In Mark 1:14, John the Baptist is dismissed from the narrative with a reference to his being arrested. Mark mentions the arrest to close the preaching of John; he wants to move on to his real topic of interest: Jesus and the heralding of the gospel. When he introduced John in verse 4, he omitted the term “gospel,” suggesting that he is reserving it exclusively for the one who is coming after John, that is, Jesus.
Mark will come back to John and tell us the circumstances surrounding his arrest and eventual death, but even then it’s not for the purpose of advancing the narrative. John is only functional in the gospel in how he relates to Jesus, who is the content of the gospel. John is the forerunner. What he says may be the same as what Jesus says - and, later, Matthew will underscore this by making the words of Jesus correspond to the words of John verbatim - but in the gospel of Mark, the sole reference is Jesus, the Christ. For him, Jesus is the gospel.

Notes:
Jeremiah 40:12; 44:28
Mark 6:30
Galatians 1:11-12
Ephesians 4:20
κηρύσσων (kérussó) - to herald, proclaim
λέγων (legò) - to say, to speak
καιρὸς (kairos) - time
χρόνος (chronos) - time
μετανοέω (metanoeó) - to repent, to change one’s mind
שׁוּב - to return
πιστεύω (pisteuó) - to believe, to trust
Tarazi, Paul Nadim: New Testament An Introduction vol. 4 - Matthew and the Canon (SVS Press, 2009)

“Sing A New Song Unto Me” performed by Raphael Shaheen.
“Funky” performed by Miles Davis and Prince.
Photo: Religion Picket On Street.

In this episode we continue our reading of the Gospel of Mark, covering Chapter 1:9-14. Although Mark had introduced his work as the Gospel of Jesus, calling him “the Christ” and “the Son of God” he qualifies both of these titles, which are parallel, by the phrase, as it is written in the prophets. Mark is telling his hearers that they cannot understand Jesus as Christ/Son of God, in just any old way, but exclusively according to Scripture, and specifically its second part, the prophets. And Mark uses both Isaiah and Ezekiel as his touchstones. Mark’s expression that Jesus “comes from Nazareth of Galilee,” as well as his mention of Jordan as the location of Jesus’ baptism connects Jesus, via Isaiah, to the mission to the Gentiles. In Mark, Jesus as a teacher, the use of parables to teach, and the title Son of Man are all connected in that they have their source in Ezekiel.

Notes:
Isaiah 1:9
ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον - he was speaking to them the word
Mark 3:7
Ezekiel 1:1
Mark 4:33-34
ἐγένετο - it came to pass, it happened
ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις - in those days
Mark 13:24-27
ἀγαπητός - beloved
εὐθὺς - straightway, immediately
εὐθείας - straight
רוּחַ - spirit
Ezekiel 1:7, 12

“Sing A New Song Unto Me” performed by Raphael Shaheen.
“Voodoo Who” performed by The Flesh.
Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/orthodox-icon-of-jesus-christ-baptism-scene-10619928/

In Matthew 17, a boy’s father brings him to Jesus’ disciples to be healed but they cannot do it. Since the man is “from the multitude”, that is a Gentile, his son may be said to represent the second generation of the ekklesia, the Church, the primary addresses of Matthew’s Gospel. This story depicts the Gentiles in need of healing (the gospel), but prevented from hearing it because of the disciples’ “little faith.” Matthew is intentional in his word choice, changing Mark’s “having a mute spirit” to “an epileptic,” which in Greek means literally “under the influence of the moon,” or “moonstruck.” In Scripture the first reference to the moon in the creation narrative says it is “for a sign.” Thus, as a sign, it is merely a pointer to something, and not itself the reference. Matthew’s use of “epileptic” suggests that, as a Gentile, the boy was under the control of the sign, but kept from accessing the thing he really needed, which the sign merely points to: the preaching unto repentance.
Join me in a discussion of Matthew 17:14-23.
*Note that the next episode will continue our reading through the Gospel of Mark. Stay tuned!

Notes:
Genesis 1:14
Galatians 1:11-12
Matthew 12:38-39; 16:1, 4; 28:18-20

κατ’ἰδίαν (kat’idian) - apart, by themselves, privately
κατεγνωσμένος (kategnosmenos) - fully condemned
σεληνιάζεται (selēniazetai) - epileptic, literally under the influence of the moon; moonstruck
אוֹת (ōth) - sign, miracle; Greek σημεῖον (sēmeion)

προσευχῇ (proseuchē) - praying, prayer, place of prayer

Photo by Joonas kääriäinen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/clouds-under-full-moon-239107/
“Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book” performed by Dead Can Dance.