Jesus Begins His Ministry

Mark 1:9-20

FOR the first three months of 1951 this series of lessons will be taken from the Book of Mark. This book has been styled by some, “the Gospel of action.” In reality, however, any record of the life of Jesus would of necessity be filled with action, for his was a very busy life. Apparently he did not enjoy very much leisure time, as the demands for his service were numerous and constant. We know, of course, that Jesus did spend much time in prayer, and also in quiet fellowship with his disciples.

Jesus’ ministry began at the time of his baptism. This was when he was thirty years of age. Being a Jew it was essential that he conform to the requirements of the Law, and one of these was that a person was not eligible to engage in the service of a priest until he was thirty years old. Jesus came to be the great antitypical Priest, through whose services the blessing of reconciliation to God was to be made available to all the families of the earth, but he could not enter upon this mission until he was thirty.

It was immediately following his baptism that Jesus received the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The outward manifestation of this was visible to Jesus and John the Baptist in the form of a dove. And besides, “There came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Whether others beside the Master and John saw the “dove” and heard the’ “voice” is not important, but it was of great value to Jesus thus to be assured of his divine appointment for service, and that up to this time he had been pleasing to his God.

Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness. We need not understand from this that he was literally forced to go into the wilderness. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Master undoubtedly resulted in a wonderful illumination of his mind pertaining to the plans and purposes of God, particularly as they related to him. We may assume that the vision was so marvelous in its implications that Jesus felt it necessary to seek the solitude of the wilderness that he might have an opportunity to meditate upon the great truths revealed to him, and especially to ascertain definitely his own part in the divine plan of the ages.

Jesus was in the wilderness forty days. Mark’s account gives the impression that during all this time he was “tempted of Satan,” but Matthew indicates that it was not until after his forty days of fasting and when he was therefore hungry, that Satan began to tempt him, first by the suggestion that he use the divine power which had been given to him to turn stones into bread. (Matt. 4:2-4) We believe that this more detailed account of the temptations presented to Jesus by Satan gives us the proper sequence of events, that the entire forty days in the wilderness were spent in fasting and prayer. Of necessity this would also include meditation and study based upon the wonderful vision of truth given to the Master when the “heavens” were opened to him and he received the Holy Spirit.

“And the angels ministered unto him.” This is without question a reference to the heavenly angels, although the Greek word here translated “angels” is also used in the Scriptures to denote messengers of other kinds, both animate and inanimate. Speaking of the spirit beings who are called angels, the Apostle Paul asked, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14) Jesus was not an heir of salvation in the sense that he was a member of the fallen and dying race, and therefore needed to be rescued from sin and death, but he was heir to the throne in that glorious kingdom which shall bring the opportunity of salvation to all mankind. In order to attain to that honored position it was necessary that the Master’s fidelity to truth and righteousness be put to the test. It was during these tests, both in the wilderness and afterward, that the heavenly “ministering spirits” succored him, supplying the necessary strength to endure.

“After that John was put in prison.” This event seemed to mark a definite period in the plan of God which served to guide Jesus with respect to the appropriate time for him to begin his ministry in Galilee. John the Baptist had immersed Jesus and had announced his presence as the Messiah. From that time forward John’s ministry was to decrease while that of the Master was to increase, but Jesus was careful that he did not encroach upon John’s privileges of service. Doubtless by this carefulness a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding was avoided, as it always is when the Lord’s people follow scrupulously every detail of the divine will.

When Jesus did enter Galilee preaching the Gospel it was with the announcement, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel.” The expression, “kingdom of God” is a poor translation of the Greek text. The thought, rather, is, “God’s Royal Majesty has approached,” and the reference is to Jesus himself. (Mark 1:15, Diaglott) John had announced the coming of this great One, saying, “There cometh One mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.” (Mark 1:7) Now, Jesus, in keeping with this, announced that the One mentioned by John had come, for the time was fulfilled when this “Royal Majesty” should appear.

On this first missionary visit to Galilee Jesus selected four of his apostles; Simon, Andrew, James, and John. These were all fishermen, and very appropriately his invitation to them to become his followers was phrased in language which they could best appreciate. “I will make you to become fishers of men,” he said. By this the Master revealed his ability to get right down to the level of his hearers and to talk to them in their own language, so to speak. This is a good example even for us today.

Those who have been in the narrow way for some time, and have earnestly studied the Word, often do not realize that to a degree they have learned a new ‘language. If the Word of the Lord is dwelling richly within, it will be manifested in their speech. This is one reason that the Lord’s consecrated people can enjoy such sweet fellowship with one another—they speak the same language.

However, that which enables the brethren to understand one another so well, can easily be a barrier in our witnessing to others. While, for example, we rejoice in the divine provision of “the robe of Christ’s righteousness,” one who knows nothing about the truth would be quite at a loss to understand us if we used this expression in witnessing to him concerning the wonderful provision of God’s love as represented in the blood of Christ.

Let us, then, so far as possible, follow the example of Jesus when we endeavor to tell others about the truth. We cannot be as apt as he was in drawing lessons from the everyday experiences of those to whom he ministered, but we should endeavor to make the truth as plain and understandable as possible when speaking to those who have not been initiated into the “deep things of God,” avoiding the use of terms which are understood only by those who have become fairly well acquainted with the “mysteries of the kingdom.”

QUESTIONS

What is one reason the Book of Mark is properly called “the Gospel of action”?

Why was it not proper for Jesus to begin his ministry until he received the Holy Spirit?

In what way was Jesus led of the Spirit into the wilderness?

What means did the Heavenly Father use to sustain Jesus while he was being tempted by the devil?

Which of the apostles did Jesus choose during his first missionary visit to Galilee, and why did he promise to make them “fishers of men”?

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