Outline
I. The Beginnings of Jesus' Ministry (1:1-13)
A. His Forerunner (1:1-8)
- Early Galilean Ministry (1:14;3:12)
- Call of the first disciples (1:14-20)
- Miracles in Capernaum (1:21-34)
- Preaching and healing in Galilee (1:35-45)
- Ministry in Capernaum (2:1-22)
- Sabbath controversy (2:23;3:12)
- Later Galilean Ministry (3:13;6:29)
- Choosing the 12 apostles (3:13-19)
- Teachings in Capernaum (3:20-35)
- Parables of the kingdom (4:1-34)
- Calming the Sea of Galilee (4:35-41)
- Healing a demon-possessed man (5:1-20)
- More Galilean miracles (5:21-43)
- Unbelief in Jesus' hometown (6:1-6)
- Six apostolic teams preach and heal in Galilee (6:7-13)
- King Herod's reaction to Jesus' ministry (6:14-29)
- Jesus' Ministry in Judea and Perea (ch. 10)
VII. The Resurrection of Jesus (ch. 16)
Mark 3
13 Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain
and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him.
14 Then he appointed twelve of them and
called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them
out to preach,
15 giving them authority to cast out
demons.
16 These are the twelve he chose: Simon
(whom he named Peter),
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but
Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder” ),
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon (the zealot ),
19 Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the
crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time
to eat.
21 When his family heard what was
happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.
22 But the teachers of religious law who
had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.
That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”
23 Jesus called them over and responded
with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked.
24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will
collapse.
25 Similarly, a family splintered by
feuding will fall apart.
26 And if Satan is divided and fights
against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive.
27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is
powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his
goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder
his house.
28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and
blasphemy can be forgiven,
29 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy
Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.”
30 He told them this because they were
saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to
see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with
them.
32 There was a crowd sitting around Jesus,
and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”
33 Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who
are my brothers?”
34 Then he looked at those around him and
said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.
35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother
and sister and mother.”
Mark 4
1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the
lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat.
Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
2 He taught them by telling many stories
in the form of parables, such as this one:
3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some
seed.
4 As he scattered it across his field,
some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with
underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot
sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.
7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew
up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil,
and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a
hundred times as much as had been planted!”
9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand.”
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the
twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him
what the parables meant.
11 He replied, “You are permitted to
understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything
I say to outsiders,
12 so that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear
what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be
forgiven.’ ”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand
the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s
word to others.
15 The seed that fell on the footpath
represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take
it away.
16 The seed on the rocky soil represents
those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
17 But since they don’t have deep roots,
they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are
persecuted for believing God’s word.
18 The seed that fell among the thorns
represents others who hear God’s word,
19 but all too quickly the message is
crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for
other things, so no fruit is produced.
20 And the seed that fell on good soil
represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of
thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone
light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A
lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.
22 For everything that is hidden will
eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.
23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen
and understand.”
24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to
what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given
—and you will receive even more.
25 To those who listen to my teaching, more
understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what
little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is
like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground.
27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or
awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens.
28 The earth produces the crops on its own.
First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and
finally the grain ripens.
29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the
farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
30 Jesus said, “How can I describe the
Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?
31 It is like a mustard seed planted in the
ground. It is the smallest of all seeds,
32 but it becomes the largest of all garden
plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”
33 Jesus used many similar stories and
illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.
34 In fact, in his public ministry he never
taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his
disciples, he explained everything to them.
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his
disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”
36 So they took Jesus in the boat and
started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).
37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High
waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the
boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher,
don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind
and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and
there was a great calm.
40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid?
Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified.
“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
