Project 119: Mark 1:16-45
| Project 119
“Come and Follow”
After the imprisonment of John the Baptist, the way is paved for Jesus to begin His ministry. But Jesus does not minister alone. His first order of business is to call disciples, who will join with Him in the task God has given Him.
The first disciples Jesus calls are Simon and Andrew. His call is definite and demands total commitment. “Follow Me, and I will send you out to fish for people” (Mark 1:17). Consistent with Mark’s gospel, these two brothers “immediately” leave their nets behind to follow Jesus. The next two disciples are also brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They are also fishermen. Jesus calls them “immediately” and they too leave their nets and father behind to follow Jesus.
Jesus’ call comes where we are, as we are, but with a vision of what we might become. Little wonder these two sets of brothers left their old world behind to seize the new one Jesus was inviting them to know.
With these disciples in tow, Jesus journeys to Capernaum, a village that was to become His adopted home. Their first stop was the synagogue, an important institution in Jesus’ day where people could go to study the Scriptures and worship God. Here, Jesus takes advantage of the custom that allowed visiting teachers to participate in worship leadership at the invitation of the synagogue elders. Jesus’ teaching “amazes” the people (a signal theme in Mark) because of how Jesus teaches with divine authority, not human authority.
While Jesus is teaching, a demon challenges Jesus’ authority. Ironically, the demon bears witness to Jesus’ true identity as “the Holy One of God.” One of the ironies of Mark’s gospel is that the powers of darkness always know who Jesus is, while the people whom Jesus came to redeem always seem to be baffled, until Calvary where everything becomes clear. When this demon challenges Jesus, Jesus muzzles the power of the demonic, which proves His authority in the eyes of the people.
Jesus leaves that encounter to perform more miracles in Capernaum, including a healing for Simon’s mother-in-law. These miracles, along with His teaching, are a testimony to His divine authority, but Jesus will not let the demons speak their witness, because Jesus does not trust them to get the testimony right. Only His disciples can be trusted with such a witness.
Following this series of miracles, Jesus prepares Himself through prayer for the first of what will be three preaching and healing tours in the region of Galilee. His first encounter is with a leper, whom Jesus touches and heals. The touch is significant because it is a violation of the law of Moses (Leviticus 13). Such a show of compassion on Jesus’ part for those considered untouchable shows the depth of Jesus’ concern for those who cannot help themselves. Upon his healing, Jesus sends the leper to the priest, with specific instructions not to divulge the source of his healing. However, the healed leper spread the news nonetheless, which results in an increase of popularity for Jesus, but also an increase in the threat Jesus will now pose to the religious establishment.
Jesus’ invitation to follow Him is an invitation to confront the evil in this world in both its secular and spiritual forms. It’s an invitation that comes to everyone, but requires our decisive response. For those who do so “immediately,” we experience amazing things that only God can do. Little wonder those first fishermen said “yes.” The possibilities Jesus creates are ones we never could know on any path other than the one He leads us down.
Mark 1:16-45 (ESV):
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.