Sabbath: A Day in the Ministry of Jesus
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 6th of July 2024
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study
Mark 1:16-45, John 1:29-45, Mark 5:41, Luke 6:12, Leviticus 13:1-59.
Memory Text:
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men’ ” (Mark 1:17, NKJV).
Each Gospel introduces the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in a particular way.
Matthew presents Jesus as calling disciples and then preaching the Sermon on the Mount.
Luke tells the story of Jesus’ inaugural sermon on a Sabbath in the synagogue in Nazareth.
John recounts the calling of some of the early disciples and the wedding at Cana, where Jesus performs His first sign.
The Gospel of Mark recounts the calling of four disciples and describes a Sabbath in Capernaum and what followed.
This “Sabbath with Jesus” at the beginning of Mark gives the reader a sense of who Jesus is. In the entire section for this week’s lesson, there are very few of His words recorded: a brief call to discipleship, a command to a demon, a plan to visit other locations, and the healing of a leper with instructions to show himself before a priest to be clean. The emphasis is on action, particularly healing people. The Gospel writer likes to use the word immediately to illustrate the fast-action movement of Jesus’ ministry.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 13.
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There are some people who, when they tell stories, like to fill in all the details. I went out photographing birds a couple of mornings ago and ran into a woman, who stopped to speak to me and half an hour later, I managed to get away with the key information that she had seen a black and white bird with a raspy call. I knew immediately that it was a Restless Flycatcher. But I wish she had just conveyed the key facts to me without the long and convoluted story. (Yes, I know I needed a lesson in patience.)
Mark goes to the other extreme, often stripping away the details to get to the bare facts. He was a master of the skill of precis. Sometimes it is a bit frustrating to us readers and we wish we knew more. For instance, there is probably a back story to how a man from the south of the country could turn up on a Galilea beach in North Palestine and convince four fishermen to, "Follow me!"
I am not going to speculate - I know I am not inspired, but I think we need to remember that Mark, perhaps even more than the other writers, wrote a very concise summary of Jesus ministry. He offers us the highlights of Jesus' ministry.
Thank you!
If Peter is the source of much of Mark's gospel, it makes a lot of sense. It very much fits his personality.
We were told their will be a savior that's is coming, as John the Baptist had proclaimed and it has happened
How does this week's theme relate to the key Thought and the lesson introduction
Hi Maureen. Rather than giving you a quick answer, I suggest you read forward in the lesson and see how the theme is developed and then you tell us how you would answer your question.
Seems to me that the theme is the example Christ set of some what we can be doing on the Sabbath. 'A day in the ministry of Christ'. Privare prayer and meditation, rest, preaching, healing, and raising from the dead.
Yes you will have to read the details for yourself this week, and or watch the multitude of youtubes on this weeks lesson.
We thank God for the new quarter herein.Hoping to learn more on the book of Mark.Be blessed 🖐️
I have learned to appreciate when someone comes ‘to the heart of the story’ quickly and without much ‘beating around the bush’. I call it ‘Truth in a nutshell’; it truly is a blessing.
Is it not spiritually edifying when the believer allows the Holy Spirit to complete the ‘experience’? He highlights/selects spiritual impressions and prompts them to the individual's heart and mind – so completing an individualized understanding through the revelations by the Holy Spirit - Rom.12:3.
One could consider that the more factual details are provided the less one calls upon faith to generate believe and spiritual understanding helpful to draw closer to God. I go as far to say that even without experiencing any observable impressions, one can be convinced that the 'Word of God' conveys indisputable Truth.
Wherever Jesus went, even more than the healing aspect of His ministry, He introduced to everyone Israel's God as their heavenly Father which askes us to worshiped Him in Spirit and Truth. After all, it is the Holy Spirit that convicts the living soul’s heart and mind, and not the evidence established by ones observation, experience or intellectual astuteness.
The dove alighting on Jesus‘s head at His baptism showed us what kind of ministry He would have. Jesus was a gentle savior, bringing peace with God to mankind through His sacrifice. Through action. Matthew 10:16 tells us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Doves don’t speak any words. A dove released by Noah after the Flood carried an olive leaf to say, “after God‘s judgment has been poured out, there’s new life available for everyone on planet Earth.” Judgment was poured out on Jesus for us, He connected the Cross to His baptism (Luke 12:50), and then Jesus was raised up out of the water to symbolize His resurrection and our new life in Christ (Rom. 6:4). I love words, and I also love that so much can be said without words.
Someone in Sabbath School challenged me about the dove on Christ head, the voice of God and, the presence of Christ at His baptism as not being proof in the Trinity. That someone even had compelling evidence other than the Bible, and quoted a vision he had to point out his disbelief in the Trinity. I did not have detailed biblical proof other than the Bible uses Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Fortunately in the audience was a volunteer, a gentleman who read him the texts used in our beliefs. The gentleman with different belief, left by saying to him I see you are well versed.
(Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 6:8; MATTHEW 28:19; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 1:21, 22; 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2.)
Good thing we have the four Gospels they compliment each other as pointed out in today's lesson.
I really appreciate your commentary Esther."Doves don’t speak any words." Yet those you mentioned testified without words. Amazing! How many situations envelope the christian that almost compel silence? How difficult to find balance since silence does not mean compliance but must like the dove deliver a message and bear witness.