MESSIANIC MINISTRY.

 WHEN JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS ARRESTED, JESUS GOES INTO GALILEE WHERE HE PROCLAIMS: THE TIME IS FULFILLED AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND; REPENT, BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL,"1:15.  WITH THIS JESUS MESSIANIC MINISTRY GETS UNDERWAY. WHAT HAPPENS?  THE TRUE ISRAEL BEGINS TO GATHER ABOUT HIMSELF A NEW PEOPLE. HE CONFRONTS PETER AND ANDREW, JAMES AND JOHN AND SAYS "FOLLOW ME!" 1:17. THEY FOLLOW. THERE IS NO TESTS TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THEY ARE WORTHY OF BEING IN JESUS COMPANY. NO STUDY IS MADE OF THEIR FAMILY BACKGROUND TO CHECK OUT THEIR PEDIGREE. THERE IS ONLY AN URGENT SUMMONS. 2:13,14. A LITTLE LATER, THE TWELVE ARE ST ASIDE AS THE NUCLEUS OF THE NEW ISRAEL THAT IS BEING FORMED 3:13-18. THE MESSIANIC MINISTRY IS INDEED GETTING UNDERWAY. WHAT FORM DID THE MESSIANIC MINISTRY TAKE?  1:14-8:30 OUTLINES THE BULK OF JESUS MINISTRY, HOWEVER, IT IS ONLY TOWARD THE CLOSE OF THIS MAJOR SECTION OF JESUS MINISTRY. THAT HE PUTS TWO CRUCIAL QUESTIONS. THE FIRST IS:" WHO DO MEN SAY THAT I AM?" THOUGH JESUS DOE NOT ASKS THIS QUESTION IN WORDS PRIOR TO THIS OCCASION, NEVERTHELESS HE POSES THIS QUESTION TO HIS WATCHING AUDIENCE AND TO HIS DISCIPLES CONTINUALLY THROUGH HIS ACTIONS!  THE WHOLE POINT OF HIS EARLY MESSIANIC MINISTRY TO MAKE PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT WHO HE IS, WHAT HE IS DOING, AND WHY HE IS DOING IT. THROUGHOUT 1:14-8:30 MARK DEVOTES MUCH ATTENTION TO JESUS MIRACLES. TRUE, MARK FREQUENTLY DESCRIBES JESUS AS "TEACHING." HE RECORDS TEN INSTANCES WHERE JESUS IS ADDRESSED AS "TEACHER."  HE SAYS JESUS HEARERS  ARE ASTONISHED AT HIS TEACHING. DESPITE ALL THIS, MARK TELLS US LITTLE ABOUT WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY TAUGHT. HE RECORDS ONLY TWO EXTENDED PARABLES, EVEN THOUGH HE SAYS JESUS WAS ACCUSTOMED TO USE THIS FORM OF TEACHING, 4:2, 12:1. IF MARK PLACES SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON JESUS MIRACLES, ONE MUST ASK: "WHAT WAS THE INTENDED MESSAGE. JESUS  STATED ON ONE OCCASION THAT OTHERS IN PALESTINE, APART FROM HIM, WERE ABLE TO CAST OUT DEMONS, MATTHEW 12:27: IT WAS BELIEVED THAT A PERSON COULD PERFORM MIRACLES NOT ONLY IN THE POWER OF GOD., BUT ALSO IN THE POWER OF SATAN, MARK 3:22. THE MIRACLES JESUS DID WERE DESIGNED TO SPEAK A POWERFUL MESSAGE ABOUT WHO HE WAS, AND WHAT AGE HAD BROKEN IN WITH HIS MINISTRY. WHAT FORM DID THE MESSIANIC MINISTRY TAKE? MARK 1: 14-8:30. OUTLINES THE BULK OF JESUS MINISTRY. HOWEVER, IT IS ONLY TOWARD THE CLOSE OF THIS MAJOR SECTION OF JESUS MINISTRY THAT HE PUTS TWO CRUCIAL QUESTIONS TO HIS DISCIPLES. THE FIRST IS:" WHO DO MEN SAY THAT I AM?"  " WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? THOUGH JESUS DOES NOT ASK IN WORDS PRIOR TO THIS OCCASION, NEVERTHELESS HE POSES QUESTION THIS QUESTION TO HIS WATCHING AUDIENCE AND HIS DISCIPLES CONTINUALLY THROUGH HIS ACTIONS!  THE WHOLE POINT OF HIS EARLY MESSIANIC MINISTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHO HE IS, WHAT HE IS DOING, AND WHY HE IS DOING IT.  THROUGHOUT 1:14-8:30, MARK DEVOTES MUCH ATTENTION TO JESUS MIRACLES. TRUE, MARK FREQUENTLY DESCRIBES JESUS AS "TEACHING."  HE RECORDS TEN INSTANCES WHERE JESUS IS ADDRESSED AS "TEACHER." HE SAYS THAT JESUS HEARERS ARE ASTONISHED AT HIS TEACHING. DESPITE ALL THIS, MARK TELLS US LITTLE ABOUT WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY TAUGHT. HE RECORDS ONLY TWO EXTENDED PARABLES, EVEN THOUGH HE SAYS THAT JESUS WAS ACCUSTOMED  TO USE THIS FORM OF TEACHING, 4:2, 12 :1.  IF MARK PLACES SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON JESUS MIRACLES, ONE MUST ASK: " WHAT WAS THE INTENDED MESSAGE OF THOSE MIRACLES?!  JESUS STATED ON ONE OCCASION THAT OTHERS IN PALESTINE, APART FROM HIM, WERE ABLE TO CAST OUT DEMONS., MATTHEW 12: 27.  IT WAS BELIEVED THAT A PERSON COULD PERFORM MIRACLES NOT ONLY IN THE POWER OF GOD BUT ALSO IN THE POWER OF SATAN, MARK 3:22. THE MIRACLES DID WERE DESIGNED TO SPEAK A POWERFUL MESSAGE ABOUT WHO HE WAS, AND WHAT AGE HAD BROKEN IN WITH HIS MINISTRY. THESE MIRACLES CAN BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR GROUPS. THE ISAIANIC SIGNS, THIS TERM "ISAINIC"  IS DERIVED FROM THE NAME "ISAIAH."   
 JOHN THE BAPTIST IS IN PRISON. HIS LIFE IS IN DANGER. HE SENDS SOME OF HIS FOLLOWERS TO  JESUS TO ASK IF HE REALLY IS THE ONE THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. JESUS DOES NOT WITH A VERBAL "YES ". INSTEAD HE POINTS TO THE THINGS HE HAS BEEN DOING. JESUS ACTIONS REVEAL WHO HE IS!
 IN MATTHEW 11:5 JESUS SAYS, " THE BLIND RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT AND THE LAME WALK, LEPERS ARE CLEANSED AND THE DEAF HEAR, AND THE DEAD ARE RAISED UP, AND THE POOR HAVE THE GOOD NEWS  PREACHED TO THEM." HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE, THE PROPHET ISAIAH WROTE, "THEN (WHEN THE MESSIANIC AGE
FINALLY COMES) THE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL BE OPENED AND THE EARS OF THE DEAF UNSTOPPED: THEN SHALL THE LAME MAN LEAP LIKE A HART, AND THE TONGUE OF THE DUMB SING FOR JOY," ISAIAH 35:5,6; NOTE ALSO ISAIAH 42:7 AND 61:1. THE JEWS BELIEVED THAT WHEN THE MESSIANIC AGE BROKE IN, THE "SIGNS" ISAIAH HAD REFERRED TO WOULD BE DONE---EVIDENCE THAT THE MESSIANIC AGE FINALLY CAME.  THEREFORE, THOUGH THE MIRACLES JESUS DID FOR THE BLIND, DEAF, DUMB, AND THE LAME WERE STUPENDOUS AND ASTONISHING, THEY WERE PRIMARILY INDICATIONS THAT THE HOPES ISRAEL HAD LONG CHERISHED WERE BEING FULFILLED. THAT SAID VOLUMES ABOUT WHO JESUS WAS. JESUS ACTIONS NEEDED TO BE READ WITH GREAT CARE.TOWARDS THE CLOSE OF HIS MINISTRY, JESUS QUESTIONED THE DISCIPLES ABOUT HOW THEY HAD READ THOSE ACTIONS, MARK 8: 27-30.