Each Gospel introduces the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in a particular way.
Matthew presents Jesus as calling disciples and then preaching the Sermon on the Mount.
Luke tells the story of Jesus’ inaugural sermon on a Sabbath in the synagogue in Nazareth.
John recounts the calling of some of the early disciples and the wedding at Cana, where Jesus performs His first sign.
The Gospel of Mark recounts the calling of four disciples and describes a Sabbath in Capernaum and what followed.
This “Sabbath with Jesus” at the beginning of Mark gives the reader a sense of who Jesus is. In the entire section for this week’s lesson, there are very few of His words recorded: a brief call to discipleship, a command to a demon, a plan to visit other locations, and the healing of a leper with instructions to show himself before a priest to be clean. The emphasis is on action, particularly healing people. The Gospel writer likes to use the word immediately to illustrate the fast-action movement of Jesus’ ministry.
Thought question: How can we be careful not to do things that could hamper the spread of the gospel, no matter how good our intentions?