Mark 1:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

NIV: Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

NASB: But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.

CSB: Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

NLT: But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.

KJV: But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

NKJV: However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

After Jesus heals the man with leprosy, He tells the man to show himself to the priests, to complete the process outlined in Leviticus 13—14. This would provide a witness to the priests and show that Jesus had not come to replace Judaism, but to fulfill it. Instead, the man talks freely about his healing without giving or, perhaps, understanding the context. Even more troublesome, Jesus' fame as a miracle healer spreads further. If the man had obeyed Jesus' instructions, the Jewish religious leaders might have had a better chance at understanding Jesus as the Messiah.

The man healed of leprosy doesn't understand the significance of Jesus' command, so he doesn't follow it. There's no way to know what spiritual damage he caused, but it had a direct influence on Jesus' ministry. For the time being, Jesus can't enter a town, stay at a friend's house, or go to the synagogue. He has no problem going to lonely, desolate places to pray and spend time with God the Father, but now He lives in the wilderness, with His growing crowd. Instead of defining the context of His ministry, He's forced to work with what He has. As a result, He accumulates crowds that can only be fed by miracle (Matthew 14:15; 15:33) and has no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20).

The process of discipleship, finding a church, being taught, and being recognized as a Christian is an important one. Young believers tend to have great enthusiasm, but if they aren't grounded in God's Word, their account of what Jesus has done for them may be wrong or incomplete. The exuberance and lack of context in the man's reaction to God's blessing is the same type that can lead to such false teachings as the Prosperity Gospel.

Even though Jesus heals the man and makes him ceremonially clean, the man still has free will, and he uses it. We do the same thing when we think we know best and ignore God's commands. God can redeem any situation that comes about because of our disobedience. And yet, that doesn't mean the outcome will be as good as it could have been. The initial failure of Israel to enter the Promised Land is a classic example: God redeemed the situation, but the nation suffered forty years of loss and wandering before finally achieving their goal. Very often, we don't know the reasons for the rules given in the Bible. But we should trust the One who gave them enough to follow anyway.

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.