OBS #2.4 - Mark 1:29-45

Mark 1:29-34

And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Immediately following his teaching and exorcism in the synagogue, Jesus goes into the house of Simon and Andrew in Capernaum. Why are they in Capernaum? Jesus' homebase was the port city of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida, the home of the first four fisherman disciples, was just a few miles north of Capernaum.

The fact that Simon Peter's mother-in-law is mentioned brings out another difference between Simon Peter and the rest of the disciples. Most church traditions hold that Peter was the only disciple who was married. This also breeds the tradition that Peter was older than the rest of the disciples since he was married and had apparently established himself in the trade of fishing.

The whole city of Capernaum is said to have assembled outside the door. Capernaum is estimated to have had about 4-5000 citizens in the first century. That is a great testimony to the verse that precedes this section: "And at once His fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee" (v28).

Mark 1:35-39

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Much before dark, Jesus got up and went to a private place to pray. Many of the early church fathers took this and other passages to show that Jesus was a praying Savior. They pointed to the continual references to Jesus going off by Himself to pray.

The disciples search and finally find Him, saying, "Everyone is looking for you." Jesus replies, "Let us go on to the next towns." Let's not stay here but go on because I came to preach and deliver the Gospel and the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 1:40-45

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them." But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

While going through Galilee, Jesus is approached by this leper. There isn't any markers saying where or when this happened. It's some time while Jesus is going about the region of Galilee, going onto the "next towns".

The major theme of this miracle is the physical touching of the leper by Jesus. The Mosaic Law had said touching a leper was forbidden and made one unclean. There were different forms of leprosy and many were afraid that most forms were contagious and transferred by contact. But the touching is the major point.

Origen (Fragments on Matthew 2.2-3) writes:

He touched him in his untouchability, that He might instruct us in humility; that He might teach us that we should despise no one, or abhor them, or regard them as pitiable, because of some wound of their body or some blemish for which they might be called to give an account. ... The hand of the Lord is found to havfe touched not a leper, but a body made clean! Let us consider here, beloved, if there be anyone here that has the taint of leprosy in his soul, or the contamination of guilt in his heart? If he has, instantly adoring God, let him say: "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

John Chrysostom (Gospel of St. Matthew, Homily 25.2) preached:

If He cleansed him merely by willing it and by speaking it, why did He also add the touch of His hand? For no other reason, it seems to me, than that He might signify by this that He is not under the hand of the Law, but the Law is in His hands. ... He touched the leper to signify that He heals not as servant but as Lord. For the leprosy did not defile His hand, but His holy hand cleansed the leprous body.

Was Jesus abrogating the Law of Moses? Was He throwing it out the window? Not according to Ephrem the Syrian (Commentary of Tatian's Diatessaron), where he writes:

In this stretching out of His hand He seemed to be abrogating the Law. For [it is written] in the Law that whoever approaches a leper becomes impure. ... He showed that nature was good in that He repaired its defect. Because He sent him to the priests, He thereby upheld the priesthood. He also ordered him to make an offering for his cleansing.

After healing the leper, Jesus instructs him to tell no one. Venerable Bede writes about the leper's inability to follow this command (Exposition on the Gospel of Mark 1.1.45):

In the performance of this miracle Jesus requested silence. Yet it did not remain concealed in silence for long. So it is with the called people of God--while following His precepts and example, they may prefer their responsible actions to remain unspoken, yet for the benefit of others providence may allow them to become known contrary to their own wishes.

This is quite applicable to the Christian's life. Many Christians do many great works without a desire to receive attention for them. But many times those acts become quite public despite the original intentions. This is because those who benefit from these good works are so overjoyed that they can't help but tell others about it. So with this healed leper in Galilee.

OBS #2.3 - Mark 1:9-28

Mark 1:9-11

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Jesus came to John to be baptized, to take His place among the line of sinners. It was His Baptism by John that sanctified all waters to be a wonderful washing away of sins.

The Latin church father Tertullian writes about the Holy Spirit's descent in the form of a dove, saying (On Baptism, 8):

The Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove in order that the nature of the Holy Spirit might be made plain by means of a creature of utter simplicity and innocence. For the dove's body has no gall in it. So after the deluge, by which the iniquity of the old world was purged away, after, so to speak, the baptism of the world, the dove as herald proclaimed to the earth the tempering of the wrath of heaven--sent forth from the ark and returning with an olive branch, which is a sign of peace among the nations.

Mark 1:12-13

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

St. Mark's use of the word "immediately" is extraordinary. Everything in the Gospel hinged on the urgency of Jesus' return. The urgency of Mark's writing of the Gospel at the urgent behest of the Roman Christians may have lent to the use of this word.

In Mark's Gospel, there is an ambiguity in the reading when compared to Matthew or Luke. Was the tempting of Jesus during the forty days (Mark) or after the forty days (Matthew, Luke)? Either way works because it is the doctrine of temptation in the Christian life.

Once again, the number "forty" comes around again with the length of Jesus' stay in the wilderness. It mirrors the forty days of the rain in the Flood, the forty years in the Wilderness. It is also the basis for the forty days of the season of Lent.

Mark 1:14-15

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

When did Jesus begin to preach? After John the Baptizer had been arrested. It was the greatest example of John's own prophecy: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). John can do no more public ministry being in Herod's underground dungeon. Now, it was time for the increase of Jesus' ministry.

The great message of Jesus comes through loud and clear. He proclaims, "the kingdom of God is at hand." The kingdom of God is standing in front of them and speaking to them. The Gospel is that good news that the kingdom of God has come down and put on human flesh. The good news that God had come down and was bringing about the reconciliation of mankind to God. But His ministry was one that He would not do alone.

Mark 1:16-20

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

The first four disciples Jesus called into the ministry were fishermen by trade. Jesus called them to become fishers of men, in fulfillment of Jeremiah 16:16: "Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the LORD, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks." The fulfillment of the restoration of Israel begins with the calling of the disciples.

Mark 1:21-28

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Jesus went back into his home base of Capernaum and taught in the synagogue. They were astonished, amazed, at Jesus' teaching because He taught "as one who had authority." They were not used to hearing the teachers speaking their own words instead of referencing previous rabbis' interpretations of passages.

The demon wished to derail Jesus' ministry by speaking the truth about Jesus' identity. This half-truth comes at the very beginning of Jesus' ministry to try and derail it off God's plan of salvation and ministry. But Jesus would not be undermined. He cast the demon out and silenced him.

OBS #2.2 - Mark 1:1-8

Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

St. Mark begins with the word “beginning,” showing that his contribution to the Roman Christians is simply a beginning and foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark uses the first eleven verses of his Gospel to illustrate that Baptism is the bridge between the Old and New Testaments.

The wilderness metaphor in verse 3 pictures hindrances and obstacles which separate Israel from God. Impenitence raises the mountains of obstruction. Repentance opens the way of YHWH.

John brings forth the model of Biblical preaching as the call to announce clearly and distinctly exactly what God orders us to announce in His Word.

“The very appearance of John was thus a stern sermon. It was a call to all those who made food and drink, house and raiment their chief concern in life to turn from such vanity and to provide far more essential things. John was a living illustration of how little man really needs here below—something we are prone to forget” (Lenski 38). St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his Catechetical Lectures, likens John’s living sermon of repentance to a snake shedding its skin:

He fed on locusts to make his soul grow wings. Sated with honey, the words he spoke were sweeter than honey and of more profit. Clothed in a garment of camel’s hair, he exemplified in his own person the holy life. … For every snake puts off its signs of age by pushing through some narrow place, and gets rid of its old apparel by squeezing it off. From then on it is young again in body. So “enter in at the straight and narrow gate,” squeeze yourself through by fasting, break yourself away from perishing, “put off the old nature with its deeds.”

John shows himself finally to be so unworthy of his calling that he likens himself to the humblest of slaves—the one who takes the shoes off his master’s feet upon entering the home—and says he is unable to do even that.

OBS #3.1 - Introduction to the Acts of the Apostles

Introduction to Acts of the Apostles

Author/Compiler: St. Luke is a companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. This comes explicitly clear in the "we" passages throughout the book of Acts.

Date of Composition: Acts' date of composition is under heavy dispute. Some believe it was written in 78 AD, being several years after St. Luke's Gospel. There is also some who believe that it was written in the late 90s to 100 AD (around the same time as St. John's Gospel). The majority of the opinion and the evidence points towards as being written in the mid-60s AD. This would be after St. Mark's Gospel (St. Peter's death) and before St. Paul's death. Since St. Peter was executed in 64 AD, St. Paul was executed in 67 AD and Acts ends with St. Paul still being imprisoned, Acts must have been written between 64 and 67.

Occasion/Purpose: Luke wrote this as a second volume to his Gospel. The major purpose of the book of Acts is as a continuation of Jesus' words in Luke 24:47: "repentance and forgiveness should be proclaimed in [Jesus'] name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem".

Major Theme: The major theme of the Acts of the Apostles is the progress of the proclamation of the Gospel by the early Church from Christ's Ascension until the end of St. Paul's ministry.

OBS #2.1 - Introduction to St. Mark's Gospel

Introduction to St. Mark's Gospel

Author/Compiler: St. John Mark is the son of Mary (Acts 12:12) and a Greek father. He lived in Jerusalem. It is believed by some that Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper in the Upper Room in Mary's house in Jerusalem. John Mark grew up to become a missionary helper of St. Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-13; 15:36-41). He was also St. Peter's helper in Rome (1 Peter 5:13) and continued helping St. Paul during his second Roman imprisonment (2 Timothy 4:11).

Date of Composition: The Gospel was written around the year 64 AD. There is some debate even among the ancient church fathers as to whether it was before or after Peter's death. Some say that Peter accepted and encouraged the Gospel being written down by Mark. Others say that it was written after his crucifixion as a memorial. Mark was either the first or second Gospel written. There is debate (starting in the 19th century) as to whether Matthew or Mark was written first, the second using the first as a primary source. Most of the ancient church fathers believed that Matthew was written first, then Mark, Luke and John (therefore the order we have them in the Bible).

Occasion/Purpose: Mark wrote the Gospel because the Christians at Rome requested a copy of what St. Peter had preached to them in his time in Rome (between St. Paul's first and second imprisonments). Mark then took the written Gospel and founded the Church in Alexandria. Its style is indicative of the fact that Mark wrote Peter's teachings from memory and recorded them as he remembered.

Major Theme: The major theme of the Gospel of St. Mark comes in its very first verse: "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (1:1).

OBS #1.3 - Daniel 2:1-16 : Nebuchadnezzar's First Dream

Daniel 2:1-11
In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream." Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation." The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation." They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation." The king answered and said, "I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm--if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation." The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

Date: fifth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign; two years since the end of the three years in 1:5

Dreams were used by God to reveal things which will happen in the future. This dream worried Nebuchadnezzar to the point of his losing sleep for the night. He summoned all those who were supposed to be naturally inclined to deciphering codes and riddles. The magicians were the philosophers of the kingdom (often shortened to magi). The enchanters were astrologers. The sorcerers carried the same connotation as it does now in the realm of wizards and warlocks. The Chaldeans were not necessarily Chaldean by nationality (of which all the previous groups would have been) but they were a particular order of wizard-priests.

Nebuchadnezzar’s orders were designed to test the truthfulness of these men and the powers they call upon for their sorcery. By forcing these men to tell the dream and the interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar was asking something that “no great and powerful king has asked such a thing” (v10). Nebuchadnezzar knew that they were wise enough to come up with an answer and interpretation if it meant saving their lives. Nebuchadnezzar would not accept just any answer.

Daniel 2:12-16

Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, "Why is the decree of the king so urgent?" Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

Unaccustomed to his orders being refused, Nebuchadnezzar (showing that power corrupts) ordered that the entire class of wise men be executed. They came after Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in their quest, but Daniel requested to have an audience with the king. How that turns out comes next time.

NOTE: All Scripture readings taken from English Standard Version. Used by permission.

OBS #1.2 - Daniel 1:8-21

Daniel 1:8-16

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king." Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see." So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

Each of the people taken from the nobility and royal family to be transformed into the image of the Babylonians. However, Daniel and his three friends refuse to allow that. Daniel convinced Nebuchadnezzar's chief eunuch to give them only vegetables and water.

It was a test--the first of many in the book of Daniel--concerning the faithfulness of God. The chief eunuch worried that the lack of meat and wine and the other delicacies given to everyone else would make these four young men look worse than the rest and cost him his job.

The chief eunuch finally succumbed to Daniel's persuasion and allowed an experiment for ten days. After those ten days, these four looked much better and were more fully rounded in flesh than everyone else. From that time on, the chief eunuch gave them only vegetables and water instead of their original provisions commanded by Nebuchadnezzar. God proved to be faithful to His people by providing even better for Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego even better than He did for everyone else.

This points us to the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread." As the Catechism explains, "God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving." The four young men received everything that God gave them with thanksgiving and they were well-provided in body and future.

Daniel 1:17-21

As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

God not only blessed them physically but also in everything that Nebuchadnezzar wanted them to have. God did this so that He had people who were faithful to Him in the hierarchy of the kingdom of Babylon so that His people would be cared for by their oppressors even while God had turned their back on them for the time being.

In fact, God had provided for them so well that Nebuchadnezzar found them ten times wiser, smarter and insightful than anyone else that he had in his court. They became his most trusted advisors. We see from the final verse of the chapter that Daniel served in this capacity until the first year of King Cyrus (539 BC). This places Daniel's influence over the land of Babylon to be close to fifty years. An entire lifetime of God's provisions being shown to him by the power and authority entrusted to him because of his faithfulness to God.

Faithfulness to God and His Word is what causes young people to be able to transform the world, just as these four youths transformed a worldwide empire by their faithfulness to their God.

NOTE: All Scriptures come from the English Standard Version (C) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Used with permission.