Mark 1:21-45

Driving Out an Unclean Spirit

21 Then they went into Capernaum, and right away He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.

22 They were astonished at His teaching because, unlike the scribes, He was teaching them as one having authority.

23 Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out,^[a]

24 "What do You have to do with us,^[b] Jesus-Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-the Holy One of God!"

25 But Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet, ^[c] and come out of him!"

26 And the unclean spirit convulsed him, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him.

27 Then they were all amazed, so they began to argue with one another, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority!^[d] He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."

28 His fame then spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.

Healings at Capernaum

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew's house with James and John.

30 Simon's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.

31 So He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her,^[e] and she began to serve them.

32 When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all those who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.

33 The whole town was assembled at the door,

34 and He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Preaching in Galilee

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.

36 Simon and his companions went searching for Him.

37 They found Him and said, "Everyone's looking for You!"

38 And He said to them, "Let's go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come."

39 So He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Cleansing a Leper

40 Then a man with a serious skin disease came to Him and, on his knees,^[f] begged Him: "If You are willing, You can make me clean."^[g]

41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. "I am willing," He told him. "Be made clean."

42 Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed.^[h]

43 Then He sternly warned him and sent him away at once,

44 telling him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

45 Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere.

Mark 1:21-45 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO MARK

This is the title of the book, the subject of which is the Gospel; a joyful account of the ministry, miracles, actions, and sufferings of Christ: the writer of it was not one of the twelve apostles, but an evangelist; the same with John Mark, or John, whose surname was Mark: John was his Hebrew name, and Mark his Gentile name, Ac 12:12,25, and was Barnabas's sister's son, Col 4:10, his mother's name was Mary, Ac 12:12. The Apostle Peter calls him his son, 1Pe 5:13, if he is the same; and he is thought to have wrote his Gospel from him {a}, and by his order, and which was afterwards examined and approved by him {b} it is said to have been wrote originally in Latin, or in the Roman tongue: so say the Arabic and Persic versions at the beginning of it, and the Syriac version says the same at the end: but of this there is no evidence, any more, nor so much, as of Matthew's writing his Gospel in Hebrew. The old Latin copy of this, is a version from the Greek; it is most likely that it was originally written in Greek, as the rest of the New Testament.

{a} Papias apud Euseb. Hist. l. 3. c. 39. Tertull. adv. Marcion. l. 4. c. 5. {b} Hieron. Catalog. Script. Eccles. p. 91. sect. 18.

Footnotes

• [a]. Other mss add to the beginning of v. 24: "Leave us alone.
• [b]. Lit What to us and to You
• [c]. Or Be muzzled
• [d]. Other mss read What is this? What is this new teaching? For with authority
• [e]. Other mss add at once
• [f]. Other mss omit on his knees
• [g]. In these vv., clean includes healing, ceremonial purification, return to fellowship with people, and worship in the temple; Lv 14:1-32.
• [h]. Lit made clean