The ministry of the man called Jesus of Nazareth is THE ONLY TEMPLATE/PATTERN/EXAMPLE the Holy Scriptures provides for those who are called by Him to spread His Word throughout the world. Following the death of the Lord’s Messiah the original apostles took the true Gospel to the Jews and to the “… lost sheep of the house of Israel” who, because of their rebellion against God, had been scattered throughout the civilized world. Read Who and Where Is Israel Today? Key word–Who. The pattern they followed was set for them by the Messiah Himself which He established as a man like the men among whom He lived throughout His earthly life.

It is important that we understand that when He came to earth as the child of Joseph and Mary, He brought none on His godly powers with Him. He “made Himself of no reputation,” meaning that he “emptied/divested Himself” of all Godness. With the exception of His dying for the sins of mankind, all that He did any man can do, provided the man lives in spiritual oneness with the Lord God Almighty–in total dependence on and obedience to Him. Jesus proclaimed this in John 14:12 when He said: “He (any man) who believes in (and obeys) Me, the things I do He will do also, and greater things than these will He do ….” This series will highlight what He did so that we can know what He and the Father expects of Their chosen apostles in today’s world. To complete this very important part of the series let us return to the Gospel of Mark chapter 1.

As stated earlier, following His baptism, reception of the Holy Spirit and 40 day fast, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and telling the people to repent and believe the Gospel He and His disciples would be preaching and ministering. As He makes clear in His Holy Word, spreading “the Gospel” involves much more than speaking God’s Truth.

Before we return to Mark’s Gospel and the very beginning of Christ’s ministry we will look into a later date at which time He had returned to Nazareth where, upon entering the local synagogue He was handed the Scriptures, specifically the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Receiving it, He turned to where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the (spiritual) captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (the effects of sin), to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He said Words that shocked all who heard Him: “This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears” (Lk. 4:16-21). In other words: “I am the One about Whom Isaiah wrote. I came to preach God’s Truth, heal and deliver those whose lives are being ruined by the effects of sin by offering them forgiveness and healing.” For this they tried to kill Him.

In the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel Jesus and four of His disciples are in the Capernaum synagogue where He has just given His first official message. Immediately the demonic spirit in a man recognized Him for who He was. The irony is that the people did not. Jesus rebuked the spirit and commanded him and the other demons to come out of the man. I once case 33 demons out of a woman. Christ’s boldness of word and action shocked the people (vs 22). Later, word about Him having spread throughout the area, a crowd gathered outside of Peter’s home where He and the men would spend the night. Verses 32 and 33 reveal that the entire city had gathered outside of Peter’s home. Jesus did what He had come to do after preaching the Gospel–heal the sick and deliver the demonically bound.

The next morning Jesus said to the four disciples Words that provide the pattern for His and their life’s work from that time forward: “Let us go into the next towns so that I can preach there also, FOR THIS REASON I CAME TO EARTH.” Notice that He mentioned only preaching. But His ministry, as well as His Words tell us that miracles, signs and wonders were as much a part of His ministry as was the preaching of God’s Word.

In Matthew 24 we find Him, knowing that His departure was at hand, preparing His disciples to become apostles (sent ones). He said to them that “… this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations ….” (vs 14). As we will see, the apostles’ Gospel would involve much more than preaching. A good indication of this Truth is found in His Words to them found in Matthew 10 where we find Him commanding them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, “… and as you go (ministering), preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received (the power of the Holy Spirit), freely give'” it away in the form of signs, wonders and miracles (vss 5-8).

In Matthew 9:35 we are told that Jesus “went about in all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” In 10:1 we find Him giving that same spiritual power to His disciples with orders to “cast out unclean spirits and heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” NOTHING HAS CHANGED. HE ISSUES THE SAME COMMISSION TO EVERY MAN HE HAS CALLED TO HIS MINISTRY TODAY. But beware, not all that glitters is gold. Read Miracles, Signs and Wonders. Key word–Signs. L J.