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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

JEHOVAH Is Well Pleased With HIS SON JESUS





Mark 1:1-45 NIV






John the Baptist Prepares The Way




1The beginning of the Good News about JESUS The MESSIAH,a The SON of GOD,b 2as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:


“I Will Send MY messenger ahead of YOU,
who will prepare YOUR Way”c 
3“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare The Way for The Lord,
make straight paths for Him.’ ”d





4And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 






7And this was his message:


After me Comes The ONE More Powerful than I, the straps of Whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I baptize you with water, but HE Will Baptize you with The HOLY SPIRIT.





The Baptism and Testing of JESUS




9At that time JESUS Came from Nazareth in Galilee and Was Baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Just As JESUS Was Coming Up out of the water, HE Saw heaven being torn open and The SPIRIT Descending On Him like a dove. 



 


11And a Voice Came from heaven: 



YOU Are My SON, Whom I Love; With YOU I AM Well Pleased.






12At once The SPIRIT Sent Him Out into the wilderness, 13and HE Was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by satan. HE Was With the wild animals, and angels attended Him.

 



JESUS Announces the Good News




14After John was put in prison, JESUS Went Into Galilee, Proclaiming The Good News of GOD. 

 15 “The Time Has Come,” HE Said. “The Kingdom of GOD Has Come Near. Repent and believe The Good News!”









JESUS Calls His First Disciples




16As JESUS Walked beside the Sea of Galilee, HE Saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow ME,” JESUS said, “And I Will Send you out to fish for people.” 






 18At once they left their nets and followed Him.






19When HE Had Gone a little farther, HE Saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20Without delay HE Called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.





JESUS Drives Out an Impure spirit




21They went to Capernaum, and when The Sabbath came, JESUS Went Into the synagogue and Began to teach. 22The people were amazed at His Teaching, Because HE Taught them As ONE Who Had Authority, not as the teachers of the Law. 






 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 

24 “What Do YOU Want with us, JESUS of Nazareth? Have YOU Come To Destroy us? I know Who YOU Are—The HOLY ONE of GOD!”



25 “Be quiet!” Said JESUS Sternly. “Come out of him!” 26The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.






27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A New Teaching—and With Authority! HE Even Gives Orders to impure spirits and they obey Him.” 28News about Him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.




JESUS Heals Many




29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.30Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told JESUS about her. 31So HE Went To her, Took her hand and Helped her Up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.






32That evening after sunset the people brought to JESUS all the sick and demon-possessed. 33The whole town gathered at the door, 34and JESUS Healed many who had various diseases. HE Also drove out many demons, but HE Would Not Let the demons speak because they knew Who HE Was.





JESUS Prays in a Solitary Place




35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, JESUS Got Up, Left the house and Went off to a solitary place, where HE Prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for Him, 37and when they found Him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for YOU!”






38JESUS Replied, 


“Let Us Go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—So I Can Preach there also. That Is Why I Have Come.” 


39So HE Traveled throughout Galilee, Preaching in their synagogues and Driving Out demons.





JESUS Heals a Man With Leprosy




40A man with leprosyh came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If YOU Are Willing, YOU Can Make me clean.”

41JESUS Was Indignant.i HE Reached Out His Hand and Touched the man. 


“I AM Willing,” HE Said. “Be clean!” 


42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.






43JESUS Sent him away at once with a strong warning: 


44“See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 


45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, JESUS Could no longer Enter a town openly but Stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere.







Mark 1










Not that The Gospel first began to be preached at this time, for it was preached centuries earlier by Isaiah, and other prophets before; and long before that, was preached to Abraham; yes it was preached as early as the times of our first parents, in Eden's garden.


And is indeed that mystery, which was hid in GOD before the creation of the world; and was ordained before that was, to the glory of the saints: but the sense is, that this narrative Mark was about to write, began with the ministry of John the Baptist, and of CHRIST; which was a Gospel one, and was the beginning of The Gospel age, in distinction from the legal one: the Law and the prophets were until John, and they ceased and ended in Him; when the , "the world to come", The Kingdom of GOD, or Gospel state, took place.


The design of this evangelist, is not to give an account of the genealogy of CHRIST, of His Conception and Birth as recorded in Matthew and Luke, of what happened to Him in His Infancy, or of any actions and sayings of His from thence, to His Appearance in Israel; but to give an account of His Ministry and Miracles, Sufferings and Death: which is introduced with the preaching and baptism of John His forerunner, and which he chiefly intends by "the beginning of The Gospel": he first points out CHRIST, Who is The Author and Substance, as well as the great Preacher of The Gospel; the sum of which is, that HE Is JESUS, The SAVIOR and REDEEMER of lost sinners. 


The CHRIST, The MESSIAH, That Was To Come; The Mediator between GODand man, The Prophet Who Has Declared the whole Mind and Will of GOD; The Great High Priest, Who Has Offered Himself a Sacrifice for His people, Made peace, Procured pardon, Brought in everlasting righteousness, and Obtained eternal redemption, and now Lives to make intercession for them; and King of saints, Who Reigns Over them, Protects and Defends them, and is no other than The SON of GOD; Equal With His FATHER; of The Same Nature With Him, Possessed of The Same Perfections, and Enjoying The Same Glory; and which is a grand article of The Gospel, and without which HE Could Not Be An Able SAVIOR, nor The True MESSIAH.


Mark begins his account of The Gospel, and which he calls the beginning of it, with the same article of the Divine Sonship of CHRIST, as the Apostle Paul began His ministry with, Acts 9:20. Matthew began his Gospel with the Humanity, Mark with the Divinity of CHRIST: the one calls him The Son of David, the other The SON of GOD, both True: CHRIST Is The Son of David according to His Human Nature, The SON of GOD according to His Divine Nature; so a testimony is bore to the truth of both His Natures, which are united in One Person.



As it is written in the prophets - Malachi and Isaiah; for passages out of both follow; though the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, versions read, "as it is written in the prophet Isaias"; and so it is in some Greek copies: but the former seems to be the better reading, since two prophets are cited, and Isaiah is the last; to which agree the Arabic and Ethiopic versions, and the greater number of Greek copies. The following citations are made to show, that according to the writings of the Old Testament, John the Baptist was to be the harbinger of CHRIST, to come before Him, and prepare His Way; and also the propriety of the method the evangelist takes, in beginning His Gospel with the account of John's ministry and baptism: the first testimony stands in Malachi 3:1, and The Words are The WORDS of The FATHER to The SON, concerning John, pointing out His Character and His Work.



Behold, I Send My messenger before YOUR Face, who shall prepare YOUR Way before YOU. John the Baptist is here called a messenger, and the message he was sent and came with, was of the greatest moment and importance, and required the closest attention to it; wherefore this passage is introduced with a "behold!" signifying that something momentous, and what should be strictly regarded, was about to be delivered: and indeed, the work of this messenger was no other, than to declare that the long expected MESSIAH Was Born; that HE Would quickly Make His Public Appearance in Israel; that The Kingdom of Heaven, or The Kingdom of The MESSIAH, Was At Hand; and that it became the Jews to repent of their sins, and believe in CHRIST.


John the Baptist is called the messenger of GOD, "My messenger"; because he was sent, and sanctified by Him; he was called unto, and qualified for his work by Him; see John 1:6. His father Zechariah says, he should be called the prophet of the Highest, Luke 1:76. The reason of his being called the messenger of GOD, may be observed in the text itself, "Behold, I Send": the Words in Malachi are by us rendered, "Behold, I Will Send", Malachi 3:1, because this was at the time of the prophet's writing a thing future, but in the times of the evangelist a thing done: and indeed, it is a more literal version of the Hebrew text, to render it "I Send", or "Am Sending"; and it is so expressed, to denote the certainty of it, and because in a little time it would be done: the words "Before YOUR Face", are not in the original text of Malachi, nor in the Septuagint version, but are inserted by the evangelist; who might do it with authority, since CHRIST had done it before him, Matthew 11:10, and this messenger had now appeared before The Face of CHRIST, had prepared His Way in the wilderness, and had baptized Him in Jordan; all which is designed in the following words, "who shall prepare YOUR Way before YOU", by His doctrine and baptism: in the text in Malachi it is, "Before ME", Malachi 3:1; which has made it a difficulty with the interpreters, whether the words in the prophet, are The Words of CHRIST concerning Himself, or of His FATHER concerning Him.


But sending this messenger before CHRIST, may be called by The FATHER sending him(John the Baptist) before Himself(CHRIST), and to prepare the way before Him(CHRIST); because CHRISTis The Brightness of His Glory, and the Express Image of His Person, and is The Angel of His Presence, or Face; besides, JEHOVAH The FATHER was Greatly Concerned, and The Glory of His Perfections, in the Work The Messiah Was To Do, Whose Way John came to prepare.


That the prophecy in Malachi here cited, is a Prophecy of The MESSIAH, is owned by several Jewish writers who expressly say, that those words which follow, "The Lord Whom you seek", are to be understood of The King MESSIAH: and the one who should be meant by this messenger is Elijah the prophet, the Tishbite; who they suppose will come in person, before The MESSIAH Appears: yet not he, but one in His SPIRIT and Power is designed; and is no other than John the Baptist, in whom the passage has had its full accomplishment in history of the New Testament.







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