Moments

  That is the end of Chapter 1 of the The Book of Mark.  A lot has gone on in those 45 verses. Things are moving    quickly in "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."  In those verses "forthwith" is used twice.  "Immediately" and "straightway" are used four times each.  It starts with John the Baptist preaching to "prepare ye the way."  Then Jesus comes and is baptized and the voice of God confirms the ministry of Jesus when He came out of the water.  Immediately He is taken to be tempted by satan.  Jesus then went to Galilee and started preaching. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee He called Peter, Andrew, James and John to "follow" Him.  They Immediately left what they were doing and obeyed.   He then went to Capernaum and preached in the synagogue and to the amazement of everyone He spoke "as one with authority."   Jesus cast out the demons of an unclean man, again, to the amazement and asto

Mark 1:42-45 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away. And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.   It is always best to obey Jesus.  The healed leper didn't.  He could have said, "I just couldn't help myself."  There are varied thoughts as to why Jesus told the leper to not tell and follow the then prescribed law "which Moses commanded."  But my guess is that it wasn't the time "to blaze abroad the matter."   But as dread a disease - socially, personally, and physically - as leprosy

  Mark: 1: 39-41 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, if thou wilt, though canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will: be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. In the last post                                                                                     Moments: #15 - The Book of Mark - A Need to Pray (seeingglassdrarkly.blogspot.com  ,  Jesus had gone apart early to pray and when the disciples found Him, they told Him "All men seek ye." But Jesus had been talking to the Father and without further ado, told them, He was going to preach in other towns.  His ministry would not be limited In this expanded ministry, "there came a leper." Leprosy was a terrible thing in those days.  A sor

  Mark 1:35-38 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him And when they had found Him, they said unto him, all men seek for thee. And he said unto them, let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. Jesus needed time alone and thought it important enough to get up before daylight and go to a solitary place. And He prayed.  He wasn't going to be turned aside by His present popularity.  He saw through all that and wanted quiet time with the Father.  He needed to pray.  When was the last time you were at the top of your game, that you took out early before daylight to go pray?  That is not usually when people really stretch themselves to pray.   I have a place I go to pray in the woods here, but I usually go there when my tail is in a crack, or I want God to intervene for someone in sick or trouble.  On my b

  Mark 1:32-34 And even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed of devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. W ord travels fast in a small town especially about miraculous happenings.  The ministry of Jesus had begun in earnest.  It would never be the same. He and His miracles would be sought after by multitudes from now on.  He healed many and many more came wanting something from Jesus.  I wondered how many really benefited spiritually from being healed physically.  Prayers are easy to come by when the storms roll in, but when the storm is passed, the gratitude is reasserted as something achieved by yourself.  I've done it many times.  I have prayed and prayed for this illness or this or that, and when I get it answered, I  My dad had cancer.  It was bad.  We had our

  Mark 1: 29-31 A nd forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andres, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of fever, and anon they tell him of her.   And he came and took her by the hand, and lifter her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. A fter a miraculous experience in the synagogue, Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John went to Simon Peter's house.  It was customary to have the meal right after the service.  Not much has changed.  But Peter's mother-in-law was sick with fever.  You know how fever makes you feel; pretty sickly and weak.  Perhaps it was not a good time to bring visitors for the big meal.   When they told Jesus about her, He immediately went to help.  That's Jesus. He might have been tired. He might have been hungry. But there was a real need and Jesus went to fill it.  If I want to be more like Jesus, I might consider just what Jesus did.  He

  Mark 1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. There is that word "immediately" again.  The Gospel has arrived.  It has been anointed and tested.  "Straightway" he had called His disciples have been called and "straightway" they left their nets and followed.  He "straightway" on the Sabbath entered the synagogue and taught with authority and further amazed the people by healing a man in the synagogue of an unclean spirit.  It is not surprising that his fame spread abroad throughout Galilee.  But I wonder what they believed about Jesus.  Did they think Him just another magic man?  Was He just a highly intelligent theologian?  Who was He? I would imagine many different people had many different ideas about who this man call Jesus was?   We have the Bible.  God speaks with authority there.  We have seen God work in our lives and in the lives of others. We have felt Him touch our hearts, but who is H

Mark 1:23-27: And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out.  Saying, let us alone; what have we to do with thee, though Jesus of Nazareth: art thou come to destroy us the Holy One of God.  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, hold thy peace, and come out of him . When the unclean spirit had torn him and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, what thing is this? what new doctrine is this?  for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.  It seems that an unclean spirit was the first, or at least among the first to recognize  who Jesus was.  It doesn't say Jesus confronted the man with the unclean spirit but the unclean Spirit seems to be on high alert around Jesus.  The very Prescence of Jesus brought him fear.  And rightly so.   And when rebuked, the unclean spirit tore the man and cried out in a loud voice and then he came out.  Dras

  Mark: 1: 21-22 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as on that had authority, and not as the scribes. Jesus gathered His disciples and "straightway" entered the Synagogue on the sabbath.  Things are moving quickly like in the preceding verses. And He taught.  The fact that He was allowed to teach shows that Jesus seemed to already have some authority.  But that was teaching like they had never heard.  Jesus didn't teach like  one had before.  This was not three points and a conclusion. He wasn't drawing upon other writings or what others said  as the scribes would most often do.  No. Jesus spoke with authority of one who knew firsthand: "the author and finisher of our faith." And they were astonished at His doctrine as it shed new light and ushered in the beginning of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. "For God so lov

  Mark 2: 16-20 "Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.  And when he had gone a little farther there, he saw James and John his brother, who were also in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him Five verses and three begin with and.  That seems to convey a sense of continuing motion.  It doesn't suggest a ponderous enterprise in the calling of his closest disciples.  Jesus didn't hesitate to ask and Peter, Andrew, James, and John did not hesitate to accept.  This is quite different from what occurred in Luke 9:60 :   And he said unto another Follow me.     But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.   In  Luke 9:61

  Mark 1: 14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel. J ohn had "preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" The message of Jesus was that the time of preparing a way is over - the time is fulfilled - what you have waited for, hoped for, prayed for is here - now- "The kingdom of God is at hand."  Repent and believe.    That is still the message of Jesus today: repent and believe.  Believe what?  Believe the Gospel, that through faith, through believing that Jesus came to die on the cross for our remission of sins. The Gospel is good news.   Repent and believe the good news, that  "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

  Mark 1:12-13 And immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan: and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him. J esus got a well-pleased from God and "immediately" He was tried, his commitment challenged, and tested.  Nothing was easy for Jesus.  In the Book of Matthew, it says He fasted forty days.  Jesus was fresh from anointing and now thrown into hunger, thirst, danger, and temptation, alone in the wilderness.  In Matthew it also said, Jesus was tempted three times of the devil and after all this is when the angels came and ministered to Him. The ministry of Jesus had a rough start.  But it wasn't Satan who drove Jesus into the wilderness. It was the Spirit.  God knows we must be tried to know who and whose we are. Have you ever been taken and tempted in some wilderness in your life?  Did it seem to come "immediately" after some special mountaintop experience?  It has