Mark 1:14-28
RTNT 2021. Yesterday I tried to put together a chronology of Jesus’ early ministry, intermixing John’s gospel with the Synoptic gospels. Evidently I did the same thing two years ago – see the first 2019 item below. The two chronologies differ and I don’t know which I prefer. But I’m sure that neither has the full, correct picture!
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What business do you have with us, Jesus of Nazareth…” (vv. 23-24a) Verse 24a is translated differently in my NASB, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth…”, and that caught my eye. In the ESV translation the demon is suggesting a one-way interaction, Jesus “doing business with” – acting upon, if you will – the demon. But the NASB translation implies more of a two-way interaction: “…business…with each other…”. I have heard that we use the ESV at St. Andrew’s because Father Mark Royster (a solid Biblical scholar) claims that it is the more correct translation. However, in this case (with my supposition) I prefer the NASB. Although I have no Biblical evidence, I have no doubt that Satan and his demons did what they could to tempt Jesus His entire life – that they were a constant source of trouble for Him. I’m thinking particularly of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, but I’m sure there were others. I’ll leave it at that…
See also: February 6 / Mark 1:14-20; February 8 / Mark 1:21-28
One additional question from the chronology (from yesterday’s post and the 2019 post and comments). There were some disciples with him at Cana because the miracle encouraged their belief. Also, there were some disciples in Samaria because they were in town buying food while he spoke to the woman at the well. So he did have some following with him prior to calling the four fishermen at Galilee. Who were these folks? Jesus always seems to have some crew with him, even if not the 12 or later the 70. Am I one of those hanging around taking care of his material needs? I suspect someone took care of donations, buying food, etc.
What I’m saying is that Jesus had disciples with Him after His baptism who went with Him to the Cana wedding. Then He returned to Jerusalem for the Passover and had some disciples with Him (maybe not the original four) on His way to Nazareth when He met the Samaritan woman. It was after those two incidents that Jesus formally called Peter, Andrew, James, and John.