Mark

1:1: In the Roman empire, good news was the announcement of the coming of a king (yes?)

1:4: крещение покаяния для прощения грехов. Это крещение имело параллели в иудейском обиходе той эпохи: твила — ритуальное омовение для избавления от нечистоты. Ессеи ужесточили требования к обряду и, в отличие от ортодоксальных евреев, считали, что еобходимость ритуального очищения возникала не только от прикосновения к ритуально нечистым предметам и животным, но и от дурных поступков. Поэтому если человек проходил обряд погружения в воду без покаяния, по их мнению обряд становился чистой формальностью и не приносил очищения; такая концепция была заметным новшеством. Этот обряд ритуального омовения кумраниты-ессеи толковали не только как символ раскаяния во искупление греха, но одновременно и как обряд посвящения в члены своей общины. (Википедия)

2:8: Just like Jesus perceived in His spirit the secrets of their hearts, so that He was somehow able to sense their thoughts, so will the holy spirit reveal to us the truth about the people around us, if we sincerely ask Him!

2:14: To follow is not just to walk like a duckling after his mother; is is to listen, to talk, to witness, to be near all the time, and to live daily like Jesus did.

2:15: Sinners and tax collectors followed Jesus because He received them — unlike the synagogue, where they were looked down on.

2:16: Jesus has fallen in the eyes of the Pharisees: a righteous person, they thought, would have stayed away from those people!

2:19: Talmud taught that on a wedding one does not have to keep all regulations of the law: the only law was to be joyful (?)

2:19: In the old testament, people fasted to become closer to God. When God in Jesus is already near, there’s no need to fast.

2:21-22: Probably, Jesus was talking about a new approach to religion: it’s not going to fix the old way of worship, but be completely new. No patches: a completely new religious tradition. Attempts to save old traditions will lead to a tear in clothing (external faith) and a burst wineskin (internal faith). (?)

2:21-22: Если кто спросит, в чем таинственная разница между молодым вином и новой одеждой, тот легко заметит, что вином мы освежаемся изнутри и пьянеем, одежду же надеваем снаружи поверх себя. И то и другое имеет отношение к духовной жизни. Одеяние, конечно, означает наши добрые дела, которые мы совершаем и на основании которых предстаем перед людьми. А молодым вином разжигается жар веры, надежды и любви, через который, с новизной чувств внутри нас, мы преображаемся в очах нашего Создателя. (Беда Достопочтенный)

2:21-22: Душа непреображённого человека есть ветхий плащ и старые мехи. Она не обновилась верой, не преобразилась благодатью Духа. Она еще немощная и земная, думает о житейском, и пребывает в заботе о пустых фантазиях мира, и вожделеет здешней славы. Если же такой человек с самого начала услышит, как ставший христианином немедленно делается узником и заковывается в цепи, то, устыдившись и оробев, отпрянет от проповеди. (Иоанн Златоуст)

2:21-22: Когда будешь рассматривать рваную одежду своей души и будет тебе стыдно и захочешь ее обновить, не рядись в яркие лоскутья заплат. Брось пеструю, крикливую ветошь и лучше оденься в одежду простую, но новую. В духовной жизни нельзя начинать постройки нового с подлаживания к старому. «Новое» — Божие — несоединимо с «ветхим» — человеческим. Новому вину Божией силы и тесно и неуютно в старых мехах. Да оно и порвет негодную оболочку старого… (Григорий Лебедев)

2:23: The meaning of this and the following Sabbath tales is that the man-made religious traditions (the specific ways they observed it) can never be above God’s law, which is love.

2:26: It was not during Abiathar’s priesthood, but Ahimelech’s; Mark probably uses the better known priest, especially because he took the office shortly after this episode.

3:21: In v.31 it becomes clear that the family that came were his mother and his brothers, who obviously did not believe in Jesus, thinking Him to be out of his mind. At the same time, in Jn 2:3-5, she seems to believe that Jesus has undeniable power, even though He has performed no miracles. On the other hand, in Lk 2:49-50, when Jesus spoke about the Temple being His Father’s house, Mary did not understand, even though she treasured these things in her heart (v. 51). Perhaps, her faith was shaken when her Son’s actions have started to bring trouble onto His head? And perhaps, onto her family too?

3:27: Jesus is the One Who plunders satan’s house — this world, of which he is a prince — by snatching people out of it into God’s Kingdom. Jesus first has to bind him, which is done by his Resurrection.

3:29: In context, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is attributing to satan the work of the Spirit (as they’ve done in v.22). It is an eternal sin because one has to have the hardest heart possible in order to speak like that. Being in such a state, they can’t be saved anymore.

5:18: There is a contrast between a saved person and unsaved people. The man who begged Jesus that he might be with Him, while in v. 17 the people begged Jesus to depart. Those who are saved are drawn to Jesus, while those who are unsaved reject Him.

5:20: Because of what Jesus had done for him, the man now has a testimony that may draw people to God.

5:25: The woman was in a very sorry state: she was sick, and also rejected by the community, for she was unclean, as well as anything she touched (Lev 15:25-27). For twelve years she was a very, very lonely person, rejected by everyone.

5:31: The verse says that a lot of people were touching Jesus, but only one person out of the whole crowd had an impact on her life. This means that it is I suffucient to stand by something holy; you’ve got to have sincere faith. (Саша Нагорный, Запорожье)

5:42: That woman with the flow of blood has also suffered for twelve years.

5:1-43: This chapter tells us three things. 1) That Jesus has power where human might is powerless (chains); 2) That Jesus has power where human wisdom is powerless (doctors); 3) That Jesus has power where common sense is at its limits (girl already dead).

5:36: What can this situation tell us about Jair’s faith? He did not keep Jesus from going to his house, even though the girl was dead. He had faith that Jesus might be able to do something.

6:12: The message of the Gospel that Jesus taught included repentance (Mt 4:17 note).

6:18: John was bold enough to go in to the king and reprove him. John could not keep quiet when he saw sin. Even knowing that the king, known for his cruelty, would not appreciate it.

6:22: Only men were present, and only harlots could enter a feast like that. Even Herod’s wife was not there (v. 24: “went out”). Herod’s daughter’s appearance was another indication of the fallen morals of that party. Another indication is Herod’s dumb words in v. 23, and his inability to back off in v. 26 because of his guests. The whole party was a show off, a pride parade.

6:52: Because they had not understood [the miracle of] the loaves [how it revealed the power and deity of Jesus]; but [in fact] their heart was hardened [being oblivious and indifferent to His amazing works]. (AMP)

7:8: Jesus calls the Old Testament “the commandment of God”. The Holy Spirit of God used men that were chosen by God to write the message of God, and guided them so that they wrote exactly what God told them to write. We have an inerrant, infallible, living word of God. (Dr. Stanley)

8:24: This is the only miracle that was done in two steps, where the first action of Jesus has not, apparently, yielded the expected result.

9:34: To make it more vivid: twelve men spent the whole way talking about who is greater among them, giving examples of their decisions and deeds, perhaps, of their closeness with Jesus. Probably, Peter, James, John and Andrew had the best arguments, for they were pillars, the inner circle.

9:35: He taught them the essence of true greatness: If anyone wants (Mk 8:34) to be first, to have the highest position among the “great” in God’s kingdom, he must be the very last (lit., “he shall be last of all,” by deliberate, voluntary choice) and the servant of all. Here “servant” (diakonos) depicts one who attends to the needs of others freely, not one in a servile position (as a doulos, a slave). Jesus did not condemn the desire to improve one’s position in life but He did teach that greatness in His kingdom was not determined by status but by service.

9:35: Servant (Gk. diakonos): not someone who does everything people ask of him, but one who cares about people, who sees the need and acts on it, no walks past it.

9:36: Ancient people did not care about children like we do: they were lowly, and at times marginalized in ancient societies. Jesus is showing them they should willingly take on lowly, often unnoticed tasks and care for those who have little status in the world. Anyone who does this, Jesus says, receives Me and in so doing also receives **the Father (Him who sent Me). Humbly caring for people of lowly status out of obedience to Christ (“in my name**”) will be rewarded by rich personal fellowship with both the Son and the Father. (ESV)

9:48: their worm dies not. When we were in Jerusalem, it was pointed out to us where the valley of Hinnom was. It is southwest from Jerusalem. It’s very easy to see. It’s there today. It is a notorious place. I’m going to read you a little of its history. It was the place where Ahaz had introduced into Israel the fire worship of the heathen god Molech to whom little children were burned in the fire. “He burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and he burned his children in the fire.” Says 2 Chronicles 28:3. Further, Josiah the reforming king had stamped out the evil worship of Molech in the place of Hinnom, and ordered that the valley should be forever after an accursed place. Because of what had gone on, because it had been defiled, because in the valley, there had been the fire of Molech. Now in consequence of this, the valley of Hinnom bore that curse throughout all of Israel’s history. It became a place where the Jewish people dumped their garbage. The valley of Hinnom was the garbage dump of Jerusalem. And what they had there was a public incinerator that burned all the time, all the time, all the time, never went out, never went out. And when Jesus referred to gehenna or hell and described the eternal state of the wicked as gehenna, what He was saying is it is an eternal, never ending fire, in an accursed place, where the rubbish of humanity will burn and be consumed. Vivid language. (MacArthur)

15:11: Who crucified Christ? The priests. Those thought to be believers in God, more than that — the servants of God, crucified Him when He came. “Believers” have killed their God.

16:1: Купили ароматы. У них не было благовоний; они очень постарались, и умудрились в воскресенье, с утра весьма рано (с. 2) найти человека, который бы продал им благовония. (Андроник Пантак)

16:3: Кто отвалит нам камень?. В этом разница между мужским и женским мышлением. Мужчина бы размышлял так: “там камень, тяжёлый, давайте сядем и подумаем, как его отвалить, и потом уже пойдём”. А если камень не отвалить, то зачем вообще идти? Женщина же мыслит по-другому, на уровне даже нейробилологии: она просто соберётся и пойдёт, а о камне будет думать уже там, на месте. (Андроник Пантак)

16:5: юношу. Это, конечно же, ангел. Отметим, что в ветхом завете ангелы нередко представали в человеческом обличии, так сказать, неоперённые. (Андроник Пантак)

16:5: на правой стороне. Это очень важное замечание. В Иудее было поверье, что если явившийся ангел от Бога, то он будет находиться на правой стороне. Бог, естественно, знал о таком поверье, и потому когда Захарии ангел явился около жертвенника, он стоял, конечно же, с правой стороны. И для Захарии это было дополнительным пренебрежением не поверить в слова такого ангела. (Андроник Пантак)

16:5: облечённоо в белую одежду. В Израиле белая одежда использовалась исключительно для праздников, и не использовалась для выхода из дома. Так, Ангел предстал перед Марией в праздничной одежде. (Андроник Пантак)

16:7: Ученикам и Петру. Пётр недавно предал Иисуса, и горько об этом заплакал. Сейчас ангел особо, отдельно, упоминает Петра. Можно себе представить, как Пётр обрадовался бы, услышь он, что его не “отчислили” из апостолов, а наоборот, было сочтено что ему тоже нужно знать. Его позвали по имени. Возможно, из-за этого он потом бежал ещё быстрее и радостнее. (Андроник Пантак)

16:8: никому не сказали. Это же как нужно было испугаться, чтобы женщина никому ничего не рассказала! (Андроник Пантак)

16:17: будут сопровождать сии знамения. Иисус не сказал, что знамения будут сопровождать каждого верующего всегда. Он лишь сказал, что верующих в целом будут сопровождать знамения. И так оно и есть. (Андроник Пантак)

16:17: говорить новыми языками. Кто-то считает, что гласолалия – это говорение Божьим языком, который становится немедленно потянет слушающему. Другие считают, что речь идёт об обычных иностранных языках, родных для слушающего. В любом случае, речь идёт о том, чтобы говорить так, как будет понятно. Красноречиво, или же косноязычно, – но так, чтобы доходило. (Андроник Пантак)

16:19: одесную. Опять-таки, с правой стороны. (Андроник Пантак)

16:19: одесную также обозначает крайнее приближение. Человечество, в лице Иисуса, теперь максимально приближено к Богу, Который добровольно, и только из любви к нам, ограничил себя человеческой плотью. (Андроник Пантак)