Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.13UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.13UNLIKELY
Fear
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.51LIKELY
Sadness
0.52LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.7LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.52LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.91LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.8LIKELY
Extraversion
0.15UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.76LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.67LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
*“Prayer and Proclamation”*
*Mark 1.29-39*
Jesus means different things to different people.
In many cases people tend to invent Jesus to be who they want him to be.
Others will overemphasize some traits over others.
So, Jesus can be portrayed as the gentle shepherd who cuddles the Lamb and forget that he returns on a war horse prepared for battle.
Some think he was merely a great teacher, or a moralist, or even a fictitious character.
So we are studying the Gospel of Mark in order that we may gain a better understanding of who this Jesus is and why he has come to earth.
Of course, we understand that Jesus is more than a great teacher or even a great example.
We see him as the Son of God.
And so it is our desire that we gain a greater understanding of our Savior and our King.
This investigation should cause us to love him more and worship him more and serve him more.
We continue in Mark chapter 1 today.
So please turn there in your Bibles.
The first point this morning is *“Authentication as Messiah.”
*This is what Mark is trying to get across particularly in the first chapter.
He does not elaborate on details.
He goes from event to event to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Mark begins by introducing Jesus as the Son of God and how he fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament.
He spoke of John the Baptizer preparing the way for the Lord.
It was John’s proclamation of repentance and the coming of Jesus who is mightier than the greatest of prophets.
In the baptism by John, Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit and declared to be approved by God the Father as his Son.
It was the heavens being torn open that signaled a new event in history with the coming Son of God.
Jesus overcomes Satan’s temptations in the wilderness and is approved for ministry.
It is in Jesus’ proclamation that he introduces the kingdom of God as the times are fulfilled.
It is the authority and the call of the Son of God who commands people everywhere to repent and believe in the gospel.
Last week, we saw that it is the authority and the call from the Son of God that causes fishermen to drop occupations and leave family to follow after him.
It is the authority of this Jesus that causes those in the synagogue, including the experts, to marvel at his teaching.
And it is the authority of the Holy One of God to cause the demon to shudder and to be expelled from a man in this synagogue.
This morning we will see more indication of Jesus and his miraculous works that seek to confirm that he is not a mere man – but that he is the very Son of God.
He is the anticipated Messiah.
After amazing the crowds by exorcising the demon from the man, Jesus leaves the synagogue and he goes to the house of Simon’s mother-in-law.
It seems as though he had known about her condition and that there was an implied request that he help her.
The illness appears to be rather serious for them to ask for the Lord to assist and the fact that she is incapacitated by it.
Notice what happens: Jesus comes takes her by the hand and lifts her up.
The fever disappears and she feels well enough to serve them.
Notice also that there was no need to take a couple of ibuprofen and call in the morning, no need to lie down to recuperate for a few days.
Take a week off from work.
Her healing was immediate and complete.
Did Jesus need to take her hand to heal her??
Why did he?
I’m not sure either.
And without trying to speculate too much, maybe he wanted to personalize his ministry as well.
He did not shy away from the sick and the hurting.
He was personally involved.
In addition, he did not have to say anything.
He has the power and the authority to merely take someone by the hand for instant healing.
Word spreads quickly.
Whether it was from the reports coming out of the synagogue or the reports from Simon Peter’s house, at sundown they received a few visitors.
Apparently their doorbell was getting a workout for our text says the whole city was gathered at the door.
Can you imagine getting the knock at the door on a Saturday evening, opening the door and seeing multitudes of sick and demon-oppressed people?? Let that image sink in a bit…
Perhaps you’re a little like me.
After a long week, you settle down on a Saturday night.
You sit down in your recliner with a good book or you’re probably memorizing the Scripture verse for the next morning or something!
Then you hear the doorbell.
And you sigh.
Do you immediately think of the ministry potential that is knocking at your door?? Or do you see this as an interruption of your plans?? I’ll be honest.
There are times that I struggle with this.
On the one hand, there is certainly a time and a season for prayer and solitude and refreshment.
And we will investigate this in a couple minutes.
But I will admit that it is often in the times that I initially view things as an inconvenience that God richly blesses me and uses me for his glory.
Now it’s not very likely that we open the door to the same scene.
But let’s look at Jesus reaction to this event.
Our text indicates that it was evening at sundown which would have likely meant that the Sabbath was now concluded and so could pursue this meeting with Jesus.
James Edwards notes, “The Sabbath extended from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, during which Jews were forbidden to work or travel.
This explains why the crowds gather only after sunset on the Sabbath.
The desperation of the sick and demon-possessed is expressed in simple Markan pathos: “The whole town gathered at the door.”
The door of Jesus’ compassion and power is open to them.”
In this instance, Jesus does not see these people as a distraction or an inconvenience.
And he heals them.
Jesus demonstrates compassion to Simon’s mother-in-law in front of the few that were there.
And he shows them here what it means to have compassion on the multitudes.
When it says, “they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed,” it is actually an imperfect verb which could be understood as, “they kept on bringing.”
It has been suggested in academic circles that the concept of the demonic realm including demon possession and influence can be diagnosed as physical illness.
Mark, however, is quite intentional about distinguishing between the two here.
So Jesus heals those with physical ailments and casts out the demons.
One of the things that was a bit curious at first glance in this passage was that the text suggests that everyone was coming and many were being cured.
It could be misunderstood to suggest that either Jesus was unwilling to heal ‘all’ or unable to heal all.
As I investigated further, I learned that Mark uses “many” to indicate the whole community.
So the emphasis falls on the great number of those who were healed.
Mark seems quite intentional to include demons and exorcisms in the first half of his gospel.
This is because, as we mentioned, Mark has set out to clearly demonstrate who Jesus us.
And by showing us his healing physical illnesses and exorcism of demons, he communicates that Jesus is the One who has the authority over physical illness and the spiritual and demonic realm.
Keep this in mind because both of these areas are not the primary focus of Jesus himself.
Here Jesus casts out the demons and yet doesn’t permit them to speak.
And the text says it was because they knew him.
Alright.
Let’s think this through a bit.
At Jesus’ baptism, the heavenly voice announces that Jesus is God’s Son.
As we continue throughout the first half of Mark’s gospel, we will notice a couple of things in particular.
There are questions regarding the identity of Jesus.
It is to be noted that they come from people, human beings.
Recall that we just saw this in verse 27: And they were all amazed, so that *they questioned among themselves*, saying, “What is this?
A new teaching with authority!
He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
In Mark 2.7 it says, “Why does this man speak like that?
He is blaspheming!
*Who can forgive sins but God alone*?”
Mark 4.41 “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “*Who then is this*, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 6:2 “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “*Where did this man get these things?
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9