Today's Reading
September 26, 2026
Mark Chapter 1
Daily readings posted here at midnight ET
Mark 1:1-45, KJV:
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.
33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.
34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
Reflection Questions
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What stood out to you most in Mark 1, and why?
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What do you notice about John the Baptist’s role in preparing the way for Jesus?
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What do Jesus’ words and actions in this chapter reveal about who He is?
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Several people respond to Jesus immediately. What do you notice about their willingness to follow Him?
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Is there a verse or moment from this chapter that you want to carry with you today?
Answer one, a few, or all of the reflection questions in the comments below, or simply share any thoughts, insights, or questions you’re left with after today’s reading. You’ll need to be logged in to comment.
Want to dig a little deeper? Use the optional 90 Days with Jesus Printable Study Companion alongside today’s reading.
When Jesus was Baptized,I noticed all three of the trinity were together at the same time. God was pleased and the Holy Spirit came down!
Something that stood out to me, Verse 15, Jesus saying “The time is fulfilled. . . “. What time is fulfilled? Daniel 9:25 — “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks…”. “Messiah” (Hebrew māšîaḥ) literally means “Anointed One.” At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, marking His anointing and the beginning of His public ministry. Praise and glory to God 🙌
Verse 35 - regardless of what was going on or how busy things were, he always went apart from others to pray.
I noticed that Jesus has such authority that he called people to come to him and follow him, that they did. They just dropped everything, no questions asked, no explanation needed. They left the jobs that feed their familes, left their families to follow Jesus. Was he a complete stranger to them?
Something that stood out to me about Mark 1 is verses 40-45; he healed the man with leprosy and told him to tell no one, yet the man went and begin to publish it. I feel Jesus was weary of people knowing his miracles as people became more interested in the "immediate" miracles he could perfrom reather than the long lasting solutions to spiritual needs he could provide.
My takeaway was how Jesus wanted the "ordinary" people. When He was gathering His disciples, He didn't go into the temples to look for religious leaders. He went in search of those that could relate to the majority. Those that would have had dirty hands and feet. Those that wouldn't have polished language and be good wordsmith. It reminds me He can use everyone!
The moment that stood out the most to me in Mark 1 was when Jesus was baptized! Although he was without sin, he demonstrated things we were to do. He doesn’t ask anything of us that he himself wouldn’t do.