Day 290 Reading Schedule: Mark 1~3

Mark 1: Jesus Christ Begins His Ministry

[Overview]

The writer of the Gospel of Mark begins his writing by declaring that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, and the Gospel (verse 1). He then introduces the story of John the Baptist (verses 2-8), briefly mentions Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River and his temptation in the wilderness (verses 9-13), and proclaims the gospel of the kingdom of God, which can be said to be the theme of the entire Gospel of Mark (verses 14-15). Jesus makes Simon, Andrew, James, and John his disciples (verses 16-20), teaches in the synagogue of Capernaum, and casts out demon-possessed people (verses 21-28). Then he goes to Simon’s house and cures his mother-in-law of a fever, and heals many sick people who come to him (verses 29-34). He got up at dawn and prayed, and went around the towns of Galilee preaching and healing the sick (verses 35-39), and especially described in detail the healing of a leper (verses 40-45).

Mark 2: Jesus, the Friend of Sinners

[Summary]

When Jesus heard the rumor that he was at the house in Capernaum, many sick people and demon-possessed people came to him, and the place in front of the house was so crowded that there was no room to walk. In the midst of all this, four friends brought a paralyzed man, and they tore open the roof and lowered him down so that he could be healed by Jesus (verses 1-12). After Jesus went out to the seaside and taught the crowds, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, a tax collector, and made him a disciple. He went to his house and had a meal with the tax collectors (verses 13-16). When asked why he did not fast like John the Baptist's disciples, he answered that new wine must be put into new wineskins (vv. 17-22), and in relation to the fact that he plucked and ate heads of grain on the Sabbath, he answered that the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath (vv. 23-28).

Mark 3: Appointing the Twelve Disciples

[Summary]

Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and healed a man with a withered hand, saying that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath (vv. 1-6). Jesus went into hiding for a while to escape the persecution of the Jewish authorities, but when they heard about him from far and near, the sick and the demon-possessed came to him and were healed (vv. 7-12). He went up to the mountain and appointed the twelve disciples (vv. 13-19). When he returned home, his relatives accused him of being out of his mind and the scribes of being controlled by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus dismissed them all with one word and said that anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven (vv. 20-30). Then Jesus, knowing that his mother and brothers had come to call him, taught him that whoever does the will of God is his brother and sister and mother (vv. 31-35).