Verse by Verse

⁴⁰ Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,

⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

⁴⁵ However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Also found in Matthew 8:2-4 and Luke 5:12-16.

to Him (v.40) = face to face, a confrontation

imploring (v.40) = beseeching, begging

if You are willing (v.40) — The Greek indicates an appeal to emotion, not to reason.

You can (v.40) — The leper didn’t doubt Jesus’ ability, but he was unsure of His willingness. At the time, possibly no leper had ever been cured.

 The rule of Greek grammar that governs this construction is that the action of the present tense participle goes on simultaneously with the action of the leading verb. That is, Jesus was saying “I will” at the time He was touching the leper. But the thought “I will,” the determination to follow out His desire to cleanse the leper, and the act of cleansing him all preceded the spoken words and the outstretched hand. All of which means that our Lord did not touch the leper in order to cleanse him, but to show him and the people around, that he was cleansed of his leprosy. The Levitical law forbad a jew to touch a leper. Our Lord lived under that law and obeyed it.

Leprosy is a type of sin. The sinner comes crying, “Unclean, unclean, if Thous wilt, thou canst make me clean.” And the Lord Jesus, moved with compassion, stretches out His hand and touches him, saying, “I will, be thou clean.” And, as in the case of the leper, He cleanses us from sin before He touches us. In John 1:12, justification precedes regeneration in the divine economy. Mercy is only given on the basis of justice satisfied. So it is, “But as many as appropriated Him, to them He gave a legal right to become born ones of God, to those who put their trust in His name. And so, as the sinner recognizes the Lord Jesus as the One who through His outpoured blood on the Cross, procured for sinful man a legal right to the mercy of God, he becomes the recipient of regeneration and of all the other parts of salvation. — Wuest, page 41.

As soon as He had spoken (v.42) — not in the best texts

He strictly warned him (v.43) — The verb is from [a word meaning] “to be moved with anger. The word Mark uses means “to snort,” and was used of horses. In the classics, it meant “to be very angry, to be moved with indignation.” In the Bible, it has a use unknown to profane authors, “to charge with earnest admonition, sternly to charge, threateningly to enjoin.”– Wuest, page 42.

sent him away (v.43) = threw him out — from the crowd that was surrounding him.

The reason for [Jesus’] charge and dismissal lay in the desire of Jesus not to thwart His ministry by awaking the premature violence of His enemies; who, if they should see the leper and hear his story before he had been officially pronounced clean by the priests, might deny either that he had been a leper or had been truly cleansed. … He (Mark) does not mean to impute real anger to Jesus, but only la masterful manner dictated by a desire that the benefit should be complete — away, out of this, to the priest; do what the law requires, that you may be not only clean but recognized as such by the authorities, and so received by the people as a leper no longer.” — Wuest, page 42.

testimony to them (v.44) — the testimony of the priests to the people that the leper was official pronounced clean. In my study of this occasion in Matthew 8:1-4, the commentaries believe this means a testimony to the priests and rulers that Jesus was the Messiah.

proclaim (v.45) — tense indicates continuous action.

the city (v.45) — There is no “the” in the Greek. Jesus was not able to enter any city.

came (v.45) = kept on coming.

What Jesus feared seems to have happened. the man went about telling of his cure, and neglecting the means necessary to obtain social recognition as cured. This cure and the popularity it caused may have cooperated to bring Christ’s synagogue ministry to an abrupt termination by stirring up envy. Jesus was between two fires, and His order to the leper, “Go, show thyself,” had a double reference: to the man’s good and to the conciliation of the scribes and synagogue rulers. — Wuest, page 43.

Jesus wasn’t trying an end around to replace the priests or render them unnecessary.  He wanted the leper to proceed in the proper channels.

³⁵ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.

³⁷ When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

³⁸ But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

³⁹ And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Also found in Matthew 4:23-24 and Luke 4:42-44.

Although all the healing that took place the night before took place after the sun had set (after the Sabbath had ended), Jesus still got up long before dawn  to pray. The morning watch was between 3-6 am. The Greek indicates that Jesus went out in the early part of that watch.

prayed (v.35) — A conscious direction of one’s prayer to God, and a consciousness on the part of the one praying, of god’s presence and attention. The verb is imperfect, and pictures Jesus as praying through the early morning hours. — Wuest, page 39.

searched (v.36) = hunted Him down, pursued as one army pursued another (as in Psalm 23:6). Simon looked for Jesus until he found Him, with the purpose of bringing Him back where the people were.

Let us go (v.38) = Let us be going, and keep on going.

towns (v38) = country towns, villages without walls

I have come forth (v.38) — from Capernaum

This Servant made healing subordinate to preaching. He left Capernaum. Had He stayed there He would have established Himself as a Healer of Diseases. But He came to earth to preach and to die; and He allowed nothing to hinder Him in this double purpose. — Williams, page 733.

³² At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.

³³ And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Also found in Matthew 8:16-17 and Luke 4:40-41.

It had been the Sabbath, we know, because of the synagogue service. The Sabbath ended at sunset, so it was now lawful for people to bring the sick to Jesus.

brought (v.32) = lit. carried, moved by carrying. The tense indicates a continuous action.

A spa with hot mineral waters was located in Tiberius, about 10 miles from Capernaum. The waters supposedly had curative powers. But it they obviously didn’t work because there were still many in the area who were sick. They came to Jesus, and He did work.

gathered (v.33) = lit. went with others and settled down together as a group. People brought their sick and stuck around, close to and facing the door. Others probably came just to be part of the excitement.

many (v.34) — This doesn’t mean that some were not healed. Matthew says Jesus healed all the sick. Mark was just stating that there were a lot of people.

did not allow (v.34) — tense indicates a continuous action. A continuous refusal. The demons wanted to be heard, and they would have cried out if Jesus hadn’t continuously prevented it.

²⁹ Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

³⁰ But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.

³¹ So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Also found in Matthew 8:14-15 and Luke 4:38-39.

Jesus often visited Simon and Andrew’s house. Mark 2:1; 3:19; 9:33; 10:10.

Peter was married (1 Corinthians 9:5), and his wife may have traveled with him in his later ministry. Church tradition (but not Scripture) states that she ministered to women in their homes as she traveled with Peter.

lay sick with a fever (v.30) — the Greek indicates that she was prostrate, burning up with fever, and had been for some time. It may have been a chronic condition.

severed them (v.31) = waited upon like a domestic servant. The tense indicates a progressive action. She prepared and served a meal (probably the Sabbath meal). — Not only was the fever gone, but the woman had none of the usual post-sickness weakness. The word “immediately” is not in some texts, but the context indicates that her healing was instantaneous.

²¹ Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.

²² And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

²⁴ saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”

²⁶ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

²⁷ Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

²⁸ And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Also found in Luke 4:31-37.

Capernaum became Jesus’ new home after His unfriendly reception at Nazareth. It had by New Testament times grown into a city, having a tax office (Matthew 9:9) and a garrison for Roman soldiers (Matthew 8:9). — Thomas, page 49.

immediately (v.21) — on the first Sabbath after He arrived in the city. Mark used the word “immediately” (in some form) more than 40 times.

Synagogue is a Greek word meaning “a bringing together” or “an assembly”; but it was often used, as here, for the building in which the congregation met. Of the origin of synagogues nothing is known. The service in them was largely instructional: but they were also courts of justice (Luke 12:11; 21:12), where punishment could be inflicted (Matthew 10:17). It was the custom for the president of the synagogue to arrange who should read and expound the Scriptures each sabbath, and at this stage of His ministry this provided Jesus with manifold opportunities, for wherever He went He would be invited to teach. … The authoritative tone of Jesus’ teaching contrasted sharply with the utterances of Jewish teachers whose knowledge was entirely derivative and who invariably appealed to tradition or to the sayings of famous rabbis.— Guthrie, page 856.

__________

[Demon possession] is a phenomenon specially associated with the period of our Lord’s presence on earth. It is referred to only twice in the Old Testament, and twice in the New Testament outside the Gospels … The demons were real, and knew of the Messianic office of Jesus long before the disciples were aware of it, although they were never allowed to proclaim the facts (Mark 1:34; James 2:19) — Guthrie, page 856

astonished (v.22) — tense indicates repeated/continual astonishment as Jesus spoke. The word carries the idea of being struck by something.

Prophet after prophet opened and closed his message with the words, “Thus saith the Lord” … “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Jesus was content with the attestation, “Verily, I say unto you.” … Everywhere in His teaching the center of authority is personal. … He assigns no authority for [His words] beyond His own. — Chadwich, page 23.

“their” synagogue (v.23) — The possessed man was probably not a member of the synagogue. In the Greek, it is evident that he began crying out as soon as Jesus stopped teaching.

I’m not sure I’ve heard (before now) the explanation of demons that Wuest gives (below). I think it makes sense to me.

with an unclean spirit (v.23) — The unclean spirit was in the man in the sense that he, an incorporeal being entered the man’s body, took up his residence in it, and controlled the person in whose body he dwelt. The man was in the demon in that he lived within the sphere of the demon’s control. … The devil is a fallen angel. Demons constitute a different category of beings. From the fact that the demons have no rest unless they are living in some physical body, it seems clear that at one time they did have physical bodies, and that they were deprived of them by some judgment of god. Some, including the writer, think that they are the disembodied beings of a pre-Adamite race who inhabited the first perfect earth (Genesis 1:1), and that they followed their leader Lucifer, into sin, and were disembodied and deprived of residence upon the earth by the cataclysm of Genesis 1:2, which was coincident with the fall of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-17). These are the principalities and powers of Ephesians 6:12, and comprise the kingdom of Satan in the atmosphere of this earth (Ephesians 2:2). — Wuest, page 32.

What have we to do with You? (v.24) = lit. “What do we demons have in common with you?”

Did You come to destroy us? (v.24) — Probably more of a statement that a question.

rebuked (v.25) — There are two words used in the New Testament, both meaning “to rebuke,” the one used here … means “to rebuke another, the rebuke failing to bring the offender to acknowledge his sin,” and [the other word means] a rebuke which results in a conviction of sin and sometimes a confession of sin on the offender’s part. The former is used by Mark, for Satan, the fallen angels, and the demons are incorrigible. They refuse to be convicted of their sin, and they will not acknowledge it nor repent. This is just another illustration of the meticulous accuracy of the Bible writers in the choice of words as guided by the Holy Spirit. — Wuest, page 33.

Be quiet (v.25) = “Hold your peace” — lit. “to close the mouth with a muzzle,” “to stop the mouth, make speechless, reduce to silence.” The sense if much more forceful that is apparent in the translation. In modern English, it would be “Shut up!” or “Shut your mouth!” The same sense is true of “Come out of him!”

convulsed (v.25) = like a spasm. Luke adds that the demon threw the man down. Obviously a vindictive response to being ordered and having no choice but to obey.

cried out (v.25) = screeched — in anger and frustration.

amazed (v.25) — with the sense of fright and terror.

questioned among themselves (v.27) — discussed, disputed, demanded of one another. Tense indicates an animated, prolonged discussion.

new (v.25) — New, not under the aspect of time, but of quality, the new as set over against that which has seen service, the outworn, the effete or marred through age. compared to the stilted, staid, dry as dust rabbinical droning, this teaching of Jesus was like the fragrance of a field of clover in the springtime. — Wuest, page 35.

authority (v.27) — In the same sense  as used in v.22.

commands (v.27) — a military term, “to draw up in order of battle, marshal.” The demon had no choice but to obey Him.

¹⁶ And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

¹⁸ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

¹⁹ When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.

²⁰ And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Also found in Matthew 4:18-22.

The men mentioned in this passage had already met Jesus on a previous occasion (John 1:35-42).

[Jesus] does not, as unthinking readers fancy, come upon two utter strangers, fascinate and arrest them in a moment, and sweep their lives into the vortex of His own. Andrew had already heard [John] the Baptist proclaim the Lamb of God, had followed Jesus home, and had introduced his brother, to whom Jesus then gave the new name Cephas. Their faith had since been confirmed by miracles. The demands of our Lord may be trying, but they are never unreasonable, and the faith He claims is not a blind credulity.

Nor does He, even now, finally and entirely call them away from their occupation. Some time is still to elapse, and a sign, especially impressive to fishermen, the miraculous draught of fishes, is to burn into their minds a profound sense of their unworthiness, before the vocation now promised shall arrive. — Chadwick, page 19.

casting a net (v.16) = lit. “to throw on both sides,” actively fishing.

follow (v.17) = “come after,” in the sense of joining one’s party.

make you become (v.17) — a long process

followed (v.18) … from a word meaning “to walk the same road.” The word is used with the associative-instrumental case, the idea being “to follow with” another. It implies fellowship, joint-participation, a side-by-side walking with another. Thus it has come to mean, “to join one as a disciple, to cleave steadfastly to one, conform wholly to his example, in living and, if need be, in dying.” — Wuest, page 29.

called (v.20) = called aloud, uttered in a loud voice. The boat they were in wasn’t a small rowboat but a larger fishing vessel, which would probably have been out from the shore in deeper water (unless there was a wharf).

servants (v.20) — perhaps an indication that their business was prosperous.

¹⁴ Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Also found in Matthew 4:12, 17 and Luke 4:14.

preaching (v.14) = making proclamation as a herald

the kingdom of (v.14) — not in many texts

of God (v.14) = from God.

time (v.15) — kairos, referring to a particular time marked by an epochal event, not chronos, time as such. The older order was giving place to a new one, the dispensation of law to the announcement of the good news of God as later defined, the Kingdom of Heaven, namely, the Messianic earth-rule of Messiah. But that rejected by Israel, the gospel of grace and the Age of Grace would be brought in, with the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ functioning in the interim between the rejection of Israel and its dispersion A.D. 70, and its regathering for the Millennial Kingdom. It is like Paul’s “The fullness of times” of Galatians 4:4. — Wuest, page 27.

is fulfilled (v.15) = tense indicates “has been fulfilled”—the change to the kingdom was near at hand.

¹² Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

¹³ And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Also found in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.

Only Mark mentions that Jesus was with wild beasts. Also, it’s interesting to note that he doesn’t give the outcome—he just assumes his readers know.

drove (v.12) — Stronger than Matthew’s “was led up,” and Luke’s “was led,” literally, “to throw out from within, to cast out, to drive out.” It is used of our Lord’s expulsion of demons (Mark 1:34, 39). [It occurred immediately after the Lord’s baptism.] Thus, the first act of the indwelling Holy Spirit was to bring Messiah to the place of testing and temptation. — Wuest, page 25.

tempted by Satan (v.13) — tense indicates a continuous action. The Lord was tempted by Satan for all of the forty days. The three temptations recorded in Matthew 4:1-11 were probably a ramping-up in intensity at the end of the forty days.

tempted (v.13) = to put to the test to see what good or evil there is in a person. So, since people so often fail under temptation, it also means “soliciting to do evil.

The Last Adam was being put to the test to show that He was equipped and ready for His ministry as prophet, priest, and king. The universe was looking on, God the Father and the holy angels, the fallen angels, and the demons. What a battle royal was waged there. What tremendous things were at issue. But not only was He put to the test. He was solicited to do evil by Satan. [Regarding the wild beasts,] The first Adam fell into sin in an environment that was prefect and harmonious. The Last Adam maintained His sinlessness in an environment that was hostile. — Wuest, page 26.

Satan (v.13) = lit. “an adversary”

the angels ministered to Him (v.13) — “the” angels. No humans were around.

ministered (v.13) = To serve one, used especially of those who execute the commands of others. In this case, the commands of God the Father. Tense indicates continuous action—the angels ministered for all of the forty days. Matthew 4:11 says the angels came after the temptation. That likely indicates physical service, such as food. The ministering during the forty days, therefore, was spiritual.

⁹ It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

¹⁰ And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

¹¹ Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Also found in Matthew 3:13-17 and Luke 3:21-23.

parting (v.10) = cleaved asunder, divided by rending.

upon (v.10) = lit. “into”

This was the act of the Holy Spirit taking up His residence in the Messiah. This was the anointing with the Spirit for His three-fold ministry of Prophet, Priest, and King, the dynamic equipment which would enable the Messiah to discharge the duties connected with these offices (Luke 4:16-19). — Wuest, page 23.

like a dove (v.10) — Luke 3:22 adds the detail that “…the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove …”

The form assumed by the Spirit, “like a dove” may be related to Genesis 1:2, which pictures Him hovering over the waters, as a hen resides on her nest. — KJBC, page 1238.

All three members of the Trinity. The Son was baptized. The Spirit descended. The Father spoke from heaven.

you (v.11) — [The form of the word indicates,] “As for you, in contradistinction to all others.” Messiah is the unique Son of God. Believers are sons of God, but they sustain a different relationship to the Father than the Son does. Messiah claimed to be the Son of God in a unique way, for He said that God was His own private, personal unique Father (His, not the personal pronoun of the third person (autos), but idios, the latter word speaking of what is one’s own, private, unique, absolute possession (John 5:18). The order of the Greek words are, “as for you, you are my Son, the beloved One.” Here, equal emphasis is laid upon the fact that Messiah is the Son of God, and that He is the beloved Son. the particular word for “love” here is agape which in the classics spoke of a love called out of one’s heart by the preciousness of the object loved. The Son of God is infinitely precious to God the Father. This love is called out of the Father’s heart by the preciousness of the Son. — Wuest, page 24.

well-pleased (v.11) — with the idea of delight, pleasure, satisfaction. The tense includes the past. The Father has always been well-pleased with the Son and is well-pleased now. His “well-pleasedness” never had a beginning and will never have an end.

⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

⁵ Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷ And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.

⁸ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Several of my commentaries try to show that John’s baptism was just symbolic, but Mark clearly states that it was a type of baptism that released those baptized from their sin — a forgiveness. Obviously, the baptism itself didn’t save, but without the baptism, a Jew wouldn’t be saved, so it was necessary. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved …” (Mark 16:16). This baptism has ceased (Ephesians 4:5).

John came (v.4) — The word “came” is much stronger in the Greek. It refers to a person’s arrival on the stage of history — in this case in specific fulfillment of the prophecy in vs.2-3.

baptizing (v.4)  = placing into

wilderness (v.4) — same as in v.3, the unfarmed land in Judea

preaching (v.4, 7) = heralding, officiating as a herald, proclaiming openly

A herald, a messenger vested with public authority who conveyed the official messages of kings, magistrates, princes, military commanders, or who gave a public summons or demand. The English word “preach” brings to our mind, a minister of the gospel in his pulpit expounding the Word of God. But the word Mark uses here, pictures John as a herald with an official proclamation from a coming King, the Messiah of Israel. He acted as one, making a public proclamation of the news of the advent of the Messiah with such formality, gravity, and authority as must be listened to and obeyed. — Wuest, page 17.

__________

repentance (v.4) — A change of mind and thus of action consequent upon the realization that one has sinned and that sin is wrong. The “baptism of repentance” is a baptism the characteristic of which was repentance, which involved an obligation to repent.” — Wuest, page 18.

So, no repentance, no baptism — no baptism, no repentance. It wasn’t symbolic. Both were necessary for forgiveness of sins.

went out to him (v.5) — tense indicates a continuing action. The people of Judea went in droves to see John. John wouldn’t have baptized them if they had simply gone out as sightseers. They went because of who John was and what he preached.

confessing (v.5) = to speak the same thing that another speaks, to agree with someone else. — in this case, to look at sin from God’s point of view and respond accordingly — the Greek indicated that they confessed openly, not in private to John

clothed (v.6) — his usual clothing, not an affectation. Not camel “leather,” but cloth woven from camel hair. Perhaps modeling the clothing of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).

One (v.7) — in Greek “the One.”

not worthy (v.7) — It was the menial task of a slave in an oriental household [to take] off the guest’s sandals and wash their feet as they entered the home. John was anxious that men would not form a wrong impression of him and his ministry. He took a place beneath that of an oriental slave. — Wuest, page 21.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (v.8) — John was prophesying about Pentecost (Acts 2:2-4), when the Lord baptized the Jews with the Holy Spirit, giving them the ability to speak in tongues, heal the sick, and perform other miracles.