The Gospel according to Saint Mark, commented on verse by verse

CHAPTER 1

1, 1-8; Parallel. Matt. 3, 1-12; Luke 3:1-18.

Mc1.¹ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. St. Mark begins his narrative in the most abrupt way, leading us immediately to the heart of the action. From his very first line, he presents himself to us as the Evangelist of action (see the Preface, § 7). The other two Synoptic Gospels devote a few pages to the human origins of Jesus; cf. Matthew 1–2; Luke 1–2. John 1, 1-48, first recounts to the reader the eternal generation of the Word: nothing of the sort is found in St. Mark. Taking Our Lord Jesus Christ in the fullness of his life, he moves directly to the events that immediately prepared the Savior's messianic ministry. From this beginning, we find everything that characterizes him as a writer, namely, rapidity, concision, and vividness. — There is complete disagreement among exegetes regarding the sequence and internal organization of the first four verses. Let it suffice to mention the three principal opinions. 1° Theophylact, Euthymius, Vatable, Maldonatus, etc., substitute ἦν or "was" at the end of verse 1, thus linking it to the following two. A new sentence begins with verse 1. 4. 2° Other critics, such as Lachmann, Bishop Mac-Evilly, and Father Patrizi, interpret the words "thus unfolded" after "Son of God" in verse 1; they then open a parenthesis in which they place verses 2 and 3. Verse 4 is thus directly linked to verse 1, which it completes and explains. "This is how the Gospel began…: John appeared in the wilderness…" 3° The first verse is completely isolated from the following ones, so as to make it a kind of title; then verses 2, 3, and 4 are treated as a long conditional sentence, so that the last part, "John was…", falls back on the first, "As it is written." "As it is written in the prophet Isaiah…: John was in the wilderness baptizing and preaching." This arrangement seems to us the most natural and logical of the three. From the Gospel. See the explanation of this expression in the General Introduction, Chapter 1. Obviously, here it does not refer to the book composed by St. Mark, but to the Messianic good news in its entirety. Although this good news had already been announced so frequently by the prophets, although God himself had deigned to let Adam and Eve hear its first pronouncements immediately after their sin, Genesis 3:15 (the Fathers rightly called this passage "the Protoevangelium"), nevertheless, strictly speaking, the Gospel begins only with the preaching of St. John the Baptist. Of Jesus Christ. We explained the etymology and meaning of these beautiful names in our commentary on Matthew 1:16 and Matthew 1:21. The way in which they are connected to the word Gospel This indicates that Jesus is the subject of the good news that the Evangelist intends to recount throughout. Son of God. These words cannot be, as several rationalists claim, a simple synonym for "Messiah": they must be taken in their strictest and most elevated theological sense. St. Mark attributes to Our Lord Jesus Christ, from the very beginning of his narrative, a title whose perfect truth will be proven in all the following pages, a title that the first preachers of the Christianity They immediately added the title "Son of God" to his name when addressing a pagan audience. St. Matthew, writing for Jews, begins by saying that Jesus is the son of Abraham and David; he only speaks of his divinity a little later. Although the goal was the same, the method varied according to the circumstances. This appellation "Son of God" is used seven times by St. Mark; St. John applied it to Jesus as many as 29 times. Here, from the very beginning of the second Gospel, are three names that encompass the entire character and role of the Savior. Jesus is the man; Christ is the function; Son of God is the divine nature.

Mc1.² According to what is written in the prophet Isaiah: «Behold, I send my messenger before you, to prepare the way for you. — Depending on how it is written. A ring that links the New Testament to the Old, the Gospel to the Prophets, Jesus to the promised Messiah. Indeed, says Jansenius, «The beginning of the Gospel does not proceed by chance, nor is it inspired by human counsel. It is as the prophets had described it beforehand, God fulfilling what he had promised.» St. Matthew quoted the writings of the Old Covenant at every turn to prove the messianic character of the Savior; St. Mark only connects them to the Gospel events on two occasions (cf. Mark 15:26). See the Preface § 4, 3, 3°. But the current rapprochement is significant, as Saint Irenaeus noted [Adversus Hæreses, 3, 19, 6]: «Mark…thus began his work: the beginning of the Gospel…clearly making the beginning of his Gospel the words of the holy prophets.» He adds: «Thus, there is only one and the same God and Father, who was preached by the prophets and transmitted by the Gospel, the very one whom we Christians honor and love with all our hearts.» In the prophet Isaiah. Printed Greek texts and most manuscripts do not mention the name Isaiah; moreover, the word prophet is pluralized, and in fact the quotation belongs to two prophets, verse 2 to Malachi 3, 1, verse 3 in Isaiah 40:3. Saint Irenaeus had adopted this reading. Saint Jerome, on the other hand, regarded the name Isaiah as an interpolation: «We think that the name of Isaiah was added erroneously by a copyist» [in Matthew 3:3]. However, several important Greek manuscripts, B, D, L, Δ, Sinaitic, and quite a few versions, such as the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Arabic, and Persian, bear or have read in the prophet Isaiah Like the Vulgate, most critics rightly favor this variant. It is true that it creates a rather significant difficulty of interpretation, since the passage quoted by St. Mark, as we have just said, is not only taken from the prophecy of Isaiah, but also from that of Malachi. However, this very fact contains a reason favorable to its authenticity, in accordance with the principles of literary criticism. Moreover, exegetes are not lacking in means to justify the formula used by St. Mark. 1) Isaiah alone would be mentioned because he was the more famous and the older of the two prophets; 2) or else his name would represent the entire book of Old Testament prophecies, just as the word Psalms was sometimes used to designate all the Hagiographa; 3. Perhaps it is better to say that St. Mark here uses the freedom that writers of antiquity, whether sacred or secular, readily granted themselves in matters of quotations: «Like Matthew in chapter 21, verse 5, who attributes to the prophet Zechariah only what Isaiah also said in 62:11, and like St. Paul in chapter 9, and verse 27 of the letter to the Romans He cites only Isaiah for a text that is also found in Hosea 2:2; similarly, Mark refers to two, but names only the prophet Isaiah. According to many rationalists, St. Mark's memory was poor; according to Porphyry, he was guilty of a gross blunder in naming one prophet for another [Homilia de principio Evang. seç. Marc, inter opera saint Chrysost.]. Here is what I am sending… We saw in the first Gospel, Matthew 11:10, Our Lord himself applying these words of Malachi to the holy Forerunner. My angel, that is to say, according to the etymology of the word angel, my envoy, my messenger. Wasn't John the Baptist the true forerunner (lit. "the one who runs ahead") of Jesus?

Mc1.³ A voice cries out in the wilderness: »Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” — Voice of the one who cries out… See the explanation of this prophecy in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 3:3. Prepare the way. «When a man of high rank is to pass through a town or village, a messenger is sent to warn the inhabitants to prepare the road and await his instructions. Immediately, people begin sweeping the roads, others spread their garments on the ground, and still others cut tree branches to make garlands and arches of greenery wherever the great man is to pass» [Joseph Roberts, Oriental Illustrations of the Sacred Scriptures, p. 555]. — The association of the texts from Malachi and Isaiah, as we find it here, is one of the peculiarities of St. Mark. The other two Synoptic Gospels do indeed connect the second quotation to the appearance of the Forerunner, cf. Matthew 3:3 and Luke 3:4–5; but they reserve the first for a much later occasion. Cf. Matthew 3:3 and Luke 3:4–5. 11, 10, and Luke 7, 27. Another difference: in our Gospel, it is the sacred writer who points out in his own name the relationship that existed between John the Baptist and the prophecies of the Old Testament; in the other two narratives, it is Jesus on the one hand who uses the prophecy of Malachi to praise his Forerunner, it is on the other hand St. John who uses the prediction of Isaiah to humble himself deeply.

Mc1.⁴ John appeared, baptizing in the desert, and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. — John was in the desert. Here is the angel foretold by Malachi. The voice of which Isaiah had spoken finally resounded in the desert. In the desert: the Evangelist emphasizes this expression to show the perfect fulfillment of the prophecy he has just quoted. This was the Judean Desert (cf. Matthew 3:1 and the commentary), the desolate region bordering the Dead Sea, to which the ancient Jews sometimes gave the significant name ישימון, the horror. Cf. 1 Samuel 23:24. Baptizing and preaching. In these participles, we have an indication of the two main means by which St. John fulfilled his glorious role as Forerunner. 1. He baptized: he administered, most often on the banks of the Jordan, sometimes in other places (cf. John 3:23), this symbolic rite from which he received the surname of Baptist. We explained its nature in our commentary on St. Matthew, p. 70. 2. He preached, and in his preaching, he strongly recommended baptism, around which he grouped all the truths he proclaimed: the necessity of penance, the remission of sins, and the imminent coming of Christ (v. 8). The baptism of penance, that is to say, "baptism in repentance." This name, which is found in the third Gospel, Luke 3:3, and in the Book of Acts, 19:4, very clearly defines the character of St. John's baptism: it was a living sign of repentance for all who received it, for it showed them in the most expressive way the necessity of washing their souls through repentance, just as their bodies had been purified by the water in which they had immersed themselves. For the remission of sins. The baptism of the Forerunner did not have sufficient power to remit sins of its own accord, but it disposed hearts to obtain this precious result from Christ. — On the name of St. John, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 3:1; on the time of his appearance, Luke 3:4 and the notes.

Mc1.⁵ All the country of Judea and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem came to him and, confessing their sins, received baptism from him in the river Jordan. — After describing St. John and his ministry in general terms, the Evangelist gives some specific details about his listeners (v. 5), about his mortified life (v. 6), and about his preaching (vv. 7 and 8). The picture is concise, but it is vigorously drawn, in the customary style of St. Mark. And all… came to him. It is the audience that is first presented to us. The epithets "all" and "everyone," although popular hyperboles, nevertheless testify to a prodigious turnout, brought about by immense enthusiasm. Most of the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem flocked to the Forerunner. In fact, the entire country, represented by the different classes of society (cf. Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:10-14), was making its way to the banks of the Jordan. And they were baptized. Moved by the preaching of St. John, they all eagerly received his baptism: the Greek text states this explicitly, καὶ ἐϐαπτίζοντο πάντες ἐν τῷ Ιορδάνῃ. This πάντες represents the "all" of our Latin text. The Vulgate, undoubtedly guided by ancient manuscripts, linked it to the "inhabitants of Jerusalem." In the Jordan River. One of those small, barely perceptible details by which one recognizes the intended purpose of a work. St. Matthew, at least according to the best manuscripts, does not say that the Jordan is a river: none of his Jewish readers could have been unaware of this. On the contrary, the converted Gentiles for whom St. Mark wrote were unfamiliar with the geography of Palestine; hence this particular designation. Confessing their sins. See some details about this confession in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 3:6. 

Mc1.⁶ Now John was clothed in camel's hair, he had a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached like this:… — In St. John, everything pointed to repentance: his baptism, his preaching, his outward appearance, and his life. We find interesting information here on these last two points. Dressed in fur…Outwardly, John the Baptist resembled Elijah, his great role model: they both wore the same garment, that is, a coarse tunic of camel hair (עמר גמלים of the Rabbis, lit. camel wool) and a leather belt to fasten it [cf. 2 Samuel 8:8]. Of grasshoppers and wild honey. John sustained his life only with the most rudimentary foods: the Evangelist mentions the two main ones, locusts and wild honey, which some nomadic Bedouins still eat today [cf. Matthew 3, 4 and the commentary].

Mc1.⁷ «After me comes one who is mightier than I, and I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the straps of his sandal.”. — St. Mark summarizes in two verses all that he deemed appropriate to preserve for us concerning the preaching of the Forerunner. While he is much less complete on this subject than St. Matthew, and especially than St. Luke, he nevertheless gives us a very accurate idea of what the teaching of St. John the Baptist was in relation to Jesus. The short address he quotes contains three ideas: 1. John is the Forerunner of Jesus; 2. John is far inferior to Jesus; 3. the baptism of Jesus will far surpass that of John. He comes after me…That's the first idea. The one who comes is not named; but everyone easily understood that it was the Messiah, the Messiah who was then the object of universal expectation among the Jews. St. John, divinely enlightened, therefore sees in spirit Christ approaching, who is on his way to reveal himself. The one who is more powerful. The Baptist is playing on words. Usually, the strongest precedes the weakest; the most worthy takes precedence over the inferior: here, the opposite is true. I am not worthy… Second thought. John has already said that the great personage whose coming he announces is his superior (ὁ ἰσχυρότερός, note this emphatic article); but he wants to stress this important idea further, so that there can be no possible misunderstanding, and he expresses it by means of a very powerful image, which we have explained in our notes on Matthew 3:11. To untie… the belt. Similarly, Luke 3:16 and John 1:27. Matthew (3:11) had said "carry"; but this is only an insignificant nuance, for the slave charged with carrying his master's shoes also had the function of putting them on and taking them off, and consequently of fastening or unfastening the cords that served to secure them to the feet. As I bent down. A graphic detail that can only be found in St. Mark; it is one of those picturesque features that he inserted in great numbers in his Gospel. 

Mc1.⁸ »I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” — I baptized you… Third idea, which establishes a comparison between the two baptisms, to elevate that of Christ at the expense of that of the Forerunner. The particles μὲν, δὲ («I, he») in the Greek text make the antithesis more striking: it is true that they are missing in manuscripts B, L, and Sinait. In the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like the mystical and life-giving river in which Christians are immersed at the moment of their baptism. St. Matthew and St. Luke add "and into the fire," an important phrase that serves to better define the superior effects of Jesus' baptism. Thus, Christ will bring to the world spiritual benefits that the Forerunner was unable to give. — What humility in St. John. It is on the level of his mortification. Nothing like it had been heard since the time of the Prophets. Who was more deserving of being, in the words of Tertullian, «the forerunner and preparer of the ways of the Lord» [Adversus Marcionem, 4, 33]? It is interesting to compare the Gospel narrative with the well-known lines in which the historian Flavius Josephus describes the moral character and ministry of St. John the Baptist: «He was a perfect man, who commanded the Jews to practice virtue, justice toward one another, piety toward God, and to gather together to receive baptism. Indeed,» he said, “baptism could not be pleasing to God unless all sins were carefully avoided. What good would it do to purify the body if the soul were not first purified by righteousness?” A huge crowd gathered around him and the people were eager to hear him” [Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 18, 5, 2.].

1, 9-11. Parallel. Matt. 3, 13-17; Luke 3:21-22.

Mc1.⁹ Now it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. — But then it happened..This is the Hebrew formula ויהי, so frequently used by the writers of the Old Testament. Here it has a truly solemn character, for it introduces Our Lord Jesus Christ onto the scene. In those days Another Hebrew expression, בימים־ההם, is rather vague in itself, but is usually determined by the context. In this passage, it designates the time of the preaching of St. John the Baptist, which has just been mentioned. It was therefore shortly after the appearance of his Forerunner that Jesus himself began his public life. According to Luke 3:23, he was then about thirty years old, the age at which Levites entered office according to Jewish Law, Numbers 4:3. The 780th year since the founding of Rome was drawing to a close. Nazareth, in Galilee. While the other two Synoptic Gospels merely mention Galilee in general, St. Mark, with his characteristic precision of detail, names the specific place from which Jesus came. The Savior had therefore recently left his peaceful retreat in Nazareth, where his entire hidden life had unfolded. On this privileged town, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 2:22. He was baptized. Our Evangelist omits the beautiful dialogue that took place between John the Baptist and Jesus immediately before the administration of baptism, the significance of which he illuminates so vividly (cf. Matthew 3:13-15 and the commentary); he simply notes the fact. In the Jordan. Saint Jerome recounts that, in his time, a great number of devout believers were devoted to being baptized in the waters of the Jordan: it seemed to them that their regeneration would be more complete there [Saint Jerome of Stridon, Onomasticon, s.v. Jordanis]. Today, pilgrims at least enjoy bathing in the sacred river; for the Greeks, it is even an official ceremony, which is repeated every year at Easter amidst a huge crowd.

Mc1.¹⁰ And as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: «You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» — In the account of the supernatural manifestations that followed the baptism of Jesus, St. Mark does not differ significantly from St. Matthew. He also mentions three wonders: the opening of the heavens, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the visible form of a dove, and the voice of the heavenly Father being heard to ratify the divine sonship of Jesus [See the explanation of these phenomena in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 3:16-17]. But, as was his custom, he made his narrative picturesque and vivid. Thus, 1) he shows us Jesus, at the very moment he came out of the Jordan, seeing with his own eyes the heavens opening above him: «as he came out… he saw»; 2° that he uses a really vivid expression to describe this first phenomenon: σχιζόμενους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, literally, the heavens torn apart [Compare Luke 5:36; 23:45; John 21:11; Matthew 27:51, where the verb σχίζω is applied to a garment, a veil, a net that is torn, or to a rock that is split]; 3° that he has the heavenly voice addressed directly to Jesus: «You are my Son… in you…» Cf. Luke 3:22. — M. Rohault de Fleury, in his beautiful Iconographic Studies on the Gospel, reproduces a large number of artistic representations relating to the baptism of Our Lord, and dating from the first twelve centuries [Charles Rohault de Fleury, The Gospel: Iconographic and Archaeological Studies, Tours, 1874, vol. 1, pp. 402 et seq.].

1, 12-13; Parallel. Matt. 4 1-11; Luke 4:1-13.

Mc1.¹² And immediately the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. — Here is Jesus consecrated Messiah; but how many sacrifices and humiliations will this role, so glorious, demand of him. The baptism of water, received in the Jordan, calls for the baptism of blood that will be conferred upon him on Calvary. Pending this supreme trial of Golgotha, there is the preliminary trial of temptation which, in the first three Gospels, is closely linked to the baptism of the Savior. But nowhere is the connection more clearly marked than in our Gospel: And immediately. Hardly had Jesus been baptized when he immediately entered into conflict with Satan. It was, moreover, quite natural that his first act, after receiving the messianic anointing, should be to fight the infernal powers, since this was one of the principal purposes of his Incarnation. Cf. 1 John 3:8. Considering the baptism in the Jordan as a heavenly armor with which Jesus had been clothed, St. John Chrysostom cries out to this divine Captain: «Go then, for if you have taken up arms, it is not to rest, but to fight» [Homily 13 in Matthew]. — The adverb «immediately,» which we have just encountered for the second time (cf. v. 40), is, as we saw in the Preface, § 7, St. Mark’s favorite formula for moving from one event to another: we will find it again and again. It lends his narrative much life and rapidity. The Spirit pushed him. What a profound mystery. It is the Holy Spirit He himself leads Jesus into the presence of his adversary. St. Matthew and St. Luke had used very strong expressions to represent this action of the divine Spirit: «Jesus was led into the desert,» said the former; «Jesus was driven into the desert,» wrote the latter; but the verb ἐχϐάλλει (lit. was driven out) [in the present tense, the tense favored by St. Mark, cf. the Preface, loc. cit.] that we read here has even greater force. «The three evangelists say the same thing. But Mark expresses himself with greater effectiveness… The present tense also has more force, and places the matter more clearly before our eyes» [Juan Maldonat, Commentarii in quatuor Evangelistas, Mark, h. l.]. Jesus is thus, so to speak, violently driven into the desert. — Some poorly informed exegetes, or those wishing to put St. Mark in contradiction with St. Matthew and St. Luke, suppose that "Spirit" here refers to the evil spirit. This is a gross misinterpretation. In the desert. In all likelihood, it was in the desert during the Quarantine period that Christ was tempted. See the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 4:1.

Mc1.¹³ And he remained there forty days, tempted by Satan, he was among the wild beasts and the angels they served him. — He remained there.. St. Mark is obscure in this verse because he wanted to be too brief. Fortunately, we have two other accounts to clarify and complete his. St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us that Jesus, having barely arrived in the desert, undertook a rigorous fast that lasted no less than forty consecutive days, that afterwards the Savior was attacked three times by the tempting spirit, but that he victoriously repelled this triple assault of the devil. Instead of these interesting details, we find in the second Gospel only a rather vague sentence: He was tempted by Satan. What is the meaning of this imperfect tense, or of the corresponding present participle in the Greek text (πειραζόμενος)? Doesn't it suggest that, according to St. Mark, Jesus was tempted throughout his time in the desert? Only that the temptation reached more intense peaks towards the end? Several commentators have suggested this, among others. Saint Augustine [De Consensu Evangelistarum, Book 2, Chapter 16.], and Luke of Bruges. «These words lead us to understand that Jesus was not tempted by Satan only at the end of his fast, but that he was tempted frequently and in various ways throughout its duration.» At first glance, the narrative in Luke 4:2 ff. (see the commentary) seems to support this view. Nevertheless, most exegetes have always taught that this is not the true interpretation, but that the accounts in the second and third Gospels should be referred back to that of St. Matthew, which is the clearest of the three. Now, the first Evangelist explicitly assumes that the temptation began only after the forty days of fasting and seclusion: «When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry… And the tempter came to him and said…» (Matthew 3:2-3). He was with the wild beasts. Despite its extraordinary brevity, St. Mark nevertheless manages to teach us two new things: the first is the name of Satan, which we read a little earlier, and which is more expressive than the "devil" of the other narrators; we find the second right here. However, this picturesque and truly worthy feature of the second Gospel, despite its apparent simplicity, was bound to be a bone of contention for commentators. How many different opinions it has aroused! 1. According to some, it expresses the external dangers faced by the divine Master: if the devil tempted his soul, the wild beasts were there, threatening his body. 2. According to others, it is not a reality, but a pure symbol: the desert animals, which are supposed to surround Jesus, represent the passions and concupiscence from which temptation usually arises. 3. Others see in this curious detail the expression of a type: St. Mark, by noting it, wanted to establish a parallel between the second Adam and the first; to show Jesus, even after the Fall, surrounded by wild beasts that do not harm him, as the father of humanity was in the Garden of Eden. 4. It is more commonly accepted, following Theophylact and Euthymius, that this is a feature intended to highlight the completely wild nature of the desert where Jesus was then living. See also the description of the Desert of the Forty Days in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 4:1. This, we believe, is the true interpretation. These desert animals were then, as today, panthers, hyenas, bears, and jackals: more than one traveler has encountered them or heard their cries in these parts. The angels they served him. The angels They too are at Jesus' side, to serve him as their revered Prince. What a strange gathering around the divine Master! Satan, wild beasts, heavenly spirits—that is to say, hell, earth, and heaven. There are striking contrasts here, which are, moreover, very clearly marked by St. Mark. Verse 15 is indeed composed of two parallel sentences, each with two parts that correspond exactly, stating ideas that are first related, then opposed: Jesus was in the desert and tempted by Satan; he was with the beasts and served by the angels. — Although the thought expressed by the verb "to serve" is quite simple, it has been misunderstood and distorted by several Protestant writers, who give angels the singular mission of protecting Our Lord from attacks by wild animals. Lightfoot also fell into error when he viewed the presence of angels as a second kind of temptation for Christ: according to him, the devil disguised himself in angelic form in order to better deceive and overcome Jesus. — Such, then, is the account of the temptation of Christ according to St. Mark: we see in it a remarkable example of the independence of the Evangelists as writers.

1, 14-15; parallel. Matt. 4, 12; Luke 4:14-15.

Mc1.¹⁴ After John had been put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. — After John had been put in prison. See the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 4:12. We will find further on, in Mark 4:17-20, the details of this sacrilegious imprisonment. — The Synoptic Gospel writers are unanimous in linking Jesus' messianic activity to this important event, as well as in establishing its initial setting in Galilee. The ministry that Our Lord undertook in Judea, according to John 3:22, almost immediately after his baptism, should simply be considered a work of preparation and transition. In reality, the Public Life only begins at the moment of the Forerunner's arrest, that is, when the herald withdraws to make way for his Master. Jesus came to Galilee. Galilee was the northernmost of the three Palestinian provinces located west of the Jordan River. Magnificent promises had once been made to it in the name of God (cf. Isaiah 8:22; 9:9, and Matthew 4:14-16); Jesus is now fulfilling them. Moreover, Judea was then little inclined to receive the Gospel: the Savior found almost no one there whom he could trust (cf. John 2:24). Galilee, on the contrary, was fertile ground, on which the good seed was to quickly germinate and bear abundant fruit, as the rest of the narrative will show. Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The word "kingdom," which is absent from manuscripts B, L, Sinaiticus, etc., in Origen, and in the Coptic, Armenian, and Syriac versions, is considered by the best critics to be an interpolation. The original reading would therefore have been "the Gospel of God," and "of God" would indicate the source, meaning: the Gospel of which God is the author. The rest is irrelevant; the meaning is the same in any case. — There is Jesus preaching the Gospel. How well the "good news" was placed on his divine lips.

Mc1.¹⁵ He said, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."« — He said. St. Mark gives his readers a truly striking summary of the Savior's preaching. His style here is rhythmic, cadenced in the Eastern manner, even more so than in verse 13. We again have two sentences, each composed of two clauses: The time is fulfilled

And the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the Gospel.

The first sentence indicates what God has deigned to do for the salvation of humankind; the second, what humankind must in turn do to appropriate messianic salvation. — 1. The work of God. The time is fulfilled. «The time,» in Greek ὁ καιρὸς, time par excellence, that is to say, the period designated from all eternity for the fulfillment of the divine decrees concerning the redemption of humanity. «It is fulfilled»: the fullness of time has arrived, Saint Paul will later exclaim twice, Galatians 4:4 and Ephesians 1:10; the long days of waiting (cf. Gen 49:10) that were to precede the manifestation of Christ are finally over. What news! And it is the Messiah himself who brings it. But who better than he could say: The time is fulfilled. — The kingdom of God is near. The kingdom of God is the messianic kingdom in its entirety. This is a well-established expression, the origin and meaning of which we explained in our Commentary on St. Matthew, 3, 2. — 2° The work of man, or conditions of entry into the kingdom of heaven. Do penance. At the time, little thought was given to fulfilling this first condition, although the memory and desire for the Messiah were in every heart and on every lip. — Second condition: Believe in the Gospel. The Greek is much more forceful; it literally says: Believe in the Gospel. The Gospel is, so to speak, the element in which faith must be born and grow; the foundation upon which it must rest. Cf. Ephesians 1:1. This faith that Jesus rigorously demands of his followers is therefore not a vague and general sentiment: its specific object, the Gospel, and consequently everything concerning the person and teaching of Our Lord, is defined in the clearest possible way. — The entire «program» of Jesus is contained in these few words. First, we see in them his doctrine concerning the Old Covenant: the prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled. Then, we see the fundamental idea of Christianity: the kingdom of God with all that it encompasses. Finally, we see the preliminary conditions of salvation: repentance and faith.

1, 16-20. Parallel. Matt. 4, 18-22; Luke 5:1-11.

Mc1.¹⁶ Passing along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. — In this narrative, which reveals to us the power of Jesus over wills and souls, St. Mark hardly differs from St. Matthew. However, we must point out several characteristic features that will once again prove the independence of the sacred writers. Passerby : a picturesque expression, specific to our Evangelist. Along the Sea of Galilee. The divine Master left Nazareth to settle in Capernaum (cf. Matthew 4:13-18; Luke 4:31; 5:16), on the shores of the charming Sea of Galilee, which we described when explaining the first Gospel, Matthew 4:13. He was still alone; but now he wished to attach permanently to himself some disciples with whom he had, around the time of his baptism, fairly close, though temporary, relations (John 1:35 ff.). They would become his four principal Apostles. Simon and André. St. Matthew and St. Luke, in parallel passages, add the epithet Peter to Simon's name. St. Mark is the only one not to mention this surname. We saw in the Preface, § 4, 4, that his close relationship with the Prince of the Apostles clearly influenced his narrative whenever it concerns this holy figure: sometimes it is more complete, sometimes less precise than the other Gospel accounts, depending on the circumstances. Who cast their nets. The Greek word better defines the nature of the net the two brothers were using: it was a cast net, a net that is thrown, and which, when skillfully launched over the shoulder, either from the shore or from the boat, falls back in a circle onto the water, and then, sinking rapidly under the weight of the lead weights attached to it, engulfs everything below it. In the sea. The Sea of Galilee has always been considered one of the most fish-rich lakes in the world.

Mc1.¹⁷ Jesus said to them, «Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.» Taking the humble profession of Peter and Andrew as his starting point, Jesus calls them to sublime destinies, which, he tells them, will bear a striking resemblance to their work as fishermen. They will henceforth be fishers of men. See on this expression the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 4:19. Thus, in the figurative language of the Savior, everything becomes a sign or symbol of what will take place in his kingdom. 

Mc1.¹⁸ Immediately, leaving their nets, they followed him. — This verse recounts the prompt obedience of the two brothers. St. Mark could not fail to use his favorite adverb εὐθὺς (immediately) here. Cf. v. 20.

Mc1.¹⁹ A little further on, he saw James, son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in a boat, mending their nets. ²⁰ He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the workers, they followed him. — Some distance away («a little» is a peculiarity of St. Mark), an identical scene is repeated for another pair of brothers, St. James and St. John. Mending their nets. Cf. Matthew 4:21. While Jonah's sons were busy casting their nets into the lake, Zebedee's sons were mending theirs in their father's boat. Both were fully engaged in their work. And having left their father. A sacrifice as swift and, in a sense, even more generous than that of Peter and Andrew; for they had not had to leave a beloved father; at least, nothing in the narrative indicates this. With the workers. St. Mark alone mentions this circumstance which, although it seems insignificant at first glance, is actually of great interest to us: either because it proves that Zebedee lived in relative comfort, since he fished on a larger scale; or, above all, as many exegetes like to say, because it shows us that James and John could separate from their father without offending filial piety, since they did not leave him completely alone. The Evangelist would therefore have noted this detail to soften what the act of Jesus or the two sons might have seemed harsh towards a father. Later, probably after the death of Zebedee, we will see Salome, mother of the Sons of Thunder, herself becoming attached to Jesus. Cf. Matthew 20:20 ff. — Thus, four Apostles were won over in a single day by the divine Master. Jesus is truly the King of hearts. 

1, 21-28. Parallel. Luke 4:31-37.

Mc1.²¹ They went to Capernaum and on the first Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. — They entered Capernaum. This city was located near the Sea of Galilee, and it was in its vicinity that the calling of the first four Apostles took place. Jesus entered it, followed by his chosen ones: Capernaum thus had the honor of immediately possessing within its walls the beginnings of Christian society. Immediately, on the Sabbath day. The adverb right away This does not mean that the small group entered the city on a Sabbath, but only that Jesus took advantage of the nearest Sabbath to deliver his messianic preaching to the inhabitants of Capernaum. "Sabbath," although plural in Greek, has a singular meaning. See Matthew 12:1 and the explanation. However, it is quite clear that the Evangelist does not intend to exclude subsequent Sabbaths, at least with regard to Jesus' public teaching in the synagogues; for from that time on, it became a regular custom for Our Lord to preach on Saturdays in the Jewish houses of prayer. Entering the synagogue. It was therefore both on holy days and in holy places that Jesus proclaimed the divine word; likewise today the preachers of the Gospel. On the synagogues, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 4:23. He was instructing them. "Them" refers to the Jews. Pronouns used in this irregular way, not referring back to any of the preceding nouns, are frequently encountered in the writings of the New Testament. We saw a striking example of this in Matthew 4:23. — Although Jesus was not a formally appointed teacher, it is not surprising that he was able to preach freely in the synagogues. The Jews allowed their fellow Jews considerable latitude in this regard: foreigners, pious or learned individuals, were even frequently invited to edify the congregations with a few kind words. Cf. Acts 12:45.

Mc1.²² And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes.— They were struck by his doctrine. St. Mark here indicates the effect caused by the Savior's preaching and the reason for it. The listeners were deeply impressed. However, their astonishment was not extraordinary, both Evangelists add in unison (cf. Luke 4:32), for he taught with authority. As having authority. It is the divine Word, Wisdom incarnate, who speaks; it is the heavenly Lawgiver who interprets his own laws. How could Jesus not have found his way into minds and hearts? Even his enemies will be forced to admit that "no man ever spoke like this man." His words, full of vigor, truth, and grace, convinced reason and touched the will; they awakened repentance, fear, and love. At the same time, they gave the strength to seek what one should love, to flee what one should fear, to leave behind what one might have regretted. See the general ideas we have set forth in our Commentary on St. Matthew, concerning the eloquence of Jesus Christ. And not like the scribes. What a profound difference between the Savior's method and that of these official scribes! The latter were merely the impersonal mouthpieces of tradition, and of a purely human tradition at that: their teaching was cold, stilted, and lifeless, both in content and form. If one can, read four pages of the Talmud at once, and one will have a true idea of the Scribes' preaching. The people are therefore rightly delighted as soon as they hear Jesus: it is an entirely new genre, admirably suited to their needs; thus, they cannot tire of hearing him. Compare Matthew 7:28-29. What perfect praise for Jesus the orator is contained in the three lines of this verse!.

Mc1.²³ Now there was in their synagogue a man possessed by an unclean spirit, who cried out: — Now, there were in their synagogue. But here is another fact that will redouble, from a new perspective, the admiration of the inhabitants of Capernaum: the miraculous healing of one of those dire cases, then so numerous in Palestine, known as possession. The divine Orator is transformed into a Thaumaturge, and he shows that he is superior to the most powerful demons. — On demoniacs, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew; on the miracles of Jesus In general, ibid. — A man possessed by an unclean spirit. «Possessed,» that is, «under the power of»; this expressive phrase indicates the demon’s power over the possessed, the latter’s absorption by the former. The demoniac was as if immersed in satanic influence. Compare the Greek word for possessed person (ἐνεργούμένος), which designates a person controlled by another. The epithet «impure, unclean» is attached about twenty times in the Gospel to the name of evil spirits. It is a technical expression, borrowed from the liturgical language of the Jews, who called impure anything with which they had to avoid contact. Indeed, what is more unclean than the fallen angels? Their disobedience to God has profoundly defiled them; They have since hardened in their malice, and they think only of profaning mankind by leading them into sin. — We should not be too surprised to find a demoniac in the synagogue of Capernaum: when the possessed were calm, they were not forbidden entry to places of worship. — Figuratively, the demon had entered the synagogue, that is to say, Judaism; Jesus comes to drive it out. Alas, it will remain nonetheless, due to the hardening of the majority of the leaders of the Jewish people. 

Mc1.²⁴ «"What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? You came to destroy us. I know who you are, the Holy One of God."» — In verses 24-26, we find dramatic details about this first of the miracles of Jesus recounted by St. Mark. The Evangelist successively conveys to his readers the words of the demoniac (v. 24), Jesus' command (v. 25), and the result of this command (v. 26). — 1. The demoniac, or rather the demon through him, expresses three ideas of the utmost truth. First idea: What is there between us and you? There is nothing in common between Jesus and the demon. The expression the possessed person uses to express this thought (cf. Matt. 8:29) denotes a complete separation of life and nature, a total opposition of interests and tendencies; cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15. The plural "we" designates the solidarity that exists among all evil spirits: currently, it is in the name of the entire satanic army that the demoniac speaks to Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth This was already, in the early days of the Savior's public life, its common and popular name. Some commentators suppose, but without sufficient reason, that the devil uses it here with a feeling of disdain. — Second idea: Did you come here to lose us? The evil spirit could not have better characterized the purpose of Our Lord's mission: Jesus came to crush the head of the ancient serpent, to ruin Satan's empire on earth. Note that the Savior has not yet said anything to the possessed man: his mere presence is nevertheless enough to make the demon tremble, who foresees his imminent defeat. — Third idea: Jesus is the promised Messiah; I know that you are…, "!" cried the demoniac emphatically: "Baptism and temptation have revealed to the demons the messianic character of Jesus." …the holy one of God, The title "Saint" is aptly used, as the Greek exegetes Victor of Antioch, Theophylact, and Euthymius rightly observe. According to several passages in the Old Testament (Psalm 15:10; Daniel 9:24), this title is equivalent to that of Messiah. Tertullian and other exegetes following him believed that the devil bestowed it upon Jesus out of flattery; it is preferable to believe that he bestowed it upon him in all sincerity, albeit against his will, since God allowed even hell to bear witness to his Christ.

Mc1.²⁵ But Jesus, speaking to him threateningly, said, «Be quiet and come out of him.» — 2° The commandment of Jesus. Jesus threatened him. The Evangelists seem to have favored this expression; cf. Matthew 8:26; 16:22; 17:18; 19:13; Mark 4:29; 8:31; 9:25; 10:13; Luke 4:39; 9:55; 18:15; etc. Moreover, it perfectly suited the dignity and omnipotence of Jesus, for it presupposes an absolute order, which admits neither resistance nor even a simple reply. Shut up ; Literally, from the Greek: Be muzzled. This is the first part of the commandment. Our Lord begins by silencing the unclean spirit: He does not want any connection between the Messianic kingdom and the empire of darkness. Moreover, there would be drawbacks to his character being thus revealed; therefore, we will see the divine Master routinely forbidding those healed by him to proclaim his miracles and his dignity. — Second part of the order: Get out of this man. Jesus has pity on the poor demoniac, and he expels the spirit that possesses him.

Mc1.²⁶ And the unclean spirit, violently agitating him, came out of him with a loud cry. — 3. Here we see the admirable and swift result of the Savior's command. However, before leaving a place dear to him, the demon manifests his rage in several ways. waving it violently. He torments the possessed one last time, causing him to fall into violent convulsions: this is the Parthian's trait, a powerless one, however, adds St. Luke 4:35. St. Gregory offers some beautiful moral reflections on this point: «As soon as the soul that savored earthly goods begins to love heavenly ones, the ancient adversary presents it with temptations more violent and more subtle than usual. And thus, most of the time, he tempts a soul that resists him as he never tempted it before, when he possessed it. This is why the demoniac who had been freed by the Lord is torn to pieces by the departing demon» [St. Gregory, Homily 4 in Ezekiel]. Letting out a loud cry. The demon lets out a cry of rage and despair. But it's no use: he is forced to flee and plunge into hell. — No Evangelist recounts as many healings of demon-possessed people as St. Mark. He likes to portray Our Lord as the supreme victor over infernal spirits.

Mc1.²⁷ They were all filled with amazement, so that they asked one another, «What is this? What is this new teaching? For he rules even over unclean spirits, and they obey him.» Verses 27-28 describe the profound impression this miracle made both on its immediate witnesses (v. 27) and throughout the province of Galilee (v. 28). They were all filled with admiration. According to the Greek text, the feeling that immediately gripped the assembly was awe (a rare word in the New Testament), rather than admiration. Following this supernatural manifestation, all those present were seized by a holy fear. They then shared their thoughts with one another. What is this? No one in living memory had ever seen anything like it; hence the initial general exclamation. What is this new doctrine? The audience then specified the points that most astonished them. First, it was the doctrine itself, attested by such prodigies: everyone had just heard it and had been able to convince themselves of its novelty (cf. v. 22); but its particular novelty lay in its reliance on first-rate miracles. The Scribes could not have offered anything similar. He commands with authority. Secondly, they admired the marvelous power of Jesus. A single word from him had produced the most striking result immediately. Even to impure spirits…This power had indeed been exercised under the most difficult conditions: Jesus had shown that he was superior even to demons. There is great strength in this «even.» — Currently, therefore, Jesus is admired because of his new preaching and his irresistible power over evil spirits. Soon, when hearts have turned against him, the most serious grievances will be drawn from these two facts and hurled in his face.

Mc1.²⁸ And his fame spread immediately throughout the region of Galilee. — The news of this miracle first spread in the town of Capernaum, and from there it quickly (the word "quickly" is emphatic in this passage) spread throughout all of Galilee. — Several commentators mistakenly assume that the words "the land of Galilee" refer to the provinces neighboring Galilee.

1, 29-34. Parallel. Matt. 8, 14-17; Luke 4:38-41.

Mc1.²⁹ Leaving the synagogue, they went immediately to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. — Right away. St. Luke, like St. Mark, links this miracle very closely to the healing of the demoniac: there was therefore a real historical connection between the two wonders. The Synoptic Gospels' accounts are essentially the same here; they vary only in their expression. Our Evangelist, however, has the merit of being the most precise in most of the details. Everything in his account is captured vividly: one can guess from what source he drew his information. Leaving the synagogue. Immediately after the miracle recounted in verse 26, Jesus left the synagogue with his four disciples, and they went together to the house of Peter and Andrew. St. Mark is the only one to explicitly mention St. Andrew, St. James, and St. John.

Mc1.³⁰ Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed, having a fever, and immediately they told Jesus about her. — Simon's stepmother was in bed. Peter seems to have been unaware of this accident, which, moreover, could have occurred very quickly during his absence in the preceding days. Cf. vv. 16 and 21. Fortunately, Jesus is there to console this grieving family. — On the mother-in-law and wife of St. Peter, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 8:14. [Cf. Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia Ecclesiastica, 3, 30.] They talked about her. A delicate expression. One simply tells the good Master that his disciple's mother-in-law is ill; one knows that his mercy and power will do the rest. Lazarus' sisters will also be content to have Jesus say: Lord, the one you love is sick.

Mc1.³¹ He approached and helped her up, taking her by the hand; at the same moment the fever left her and she began to serve them. — The trust had not been in vain, for the Savior healed the sick woman at once. St. Mark recounts the miracle in the most vivid way: each of Jesus' actions is described in his narrative. He approaches the sick woman's bed; He takes her by the hand; He gently lifts her up. At his divine touch, the illness disappears instantly (this is the third "at once" since verse 29), and the healing is so complete that the woman who had just lain on her bed of suffering can get up immediately and resume her duties as mistress of the house. She served them. The verb "to serve" in this context means to serve at table. Cf. Matthew 4:11 and the Commentary. This refers to the joyous and solemn meal that concludes the Sabbath day for the Jews [See Flavius Josephus, Vita, § 54]. St. Peter's mother-in-law, having fully recovered her health, was strong enough to prepare it herself. May we, say the moralists, when God has mercifully healed the illnesses of our souls, likewise employ our spiritual strength to serve Christ and his members.

Mc1.³² In the evening, after sunset, they all brought him the sick and the demonic ones, — In the evening. This miracle led to many others, which occupied Jesus for part of the night. What a pleasant evening for him and for the inhabitants of Capernaum! But, due to an exaggerated respect for the Sabbath rest (see Mark 3:1 ff.), they did not lead the sick and the possessed to the Savior only after sunset, the holy day not ending, according to Jewish ritual, until the moment when this star disappeared below the horizon.

Mc1.³³ and the whole city crowded in front of the gate. — And the whole city…A picturesque feature, peculiar to St. Mark's: one can see that an eyewitness had reported it to him. Thus, the whole city is, in a way, besieging the humble house of St. Peter. The words in front of the door They actually refer to the place where Jesus was at that time, and not, as has sometimes been said, the city gate. — This commotion is easily understood. Our Lord had performed two great miracles in Capernaum that very day: the news of them had quickly spread, and everyone wanted to take advantage of the Thaumaturge's presence for the healing of their sick.

Mc1.³⁴ He healed many sick people afflicted with various infirmities and he drove out many demons, but he did not allow them to speak, because they knew him. — He healed many… he hunted manyDoes this mean that Jesus made a choice among the sick And what about those possessed? Did he heal some and not others? Ancient and modern exegetes have wondered: «Why didn’t he say: »And he healed them all, but many?« Probably because unfaithfulness prevented some from being healed.» Faith, then, would have been lacking in a number of those brought to Jesus; or, it has also been said, there would have been insufficient time to heal so many. But these are unfounded conjectures, refuted by the parallel passages in St. Matthew and St. Luke. “When evening came, many who were possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick,” Matthew 11:15. 8:16. No, there were no exceptions, and it was not a contrast that our Evangelist intended to establish by using the quoted expressions: rather, he aimed to show the considerable number of healings. This was already Theophylact's opinion. He wouldn't allow them to say… As in the morning, v. 20, he silences the demons, whose untimely proclamations could have harmed his work.

1, 35-39.Parall. Luke 4:42-44.

Mc1.³⁵ The next day, having risen long before daybreak, he went out, went to a solitary place and prayed there. — Having risen long before daybreak. The night from Saturday to Sunday had barely ended when Jesus, despite the fatigue of the previous evening, was already up and quietly leaving Simon's hospitable house, unnoticed by anyone. His clear aim was to escape the cheers of the crowd, thrilled by his miracles, and to prepare himself, through a few hours of solitary prayer, for the mission he was about to begin (v. 38 ff.). He went outside and went to a lonely place. A remarkable feature of the Sea of Galilee was that it was surrounded by deserted solitudes. These solitary places, located nearby, either on the plateaus or in the ravines that abound near both shores, provided excellent refuges for rest or prayer… Jesus sought out these solitudes, sometimes alone, sometimes with his disciples. The mountains, the deserts, the secluded places, Gethsemane—these were the Savior's principal oratories: he did not pray in the public square like the Pharisees. And he prayed there..Another detail peculiar to St. Mark: indeed, this entire narrative bears the distinctive mark of the second Gospel. The scene is extremely picturesque: the narrator truly places it before our eyes. How beautiful it is to see Jesus in prayer after and before his many labors. His life consists of two elements, the exercises of zeal and the exercises of religion, the outward and the inward. Such, too, must be the life of a priest.

Mc1.³⁶ Simon and those who were with him began to search for him, — When the day arrived, Simon Peter was the first to notice the absence of the good Master, and he immediately began actively searching for him. This act reveals the fervor of his temperament and his deep love for Jesus. Simon... The Greek word contains an expression of rare force (lit. pursued him), which is used only here in the New Testament. It is often taken in a negative sense, to designate hostile pursuits; St. Mark, following the Septuagint, takes it in a positive sense, in order to characterize the zeal with which the disciples ran everywhere to look for Jesus. And those who were with him ; That is to say, the three companions of St. Peter: Andrew, James, and John. This phrasing is noteworthy. It is evident that the Evangelist here grants Simon preeminence over the other friends of Jesus. This is primacy by anticipation. Simon is already superior to the others (cf. Luke 8:45; 9:32).

Mc1.³⁷ And when they found him, they said, "Everyone is looking for you."« — Having found it. It probably took them several hours to discover the good Master's retreat. Everyone is looking for you. These words, which they uttered upon approaching him, prove that, from the break of day, the competition of the previous day had resumed with renewed vigor. They still wanted to see Jesus and receive further blessings from him. It was a great disappointment when they learned that he had disappeared. Everyone then set out to find him. Luke 4:42 adds a significant line here that will help us better understand the Savior's subsequent response, verse 38: "The crowds were looking for him, and they came to him, and they wanted to detain him, lest he should leave them.".

Mc1.³⁸ He replied, "Let us go elsewhere, to the neighboring towns, so that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out."« — Let's go. Jesus could not indulge the desires of the people of Capernaum: he had no right to restrict the gift of his presence, his miracles, and his preaching to that city. Other cities and towns awaited him, and he would go to them without delay. — Several Greek manuscripts (BC L, Sinaiticus) read "let us go elsewhere"; but other manuscripts (A, D, E, etc.) simply have "let us go," like the Vulgate. — In the Greek text, the word corresponding to "villages," which our Latin version has inaccurately translated as "cities and towns," is found only in this passage. It is a compound expression, literally equivalent to "towns, cities," and which designates the then numerous towns of Galilee, too small to be called cities, but too large to be simply named villages [Cf. Flavius Josephus, Bellum Judaicum, 3, 2, 1]. The epithet "neighboring" shows that Jesus began his missionary journey in the localities near Capernaum: these were Dalmanutha, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Magdala, etc. That's why I went out. That is to say, to spread the good news throughout the whole region, and not just to one particular city. But what exactly is the meaning of the verb "I am" here? out »What is the starting point to which Jesus is referring? Where did he come from? Where did he emerge from? He comes from Capernaum,« replies de Wette. »He comes from the hidden life,” says Paulus. “From his solitary retreat,” writes Meyer, verse 35. Miserable interpretations, worthy of rationalism. As if Jesus did not want to speak in this verse of the purpose of the Incarnation, and consequently of his mysterious emergence from the bosom of the Heavenly Father. It is not possible to explain our passage otherwise. This, moreover, is how the ancient exegetes understood it. Let us add that the words spoken by Our Lord according to the redaction of Luke 4:41 do not allow for any other exegesis. Cf. John 16:28. — The Vulgate reads “I have come,” as do the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, and Gothic versions.

Mc1.³⁹ And he preached in their synagogues, going throughout all Galilee and driving out demons. — And he preached… This turn of phrase is noteworthy: it indicates continuity, a regular habit. — Jesus immediately carried out his plan. Leaving Capernaum with his disciples, he set out throughout Galilee, spreading good words everywhere, preaching, and doing good works; he cast out demons. Matthew 4:23 is more explicit regarding Christ's miracles during this first apostolic journey: «Healing every disease and sickness among the people.» — How long did the mission of which Mark gives us such a brief summary last? Probably a few months; however, the Gospel accounts are too vague to allow for a precise answer to this question. Cf. 2:1. — Galilee was the general theater of Jesus' apostleship; the synagogues were the particular theater of his preaching.

1, 40-45. Parallel. Matt. 8, 2-5; Luke 5:12-16.

Mc1.⁴⁰ A leper came to him and, throwing himself at his knees, said to him in a pleading tone: "If you wish, you can cure me."« — A leper came to him. The scene, according to St. Luke, took place in one of the cities evangelized by Jesus during the mission that has just been so briefly recounted. It is an interesting episode, which all three Synoptic Gospels recorded together, because of the great example of faith given by the leper. St. Mark's account is again the most complete and vivid. A leper. On this terrible disease of the East, see the Gospel according to St. Matthew 8, 2. — Throwing himself at his knees. A beautiful posture of supplication, which already manifests the sick man's faith. — His prayer, If you want, you can heal me, is exquisitely delicate. He rightly calls his cure a purification, because, according to Jewish law, anyone afflicted with leprosy was impure by that very fact.

Mc1.⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do will it; be healed."« ⁴² And as soon as he had spoken, the leprosy left the man and he was healed. — Feeling sorry for him. St. Mark alone mentions this feeling in the heart of Jesus. The good Master is moved by the sight of the suffering of the unfortunate man kneeling before him. Extended his hand. «This display of power and will is a great sign,» Fr. Luc. Jesus does not hesitate to place this pure and powerful hand on the leper’s body; touched him, despite the sensitivity of the Law. He had no fear of defilement, he who, on the contrary, removed all physical and moral impurity. I want it, be healed. As soon as he had uttered this majestic word, which he deigned to borrow from the leper's own prayer (v. 40), the sick man was instantly healed; which gives St. Mark the opportunity to repeat his favorite adverb once more., right away, "...by which he so loves to emphasize the speed of Jesus' miracles.".

Mc1.⁴³ Jesus immediately sent him away, saying to him in a stern tone: ⁴⁴ «Beware of telling anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your healing what Moses commanded, to testify to it before the people.» — These verses contain two injunctions from the Savior addressed to the one he had just healed. Jesus sent him away ; The corresponding Greek expression is extraordinarily powerful; the verb, found in only five places in the New Testament (Matthew 9:30; Mark 1:43; 14:5; John 11:33, 38), means sometimes to be overcome with intense indignation, and sometimes, as is the case here, to give an order in a stern and threatening tone. Thus, Jesus, who had been moved by the leper's plight, now threatens him after having healed him. Right away. Again right away. Jesus abruptly sent the leper away, without allowing him to remain with him any longer. These details are specific to St. Mark. By this severe action, the Savior intended to emphasize more forcefully the commands he was about to give. — First command: Don't tell anyone.. In the Greek, there are two negations (to say nothing… to no one), which is consistent with the style of St. Mark, cf. the Preface, § 7. Jesus fears the political unrest of the crowd: hence the meticulous care he takes to prevent it. He wants to act on minds from within rather than without, to convert them and not dazzle them: this is why he so often recommends silence to those he has healed. See the Gospel according to St. Matthew, 8:4. — Second order: Go and show yourself to the priest, to the priest on duty. And offer… The details of these sacrifices are given throughout chapter 14 of Leviticus. To attest to it to the people. Men will then know that you are fully healed, and they will welcome you back into society. This is probably the true meaning of these much-debated words. See our Commentary on Matthew 8:4.

Mc1.⁴⁵ But this man, having gone away, began to tell and spread everywhere what had happened: so that Jesus could no longer enter a city publicly, he stayed outside, in solitary places, and people came to him from all sides. — But this man, having left. The leper went away as Jesus had wished; soon, no doubt, he went to have his healing officially declared by the priests. As for the order that commanded him to remain silent, he paid no heed to it. On the contrary, he began to tell and divulge the thing. The feelings of joy and gratitude that filled his soul were stronger than his desire to obey the Savior. Moreover, he was not the only one to act in this way: several other sick people miraculously restored to health by Our Lord acted similarly in comparable circumstances. Cf. Matthew 9:30 ff.; Mark 7:36. So that…The result of this indiscretion was immense: it is described by the Evangelist in a very picturesque way. Jesus could no longer openly enter a city. Jesus lost much of his freedom of action: he could no longer appear in the towns without arousing great enthusiasm. The story told by St. Mark at the beginning of the following chapter (Mark 2:2) will prove the extent of this enthusiasm. In a city ; in whatever city it might be, since there is no article in Greek. But he stood outside, in deserted places.. The divine Master was therefore obliged to withdraw to the solitudes mentioned above and to live apart from men, contrary to his apostolic designs (v. 38). «Outside,» in relation to the cities. And people came to him from all parts. Another charming detail: no matter what Jesus did, the multitude he had won over still managed to find him; or rather, Jesus didn't intend to flee, but simply to avoid such imprudent and pointless displays. He therefore devoted himself to the exercise of his ministry among the good souls who managed to reach him.

This first chapter of St. Mark has revealed great things about Jesus. We have seen him make his majestic appearance as the Messiah, preceded by his Forerunner, surrounded by his first disciples, traveling through Galilee like a peaceful conqueror of hearts, inspiring admiration everywhere by his teaching and his miracles. No hostile intent has yet been shown against him. If we were permitted to use such language, we would say that this is the beautiful, happy time of the Savior, which St. Mark has described to us.

This chapter has simultaneously revealed to us the "genre" of our Evangelist. The portrait of St. Mark as a writer, as we outlined it in the Preface, was fully justified from the very first lines: brevity, precision, liveliness, vividness, clarity, and interest. We certainly enjoyed this narrative; let us therefore follow it with affection to the end.