February 10 Daily Discovery
February 10 Daily Discovery
Read Mark Chapter 1
Forsake and Follow
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 farther 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.
~ Mark 1:14-20
The Witness
~ Mark 1:1-11
John preached to the people that their Messiah was coming soon and that they should repent and be baptised in preparation to be ready to receive Him.
The people had accepted that John the baptizer was a prophet and they honored him as such. He told them that the One that was coming was so much greater than he was, that he was not even worthy to become His servant.
He told them, "I am only baptizing you with water, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit of God."
The Wilderness
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.
~ Mark 1:10-13
It had to be established that Jesus was the son of Abraham and the son of David. (See Matthew 1)
Not just a prophet, but the prophet.
He was not just a son of God, but the Son of God.
Jesus was tested, NOT tempted. He was God in the flesh and could not sin. It was not possible. He was also the son of man, so the testing was real.
He started His ministry with a forty day fast and testing in the wilderness and came through it perfectly and victoriously.
The Works
Now, Jesus has been baptized and is going to start His very public ministry. He is going to prove by the signs, wonders and miracles that He performed that He was indeed THE PROPHET that would come into the world.
God had created many "sons". These were spiritual beings and a part of His heavenly family. That is why they are referred to as sons.
Jesus was NOT one of them. They were all created by the Most High God. Jesus was NOT created. He was and is and has always been God, the Son.
When He took upon Himself human flesh, He became the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. He was made for a while "a little lower than the angels" in order to become an acceptable sacrifice to God the Father for the sins of mankind, so they could also be brought into His family.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
~ 1 John 3:1-2
How did Jesus prove His Messiahship?
By His message and miracles!
He preached "repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." This was true because their King had arrived!
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Matt. 11:1-5
This was also prophesied in the Old Testament.
3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
~ Isa. 35:4-6
This is made clear in the book of John, the 10th chapter.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
19 There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.
20 And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?
21 Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?
22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
~ John 10: 11-40
Jesus was the greatest miracle worker that ever lived. This was not the problem of the Jews that rejected Him. They did no believe the He was God as He claimed.
He proved, too, that He was God, because he had the power to lay His life down and the power to take it up again!
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