Marcos 1
Samuel Johnson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 1
Johnson - The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” is what Mark is going to share. He is going to share with his readers the good news concerning who Jesus is and what He did while He was here. Mark calls the Lord, “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The name “Jesus” comes from the Hebrew word Joshua: “Jehovah is Salvation” and declares His Person. He is “Christ,” the Jewish Messiah, the Anointed One. Christ declares His Position. He is the One who will deliver His people from their enemies. He is “the Son of God” – who is no ordinary man. The name “Son of God” declares His Power! He is truly human – He has a human name – Jesus. He is truly divine – He is the promised Messiah. He is the Son of God. He is truly unique – He is both humanity and deity in One Person. He is the true source of Good News – Jesus alone is the Source of salvation. (The Man Who Introduced Jesus As The Messiah Mark 1:1-8) TITLES OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK Jesus Christ, Son of God (1:1) Jesus, Son of the Most High God (5:7) Jesus, Son of David (10:47-48) 4. Christ (1:1; 8:29; 9:41; 12:35) Christ, the Son of the Blessed (14:61) Christ, King of Israel (15:32) Son of Man (2:10, 28; 8:31, 38; 9:9, 12, 31; 10:33, 45; 13:26; 14:21, 41, 62) Holy One of God (1:24) Lord of the Sabbath (2:28) Lord (5:19; 7:28; 10:51 [Gk]; 11:3; 13:20 [16:19-20]) King of the Jews (15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26) (Christ-Centered Exposition - Exalting Jesus in Mark) Brian Bill has a summary of the The Peculiarity of Mark 1. Mark focuses more on the works of Jesus and less on His words. Mark records nineteen miracles, but only four parables. Interestingly, each of these parables has serving as its key theme. 2. The language Mark uses is emotive and often abrupt. We read in 8:12 that Jesus “sighed deeply” and that He was “moved with compassion” in Mark 6:34. He “marveled at their unbelief” in Mark 6:6 and in Mark 3:5 He looked “around in anger.” At the same time, when He saw the rich young ruler in Mark 10:21 we read: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” We also see that people had strong reactions to Jesus. I count over 15 individuals who decided to follow Christ when coming face-to-face with Him. People were never passive about Jesus or bored with Him. There’s no way to just ignore Him. He either made people angry or astonished or amazed or in awe. People fought against Him or they put their faith in Him. The same is true today. You will reject Him or you will receive Him. There’s no middle ground. Check out these 12 reactions that people had to Jesus and see if you can remain neutral. 1. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves (Mark 1:27) 2. And they were filled with great fear (Mark 4:41) 3. He ran and fell down before Him (Mark 5:6) 4. And they were overcome with amazement (Mark 5:42-43) 5. And many who heard Him were astonished (Mark 6:2) 6. And they took offense at Him (Mark 6:3) 7. For they all saw Him and were terrified…and they were utterly astounded (Mark 6:50-51) 8. The people ran about the whole region (Mark 6:54-55) 9. And they were astonished beyond measure (Mark 7:37) 10. And they were amazed…and afraid (Mark 10:32) 11. For they feared Him because, because all the crowd was astonished (Mark 11:18) 12. And they marveled at Him (Mark 12:17) So here are some questions for you. What’s your response to Jesus? Have you made the decision to follow Him? What’s your reaction to what He has done for you? 3. Jesus acts quickly to meet needs. We see this in the use of the word “immediately” or “straightway.” Used 42 times, this conveys a sense of vividness and excitement! Let’s just look at a few examples from chapter one (Mark 1:10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23). The Gospel of Luke, which is much longer, only uses “immediately” seven times. We also see that 2/3 of the verses begin with “and” to communicate the speed at which the Savior ministered (notice Mark 1:29, 35, 40, 2:1). Mark has been called “a moving picture of the ministry of Jesus.” Don’t you love that Jesus is all about forward motion? This week I talked to Jerry Patterson, who retired from the Navy. He helped me understand that aircraft carriers are all about “forward deployment” and “presence.” He described their purpose to defend and to go forward and also be ready to help during catastrophes. We see clearly in Mark that Jesus was all about “forward deployment.” How about you? Are you on mission to respond immediately to needs or is there some “mission drift” going on in your life? 4. Mark uses the historical present tense over 150 times. In the original, instead of writing, “Jesus came” Mark wrote, “Jesus comes.” Mark’s all about, “Jesus says,” not “Jesus said” and “Jesus heals” instead of “Jesus healed.” Jesus did all those things in the past but He’s still doing them in the present! He saved then and He still saves now! Tim Keller writes: “Jesus is not merely a historical figure, but a living reality, who addresses us today.” 5. Mark holds up the cost of discipleship even though the disciples fall short. In Mark 8:34 we read, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Jesus continually calls his followers to complete commitment and when they cave, He comes alongside and urges them to get back on mission. Sometimes the disciples question and complain like in Mark 4:38: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” We have met the disciples, and they are us, right? Here’s the deal. We will never water down the message. Jesus is calling us to take up our cross, which means to go as condemned criminals to our death. Randy Alcorn writes, “Following Christ means taking up your cross daily, which means little sacrifices made repeatedly.” But aren’t you glad that Jesus gives us grace and mercy when we fall down? If God can use a denier like Peter and a deserter like Mark, He can use flawed disciples like you…and like me. 6. Mark is a missionary book. Mark omits language that someone living in Rome would not understand. He explains Aramaic words and Jewish customs (see 7:3-4). The bottom line is that Mark is all about making the gospel message accessible to those considered “outsiders.” We must do the same because it’s so easy for us to just focus on us insiders. We must remember that the church is the only organization in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members! Churches tend to count their seating capacity. I think a better metric is to count our sending capacity. Mark’s account opens with, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” and closes in Mark 16:15 with, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” 7. Mark’s emphasis is on the last week of Jesus’ life. The events surrounding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ make up 40% of Mark’s manuscript. Someone has described Mark’s gospel as “a passion-narrative with an extended introduction.” Jesus was born in order to die. His death was not a tragic accident but part of God’s plan from the very beginning. Jesus is our Selfless Servant and He is our Suffering Savior. ILLUSTRATION OF THE POWER OF THE GOSPELS - Kent Hughes, in his commentary on Mark, tells about a world-renowned scholar of classic literature, Dr. E .V. Rieu. He is known for a fantastic translation of Homer’s Odyssey into modern English for Penguin Classics. An agnostic his entire life, Penguin publishers approached him at the end of his career and asked him to translate the gospels. That raised some eyebrows because people wondered how an agnostic classical scholar could translate Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. When Rieu’s son heard about it he had a great reaction: “It will be interesting to see what father will make of the four Gospels,” then he paused, “It will be even more interesting to see what the four Gospels make of father.” He didn’t have to wonder very long - when he translated them he came face-to-face with Christ, and became a committed Christian. His story is a testimony to the transforming power of God’s Word. Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; NET Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, GNT Mark 1:2 Καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ, Ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου· NLT Mark 1:2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written: "Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. KJV Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (THE WORDS IN BOLD ARE NOT ACCEPTED AS ORIGINAL) ESV Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, ASV Mark 1:2 Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way. CSB Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way. NIV Mark 1:2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"-- NKJ Mark 1:2 As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You." NRS Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; YLT Mark 1:2 As it hath been written in the prophets, 'Lo, I send My messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee,' - written: Ps 40:7 Mt 2:5 26:24,31 Lu 1:70 18:31 Behold : Mal 3:1 Mt 11:10 Lu 1:15-17,76 Lk 7:26, Lk 7:27,28 Mark 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PROPHET PREDICTS A "PREPARER" As (kathos) conveys the idea that just as it was written down in the past it is now being fulfilled. In other words what happens or happened is in perfect accord or perfect agreement with what was predicted to happen. For example, Mark 14:21 says "the Son of Man is to go JUST AS it is written of Him." The NLT paraphrase has "JUST AS the prophet Isaiah had written" speaking in context of His death which had been prophesied in the Old Testament (esp Isaiah 53:1-12+). So JUST AS it was written, so it is now fulfilled. Definition of JUST AS. (1) to an equal degree as; In precisely the same way as - Examples = "He's signing his name just as he's always done it." Our house is just as nice as theirs. This one is just as good as that one. She performs just as well as he does. (2) in the same way as, to the same degree as. Examples = Just as we hope to be forgiven, so we should forgive others. JUST AS is used for emphasizing that something is equally large, good, bad, etc. All the uses of Kathos in Mark - Mk. 1:2; Mk. 4:33; Mk. 9:13; Mk. 11:6; Mk. 14:16; Mk. 14:21; Mk. 15:8; Mk. 16:7 It is written - This was the typical way to identify a specific quote from an Old Testament prophecy or an allusion to a prophecy (cf allusion in Mk 14:21 alluding to Ps 22:1-31 and Isaiah 53:1-12+). In the present section, Mark quotes from two prophets, first from Malachi (who he does not name) and then from Isaiah, who he names first (see below for explanation). As it is written in the NT - Matt. 26:24; Mk. 1:2; Mk. 7:6; Mk. 9:13; Mk. 14:21; Lk. 2:23; Lk. 3:4; Jn. 6:31; Jn. 12:14; Acts 7:42; Acts 15:15; Rom. 1:17; Rom. 2:24; Rom. 3:4; Rom. 3:10; Rom. 4:17; Rom. 8:36; Rom. 9:13; Rom. 9:33; Rom. 10:15; Rom. 11:8; Rom. 11:26; Rom. 15:3; Rom. 15:9; Rom. 15:21; 1 Co. 1:31; 1 Co. 2:9; 1 Co. 10:7; 2 Co. 8:15; 2 Co. 9:9 Written (1125)(grapho from root graph- = primarily means to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc; English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal, leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John 8:6+), paper, etc. The perfect tense indicates it was written down in the Old Testament and it stands written. This speaks of the permanence of the Scriptures even as Jesus declared in Mt 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." THOUGHT - May the absolute certainty of this truth uttered by He Who is Himself Truth (Mt 24:35) stir your hearts and motivate you to desire to treasure God's precious, permanent Word of Life in your hearts during your short sojourn on earth (Ps 119:9,11)? What a blessed but passing privilege we now have to memorize His Word. Don't miss this golden opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime! You will not regret it throughout eternity! To help start you on this journey see Memory Verses by Topic. As they say when they serve your filet mignon in the restaurant "Enjoy!" In Isaiah the prophet (prophetes) - Now don't get upset by the mention of Isaiah and then a quote from Malachi. Yes Mark mentions Isaiah first and then immediately quotes from Malachi. However in no way was Mark ascribing to Isaiah a prophecy written by Malachi! Critics and commentaries love to argue over this, but Mark did not make a mistake. He simply wanted to stress what Isaiah said by naming him, and then quote what Malachi said agreed with Isaiah's message. So in these two verses Mark combines the quotes. Malachi begins and then Isaiah chimes in. Hiebert explains that "Jerome (on Mt. 3:3) records that Porphyry, the early enemy of Christianity, seized upon this “mistake” by Mark and hurled it into the face of the Christians. Some ancient scribes sought to remove the difficulty by substituting “in the prophets” (KJV), but the manuscripts are decidedly in favor of “in Isaiah the prophet” as the original reading....Some inexactness is obviously involved, but it need not be attributed to carelessness or ignorance. Mark’s wording at once indicates that his real interest centered in the Isaiah prophecy. The quotation from Malachi served as the passageway through which his mind rapidly passed, to fix attention on the more specific prediction in Isaiah. The point of the whole quotation is that John’s preparatory ministry, in fulfillment of prophecy, authenticated Jesus’ messiahship and prepared for the beginning of His official ministry as the Messiah. (Mark Commentary) Behold (Pay Attention!)(2400)(idou) is the second person singular aorist middle imperative of eidon which means to see, perceive, look at. In the NT idou is used as a demonstrative particle that draws attention to what follows. Idou in the middle voice means "you yourself look, see, perceive!" The aorist imperative is a command emphasizing "Do it now! Don't delay!"
Marcos 1
Johnson - The Messiah's Year of Obscurity) Jesus may have been "obscure" but He was not inactive - John records Jesus' early interaction with John the Baptist (John 1), the miracle of Water to Wine at a wedding (John 2), the Temple cleansing (John 2) and giving Nicodemus knowledge by night (John 3)! This period unique to the Gospel of John extends from about John 1:19+ through John 4:44, 45+. It is also known as the EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY because most of the events occurred in Judea. Note however that some of the events in John 1:19-4:54 took place in Samaria and even Galilee, but Jesus official ministry in Galilee did not begin until after John was taken into prison. Below is another diagram from Dr Irving Jensen to help you visualize this somewhat confusing chronology. Click the chart and you will be able to readily distinguish the SHADED areas referring to Jesus' Ministry in the Gospel of Mark (charts of Matthew and Luke while not identical are similar). Note the left side of the diagram is UNSHADED and is a depiction of the TIME GAP or YEAR OF OBSCURITY of Jesus' ministry lasting about 12-14 months and described only in the Gospel of John. John records "After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized– for John had not yet been thrown into prison (John 3:22-24+). The point John is making is that the events that occurred in John's account (beginning in about John 1:19) occurred before John was thrown into prison. Here is what we learn from the Gospel of John about what happened in that first year of our Lord's public ministry – that “Year of Obscurity.” Jesus met Andrew, John, James, and Peter who would later leave all to follow Jesus. Jesus went up to Jerusalem for His first Passover with His disciples. Jesus cleansed the Temple the first time. Our Lord's first miracle would take place in Cana of Galilee when He turned water into wine at a wedding feast. Jesus had a conversation with Nicodemus about the New Birth. John
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Johnson observes that "Matthew 4:23 gives us the three main aspects of Christ's public ministry; and Matthew puts these in order of importance to Jesus: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, TEACHING in their synagogues, PREACHING the gospel of the kingdom, and HEALING all kinds of sickness and all kinds of diseases among the people.” Teaching, preaching, and healing; but His main focus was Teaching!" (Mark Commentary) Preaching (proclaiming) (2784) see previous discussion of kerusso. Kerusso is used as a herald publicly proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God, a message was not only to be HEARD but to be HEEDED (obeyed) without question or reservation. Kerusso is used 6x in chapter 1 so clearly "proclamation" is a key word - Mk. 1:4; Mk. 1:7; Mk. 1:14; Mk. 1:38; Mk. 1:39; Mk. 1:45. (All Mark's uses of kerusso - Mk. 1:4; Mk. 1:7; Mk. 1:14; Mk. 1:38; Mk. 1:39; Mk. 1:45; Mk. 3:14; Mk. 5:20; Mk. 6:12; Mk. 7:36; Mk. 13:10; Mk. 14:9; Mk. 16:15; Mk. 16:20) David
Marcos 1
Johnson - Repentance is not feeling sorry for your sins. Repentance is not turning over a new leaf. Repentance is a change of your mind about sin – your sin! It is a change of mind that leads to a change of your heart which leads to a change of your direction in life. You cannot turn TO the Lord Jesus unless you turn FROM your sin. Repentance is a radical turning from sin that would become manifest in the fruit of righteousness. (Sermon) Vance Havner wrote that "It is a change of mind about sin and self and the Savior." "This word (repent) was the message of the Baptist, of Jesus, of Peter, of Paul, this radical change of attitude and life." (Robertson) Peter makes it clear that repentance is an integral aspect of salvation writing "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9+) Come to what? Salvation. In context of course God's desire is that none would perish but all come to salvation (cf 1 Ti 2:4). But here Peter substitutes "repentance." Peter's point is DO NOT leave repentance out of your message or it will not be a message of salvation! “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31+) Paul declared "I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:20-21+) Related Resources Repentance and Conversion - Middletown Bible Church (see example below) Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation? Classic book by Dr H A
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Johnson - Do you invite Jesus to be the honored guest in your home? I've known some church members who seem to leave Jesus at church when they go home. Six days a week, they have a different attitude and use a different vocabulary, but on Sunday they dress up and act holy and religious. It says something about the care and character of Peter, having his Mother-in-law living with him. Jesus doesn't just go to church with us, He makes house calls. (ED: Doctors don't do that anymore, but the Great Physician does. Do you need a house call today? He is able!) "The Light of the World," William Holman Hunt, 1851-56, Manchester City Art Gallery. "In its heyday in the early 20th century, the painting “The Light of the World” (1851-53) was probably more famous than any of the works of the great masters of the Renaissance. As difficult as it is to imagine today, millions of people around the world flocked to see what was known as the “SERMON IN A FRAME.” The allegorical painting that captured the imagination of so many was created by the English artist William Holman Hunt, who began the work at the age of 21 and finished it when he was 29. The painting illustrates the biblical passage in Revelation 3:20+: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” Jesus, carrying a lantern, is depicted knocking at a door with no handle on the outside. The door is overgrown with weeds, and the nails and hinges are rusted, implying that the door has never been opened.The message: it is up to the person on the other side of the door to let Jesus in....The painting went on a world tour from 1905 to 1907, visiting the hometowns of millions of people in Canada, South Africa, and beyond. On its tour of Australia, it’s estimated that 4/5 of the population of the country saw it. The industrialist Charles Booth purchased the painting from Hunt and Hughes and donated it to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London where it hangs today. According to St. Paul’s, the painting is “the most traveled art work in history.” (Aleteia) Robert Munger wrote a famous booklet My Heart Christ's Home (1951) - Here is a brief excerpt "Without question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home there. Christ will make the human heart His abode." (cf John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.") THOUGHT - Hunt's famous picture and Munger's classic booklet beg the question dear reader "Have you opened your heart to let Jesus come in that He might abide in you for the rest of eternity?" If not, I pray God opens your heart today to respond to the "knock" of Jesus. Yes, God's Spirit must lead you to repentance and faith, but you are responsibility to make a choice of your will to invite the Creator of the universe into your heart by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9+). Luke records that "A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart (GOD'S PART) to respond (LYDIA'S PART) to the things spoken by Paul." (Acts 16:14+) Mark 1:30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. Simon's mother-in-law: 1Co 9:5 immediately they spoke to Jesus about her: Mk 5:23 Joh 11:3 Jas 5:14,15 Mark 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries HELPING A HEATED MOTHER-IN-LAW We could subtitle this verse "Saturday Night Fevers" perhaps "With a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On." (referring to rigors one sees with high fevers). What day was this? The Sabbath. What could you not do on the Sabbath? Perform a miracle of healing. Foster writes that... There are seven miracles of healing on the sabbath recorded, of which Luke reports four: (1) Peter's mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14, 15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38, 39); (2) the withered hand (Matt. 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11); (3) the woman bowed down eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17); (4) the dropsied man (Luke 14:1-4); (5) the demoniac at Capernaum (Mark 1:21-28); (6) the paralytic at Bethesda (John 5:2-10); (7) the man born blind (John 9:1-14). These healings were the subject of fierce controversy. In some cases Jesus seems deliberately to have healed a person on the sabbath in order to correct the false teaching of the Pharisees as to the meaning of the law (John 5:10; 9:14). In the home of this Pharisee the issue arises naturally out of the presence of a man with dropsy. (The Life of Christ). Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever - Mother-in-law indicates Peter was married and had a wife, a fact affirmed by Paul who wrote "Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas (PETER)?" (1 Cor 9:5). Doctor Luke adds the details that she was suffering (sunecho a technical medical phrase in present tense - continually "being gripped" by or tormented) from a high (megas = great) fever (Luke 4:38+), obviously a body temperature well above the normal 98.6F (fever with malaria can be as high as 107). Matthew 8:14 has lying sick in bed which is the verb ballo in perfect tense indicating she had been "cast" into bed by the fever and was still in that condition, suggesting that the fever had been of some duration. "The nature of the illness is not important. The power of the healer is!" (Akin) Notice that the illness has absolutely no link to demon possession. William
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Johnson - She didn't have to tell anyone she was healed. It was obvious by the way she conducted herself. There was no better way this woman could prove her healing than by serving Christ. So it is with our spiritual healing. When the Lord Jesus cleanses our hearts from sin, our service to Him is the best way we can show the world the dynamic difference He has made in our lives. We are saved to serve. Sadly, many Christians don't know how to spell service. They spell it “Serve us.” (The Healing Of Peter's Mother-In-Law Mark 1: 29-31) Daniel Akin - Theological question: Is there healing in the atonement? Isaiah 53:5 says “with his stripes we are healed.” Matthew 8:17, in the parallel account of these events, even adds a quote from Isaiah 53:4 saying, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” The answer is Yes! There is healing in the atonement! For some it is immediate but temporary. All still die. For all who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord it is eternal and permanent. We find this wonderful truth made plain in Rev 21:4-5, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Sermon) Here is John MacArthur's comment on Isaiah 53:4 - Even though the verbs are past tense, they predict happenings future to Isaiah's time, i.e., "prophetic perfects" in Hebrew here and elsewhere in this Servant-song. Isaiah was saying that the Messiah would bear the consequences of the sins of men, namely the griefs and sorrows of life, though incredibly the Jews who watched Him die thought He was being punished by God for His own sins. Matthew found an analogical fulfillment of these words in Jesus' healing ministry (see Mt 8:16, 17), because sickness results from sin for which the Servant paid with His life (Isa 53:7, 8; cf. 1Pe 2:24). In eternity, all sickness will be removed, so ultimately it is included in the benefits of the atonement. (MacArthur Study Bible) J C Ryle on TELL JESUS - We learn, in the second place, to what remedy a Christian ought to resort first, in time of trouble . He ought to follow the example of the friends of Simon's mother-in-law. We read that when she "lay sick with a fever," they "told Jesus about her." There is no remedy like this. Means are to be used diligently, without question, in any time of need. Doctors are to be sent for, in sickness. Lawyers are to be consulted when property or character needs defense. The help of friends is to be sought. But still, after all, the first thing to be done, is to cry to the Lord Jesus Christ for help. None can relieve us so effectually as He can. None is so compassionate, and so willing to relieve. When Jacob was in trouble he turned to his God first--"Deliver me, I beg you, from the hand of Esau." (Genesis 32:11.) When Hezekiah was in trouble, he first spread Sennacherib's letter before the Lord--"I beseech you, save us out of his hand." (2 Kings 19:19.) When Lazarus fell sick, his sisters sent immediately to Jesus "Lord," they said, "he whom you love is sick." (John 11:2.) Now let us do likewise. "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain you." "Casting all your cares upon Him." "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." (Psalms 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6.) Let us not only remember this rule, but practice it too. We live in a world of sin and sorrow. The days of darkness in a man's life are many. It needs no prophet's eye to foresee that we shall all shed many a tear, and feel many a heart-wrench, before we die. Let us be armed with a formula against despair, before our troubles come. Let us know what to do, when sickness, or bereavement, or cross, or loss, or disappointment breaks in upon us like an armed man. Let us do as they did in Simon's house at Capernaum. Let us at once "tell Jesus." Mark 1:32 When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. When evening came: Mk 1:21 3:2 Mt 8:16 Lu 4:40 Mark 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SUN SETS ON SABBATH Parallel Passages: Matthew 8:16+ When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. Lk 4:40+ While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. Setting sun on Sabbath sets off steady stream of sick to see the Savior. One can almost picture the city putting on running shoes awaiting the signal of the Sabbath sun setting, so they could move out for Peter's house. When evening came, after the sun had set they began bringing to Him (Lk 4:40a+ is similar) - Note double reference to time (evening...sun had set) for emphasis! Sabbath started at sundown on Friday and ended at sundown on Saturday. Actually, they had to wait until the first three stars were clearly visible in the sky. The Sabbath was over, healings were rabbinically legal, people could now travel any distance they needed to in order to reach and carry those who were not able to come in their own strength (the legalistic Jewish leaders and oppressive laws restricted the length one could travel on Sabbath and did not allow bearing burdens on that day because that was considered work (healing was also considered work - cf Mk 3:1-5+), so we see here the simple principle that LEGALISM blunts/restricts the work of GRACE!) (See "Sabbath's Day Journey") Note that Jesus had already "broken the Sabbath" in Mk 1:21-28 and would do so several more times (Mk 3:14, John 5, John 9). Began bringing is in the imperfect tense ("KEPT BRINGING") picturing people streaming one after another bringing the ill and demon-possessed. Frankly I am surprised they were able to bring the demon-possessed people as surely the demons knew what was awaiting them and could have caused a convulsion or some other hindrance to keep them from being brought to Jesus. Personally, I think this is another evidence of the power of divine over demoniacal. THOUGHT - There is a principle we can all apply today. Everyone born in Adam has contracted a deadly virus that won't even be destroyed by eternity in the Lake of fire (as a doctor I know heat is usually an excellent sterilizer but this is a spiritual "virus"). Here is the challenge for every born-again believer - We need to go to the highways and byways and bring the lame, the outcasts, the sin sick to Jesus and bring Jesus to them! (cf Mt 28:19-20+, Acts 1:8+) THOUGHT- Make Your Home Headquarters for Ministry, When you bring Jesus to your home, your home will become headquarters for ministry. " Can you imagine this scene as people pounded on Peter’s door? I wonder what it would look like if people gathered on our front lawns because we brought Jesus home with us from the service today? Here’s the deal: When Christ shows up, the crowds will be curious." (Brian Bell) THOUGHT - Bringing is the Greek verb phero which means to carry as a burden. When you carry others to Jesus, you are doing what Jesus did for us in a supernatural way for the same verb phero is used in the Septuagint in Isaiah 53:4+ "Surely our griefs He Himself bore (Lxx = phero)." Brian Bill adds "Remember this: Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. The older I get the more convinced I am that everyone is suffering – emotionally, mentally, physically or spiritually…or all the above." And they may be in need of being carried to Jesus!