John prepares the way for the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, with a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus comes to John and is baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately, the heavens are torn open and the Spirit descends on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased’.
Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness being tempted 40 days by Satan.
He was with the wild animals and the angels were ministering to him.
John is then arrested and Jesus came into Galilee and proclaims the gospel of God.
John being arrested is allowed under the sovereignty of God, it is intertwined with Jesus proclaiming the gospel of God, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’.
John had heralded Jesus’s baptism of the Holy Spirit and declared his ministry was only to prepare for the start of his ministry, thus, when John is arrested it is perfectly timed with Jesus coming out of the wilderness having overcome Satans temptations.
Paul in Romans Ch 7 describes a man who knows that the law is good but irrespective to this knowledge can not prevent himself from sinning. This is a clear product of man having fallen to the primary temptation of Satan to obtain knowledge separate from the commandments of God. A knowledge of what is good and an inward condition of evil.
Such a man has been arrested and in-prisoned by his inability to walk free from sin.
Here we have great truth. The laws which followed the fall, while maintaining the knowledge of sin cannot free a man from his inward knowledge of evil.
Therefore, the original commandment not to eat of such an imprisoning seed of corruption, when spoken had within it cords of reconciliation, the knowledge that Gods commandment was and is good.
Through giving mankind freedom of choice God did not utterly hand man over to destruction when he broke Gods commandment. His own heart was broken that he would be unable to sustain man with his life, that man must die is Gods morality that will not endorse a lifestyle of corruption. God will not sustain in life a lifestyle founded upon a lie, as all lies are founded upon God not having shared all of his life with his creation.
Therefore, the devil and death are overcome through the light of the resurrection and promise of eternal life. Are lives are founded upon truth when we believe that we have everlasting life because of the sacrificial death of Jesus.
When Jesus died on the Cross, it was more than just a man who had never broken any commandment of God. But this alone evokes within us the knowledge that his death having been permitted by God, was not to condemn sinners but rather to save them, irrevocably! Irrevocably implies to the same measure as his manner of death was unbecoming his obedience to commandments! Their was no law that justified his death.
The worst of sinners can know his sins forgiven through a glance at the scene of the crucified one. And more still that his life has been freed to be good.
At the Cross, the Son was forsaken of his Father. He did not just suffer an unlawful death. He was also separated from the awareness of his Fathers presence. The relationship between the Father and the Son was not founded upon law, it flowed due to love freely given.
Jesus lived a life of simplicity, never doubting that his Father would provide. Such was his confidence that he lifted up the loaves knowing the multiplication. This life lived was cut off at Calvary, therefore, we know as Paul writes in the Galatians letter that the Spirit is received by faith, or as Charles Wesley penned ‘Arise, my soul, Arise’.
In the last days good shall be evil and evil good. Thus, the commandments of men in the last days shall be evil, but through adherence to the truth of God men shall see the truth that sets men free indeed.
Wild animals! This evokes Daniel in the lions den & David outside in the darkness of the night.
As with the retention of the knowledge of good, this enables us to see that God is a constant source of supply in whatever environment we find ourselves in. That God has not given mankind over to be reprobate, that only comes if we ourselves seek to deny that his ways are good.
Jesus the Son of God, having been endorsed by the Fathers very own voice, needed the angels to minister to him in the wilderness. How much more we, in an evil generation. God has not called us to walk amongst wild animals in the power of are own might, and akin to David, we do not seek out trouble through conflict with foes, only to salvage that which belongs to the Father – he was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, thus he was sustained, we do not go where angels fear to tread.
As a preacher said: ‘You can go anywhere, we the anointing of God’.
The time is fulfilled. Turn away from that which you know is wrong and receive the supply of life from my Father who alone is good. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.
Believe in the simple life. Believe in the provided sacrifice. Believe that God is faithful to his word.
The heavens torn open, just like the veil in the temple. Gods word of mercy spoken in covenant sprinkled by blood is the Fathers voice of love and returning to that embrace, the father is well pleased. ‘For this my Son was dead, was lost and is found, let us rejoice’.
No sooner has Jesus declared that the time is fulfilled, than he calls fishermen to follow him.
They are not wild animals these fishermen but they do understand the elements, their livelihoods have been dependent on understanding their environment and accounting for the behavior of fish.
Jesus says to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men’.
I will reveal to you first the greatest need man has. I will give you understanding of Johns baptism and of my baptism, this catches men. That which lifts them out the waters of their sins and condemnation and into the law of life.
Straightway, Jesus then enters the synagogue and was teaching.
And they were astonished as he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
All were astonished by this, but it was also noted by the fishermen who themselves were not scribes.
Their first lesson in following him was to witness first hand that when he taught it was with authority and not empty letter. This teacher carried life, and that was a window into their environment as fishermen. They understood that life was full of wonder, and that the stars shined brighter on cloudless nights.
This man carried authority, a life in the spirit that had the mastery over that which is wild.
Then a man demonically controlled is delivered.
‘A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him’
The knowledge of the Holy One of God, declared by that which is evil!
The knowledge of good by that which is evil.
A seed planted to break with Gods covenant had opened this man to spiritual possession, but in the midst of Gods house that day stood a teacher who had authority, a teacher who had never yielded to corruption. This teacher speaks deliverance, as he has rights of ownership within the synagogue and over all things and men. He does not dictate the future of this man, but he does restore unto him his freedom of choice.
A man who can not cry out for his own freedom, due to that which is evil having control over him, is set free by the Word of God. This is the truth that has been part and parcel of Gods Word since before time began: The lamb slain before the foundations of the world.
Evil itself has the knowledge that the Word of God is redemptive concerning man having broken Gods covenant. Therefore, if the vilest of sinners truly believes in that moment a pardon receives.
The new teaching is the new covenant: Jesus the Word of God received by human flesh! Be it unto me according to thy word.
Jesus the name given to save men from their sins. The name every demon in hell fears and trembles at. The name all of hell cannot prevail against.
The new covenant is a law of liberty: You can eat of every tree accept that which brings bondage. A scribe without liberty is in bondage to sin, hence, as Lord of the Sabbath he had absolute liberty. A scribe in bondage is a scribe striving under law due to the knowledge of sin, Paul came to understand the authority that is Gods word of life, the light of the world.
Man can be ransomed from having obeyed the wrong voice. The goodness of God leads men to repentance.
The true revelation of the nature of God revealed through a man: God the Father having shared his only begotten Son
The tree of life was in the midst that day, and the tree of life is named first. The will of God is taught and presented before man makes wrong choices. But if man will repent, a multiplication of the goodness of God occurs.
It was not good that man should be alone, it was good that man mirrored the full image of God. Why did she desire to have another God, to determine herself the knowledge of good and evil, had he failed to teach her with authority the Word of life. He failed her by being silent in the midst of the temptation rather than a teacher with authority, he himself questioned whether Gods voice was the only truth and authority for life.
‘Be silent’ – is that not the voice of darkness unto absolute truth in these last days, where truth is projected as subjective. But a man of authority says their is only one house of worship and he alone is the Holy One, all other gods are idols and deceiving demons.
God spoke to Peter, that he was not to call that common or unclean which God had cleansed.
Upon this rock! We may have all the credentials of a Mary, but resurrection life, the herald of the new covenant was a women who had been delivered from seven unclean demons.
On the Sabbath he was teaching: The time is fulfilled, it is Finished the cry of Calvary
Mark draws are attention to the fact that Jesus took with him from the synagogue to Peters home the same quality of life! It didn’t diminish, and Mark highlights that the same four are witnesses in these things.
All that Jesus began to do & teach: You shall be witnesses unto me here in Jerusalem and unto the ends of the earth. The life he carried was to become their life too, ‘Let us go on to the next town’.
eternalrays 