Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 2 Study # 4
October 19, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(254)
1901 ASV
6:12 And they went out, and preached that [men] should repent.
6:13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
- I. The Beginning Of Mark's Record Of The "Sending Forth Of The Disciples".
- A. This second part of the first major sub-section of Mark's Gospel is a presentation of the danger that is involved in being a "sent forth disciple": the blindness of "sent forth disciples" (8:22-26) in respect to the major obstacle to legitimate representation of Jesus (unbelief driven by false loves).
- B. This paragraph as the backdrop to the "danger" (Jesus insisting that His disciples go forth without any "provisions" so that they might learn that He is their "Provisioner").
- C. Mark's continuing record of Jesus' commission of The Twelve.
- D. The activities of The Twelve.
- 1. And "having gone forth" [Aorist Participle] (as the direct reaction to the commission of Jesus of 6:7 in a present tense, middle voice, indicative mood sense).
- a. This verb is used extensively by Mark (37 times) as well as the New Testament authors (210 times in total). It does not seem to have a significant "literary design" component in Mark's Gospel as it is used in all manner of settings in his record.
- b. They preached [Aorist Indicative] the need of repentance (That they should be repenting [Present Subjunctive] for forgiveness (1:4).
- 1) Mark's focus on "preaching" is from 1:4-6:12 with nine of his twelve uses in these early chapters. The use in 7:36 is an act of disobedience and the uses in both 13:10 and 14:9 are prophetic. This "preaching" was their "umbrella activity" (Aorist Participle), not like the Present Participle in 1:4 in Mark's description of John's appearance on the historical scene. What is notably absent in John's "preaching" is the attendant activities of exorcisms and healings. Yet...he had a nation-wide impact. 1:7 indicates that it was John's message that was critical, not his power. And when Jesus came on the scene in 1:14, He also came (Aorist Indicative) preaching (Present Participle) and He also was calling for repentance (1:15; Present Active Imperative).
- 2) The noun, "repentance", is only used by Mark in 1:4; and the verb, "repent" is only used in 1:15 and 6:12. This seems to be remarkable in that the paucity of use belies the significance of the concept.
- c. And they were casting out [Imperfect Indicative] (on-going historical narrative) many demons (an exact replica of Jesus' activities in 1:34 and 1:39).
- 1) This use of "demons" is a different use than in 6:7 where the "authority" is "over unclean spirits", but is in exact harmony, as mentioned, with 1:34 and 3:15.
- 2) Exorcisms of demons/unclean spirits is a primary display of power/authority (1:27).
- d. And they were anointing [Imperfect Indicative] (on-going historical narrative) with oil many feeble.
- 1) Mark's record of "anointing" is limited to this text (6:13) and one other (16:1).
- 2) In like manner, Mark's reference to "oil" is only in this one text of his entire record.
- 3) And, similarly, the references to the "enfeebled" are only two, with both in this particular context (6:5 and 13). In 6:5 it is in a context of Jesus' "inability" to do any significant work of power, and this use in 6:13 is in a context of the disciples creating a significant result so that the king heard of it.
- e. And they were healing [Imperfect Indicative] (on-going historical narrative). This reference to "healing" by the use of the particular word behind the translation is the last such reference by Mark; the other four are in previous accounts (1:34; 3:2, and 10; and 6:5).
