Mark 1:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

NIV: The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

NASB: And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

CSB: The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

NLT: All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

KJV: And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

NKJV: Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

When the people hear John's call to repent for the forgiveness of sins, and to become ceremonially clean by baptism in the Jordan River, they respond in droves. Despite being in the "wilderness," Mark notes that "all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem" came to John. This figure of speech doesn't mean literally every single person from Judea and Jerusalem came to be baptized; it just means that people from every area came—all areas were represented. Hundreds and perhaps even several thousand people were baptized by John in the late AD 20s.

This is not the first time Jews had repented of their sins en masse. In Judges 10, God allows the Philistines and Ammonites to terrorize the Israelites because of the Israelites' idolatry. In Judges 10:10, the Israelites cry out, "We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." God instructs them to get rid of their idols. They do, and God allows Jephthah to rescue them (Judges 11:32–33). In 1 Samuel 7:1–14, Samuel orders the Israelites to get rid of their idols, and God rescues them from the Philistines again.

At the time of John the Baptist, the Jewish nation is occupied by the Romans and the people are looking for the Messiah to deliver them. As John's call for repentance winds down, Jesus the Messiah comes—not merely to deliver them from the Romans, but from their sin-induced separation from God.

Like the prophets of the Old Testament, John is not universally received. The sheer number of people who come to hear him teach attracts the attention of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem (Matthew 3:7; John 1:19–28). This publicity eventually results in his death when he speaks out against Herod's incestuous marriage, and Herod's wife schemes to have John beheaded (Mark 6:14–29). Acknowledging that our own sins are wrong and working to turn away from them sounds like a reasonable thing to do, even to those who do not believe. But faithfully following God serves as a witness to reveal the sinfulness of others (Hebrews 11:7). That is not welcomed by a world that lives in rebellion to God.

Mark 1:1–13 rapidly introduces the ministry of Jesus, as introduced by John the Baptist. While other Gospels include many details, the Gospel of Mark briefly sets the stage for Jesus' baptism by John. In a few short verses, we are told that John preached a message of repentance, that Jesus came to be baptized, and that Jesus spent forty days being tempted in the wilderness. The narrative quickly moves on to describe Jesus' miraculous healings.

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.