December, 1937
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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office. Christ presented Himself for bap tism, but not on account of personal sin, as was the case with all others. He was “without sin” (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5; Heb. 7:26). Christ’s baptism was the Servant’s identi fication with His people (v. 9)—and this in order to reach and save them. It was, moreover, the Servant’s surrender to the Father’s will (vs. 10,11). For the first time since man sinned, God could look with complacency upon a human being on earth. At Jordan, God consecrated the Servant for the office which He assumed. The opened heavens spoke of God’s acceptance of the Servant; the coming of the Holy Spirit was God’s enduement of the Servant with power for the office; and the voice which was heard was evidence of God’s confidence in the Servant and was ground for the Servant’s confidence that God ap proved of and accepted Him. Even with the Son of God (and surely with us, His followers), it is true that when there is surrender unto God, with its accompanying realization of acceptance by God, the devil immediately attempts to destroy the assurance and hinder the serv ice. Satan had been successful in his pur poses with the first man. And now that the “last Adam”—the Lord Jesus Christ— had come, Satan would try to cut short His service for God (cf. Matt. 4:1-11). Two words found here are peculiar to Mark, “wild beasts,” and “driveth” (vs. 12, 13)7 Of the King (in Matthew’s ac count) and of the Man (of Luke’s Gospel) it is recorded that He was;A‘led,” but the Servant is sent, or driven. It is the same word used by our Lord when He said, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the har vest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38). The “servant” must be a sent one, going at the bidding of another, to fulfill another’s business. Christ the Servant had been assured of His relationship with God; but He, as a Man, needed the Holy Spirit to empower Him, to give Him victory over Satan, and to use Him in the work He had come to do. As the Servant of Jehovah, He showed to us, His followers, the course we must take. Points and Problems 1. “The beginning of the gospel" (Mk. 1:1). It has been noticed that Mark plunges immediately into the ministry of our Lord without giving any space to the account of His birth. By some of the critical schol ars, this fact is perversely interpreted to show that Mark knew nothing about the Virgin Birth. The true explanation is to be found in the purpose of Mark’s Gospel. Mark wrote to present Christ as the great Servant of God, doing the works of God. And a servant requires no genealogy. Therefore, He appears suddenly in Mark’s account, with no mention of birth or youth. Matthew, writing to show Him as the King of the Jews, must trace His ances try back to Abraham and David. And Luke, presenting Him as the Son of Man, traces His lineage back to Adam the father of humanity. 2. ‘‘Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (v. 1). The very order of these names indicates
the method of approach that Mark will employ. He will begin with the Man “Jesus,” show Him as “Christ” accom plishing the mighty works which appertain to His Messiahship, and finally rise to the glory of His divine Person as “the Son of God”—as Deity. 3. “As it is written in the prophets" (v. 2). Many ancient manuscripts read “in Isaiah the prophet” instead of “in the prophets,” and this reading is adopted by most critical scholars and by the American Revised Version. This reading raises a problem because in verse 2, Mark quotes from Malachi (Mai. 3:1), not Isaiah. How ever, the gist of the Malachi prophecy was first uttered by Isaiah (Isa. 40:3), a fact which Mark evidently recognizes because he also quotes the original prediction from Isaiah (Mk. 1:3). Thus, regardless of the reading adopted, Mark is correct. 4. “The Spirit like a dove descending” (v. 10). That this statement refers not merely to the manner of descent, but also to the visible form, is clear from Luke’s acco.unt: “The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove” (3:22). Thus we may learn that the invisible God who is “spirit,” and therefore invisible, may assume a visible form for the purpose of manifestation, as He did more than once in the Old Testament theophanies. A speaker at a Christian Endeavor con vention said: “I found in a small country church away up among the hills of Ver mont a certain deacon of great wealth, who was one of the most zealous and self- denying members of that little church and who was known throughout the whole com munity for his good works. I ventured to ask him one day why he was pursuing a course so unusual for rich men. His reply was, ‘When I became a Christian, and began to read my Bible with appreciation of its meaning, I read that I was called into the vineyard of the Lord, and I made up my mind at oiice that I wasn’t called there to eat grapes, but to hoe ever since.’ ” — The Sunday School Chronicle. Golden Text Illustration M ark 1 :3
3 52 Musical Numbers; 26 pages Spiritual Readings
H i VER since Christ was born, men have sought the perfect Christmas hymn. The strains of “ Silent Night, Holy Night” overflowed from the full heart of Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber who played and sang their own composition for the first time on Christmas, 1818, in the little Tyrol town of Obendorf. Since then this hymn has spread to the four corners of the earth and naturally finds a place in “ TABERNACLE HYMNS NUMBER THREE” —“ The Song Book Of The Nation.” This matchless collection of standard hymns and gospel songs will stir up the spirit of revival and bring the fullness of power to your church. G r e a t R e d e m p t i v e T h e m e s An unrivalled all-purpose book, deep in con viction and abundant in grace, that embraces all the main redemptive themes. Contains hymns of Bible, Blood, Second Coming, Repent ance, Faith and strong selections of children’s songs and choir numbers. M a i l C o u p o n F o r R e t u r n a b le S am p le See and examine this varied and wonderful collection of truly beautiful and spiritual songs. Play and sing its numbers. Test its abundant strength and above all its spiritual power. Bound in green silk cloth lacquered to keep ap pearance fresh and gold stamping bright. Price per 100 only $50.00. Green bristol binding, price per 100 only $32.50. Prices not prepaid. Fully orchestrated.
When Jesus Was Baptized M ark 1:1-13
’ Memory Verse: “And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mk. 1:11)., Approach: The stories that Matthew and Luke wrote about the Lord Jesus tell
us about the time when He was born. Luke tells how Jesus grew up in Joseph’s carpenter shop, and how each y e a r He g rew “in w isdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” B u t M ark hurries past all this part of the story and
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Gentlemen: Will you please send Returnable Sam ple Copy of “TABERNACLE HYMNS NUMBER THREE” as we need song books in our church for the following uses: □ Worship Service □ Sunday School □ Young People □ Evan. Meetings Name------------------------------ Official Title_____ _ Address__________________ ________________ Church and Total Denom.----------------------------- Membership___ _ Pastor------------------------ Address____________ _
begins with the time when Jesus was ready to begin the great work which He had come to do. Lesson Story: First of all, the people ^ s t O *
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