최중현 교수(롬한인장로교회) 영어설교(마가복음 강해 #3)- The Meaning of the Lord’s Work(Mark 1:21-45)

(Mark 1:21-45)

1. Today, let’s look at the beginning of the Lord’s public ministry in Mark 1:21-39.

(1) Mark, the author of this Gospel, made it clear at the beginning of the Gospel that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He alone is the beginning of life.” Yes. Jesus alone is the origin of life and the source of life. So, unlike the other Gospels, the author omitted the background of Christ’s birth and emphasized the work of Christ, as in today’s text.

(2) Then, what is the first work of Christ?

1) If you look closely at the text, first of all, the author says that the Lord taught in the synagogue of Capernaum. Let’s look at verse 21. Yes. At that time, Capernaum was the central city of Galilee, east and north, and there was a synagogue and a Roman customs house. So, since Matthew the tax collector, Peter the fisherman, and [Andrew, James, and John] lived here, Capernaum naturally became the base camp for evangelism in the Lord’s work.

2) In today’s text, where does the Lord’s work begin? It was a teaching. Yes. The Lord put teaching first before the ministry [of healing and restoration]. That is why he went into the synagogue in Capernaum and taught. So, what was the subject that Lord was teaching at that time? Of course, the text does not tell us anything, but if we look at the first sermon that the Lord preached in the first verse 15, it was clearly [the kingdom of God]. That is why all the people were amazed at the Lord’s teachings. So what was it that surprised them about the difference from the teachings of the scribes of the past? That is, the Lord had authority.

3) Then, what was the authority of the Lord? It is the power of Christ, not words, manifested in life. So, in verse 24 of the text, the author introduces the seizure of the demon-possessed man together with the word [Then]. Have you ever dealt with a demon-possessed person? When I was pastoring in Korea, I dealt with a lot of things. However, when a demon is possessed, it is so powerful and vicious that it is not easy to control it. However, the Lord rebuked the demon-possessed man with a single word, healing him, and making him perfect. This is the authority of the Lord, the author emphasized.

4) Then look at verse 28. This news quickly spread throughout Galilee, and all the sick and demon-possessed flocked to the Lord. So the Lord preached to them because He healed them and restored them.

5) And then, in verse 29, we see that God healed Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever and healed all kinds of sick people. But here we have something to think about. It says in verse 16 that as soon as Peter received the Lord’s call, he immediately left his nets and followed the Lord. But here we must not be misunderstood. You should know that Peter did not abandon his family. Especially if Capernaum is Peter’s residence, Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever is a great lesson. So what is the meaning of Peter’s mother-in-law’s treatment of the fever that the author Mark wants to emphasize in this text? That is, the fever at that time was now [typhoid fever], and it was an epidemic that was difficult to cure. In a male-dominated Jewish society, if an elderly woman had a fever, it was a difficult situation according to the regulations. Nevertheless, the Lord touched this woman’s hand and healed her, so she wanted to let them know how this is the true work of the Lord to embrace the weak and marginalized.

6) But that’s not all. If we go to verse 40, we can see that even the lepers were not despised by the Lord, but He healed them. Ladies and gentlemen, what kind of disease was leprosy at that time? In Leviticus 13 we read that this disease is a disease that God has cursed, and once the leper is afflicted with this leprosy, he will “tear his garments, loosen his hair, cover his upper lip, and cry out, unclean, unclean… He was unclean, that is, he lived alone, but outside the camp, and isolated himself from society. So how difficult is this leper? But when he came to the Lord, the Lord healed such a sick man in verse 42, which is the essence of Mark today.

(3) Then, did the Lord come to this earth to heal diseases? Not at all. So, when we look at what the author Mark wants to say in the text, we want to receive grace together.

2. The text is the content of the Lord’s first work.

(1) Then, what is the meaning of the Lord’s first work that the author wants to talk about? That is, Mark made it clear that the Lord is the coming Messiah. So, in verse 24 of the text, it is emphasized that the name by which the demon-possessed man called the Lord was [Jesus of Nazareth]. Friends, where should it be in relation to the Messiah? Yes. It should be called [Jesus of Bethlehem]. By the way, today the author emphasized [Jesus of Nazareth]. At that time, Nazareth was a small village in the north of Galilee, and it was a rural area that even the people of Galilee did not appreciate. However, because the Lord grew up in such a place, He was called [Jesus of Nazareth]. So why is this Jesus of Nazareth important? It is through Nazareth, a weak and unremarkable place, that the Lord wants to let people know that He is the spokesman for these weak and despised. Yes. What is the purpose of the Lord’s coming? It is the work of the Messiah to be the comforter of the weak, to restore the sick, and to heal the demon-oppressed… so that when the Lord healed these sick people, He emphasized that this was the work of Christ to come, making it clear that He is the Son of God, the Christ, and our Comforter.

(2) So he emphasized the authority and power of the Lord. Let’s look at verse 41. Yes. [I desire to be cleansed.] This is not something that anyone can do. In particular, the remission of the lepers was the sole authority of the priests. And yet, when the Lord declared that I would be cleansed, he wanted to let people know that the Lord, as the eternal High Priest, had the authority to heal lepers. So, at the Lord’s declaration, the sick were healed, and even the demons were removed from His authority. Yes. So, in verses 24 and 34, even the demons recognized the Lord as the Christ.

(3) That is why the author Mark emphasized the purpose of the Lord’s coming to this earth and made known the Lord’s gospel. Now, finally, let’s look at verse 38. Yes. The purpose of the Lord’s coming to this earth was to be a ransom for the salvation of the weak. That is why this theme is repeated in the text.

3. So what is the conclusion of today’s text?

That is, as the coming Messiah, the Lord came to this earth to take upon Himself our weaknesses. So, the author writes that the Lord healed the sick in all kinds through His first ministry and turned to them [I will…] He exclaimed. Yes. The Lord who gives comfort and hope to the weak, then what kind of hope does the Lord give you today? I pray that you will quietly think of the Lord and hear His voice healing the sick.