Kingdom Disciples

Jesus did not allow scruples over purity regulations to keep him from healing the sick and delivering the oppressed from demonic spirits. Neither Sabbath restrictions nor Levitical rules on ritual purity were intended to prevent human needs from being met, at least, not if the Messiah of Israel was present and implementing the Kingdom of God.

Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness by rejecting his temptations and lies. The effects of that victory were demonstrated when he exercised authority over demonic forces in the village of Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. The first incident occurred in the local synagogue, typically, a place where Jews would gather to study the  Torah  and pray.

The discipleship taught by Jesus differed from that of the rabbis of his day. His followers were called to leave everything behind if need be, and to dedicate their entire lives to his mission. And they were called  TO FOLLOW HIM . In contrast, students educated in rabbinical schools became disciples of the Torah and not of individual teachers.

All four gospel accounts apply the passage in  Isaiah  to John the Baptist, the messenger who called men to repent “ for the remission of sins ” in preparation for the Messiah. The passage identifies John as the forerunner who was expected before the “ Day of Yahweh ” to summon the nation - “ The voice of one crying, in the wilderness, prepare the way of the LORD ” - (Isaiah 40:3-5).

A brief introduction to, and outline of, the gospel of Mark, its history, contents, and literary structure .  The New Testament includes four gospel accounts, the gospels of Matthew , Mark , Luke , and John . The first three are categorized as ‘synoptic’ gospels, meaning “to see together.” The term is a compound of the Greek preposition  sun  (“together”) and  optikos  (“to see”), hence - “ to see together .”