| 1:1 | The good news of Jesus Christ--the Message!--begins here, |
| 1:2 | following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. |
| 1:3 | Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! |
| 1:4 | John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. |
| 1:5 | People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. |
| 1:6 | John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. |
| 1:7 | As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. |
| 1:8 | I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism--a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit--will change you from the inside out." |
| 1:9 | At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. |
| 1:10 | The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God's Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. |
| 1:11 | Along with the Spirit, a voice: "You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life." |
| 1:12 | At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. |
| 1:13 | For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him. |
| 1:14 | After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: |
| 1:15 | "Time's up! God's kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message." |
| 1:16 | Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. |
| 1:17 | Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." |
| 1:18 | They didn't ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed. |
| 1:19 | A dozen yards or so down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee's sons. They were in the boat, mending their fishnets. |
| 1:20 | Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed. |
| 1:21 | Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. |
| 1:22 | They were surprised at his teaching--so forthright, so confident--not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars. |
| 1:23 | Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, |
| 1:24 | "What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to! You're the Holy One of God, and you've come to destroy us!" |
| 1:25 | Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of him!" |
| 1:26 | The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly--and got out. |
| 1:27 | Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. "What's going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!" |
| 1:28 | News of this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee. |
| 1:29 | Directly on leaving the meeting place, they came to Simon and Andrew's house, accompanied by James and John. |
| 1:30 | Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed, burning up with fever. They told Jesus. |
| 1:31 | He went to her, took her hand, and raised her up. No sooner had the fever left than she was up fixing dinner for them. |
| 1:32 | That evening, after the sun was down, they brought sick and evil-afflicted people to him, |
| 1:33 | the whole city lined up at his door! |
| 1:34 | He cured their sick bodies and tormented spirits. Because the demons knew his true identity, he didn't let them say a word. |
| 1:35 | While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. |
| 1:36 | Simon and those with him went looking for him. |
| 1:37 | They found him and said, "Everybody's looking for you." |
| 1:38 | Jesus said, "Let's go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is why I've come." |
| 1:39 | He went to their meeting places all through Galilee, preaching and throwing out the demons. |
| 1:40 | A leper came to him, begging on his knees, "If you want to, you can cleanse me." |
| 1:41 | Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." |
| 1:42 | Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. |
| 1:43 | Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: |
| 1:44 | "Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people." |
| 1:45 | But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over. |
Mark 1 - The Message Bible
