The Gospel of Mark - Introduction
Mark 1:21-45: The Perfect Servant
Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 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!”
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 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.” And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 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. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 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.”
And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 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.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 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.” 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.
The Lord’s way has been prepared, and those who will serve alongside Him have been chosen. The following passages provide a record of incidents that beautifully illustrate the characteristics of the perfect Servant. In the glory of His person, He stands alone, yet in His service, we have the perfect example to follow for any servant of the Lord. Peter summarizes the Gospel of Mark beautifully when he states, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... More and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38, NKJV). We may not be called to perform miraculous healings, as the Church today has faced many challenges; however, we are called to imitate the manner of His service.
(Verses 21-22) Accompanied by His disciples, the Lord entered the synagogue in Capernaum and taught on the Sabbath. Here, we see a striking feature of the perfect Servant: unlike the scribes, “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22). His words were not just arguments appealing to reason; He spoke with the authority of One, proclaiming the truth with convicting power. We should use any God-given gift with that same authority in our own time and measure. Peter reminds us in his Epistle, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.” (1 Peter 4:11). If we present doctrines with all the arguments for and against, leaving our hearers to judge for themselves, we may not speak with authority but rather as those searching for the truth. We are to speak with certainty, as those who, by graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More, know the truth they proclaim. This conviction is not inconsistent with humility; in fact, it is the humble who come to know God’s ways, as stated in “The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way” (PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 25:9).
(Verses 23-28) We witness another characteristic of the perfect Servant: His word carries power. When confronted with a man possessedA possessed person has a demon inside of them, which means that this evil, satanic spirit (demons are servants of Satan) controls the body and wreaks havoc and destruction. Sometimes,... More by an unclean spirit, the presence of Jesus is intolerable to the demonIn the Bible, demons are described as "unclean spirits" that are controlled by Satan (cf. Rev 16:13-14). On several occasions during His life on earth, the Lord Jesus cast out... More, prompting it to cry out, “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!” (Mark 1:24). Despite humanity’s ignorance, the demons recognize Jesus as the Son of GodThe term "Son of God" in the singular always refers to the Lord Jesus. On the one hand, He is the only begotten (unique) and eternal Son of God, who... More. However, the Lord will not allow the devil to bear witness to Him; “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’” (Mark 1:25). The demonIn the Bible, demons are described as "unclean spirits" that are controlled by Satan (cf. Rev 16:13-14). On several occasions during His life on earth, the Lord Jesus cast out... More, having shown its power by convulsing the man and crying out loudly, must submit to the greater power of the Lord.
The audience, already astonished by His authoritative teaching, is now amazed at the accompanying power of His words, “For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” (Mark 1:27).
(Verses 29-34) We see yet another admirable trait of the perfect Servant: although He possesses all authority and power, He remains accessible to everyone. When He visits the humble home of a fisherman: “But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.” (Mark 1:30). Later, as the sun sets: “Then all the city was gathered together at the door. 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." (Mark 1:33-34). In contrast, those with great authority and power in the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More often become less accessible to the poor and needy. However, our Lord remains the same today; though He is exalted in heavenly glory, we can still “tell Him” and bring “to Him” all our sorrows and needs.
Not only did He heal people from various diseases, but He also delivered them from the power of demons. While demonstrating His complete authority over demons, “He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.” (Mark 1:34). As someone has said, “He refused a testimony that was not of God. It might be true, but He would not accept the testimony of the enemy.”
(Verse 35) The bustling scene of a busy evening transitions to an early morning moment when we see the Lord withdrawing to a solitary place to pray hours before daybreak. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35). This teaches us that dependence on God, expressed through prayer, is another characteristic of the perfect Servant. The power of public service is rooted in private prayer. We hear the voice of Jesus through the prophetA prophet is someone who receives a message from God and passes it on to a specific group in the Old Testament, very often Israel. Prophets are, therefore, in close... More, who anticipates this moment by saying, “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” (Isaiah 50:4). We have seen the Lord using the tongue of the instructed; now we observe Him with an open ear, ready to hear as the instructed. Thus, we learn that prayer underpins His teaching and preaching. It is beneficial for us to follow His perfect example by starting our day with God in prayer before we encounter others, as it can be challenging to find a “solitary place” amidst the burdens and heat of the day.
(Verses 36-39) The disciples followed Him and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” (Mark 1:37, NKJV) This reveals another aspect of the perfect Servant: refusing mere popularity. Naturally, one might think that if everyone is seeking us, it is the right time to stay; however, at that moment, the Lord declares, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” (Mark 1:38, NKJV) As the Servant of Jehovah, His mission was not to gain popularity but to fulfill God’s will.
(Verses 40-42) We see the power of the Servant, the source of that power, and the graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More that makes this power available to even the vilest of sinners. A poor leper, driven by his need and drawn to the power he believes can meet that need, approaches the Lord with doubts about whether He would be willing to help someone like him, whose loathsome disease has made him an outcast. He asks, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Mark 1:40) The leper did not doubt Christ’s power but questioned His graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More when looking at himself. Sometimes, we may also question the graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More of His heart if we focus on the darkness within us. Yet, in His presence, like the leper, we find that the heart of Jesus is “moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’” (Mark 1:41) Similarly, the woman at the well and the thief on the cross discovered in Jesus someone who knew their worst and still had graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More in His heart for them. His graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More surpasses our sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More. In the leper’s case, the Lord dispels doubt with His words, “I am willing; be cleansed,” expressing the love and compassion of a heart eager to use His power for a needy man.
(Verses 43-45) We observe another beautiful trait of the perfect Servant. He does not seek His glory but the glory of the One He serves. So, “He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priestThe priests in the Old Testament were fully occupied with serving God. They offered the ordered sacrifices and were thus the link between the people and God. They had to... More, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’” (Mark 1:43-44) Nevertheless, he is to inform the priestThe priests in the Old Testament were fully occupied with serving God. They offered the ordered sacrifices and were thus the link between the people and God. They had to... More, allowing the law to bear witness to God’s presence in graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More. Under the law, only God could heal the leper, and the priestThe priests in the Old Testament were fully occupied with serving God. They offered the ordered sacrifices and were thus the link between the people and God. They had to... More could only testify to what God had accomplished.
At the beginning of the Lord’s journey of humble service, we observe His perfection as the Servant. His service is characterized by authority and accompanied by power. This power is accessible to the lowly and needy, exercised in dependence on God. He refuses to use His power for personal gain or popularity; instead, it is combined with tender compassion and never used merely to exalt Himself.
