Mark 1:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,

NIV: Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:

NASB: And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away,

CSB: Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once,

NLT: Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning:

KJV: And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;

NKJV: And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,

On a single day in Capernaum, Jesus freed a demon-possessed man and healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law, who was suffering from a serious fever. Within hours, the people of Capernaum came in such numbers that Jesus felt the need to take His disciples and go to another town. His primary mission is to teach, not perform miracles, but even in His travels a man with leprosy finds Him and asks to be made clean.

Jesus obliges but, perhaps thinking of the crowds in Capernaum, tells the man, go away, don't stay in the area or spread the news about the miracle. Jesus is there to teach, first and foremost, but the news of His ability to miraculously heal is already making this ministry difficult. He wants to teach in synagogues: relatively quiet places. There, His claims about fulfilling the Old Testament and being the Jewish Messiah can be contemplated and understood in a legitimate setting. That would be impossible if the crowds that followed Him were so big He couldn't go into a town. And while Jesus is more than willing to teach a large group of people, that would be difficult if He were swarming with people wanting to be healed. So He asks the man to leave, go to the priests, and have his healing officially validated.

It's very difficult to determine when this healing happened, since the Gospel accounts are not always in chronological order. Ancient texts such as the Gospels are frequently written in a topical order. Matthew 8:1–4 tells the story of a similar healing which occurred after the Sermon on the Mount. In that case, the healing took place amidst a great crowd. Luke 5:12–16 matches Mark's chronology better, but not perfectly, and gives an almost identical reading.

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 Peters' 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.