Mark is the shortest of the four gospels, written between 60-64 AD. It has 16 chapters, 678 verses, and 15,171 words. It is written by John Mark who is a servant, a minister, and he presents Jesus Christ as a suffering servant. Matthew presents Christ as a Jewish King presenting a Jewish kingdom, Luke as a man going back to Adam, and John presents Him as the Son of God, as God Himself in the flesh.
Acts 12:25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark. 13:1 ¶ Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 ¶ So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
But, John Mark quits.
13:13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
Perhaps he went back home to Mother.
Acts 12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
But, he’s not finished.
Acts 15:35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 36 ¶ And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. 37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
Barnabas, whose name has to do with consolation and restoring someone;
Acts 4:36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
Has given John Mark another chance when Paul would not. Paul has a problem with what he perceives to be a quitter. God’s purposes are sometimes at variance with even His most devoted servants. Paul is the one who doesn’t go back to the churches in Cyprus. Barnabas does the noble job of picking someone up when they are down. This is what he did for Paul also in Acts 9.
Acts 9:26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
The fruit of Barnabas’ faith is not until the end of Paul’s ministry.
2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
Paul accepts the value of John Mark to the ministry.
There is no genealogy in Mark because a servant’s genealogy doesn’t matter. All that matters is the master. Mark deals with the works of Jesus Christ, not His words. Christ is presented as a great example of prayer in this gospel as we will see. A servant is to be a servant of prayer.
Chapter 1
1 ¶ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
This is not a church age gospel. This is John the Baptist’s presentation of a gospel. No one says look forward to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be saved. This is not Paul’s gospel. That comes later. This is John the Baptist clearing the way for a messiah for Israel.
Show me a verse in Mark where someone gets saved by looking forward to the cross. Or explain why the apostles were so clueless about Christ’s impending crucifixion.
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Unlike every new version with the exception of the NKJV has a glaring and deliberate error here. This is a quote of Malachi not Isaiah.
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
The error in the modern Bibles comes from the early church “father”, Origen, who had a problem with the deity of Christ, where this would make Jesus Christ to be Jehovah God of the Old Testament. For those who don’t believe that He is then they have to explain this problem.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Titus 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
2Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Peter 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
Now, look at Isaiah 40 where Jehovah God is speaking.
1 ¶ But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. 5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; 7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. 8 ¶ Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. 10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
If there is one God, Jehovah, and there is no saviour besides Him and Jesus Christ is the saviour, then who is He?
John the Baptist is that “messenger”. He is also an Old Testament prophet.
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Jesus declares that John is Elijah.
Matthew 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Elias is the New Testament translation of Elijah in the Old. John was prophesied before his birth to come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
In spite of the fact that John didn’t know it.
John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
In the same way, when we get to the gospel of John the Apostle we’ll see that Judas didn’t know he was a devil. Elijah will show up at the triumphant return of Christ.
Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.17:1 ¶ And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Then, going on toward the end of the great tribulation.
Revelation 11:3 ¶ And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Here is the quote from Isaiah which the newer versions of the Bible falsely attributed to the previous quote.
Isaiah 40:3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
John’s ministry is to plow and to make the way clear for Christ. His preaching is very, very hard, much harder than most Americans can handle. The people’s hearts are very hard because they have a long religious tradition and are very self righteous.
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
John’s baptism is the one that the apostles use in the early church when dealing with Jewish proselytes. It is a baptism for the nation of Israel to turn from their sins. It is not the baptism that Gentile Christians received after believing. This is for the remission of sins to the nation of Israel.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
This is remission, as in “your cancer is in remission”. The sins aren’t gone but are remitted by the blood of bulls and goats until the final work of the Lord Jesus Christ, at which time they are eliminated by being placed on Him.
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Here is the word “all” is used without distinction as you can see by comparing this verse to Luke 7:30. This is not “all” without exception, as in every person in Judea. Some did not.
See how “all” is used here. Here is “all” without exception.
Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The one exception is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
Here John the Baptist is dressed like Elijah, as well as coming in the power and spirit of Elijah.
2 Kings 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
Elijah plows hearts to prepare the field for the sower of the seed.
7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
This is where we get the phrase, “I’m not worthy to untie [a certain person’s] shoes.”
Elijah is truly humble. Most of the time when you hear a Christian get up in church and say, “I’m a wicked sinner”, you know he doesn’t believe that. He believes he’s ‘all that and a bag of chips’ with God.
8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
Here are two distinct baptisms mentioned. One, literally with water, and two, literally with the Holy Ghost. In Matthew 3:11 there are three baptisms in one verse;
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
You don’t want the third baptism. You don’t want anything to do with the Lake of Fire.
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
There is one true Lord but many lords;
1Corinthians 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
The true baptism that Mark tells you about Jesus doing puts you into Jesus Christ. It’s not by water but by the Spirit.
1Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
You must be baptized with the Holy Ghost to receive Christ.
9 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Jesus submits to John’s baptism and we are to also submit to water baptism after we believed. Without belief baptism is just getting dunked. Notice that Jesus is immersed, not sprinkled.
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
In these two verses we have the Trinity with the Spirit and the Father and the Son.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
2Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.
1John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
If we want to be pleasing to God the Father we must try to do in our weakness what Christ did perfectly. Obey Him.
Mark 7:37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
There is a great gulf fixed between Jesus Christ and you. You can’t make it with all of your high minded spirituality. God is pleased with Jesus Christ and you better get His Spirit into you or you’re sunk. You need His righteousness because your own stinks.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The only way you’ll please the Father is through His Son.
12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
As soon as He gets glory, Satan wants to destroy it. Satan is our great enemy. As soon as you get saved He attacks. As soon as a saved person gets closer to God, Satan tortures him. Read the Book of Job to see what God can allow in your life to try you. But, the book of Job tells you that Satan can’t do anything to you without God’s permission.
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Forty days was a time of testing for Moses on Mount Sinai, the mount of God;
Exodus 24:18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Deuteronomy 9:9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
Deuteronomy 10:10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee.
Forty days was a time of testing for Elijah on the same mount of God;
1Ki 19:8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb* the mount of God.
*Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
*Sinai is another name for Horeb and the two are used interchangeably. If you do a computer search you will see this. Sinai is an area with Horeb being the specific mount as can be seen by examining these two names.
Jesus is with the wild beasts here, literal animals. A spiritual application would be devils.
Here, at the Cross;
Psalm 22:12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Here, at the Second Advent;
Isaiah 34:7 And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. 8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. 9 ¶ And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness. 12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. 13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. 14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. 15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
Know any literal owls capable of living in a lake of fire?
See how birds are likened to the devil;
Mark 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Note that Satan tempts with a desire to see you fall as opposed to God who never tempts or tests with malice.
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 ¶ Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
John had a brief ministry of a few months after a life of preparation then execution. For those unbelievers who don’t believe in eternal this would make no sense.
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
In Matthew, he says the kingdom of heaven. Either they are the same or both things are being offered at the same time. The truth is that the kingdom of heaven is the physical kingdom offered to the Jews and the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom into which they can enter. This was shown in the commentary on Matthew.
God acknowledges that the time is ready for both of these kingdoms to be offered. God’s timetable called for Jesus to come the first time as He will the last time;
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
God will come back one day, in His time, and set up the Jew as promised.
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
God has a timetable and nothing can thwart it.
John 1:29 ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
John 1:43 ¶ The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
John 2:1 ¶ And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
The third day from what? There is no reason of chronology to put “the third day” in this passage except for prophetic importance. This gives us the timing of a marriage feast. The marriage supper of the Lamb is what I’m assuming.
Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Note what Jesus says to His mother in the passage in chapter 2.
John 2:4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
Jesus in other places shows that God’s timing is important.
John 7:6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
The gospel of the Kingdom of God preached here is not the same gospel that we would preach today. Look at this;
Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations. 11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
This isn’t the gospel of grace that Paul preaches. This is the gospel that will be preached in the Tribulation. A casual reading of Revelation will show this. When you read the Tribulation epistle, Hebrews, you see in chapter 6, verses 4 to 6, that if they lose their salvation by “falling away” or going over to the enemy they can’t get saved again. This is not the gospel of salvation by grace through faith that Paul preached. This is a different gospel for a different time. Without the dispensationalism of the early church the Bible is a confused mess. Rightly divide the word of truth as it says in 2 Timothy 2:15.
Preachers who say that its all the same from beginning to end and that God doesn’t have different plans for people under different dispensations make the Bible contradict itself. Why do they force something that isn’t true? To give themselves authority over the word of God. Satan will set up two conflicting authorities so that a man has to be the referee and be the final authority rather than the clear words of scripture. The Catholics and modernist Protestants are always calling into question what God has said. The so-called Bible Believing King James Bible Baptist simply will confuse the word of God so the end result is the same; you can’t understand the Bible without the Pastor, and you will be taught to twist the scriptures to justify your own personal convictions or your church doctrines, thereby destroying the source of your convictions. This is the dark side of fundamentalism in America and the reason we can safely call this church age as the Laodicean Age with Laodicea meaning “the people judge” or even “the people’s rights”.
Doctrinally, the King James Bible, the Authorized Version, is set up in doctrinal order with the four gospels being a transition between the Old and the New Testament, with Acts being a transitional book showing the ongoing revelation to the early church, Paul’s letters referring to the age of the Christian church, the General Epistles with the Tribulation, and then Revelation with the end. This is the simple rule of understanding. Any verse in the Bible that does not contradict the verses in the Church Age letters of Paul can be safely applied to you in this dispensation. However, it is clear that some conditions exist in Moses’ time that do not apply in Paul’s and afterward.
16 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.
17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
God calls you right where you are. These men were called into full time service to the Lord. Most of us, though, are called to serve right where we are in our job. There is no greater mission field for someone who has not been called to full time Christian service than their job. Pastors who don’t respect your testimony before your boss and your coworkers and view work as merely a competitor for your time in church are Nicolaitans who are one step away from trying to establish a cult based on their person, not Christ’s.
In addition, most people who claim that Christ has called them to do this or that are liars, mostly to themselves. They want to do something to glorify themselves and to make themselves look spiritual and special and holy and it has nothing to do with Christ. A minister, a pastor, a man of God who claims that a Christian can’t serve God except in the church they oversee and doesn’t emphasize the 24/7 aspect of being a Christian at work and before your extended family and to those to whom you owe money and taxes are cultists who worship themselves and want you to do the same thing, not Christians.
Self-worship is the bane of all Christians, but particularly the man in front of a church body. It is a trap that catches many preachers, some of whom are or were famous. Christ has called us all to obedience, to pray, to know your Bible, to behave in a way that glorifies Christ. Beware when someone says that Christ has led them to do this or that or the Holy Spirit is leading them to say this or that. Usually, these people are legends in their own mind. Test every so-called calling by the Scriptures.
But, in these verses, the literal God of the literal universe is literally calling these self-employed fishermen to leave their work and follow Him in faith to do His purpose.
19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 ¶ And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
The Devil and his minions are willing to admit that Jesus Christ is the Holy One of God. If you just refer to the Lord Jesus Christ as “the One” or “the Holy One” you haven’t done any more than a devil. Identify him. Beware of Bibles who refer to Jesus as “the One”. That is a devil’s acclamation.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
There are unclean spirits in this assembly. Don’t be so arrogant to assume that they aren’t in your assembly. How many people in your church are oppressed or possessed by devils? Much of the spirit of division and apathy in our church bodies are the result of the activities of devils working with natural human rebellion. When the congregation seems lackadaisical about God’s word and you hear many people say, “I don’t read the Bible because I don’t like to read” and “I don’t listen to the Bible because I don’t have time” then you can be sure that there are spirits of lethargy and apathy working with the natural rebellious and lazy nature of the Christians.
If you hear the Preacher discount the word of God as being not as important as his ministry and your adoration of the preacher and his ministry you can be sure that the congregation is being held fast by devils and that the much needed revival is not possible.
Until a Preacher deals with the activities of devils in the assembly God won’t use that assembly. They’ll just go through the motions. Look at the charges given to the churches in Revelation’s first three chapters carefully.
27 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.
Jesus Christ has absolutely authority over devils. They can’t stand against him. So, how can they influence Christians? How is it possible? Perhaps because the so-called Christian has been serving another Jesus and another gospel and don’t have the power of the real Lord Jesus Christ in their lives.
All of our lives as Christians we are in a spiritual battle. Many are confused. For instance some people will say “Jesus is Lord” emphatically, but that is a spiritual heresy. Jesus is the Lord, not just Lord.
1Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Jesus is the Christ, not just Christ or a Christ, as new ager Alice Bailey might have said.
1John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
These are seemingly little things but beware of people who say words don’t matter. Watch for preaching from a pulpit “Jesus is the reason for the season”, and “Jesus is Lord”, and “Jesus is God”, and many other seemingly strong acclamations of who Jesus is without underscoring His unique authority. You can believe a lot about Jesus Christ and still go to Hell. The Scriptures tell us exactly what we must believe about Him to be saved.
28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
29 ¶ And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
Simon Peter, whom the Catholics regard as the first pope, has a wife. They claim he left his wife and followed Jesus. See 1 Corinthians 9:5 for the negation of this. Cephas is also Peter’s name as per John 1:42. Peter wouldn’t let anyone worship him either. See Acts 10:25 to see how bad a pope Peter made. All Popes encourage worship of their persons.
Anon means immediately and this can be found out by looking at all of its usages in context by comparing scripture with scripture. Look at Mark 4 and Matthew 13.
Matthew 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Notice that Christ’s healing allows her to jump up and get moving.
32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
Christ is healing people that are sick, with real diseases. He is really healing them, not like Benny Hinn or some modern, wicked and fake faith healer. It is sickening to see even Baptists who should know better following this evil and uplifting Benny Hinn’s name in prayer services as if he was genuine.
33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.
This “all” is all without distinction rather than all without exception. The entire city, every man, woman, and child was not at the door. It is important to note the difference in the Bible where all is used. Another word would be salvation that doesn’t always refer to being saved from Hell or damnation which doesn’t always mean being sent to Hell. Context is like location in the real estate business; context, context, context.
34 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.
Jesus did not want the testimony of devils and He still doesn’t. Let that be a lesson to Benny Hinn and his ilk.
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Praying in the morning is great! Follow God’s timing to have good fellowship with God. Praying in the morning and in a solitary place where you can be alone is good. It’s great to pray with your wife or husband and with your church family but praying alone with God is very good. Notice that Jesus Christ is doing this in spite of how busy He is. Not that I’m an example but I am jealous of my time in the morning alone with Christ.
Luke 3:21; Luke 6:12; Luke 9:29; Matthew 14:23; Mark 14:34 show that any situation you can imagine Jesus is always in prayer.
36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Jesus Christ isn’t concerned about numbers like modern preachers are. This crowd is coming after Him and He wants to leave. Here is one reason why Jesus came to us.
Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,…….
Here in the New Testament Jesus refers to that call.
Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
There are other reasons why He came;
1Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
If you look you can find others listed clearly in the Scriptures.
39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
Notice that these synagogues are full of devils. Don’t think you’ll go to church to pick up a clean spirit. Churches are full of devils trying to pervert the Scriptures.
40 ¶ And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Luke 5:12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Here is a picture of a sinner being saved. Leprosy is a type of sin, always starting small. You won’t walk down the street and be slapped with the biggest temptation of your life. Usually it starts small and eventually you’ll be where you don’t want to be. Leprosy deadens the nerves as sin does deaden the sensations. Sin is so gross that before you realize it you’ve lost part of yourself that can’t be replaced.
When you come to Jesus Christ you are healed immediately.
Note that the leper had no part of his own healing save to believe that Jesus could save him. Notice that Jesus Christ healing is immediate. All that a priest could do in the Old Testament was to identify the disease and the bearer as unclean.
43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
44 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.
Since Jesus is still under the Law and has placed Himself so here He requires that the healed follow the law. See Leviticus 14. Note that there are two birds and one has to die. Note the earthen vessel which is a type of Jesus’ body. Note, too, that the living bird is set free in the field which in type is the world.
1 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: 3 And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; 4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: 5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: 6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: 7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
45 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.
Although this healed leper disobeys he receives no rebuke for he is spreading news of the Lord Jesus and what He has done for him. The crowds press the Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2
1 ¶ And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
He was doing miracles in Capernaum repeatedly and as in Matthew He says that if these works had been done in Sodom they would have repented, making Capernaum worse than Sodom. If you refuse to repent of being a sinner and receive Christ you are far worse than any homosexual.
“In the house” is a phrase I’ve heard in modern African-American music, particularly rap.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
You can’t get to God of your own strength. Notice also that the people, the world, are hindering him from getting to Christ. The media will lie to keep you from the truth. Another thing is that salvation is at the feet of Jesus Christ. Finally, salvation is immediate. You get to Christ, recognizing you are a helpless sinner, and He’ll save you immediately. Christ responds to faith.
If a faith healer really has the faith he says he does then he should be able to heal someone regardless of their faith.
Christ healed the body and the soul.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Imagine someone turning to you and saying, “Why are you thinking that way about the preacher right now?”
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
He is showing them who He is by what He did.
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
He proved that He had the power to forgive sins by having the power to heal miraculously. Can a Roman Catholic priest or an Old Testament priest do either? No, he can’t. We can only judge by the Book but we have no power to do anything about it.
13 ¶ And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
According to Matthew and Luke, this is Matthew. This is a government tax collector, who was considered collaborators and corrupt. He drops it all and walks after Christ, who has the power to save anyone.
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
In the Old Testament people who are trying to live right and honor God are called the righteous and those who are wicked and couldn’t care less are sinners. In the New Testament Christ comes to die for the ungodly, the sinners, and if you consider yourself righteous without Christ you won’t be saved. You won’t see any need for it.
Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
Christ came to die for the very people that the Old Testament condemned. Read this in the Psalms.
Psalm 1:1 ¶ Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 ¶ The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The problem with many modern, American Christians is that they have adopted the Old Testament view because they are Biblically illiterate and can’t “rightly divide” the word. They assume that because they dress nice, have nice things, and act in some kind of civil and relatively polite manner, occasionally attending church, saying ‘grace’ over dinner, and not doing really bad stuff that they are righteous. American Christians are amazing in the things they have managed to accomplish without Christ. This is easy to test and prove. Go up to the most righteous person you know, the person who appears to really be a great Christian, unlike myself, and ask them how much during the average day do they commit to prayer, Bible reading, memorization, and study, and how much time do they commit to listening to the radio or watching television.
You’ll find that the more pious seeming the individual the less time or love they have for listening to God through God’s word speaking to their spirit or talking to Him in prayer. While you and I are struggling with our revulsion to our wicked sins and abhorring our flesh for our sinful nature, while we are praying on our knees for light from His word and begging Him to keep us from sin, they are walking around smug and self satisfied, willfully ignorant. Those with communist leanings will insist that the Christian should vote Democrat and those with fascist leanings will insist that a Christian must vote Republican. The one replaces God with the government in a slightly different way than the other. But, either one has still replaced God in their hearts.
Our nation is wicked, from the conservative state worshipping churches with a political flag on their pulpit platforms to the liberal state worshipping churches who want to be “inclusive”. Neither one gives a “tinker’s dam” for Jesus Christ. They have invented a God they worship and ultimately it comes back to the worship of self.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Here’s Jesus Christ giving His mission, calling sinners to repentance. It isn’t about 1-2-3 repeat after me. There are a lot of people who don’t want to argue and if you say, “do you want to go to Hell”, they’ll say no. If you don’t repent of what you are, you can’t be saved. It isn’t about repenting of an individual sin because you won’t know all of your sins when you come to Christ. You must repent of what you are more than what you’ve done because the problem isn’t what you’ve done, it’s what you are.
18 ¶ And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
Here comes a division in the Bible. The children of the bridechamber are not the bride, which is the church. Christ, the bridegroom is going to leave.
John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
John the Baptist is the friend of the bridegroom. There are many divisions of people in the Bible that are worthy of study.
Song of Solomon 6:8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
Don’t ask me. I don’t have a clue who the queens are, or the concubines. I do know who the virgins are, Jews in the tribulation, from the text, but I haven’t made the effort to study this yet.
Fasting is for Christians, but has nothing to do with salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
2Corinthians 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Fasting fights against the flesh and afflicts the soul. But, don’t let it become a matter of worshipping your own will. The Christian starts out in self worship using pleasure, moves into worship of Christ, and if he goes far enough will wander into self worship again by his asceticism and separation. Worshipping God genuinely, in the Spirit, is a narrow thing that requires turning neither to the left or right. The libertine, carnal Christian, or unsaved person, seeks to serve his or her own flesh in life and worship with worldly and fleshy music, while the separated fundamentalist seeks to serve his or her own flesh by pride and denial, to prove how close to Christ they are. Both are self serving and deluded fools. Be warned.
21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
In the NEW Testament there is a change. It is not just the continuance of Hebraism. When a Jew gets saved he’s not a “completed Jew”, he’s a Christian. In this dispensation there are unsaved Jews, unsaved Gentiles, and the Church. A Jew who receives Christ needs to repudiate his former religion and come to Christ. Jesus has pointed out that with all the tradition and rules and regulations that they built on the foundations of the Mosaic law they built a house on sand. All political religions, Judaism, Islam, Roman Catholic Christianity, Protestantism, Hinduism, etc. etc. are false religions.
All of the early Christians were Jews. They left their faith. There was a gradual process throughout Acts and they started out as beard wearing, Sabbath observing, pork abstaining Jews and then you get into Paul’s letters you find no mention of going to synagogue or worshipping in the temple.
You don’t take your old religion and add Jesus to it. You discard your old religion and receive Christ. Many fundamentalists retain the things of their former life that they find still acceptable and don’t put everything on the table for Christ to deal with in His way. I know fundamentalists who are still clinging to things like hunting, sports fanaticism, and state worship and yet, proudly proclaim that they aren’t like the homosexuals and abortionists, who have done the same thing, only the latter won’t usually come to Christ because they will put nothing on the table for fear of God removing it.
The modern fundamentalist squeezes through but still retains some baggage which drags him down as he struggles to serve Christ. I have my issues that I have brought with me. They need to be turned from or I will remain a hypocrite. There is nothing wrong with hunting or sports in and of themselves but to cling to them as part of what identifies you as a man is idolatry. Think about it. Of course, there is no excuse for worship of the state. The state is Satan’s operational entity, whether it is the nation-state or the one world government to come.
When you become a Christian you must lay everything on the table and let God deal with it as He will. It is no less than a complete surrender to Christ. Maybe He will let you keep some things but when I see Christians slavishly devoted to television, movies, alcohol, pro-sports, hunting, and flag waving I think I can see that someone has not let go. It is one thing to be patriotic but another entirely to be a statist, one who worships the state and follows through with every idea that a leader proposes, as long as it follows the Roman Catholic line on abortion and homosexual behavior.
We have our battles and our problems because when we come to Christ we don’t make the Bible pre-eminent, we don’t surrender everything about ourselves to Christ, and we aren’t willing to completely let go of our past affections. If you put new wine into old bottles they will burst. I am convicted by what I’m saying here as much as anyone else should be. I have been carrying around my old man on my back and the stinking corpse I’m carrying makes me sick.
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
The Law of Moses did not prohibit one from simply putting something in your mouth. These disciples weren’t working. This is about the oral tradition of the Pharisees.
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
See 1 Samuel 21 and 22.
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
The Sabbath gave the Jew a day off from his labor, ordained by God. Here Jesus Christ claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath, therefore God in the flesh.
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
The Christians met on the first day of the week to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection. Sunday is not the Sabbath. There are a lot of good reasons to set Sunday apart but it wasn’t even a day off from work until the 3rd century when Christianity was made the state religion. Our secular country, before it became dominated by Roman Catholics, even had mail delivery on Sunday until 1912. Sabbatarians, influenced by the Vatican, created “blue laws” and such forbidding being open on Sunday. Christians who insist that you not work on Sunday are hypocrites because by eating out, getting gas, and using the television, telephone, and radio on Sunday they are forcing others to work. It is good to have a day devoted to worship. If you can’t by your circumstances then you must devote much time during the day to worship.
But, on the other hand, remember, you need preaching. You need adjusting. You need correction, the kind you won’t get by reading the Bible yourself. Someone needs to preach the truth to you to help you to see things in a way you might not have previously.
Chapter 3
1 ¶ And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
Here is Jesus repudiating the idea that He shouldn’t even heal a suffering person on the Sabbath. Some Christians would have you abandon a sick relative, a suffering loved one, or anyone who needed to be ministered to for Christ if there was a church service to attend. While there is much room for people using almost anything as an excuse to miss church, this is not necessarily the case. If you have a chance to witness, or to minister to someone then take it. But, remember, you will answer for lies and excuses that serve you when you stand before Jesus Christ.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
What modern, simpering, milquetoast Christians lack is anger, righteous indignation. We have become so enamored of the Satanic view of a Christian as being an effeminate, limp wristed love, love, love type of guy, we’d rather men cry than take a stand against evil in the church. Jesus looked round about on them with anger.
Here’s a bunch of guys who are the spiritual leaders and they are opposed to Him healing someone who is hurting. If faith healer fakes like Benny Hinn were real they would heal someone like this rather than those people in line with the so called one leg longer than the other. If they were real they’d go into a children’s hospital and heal children by the dozen.
Jesus was real and He healed at His pleasure. Here, the faith of the person being healed is not important although in other places faith is rewarded. If a Roman Catholic or a Pentecostal healer was real they wouldn’t constantly accuse suffering people of not having faith and then demanding money. These hucksters are wicked.
Track 4, Twenty Seven minutes
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13 ¶ And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.
22 ¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31 ¶ There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33 And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
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