# Insights on Mark  ## Metadata - Author: [[Charles R. Swindoll]] - Full Title: Insights on Mark - Category: #books ## Highlights - Unlike his wealthy counterparts in Jerusalem, John called his countrymen to a “baptism of repentance” (Mark 1:4). The message proclaimed in the temple assured natural-born Jews that they had a guaranteed place in the kingdom of God by virtue of Abraham’s DNA—as long as they faithfully kept the Law. Gentiles could receive this assurance by studying the Law, passing an exam, and (for males) submitting to circumcision. To mark their new status as adopted “sons of the covenant,” converts were baptized. John’s preaching unsettled natural-born Jews. He proclaimed that sin had separated them from God. He urged Jews to approach the Lord like Gentiles—to repent of their sins and to mark the restart of their relationship with God by submitting to a proselyte’s baptism. Make no mistake, however: The symbol of baptism cannot save sinners any more than circumcision can save Jews. Like circumcision, baptism is supposed to be an outward symbol of one’s inner devotion to God (cf. Rom. 2:25-29). Even in the Old Testament, God regarded physical circumcision as worthless apart from obedience, which He described as “circumcision of the heart” (see Lev. 26:41; Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 9:25-26; and Ezek. 44:7, 9). John’s baptism, like his ministry, mainly prepared people for the coming of the Christ. ([Location 471](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=471)) - authority came directly from the Father (Mark 1:10-11). Perhaps even more significant to the Lord’s plan, Jesus presented Himself for baptism in order to give the symbol of immersion in water a new meaning. Without a doubt, the significance of baptism changed on that day. With that simple ceremony, Jesus officially began a journey that would lead to His ultimate destiny—His atoning sacrifice for sin. He thus made baptism a symbolic doorway to a new kind of life, through which He would be the first to walk. On behalf of the nation, and of all humankind, Jesus received the new covenant (cf. Ezek. 36:25-28. See also Isa. 44:3; 59:21; Jer. 31:31-33; Ezek. 37:14; 39:29; and Joel 2:28-29). By our baptism into Christ, we enter that covenant and partake of all its blessings. ([Location 512](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=512)) - never once did He promote Himself as a healer. He never wanted people to follow Him because of His ability to heal. He healed so that people would realize He was genuinely from God. The healings that Jesus performed—and they were many—were designed to corroborate His authenticity. ([Location 1329](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1329)) - What is legalism? It is an attitude of authoritarianism. It is a desire to control other people by enforcing an exhaustive list of dos and don’ts that attempts to define which external behavior should be considered ([Location 1465](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1465)) - acceptable by the circle of legalists. It’s playing king of the mountain in other people’s lives. Legalists use conformity to an external set of rules as a litmus test to determine one’s acceptability, which is the exact opposite of grace. Legalism emphasizes the letter of the law to the exclusion of the spirit or intent of the law. Legalism makes secondary issues primary while making primary matters secondary. Legalism uses manipulation to create blind obedience. Legalism promotes external appearances that seem to be spiritual in nature but that, at the core, represent pride and self-service. ([Location 1467](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1467)) - First, the fear and intimidation from those who are in authority. People fall in line because they fear the bully who determines the rules and regulations on how to live. ([Location 1472](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1472)) - Second, the desire to be accepted by one’s peers. This desire is greater than the determination to honor Christ. It stems from insecurity. Legalists feed on insecure, untaught, weak-willed believers. ([Location 1476](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1476)) - Third, ignorance of the Scriptures. The more a person understands the Word of God—and by that I mean not only the Word itself, but the spirit of the Word—the less that person is inclined to bow to legalists. ([Location 1477](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1477)) - Fourth, the hesitation to confront manipulators and to fight for one’s freedom. ([Location 1481](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1481)) - As Jaroslav Pelikan of Yale University put it, “Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”[24] ([Location 1484](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1484)) - William Barclay observes, “To the Jews, religion was a thing of endless rules. People lived their lives in an endless forest of regulations which dictated every action. They must listen forever to a voice which said, ‘You shall not.’”[25] ([Location 1500](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1500)) - When you follow legalists, you don’t have to think; you simply learn the rules and blindly obey them. ([Location 1506](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1506)) - Levi would not have been welcome in the synagogue. Jews in polite society despised tax collectors—and for good reason. By inflating their tax bills and then growing rich on the excess, Levi had betrayed his people, rejected his heritage, despised his temple, and renounced his God. Tax collectors had sold themselves to foreigners, which put Levi on the same level as harlots. So imagine the neighborhood scandal Jesus created when He called Levi to become one of His inner circle of disciples! ([Location 1508](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1508)) - legalists are individuals who examine the external behavior of others as a means of gauging their spiritual health, when they should give more attention to their own internal thoughts and attitudes in the interest of their own spiritual maturity. Consequently, legalists appear more spiritually strong than others but are, in truth, the most spiritually anemic. Rather than finding joy in a relationship with the Almighty, they become grace killers, joy stealers, and freedom destroyers. They think they understand grace, but the demands they place on others prove that they haven’t the first notion of grace as taught by Jesus. ([Location 1608](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B012P6CSEW&location=1608))