Category: <span>New Testament</span>

The closer Jesus was to the cross, the more intently He gave Himself to the twelve. Crowds enjoyed Jesus’ early ministry, but only those nearest Him would understand the significance of His last days. The latter portion of each Gospel contains the most pointed lessons on discipleship. As the disciples followed Jesus to Jerusalem, Jesus more fully disclosed the message of the kingdom of God. Jesus was “on the road” (Mark 8:27) with His followers, a phrase Mark repeated to signify progress in discipleship (Mark 9:33, 34; 10:17, 32, 46, 52; 11:8). The road would end in Jerusalem, at the cross. Jesus’ mission looked forward to Calvary but also looked back to God’s revelation of Himself to Israel in the Old Testament. In Mark 9, references to Moses, Elijah, and the prophecy of Isaiah portrayed Jesus’ mission within the framework established by the Old Testament.

(1) In Mark 9:2-8, Mark wrote that Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured and standing beside Moses and Elijah. God established Moses and Elijah to reveal His greatness and call Israel to faithfulness to the law. These leaders served the Lord by calling Israel to forsake idolatry so that the nation might worship the Lord from a pure heart. The Evangelists recorded that the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt 17:1-8//Mark 9:2-8//Luke 9:28-36) followed shortly after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah (Matt 16:13-20//Mark 8:27-30//Luke 9:18-21). Seeing Jesus in His glorious state—accompanied by Moses, Elijah, and the heavenly voice—provided Peter, James, and John with the rationale for Jesus’ radical teaching and miracles. The transfiguration of Jesus was intended to further clarify for the disciples Jesus’ person and mission. Jesus’ glorified state and fellowship with two of Israel’s most prominent leaders showed the leading disciples the glory of Jesus as the Son of God.

(2) In Mark 9:48, Jesus quoted Isa 66:24 to warn His disciples that they must seek to edify one another lest they be cast to eternal punishment in hell. Isaiah concluded his prophecy by describing the day when the Lord would gather His people together with some from all nations and languages to see His glory in Jerusalem and worship Him. When those who are not part of this united, multi-national gathering leave from Jerusalem, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against the Lord. “Their maggots will never die, their fire will never go out,” Isaiah said (Isa 66:24). Jesus used Isaiah’s phrase to describe the eternal punishment that will come upon all who rebelled against His call to discipleship. As Jesus and the disciples traveled toward Jerusalem, Jesus exhorted them to pursue unity with one another (Matt 18:1-11//Mark 9:33-50//Luke 9:46-50). When the disciples began to quarrel with one another over who was the greatest among them (Mark 9:33-37), Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). His concern was that the disciples avoid behavior that would cause a brother to fall away from following Jesus on the road of discipleship. Jesus cited Isaiah’s description of hell in Isa 66:24 to warn the disciples of the consequences of taking their community casually. He said, “Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50).

Mark depicted Jesus’ authority over the natural world and human opponents. Disease, death, and doubt had met their match in Jesus the Son of God. Mark and the other Gospel writers noted that the Pharisees opposed Jesus because He did not operate according to their traditions. Jesus cited the Old Testament—texts the Pharisees knew well—to confront them for their hypocrisy. The disciples also displayed hypocrisy, dull to the power of Jesus and overly sensitive to natural human needs and desires. Jesus cited the Old Testament to confront the Pharisees and to assure His disciples of His greatness.

(1) In Mark 7:6-10, Jesus cited statements from Isaiah and Moses to defend His disciples when the Pharisees accused them of violating cleanness laws. In Isaiah 29, Isaiah confronted Israel for their superficial religion. Israel went through the motions of the temple and honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God (Isa 29:13). So, when a delegation of Pharisees from Jerusalem questioned Jesus for allowing His disciples to eat before ceremonial washings (Matt 15:1-20//Mark 7:1-23), Jesus said, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites” (Mark 7:6). Ritual washings were only required for priests entering the tabernacle (Exod 30:19; 40:13; Lev 22:1-6) and those who had a bodily discharge (Lev 15:11). The Pharisees applied Moses’ teachings more broadly, but Jesus would have none of it. He confronted the Pharisees for extending Moses’ command about washing while ignoring Moses’ command about the need for children to honor their parents. Jesus cited the fifth commandment (Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16) and the commandment that children who cursed their parents were to be put to death (Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9) to indict the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Concerning cleanness, Jesus said, “Nothing that goes into a person can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him…For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, lewdness, stinginess, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness” (Mark 7:15, 21-22).

(2) In Mark 8:18, Jesus cited phrases from Jeremiah and Ezekiel to help His disciples recognize their shallow spiritual insight and remind them of His ability to provide for them. In Jeremiah 5, the prophet condemned Israel because they rejected God. They had eyes but could not see and ears but could not hear the truth God spoke through His prophets (Jer 5:21). The people of Judah did not fear Him who gives the early and late rains so that the earth yields a harvest (Jer 5:24). Jesus took up Jeremiah’s argument and applied it to His disciples. After Jesus had compassion on the crowds surrounding Him and fed over 4,000 people with a few loaves and fish, He left with His disciples in a boat (Mark 8:1-10). When the Pharisees pursued Jesus asking Him for a sign from heaven to show His messianic power, Jesus again boarded a boat on the Sea of Galilee to escape. Fleeing the crowds and the Pharisees for a moment, Jesus was in private company with His disciples and He said to them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod” (Mark 8:15). Jesus was concerned that the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership might pervade His band of followers and impede their discipleship (Matt 16:5-12//Mark 8:15-21). But the disciples thought that Jesus was concerned about bread—which they forgot to bring when they boarded the ship and set sail. Jesus cited Jer 5:21 and chastised the disciples for their lack of understanding. Like Jeremiah’s audience, the disciples had forgotten God’s ability to provide. Jesus argued that since He was able to supply His disciples’ need for food—as He had just demonstrated in the feeding miracle—the disciples were to give full attention to combatting the influence of the Jewish leadership.

Mark’s Gospel is pointed and dense. The author compiled overlapping stories to efficiently recount Jesus’ life and ministry. In the Old Testament storyline, God called Israel to Himself and set leaders over His people to shepherd them according to His will. In Mark 6, Jesus’ relationship with those hearing His teaching demonstrated His deity and authority.

(1) In Mark 6:1-6, the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus in the same manner that Israel had rejected God. The Evangelists noted that Jesus centered His early ministry in Galilee and the towns of Nazareth and Capernaum. The people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, rejected His teaching (Matt 13:53-58//Mark 6:1-6//Luke 4:16-30). Moses chastised Israel for complaining against God when they had no food in the wilderness (Exod 16:8). When Israel demanded that Samuel give them a king, the Lord instructed Samuel not to take their request personally, saying, “They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king” (1 Sam 8:7). The author of 2 Kings wrote that God raised up the Assyrians to take Israel captive because Israel had rejected the Lord’s instruction throughout their time in Canaan (2 Kgs 17:7-20). Jeremiah confronted the people of Judah arguing that since they had rejected the Lord’s instruction (Jer 6:19; 8:9), the Lord rejected them (Jer 6:30; 14:19). Hosea also condemned Israel for rejecting the Lord (Hos 2:13; 4:6; 13:6). The people of Nazareth heard Jesus’ teaching in the synagogue and questioned how He, a carpenter, could speak with such authority. Jesus replied, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household” (Mark 6:4).

(2) In Mark 6:34, Mark described Jesus’ compassion on the crowds in language that reflected Moses’ perspective on Israel. Just before his death, the Lord allowed Moses to see the Promised Land from the top of Mount Nebo. The author of the book of Numbers recorded Moses’ concern for the well-being of the people after his death. Moses said, “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the community who will go out before them and come back in before them, and who will bring them out and bring them in, so that the LORD’s community won’t be like sheep without a shepherd” (Num 27:16-17). For Moses and Joshua, whom the Lord appointed to succeed Moses, the flock of Israel was hapless and unprotected. On the plains of Moab, Israel was easy game for predators. The Lord raised up Joshua to lead the people into Canaan and safety. Once the people were in the Promised Land, Joshua recorded that the Lord gave them rest from their enemies (Josh 21:43-45). When Jesus saw the needy crowds following after Him and the disciples, He had compassion on them “because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). After Jesus had taught the crowds for some time, the disciples became concerned for them—where could they all get dinner? Jesus turned the concern of the twelve into an injunction, “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). Jesus turned their five loaves and two fish into a banquet for 5,000 men (Matt 14:13-21//Mark 6:32-44//Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). Thus, when Jesus saw the crowds following Him, He had compassion on them not because they needed a meal but because they needed His instruction. The author of Hebrews wrote that despite Joshua’s proclamation of rest, since David later urged Israel to obey and to enjoy rest (Ps 95:7-11), the peace Israel enjoyed in Canaan was not all that God intended for His people (Heb 4:1-11). Jesus served as a shepherd-priest who offered rest to all who would make every effort to heed His message and enter His rest.

Much of Mark 3-4 consists of dialectic and parabolic instruction. In Mark 5, Jesus’ teaching was coupled with signs and deeds that demonstrated His power as the Son of God. Mark noted Jesus’ authority over demonic forces and uncleanness, emphasizing Jesus’ unique role in the narrative of Scripture.

(1) In Mark 5:1-20, references to Jesus’ superiority over demons reinforced that His ministry was a spiritual war in accord with Gen 3:15. In the garden of Eden, the Lord pronounced hostility between the serpent and Eve’s offspring. At various points in the Old Testament narrative, Satan opposed and accused God’s people (Job 1:6-2:10; Dan 10:10-11:1; Zech 3:1-7) and in the wilderness, Jesus endured temptation from the Devil (Matt 4:1-11//Mark 1:12-13//Luke 4:1-13). In Mark 3:11-29, Mark portrayed Jesus as a spiritual warrior. Mark noted, “Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, those possessed fell down before Him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God!’” (Mark 3:11). Ultimately, the twelve were given authority over demonic forces, again showing Jesus’ superiority (Mark 3:13-19). Thus, the scribes from Jerusalem spoke nonsense when they said of Jesus, “He has Beelzebub in Him!…He drives out demons by the ruler of demons!” (Mark 3:22). Jesus, being the superior logician, called them to account for their foolishness, saying, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24). The demons were right, and the scribes were wrong. One greater than the Devil had arrived, and the demons knew their days were numbered. Jesus’ exorcism of the Gerasene Demoniac in Mark 5:1-20 reinforced Mark’s portrayal of Jesus as God’s spiritual warrior fighting the Devil and his earthly forces. Though the demon-possessed man was stronger than any human force or chain, upon seeing Jesus, the man ran to Jesus crying out, “What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!” (Mark 5:7). When the legion of demons in the man asked Jesus for permission to leave the man and enter the pigs, Jesus gave them permission to do so (Mark 5:13). All were amazed when they saw the formerly possessed man “dressed and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15), sitting by Jesus. While the healed man wished to follow Jesus in the company of His disciples, Jesus instructed him, “Go back home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19).

(2) In Mark 5:24-34, Jesus demonstrated authority over the cleanness laws of Leviticus 15. The Evangelists reported that a woman suffering from a hemorrhage touched Jesus while He was in route to heal Jairus’ daughter (Matt 9:18-26//Mark 5:21-43//Luke 8:40-56). The point of the narrative is that Jesus, unlike any normal person, did not become contaminated by the touch of a woman who was considered unclean. In Leviticus 13-15, Moses recorded guidelines for Israel’s physical purity. Moses detailed the procedures priests were to follow in identifying skin diseases and cleansing people of them (Leviticus 13-14) and then set forth procedures for cleansing those who had bodily discharges. Moses wrote that if a woman suffered from a discharge of blood in a time when it was not her period, she was to be considered unclean, and the furniture she touched was likewise unclean (Lev 15:25-27). When the woman suffering from discharge for twelve years saw Jesus, she said in her heart, “If I can just touch His robes, I’ll be made well!” (Mark 5:28). When Jesus realized He had been touched by this unclean woman, He did not rebuke her, or pursue cleansing in accord with Lev 15:28-30. Rather, Jesus elicited the woman’s faith by asking, “Who touched my robes?” (Mark 5:30). In that moment, she “came with fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth” (Mark 5:33). Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your affliction” (Mark 5:34).

Jesus’ teaching in Mark 4 represents Mark’s report of Jesus’ actions throughout his Gospel. In quick succession, Jesus stacked parables on top of one another as a means of teaching since parables reveal true meaning only to those who have the ability to hear. Jesus’ parables in Mark 4 accentuate His ministry and the kingdom of God in light of Old Testament expectations.

(1) In Mark 4:2-10, Jesus told the Parable of the Soils, explaining His ministry in accord with Isa 6:9-10. The point of the parable is that only good soil is able to produce a crop (Mark 4:8, 20). The other three surfaces—due to their lack of ability to internalize the seed and give it habitation for growth—receive it to no ultimate effect (Mark 4:13-19). Jesus’ statement, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!” (Mark 4:9), establishes the point of contact between Jesus and Isaiah. The Evangelists noted that Jesus taught in parables in a way that reflected Isaiah’s ministry (Matt 13:1-15//Mark 4:1-12//Luke 4:4-10). At the beginning of Isaiah 6, the prophet reported the historical circumstances of his ministry. It was the year of King Uzziah’s death, a time of political and spiritual unrest in Israel. But that is when Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord lofty and exalted, sitting on His throne in the temple filled with glory (Isa 6:1-2). The prophet heard the angels around the Lord’s throne crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth” (Isa 6:3). The Lord called out asking who would go out to speak the Lord’s message and Isaiah responded to God’s call (Isa 6:8). The prophet learned that although the Lord’s glory filled the temple, it did not fill Israel. Israel was a stubborn people with dull ears, the Lord told Isaiah. The prophet’s sermons would dull them further, the Lord told him (Isa 6:9-10). Jesus used parables so that those outside of the kingdom “may look and look, yet not perceive; they may listen and listen, yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back—and be forgiven” (Mark 4:12). When in private the disciples asked Jesus about His use of parables, Jesus went on to tell them that the ability to understand His teaching was the foundation of repentance and faith and the kingdom of God (Mark 4:10-12).

(2) In Mark 4:26-32, Jesus’ parables about the growth of the kingdom of God reflected the growth of Israel from one man to a great nation. God called Abraham and promised to make him into a great nation such that his descendants would be like the stars of the sky (Gen 12:1-3; 15:5). Abraham’s family grew through his sons Isaac and Jacob. When Jacob left Canaan to take refuge with Joseph in Egypt, Jacob’s family numbered 70 (Gen 46:27). In Egypt, the descendants of Abraham multiplied so greatly that the Pharaoh considered the Hebrews a threat to Egyptian security. He ordered all Hebrew boys to be executed (Exod 1:15-16). The Parable of the Growing Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed in Mark 4:26-32 continue the theme of agriculture expressed in the Parable of the Sower. Jesus’ point was that when something small grows to its potential, it is far beyond what might have been expected. Through the parables of Mark 4, Jesus argued that those who hear with understanding, those who correspond to good soil (Mark 4:8, 20), esteem the kingdom of God even though at present the kingdom seemed small and insignificant.

These chapters of Mark’s Gospel record Jesus’ early ministry in Galilee and roughly parallel events recorded in Matthew 4, 8-9, and Luke 4-6. In Mark 2-3 the author emphasizes Jesus’ unparalleled authority in action. For Mark, Jesus stood supreme as the One who had the authority to forgive sins, the freedom to eat with the unclean, and the right to interpret the Sabbath in light of His entrance into the world. In short, Jesus was not only proclaiming the kingdom of God in His sermons, He was also inaugurating it in His actions. Even Jesus’ mother and brothers needed to align themselves with the time of His coming. Mark wove Jesus’ messages and miracles with their Old Testament precedents to portray Jesus’ supremacy in Scripture’s storyline.

(1) In Mark 2:13-17, Jesus ate with those considered unclean by the standards set forth in the law. In Leviticus 11, Moses detailed the various animals that were unclean and to be avoided by those in the community. Moses repeated many of these stipulations in Deut 14:3-20. In Deut 14:21, Moses stated that the people of Israel were allowed to give unclean foods to resident aliens among them or sell those foods to foreigners but said, “You are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God.” Laws detailing unclean food influenced the Pharisees’ social habits. By dining with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus inverted their paradigm and established a new way of thinking about holiness. Sanctification was now to be expressed by loving benevolence to sinners. Jesus said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

(2) In Mark 2:18-22, Jesus’ statements about fasting focused Israel’s patterns of religion in light of His teaching and ministry. The Old Testament required fasting only on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), but John’s disciples and the Pharisees fasted more regularly, distinguishing themselves from Jesus and His disciples (Matt 9:14-17//Mark 2:18-22//Luke 5:33-39). When crowds noticed the varying patterns of religion, they approached Jesus asking why He did not follow the same traditions as John and the Pharisees. Jesus answered that His coming in the flesh demanded that all honor Him over and above contemporary signs of piety. Jesus retorted that His message was not an appendage to Judaism, like a new patch on an old garment, or new wine into old skins. His teaching was the new wine and could only be appreciated by fresh wineskins (Mark 2:22). New patterns of piety were in order and only those that centered on Him were to be followed.

(3) In Mark 2:25-26, Jesus justified His disciples’ eating on the Sabbath by citing the event when David and his men ate consecrated bread from the high priest. When David was on the run from Saul, he came to the priest at Nob and asked for food that he and his men might eat. The priest told David, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread, but the young men may eat it only if they have kept themselves from women” (1 Sam 21:4). David assured the priest that he and his men were pure. The priest gave David and his men the Bread of the Presence and they ate it (1 Sam 21:6; Exod 25:30; Lev 24:5-9). One Sabbath day, Jesus was going through the grain fields with His disciples and the Pharisees complained when the disciples began to pick grain and eat (Matt 12:1-8//Mark 2:23-28//Luke 6:1-5). Jesus asked them, “Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry?” (Mark 2:25). Jesus concluded His argument with the Pharisees by stating His own supremacy over all of salvation history. “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28).

Mark recorded nothing of Jesus’ birth and early years. Mark was concerned to present Jesus as a man of action. An event is completed and Mark notes that immediately another event followed. Mark presented Jesus’ acts, messages, and suffering in light of the Old Testament.

(1) In Mark 1:2-3, Mark employed Isa 40:3 and Mal 3:1 to validate John the Baptist as Jesus’ forerunner. In Mark’s mindset, “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1), necessitated understanding Jesus in light of God’s revelation before Jesus’ birth. Mark and the other Evangelists saw in the words of the prophets a launch pad for describing the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Matt 3:1-6//Mark 1:2-6//Luke 3:1-6//John 1:19-23). In Isaiah 1-39, the prophet repeatedly confronted Israel for her sin, urging her to trust the Lord for deliverance. Beginning in Isaiah 40, the prophet proclaimed words of hope. Isaiah announced the day when the Lord would send a forerunner to prepare the people for the day of God’s redeeming power, when He would intervene for His people. Malachi also prophesied that the Lord would send a messenger to prepare the people for the time when God would intervene on behalf of His chosen ones (Mal 3:1). John’s ministry was widely successful. Mark wrote that crowds came from throughout Judea and Jerusalem to be baptized by John. They heard John preach that all must repent and await the day when One more powerful than him would come and baptize the people with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:4-8).

(2) In Mark 1:11, Mark described the Spirit coming upon Jesus in accord with expectations of the Messiah. The Evangelists portrayed Jesus’ baptism as the inaugural event of the Lord’s public ministry (Matt 3:13-17//Mark 1:9-11//Luke 3:21-22//John 1:29-34). The Spirit of the Lord led Moses (Num 11:16-30), Saul (1 Sam 10:10), and David (1 Sam 16:13; Ps 2:2; 51:11) in their positions of leadership. Isaiah predicted that the Lord’s deliverer would be anointed by the Spirit (Isa 11:2; 42:1, 7; 61:1-2). Mark wrote that the moment Jesus came out of the baptismal waters, the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended upon Jesus.

(3) In Mark 1:40-45, Jesus cleansed a leper in violation and fulfillment of Leviticus 13-14. Moses established a detailed protocol for how Israel should deal with skin diseases. The priests investigated skin irritations for signs of infection and quarantined those having a disease that could spread. When the disease was healed, the priest would lead the cleansed person in a ceremony so all would know that the person was whole and ready to commune again with the community (Lev 14:1-9). The ceremony required the cleansed person to bring animals for sacrifice and restitution before the Lord and priests (Lev 14:21-32). When a man with a serious skin disease came to Jesus and begged the Lord to heal him, Jesus was moved with compassion (Mark 1:41). In touching the man, Jesus set aside the priestly ritual of Leviticus 13. By His own power, Jesus healed the man instantly. No process or procedure was needed. But Jesus upheld Lev 14:1-32, commanding the man to quietly fulfill the law by giving the priest the offering for cleansing (Mark 1:43-44). Jesus told the man to do this as a testimony to what Jesus had done for him.