His feet move powerfully marking footprints in the sand where the shore glides up to the imprint. Its water dances softly into the sea leaving the marking. The holy marking. The sacred marking. Jesus’ feet. Jesus’ presence touching down on land. Touching every heart and every hand that says come closer.

Wherever Jesus goes, hearts find him. Souls require Him. Families invite him. Cities need Him to heal the broken parts of the land they reside in. Jesus yields to the urgency of the needs present every time. He wants to touch every person who longs to be transformed by Him and engrained in Heaven forever, with His blueprint in mind for infinity unraveling. He marks us with His presence. This week, we dive into the next verses of Mark chapter 1 getting to know the heart of Jesus deeper with every study.

The Marks of Jesus we will talk about in today’s study.

Verse 29: Partnership

Verse 30: Necessity

Verse 31: Climax

Verse 32: Healing

Verse 33: Unity Doors

Verse 34: Spirit Governing

Introduction

This week, we discover more aspects of Jesus’ nature and divinity through the gospel of Mark in verses 29-34. In this passage of Mark’s gospel, we see Jesus winding down from the busy day with His disciples. Healing, teaching, and ministering. It’s still the Sabbath and Jesus has just taught in the synagogue at Capernaum. Now Jesus enters into Simon and Andrew’s house to enjoy dinner and relaxation with His disciples, but we are going to see a mass migration take place. The whole city soon finds out about His presence there, and they flock to Him as a result.

Mark us with Your essence, Jesus, that we would learn more about who You are and so absorb Your nature into ours.

Verse 29: The Mark of Partnership  

“Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.”

Mark 1:29

Jesus partners with people to build His ministry.

In verse 29, Mark says that “they” came out of the synagogue. It was not just Jesus who entered and taught. All of the disciples here were with Jesus every part of the day and inside. Then again when they go the house, it says “they.” Jesus is still with his disciples. Jesus ministers, walks, eats, sleeps, works and lives with his disciples during this 3-year period. He never does ministry alone. He wants others involved in it with Him.

God likes when you are involved in ministry with Him. He wants to take you with Him wherever He goes.

Jesus needs people to accomplish His ministry.

From day one, Jesus brings others into His Kingdom work. He called His disciples when He first found Simon and Andrew fishing in the Sea of Galilee in Mark 1:16. Then he went on to call 12 disciples in total. We know from other gospels that there were more. Crowds followed Jesus and around 70 or so disciples followed Jesus around with Him also. But the more they heard about Jesus’ teaching, many turned back because they would not choose Him over their former life. They wanted to have both but Jesus needed their total allegiance.

Why does Jesus need total allegiance?

Because He is a God who cannot be rivaled. He cannot have followers who follow Him as Messiah and also something else as other truth. There is only one God. One faith. One truth. One way. Anyone who would follow Him and also follow other things would find themselves in a self-sabotaging situation whereby their own philosophies would contradict and not make sense. Jesus is the only truth and no other truth that can co-reign with Him on the Throne of Heaven.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

Partner with God and He pairs you with His Holy Spirit to unleash His Kingdom love in the earth.

To partner with God is an honor He bestows upon us freely. He wants us to partner with Him and even says we will reign with Him one day.

“This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.” 2 Timothy 2:11-12

God likes our input, our ideas, our dreams, our goals, our requests and asks us to communicate these things with Him in unison so that we can coordinate with Him. Like a team. God is always the one in charge of this team. We defer to Him because HE is the King. But He gives us so much room to be who we are and contribute to this partnership in detail.

God respects our gifts and creativity because He gave us that to begin with so that we can interlock our spirits with Him in creating beauty in the world.

When God brings you into relationship, He marks you with a covenant of partnership where you and Him become one forever in love and life.

Verse 30: The Mark of Necessity

“But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.”

Mark 1:30

Jesus is always needed. He carries the mark of necessity because His presence is necessary to our existence. 

People will need you when the day is over. Keep giving. Nowhere does it say that Jesus was exhausted here from the day and unwilling to heal her.

He had spent all day healing, teaching and ministering while he travelled around Galilee. Now he comes to eat dinner at Simon Peter’s house and more needs find Him. More people call Him to come and do something about the problems in their midst.

Do you find people reaching out to you about their problems?

That is a good indication. It reveals you are a person of sound advice and uplifting wisdom.

Those around you know they can come to you for advice, and you will give them what they need. It may seem tiring to keep giving of yourself when you have already poured out so much, but when God gifts you with this ability it will come out from His own impartation of that wisdom in you. So you won’t have to feel depleted. You will thrive in the sweet spot of your gifting.

The disciples tell Jesus “at once” about Simon’s mom. In other words, they do it right away once they enter the house. They don’t wait until dinner is over nor until he has spent time taking a breather. The disciples must have known Jesus would respond immediately, so they told him. They also must have known that He would want them to tell Him immediately and not wait.

Jesus wants to know what’s going on. All the time. Anytime.

Tell Jesus everything.

God is never bothered by your communication nor your constant need for Him. He wants you to come and talk to Him whenever you want to. It will not annoy Him. Rather, it will delight Him. It will spur Him to take action on what you need to be solved.

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

Come to the Lord… and ask Him what you need.

God will do it.

Come to the Lord… and talk to Him about what you are feeling.

God wants to listen.

Come to the Lord… and tell Him that His love for you is always with you.

God will agree.

Jesus wants you to burn with a fire for Him.

In the Greek text, the Greek word for fever is “pyréssō.” The word means almost the same, which is fever. But what I notice about the prefix of this word is the “pyre-“ part. This is the same as “pyro” which means fire. Thus, to have a fever means you burn like a fire in your body. But as we go on in this verse we find out that it is a fire of sickness.

It is possible to burn with fire for something that makes you sick.

Do you have an unhealthy fire for something? An unhealthy craving? An unhealthy fever?

There are two kinds of fire: God’s fire and the devil’s fire.

“When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7

God’s fire is essential for your thriving and delight.

“To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.” Exodus 24:17

The devil’s fire wreaks destruction but God’s fire causes holiness, beauty and passion. God wants to protect you from evil fire. From war. From tyranny. From attacks. He will keep you safe, for His sake and for your beauty of being to be preserved.

Catch the fever of Jesus’ love for you… and burn with His heart.

aflame with Your love

I burn for You

I melt for You

I glow for You

spreading

 like wildfire

through the earth

for You

to show them the worth

of who You are

aflame with lover’s fire

“John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Luke 3:16

Verse 31: The Mark of Climax

“So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.”

Mark 1:31

Jesus lifts you to ascend new heights.

Take My hand. Let Me spin you around in the rainbow of raindrops I sent to kiss you like it did the first time you felt My love. Feel it again. Then again… until you never forget what it sounds like, tastes like, feels like in the mountain tops overlooking the seas I claimed for you.

Let me take you into the atmospheric heights where My love floods on high like a waterfall ascending upward into the sky. A synesthesia of roses and rivers undone, climbing into the Heavens above.

Jesus takes you higher.

Every time your hand interlocks with His.

Every time your soul intertwines with His.

A touch from the Lord heals you in every way. When Jesus heals Simon Peter’s mom, she elevates.

The Greek word for the phrase “to lift up” is “egeiren.” This means to waken or to arouse. Literally bringing the body to arousal of the senses, an elevation to euphoria.

Do you want ecstasy? Let God touch you.

Do you want to touch the sky? Let God lift you.

God lifts you up to the heights, where He thrives relentlessly in love with you.

“But You, Lord, are on high forevermore.” Psalm 92:8‬ ‭

After Jesus puts her in this elated state, she reacts immediately with reciprocation. She needs no time to catch her breath and take in the moment. Verse 31 says she immediately “served them.” When you have been radically touched, you radically give in return.

How can you serve your lover?

When God touches you, don’t just take it in. Give back to Him. Do something to return the affection while the moment is still hot.

Love is best experienced in the two-fold exchange of climax.

Ascend together.

The state of sickness she experienced before Jesus touched her flees instantaneously upon His touch. Her lethargy transforms into energy. Her fever turns into passion. The verse says “the fever left her” body. Then a new fever enflamed her soul. Making her want to serve Jesus right then and there.

Jesus heals you to make you more effective in love. When Jesus heals you, you can operate at full speed once again. He immediately elevates you to 100% and you are ready to begin again. This is supernatural healing. This is what the woman experiences. Supernatural healing and supernatural climax when He came.

Verse 31 says “He came.”

In verse 30, Simon Peter told Jesus about his mother’s sickness as soon as they entered the house to eat and Jesus goes to her without hesitation. Jesus gets the job done, even in the late evening hours.

He “lifted her up” and then “the fever left her.”

This is a climactic moment.

This is the mark of climax… when you experience the aha moment of Jesus breaking down a hindrance in your life and healing a contagion.

Jesus likes to lift you.

Jesus lifts you out of fevers.

Do you have a fever?

Chocolate fever?

Pickle fever?

Bieber fever?

Jesus can lift you out of it… and give you a new fever… the fever of His touch. The fever of His best tastes. The fever of His love brooding in all forms of pleasure that lift you to climax. Like heavenly food, heavenly sounds, heavenly kisses, heavenly sights… raising you to euphoria.

The fever left me when You touched me. I didn’t want anything else but You. Ascending with You into heights of Heaven.

“Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall hope for me… for the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.” Isaiah 60:8-9

Beautiful are the faces of those whom God lifts to ascension.

Your face will always be beautiful because of His glory on you.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1

Verse 32: The Mark of Attraction  

“At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.”

Mark 1:32

Jesus’ presence attracts every spirit to Him.

The sun sets when the light ushers in the stars to waltz at evening’s procession of the midnight hours. The sun sets alerting the night it’s time to debut its finest chiffon and let the sun wind down from the day. But Jesus’ day is still ongoing. Into the sunset, He rides. He strides. He reconciles. Still bringing more souls to Himself.

In verse 32, Mark says that they started bringing more sick people to Jesus there at the house. Even into the evening. The disciples knew Jesus possessed power to heal anyone and they acted from this urgency to get as many people as possible closer to Jesus.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done.” Psalm 105:1

Do you have an urgency to bring your friends into the presence of Jesus?

Get that.

Your friends need to know whom you love and follow. They need Him. And you may just be the one to build the bridge connecting them to God.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16

The mark of Jesus’ healing marked his disciples with healing also. Healing for their own bodies and hearts, and healing for their friends and families also. When Jesus marks you with His healing, you share it everywhere you go so that others can find this too.

It may be evening, but Jesus is still healing.

If you feel like anyone in your life is too far away from healing, be encouraged by this: Jesus heals at evening.

Jesus heals when the day has already passed.

Jesus heals when the hope has waned.

Jesus heals at the midnight hour.

Jesus heals when you think it cannot be done.

“For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37

God empowers you to do anything and everything He unleashes you to do when he heals you and imparts new strength into you.

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

You are invincible with God’s power in you.

When Jesus sees someone with a sickness, He goes to them immediately and heals them. Jesus never bypasses anyone in the gospels, nor does he neglect to heal someone. He heals every single one of them. Now, the whole town is going to come to Him for this healing in verse 33.

Jesus is always willing to heal those who believe in Him.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45

Verse 33: The Mark of Unity Doors  

“And the whole city was gathered together at the door.”

Mark 1:33

The door of the Lord brings us together, where we were meant to enter at the same time. Walking hand in hand into the Throne Room of the Lord to bring our best to Him. We were meant to praise Him together. Love Him together. Seek Him together. Commune with Him together.

Kindred Spirits seek the Lord together at His door.

Then God opens the door to us because He was waiting for us all along, to come to Him just like He hoped we would.

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

When Jesus resides at Simon Peter’s house, the whole town finds out that He is in there. So they stop what they are doing and they all go over to that house.

Soon, the door is flooded with people. Jam packed. Surrounding it. So many people were gathered at the door that it spread around town and more people joined. The crowds did not scare anyone away. Rather, the crowds only drew more people in.

Mark literally says “the whole city” was there. We know from last study in verse 21 that they are in the city of Capernaum where Jesus taught in the synagogue and he presented “new doctrine” of the Kingdom of God (verse 27). But after that instance, the people started to wonder about Jesus and what He was teaching. Yet here, this verse says all of Capernaum came to their door. In a matter of hours, everyone has decided that they believe what Jesus spoke and they show up at His door. The whole city. Including the ones who questioned him before.

How could the whole city gather at the door?

God says… My door is big enough for the whole universe to come to Me if they want to.

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7

God welcomes everyone to come to Him. In this city, they all wanted to come to Him. This is not like every city, just to clarify. There were other cities where Jesus was not welcomed by all because the religious elite were threatened by His power and authority, and His supernatural power as the Son of God. But here in this city, they all want Jesus. This is very poignant. It’s a symbol of Heaven. The place where everyone wants God and everyone chooses God.

Everyone in Heaven wants to be in the presence of Jesus.

Unity forms when we choose Jesus together in love.

meld our hearts

together

for the union

of Your Kingdom

tell our hearts

forever

we’re the fusion

of Your freedom

we love You

together

Verse 34: The Mark of Spirit Governing  

“Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.”

Mark 1:34

Jesus governs the spirits of good and evil.

In this verse, while Jesus heals the sick and demon-possessed people He does so with power over the spirits brooding within the people. Spirits are what spur sicknesses. So Jesus has to silence those spirits inside of them and call them to come out. Jesus also has to silence them because they know He is the Messiah and he is trying to keep this confidential as much as possible at the beginning, because He needs to keep ministering for this 3-year period. If everyone in the area gets wind of Jesus as the Messiah then His trajectory to being murdered on the cross will happen too soon, and He still has more work to get done and more people to reach. Therefore He tells the demons to keep quiet about His divinity in his verse. So that those who also see Jesus is the Messiah can get delivered and healed.

There are other times when the demons don’t keep quiet and they will shout out “Son of David!” or “Holy One!” or other epithets of who Jesus is. This shows us the power of Jesus’ spirit inside of Him that He can walk around without saying a word and even the demons feel the aura of His Godhead.

This also reminds us of Jesus’ divinity and supremacy as God that he can govern spirits like this and tell them what to do and not do.

“And the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Jesus is in charge. Although the government exists in its own parameters and free will, nothing happens outside of Jesus’ reign. He allows the earth to spin and operate according to our own choices to choose how we live and govern ourselves but God can use every ruling entity to His advantage. Nothing is every outside of His power.

Jesus reigns as King even on earth. Yet He still partners with His Father who empowers Him while He walks the earth and accomplishes missions, miracles and healings.

We carry authority over spirits through Jesus own release of this power in His people. You can govern spirits by aligning your Spirit with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19

When God gives you power, it’s not to stir conflict. It’s to tread the enemy. Who is the enemy? Anything that assails God’s people. Whatever it is that is trying to kill you, discourage you, dishearten you, dull you, limit you, that is an enemy of the Lord. You have power in the name of Jesus. Nothing will hurt you. That’s why you have power! So that you can tread the enemy and protect yourself and protect others from harm. Every warrior of the Lord is given power to defend God’s Beloveds and do so without fear of death.

This verse says that Jesus “healed many who were sick with various diseases.” When He heals disease, this asserts dominance over the enemy. Jesus governs the evil spirit of sickness by casting it out and renewing the spirit of life and healthiness inside a person.

Life in abundance is what God promises you.

Jesus governs the Spirit of life so that it can inhabit you and overflow in you with joy unceasing!

Operate according to the fruits of the Spirit God planted in you.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-24

You know if something epitomizes good by its fruit. God loves to produce luscious fruits in you. Remember His Spirit is in you, so that you may govern your heart, mind and soul with this Spirit of love and freedom to live for Him.

Paul says in Romans 8:6, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Govern your mind and soul by the Spirit of God and you thrive wholly alive in His life source. The life source that makes you happy and healthy forever. Eternally alive.

God loves you so much that He gives you access to live alive by the Spirit for eternity.

My Favorite Takeaway from the Passage

“At evening when the sun had set, they brought to Him…” Mark 1:32

I love when the sun sets. Rosy cheeks feel the fire of tangerine pomegranate. Senses awakened smell the incense of lavender mahogany. Brightened eyes see the visionary hands of the Creator I love to feel when He pulls me close to Him. Keep setting the sun for me everyday. Keep turning the stars on every night. You never forget to turn them on for me. I never forget to wait for you to.

Mark notices the times when he writes his gospel. He specifies the sunset as the marker by which they brought the people closer to Jesus.

I love this passage because of how God moves at sunset. His love soothes me at sunset, where my brunette locks of wavey curls move with the wind after drying from the salty ocean. I love the way Jesus attracts every heart to Him and sunset is when the moment begins.

Come to Me… He says. Come at sunset. Come at the cataclysmic event of daylight hugging the night. Where the sun bids goodnight and the moon ascends in flight over the trees that sway in a dusk’s breeze.

bring me

to you, Lord

at sunset

I want to be

with You, Lord

at sunset

where the colors unveil

and the wonder curtail

the day gliding into night

at sunset

His love is alive