Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Mark: Chapter 1].
(\•geto\). It is the same word employed in the driving out of
demons (Mr 1:34,39). Mark has here "straightway" where Matthew
has "then" (see on verse ¯9). The forty days in the wilderness
were under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. The entire
earthly life of Jesus was bound up with the Holy Spirit from his
birth to his death and resurrection.
1:13 {With the wild beasts} (\meta t•u th•ri•n\). Mark does not
give the narrative of the three temptations in Matthew and Luke
(apparently from the Logia and originally, of course, from Jesus
himself). But Mark adds this little touch about the wild beasts
in the wilderness. It was the haunt at night of the wolf, the
boar, the hyena, the jackal, the leopard. It was lonely and
depressing in its isolation and even dangerous. Swete notes that
in Ps 90:13 the promise of victory over the wild beasts comes
immediately after that of angelic guardianship cited by Satan in
Mt 4:6. The angels did come and minister (\di•konoun\),
imperfect tense, kept it up till he was cheered and strengthened.
Dr. Tristram observes that some Abyssinian Christians are in the
habit of coming to the Quarantania during Lent and fasting forty
days on the summit amid the ruins of its ancient cells and
chapels where they suppose Jesus was tempted. But we are all
tempted of the devil in the city even worse than in the desert.
1:14 {Jesus came into Galilee} (\•lthen ho I•sous eis t•n
Galilaian\). Here Mark begins the narrative of the active
ministry of Jesus and he is followed by Matthew and Luke. Mark
undoubtedly follows the preaching of Peter. But for the Fourth
Gospel we should not know of the year of work in various parts of
the land (Perea, Galilee, Judea, Samaria) preceding the Galilean
ministry. John supplements the Synoptic Gospels at this point as
often. The arrest of John had much to do with the departure of
Jesus from Judea to Galilee (Joh 4:1-4). {Preaching the gospel
of God} (\k•russ•n to euaggelion tou theou\). It is the
subjective genitive, the gospel that comes from God. Swete
observes that repentance (\metanoia\) is the keynote in the
message of the Baptist as gospel (\euaggelion\) is with Jesus.
But Jesus took the same line as John and proclaimed both
repentance and the arrival of the kingdom of God. Mark adds to
Matthew's report the words "the time is fulfilled" (\pepl•r•tai
ho kairos\). It is a significant fact that John looks backward to
the promise of the coming of the Messiah and signalizes the
fulfilment as near at hand (perfect passive indicative). It is
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MR1.RWP.html (4 of 12) [28/08/2004 09:03:34 a.m.]