Mark Lesson #02

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
MARK 1:1-13
LESSON #02
THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE SERVANT MESSIAH

• MEMORY VERSE: MARK 1:11
• BACKGROUND PERSPECTIVE:
• THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT TIMES, MANY JEWS EAGERLY WAITED FOR THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH. HE WAS FIRST PREDICTED IN GEN 3:15, AND COMPOUNDING PROPHECIES ADDED MANY DETAILS TO HIS FORTH COMING.
• AS A RESULT OF THESE MANY PREDICTIVE PROPHECIES, THE JEWS BECAME CONFUSED AS TO WHAT THEIR MESSIAH WOULD BE LIKE. MANY THOUGHT THAT THE CONFLICTING PROPHECIES COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE FULFILLED BY ONE MAN. INSTEAD THEY LOOKED FOR TWO MESSIAH’S.
• ONE MESSIAH WOULD BE THE SUFFERING SERVANT WHICH THEY CALLED BEN-JOSEPH. (LITERALLY SON OF JOSEPH).
• THE OTHER MESSIAH WOULD BE THE REIGNING KING WHICH THEY CALLED BEN-DAVID. (LITERALLY SON OF DAVID).
• IT IS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THIS FACT BECAUSE IT GIVES US SOME INCLINATION AS TO WHY MANY JEWS MISSED RECOGNIZING JESUS AS THEIR MESSIAH, AND WHY MANY MORE WERE DISAPPOINTED IN JESUS BECAUSE HE DID NOT FULFILL THEIR UNIQUE EXPECTATIONS.
• SOME IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS:

• WHAT DOES THE WORD, MESSIAH, MEAN?
• THE HEBREW WORD, MESSIAH, MEANS = ANOINTED ONE.
• WHAT DOES THE WORD, CHRIST, MEAN?
• THE GREEK WORD FOR CHRIST, MEANS = ANOINTED ONE.
• THE WORD, CHRIST, IS NOT JESUS’ LAST NAME. IT IS A TITLE.
• WHAT DOES THE NAME, JESUS, MEAN?
• THE HEBREW WORD FOR JESUS IS JOSHUA. THEREFORE, BOTH THE NAMES JESUS AND JOSHUA MEAN, = JEHOVAH SAVES.
• THE NAME, JESUS, IS USED MORE FREQUENTLY IN MARK THAN IN ANY OF THE OTHER GOSPELS.
• UP TO THE TIME OF JESUS CHRIST, THE NAME JESUS WAS VERY COMMON. THE JEWS DROPPED THE USE OF THE NAME TO AVOID ANY CONNECTION WITH JESUS CHRIST.
• THEREFORE, JESUS CHRIST MEANS = JEHOVAH SAVES, (BY) THE ANOINTED ONE.

• READ MAR 1:1-8 BAPTISMS
• “THE BEGINNING…” (1)
• THE WORD “BEGINNING” OCCURS THREE TIMES IN THE BIBLE:
• =1= JOH 1:1 “IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD…”
• JESUS CHRIST EXISTED IN ETERNITY PAST AS THE SECOND MEMBER OF THE TRINITY BEFORE THE WORLD WAS CREATED IN GEN 1:1.
• =2= GEN 1:1 “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED….”
• THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.
• =3= MAR 1:1 “THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST”.
• THIS IS THE POINT IN TIME WHEN JESUS TOOK ON HUMAN FLESH.
• JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD (1)
• THE TITLE, SON OF GOD, REFERS TO THE DIVINITY OF JESUS.
• THE COMING OF JESUS, THE ANOINTED ONE, IS THE GOOD NEWS (THE GOSPEL) THAT CHANGES THE WORLD.
• MARK DOES NOT BEGIN WITH A GENEALOGY BECAUSE A SERVANT DOES NOT NEED A GENEALOGY, HE NEEDS REFERENCES AS TO WHETHER HE CAN DO THE JOB OF A SERVANT.
• THE MESSAGE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS: THE COMING OF JOHN (2)
• MARK IS INTERESTED IN LINKING JESUS CHRIST TO THE OLD TESTAMENT SO THAT WE KNOW HIS COMING WAS NOT UNEXPECTED. IT IS A PART OF HISTORY AND LINKED TO THE PAST.
• HIS COMING WAS GOD’S PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING. THEREFORE, THE SERVANT’S REFERENCES GO BACK TO TWO OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS.
• READ ISA 40:3
• READ MAL 3:1 AND MAL 4:5
• THE COMING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IS PREDICTED BY THE PROPHET, MALACHI, 400 YEARS BEFORE JOHN APPEARS ON THE SCENE.
• JOHN THE BAPTIST THE FIRST FULFILLMENT OF MALACHI’S PROPHECY ABOUT AN “ELIJAH” FIGURE.
• THE SECOND FULFILLMENT ABOUT AN “ELIJAH” FIGURE IS ONE OF THE TWO WITNESSES THAT WILL COME ON THE WORLD SCENE IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. (REV 11:3)
• WHO WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST? (MAT 3:1-12)
• THE NAME, JOHN, WAS A VERY COMMON NAME, AND THERE ARE MANY IN THE BIBLE. THEREFORE, TO DISTINGUISH THIS JOHN FROM THE DISCIPLE JOHN, HE IS ALWAYS CALLED JOHN THE BAPTIST BECAUSE OF HIS MINISTRY IN BAPTIZING PENITENT BELIEVERS.
• HE WAS BORN ABOUT 7 BC AND RECEIVED HIS CALL TO BE A PROPHET ABOUT 27 AD. HE WAS OLDER THAN JESUS.
• HE WAS A PROPHET APPOINTED BY GOD TO POINT THE WAY TO JESUS CHRIST.
• HE LIVED AND DRESSED LIKE AN OLD TESTAMENT PROPHET TO CALL ATTENTION TO HIS MESSAGE.
• HE WAS A LEVITE FROM THE PRIESTLY TRIBE.
• HE WAS A HUMBLE MAN WHO PAID WITH HIS LIFE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PREACHING THE TRUTH.
• HE WAS A BLOOD RELATIVE OF JESUS.
• JESUS’ MOTHER, MARY, AND JOHN THE BAPTIST’S MOTHER, ELIZABETH WERE COUSINS (KINSWOMEN).
• JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST WERE SECOND COUSINS.
• WHAT WAS TO BE THE ROLE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST?
• HE WAS TO PAVE THE WAY TO CHRIST.
• ALL MAJOR SURFACE ROADS WERE CONSTRUCTED BY THE KING, FOR THE USE OF THE KING. THEY WERE REPAIRED ONLY AS THE KING NEEDED THEM FOR A JOURNEY. BEFORE THE KING WAS DUE TO ARRIVE, A MESSAGE WAS SENT AHEAD FOR THE PEOPLE TO GET THE ROAD REPAIRED FOR THE COMING KING.
• JOHN THE BAPTIST IS THE MESSENGER TO GET THE WAY READY FOR THE COMING SERVANT KING.
• JOHN CALLS THE PEOPLE TO REPAIR THEIR LIVES BECAUSE THE SERVANT KING IS COMING.
• HE WAS TO PREACH ABOUT REPENTANCE AND THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN.
• “…PREACH THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS…” (4)
• JOHN DID NOT FORGIVE PEOPLE OF THEIR SINS. ONLY GOD CAN FORGIVE SIN. THEREFORE, A BETTER WORDING WOULD BE “UNTO THE REMISSION OF SIN.” (MAT 3:11)
• JOHN WAS TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THEIR SIN, SO THEY WOULD REPENT. THEN WHEN JESUS CAME, JESUS WOULD FORGIVE THEM OF THEIR SIN. (MARK 2:5)
• THE WORD, REPENTANCE, MEANS = TO RETURN OR TO TURN BACK.
• THE IDEA IS TO TURN FROM EVIL AND, IN DOING SO, YOU TURN IN THE TOTALLY OPPOSITE DIRECTION TOWARD GOOD.
• HE WAS TO PREACH AND BAPTIZE THE PEOPLE WHO CAME TO HEAR HIM.
• MULTITUDES OF THE PEOPLE CAME TO SEE JOHN BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WERE READY TO HEAR FROM GOD AFTER 400 YEARS OF SILENCE.
• WATER BAPTISM WAS NOT NEW TO THE JEWS. IF A GENTILE WANTED TO CONVERT TO JUDAISM, HE WAS BAPTIZED. HOWEVER, NO JEW WAS EVER BAPTIZED.
• FOR JOHN TO SUGGEST JEWS BE BAPTIZED WAS A BREAK WITH JEWISH TRADITION.
• THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE, THE BAPTISM IN WATER, AND THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT:

	=1= BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE	=2= BAPTISM IN WATER	=3= BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE CANDIDATE:	THE NEW CONVERT	THE NEW CONVERT	THE NEW CONVERT
THE BAPTIZER	THE HOLY SPIRIT	A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST	JESUS CHRIST
THE MEDIUM:	THE BODY OF CHRIST	WATER	THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE PURPOSE:	TO RECEIVE NEW LIFE	TO WITNESS OF THE NEW BIRTH	TO RECEIVE POWER
THE SCRIPTURE:	MAR 1:4 LUK 3:3 ACT 13:24 ACT 19:4	LUK 3:16 ROM 6:4 COL 2:12 JOH 1:31	LUK 3:16 ACT 2:38-39 ACT 1:8

• =1= THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE OCCURS IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM AT THE TIME A PERSON IS BORN AGAIN. HE RECEIVES NEW LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST AND IS TAKEN FROM THE KINGDOM OF SATAN AND PLACED INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE KINGDOM OF GOD. IT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE HEART OF THE PERSON WHO DESIRES TO RECEIVE CHRIST INTO HIS HEART.
• =2= BAPTISM IN WATER IS A DECISION A NEW BELIEVER MAKES AS A PUBLIC TESTIMONY OF WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED IN HIS HEART. IT IS A PUBLIC TESTIMONY OF ONE’S IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST’S DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION.
• READ ROM 6:4
• =3= BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TAUGHT DIFFERENTLY BY VARIOUS CHRISTIAN CHURCHES:
• SOME CHURCHES SEE THIS BAPTISM AS OCCURRING AUTOMATICALLY AT THE SAME TIME ONE IS BORN AGAIN. (EVANGELICAL DOCTRINE)
• BECAUSE A BELIEVER RECEIVES THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT AT THE TIME HE IS BORN AGAIN, THEY CONCLUDE THAT THIS IS THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• OTHER CHURCHES SEE THIS BAPTISM AS SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN THE NEW BIRTH EXPERIENCE WHERE THE BELIEVER RECEIVES THE HOLY SPIRIT. (PENTECOSTAL DOCTRINE)
• THE SEPARATE EXPERIENCE OF THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, FOR WHICH A BELIEVER MUST PRAY AND REQUEST, IS ACCOMPANIED BY SPEAKING IN TONGUES AS EVIDENCE OF THIS BAPTISM.

• READ MAR 1:9-11 JESUS’ BAPTISM (MAT 3:13-17)
• WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT JESUS’ BAPTISM WHEN HE HAD NO SIN FOR WHICH TO REPENT? IF BAPTISM IS FOR THE NEW CONVERT, WHO REPENTED OF HIS SINS AND WAS BORN AGAIN, WHY DID JESUS NEED TO BE BAPTIZED?
• JESUS’ BAPTISM BY JOHN INTRODUCES JESUS’ OWN LIFE MESSAGE ABOUT THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE AND THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN.
• JESUS NEEDED TO IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH US AS HUMAN BEINGS. HE IS FULLY HUMAN BUT WITHOUT SIN. HE IS THE MODEL OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT WE MUST FOLLOW. (MAT 3:15) (2COR 5:21 ISA 53:12)
• HIS BAPTISM PROPHETICALLY SPEAKS OF HIS OWN DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION.
• IT IS AT HIS BAPTISM THAT WE HAVE THE VERIFICATION BY GOD, THE FATHER, THAT THIS HUMAN BEING IS INDEED GOD’S SON, THE SECOND MEMBER OF THE TRINITY. WE ALSO HAVE VERIFICATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE THIRD MEMBER OF THE TRINITY WHO COMES IN A VISIBLE FORM THAT MEN COULD SEE.
• READ MARK 1:12-13 THE 40 DAYS OF TEMPTATION OF THE SERVANT (MAT 4:1-11) (LUK 4:1-13)
• THE NUMBER 40 SYMBOLICALLY REFERS TO “TESTING” WHENEVER IT IS USED IN SCRIPTURE.
• NOTICE THAT IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO “DRIVETH” JESUS INTO THE WILDERNESS FOR THE PURPOSES OF BEING TEMPTED.
• THE WORD, DRIVETH, IS A STRONG WORD IN THE HEBREW THAT SPEAKS OF URGENCY AND NOT OF JESUS’ UNWILLINGNESS. (12)
• MARK WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS TEMPTATION IS IN THE PLAN OF GOD. IT IS PART OF JESUS’ CREDENTIALS AS A SERVANT.
• HE IS QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB. HE CAN BEAR UP UNDER SEVERE CIRCUMSTANCES.
• WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR JESUS TO EXPERIENCE THE WILDERNESS TEMPTATION?
• READ HEB 4:15
• JESUS IS FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN AT THE SAME TIME. BECAUSE HE WAS FULLY MAN, HE NEEDED TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME THINGS MAN EXPERIENCES…TEMPTATION, BUT WITHOUT SIN.
• OTHER HUMANS WENT THROUGH THE SAME TEMPTATIONS BUT THEY ALL FAILED TO PASS THE TEST.
• ADAM IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE. HE WAS TESTED IN THE SAME THREE AREAS IN WHICH JESUS WAS TEMPTED. IN FACT ALL TEMPTATION FALLS INTO THESE SAME THREE CATEGORIES WHICH INVOLVE MAN’S BODY, MAN’S SOUL, AND MAN’S SPIRIT..
• READ 1JOH 2:16

SCRIPTURE:	“LUST OF THE FLESH”	“LUST OF THE EYES”	“THE PRIDE OF LIFE”
ADAM AND EVE’S TEMPTATION: GEN 3:4-6	THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD	THE FRUIT WAS PLEASANT TO THE EYES	EATING WOULD MAKE ONE WISE
JESUS’ TEMPTATION: MAT 4:1-10	HUNGER. COMMAND THE STONES TO BE BREAD.	HE SAW ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD THAT COULD BE HIS.	FALL FROM THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE AND THE ANGELS WILL CATCH YOU.
	TEMPTATION OF THE BODY OF MAN	TEMPTATION OF THE SOUL OF MAN	TEMPTATION OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN
	IT DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE WILL OF GOD GAL 5:16 JOH 15:3	IT DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE WORD OF GOD JOH 15:7	IT DRAWS US AWAY FROM THE WORSHIP OF GOD 1PET 5:5-11 JOH 15:8-10

• APPLICATION:
• IN OUR DISCUSSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, HE WAS A UNIQUE FIGURE WHO WAS WILLING TO PLAY A VERY LIMITED ROLE FOR A VERY BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME. HIS PRIMARY CONCERN WAS THAT PEOPLE SEE JESUS CHRIST. ONLY THROUGH JOHN’S HUMILITY DOES JESUS CHRIST STAND OUT.
• WE NEED MORE CHRISTIANS LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST, PEOPLE OF HUMILITY WILLING TO PLAY SECOND FIDDLE SO THAT JESUS CHRIST MIGHT BE GLORIFIED.
• IF I BECOME LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST, JESUS CHRIST IN ME WILL SHINE FORTH BRIGHTER AND CALL PEOPLE’S ATTENTION TO CHRIST, AND NOT TO ME.I MUST BE WILLING TO FULFILL MY LIMITED CALLING IN GOD’S OVERALL PLAN.

 

HOMEWORK
MARK 1:14-45
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION

• APPLICATION OF MAR 1:1-13
• COMPARE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR ATTITUDES WITH THOSE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.
• IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOUR LIFE AND ATTITUDES LIKE THOSE OF JOHN?
• IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOUR LIFE AND ATTITUDES DIFFERENT?
• PREPARATION FOR MAR 1:14-45
• READ MAR 1:14-45
• WHAT EVENT DOES MARK SAY BEGINS JESUS PUBLIC MINISTRY?
• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF JESUS FROM THIS PASSAGE?
• WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE DEFINITION OF THE PHRASE “KINGDOM OF GOD”?
• WHY DID JESUS TELL PEOPLE NOT TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT THEIR MIRACLES OF HEALING?
• MEMORY VERSE: MARK 1:17