Chapter One

Verses 14 to 45

(Image: British Library)

Synopsis

In this learning unit, we will study the rest of chapter one. Mark has Jesus begin his ministry by proclaiming: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” and calling the people to repent of their sins and believe in the gospel.

He then introduces us to the third major theme: discipleship. A disciple is called to follow Jesus to be then sent out by him as a “fisher of men.” By connecting this expression to Jeremiah 16:14–16, we can see that Mark is referring to another aspect of the new exodus: with the apostles’ help, this new exodus will restore the kingdom by bringing back the lost tribes of Israel.

The chapter ends with a description of a typical 24-hour day in Jesus’ life. Mark shows us how Jesus was very active, going from here to there, teaching and healing. Everything happens immediately. But he also had time to rest, pray, and be with his friends and loved ones. Jesus lived a balanced life and in this, he is an example for us.

Learning Objectives

You will have successfully completed this learning unit when you can:

Explain why those who heard Jesus speaking about the kingdom of God would have understood that he was speaking about the restoration of David's kingdom.

Explain why the apostles were willing to leave everything to follow Jesus.

Explain why Jesus chose Capernaum as his headquarters.

Describe a typical day in Jesus’ life.

Explain the symbolic meaning of leprosy as sin.

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:14–15)

The first thing Jesus preached about was that the kingdom of God is at hand. Today, when we think about God’s kingdom, we tend to spiritualize it. We imagine it to be God reigning in heaven, or the spiritual presence of Jesus in the world, or even the Church as God’s visible kingdom on earth. But for those who heard Jesus preaching in person, it could have only meant one thing: the restoration of the kingdom of David. Remember Israel’s history and how God had promised David that his kingdom would last forever; yet it was destroyed in the VI century BC. The people were anxiously waiting for God to reestablish his kingdom, as promised by the prophets, and would have understood Jesus to be speaking about this. This was exciting news, but, as we saw in the previous learning unit, the prophet Malachi recognized that the people’s sin hindered its coming. Jesus therefore calls everyone to repent and believe in the good news in order for God to establish his kingdom.

The Calling of the First Apostles

And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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. And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him. (Mk 1:16–20)

David’s kingdom was formed out of the 12 tribes of Israel and we read in 1 Kings 4:7 that Solomon had 12 officers to help him rule Israel. Following these examples in the Old Testament, Jesus is likewise going to pick 12 apostles to help him establish his kingdom. In this passage we see him calling the first four of them: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They were all fishermen working their trade on the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mk 1:17)

We know that this was not the first time Jesus had met these men because in John 1:29 we read how John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” One of the disciples was Andrew, and it is possible that the other was John. Andrew also introduced Jesus to his brother Peter. This happened before John was arrested. Now, in this scene, Jesus calls them after John has been arrested and tells them to follow him. We don’t know how much time had passed since John’s arrest.

What is clear from reading Mark and John together is that the call of the apostles was, in many cases, actually a prolonged process that likely took place over the course of several months. John’s gospel describes their first encounters with Jesus and how they accompanied him at certain moments, in a more informal way; they would have been coming and going. Just like we, when we are discerning our vocation, go on retreats, spend time with priests, etc., but aren’t doing it full time! Mark and the Synoptics focus on the definitive moment of the call, when they finally left behind everything and began to follow Jesus full-time. What we see when we read both gospels together is that Jesus had been preparing their hearts for this moment of generosity, when they would leave behind their nets to follow him.

What does Jesus mean by “fishers of men”? The answer is found in the Old Testament, in the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one of the many prophets who spoke about the restoration of the kingdom through a new exodus. In one of these prophecies, he wrote:

Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land which I gave to their fathers. (Jer 16:14–15)

For Jeremiah, the new exodus consisted in God bringing the exiled Israelites out of the north country back to the Promised Land. By this, he is referring to the 10 northern tribes which had been conquered by the Assyrians and exiled in the north. By the time Jeremiah wrote this, these tribes had completely disappeared from the face of the earth. We just don’t know what happened to them. Therefore, given this situation, how will God be able to gather the Israelites together and bring them back home? Jeremiah goes on to tell us:

Behold, I am sending for many fishers, says the Lord, and they shall catch them (Jer 16:16)

The Jews knew their history and their scriptures well. When Peter, Andrew, James, and John heard Jesus speak this way, they understood what he was saying. It was the beginning of the reunification of the tribes of Israel and the reestablishment of the kingdom. This was the fulfillment of every Jew’s deepest desire. This was exciting news and they wanted to be a part of it. They would also have had John’s testimony about Jesus in mind and remembered the time they spent with him, so he wasn’t a total stranger to them. Therefore, dropping their nets, they followed him.

I hope you are beginning to notice that there is hardly anything Jesus says or does that isn’t connected in some way to the Old Testament. He doesn’t invent anything new; he is just fulfilling the Scriptures. That is why you should also read the Old Testament and become well acquainted with it. You can’t understand Jesus if you separate him from the Old Testament, and the more details you know about it, the better.

Optional assignment: Watch the video “Exile and the Lost Tribes of Israel” to learn about the lost tribes.

Capernaum

Mark then tells us that Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum and set up their headquarters there. This was a deliberate and strategic choice. Capernaum was located in the lands of Naphtali, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. We know from 2 Kings 15 that it was one of the first to be conquered by the Assyrians and sent into exile.

In the days of Pekah king of Israel Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Jan-oah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried the people captive to Assyria. (2 Kgs 15:29)

Isaiah prophesized about Naphtali:

In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light. (Is 9:1–2)

Jesus starts his mission of reuniting the tribes of Israel and reestablishing David’s kingdom in the very place where the exile had begun. Therefore, by coming to this city he was beginning to undo the effects of the exile.

A Typical Day in Jesus’ Life

We believe that Jesus is not only God, but also that he is a human being, like us in everything except sin. So, Mark dedicates the next couple of passages to present his human side to us. If you pay attention to the details in verses 21 to 39, you will notice that everything happens within one 24-hour period. Mark is showing us what a typical day in Jesus’ life looked like. It happened to be a Saturday, so, as all Jews did, Jesus went to the synagogue in the morning.

And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. (Mk 1:21)

Notice how Mark once again says “immediately.” This word will appear several times in these verses. It gives us a sense of Jesus’ activity. He does this and then he immediately does that and then immediately something else. It also tells us something about his personality. Jesus was not a passive type; everything is fast paced.

So, we find him teaching in the synagogue and all are astonished by this, because he taught them with authority; that is, he accompanied his teaching with signs that showed he had supernatural power. In this case, he heals a man who is possessed by an unclean spirit. By doing this, he is revealing that he has power over the demonic. During this encounter, the demon cries out:

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. (Mk 1:24)

The expression “the Holy One” with the definitive article “the” is a title for the high priest as we can see in Psalm 106:16.

When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.

Perhaps the demon recognized Jesus as the priestly Messiah and that he has spiritual authority over him. Although it may also have said this to ward him off. It was commonly thought in the ancient world that one could master an opposing spirit by invoking its name. When Jesus heals the man the people are amazed by this. Then, Mark tells us:

And immediately he left the synagogue, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John (Mk 1:29)

Jesus now heals Peter’s mother-in-law, who had been in bed with fever. This is a unique miracle in the gospel. She isn’t possessed or suffering tragically from leprosy, blindness, or any other debilitating ailment; all she has is a fever. Yet, Jesus is also attentive to her needs, so he touches her hand and lifts her up. This shows us how Jesus is also mindful of our smaller sufferings. Peter’s mother-in-law then gets up and serves lunch. We find Jesus spending the rest of the sabbath resting and enjoying being with Peter and his family.

Word gets out about the healing in the synagogue, so once the sabbath is over, at sundown, people start bringing all their sick or possessed to Jesus and we are told that he healed many, although Mark doesn’t give us any details about what happened. We find Jesus once again at work. We are not told when, but at some time he must have gone to sleep, only to get up early in the morning to go out and pray. So, despite his great missionary activity, Jesus also finds time to be alone with his Father.

What we find in this typical 24-hour day in Jesus’ life is that, humanly speaking, he lived in a balanced way. He was active, going immediately from here to there, teaching and healing; but he also had time to rest, pray, and be with his friends and loved ones. In this, Jesus can be a role model for us. It is a very human passage.

In verse 38 we read how Peter and the others go out looking for him and when they find him, Jesus says to them:

Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.

And that is what they did. Mark tells us that Jesus travelled throughout Galilee preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus heals a Leper

A leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.” (Mk 1:40–45)

There is some debate whether leprosy in the Bible is the same disease as modern day leprosy, also know as Hansen’s disease. The classical interpretation is that it is, so this is the interpretation we will follow. Leprosy is a terrible disease in which a person’s body starts to decay while they are still alive. It can slowly spread throughout the whole body until it eventually kills them.

Lepers were considered to be in a state of profound impurity. They had to tear their clothes, cover their upper lip, and cry out, “unclean, unclean” to warn others nearby. They were forced to live outside of the community, so they were left homeless and without the support structure of their family and friends. Since in Israel, praying to God was done in community, this meant that they were also separated from him, since they couldn’t join in the community prayers. We find the detailed instructions regarding the handling of lepers in Leviticus chapters 13 and 14.

This was the situation of this unfortunate person who came to Jesus beseeching him to make him clean. In approaching Jesus, he was violating the law. But somehow, he had heard of Jesus’ miracles and went to him. It is interesting to note that he didn’t ask Jesus to heal him, but rather to make him clean. This could suggest that he was a man of great faith, for whom reestablishing his relationship with God and the community was more important than his physical wellbeing.

Mark highlights Jesus’ humanity in his response. He is moved with pity and touches him. This was also a violation of the law and should have made Jesus impure, but the opposite happens, he heals and cleans the leper instead. We read that immediately, the leprosy left him. Read on its own, this passage shows us how Jesus travelled around Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and healing the sick. But we shouldn’t read anything Jesus said or did on its own. Jesus did heal many people, but that isn’t why he came to us. His mission wasn’t to cure every sick person in Israel. His miracles have a deeper meaning: they reveal his identity, which is the main theme of the gospel. Mark wants to show us that Jesus is God and that he has come to save us. That is the good news.

We can discover this deeper meaning in Jesus’ miracle by reading it in the light of the Old Testament. There, we find two lepers who were healed, and, in both cases, it was God who healed them. Numbers 12 speaks of Moses’ sister Miriam and 2 Kings 5 of Naaman. He was commander of the army of the king of Syria but was also a leper. A Hebrew slave girl told him that the prophet Elisha could heal him, so he spoke with his king, who sent him to the king of Israel with a letter that stated:

I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy (2 Kgs 5:6)

When the king read this letter:

He rent his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?” (2 Kgs 5:7)

The implication is that only God can cure someone of their leprosy, so when the leper goes to Jesus and says: “If you will, you can make me clean”, he is implicitly expressing his faith in Jesus as God.

When Jesus says to him, “show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded” he is referring to the regulations given in Leviticus 13 and 14. They tell us that one of the priest’s duties was to examine the sores on people’s bodies to determine whether they had contracted the disease or not. For example:

When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, and the priest shall examine the diseased spot on the skin of his body; and if the hair in the diseased spot has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous disease; when the priest has examined him he shall pronounce him unclean. (Lv 13:2–3)

Today, when we have a skin problem we go to the doctor, back then people would go to a priest. I have participated in several medical missions in Mexico, and I have personally seen how skin diseases are quite common there. The same was probably true in ancient Israel. Priests back then must have been very busy examining people’s sores and looking for signs of leprosy. It was their responsibility to determine whether someone was a leper or not. And, if so, the priest would then pronounce them unclean, and they would have to separate themselves from their community and fulfill all that was stipulated in the law.

If a leper was healed, they would have to go back to the priest to be examined again. This is why Jesus tells the man to show himself to the priest and offer the sacrifices prescribed by Moses in Leviticus 14. After this, the priest would declare the person clean and they could return to their family and the community.

Sin is a spiritual concept that is difficult for us to understand. We tend to think of it as just the breaking of rules. However, the regulations about the treatment of leprosy exist in the Bible because God wants to teach us through them that sin is like leprosy of the soul. Just as a leper’s body rots, even though the person is still alive, so too does our soul “rot” when we sin. And just as it was the task of the Old Testament priests to examine a person’s sores to determine whether they had leprosy or not, with all of its consequences, so too is it the task of the New Testament priests to examine those who suffer from spiritual leprosy. This is done in the sacrament of confession.

One final comment about this passage, we read that the cured man:

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 the country; and people came to him from every quarter (Mk 1:45)

If before, it was the leper who was not allowed to enter the towns, now it is Jesus, who is forced to live out in the country. Here we see a reversal of roles has taken place. Jesus takes the place of the leper. This also happened in our redemption when Jesus suffered and died in our stead.

Conclusion

I hope you can appreciate how rich Mark’s gospel is. His genius lies in the fact that, despite being simple and direct, he is very profound. As we have already mentioned, anyone can read the gospel, feel they understand what they are reading and not be overwhelmed by the text. However, we can discover the full meaning of Mark’s message for us when we read it in the light of the Old Testament.

Assignments

Read Leviticus chapters 13 and 14, 2 Kings chapters 5 and 15 to 17, and Isaiah 9:1–7 to understand the background to Mark 1:2–13.

Compare one of the following passages with Matthew’s and Luke’s parallel versions. What is similar? What is different? You can find the passages side by side in the attached PDF files (click on icons to download).