What Jesus Did

One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River.

—Mark 1:9 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus was a real person who came from a real place called Nazareth in the province of Galilee. He was baptized in a real river, the Jordan. In other words, Jesus' story is more than a story; it is history. Yet more than just history, it is God's saving history. A special part of that history is Jesus' baptism. His baptism is important for a number of...

 

John announced: "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am... I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!"

—Mark 1:7-8 NLT

Key Thought


Jesus has the power and authority to send the Spirit and make us new. John could talk about the Holy Spirit and operate by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and he could promise the coming of the Holy Spirit. However, he could not baptize in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit wasn't part of his...

 

[John the Baptist's] clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
John announced: "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am — so much greater that I'm not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals."


—Mark 1:6-7 NLT

Key Thought


John's whole life was defined by his service to God and to God's Son. His clothing, his food, and his tasks were all...

 

All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

—Mark 1:5 NLT

Key Thought


John didn't choose the most accessible location to do his ministry. Instead, he was located in the wilderness. Yet, people came from all over to hear him. Why? Because they were hungry for spiritual food. They longed to hear the voice of God through one of his servants, a true prophet...

 

This messenger [to prepare the way for Jesus] was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

—Mark 1:4 NLT

Key Thought


God's messenger was John. He was called "the Baptist," or the Baptizer, because he baptized folks who came to him wanting to change their lives to align with the will of God. John's mission was to prepare people for the coming...

 

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written:
"Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way.
He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord's coming!
Clear the road for him!' "


—Mark 1:1-3 NLT

Key Thought


Where did the Gospel actually begin? Where did God's Good News originate? Matthew and Luke began their accounts of Jesus' life with the stories...

 

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

—Mark 1:1 NLT

Key Thought


We are beginning a journey through the Gospel of Mark. Gospel means "good news." Mark wants us to know four things about our journey with him through the life of Jesus.

1. It is a journey about God's good news.
2. It is about a very human person named Jesus; his humanity is revealed throughout Mark's Gospel.
3. This Jesus is also the Messiah (or Christ) promised in the Old...

 

Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on...

 

When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, "Surely this man was innocent." And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus' friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

—Luke 23:47-49 NLT

Key Thought


What happens in your heart when you think of Jesus on the cross? If you are like me, it is hard to...

 

By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last.

—Luke 23:44-46 NLT

Key Thought


Those few words are filled with great richness. Jesus' death occurred in deep darkness; a darkness that had its way for a...