THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapters 1-4)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Ben Bailey.
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk. 1:1). Welcome to our study of the gospel of Mark. Each of the gospel accounts portrays a different emphasis of the Gospel of Christ. Matthew, for example, tells us about the kingdom of Heaven, and how that Jesus is the King of that kingdom. Matthew likely is writing to Jews, and thus his emphasis is to prove from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the kingdom. Mark is very likely a Roman (since “Mark” was a very popular Roman name) who was writing to the Roman-minded people about the deeds, works, and power of Jesus Christ. As you know, the Romans were a military-minded people. They wanted to see action, power, and force. Thus, Mark focuses less on what Jesus said, and more on what He actually did. In fact, the key word in the Book of Mark is “straightway” (or, as the King James Version says, “anon,” meaning immediately). This word is used fifty-two times in this short book of sixteen chapters. Thus, Mark is emphasizing the majesty and power of Jesus Christ. Likely, one of the key verses is Mark 7:37, where Mark wrote of Jesus, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” In the gospel of Mark, we see emphasized the majesty and power of Jesus Christ the Son of God. From the very beginning, Mark says that his book is “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk. 1:1).
What is Mark all about? It is about the gospel (the good news of Jesus Christ). The word “gospel” simply means “good news” or “glad tidings.” What is the good news? It is that Jesus left the realm of Heaven, came to Earth in bodily form as a man, lived a perfect life (Heb. 4:15), gave us the Law of God (Jn. 12:48), and died as a sacrifice for our sins (Heb. 10:12). He was buried, but He did not stay in the grave. Rather, He arose from it. Because of His life, death, burial, and resurrection, we have the hope of eternal life, and the hope of one day being raised to live with God. To have “good news,” there must be “bad news.” The bad news is that because of sin, all people need Jesus’ sacrifice. Romans 3: 10 says, “There is none righteous; no, not one.” “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). As a result of our individual sin (Rom. 5:12), each of us desperately needs the Gospel. Isaiah said in Isaiah 59:1-2, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God.” The bad news is that all of us have sinned, and that our sin has separated us from God. But Mark begins on a positive note. The good news is that Jesus is the answer to that sin problem. As John stated in John 1:29—“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Part of the good news is related to the pattern and example that Jesus set for us. In Mark 1:9-10 Jesus sets the pattern and mode for baptism by obeying the will of God in baptism.
“It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.”
God’s voice then echoed from Heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus was perfect in every area—one of which was in obeying the will of God. We are baptized so that we can have our sins remitted (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Jesus, according to Matthew 3:15, was baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” But notice in the context the mode of Jesus’ baptism. We can clearly know what the mode of baptism is. In Christendom and the religious world, people often think of baptism as being one of three modes—pouring, sprinkling, or immersion. People often ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” What did Jesus do concerning baptism? Notice that He was baptized by John, and as He came up out of the water the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. What must a person first do in order to “come up out of” water? A person first must “go down into” the water. When it comes to the mode of baptism in Scripture, pouring and sprinkling are never attached to that. It is always full-body immersion. Let me give you some passages to go along with that statement. In John 3:23 we read, “John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.” Acts 8 says in regard to Philip’s baptism of the Ethiopian nobleman that they both went down into the water, and they both came up out of the water. Probably one of the most-powerful examples is founds in Romans 6:1-4 where Paul likened baptism to a burial. All of us have been to funerals. We know what happens at the graveside. Workers dig a hole six feet into the ground. Then they place the body into the hole and cover it all around (top, bottom, and each side) with earth. That is the picture we are given by the Holy Spirit of what baptism is like. Jesus fulfilled the will of God perfectly by being baptized. And baptism is full-body immersion.
As Jesus begins His ministry, He calls forth some of His closest workers in the kingdom. He says to them in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” These men were not fishers of men; they were fishers of fish. Their lifestyle was fishing because that was how they made their living. Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Every Christian has that responsibility. When we obey the Gospel and become children of God, how thankful we ought to be for the forgiveness of sins and all spiritual blessings that are in Jesus. In realization of that, we need to see ourselves as fishers of men. Do we realize that each of us has that responsibility? Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15). Our responsibility is to spread the good news. We are to look for lost people (Lk. 19:10) so that we can save them—just as Jesus Himself did.
In Jesus’ mission and preaching, one of the things that separated Him from the lawyer, scribes, and Pharisees was the great authority with which He spoke. Mark mentions this in Mark 1:22—“And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” What set Jesus apart as “a teacher from God”? It was the authority with which He spoke. They were astonished and amazed. Why? The scribes and Pharisees got up and gave people their opinions. They presented a long line of traditions passed down from their fathers. But Jesus got up and said, “This is from God, and God demands that you obey it!” Part of being a faithful child of God, and part of understanding the will of God, has to do with our acceptance of the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me” (Mt. 28:18). The Scriptures tell us that we are “not to go beyond” the doctrine of Christ (2 Jn. 9-11). The Scriptures say that we are “not to go beyond that which is written” (1 Cor. 4:6). Do you remember the warning of Revelation 22:18-19 not to add to or take away from God’s Word? The idea is to stay within the path that God has set. We see here, then, the grand authority of Jesus, the powerful Son of God.
What else made Jesus powerful? His prayer life is one of the things that made Him the powerful teacher and Son of God that He was. His prayer life was unique and amazing, and ought to encourage us. Mark 1:35 says of Jesus (after He had been preaching, healing, and casting out unclean spirits), “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” What made Jesus’ prayer life unique? He got up early in the morning “a long while before daylight.” He made it a point to get up early before the day started to go to a solitary place so He could pray alone to God. This was a place where the world and everything in it could not come in. There, He prayed. Jesus realized the power of starting every day with prayer. In Luke 18:1 Jesus said, “Men ought to pray always, and never lose heart.” From James 5:16 we learn that there is great power to be gained through prayer. Oh, how we need to use the tool of prayer that God has given us! We need to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
One of the things we see in Mark 2 is that Jesus, as the Son of God, identified to the Jews that He had the power on Earth to forgive sins. Here, people had brought a man to Jesus. Jesus healed the man. As He healed him, He said, “Your sins are forgiven.” The people were astonished and amazed, and asked, “Who has the power to forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus then said, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins—He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house’” (Mk. 2:10). They rightly asked, “Who can forgive sins but God?,” and Jesus said, “I have that power.” Thus, Jesus identified Himself as God. Jesus had the power on Earth to forgive sins anytime He chose. He healed the man, and also forgave his sins. But what we today need to understand is that Jesus no longer is on Earth. Jesus had that power on Earth, but when He set His will in order, died, was resurrected, and went back to His Father, what did He leave us? He left us His Word. He left us the message and pattern by which we can receive forgiveness of sins. Jesus is not coming today to mystically or magically forgive people’s sins. He does that by His will, which He set forth, and by our obedience to it. The Bible says that Jesus is “the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:9). It is not everyone who simply looks up into Heaven and says, “Lord, Lord,” who will go to Heaven. Rather, it is those who “do the will of the Father” (Mt. 7:21). Here is what Jesus said in the gospel of Mark a person must do in order to be forgiven of sins and be saved.
In Mark 16:16 Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” It is clear that Jesus set forth some clear standards for the forgiveness of sin. As the Great Physician, He had the power to do that. In Mark 2:17 (in a section in which Jesus was demonstrating His power to forgive sins), Jesus identified Himself as the Great Physician Whom all people need. Jesus had been eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. In Mark 2:17 we read, “When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’” What was Jesus’ mission on Earth? The religious elite among the Jews thought, “He ought to be at our table sitting with us. We ought to have camaraderie with Him in what we have always done in our history, law, and tradition.” But where was Jesus? He was out with the tax collectors and sinners. The religious elite were upset about this. Jesus knew this, and said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” What is that saying? If you are well, you do not call up the doctor and say, “Doc, I feel pretty good today. I think I better come over to your office to get you to check me out to make sure I’m right.” People who are well do not go to the doctor. Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Jesus did not come to rub elbows with those who thought they were righteous. He came to help those who were sin-sick, and who desperately needed the Gospel. In Luke 19:10 we read, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” But here’s the catch. The very people who thought that Jesus should have been among them, were the ones who were as sick as the tax collectors and the sinners. Jesus identified this in Matthew 15 when He said,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Jesus came to save those who were lost. The Jews were just as lost as were the tax collectors and sinners.
In Mark 3 we see some of the problems the Jews had with Jesus healing on the Sabbath, giving certain laws that offended them, etc. In Mark 3:5 the Bible tells us that Jesus “was grieved by the hardness of their hearts.” Hard hearts still grieve the Lord today. Why did the Jews have hard hearts? Their hearts were hardened because Jesus did not live up to their expectations regarding the Messiah. They expected the Messiah to be like David or Solomon, and come with great pomp and power in order to conquer their military enemies and give them great peace (and perhaps even build another temple like Solomon so they could enjoy “the good old days”). They had a pre-conceived image or prejudiced idea of what their Messiah would be like. Jesus did not fit that pattern. In fact, He did things that they thought were in opposition to their Messiah. Thus, their hearts were hardened to Jesus. This grieved Jesus. When people’s hearts are hardened today, and when people have preconceived ideas regarding salvation, what the church is like, or how we ought to worship, and they put those things before the will of God, Jesus is still deeply grieved by such hard hearts. We need to have the attitude that says, “Here am I Lord; send me.” We need to have the attitude of Saul in Acts 9. Saul had some preconceived ideas. He no doubt was very diligent in his efforts—so much so that he was putting Christians in jail. Some of those Christians very likely died. But Saul, when he was confronted with the truth, at least had the right kind of heart. He asked, “Lord, what would You have me to do?” He did not say, “Lord, I’ve been trying to do what I thought was right. We had this idea, and You did not meet it.” Instead, Saul said, “You’re right Lord. What would You have me to do?” That’s the attitude that pleases Jesus. The attitude of a hard heart always makes Jesus sorrowful.
In Mark 3 Jesus also identifies Himself as the strong Man Who is able to conquer Satan. Look at the image presented in Mark 3:27, and notice how it relates to the power of Jesus, even over Satan. “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.” In the context, what is going on here? Jesus had just cast out an unclean Spirit. People did not really understand that, so they said that Jesus was doing such things “by the power of Beelzebub” (which was to say that Jesus had a demon, and was under the control of the most-powerful demon, Beelzebub, who had given him that power). Jesus said, “Wait a minute. Let’s think about that. Can Satan cast out Satan? Would the head of the demons cast out one of his own demons? That would be contrary to his will. What good would that do?” Then Jesus said, “You must first bind the strong man, and then you can plunder his goods.” What is the image Jesus was presenting? Jesus came to this world, and He took care of the bad things and the harm that Satan had done in this life. Satan had reaped havoc on mankind from the Garden of Eden. He brought sin into the world. He gave Adam and Eve the option to sin by tempting them. He is strong in that sense. But Jesus said, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). Jesus is seen here at stronger than Satan, and as being able to bind him and his power, and to overcome the wickedness that he has wrought in this world. What makes that a powerful principle? Satan has brought much harm into this world. He tempts men and women. He brings great temptation into the world. But Jesus is stronger than Satan, and His power is greater than Satan’s power. In Hebrews 2:14 we read that “through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Jesus’ death on the cross ultimately defeated Satan. If we will be “faithful unto death” (Rev. 2:10), we can overcome death as well through the power of Christ.
In Mark 4, we see Jesus showing His majesty in His teaching in a parable about the kingdom of God (the parable of the sower). Here, Jesus discusses that there are four types of soil. The sower goes out to spread the seed. The seed, according to Luke 8:11-15, is the Word of God. The sower sows the seed. A preacher (messenger) goes out and preaches the Word. He cannot make that Word take root in people’s hearts. He has done his job when he has sewn the seed. But it can fall on four different types of soil. It is dependent on the soil whether the people are acceptable to the Word of God. There is hard soil. There is the rocky or stony ground. There is the soil where the seed takes root and comes up, but immediately the cares and troubles of the world take over. You have different kinds of soil; three are bad, and one is good. In the good soil, the seed takes root, grows up, and bears fruit. Here is what Jesus is trying to get us to see: what kind of soil are we? Can the Word of God take root in your life? Are you that stony, rocky ground that will not even allow the Word of God to penetrate? Are you the ground that received the Word with joy so that it immediately sprang up—but then the Sun (the things of the world) brings it down? Are you the type of person whose life has been overtaken by the temptations of the world so that God’s Word cannot grow and thrive? Or, are you the good ground, where God’s Word is set in your heart, grows, thrives, and prospers because you do the things necessary to make sure you remain a “good ground”?
In Mark 4, when Jesus is teaching this parable, He gives us a great gem. In Mark 4:24 Jesus said, “Take heed what you hear.” Jesus’ teachings no doubt were from God. But Jesus identifies that not every teacher is “from God.” Thus, we need to be careful what we hear. How are you hearing? What are you hearing today? Are you hearing what people are saying to you? When it comes to matters of salvation, what are you hearing? To whom are you listening? The Bible says that we need to hear the Word of God. What can save our souls? Can the words of men? Can the ideas of the most-popular religious leaders of the day save us? Can something made up by a religious group as a way of salvation save us? Absolutely not! What are you hearing? Are you listening to the Word of God to be saved? That is the only voice of salvation. Romans 1:16 says that the Gospel is “God’s powerful unto salvation.” We are commanded to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save our souls” (Jas. 1:21). The Word of God is what saves us and what gives us life. We must not listen to what men are saying unless they say, “Here is where you can find this in the Word of God, and here is what God says for you.” Be careful what you hear, because only the Word of God can save you.
Mark 4 also teaches us that hearing and listening to the Word of God brings us great peace. In Mark 4:38 we see the peace that comes through hearing and obeying the message of Christ. Jesus and His disciples were on the ocean. “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’” Jesus and His disciples had been teaching people. He was departing by ship to go to another region. But a storm arose and was beating against the ship. No doubt water was coming in. The disciples may have been bailing water, trying not to allow the ship to sink. Where was Jesus? What was He doing? He was asleep in the stern. They went to Him and asked, “Do You not care that we are about to perish? We are about to drown in the sea.” Jesus arises, calms the storm and the sea, and offers His disciples a great teaching. He was not worried about the storm and the sea because He knew He could take care of those things. That was a good lesson for His disciples, and it also is a good lesson for us. In the storms of life—the trials and struggles that we face—Jesus is more than able to help us deal with them. Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Have you let Jesus help you with the great storms in your life? The greatest storm in your life has got to be the storm that sin brings into it. Sin separates us from God (Is. 59:1-2). If a person remains in sin, the Scriptures say that he will perish. Ezekiel 18:4 says, “The soul who sins shall surely die.” I can guarantee you that “the way of the transgressor is hard” (Prov. 15:13). Have you dealt with the effects of sin in your life? Have you let Jesus’ Word take root so that you can become a Christian and deal with the sin problem? If not, why not do that today? What must a person do to deal with the sin problem?
A person must hear the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Then a person must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. In John 8:24 Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Having believed, a person then must repent. Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Having repented, a person must confess the name of Jesus before men (Rom. 10:10), and then be baptized in water. In Acts 2;37 the Jews who had killed Christ cried out, “Men and brethren, what must we do?” The answer in Acts 2:38 was, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” Jesus brings good news. Salvation is available. It is here. Anyone who wants to partake of it can do so. I want to ask you: Have you obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If not, I am begging you to obey it today before it is everlastingly too late.
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
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1. According to Mark 1:1, what will be the main topic of discussion in this book?
2. According to material presented in this lesson, what is the key word used in the Book of Mark?
3. What singularly unique trait of Christ’s life does Hebrews 4:15 present?
4. What singularly unique trait of Christ’s life does Hebrews 10:12 present?
5. What is the “bad news” contained in passages such as 1 Kings 8:46, Romans 3:10, and Romans 3:23?
6. What piece of good news is presented in John 1:29?
7. What important event in Jesus’ life is mentioned in Mark 1:9-10?
8. According to Matthew 3:15, why was Jesus baptized?
9. According to Mark 1:9-10 and Acts 8:38-39, what is the only approved (scriptural) mode of baptism?
10. What, according to Acts 2:38 and Acts 22:16, does baptism do for a person?
11. In Romans 6:1-4, to what is baptism compared?
12. What, according to Galatians 3:27, does baptism do for a person?
13. In Mark 1:17, what did Jesus say to Simon and Andrew?
14. According to Mark 1:22, why were the Jews of Christ’s day astonished at His teaching?
15. What does Matthew 28:18 tell us about Christ?
16. What does Mark 1:35 tell us about Christ?
17. What did Jesus do in Mark 2:8 that upset the Jews so badly?
18. According to Luke 19:10, what was Christ’s purpose in coming to Earth?
19. According to Hebrews 5:9, what is Jesus?
20. In Mark 3, Jesus cast unclean spirits out of people. How did the Jews try to explain His actions?
21. What does Hebrews 2:14 tell us that Jesus accomplished on the cross at His death?
22. What are the four types of soil mentioned in Mark 4, and what type of person (or heart) does each represent?
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