How does Mark connect the opening proclamation, calls, teaching and publicity?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

John prepares and baptizes; Jesus is baptized and tempted, calls disciples, teaches and heals, and ends unable to enter openly after a cleansed man publicizes the word.

Chapter breakdown

# Mark 1

Mark begins the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God, with words attributed to Isaias about the messenger preparing the way and the voice in the desert calling for straight paths. John baptizes in the desert and preaches baptism of penance unto remission of sins. The account describes all Judea and Jerusalem going to him, confessing sins and being baptized in Jordan. He wears camel’s hair with a leather girdle and eats locusts and wild honey. He announces a mightier one whose shoe latchet he is unworthy to stoop and loosen, contrasting his water baptism with that one’s baptism with the Holy Ghost.

Jesus comes from Nazareth of Galilee for John’s baptism in Jordan. Coming up from the water, he sees opened heavens and the Spirit descending and remaining on him as a dove. A heavenly voice calls him the beloved Son in whom it is well pleased. The Spirit immediately drives him into the desert, where he spends forty days and nights, is tempted by Satan, is with beasts and receives angels’ ministry. This chapter supplies no fasting or particular temptation exchanges. After John is delivered up, Jesus comes to Galilee preaching the kingdom’s gospel: the time is accomplished, the kingdom near, and people are to repent and believe.

By the sea he calls fishermen Simon and Andrew, who are casting nets, promising to make them fishers of men. They immediately leave the nets and follow. Farther on he sees James and John mending nets in their ship, calls them, and they leave Zebedee there with hired men to follow. The specific departures are not converted into a rule that everyone must abandon family and livelihood.

In Capharnaum’s synagogue on sabbath days, listeners marvel that he teaches with power unlike the scribes. A man with an unclean spirit cries out, asking what they have to do with Jesus of Nazareth, whether he has come to destroy them, and identifying him as God’s Holy One. Jesus commands silence and departure. The spirit tears the man, cries loudly and leaves. Amazed listeners discuss this new doctrine and power commanding spirits that obey. His fame spreads through Galilee. The text offers no account of what traditions scribes recite or a motive for this man’s cry.

Leaving the synagogue, Jesus and the four enter Simon and Andrew’s house. Simon’s wife’s mother lies in a fit of fever. Told of her, Jesus takes her hand and raises her; the fever leaves immediately and she ministers to them. After sunset all the ill and possessed are brought and the city gathers at the door. He heals many with varied diseases and casts out many devils, not permitting them to speak because they know him. Neither fever severity, diagnostic mechanisms nor a universal healing guarantee is supplied.

Very early he leaves for a desert place and prays. Simon and his companions follow, find him and say all seek him. He proposes the neighbouring towns and cities for preaching also, explaining that this is his purpose. He preaches through Galilee’s synagogues and casts out devils. A leper kneels and beseeches cleansing if he wills. Compassionate, Jesus touches him and says he wills it and commands cleansing; immediately the leprosy departs. He strictly sends the man away, ordering silence, presentation to the high priest and the Mosaic offerings for cleansing as testimony. The man instead publishes the word widely. Consequently Jesus cannot openly enter the city but stays in desert places, where people flock from every side. The man’s motive and subsequent priestly compliance are unrecorded.

The story inside

The baptism and desert period precede Galilean proclamation; calls precede Capharnaum, prayer, further preaching and the leper.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Opened heavens and Spirit remaining are retained without importing torn heavens or bodily form.
2
The chapter states no fasting or specific desert temptations.
3
Healing many is not a guarantee that every illness is cured.

Test your recall

Water and Holy Ghost; forty days and nights; nets and hired men; fever; prayer; high priest and offerings.

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 114320–114378
1:1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 1:2. As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee. 1:3. A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight his paths. 1:4. John was in the desert, baptizing and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins. 1:5. And there went out to him all the country of Judea and all they of Jerusalem and were baptized by him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 1:6. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and he ate locusts and wild honey. 1:7. And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 1:8. I have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. 1:9. And it came to pass, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 1:10. And forthwith coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit as a dove descending and remaining on him. 1:11. And there came a voice from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 1:12. And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the desert. 1:13. And he was in the desert forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by Satan. And he was with beasts: and the angels ministered to him. 1:14. And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 1:15. And saying: The time is accomplished and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel: 1:16. And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea for they were fishermen. 1:17. And Jesus said to them: Come after me; and I will make you to become fishers of men. 1:18. And immediately leaving their nets, they followed him. 1:19. And going on from thence a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who also were mending their nets in the ship: 1:20. And forthwith he called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with his hired men, they followed him.
Lines 114380–114453
1:21. And they entered into Capharnaum: and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them. 1:22. And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes. 1:23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 1:24. Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. 1:25. And Jesus threatened him, saying: Speak no more, and go out of the man. 1:26. And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying out with a loud voice, went out of him. 1:27. And they were all amazed insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying: What thing is this? What is this new doctrine? For with power he commandeth even the unclean spirits: and they obey him. 1:28. And the fame of him was spread forthwith into all the country of Galilee. 1:29. And immediately going out of the synagogue they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 1:30. And Simon’s wife’s mother lay in a fit of a fever: and forthwith they tell him of her. 1:31. And coming to her, he lifted her up, taking her by the hand; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 1:32. And when it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all that were ill and that were possessed with devils. 1:33. And all the city was gathered together at the door. 1:34. And he healed many that were troubled with divers diseases. And he cast out many devils: and he suffered them not to speak, because they knew him. 1:35. And rising very early, going out, he went into a desert place: and there he prayed. 1:36. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 1:37. And when they had found him, they said to him: All seek for thee. 1:38. And he saith to them: Let us go into the neighbouring towns and cities, that I may preach there also; for to this purpose am I come. 1:39. And he was preaching in their synagogues and in all Galilee and casting out devils. 1:40. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him and kneeling down, said to him: If thou wilt thou canst make me clean. 1:41. And Jesus, having compassion on him, stretched forth his hand and touching him saith to him: I will. Be thou made clean. 1:42. And when he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him: and he was made clean. 1:43. And he strictly charged him and forthwith sent him away. 1:44. And he saith to him: See thou tell no one; but go, shew thyself to the high priest and offer for thy cleansing the things that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. 1:45. But he being gone out, began to publish and to blaze abroad the word: so that he could not openly go into the city, but was without in desert places. And they flocked to him from all sides.