Straightway

Old Treasures on Tuesdays 👑

“And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove” (Mark 1:10, NKJV, bold emphasis mine).

As I was studying the book of Mark recently, I saw something I had never noticed before. In the American Standard Version, the word “straightway” occurs no less than eleven times in the first chapter alone.

The New King James Version usually renders this word “immediately,” and occasionally, “as soon as” or “at once.” However, looking at the original language, the Greek term, euthus, is the same in all eleven cases. Since the chapter has forty-five verses in it, this averages out to Holy Spirit incorporating the concept of “immediately” into every fourth verse or so. That’s a whole lot of instantaneous action!

For our rumination purposes, here are all the instances where it appears (NKJV, except v. 23; bold emphasis mine):

• “…Immediately… He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending…” (v. 10).
• “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness” (v. 12).
• “They immediately left their nets and followed Him” (v. 18).
• “And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee…” (v. 20).
• “…Immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught” (v. 21).
• “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit…” (v. 23, ESV).
• “And immediately His fame spread…” (v. 28).
• “Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue…” (v. 29).
• “…They told Him about her at once” (v. 30).
• “As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him…” (v. 42).
• “And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once” (v. 43).

What are we to conclude, from observing that “immediately” is so interwoven into the fabric of this chapter? What is Daddy God getting at?

I believe He is Continue reading Immediately!