Die Bibel

 

Mark 1

Lernen

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:

11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.

26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.

30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.

33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.

34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.

40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

Kommentar

 

Captive of Sin

Durch Bill Woofenden

"Valley Pasture," painted by Robert Seldon Duncanson in 1857

"Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams of the south." Psalm 126:4

Additional readings: Ezekiel 47:1-12, Revelation 22:1-17, Psalms 121, 124, 125, 126

This week, as usual, our nation will observe November 11 as Armistice Day. It is good to keep in remembrance the close of conflicts and the blessedness of peace and to renew our belief in the final triumph of right.

The world has entered upon a new age. No rational person can doubt it, and in the years to come this will be seen ever more clearly. All peoples look forward to a time in which oppression and poverty will be overcome. For more than a century social forces have been at work to bring about a better world, and these social forces have been contending against mighty adverse forces: individual selfishness, the love of the world and its riches, and the love of dominion. These evil forces destroy the souls of men and bring forth the pernicious theories of the super-race and the super-state, which are the supreme manifestations of selfish and worldly loves.

We should remember also that these loves are not peculiar to the nations with which those theories are especially associated. It is such selfishness that captivates and enslaves men. We can rejoice that those powers which sought - and humanly speaking very nearly with success - to subject the human race to a cruel and wicked tyranny which would have proved calamitous alike to the tyrants and to their victims were defeated. Because of the victory, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, national freedom, freedom of the press, and freedom of the individual have been preserved.

The Psalm from which our text is taken refers to Israel's captivities. Long before the children of Israel had been slaves to Pharaoh and longed for release and freedom. The Psalm brings up the picture of the Nile River flowing into the Mediterranean Sea through many streams, enriching the land and making it productive. Without the Nile, rightly called by the ancients the River of Egypt, lower Egypt would be a desert. About September thirtieth the Nile is at its height; streams and canals are full and the thirsty land is drinking in its life, and soon the parched and desert lands blossom as the rose.

The psalmist says, "Turn again our captivity, O Lord." In the letter this Scripture refers to a physical bondage. Spiritually it tells of captivity to sin. Throughout the Word the wilderness and desert are used as symbols of states of life which are barren and in which no spiritual things can survive. We read, "Make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1:3). This does not mean that we are to build roads in the desert. It means that we are to bring into a life that has been made desolate the living things of God. It means that into a life made barren of good through selfishness we should bring the truth and goodness which will make life happy and abundant.

No evil or selfish person is really happy or beautiful. Though for him life may not be hard in the sense that he lacks an abundance of material things, yet it is in fact a hard life. In such a life nothing really rejoices. The man is in captivity to self. His mind is in darkness and the gentle, loving, and kindly qualities of the heart are held captive.

We read, "There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God" (Psalm 46:4). Just as the streams of the Nile make glad the people who dwell along its course, so the water of truth from the Word turns the desert of life into beauty and joy. "It shall come to pass that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live" (Ezekiel 47:9) And the reason is given, "because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary." "Because they issued out of the sanctuary!" (Ezekiel 47:12). That is why they bring life: they are the living truths that issue out of the Word of God.

There are seasons of the soul. The Word brings forth meat for the changing seasons of the spirit. It makes childhood happy and blessed, it gives vision to the youth, strength and victory to the mature, and peace to the aged. Some are in doubt as to whether the world will ever get any better. There will always be wars, they say; men and women will always be selfish. But the Lord through His Word can enlighten the minds of men and break their captivity to self and the world. In the light of the Word one can see the Lord's operation in history; he can see that the Lord reigns over all and that, in His Divine Providence, He is leading the world forward as fast as it will let Him. If we dwell by the banks of this stream we shall not fear for ourselves or for our children, nor shall we be discouraged. It is selfishness that leads to wars and the last Great War has brought about much questioning of the self-centered, self-derived principles in which men have placed their confidence—their confidence in their ability to direct and govern their personal lives and their moral and political life.

During the last war great parts of the world were laid waste and these must be rebuilt on better lines. Yet there would be no cities laid waste if there were no waste places in the human heart. In the realm of thought and conduct a rebuilding on a vast scale is likewise called for, and we have an opportunity such as was never given before to rebuild on better and. saner lines. For there are principles now revealed upon which a new and true human society can be built. But it cannot be built without the Lord. God created man that man might know Him, learn His laws, and living according to them be blessed with happiness and peace. His laws cannot be changed because they are the laws of infinite wisdom and love. To live in violation of them can bring nothing but disaster.

The experience through which the world has passed should lead us to put deeper trust in the Lord and make us more ready to learn of Him and to do His will. It is only in this way that there can be any advancement in individual or in national life. Increased inventions and improved machinery solve some external problems but they do not make better men. Love to the Lord and to the neighbor must supplant the love of self and the world. If Christianity means anything it means the power of the Lord in the human heart to remove evil and to impart new motives. The Israelites had lived in the delta of the Nile and yearly witnessed the transformation made by the "streams of the south," as the returning sun melted the snows, filled the streams, and made the land of Egypt fruitful. So we may, if we will, be witnesses to the power of the spirit of truth from the Word flowing into the mind and heart to free the soul from captivity and make it fruitful.

The prophet writes, "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:18). What the Lord has in store for the world when it turns to Him surpasses the human imagination. The Lord's Word now opened to the understanding is in the world. It is the river of life. It can bring forth the abundant harvest of everything delightful and beautiful. It can heal all our diseases. It is like those streams of the south that turn desolation into beauty and. plenty. "Turn again our captivity, O Lord." Free us from wrong thinking, from desires that lay waste our lives.

"I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people and to his saints: but let them not turn again unto folly. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams of the south" (Psalm 85:8).