The Gospel According To MarkSample

Jesus’ Ministry Near Capernaum: Mark 1:16-3:6

Mark began by reporting that Jesus called his first disciples in Mark 1:16-20. In this section, we see that one way people responded to Jesus was in radical obedience. Jesus told them to follow him, so they dropped what they were doing and became his disciples.

Next, Jesus proclaimed the gospel by teaching and working miracles in Capernaum in Mark 1:21-34. During this time Jesus’ fame began to spread throughout Galilee, as it would continue to do so throughout his ministry. Because of his growing fame, crowds began to gather around Jesus, often hindering his ability to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel. So, he began to instruct others not to promote him as Messiah.

Jesus then left Capernaum and began teaching and performing miracles in neighboring villages, as we see in Mark 1:35-45. Jesus moved to neighboring villages partly to spread his gospel through his teaching and miracles. But he also did it to escape the crowds in Capernaum that were preventing him from ministering freely. As he had done previously, he encouraged those he met not to spread reports about him. 

Next, Mark reported that Jesus returned to Capernaum, where he clashed with Jewish leaders, as we read in Mark 2:1–3:6. This part of Mark’s gospel deals with things like Jesus’ authority to forgive sin, his justification for ministering to sinners, and his teachings about the Sabbath. But it also introduces another consequence of his growing fame: Jesus’ detractors began to grow in number, and to oppose him more strongly. In fact, the section ends by foreshadowing Jesus’ death. In Mark 3:6, Mark reported that Jesus’ opponents were so angry that many of them began plotting to murder him.