Iōannēs [the] baptizer appeared in the wasteland, announcing baptism to change people’s purpose and absolve them from their offenses.*3 5 And they traveled out to him, inhabitants of the whole countryside of Ioudaia, and all the Hierosolumitai, and they were baptized by him in the river Iordanēs,*4 acknowledging their offenses. 6 Now, Iōannēs was dressed in unshorn camel hide, and he had an animal-skin belt covering his groin, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Note: A wild-looking feral figure, dunking to “change purpose” The actual Greek word here is “metanoia” which is a sudden reversal of bind Other translations have “repent” but this indicates more so a new direction, rather than a backwards facing remission of guilt. Even the word baptize = dip/plunge without religious connotation But what is the significance here? At the time, daily plunging was a ritual; for daily sins, yet it was solo In this case: (1) another person, a prophet, and (2) a singular event Jordan; on sealing an already clean soul for a new Isreal also, a kind of ordeal; a ritualized mini-death and rebirth

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And right when he came up from the water, he saw the skies split apart, and the life-breath coming down, like a dove, to alight on him.*6 11 And a voice came out of the skies: “You are my beloved son; in you I’ve taken delight.”*7

Note: The dove after Noah’s flood; on the 3rd rung it disappears; is this the first return? Both are connected by water scene. It’s the first in the New Testament, I think. Also, this is a private vision. Is this the first time Jesus realizes he’s the messiah? AI: “split apart" — Greek schizomenous, torn, ripped (the root of "schism"). Matthew and Luke soften this to the skies being "opened," like a door that can shut again. Mark says torn, and tearing is irreversible. It's an allusion to Isaiah 64:1 — "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down" — a prayer that God would stop being distant and breach the barrier. Mark's answer: at the Jordan, he did, and the hole doesn't close. Mark even bookends his whole gospel with this verb — the only other time he uses it is at the crucifixion, when the temple curtain is "torn" (eschisthē) top to bottom. Sky torn at the baptism, veil torn at the death: the partition between God and the world fails at both ends of the story.

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the life-breath drove him out into the wasteland. 13 And he was in the wasteland forty days, being tested by satanas, and he was in the company of wild animals, and god’s messengers attended to him.

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after Iōannēs was handed over,*8 Iēsous went into Galilaia, announcing god’s good news 15 and saying, “The time is ripe, and god’s kingdom has come close. Change your purpose and trust in the good news.”

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passing along by the sea of Galilaia, he saw Simōn, and Andreas, who was Simōn’s brother, and they were casting their nets into the sea, as they were fishermen. 17 And Iēsous said to them: “Come along after me, and I’ll turn you into fishers for human beings.” 18 And right away they left their nets and followed him.

Note: To catch and convert everyone This is the first example of “change your purpose” It means lay down your day jobs — the new world order is here! So many parallels to modern day AI eschatology Amos 4:2 “they shall take you away with fish hooks: No one escapes the reckoning A dragnet is coming through the world (revelation) Like fish, humans will be ripped out from their world Baptism is being dunked in/out of water Fishing for humans is like ripping people out of their land

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And as soon as it was the sabbata, he entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22 And the people there were powerfully struck by what he taught. He was teaching them as if he had genuine authority; it wasn’t the way the scholars taught.*11

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“Put on a muzzle and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit convulsed the man, cried out with a loud outcry, and came out of him. 27 And all the people there were amazed, so that they discussed it with each other, saying, “What’s this? It must be a new teaching, carrying authority. He gives commands even to unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And from that moment, news of him went out everywhere, to the whole of the surrounding Galilaia region.

Note: Is Christianity launched by an exorcism? Weird that “you are the son of God!” first comes from a demon Disciples won’t know for 8 chapters AI: “Yes — in Mark, the public career of Jesus launches with an exorcism, and your instinct that this is strange is exactly right, because exorcism is almost nonexistent in the Old Testament. The synagogue scene at Capernaum is Jesus' first public act of power in the earliest gospel. Not a healing, not a sermon that survives (Mark famously doesn't record what he taught, only that he taught "with authority") — a demon interrupted him mid-teaching, and the expulsion is the debut. Notice how the crowd fuses the two: "a new teaching, carrying authority. He gives commands even to unclean spirits." For Mark, the exorcism is the teaching — the content of the lesson is the authority itself.” There are no exorcisms in the Old Testament Only David playing the lyre for an evil spirit from the lord to leave himself Demons as an “organized force” emerged in the Second Temple era Exorcism was done in Qumran; Josephus writes about it There’s prob a lot to understand in the history of posessions: Was likely a superstitious explanation to seizures / disassociation / mental rupture

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And Simōn’s mother-in-law*12 was lying ill with a burning fever, and right away they told him about her. 31 And he approached and put her on her feet, grasping her hand. And the fever left her,

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Once evening came and the sun went down, they set about bringing him everyone who was unwell and those possessed by demons. 33 And the whole town was gathered together outside the door. 34 And he healed many who were unwell—they had various diseases—and he expelled many demons. And he kept the demons from speaking, because they knew who he was.

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in the morning, when it was still pitch-dark, he got up and went away to an isolated place, and there he began to pray. 36 But Simōn and those with him chased him down. 37 And they found him and told him, “Everyone’s looking for you.” 38 And he told them, “Let’s get going somewhere else, to the country towns near here,

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right away the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And snorting a warning to him, Iēsous sent him away right then, 44 telling him, “See that you say nothing to anybody, but get going and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing that Mōüsēs set out in the law, as proof for them.”*13 45 But once the man went away, he proceeded to publicize his healing persistently, spreading the story all around, so that Iēsous could no longer go openly into a town. Instead, he remained outside in uninhabited places; but then they kept coming to him from everywhere.

Note: Forced to live on the fringes

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so many people gathered together that the place couldn’t hold them, even outside the door, while he was delivering a discourse to them. 3 But a group came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, four of them carrying him. 4 And since they weren’t able to bring him near Iēsous because of the crowd, they turned the roof above him into no roof, digging clear through it, and lowered the stretcher on which the paralyzed man was lying.

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He said to the paralyzed man, 11 “I’m telling you, stand up, pick up your stretcher, and get along home.” 12 And he got up, picked up his stretcher right away, and went out in front of everyone, so that they were all stunned,

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But Iēsous, hearing this, said to them, “People who are strong and healthy don’t have any need for a doctor; no, it’s those who are unwell. I didn’t come to call upright people, but wrongdoers instead.”

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“The sabbaton was made for the sake of humankind, and not humankind for the sake of the sabbaton.

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“Is it permitted to do good on the sabbata or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?” But they were silent.*20 5 And he looked around at them with anger, deeply grieved at the lack of feeling in their hearts, and said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” And he held out his hand, and it was restored. 6 Then the Farisaioi went out and, right away, along with men of Hērōdēs,*21 proceeded to come up with a plot against him, so that they could destroy him.

Note: Questioning religious customs

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He had in fact healed many people, so everyone suffering from any scourges descended on him to touch him. 11 As to the unclean spirits, whenever they had him in sight, they fell down before him, screaming the words “You’re the son of god!” 12 But he insistently warned them, telling them not to expose who he was.

Note: A frenzy of desperation to be healed

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[And he appointed the twelve,]*23 and he gave Simōn the name Petros,*24 17 and to Iakōbos the son of Zebedaios and Iakōbos’ brother Iōannēs he gave the name Boanērges, which means “sons of thunder.” 18 And there were also Andreas and Filippos and Bartholomaios and Maththaios and Thōmas and Iakōbos the son of Alfaios, and Thaddaios and Simōn the Kananaios and 19 Ioudas Iskariōth, who actually handed him over.*25

Note: Apostles? Disciples?

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“Amēn I tell you, the sons of mankind will be absolved from all their offenses, and from as many blasphemies as they’ve blasphemously uttered. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the holy life-breath, for all of time he won’t be absolved, but instead will be responsible for wrongdoing that lasts for all of time.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Note: Use of brothers/sons Equates sin to demons

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“Listen! Look, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, it happened that some of the seed fell along the road, and the birds came and made short work of it. 5 And other seed fell on a stony place, where it didn’t have much earth, and right away it sprouted and rose up, because it didn’t have any depth of earth. 6 But when the sun rose up, the seedlings were seared, and due to their lack of roots they withered. 7 Still other seed fell among the thorny weeds, and these came up and strangled the seedlings, which didn’t produce any grain. 8 But other seeds fell onto good ground and produced grain, which came up and multiplied, with one kernel yielding thirty, another sixty, another a hundred more.” 9 And he said, “Whoever has ears for hearing had better hear.”

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“To you the secret*28 of God’s kingdom has been granted, but to those outside, everything is done through analogies,

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‘So that they definitely look, and yet don’t see, And they definitely hear, and yet don’t have any understanding; And they never turn around or are pardoned.’

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The sower sows the true account.*30 15 This first example is the people beside the road: when the account’s sown and they hear it, satanas comes right away and takes the account that was sown in them. 16 And here next are the people sown in rocky places: when they hear the account, right away they take it in with joy. 17 Yet they don’t take root, but instead are merely of the moment, so then when grinding hardship or hounding come because of the account, they instantly fall away. 18 And the next people are the ones sown among the thorny weeds: these have heard the account, 19 but the anxieties of this present life, and the false appeal of wealth, and passions for other things come in among them and strangle the account, and then it can’t bear grain. 20 But then there are those sown on good ground, who hear the account and accept it, and they do produce a harvest, with every kernel yielding thirty or sixty or a hundred more.”

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Nothing’s hidden, you see, unless it’s meant to be shown in clear light later on, and nothing’s hidden away unless it’s meant to come into the clear light in due course.*31

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“Look what you’re hearing: the measure you give will be the measure you get—and you’ll get a bonus besides.*32 25 If someone has something, more will be given to him; but if someone doesn’t have something, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

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“The kingdom of god is like a man scattering seed on the ground, 27 and he sleeps and wakes night after night and day after day, and the seed germinates and the stalks grow tall without his knowing how this happens. 28 On its own the earth produces a crop—first the shoot, and then the head, and then the full, ripe grain on the head. 29 And when the crop is ready, right away he dispatches the sickle, because harvest-time has arrived.”*33

Note: Spero

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he was already in the boat; and other boats were with him. 37 And a great squall arose, and the waves fell on the boat, so that in no time the boat was swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. And they woke him and asked him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going under?” 39 So he got up, scolded the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Put a muzzle on it!” And the wind broke off, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said to them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any trust yet?” 41 But their fear was an overwhelming one, and they said to one another, “Who is this man, then? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”*34

Note: Trust in non-death Referred to as a teacher

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He made his home among the tombs, and by this time nobody could restrain him, not even with a chain: 4 in the past he had often been restrained with fetters and chains, but the chains had been wrenched apart by him, and the fetters shattered, and no one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Now throughout the night and day he stayed among the tombs and in the mountains, screaming and mangling himself with stones. 6

Note: Brute strength myth

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Now Iēsous asked him, “What’s your name?” And he said to him, “My name’s legion: that’s how many of us there are!”*36— 10 and he pleaded with Iēsous fervently not to dispatch the demons out of the region. 11 In that place, on the slope of a hill, was a large herd of pigs grazing, 12 so the demons pleaded with Iēsous, saying, “Send us into the pigs—let us go into them.” 13 He gave them his permission, and the unclean spirits went out of the man and into the pigs, and the herd—there were around two thousand animals—barreled down the crag into the sea, and in the sea they drowned.

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35 While he was still speaking, people came from the house of the synagogue leader and said, “Your daughter has died. Why are you still bothering the teacher?” 36 But Iēsous overheard the news being told, and he said to the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid; only trust.”

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