews would want to make Jesus king. Jesus sent the man to tell other people the good news. He would be a witness among *Gentiles to the saving power of Jesus. To explain the *miracle to other people would also make the man’s own *faith stronger.
v21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him. Jesus was at the side of the sea. v22 Then one of the leaders of the *Jewish meeting place, whose name was Jairus, came to see Jesus. He fell at Jesus’ feet. v23 He asked Jesus to cure his little daughter. He said, ‘She will die very soon. You can make her live. Please come and lay your hands on her.’ v24 Jesus went with him. A large number of people followed Jesus. They crowded round him.
Verse 22 Jairus was an important official. He was responsible to arrange all that happened in the meeting place. He would know about the *miracles that Jesus had performed in Capernaum. He would also know that many officials opposed Jesus. He therefore needed courage to approach Jesus in public. He had to forget his own importance. He was humble enough to go down at Jesus’ feet. He loved his daughter. And that caused him to have the *faith to ask Jesus for help. Luke records that she was his only child. She was 12 years old (Luke 8:42).
v25 There was a woman in the crowd who had suffered for 12 years from an illness. The illness made her bleed. v26 She had suffered much from many doctors. She had spent all her money to pay them. She was no better. Instead, her illness became worse. v27 She had heard what people said about Jesus. She came up behind him in the crowd and she touched the edge of his clothing. v28 She did this because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothing, I shall get better.’ v29 Immediately, she stopped bleeding. She could feel that she was well again. v30 Jesus knew at once that power had gone out from him. He turned round in the crowd and he asked, ‘Who touched my clothing?’ v31 His *disciples said, ‘You can see that everyone is crowding round you. And you still ask, “Who touched me?” ’ v32 But Jesus kept looking round to see who had touched him. v33 Then the woman came and she fell at Jesus’ feet. She knew what had happened to her. She was trembling with fear. But she told Jesus what she had done. v34 Jesus said to her, ‘Daughter, your *faith has made you well. Go in peace. You are free from your illness.’
Verses 25-26 Because her illness made her bleed, the woman was ‘*unclean’ (Leviticus 15:25-27). This meant that she could not take part in *worship in the *Jewish meeting place. People would avoid her, so she would be lonely. She had tried to get help from doctors. But they had not been able to cure her. All her money had gone and her illness was worse.
Verses 27-28 It would have been difficult for her to ask Jesus for help in public. She did not want to touch Jesus himself. Her illness made her *unclean. And anyone whom she touched would also become *unclean. So she touched the edge of his clothing.
Verse 30 Jesus knew that someone had touched him in a special way. When he cured people, Jesus felt some power go from him to them.
Verses 31-32 Jesus insisted on finding out who had touched him. The person might feel guilty about a secret touch that would make Jesus ‘*unclean’. The illness might not have ended completely.
Verse 33 Perhaps the woman was afraid that Jesus would be angry with her. She believed that Jesus was able to cure people. But she did not know his love. To speak about what had happened to her would be difficult in front of so many people.
Verse 34 Jesus called her ‘daughter’. This was a kind word. It meant that she was no longer *unclean. She belonged with all the other people who believed in Jesus, and in God as their Father.
He said that her *faith had made her well. It was not some kind of magic in the edge of his clothing. Jesus told her to ‘go in peace’. Then, the woman knew that her illness had gone completely. Other people could accept her again. She had told Jesus everything. So she could also go and not feel guilty.
v35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus. ‘Your daughter is dead’, they said. ‘There is no need to bother the teacher any more.’ v36 But Jesus did not take any notice of them. He told Jairus, the ruler of the *Jewish meeting place, ‘Do not be afraid. Just believe.’ v37 Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James, follow him. v38 They came to the home of the ruler of the meeting place. There, Jesus saw a lot of confusion. People were making loud crying and weeping noises. v39 When Jesus had gone inside, he said, ‘You should not be making all this confusion and you should not weep. The child is not dead. She is only sleeping.’ v40 They all laughed at him. But Jesus made them all go outside. He took only the child’s father and mother and the *disciples who were with him. He went to where the child was. v41 He took her by the hand. Then he said to her, ‘Talitha cumi!’ This means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ v42 Immediately, the girl got up and she walked about. She was 12 years old. They were completely astonished. v43 Jesus gave them strict orders. They must not tell anyone what had happened. And he told the parents to give her something to eat.
Verses 35-36 The news from Jairus’s home might have made him stop hoping. But Jesus told him to believe that all would be well.
Verse 37 This was the first time that Jesus gave Peter, James and John a special place in his work.
Verse 38 It was usual for people to cry in a very noisy way after someone had died. There were people whom the family paid to weep over the body. The family would not have respected the dead person if they did not pay people to weep.
Verse 39 Some people think that the girl was only unconscious. But Jesus spoke about death as ‘sleep’. He did so, when Lazarus had died (John 11:11-13). *New Testament letters also describe the death of Christians as sleep (1 Corinthians 15:16, 18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Christians later called the place where they had their graves a ‘cemetery’. This name comes from a *Greek word that means ‘place to sleep’.
Verse 40 They laughed at Jesus. This also helps to show that the girl was dead. Jesus sent away all those people who would disturb and frighten the girl.
Verse 41 Jesus called the girl as her mother might have done to wake her in the morning. The words, ‘Talitha cumi’ are *Aramaic. Peter, who was there, remembered the actual words of Jesus. Mark recorded them and then he explained them in *Greek. Peter used similar words and actions in Acts 9:40. Then, a dead woman came back to life by the power of Jesus, which was working by Peter.
Verse 43 Jesus’ command was practical. Something to eat would give the girl strength after her illness. The parents needed something to do in order to bring life back to normal for themselves and their daughter. He ordered them not to tell anyone. They must now give all their attention to their daughter. This would also protect her from too much attention from crowds that might have gathered near the house.
Jesus had therefore shown his authority over nature (4:35-41), over evil *spirits (5:1-20), over illness (5:25-34) and over death (5:21-24, 35-43). In all four incidents, he removed fear and, with only a brief order, he gave peace immediately.
v1 Jesus went away from there and he came to his own home town called Nazareth. His *disciples went with him. v2 On God’s rest day, he began to teach in the *Jewish meeting place. Many people who heard him were astonished. They asked, ‘Where did this man get all of this from? What is this wisdom that he has received? What *miracles he does! v3 He is only the *carpenter. He is Mary’s son, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon. His sisters live here among us.’ They were offended and they refused to believe him. v4 Jesus said to them, ‘A *prophet receives honour everywhere except in his own town, among his own relatives, or in his own home!’ v5 Jesus could not do any *miracles there. He was only able to lay his hands on a few sick people and cure them. v6 Jesus was astonished by their lack of *faith. Then Jesus went out from village to village and he was teaching the people.
Verse 1 Jesus went from Capernaum to his home town, Nazareth. He was not just on a private visit to his family. His *disciples were with him. So he went in order to teach.
Verses 2-3 The people in Nazareth recognised that he was wise. And they recognised that he could perform *miracles. But they could not believe that he came with God’s message. He was only the *carpenter. The word that we have translated ‘*carpenter’ is the *Greek word ‘tekton’. It means more than someone who worked with wood. A ‘tekton’ was a skilled man. A ‘tekton’ could build or repair anything. God, when he came to earth, became a real human person. He worked with his hands, as most people did. But Jesus had worked among them. So the people thought that he could not be anyone special.
The people in Nazareth also knew Jesus’ family. They called Jesus ‘Mary’s son’. They do not refer to Joseph, so he had probably already died. There is a note about Jesus’ brothers and sisters after Mark 3:31. James began to believe in Jesus after the *resurrection. He became a leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.
The people may have been jealous of Jesus. They also thought that God could not work in a special way by means of someone like him. That was because they knew him.
Verse 4 People did not respect *prophets who lived among them. Jesus reminded them about that. Even now, it may be difficult to accept as important someone who is familiar.
Verse 5 Jesus could not do any *miracles there. This does not mean that he had no power. But not even Jesus could help people who were not willing to trust and obey him.
Verse 6 The people refused to believe that Jesus came from God. Jesus was astonished about that. Jesus was inviting them to enter his *kingdom. Their prejudice prevented them from accepting his invitation.
v7 Jesus called the 12 men to him. He began to send them out in pairs. He gave them authority over evil *spirits. v8 He ordered them to take nothing for the journey except a stick to help them walk. They must not take any food, a traveller’s bag or any money in their belts. v9 He told them to wear shoes but not to take an extra shirt. v10 He said, ‘When you enter a house, stay there. Stay there until you leave the place. v11 Some places may not give you a welcome or listen to you. Then, when you leave, shake the dust from your feet. That will be evidence against them.’ v12 So they went out. And they *preached that people should *repent. v13 They threw out many evil *spirits. They put oil on many sick people’s bodies and cured them.
Verse 7 ‘Began to’ means that Jesus sent out the 12 *disciples on more than one occasion. Because they went in pairs, the *disciples could encourage each other (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). They could help each other, especially when people would not listen to them.
Verse 8 They had to trust God for all that they needed. The traveller’s bag might be a bag in which to take food for a few days. It might mean a bag to collect money in. The *disciples were going to give people good news. They should not ask for people’s money. They should not take any money with them. People made a pocket by pulling up their clothing over their belt. And they kept their money in that.
Verse 10 It was a duty for people to invite strangers into their homes. So the *disciples would receive a place to stay. But they must not waste time by moving from house to house. They must give all their attention to the people in the place where they were guests. They must not move to a place where there might be better food or more comfort.
Verse 11 They must not waste their time on people who would not give them a welcome. *Jews who returned from a *Gentile town or country would shake the dust from their feet. This was a custom to show that they separated themselves from *Gentile ideas. The *disciples must do this. They were separating themselves from anyone who refused to believe God’s message. The *disciples were responsible to give people the opportunity to believe the good news. It was not their fault if anyone refused to believe their message.
Verse 12 The *disciples urged people to turn away from wrong behaviour and to come into God’s *kingdom.
Verse 13 They also helped people to become well in mind and body. They gave people freedom from fear when they sent evil *spirits out of them. People used oil to cure an injury. The *disciples put oil on sick people in order to cure them. James tells the leaders of a Christian church to pray for a sick person. He tells them to put oil on the person (James 5:13-14).
v14 King Herod heard about this, because Jesus’ name was now well-known. Some people were saying, ‘John the *Baptist has come back from death. That is why Jesus has the power to do *miracles.’ v15 But other people said, ‘It is Elijah.’ Other people said, ‘He is a *prophet. He is like one of the *prophets of a long time ago.’ v16 But when Herod heard about all this, he said, ‘I cut John’s head off. He has come back from death.’ v17 Herod had given orders to arrest John. He made his soldiers tie John up. And they put John in prison. Herod did this because he had married Herodias. She was the wife of his brother Philip. v18 And John had said, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ v19 Herodias was still angry with John and she wanted to kill him. But she could not succeed, v20 because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a holy man. And John did what was right. So Herod kept him safe. When Herod heard him, he was very confused. But he liked to listen to John.
v21 But the opportunity for Herodias came when Herod gave a big party on his birthday. He invited his officials, army leaders and the important men in Galilee. v22 Herodias’s daughter came in and she danced. She pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything that you would like. And I will give it to you.’ v23 And he made a very serious promise, ‘I will give you whatever you ask me for. I will give you up to half of my *kingdom!’ v24 She went out and she said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She answered, ‘The head of John the *Baptist.’ v25 At once the girl rushed back to ask the king. She said, ‘I want you to give me immediately the head of John the *Baptist on a plate.’ v26 The king was very sorry. But because of his serious promise in front of his guests, he did not like to refuse her. v27 So the king sent a palace guard with orders to bring John’s head. The soldier went to the prison and he cut off John’s head. v28 He brought John’s head back on a plate and he gave it to the girl. She gave it to her mother. v29 John’s *disciples heard what had happened. So they came and they took his body. They laid it in a special cave, called a tomb.
Verse 14 Herod was Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. He ruled Galilee and Perea. Although Mark calls him ‘king’, the *Romans would not let Herod use that word about himself.
Verse 15 People believed that Elijah would come to announce the arrival of the *Messiah (Malachi 4:5). Some people believed that Jesus was a *prophet. He spoke with authority. He was therefore like the *Old Testament *prophets.
Verse 16 Public opinion had confused Herod. He also had a guilty conscience. He had ordered the death of John. He worried that Jesus might be John, alive again. Later he had an opportunity to see Jesus. Pilate had to decide whether Jesus was guilty. He sent Jesus to Herod so that he could help him to decide (Luke 23:6-12).
Verses 17-19 Herod had first married the daughter of king Aretas, who ruled a country in Arabia (2 Corinthians 11:32). But he left her and he married Herodias. She was the wife of his half brother Philip. They were both sons of Herod the Great but they had different mothers. Salome was the daughter of Herodias. John had said that Herod was wrong to marry Herodias. She could not forgive John for that. She wanted Herod to kill John. She persuaded Herod to put John in prison at the castle of Machaerus near the Dead Sea.
Verse 20 Herod was afraid of John, but he respected him. He recognised that John was a good man. He hated John’s message, but he could not stop listening to John. He tried to protect him from the anger of Herodias.
Verses 21-22 Herodias encouraged Salome to dance alone in front of Herod and his guests. It is possible that he had drunk too much wine. He promised Salome anything that she asked for. He did not think about what she might ask.
Verse 23 He could not give Salome ‘half his *kingdom’, because he only ruled with the authority of the *Romans. But he made his promise sound very serious.
Verses 24-25 Herodias now had her opportunity to murder John. The girl asked for John’s head ‘immediately’. She wanted it at once. She did not want Herod to have time to change his mind.
Verse 26 Usually it is right to *keep a promise. But Herod’s promise had been a foolish one. So it would have been right not to do it. But he was afraid that his guests would laugh at him. So he was too proud to refuse. And so he made his soldiers kill John.
v30 The *apostles returned to Jesus. They told him all that they had done. And they told him all that they had taught. v31 Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. Then you can have a rest.’ Many people were coming and going. That is why he said that. Jesus and the *disciples did not even have a chance to eat. v32 So they went away in the boat to a quiet place. v33 But many people saw them leave and they recognised them. They ran from all the towns and they arrived there before Jesus and the *disciples. v34 When Jesus came to the shore, he saw a great crowd. They were like sheep without anyone to look after them. So he felt a great pity for them. So he began to teach them many things. v35 When it was late in the day, his *disciples came to Jesus. They said, ‘This is a lonely place. It is already very late. v36 Send the people away so that they can buy something to eat in the country and the villages round here.’ v37 But Jesus answered his *disciples, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to Jesus, ‘Shall we go and spend six months’ pay on bread for them?’ v38 Jesus said, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five loaves and two fish’. v39 Then Jesus ordered them to make the people sit down on the green grass. v40 So they sat down in groups of 100 and groups of 50. v41 Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and he gave thanks for them. He broke the loaves into pieces. And he gave them to the *disciples to give to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. v42 Everyone ate until they had enough. v43 The *disciples collected 12 baskets full of the broken pieces of bread and fish that remained. v44 The number of men who had eaten was five thousand.
Verse 30 Mark calls the 12 men ‘*apostles’ for the first time here.
Verses 30-31 The *disciples were tired. And they wanted to tell Jesus all that had happened to them on their journey. But the crowds of people prevented them. They did not even have time for a meal. Jesus suggested that they should cross the lake by boat. They would then have some quiet and rest.
Verse 33 To cross the lake by boat might take a long time. It might take more time than to run round to the other side. So the people arrived before Jesus and the *disciples.
Verse 34 Sheep without anyone to look after them soon wander away from the right path. These people did not have a leader to stop them wandering away from God. They needed someone to teach them the right way to live. A man who looks after sheep is called a ‘shepherd’. The *religious leaders were like those leaders that Ezekiel described. They were like bad shepherds who did not take care of their sheep (Ezekiel 34:4-6). But Jesus is the good shepherd who cares about his sheep (John 10:11). So Jesus had great pity for the crowd. They had stopped his plan for a rest. But he was willing to teach them.
Verse 37 The *disciples were astonished that Jesus should ask them to provide food for the hungry crowd. Someone calculated that they would need more than two hundred days wages for that. Mark does not tell us who calculated that. John records that it was Philip (John 6:7).
Verse 38 It was Andrew who found the food. John also tells us that. A boy had five loaves and two fish (John 6:9). Jesus broke the fish (Luke 9:16). So we think that they may have been dried fish.
Verse 39 Jesus gave them a command. That command would make it easy for the *disciples to give out the food. The people had to sit in groups on the ‘green’ grass. The only time that the grass was green would be in the spring, in April. John said that this event happened near the time of the *Jewish *Passover. The *Passover *feast was in the spring (John 6:4-14).
Verse 40 The *Greek word that we have translated as ‘groups’ described rows of vegetables in a garden. Peter probably told Mark his memory of what the people looked like on the ‘green’ grass.
Verse 41 Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. *Jews always thanked God before a meal for providing the food.
Verses 42-43 The very small amount of food became enough for the crowd of over five thousand people to have plenty to eat. There were even 12 baskets of pieces left over. There was enough for each of the 12 *disciples to fill one basket each.
This event is in all four *Gospels. The writers believed that it was important.
Some people try to deny that Jesus created more food by a *miracle. They say that one boy offered his small supply. And then, all the people began to share their food. But everyone had plenty to eat and there were 12 baskets left over. Every year, God supplies the harvest. What happened here was the harvest *miracle in a short time. God’s provision of food is plentiful. But often some people are hungry because some other people are greedy.
The *Jews believed that the *Messiah would feed them with ‘bread from heaven’. In Moses’ time, God had fed the *Jewish people in the desert. Then, they were on their way to the country that he had promised to them (Exodus 16:14-18). Jesus had fed the crowd in a desert place. So, they believed that he was the *Messiah. He was bringing the ‘promised country’ of a *kingdom where they would share in the *Messiah’s splendid dinner. So they tried to make Jesus king (John 6:14-15).
At the Last Supper, Jesus ‘broke the bread’ as he had broken the loaves on this occasion (verse 41). The Christian Church has always remembered what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Different churches call it different names, for example: the *Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, Holy Communion, the Breaking of Bread. It is called ‘the breaking of bread’ in Acts (2:42; 20:7) and in Paul’s letter (1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:24). At such times, Christians remember that Christ himself is the ‘Bread’. He gives *spiritual life. He helps that *spiritual life to become stronger, as bread helps us to grow in a *physical way.
v45 Immediately, Jesus made his *disciples get into the boat. He made them go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he sent the crowd away. v46 When he had left his *disciples, he went up into the hills. He went into the hills in order to pray. v47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake. Jesus was alone on land. v48 It was very difficult for the *disciples to use their oars. Jesus saw that. This was because the wind was blowing against them. About the fourth period in the night, Jesus came to them. He was walking on the lake. He intended to pass by them. v49 But the *disciples saw Jesus as he was walking on the lake. And they thought that it was a *spirit. They cried out. v50 They were all very frightened when they saw him. But at once Jesus said to them, ‘Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.’ v51 He got into the boat with them. The wind stopped. They were completely astonished. v52 This was because they had not understood the *miracle of the loaves. They had not learned anything when Jesus fed the 5000 men. They could not understand who Jesus was.
Verse 45 Jesus saw that the crowd were preparing to make him king. He did not want his *disciples to share in a popular effort to lead the nation against the *Romans. So he sent them away.
Jesus needed to pray. He had many problems. The *religious leaders opposed him. Herod Antipas was a cruel man who was afraid of Jesus. Now there were the people who wanted to make him a national leader. Again Jesus had to refuse the *temptation to choose power rather than love. He did not want the crowds to stop him giving people freedom from *sin.
Verse 48 The *Jewish night had four periods. They began at six o’clock in the evening. They were three hours each. Jesus came in the fourth period, about three o’clock in the early morning. It was near the time of *Passover, when the whole of the moon would be shining. So there was probably some light from the moon on the lake. Jesus could therefore see that the *disciples were struggling against a strong wind to reach the other side.
Verse 50 The *Greek words that we have translated ‘It is I’ mean ‘I am’. It is possible that Mark used the name of God here (Exodus 3:14). He was reminding his readers that Jesus has the same power as God. God ‘walks on the waves of the sea’ (Job 9:8).
Verses 51-52 The *disciples were no longer afraid when Jesus came into the boat. But they were confused. They had not understood from the *miracle of the loaves who Jesus was. They were not able to recognise that his power over nature was the power of God.
This incident encourages Christians who are in any kind of trouble. They may believe, like the *disciples in the boat, that they are struggling alone. But Jesus came to the *disciples in their difficulty. Christians should remember that Jesus is with them. Then Jesus will give peace to them too.
v53 They crossed over the lake and they landed at Gennesaret. They tied up the boat. v54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus. v55 They rushed round the whole of that area and they began to carry sick people to him on their mats. People were telling them where Jesus was. And they brought the sick people to that place. v56 Jesus went into villages, towns and the country. Wherever he went, people laid their sick friends in the market places. They kept asking Jesus to let them touch just the edge of his clothing. All the people who touched it became well again.
Verse 53 Gennesaret was a small plain on the west side of the lake. It was south of Capernaum. So the wind had probably made the *disciples land away from their usual landing place.
Verse 56 Jesus cured a sick woman (5:25-34). He knew that power had gone from him. She had touched the edge of his clothing. Here many other people did the same.
v1 The *Pharisees and some of the experts on the law who came from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus. v2 They noticed that some of Jesus’ *disciples did not wash their hands in the special *Jewish way before a meal. v3 (The *Jews, and especially the *Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their hands. In this way they obey the old traditions. v4 When they come from the market place, they always wash themselves before a meal. They obey many other traditions, such as the ceremony of washing cups, jugs and kettles.) v5 The *Pharisees and the *scribes asked Jesus, ‘Why do your *disciples not live in the way that our *ancestors taught us? Why do they eat when they have not carried out the hand washing ceremony?’ v6 Jesus replied, ‘You are not honest! Isaiah *prophesied about you. He said, “These people give me honour by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. v7 Their *worship does not mean anything. They teach rules that men have made up instead of God’s rules” (Isaiah 29:13). v8 You take no notice of God’s commands. You obey rules that men have made up.’ v9 Jesus then said to them, ‘You have a good way not to obey God’s law in order to obey your own tradition! v10 Moses said, “Give honour to your father and mother” and, “You must kill anyone who says evil things about his father or mother.” v11 But you allow a man to say to his parents, “Any help that you might have received from me is ‘Corban’. (That means ‘I have given it to God’.)” v12 So you do not allow him to do anything for his father or mother. v13 In this way, you make God’s law have no effect because of the traditions that you obey. And you do many other things like that.’
v14 Then Jesus called the people close to him again. He said to them, ‘Listen, all of you, and understand this. v15 Nothing that goes into a man from outside will make him *unclean. What comes out of a man makes him *unclean.’ [v16 ‘You have ears to hear with. Make sure that you listen.’] v17 When Jesus had gone into the house, away from the crowd, the *disciples asked him about this *parable. v18 Jesus said, ‘You do not seem to understand, either. What you eat cannot make you *unclean. You should be able to see that. v19 Food does not go into the mind. It only goes into the stomach and it passes out of the body.’ (By saying this, Jesus was calling all food clean.) v20 ‘But what comes out of a man makes him *unclean. v21 Evil thoughts come from the inside, from man’s mind. So do wrong sex behaviour, murder and *adultery. v22 Stealing, wicked actions, cheating and desires that are not pure come from inside people too. So does the desire for what other people have, lies about other people, pride and foolish behaviour. v23 All these evil things come from inside a man and they make him *unclean!’
Verses 2-4 The *disciples did not have dirty hands. Mark explained it for his *Gentile readers. The *Jews had a special way to wash their hands before a meal. It was not in order to remove dirt. It was a ceremony. It made sure that they had separated themselves from anything ‘*unclean’. Certain foods were ‘*unclean’. *Gentiles were ‘*unclean’. The *Jews had to pour water over each hand in a special way. And they had to wash each hand with the fist of the other hand. They did this when they came in from the town. They might have touched something that a *Gentile had touched. They were also very careful to wash anything that they drank from. They washed equally carefully anything that they used to prepare a meal.
Verses 6-7 Jesus said that they were not honest. Many translations use the word ‘hypocrites’ here. This means that they are like actors. They are hiding their real character. They said that they were obeying God’s laws. But they were failing to obey God’s laws. And they were expecting everyone to follow their traditions. Jesus used the words of Isaiah to emphasise that their religion was only a show on the outside. They were not sincere, because they put their own ideas in place of God’s laws.
Verse 9 Jesus said that they had a ‘good’ way not to obey God’s law. He was expressing his disgust when he said that. He meant that they were clever at following their own rules instead of God’s rules.
Verses 10-13 Jesus gave an example of their wrong attitude. The word ‘Corban’ means a gift that someone has promised to God. A man could say that some of his money was ‘Corban’. He could give it to *Temple funds or he could use it for himself. But nobody else could benefit from it. When his parents needed his help, he would make this excuse. So he avoided his duty to his parents in order to follow a tradition. He was therefore not obeying the command of God to give honour to his father and mother.
Jesus said that th