The Gospel of Mark for Readers

Part 1

Copyright (C) 2002 by Lightheart.

www.PracticeGodsPresence.com The Gospel of Mark ______________________________________________________________________

1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger who shall prepare the way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. After confessing their sins many from the land of Judaea and from Jerusalem were baptized by him in the river of Jordan.

John was clothed with camel's hair and wore animal hides around his loins and he ate locusts and wild honey. He preached, saying, There comes one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I have baptized you with water but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the river of Jordan. Immediately, upon His coming up out of the water, John saw the heavens open and the Spirit, like a dove, descend upon Him. And there came a voice from heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

The spirit drove Him into the wilderness. There, among wild beasts, He was tempted by Satan for forty days. Then the angels ministered to Him. Now, after that, John was put in prison and Jesus came into Galilee. He began preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.

He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, Come ye after me and I will make you fishers of men. Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

When He had gone on a little farther, He saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a boat mending their nets. Jesus called them. They immediately left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him.

They went into Capernaum. On the sabbath day He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His doctrine for He taught them as one with authority and not as the scribes. And in their synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit. He cried out and said, Let us alone. What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him and said, Hold thy peace and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

The people were amazed, so much so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? What new doctrine is this? He even commands with authority the unclean spirits and they obey Him. Immediately His fame spread throughout the region around Galilee.

After they left the synagogue, they went to the house of Simon and Andrew. Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and presently they told Jesus about her. He came and took her by the hand. Then He lifted her up and, immediately, the fever left her. And she, then, ministered to them.

That evening around sunset, many people were brought to Him who were diseased and some who were possessed with devils. And all the city gathered together at the door. Jesus healed many that were sick of divers diseases. He cast out many devils and did not allow the devils to speak because they knew Him.

The next morning, rising before dawn, He went to a solitary place to pray. Simon and those who were with him followed. When they found Him, they said, All men seek for thee. And Jesus said to them, Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

And Jesus preached in the synagogues throughout Galilee, and cast out devils. There came to Him a leper. Kneeling down and beseeching Him, the leper said, If thou wilt, thou can make me clean. Jesus was moved with compassion. He put out His hand, touched him, and said, I will. Be thou clean.

And, as soon as He had spoken, the leprosy departed and the man was cleansed. Jesus directly charged him to say nothing to any man. Jesus said, Go thy way. Show thyself to the priest and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony to them.

But he went out and began to broadcast the matter. He said so much that Jesus could no more openly enter the city but had to stay out in desert places. And they came to Him from every quarter.

2 After some days Jesus entered Capernaum again and His arrival was widely announced. The people knew that He returned to the house. And, immediately, many gathered, so much that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as outside the door. Jesus preached the word to them.

There came to Him one sick with palsy who was carried by four others. When they could not get near Jesus because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof above where Jesus stood. Having broken through, they lowered down the bed wherein the sick man lay. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick man, Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.

There were certain of the scribes sitting there. They wondered, Why does this man speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? When Jesus realized that they so reasoned, He said to them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether it is easier to say to the sick man, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or, Arise. Take up thy bed and walk?

So that ye may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (Jesus turned to the sick man and said,) I say to thee, Arise. Take up thy bed and go thy way to thine own house. At that moment, he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all. They were amazed. They glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this.

Jesus went to the seaside again and the multitude gathered around Him, and He taught them. Later, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed Him.

And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at supper in Levi's house, many publicans and sinners also joined together with Jesus and His disciples. There now were many who followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with publicans and sinners, they asked His disciples, How is it that He eats and drinks with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard this, He said to them, Those who are whole have no need of a physician, only those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked, Why do the disciples of John and the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples do not? And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the day will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.

No man sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up takes away from the old and the rent is made worse. And no man puts new wine into old bottles: else the new wine bursts the bottles, the wine is spilled, and the bottles are marred. New wine must be put into new bottles.

And it came to pass, that He went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and His disciples began to pluck the ears of corn as they went along. The Pharisees said to Him, Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the sabbath day? And Jesus responded, Have ye never read what David, and they that were with him, did when they had need and were hungry? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar, the high priest, and ate the showbread? How this was only lawful for the priests to eat? And how David also gave it to those who were with him? Then Jesus said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath; therefore, the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath also.

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