Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

Mark 2:1-12 "1 And again He entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that He was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and He preached the word unto them. 3 And they come unto Him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto Him for the press, they uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9 Whether is it easier to s...

Mark 1:40-45 "40 And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to Him from every quarter." In ancient times, no one was permitted to touch a leper for fear of infection. How does Jesus’ willingness to touch this “unclean” man shape your view of...

Mark 1:35-39 "35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him. 37 And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, All men seek for Thee. 38 And He said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils." This is a striking detail in Mark’s Gospel: Jesus “would not permit the demons to speak” (v. 34). It illustrates the “Messianic Secret;”Jesus concealing His identity. He rejected testimony from evil spirits because truth from a dark source is morally tainted. He wanted people’s faith to rest on His teaching, character, and resurrection, not demonic acclaim. Yet the demons recognized the Son of God even when many people did not. Following a day of intense ministry; healing the sick and casting out demons, Jesu...

Mark 1:29-34 "29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her. 31 And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him." Mark’s Gospel moves at a rapid pace: by verse 34, Jesus has already been baptized, tempted, called disciples, and cast out demons. His fame is spreading throughout Galilee. Here we see Jesus display God’s compassionate love for individuals, healing Simon’s mother-in-law. That evening in Capernaum, He dem...

Mark 1:21-28 "21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him. 28 And immediately His fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee." Mark’s Gospel moves at a rapid pace to tell...

Mark 1:14-20 "14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him. 19 And when He had gone a little further thence, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway He called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him." We’re reading the Gospel of Mark from beginning to end. Mark uses the Greek word for “immediately” (or “straightway”) about 40 times, driving the story forward at a rapid pace to tell the most i...