Mark 1:24-45

1:24 “Leave us alone, ¹  Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One ²  of God!” 1:25 But ³  Jesus rebuked him: ⁴  “Silence! Come out of him!” ⁵  1:26 After throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. 1:27 They were all amazed so that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him.” 1:28 So ⁶  the news about him spread quickly throughout all the region around Galilee.

Healings at Simon’s House

1:29 Now ⁷  as soon as they left the synagogue, ⁸  they entered Simon and Andrew’s house, with James and John. 1:30 Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down, sick with a fever, so ⁹  they spoke to Jesus ¹⁰  at once about her. 1:31 He came and raised her up by gently taking her hand. Then the fever left her and she began to serve ¹¹  them. 1:32 When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed. 1:33 The whole town gathered by the door. 1:34 So ¹²  he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. ¹³  But ¹⁴  he would not permit the demons to speak, ¹⁵  because they knew him. ¹⁶ 

Praying and Preaching

1:35 Then ¹⁷  Jesus ¹⁸  got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer. ¹⁹  1:36 Simon and his companions searched for him. 1:37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” 1:38 He replied, ²⁰  “Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages, so that I can preach there too. For that is what I came out here to do.” ²¹  1:39 So ²²  he went into all of Galilee preaching in their synagogues ²³  and casting out demons.

Cleansing a Leper

1:40 Now ²⁴  a leper ²⁵  came to him and fell to his knees, asking for help. “If ²⁶  you are willing, you can make me clean,” he said. 1:41 Moved with compassion, ²⁷  Jesus ²⁸  stretched out his hand and touched ²⁹  him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” 1:42 The leprosy left him at once, and he was clean. 1:43 Immediately Jesus ³⁰  sent the man ³¹  away with a very strong warning. 1:44 He told him, ³²  “See that you do not say anything to anyone, ³³  but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded ³⁴  for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” ³⁵  1:45 But as the man ³⁶  went out he began to announce it publicly and spread the story widely, so that Jesus ³⁷  was no longer able to enter any town openly but stayed outside in remote places. Still ³⁸  they kept coming ³⁹  to him from everywhere.

[1:24]  ¹ tn Grk “What to us and to you?” This is an idiom meaning, “We have nothing to do with one another,” or “Why bother us!” The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti Jhmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) merely implies disengagement. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….” For a very similar expression see Lk 8:28 and (in a different context) John 2:4.

[1:24]  ² sn The confession of Jesus as the Holy One here is significant, coming from an unclean spirit. Jesus, as the Holy One of God, who bears God’s Spirit and is the expression of holiness, comes to deal with uncleanness and unholiness.

[1:25]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[1:25]  ⁴ tn Grk “rebuked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[1:25]  ⁵ sn The command Come out of him! is an example of Jesus’ authority (see v. 32). Unlike other exorcists, Jesus did not use magical incantations nor did he invoke anyone else’s name.

[1:28]  ⁶ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[1:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[1:29]  ⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.

[1:30]  ⁹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[1:30]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:31]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect verb is taken ingressively here.

[1:34]  ¹² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[1:34]  ¹³ sn Note how the author distinguishes healing from exorcism here, implying that the two are not identical.

[1:34]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[1:34]  ¹⁵ sn Why Jesus would not permit the demons to speak is much discussed. Two possibilities are (1) the mere source of the testimony (demonic) and (2) that the title, with its political implications, may have had elements that Jesus wished to avoid until the full nature of his mission was clarified.

[1:34]  ¹⁶ tc The mss vary on what is read at the end of v. 34. Some have “they knew him to be the Christ,” with various Greek constructions (ᾔδεισαν αὐτὸν Χριστὸν εἶναι [hdeisan auton Criston einai] in B L W Θ Ë¹ 28 33^vid 565 2427 al; ᾔδεισαν τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι [hdeisan ton Criston auton einai] in [א²] C [˹³ 700] 892 1241 [1424] pc); codex D has “they knew him and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons,” reproducing exactly the first half of the verse. These first two longer readings are predictable expansions to an enticingly brief statement; the fact that there are significant variations on the word order and presence or absence of τόν argues against their authenticity as well. D’s reading is a palpable error of sight. The reading adopted in the translation is supported by א* A 0130 Ï lat. This support, though hardly overwhelming in itself, in combination with strong internal evidence, renders the shorter reading fairly certain.

[1:35]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[1:35]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:35]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfect προσηύχετο (proshuceto) implies some duration to the prayer.

[1:38]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[1:38]  ²¹ tn Grk “Because for this purpose I have come forth.”

[1:39]  ²² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[1:39]  ²³ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.

[1:40]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[1:40]  ²⁵ sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what we call leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

[1:40]  ²⁶ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[1:41]  ²⁷ tc The reading found in almost the entire NT ms tradition is σπλαγχνισθείς (splancnisqei", “moved with compassion”). Codex Bezae (D), {1358}, and a few Latin mss (a ff² r^1*) here read ὀργισθείς (ojrgisqei", “moved with anger”). It is more difficult to account for a change from “moved with compassion” to “moved with anger” than it is for a copyist to soften “moved with anger” to “moved with compassion,” making the decision quite difficult. B. M. Metzger (TCGNT 65) suggests that “moved with anger” could have been prompted by 1:43, “Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning.” It also could have been prompted by the man’s seeming doubt about Jesus’ desire to heal him (v. 40). As well, it is difficult to explain why scribes would be prone to soften the text here but not in Mark 3:5 or 10:14 (where Jesus is also said to be angry or indignant). Thus, in light of diverse mss supporting “moved with compassion,” and at least a plausible explanation for ὀργισθείς as arising from the other reading, it is perhaps best to adopt σπλαγχνισθείς as the original reading. Nevertheless, a decision in this case is not easy. For the best arguments for ὀργισθείς, however, see M. A. Proctor, “The ‘Western’ Text of Mark 1:41: A Case for the Angry Jesus” (Ph.D. diss., Baylor University, 1999).

[1:41]  ²⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:41]  ²⁹ sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).

[1:43]  ³⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:43]  ³¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man who was healed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:44]  ³² tn Grk “And after warning him, he immediately sent him away and told him.”

[1:44]  ³³ sn The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 1:34; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, 30; and 9:9 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence concerning him and his ministry.

[1:44]  ³⁴ sn On the phrase bring the offering that Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.

[1:44]  ³⁵ tn Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.

[1:45]  ³⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man who was healed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:45]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:45]  ³⁸ tn Grk “and”; καί (kai) often has a mildly contrastive force, as here.

[1:45]  ³⁹ tn The imperfect verb has been translated iteratively.