Mark 1:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you."

NIV: and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

NASB: and they found Him and *said to Him, 'Everyone is looking for You.'

CSB: and when they found him they said, "Everyone is looking for you."

NLT: When they found him, they said, 'Everyone is looking for you.'

KJV: And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

NKJV: When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

Within the span of half a day, Simon Peter goes from humble fisherman to the host of the most famous person in Capernaum. After Jesus healed a demon-possessed man and a woman with a fever, "the whole city" comes to Simon Peter's door to see if Jesus can heal them, as well (Mark 1:32–33). The next morning, the crowd presumably returns, asking for Jesus and disrupting Simon Peter's household. His response is to gather a small group, probably including his brother, Andrew, and Jesus' other two disciples, James and John, and search for Jesus. They are not the only ones curious; "everyone" is looking for Jesus at this moment.

It's unclear what Simon Peter expects, here. He has, at least temporarily, left his fishing business to follow and learn from Jesus (Mark 1:16–18). Now a crowd grows outside his front door. In Luke 11:9, Jesus teaches that those who seek for God's blessings will find them. James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." Simon Peter realizes, while he does not know what to do next, Jesus does, so he searches for Jesus and finds Him. Jesus' solution to the gathering crowd is perhaps not what Peter expected: leave Capernaum and spend three years preaching all over Israel, but Peter follows.

This event is told from the perspective of Simon Peter, further making the case that Mark's Gospel is based on his eyewitness account (Mark 1:36).

Mark 1:21–45 opens a longer section describing the healing and preaching ministry of Jesus Christ. In this segment, Jesus impresses onlookers with His mastery of the Scriptures. He also amazes people with His authoritative style. During this teaching, Jesus heals a man afflicted with demonic possession. The resulting publicity brings a massive crowd to the home of Simon Peter, where Jesus is staying. Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law of a fever, and cures a leper, before leaving the region to continue His ministry.

John the Baptist is introduced as a figure preparing the world for the arrival of the Messiah. John's baptism teaches people about their need for repentance. When Jesus arrives, and is baptized, it signals the coming of God's fulfillment and the need of people to recognize their Savior. Mark briefly notes Jesus' baptism, desert temptation, and the calling of the first four disciples. After this, Jesus begins teaching in the synagogue and performs miraculous healings which spread His fame around the region.

The first chapter of the Gospel of Mark sets the tone for the rest of the story. Mark's writing is concise, action-packed, and short on details. Within a few verses, Mark establishes the transition from the wilderness ministry of John the Baptist to the healing and preaching of Jesus Christ. This first chapter includes the calling of Jesus' earliest disciples, His early miracles, and His early teaching. This establishes the pattern shown throughout the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus mingles His teaching with miraculous signs.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.