Mark 1

• Mark 1:1-8 – See Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3. Compare Matthew 11:10-15. John was to come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
• Mark 1:9-11 – See Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3:21-22. Luke reports there was a bodily form for the Holy Spirit. It is not clear from the grammar if the form was like a dove or the form just descended like a dove. What is remarkable here is that all three persons of God are seen at the same time!
• Mark 1:12-13 – Jesus is tempted in the wilderness.
  • Tradition says the location was somewhere near Jericho.
  • Mark 1:13 – Compare I John 2:15-16; Genesis 3:6; Matthew 4:1-11. Satan is given several names in Revelation 20:2.
  • The temptations Jesus faced:
    • Lust of the flesh – Matthew 4:4. He answered from Deuteronomy 8:1-3.
    • Pride of life – Matthew 4:7. He answered from Deuteronomy 6:10-16. See also Exodus 17:3-7.
    • Lust of the eye – Matthew 4:10. He answered from Deuteronomy 6:10-16.
  • Temptation itself is not a sin (see Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was tempted but never sinned. Temptation only becomes a sin when we give in to it. James 1:12-15.
  • I John 1:7-9; 5:18 – God will cleanse us of our sins if we are baptized and continue to repent and confess our sins.
  • I Corinthians 10:13 – The faithful promise of God concerning temptation. The way of escape is God’s word (see Psalms 119:11). But in order to use God’s word to escape temptation, we must know God’s word!
• Jesus’ travels
  • Mark only records part of Jesus’ travels during his public ministry. We know from the gospel of John that Jesus traveled much more than this. He records that Jesus attended four Passovers in Jerusalem:
    • 30 AD – John 2:13
    • 31 AD – John 5:1
    • 32 AD – John 6:4
    • 33 AD – John 11:55; 13:1
  • Jesus would also have come to Jerusalem for three feasts every year.