Introduction
Are you truly following Jesus, making His ways your ways, or are you trying to keep Him at a safe distance while you continue life on your own terms? The central teaching I want to press into your heart is this: following Jesus means receiving His anointing, enduring His testing, responding to His gospel, and obeying His call, immediately and wholeheartedly (Mark 1:9–20). Mark writes with urgency. Scene after scene, we keep hearing the word “immediately.” Jesus is on the move, and discipleship is not meant to be slow-motion curiosity; it is responsive obedience. In Mark 1:9–20 we watch four acts unfold, anointing, testing, preaching, and calling, and they teach us what it looks like when the King arrives and says, “Follow Me.”
Main Points
Are you truly following Jesus, making His ways your ways, or are you trying to keep Him at a safe distance while you continue life on your own terms? The central teaching I want to press into your heart is this: following Jesus means receiving His anointing, enduring His testing, responding to His gospel, and obeying His call, immediately and wholeheartedly (Mark 1:9–20).
Mark writes with urgency. Scene after scene, we keep hearing the word “immediately.” Jesus is on the move, and discipleship is not meant to be slow-motion curiosity; it is responsive obedience. In Mark 1:9–20 we watch four acts unfold, anointing, testing, preaching, and calling, and they teach us what it looks like when the King arrives and says, “Follow Me.”
A Surprising Coronation of the King
Jesus’ kingship is revealed in a way that shatters our expectations. He comes from Nazareth of Galilee, so insignificant that later people will say, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (implied from John 1:46). He comes not to a palace but to the Jordan River, not to be crowned by nobles but to be baptized by John the Baptist, the wilderness prophet clothed like Elijah (Mark 1:6; implied from 2 Kings 1:8).
This is how God works: He prepares the way, then fulfills His promise in ways that humble human pride. If you want to follow Jesus, you must let Him dismantle your assumptions about power, importance, and what “a king” should look like. The Kingdom of God does not arrive with worldly fanfare, it arrives with heaven’s authority in surprising places.
Baptism Identifies Us With Righteousness
Mark tells us Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:9). That should make you ask the question good Bible students ask: Why would the sinless One participate in a baptism of repentance? Matthew gives Jesus’ own explanation: “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15).
Jesus did not get baptized because He needed cleansing; He got baptized to identify with sinners and to leave no stone of righteousness unturned. He validates the symbol and moves toward the substance, our forgiveness that will be accomplished at the cross.
So I say to you gently but clearly: if Jesus embraced this act of obedience, you and I do not “test out” of righteousness. Following Jesus includes a willingness to obey Him publicly and humbly. Baptism is not a spiritual accessory; it is a vow-sign, a declaration that the old life is dying and a new life is rising.
The Spirit Empowers the Way of the Lord
As Jesus comes up from the water, the heavens are torn open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father speaks (Mark 1:10–11). This is one of the clearest moments where we see Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
Notice the order and the lesson: Jesus does not lift a finger for ministry apart from the Holy Spirit. The promised Messiah would be marked by the Spirit’s resting upon Him, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord (Isa. 11:1–2). This is fulfillment. John said the Coming One would baptize not merely with water but with the Holy Spirit (implied from Mark 1:8).
If you want to follow Jesus, you must embrace this dependence: the Word on the page becomes alive by the Spirit; our ears hear by the Spirit; our hands and feet obey by the Spirit. And God’s power often comes with the gentleness of a dove, not always with the dramatic signs we think we need. The Spirit makes us courageous, yes, but also peaceful, loving, joyful, kind. Don’t despise the quiet power of God.
The Father’s Pleasure Comes Before Performance
The voice from heaven says, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). Don’t miss what comes next: this pleasure is spoken before Jesus preaches a sermon, calls a disciple, casts out a demon, heals a sick person, calms a storm, feeds the crowds, or goes to the cross.
That means the way of the Lord begins with a foundation you must receive: God’s love is not merely a destination at the end of your obedience; it is the ground beneath your feet as you learn obedience. Many of us live as though God will finally be pleased “someday”, when our performance improves, when our life gets cleaned up, when we become impressive. But the gospel order is different: belovedness comes first, and from belovedness we obey.
Romans tells us we have been adopted, we are no longer slaves to fear but sons and daughters (implied from Romans 8:15–17). I want you to hear this as good news: if you are in Christ, the Father’s love for you is real now, not after you prove yourself.
The Spirit Leads Us Into the Wilderness
Immediately after the anointing, “the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12). This is discipleship reality: the Spirit does not only comfort; He compels. He leads us into places we would not choose, to do in us what we could not do in comfort.
Jesus is tempted by Satan forty days, among wild beasts, with angels ministering to Him (Mark 1:13). Following Jesus does not mean life becomes trial-proof. Baptism is not a bulletproof vest. Peter teaches that our faith is tested so the genuineness of it may be revealed (implied from 1 Peter 1:6–7). The wilderness is often the place of utter dependence on God, and it can be the best thing that ever happens to you, though it’s rarely what you want.
Remember the wilderness pattern in Scripture: Israel was delivered from slavery, passed through the waters, and then entered the wilderness on the way to the promised land (implied from Exodus). In the same way, you may find that after new beginnings and spiritual highs, God trains you through dependence, waiting, and temptation-resistance. The Spirit gives power not for spiritual entertainment, but because you’re going to need Him.
The Gospel Call: Repent and Believe Now
After John is imprisoned, Jesus comes preaching “the gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14). His message is blunt and urgent: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
This is the King’s announcement. History is turning a corner, God’s reign is drawing near in the person of Jesus. And the response is not vague spirituality; it is a decisive turn:
- Repent: turn from sin, surrender the right to rule yourself.
- Believe: trust the good news that God is bringing His kingdom through Christ.
If you want to follow Jesus, you must keep repenting and keep believing. Discipleship is not only how you start; it is how you continue.
Immediate Obedience to Follow Jesus
Finally, Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, sees ordinary men at ordinary work, and says, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). Their response is the word Mark keeps emphasizing: immediately. Simon and Andrew leave their nets (Mark 1:18). James and John leave their father and the boat (Mark 1:19–20).
This is not romantic impulsiveness; it is the proper response to the arrival of the King. Following Jesus costs something real, nets, security, even family expectations, and it also creates something new: Jesus says, “I will make you become…” Discipleship is not self-reinvention; it is Christ’s transforming work as we walk in His ways.
So I put the question gently but directly to you: are you following Christ, actively, presently, or only admiring Him from the shoreline? He may not stand in front of you bodily like He did in Galilee, but He calls you through His Word, the preaching of the gospel, and the beckoning of His Spirit. The invitation still carries Kingly authority: Follow Me.
Conclusion
Mark shows us Jesus arriving as the promised King, and he shows us the way disciples are formed. Jesus is anointed in surprising humility, empowered by the Spirit, affirmed by the Father before performance, driven into wilderness testing, proclaimed as the fulfillment of God’s kingdom, and then followed with immediate obedience.
If you want to follow Jesus, you must make His ways your ways: walk in righteousness, depend on the Spirit, rest in the Father’s love, endure wilderness seasons faithfully, repent and believe continually, and obey when He calls, without delay.
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your beloved Son, the true King. Teach me to follow Jesus not merely in admiration but in obedience. Help me receive Your love as a foundation, not something I try to earn. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, open my ears to hear Your Word, strengthen my hands to obey, and steady my heart in seasons of wilderness testing. Give me grace to repent and believe the gospel today. When You call me to follow, make me willing to leave my “nets” behind and trust You to make me become who You desire. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
Mark shows us Jesus arriving as the promised King, and he shows us the way disciples are formed. Jesus is anointed in surprising humility, empowered by the Spirit, affirmed by the Father before performance, driven into wilderness testing, proclaimed as the fulfillment of God’s kingdom, and then followed with immediate obedience.
If you want to follow Jesus, you must make His ways your ways: walk in righteousness, depend on the Spirit, rest in the Father’s love, endure wilderness seasons faithfully, repent and believe continually, and obey when He calls, without delay.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your beloved Son, the true King. Teach me to follow Jesus not merely in admiration but in obedience. Help me receive Your love as a foundation, not something I try to earn. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, open my ears to hear Your Word, strengthen my hands to obey, and steady my heart in seasons of wilderness testing. Give me grace to repent and believe the gospel today. When You call me to follow, make me willing to leave my “nets” behind and trust You to make me become who You desire. In Jesus’ name, amen.