Mark
1:1-20: “Introduction / Preaching Of John The Baptist / Baptism of Jesus /
Calling Of First Disciples”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
Background for the gospel of
Mark.
1.1.1. Authorship :
Though
there is no claim of authorship for the book internally, the author of this
book is believed today to be one in the New Testament referred to as John with
the surname of Mark, or John who was also called Mark, or John Mark. Though the book originally was untitled,
scribes created the title, “Gospel of Mark” for the book sometime before
125AD. John Mark appears to have been a
Hebrew of the tribe of Levi. The Pulpit
Commentary says that Bede claims that John Mark was of the order of Aaron.
John
Mark was a fairly well to do resident of Jerusalem with his mother named Mary
(see Acts 12:12), and it is his home which became the first home church, the
place where the group in the book of Acts got together and prayed for Peter to
be released from jail (Acts 12). It is
likely also the home where the Holy Spirit fell of that first day of Pentecost
inaugurating the church (Acts 2), and perhaps also the place where Jesus and
the disciples ate that last Passover meal.
John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas.
All
of the ancient church fathers Irenaeus, Tertullian, Papias, Justin Martyr,
Origen, St. Jerome, etc., made John Mark the interpreter of Peter for the
writing of this gospel. The Pulpit
Commentary states, “St. Jerome says, “St. Mark, the interpreter of the
Apostle St. Peter, and the first bishop of the Church of Alexandria, related
what things he heard his master preaching, rather according to the truth of the
facts, than according to the order of the things that were done.” Augustine believed that John Mark had written
an abbreviated gospel, getting quickly to the point in explaining the things
that Jesus had done, whereas Matthew took the time to explain them more in
depth.
The
Pulpit Commentary infers that John Mark may have begun to use Mark as his
surname in order to have wider acceptance among the Gentiles to whom he
ministered, especially the Romans.
John
Mark is mentioned in the book of Acts as going with Paul and Barnabas to
Antioch and then joining them on the first missionary journey, but then for an
unknown reason deserting the work at a certain point and returning to Jerusalem
(Acts 13:13). Next, when the second
missionary journey began, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark along (Acts 15:37),
but Paul refused. The end of this was
that the missionary work accomplished was doubled when Barnabas took Mark and
went one direction to the
Paul’s
relationship with John Mark was healed however, for in Col. 4:10, Paul wrote to
the Colossians that Mark sent his greetings, and in 2 Tim. 4:11, Paul
instructed Timothy to bring along Mark who was a good helper for him. The Bible Knowledge Commentary states the following
about John Mark after his leaving the
John
Mark had been a disciple of Peter’s, and in 1 Peter 5:13, Peter referred to
John Mark as being his ‘son’, indicating spiritual sonship and that Peter
had invested much of his teaching and life into Mark.
1.1.1.1.Internal Evidence :
1.1.1.1.1.Just as John referred to himself in his gospel as “the
disciple whom Jesus loved,” it is believed that Mark referred to himself in
his gospel as a “young man.” The
account of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane includes perhaps Mark’s
account of himself: Mark 14:51-52, “51
A
young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his
naked body; and they seized him. 52 But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped
naked.”
1.1.1.2.Source for Mark’s gospel:
1.1.1.2.1.As was mentioned in 1 Peter 5:13, Peter referred to
Mark as being his ‘son’, and John Mark had been under Peter’s ministry
for many years hearing and learning all about Peter’s accounts of the life of
Jesus. It is from these accounts, as
well as some of the common source material that the other Synoptic Gospels
derived from, that John Mark was able to write this gospel. However, John Mark may have merely been an
interpreter writing for Peter, as early Christian writers refer to John Mark
refer to him as Peter’s interpreter.
Eusebius wrote that John Mark had written under the eye of Peter.
1.1.1.3.Historical perspective for the Gospel of Mark:
The
Bible Knowledge Commentary mentions how that from the 4th till the
19th century the book was considered as an abridgment of the book of
Matthew. However, since that time it has
been realized by scholars and commentators that it was in fact unique and a
fourth gospel written by John Mark.
1.1.2. Date of writing :
1.1.2.1.Many believe that the Gospel of Mark was the first of
the gospels written. The Bible Knowledge
Commentary includes the following about ascertaining the date of the writing of
the gospel:
“Nowhere does the New Testament have any explicit
statement regarding the date of Mark. The discourse centered around Jesus’
prediction of the destruction of the
Early testimony
from the church fathers is divided on whether Mark wrote his Gospel before or
after the martyrdom of Peter (ca. a.d. 64-68). On one hand, Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.
1. 1) declared that Mark
wrote after the “departure” (exodon) of Peter and Paul
(thus after a.d. 67 or 68).
By the word exodon Irenaeus probably meant “departure in death.” The
word is used this way in Luke 9:31 and 2 Peter 1:15. This is clearly supported
by the Anti-Marcionite Prologue to Mark which asserts, “After the death
of Peter himself, he [Mark] wrote down this same Gospel. . . .” On the other hand, Clement of
Alexandria and Origen (cf. Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 2. 15.
2; 6. 14. 6; 6. 25. 5) placed
the writing of Mark’s Gospel during Peter’s lifetime stating, in fact,
that Peter participated in its production and ratified its use in the church.
Because of conflicting external evidence the question
of date remains problematic. Two
options are available. One view is that the Gospel can be dated between a.d. 67-69 if one accepts the tradition
that it was written after the deaths of Peter and Paul. Advocates of
this view usually hold either that Matthew and Luke were written after a.d. 70 or that they were written before
Mark. A second view is
that the Gospel can be dated prior to a.d.
64-68 (when Peter was martyred) if one accepts the tradition that it was
written during Peter’s lifetime. On this view one can accept the priority of
Mark (or Matt.) and still hold that all the Synoptic Gospels were written
before a.d. 70.
The second view
is preferred for these reasons: (1)
Tradition is divided though the more reliable evidence supports this view. (2)
The priority of Mark (cf. comments under “Sources”), particularly Mark’s
relationship to Luke, which antedates Acts (cf. Acts 1:1), points to a date
before a.d. 64. The fact that Acts
closes with Paul still in prison prior to his first release (ca. a.d. 62) pushes the date for Mark before
a.d. 60. (3) It is historically
probable that Mark (and perhaps Peter also for a short time) could have been in
1.1.3. Place of writing:
The
early church fathers wrote that John Mark had written this Gospel in
1.1.4. Audience:
The
early church fathers wrote that John Mark had written this gospel primarily as
a primer for the Gentile Christians in
The
Bible Knowledge Commentary includes the following about John Mark considering
the recipients of his Gospel as he wrote it:
“The
tone and message of the Gospel are appropriate to Roman believers who were
encountering persecution and expecting more (cf. comments on 9:49; 13:9-13).
(9) Mark assumed that his readers were familiar with the main characters and
events of his narrative, so he wrote with more of a theological than a
biographical interest. (10) Mark addressed his readers as Christians more
directly by explaining the meaning for them of particular actions and
statements (cf. 2:10, 28; 7:19).”
1.1.5. Purpose for writing :
1.1.5.1.The Pulpit Commentary begins its discussion of the
book of Mark with the following: “The
four living creatures mentioned in Ezekiel (i. 10), and which reappear in a
modified form in the Apocalypse of
1.1.5.2.The book of Matthew was written for Jews to show that
Jesus is their Messiah, and thus it speaks often of Messianic prophecy
fulfilled. The book of Luke was written
primarily for Gentiles, and from the perspective of a physician who cared for
people, and thus it speaks often of the ways in which Jesus interacted with and
ministered to people. The book of John
is called the spiritual gospel and it was written long after all of the rest of
the gospels, and it speaks of Jesus from the perspective of the spiritual truth
about Him and what He taught. The book
of Mark shows Jesus always in action, and thus it emphasizes the “good news”
about what things Jesus did more than what He said. It uses brevity to achieve
this. It is sort of a Reader’s Digest
version of the things that Jesus did.
1.1.5.3.The gospel books of Matthew, Mark and Luke are what
are called “synoptic” gospels because they all follow a similar
historical structure approach to Jesus’ life and appear to have been written
using some original common source writings available during the period of the
early church.
1.1.6. Themes in the Gospel of Mark from the Bible Knowledge
Commentary:
“Mark’s
portrait of Jesus and its meaning for discipleship stand at the center of his
theology. In the opening verse Jesus Christ is identified as “the Son of God” (1:1).
This was confirmed by the Father (1:11; 9:7) and affirmed by demons (3:11;
5:7), by Jesus Himself (13:32; 14:36, 61-62), and by a Roman centurion at
Jesus’ death (15:39). It was also confirmed by His authoritative teaching
(1:22, 27) and His sovereign power over disease and disability (1:30-31, 40-42;
2:3-12; 3:1-5; 5:25-34; 7:31-37; 8:22-26; 10:46-52), demons (1:23-27; 5:1-20;
7:24-30; 9:17-27), the domain of nature (4:37-39; 6:35-44, 47-52; 8:1-10), and
death (5:21-24, 35-43). All this was convincing proof that “the
Yet paradoxically Mark stressed Jesus’ demand that the
demons be silent (1:25, 34; 3:12) and that His miracles not be publicized
(1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). He stressed Jesus’ use of parables in teaching the
crowds (4:33-34) because His kingly rule was then veiled, a mystery, recognized
only by people of faith (4:11-12). Mark stressed the disciples’ slowness to
understand the meaning of Jesus’ presence with them despite private instruction
(4:13, 40; 6:52; 7:17-19; 8:17-21). He stressed Jesus’ demand for silence even
from the disciples following Peter’s confession of His identity (8:30). Jesus
did this because of the Jews’ misleading views about the Messiah, which were
contrary to the purpose of His earthly ministry. He did not want His identity
declared openly till He had made clear to His followers the kind of Messiah He
was and the character of His mission.
Mark recorded Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ”
(8:29), in its simplest, most direct form. Jesus did not accept or reject this
title but turned the disciples’ attention from the question of His identity to
that of His activity (8:31, 38). He used the preferred designation “Son of Man”
and taught His disciples that He must suffer, die, and rise again. The title,
Son of Man, used 12 times by Jesus in Mark versus His one use of the
title “Christ” (“the Messiah,” 9:41), was especially suited to His total
messianic mission—present and future (cf. comments on 8:31, 38; 14:62). He was
the suffering Servant of Yahweh (Isa. 52:13-53:12) who gave up His life for
others in submission to God’s will (Mark 8:31). He was also the Son of Man who
will come in glory to render judgment and establish His kingdom on earth
(8:38-9:8; 13:26; 14:62). But before the glorious triumph of His messianic
reign He must first suffer and die under the curse of God for human sin (14:36;
15:34) as a ransom for many (10:45). This had important implications for all
who would follow Him (8:34-38).
It was hard for Jesus’ 12 disciples to grasp this.
They envisioned a reigning Messiah, not One who would suffer and die. In his special
discipleship section (8:31-10:52) Mark portrayed Jesus “on the way” to
But Mark emphasized the empty tomb and the angel’s
message that Jesus was alive and was going ahead of His disciples into
1.1.7. Chronology :
The
testimony of the early church fathers was that John Mark did not concern
himself to write chronologically the events of Jesus’ life and ministry, but
rather concentrated on what things Jesus did.
1.1.8. Outline of the gospel of Mark from the Bible Knowledge
Commentary:
I. The Title (1:1)
II. Introduction: The Preparation
for Jesus’ Public Ministry (1:2-13)
A. Jesus’ forerunner,
John the Baptist (1:2-8)
B. Jesus’ baptism by John
the Baptist (1:9-11)
C. Jesus’ temptation by
Satan (1:12-13)
III. Jesus’ Early
Galilean Ministry (1:14-3:6)
A. Introductory summary:
Jesus’ message (1:14-15)
B. Jesus’ call of four
fishermen (1:16-20)
C. Jesus’ authority over
demons and disease (1:21-45)
D. Jesus’ controversies
with Jewish religious leaders in
E. Conclusion: Jesus’ rejection
by the Pharisees (3:6)
IV. Jesus’ Later Galilean
Ministry (3:7-6:6a)
A. Introductory summary:
Jesus’ activity around the
B. Jesus’ appointment of
the Twelve (3:13-19)
C. The Beelzebub
accusation and Jesus’ identity of His true family (3:20-35)
D. Jesus’ parables
depicting the character of God’s kingdom (4:1-34)
E. Jesus’ miracles
demonstrating His sovereign power (4:35-5:43)
F. Conclusion: Jesus’
rejection at
V. Jesus’ Ministry in and
beyond
A. Introductory summary:
Jesus’ teaching tour of
B. Jesus’ sending forth
of the Twelve and John the Baptist’s death (6:7-31)
C. Jesus’ self-disclosure
to the Twelve in word and deed (6:32-8:26)
D. Conclusion: Peter’s
confession that Jesus is the Christ (8:27-30)
VI. Jesus’ Journey to
A. The first Passion
prediction unit (8:31-9:29)
B. The second Passion
prediction unit (9:30-10:31)
C. The third Passion
prediction unit (10:32-45)
D. Conclusion: The faith
of blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52)
VII. Jesus’ Ministry in
and around
A. Jesus’ entry into
B. Jesus’ prophetic signs
of God’s judgment on
C. Jesus’ controversy
with the Jewish religious leaders in the temple courts (11:27-12:44)
D. Jesus’ prophetic
Olivet Discourse to His disciples (chap. 13)
VIII. Jesus’ Suffering
and Death in
A. Jesus’ betrayal, the
Passover meal, and His disciples’ desertion (14:1-52)
B. Jesus’ trials,
crucifixion, and burial (14:53-15:47)
IX. Jesus’ Resurrection
from the Dead near
A. The women’s arrival at
the tomb (16:1-5)
B. The angel’s
announcement (16:6-7)
C. The women’s response
to the news of Jesus’ resurrection (16:8)
X. Disputed Epilogue (16:9-20)
A. Three of Jesus’
post-resurrection appearances (16:9-14)
B. Jesus’ commission to
His followers (16:15-18)
C. Jesus’ Ascension and
the disciples’ ongoing mission (16:19-20)
2.
In the verses
that we will study today, we will see the following :
2.1.
Mark begins the gospel story by telling of the calling and ministry of John
the Baptist, the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah.
2.2.
Jesus will be baptized by John.
2.3.
Jesus will be tempted by the Devil in preparation for His ministry.
2.4.
Jesus will begin preaching the
2.5.
Jesus will call the first disciples as He walks along the
3.
VS 1:1 - “1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God.” - Mark tells us that this story is the
beginning of the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ, the Son of God
3.1.
Matthew begins his gospel for Jewish brethren with the kingly genealogy
of Jesus as seen through Joseph (remember Jesus was conceived by the Holy
Spirit) and then tells the nativity story.
Luke likewise begins his gospel with the nativity story and telling of
the immaculate conception of Mary preceded by telling of the calling of John
the Baptist through the prayers of Zacharias and Elizabeth. John begins his gospel telling us about the
pre-incarnate Son of God from all eternity who was the from the beginning, was
the Word, and was God, who became flesh and dwelt. Mark begins his gospel telling us the story
of how John the Baptist came as the forerunner for the Messiah preaching a
baptism of repentance for sin.
3.2.
The word ‘gospel’ means “good news,” and this good news
is the story of “Jesus Christ.”
He Himself is the “good news” for all men and women of all eras.
3.3.
Immediately, Mark declares the eternal nature of Jesus as, ‘the Son
of God’ as well as His administration.
Jesus existed from all eternity as the third person of the Trinity, the
three persons who exist in complete unity, as seen throughout the Bible.
4.
VS 1:2-5 - “2 As it is written in Isaiah the
prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in
the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’ ” 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness
preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him,
and all the people of
4.1.
As Mark declares
John the Baptist a fulfillment of the prophesy of the return of Elijah to the
earth, he first quotes from the prophet Malachi: Malachi 3:1, “1 Behold, I am going to
send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you
seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in
whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.”
4.2.
Next, Mark refers to the prophesy of the return of Elijah
as he quotes from the prophet Isaiah: Isaiah 40:3, “3 A voice is calling, “Clear the
way for the Lord in the
wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.”
4.3.
When a king would visit a neighboring city or country, it
first had to be determined that there was a proper highway for the king to
travel. If a proper highway were not
found, then that highway would first be built and then the king would travel
there. John the Baptist’s ministry was
the preparing of the highway for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to come.
4.4.
How did John the Baptist prepare the way for Jesus Christ
to come? It was by his preaching of a
baptism of repentance. There first had
to be a repentant heart in turning away from sin, before a person could
appreciate and receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
4.5.
The nation of
5.
VS 1:6 - “6 John was clothed with camel’s
hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts
and wild honey.” - John wore
a camel’s hair robe and a leather belt, and he ate locusts and wild honey
5.1.
These descriptions of the diet and clothing for the John the Baptist
depict the rustic wilderness type of lifestyle that he lived.
5.1.1. People in the middle east
still eat ‘locusts’, but they are the food of the common people and not
anything of a special type. Likewise, ‘wild
honey’ is typically thought of as a food that is not of the highest
quality.
5.1.2. Camel’s hair was very rough
and coarse, and John the Baptist was not a man who had been coddled as he grew
up. He was a rough and tough man’s man,
and he had a very tough ministry of preaching to fulfill.
5.2.
John the Baptist paid a huge cost for obedience to God for his
calling. He would endure much hostility
because of his preaching, and eventually Herod would have him beheaded because
of it.
6.
VS 1:7-8 - “7 And he was preaching, and saying,
“After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down
and untie the thong of His sandals. 8 “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”” - John the Baptist was a humble
servant of the Lord and He realized that Jesus was his superior, his holy and
righteous Lord, and thus he did not consider himself worthy to perform for
Jesus even the most abasing tasks that a servant would perform, such as taking
off his master’s sandals as he entered the house
6.1.
John the Baptist
knew who the Messiah was whom He was preparing the way for, and he also knew
his own sinfulness and need for a savior.
These verses reveal the humility of John the Baptist.
6.2.
When a master
came to his house at the end of his day, his servant or slave would get down on
his knees and untie the thong of his master’s sandals and remove them from his
feet. This was a humbling act for a
servant to perform. John the Baptist
declared that he was not even worthy to do this menial and humble task and
untie the thong of Jesus’ sandals.
6.3.
John the Baptist
knew of what the ministry of the Messiah would consist. John Mark quotes John the Baptist as saying
that though he baptized ‘with water’, that the one for whom he was
preparing the way would ‘baptize you with the Holy Spirit’. This is the same baptism of the Spirit that
will occur in Jesus’ life when John the Baptist baptizes Jesus.
7.
VS 1:9-11 - “9 In those days Jesus came from
7.1.
If John the
Baptist’s ministry was a baptism of repentance, and Jesus was totally holy,
then why did Jesus get baptized by him?
The answer is that Jesus was made to be sin for us and that He so
identified with us as sinful fallen humanity, that He had to be baptized by
John just as all of us have to repent and turn away from our sins and be
baptized.
7.2.
This reveals an
incredible insight into the relationship that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of
God, had with God the Father. God the
Father declares to His Son after His baptism, ‘You are My beloved Son, in
You I am well-pleased’.
7.2.1. The Son of God
is righteous and holy and well pleasing to the Father, and when we are in
Christ, He becomes for us who are born again Christians our righteousness, and,
this declaration of the Father to His Son, is the same declaration that He
makes concerning our lives. He is well
pleased with His Son and thus He is well pleased with us who are in Christ!
7.3.
There is a difference in Jesus’ life after He receives
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He is
now greatly empowered for the calling God has for Him, and He will now be
effectively used by God.
7.3.1.
In our lives as Christians, there is to be a second
experience with the Holy Spirit in which we too become empowered and enabled by
God to be able to be used greatly by Him.
We too need the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can be effectively
used by God.
8.
VS 1:12-13 - “Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out
into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the
wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts,
and the angels were ministering to Him.”
- The Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the
wilderness where He was tempted by Satan himself for forty days, and lived
among the wild beasts, and at the conclusion was ministered to by angels
8.1.
Now that Jesus
was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and now prepared for ministry in that baptism,
He had to go into the wilderness and be tempted by the Devil before beginning
His ministry.
8.2.
Jesus was there in the wilderness ‘with the wild
beasts’, and they recognized Him as their creator God and thus would not in
any way harm Him. For Jesus at this
time, He was at peace with the animals just like Adam was at peace with them in
the Garden of Eden before his fall into sin.
8.3.
Note here that the Spirit ‘impelled Him to go out into the wilderness’. Jesus had to be tempted in all ways as we are
tempted, yet without sin, in order for Him to be the Savior that each of us
need (see Heb. 4:15):
8.3.1.
He knows what is like to be tempted and go through huge
trials.
8.3.2. He knows how to
give us victory, just as He had victory, in the midst of the trials and
temptations of life.
8.4.
The other gospel’s detail the experiences of Jesus’
temptations, but in each case He was tempted to try to complete the work God
had for Him without having to go to the cross.
He was tempted use power for His own initiatives rather than according
to How the Father led Him. His
temptations began after He had not eaten or drank for 40 days. With each temptation, He thwarted Satan’s
plan by quoting scriptures which He would be violating were He to succumb to
the temptation.
8.5.
The other gospels tell us that Jesus was ministered by the
angels of God, but this only occurred after His temptation was completed.
9.
VS 1:14-15 - “14 Now after John had been taken
into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” - After John the Baptist’s
arrest, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel (good news) of God telling
the people that the King of God was at hand and that they needed to repent and
believe in the gospel (good news)
9.1.
The preaching of
Jesus was like that of John’s, as John preached that men were to repent and
bring forth good deeds commensurate with their repentance. But also, Jesus’ preaching included that men
ought to ‘believe’ in the ‘good news’.
9.2.
When Jesus came,
the ‘
9.3.
After John’s
ministry had come to an end because of his arrest for preaching repentance,
Jesus then took up the ministry by beginning to preach repentance. This tied together John the Baptist’s
ministry with Jesus’ ministry and showed that for those who would become Jesus’
disciple that they must begin by repenting of their sins and being committed to
walking righteously and serving the Lord.
9.4.
What did Jesus
preach was necessary to come into His kingdom?
One must ‘repent and believe in the gospel’. There was to be no salvation apart from
repentance or faith..
10.
VS 1:16-18 - “16 As He was going 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. 17
And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make
you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” - Walking along the Sea of
Galilee in northern Israel, Jesus calls Simon (later named Peter) and his
brother Andrew telling them to follow Him and that He would make them ‘fishers
of men’, and they dropped their nets and went away with Jesus
10.1.
Jesus knew all of
these disciples previous to this calling He makes of them to vocationally
follow Him. In fact, He had previously
asked them to follow Him temporarily, not vocationally. They knew Jesus, knew His calling, and knew
something of the plans He had for men.
Thus, when Jesus called them to drop their vocations and now follow Him
fulltime they were fully prepared in heart to do so.
10.2.
Notice that the
men whom Jesus called to follow Him did so with complete resolve. There was no questioning or arguing or
indecision for them. They left
immediately.
10.3.
Peter, Andrew,
James, and John, the first four disciples called by Jesus were most likely
disciples of John the Baptist when Jesus called them.
10.4.
Note that Jesus chose very ordinary men to be His
disciples, blue collar men if you will.
He didn’t choose for His disciples the educated, those who had made
great achievements for which they were renown, those who of themselves had
great ability. He chose very ordinary
men to make disciples so that He could show that when God chooses people, He is
not looking for ability, He is looking for availability. He can build and gift anyone to be used
greatly by Him, and it is His work within the believer that prepares and
enables us to be used greatly by Him, not any innate ability within them.
10.5.
These first disciples were fishermen, and Jesus tells
them that they will remain fishermen, however He is going to make them ‘become
fishers of men’. Jesus plan for His
disciples was that they would become evangelists and preach the good news of
salvation through Christ, and of His coming Kingdom.
10.5.1. All of us as
Christians have likewise been called to be ‘fishers of men’. God wants to equip us so that we can go out
and win souls for Him.
11.
VS 1:19-20 - “19 Going on a little farther, He saw
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat
mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called
them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants,
and went away to follow Him.” - As Jesus walked further along the
11.1.
James and John
were also fishermen and were in employ along with Peter and Andrew. They were the sons of a man named ‘Zebedee’
and would in time be called the “sons of thunder.”
11.2.
As happened with
Peter and Andrew, at this point James and John immediately resolved to leave
their professions on the spot and to begin to follow Jesus vocationally.
12.
CONCLUSIONS:
12.1.