The Gospel of Mark, chapter 1.
As we get into this book, I'm excited and already looking ahead into what we are going to encounter. I love the Gospels probably more than any of the other books in the Bible. Only because I get to read the words of Jesus, as He spoke them. I love seeing Him encounter people and watch as they are moved from one place to another, or have their lives radically changed, merely through Him speaking. My heart yearns when I read those words. They strengthen me and give me peace. I hope as we move through this book, it will have the same effect on you as well.
So first of all... couple things we need to know. What is a Gospel? In the days of the Romans, when a Caesar was "crowned" or what ever you want to call it, a decree went out that said Caesar is King. It meant that you were to submit yourself to him and his authority. It meant that Caesar was a "god-man", that his words were infallible and to disobey him meant death. These decrees were called gospels. So it is no coincidence that when the Gospels of Jesus were written, they were called "GOSPELS" for a reason. It smacked the face of the emperor. They were absolutely, and intentionally saying that Jesus was King, not Caesar. That Jesus was the "god-man", not Caesar and that to not obey Jesus, meant certain death. (We of course know that the death they spoke of was the "second death", as it is mentioned in the Bible in Revelation 21:8.) And make no mistake.... people were put to death by Caesar for this. Secondly, who was Mark? Well, it is widely accepted by scholars and theologians that Mark is John Mark, a companion and scribe of Paul's. It is believed that Mark wrote the Gospel sometime between 60-70 A.D. And contrary to what you may think (him being a scribe for Paul and all...) the gospel is actually an account from Peter. It was written for a Jewish/Roman audience, and it documents mostly the accounts of Jesus. There is no genealogy, nor is there a birth story in this gospel. It merely focuses on the facts of Jesus' ministry. It is believed not to be chronological, but rather, thematic. Pastor Erik talked about this in week two of Sola Scriptura. And one of the biggest things that took place here was the translation from Aramaic for the purposes of the audience being able to understand. That's a little bit of info on the Gospel of Mark. You can find lots of interesting things about this Gospel if you research it, but be careful. If you are tooling around on the internet for said research, you need to pay attention to the source, and if it's credible or not.
Chapter 1:
Aw, man... I could go on and on and on just in this one chapter! But for time's sake I'll let you guys explore and talk about the many things. I'll key on two things. First: vs. 17-18 "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. WHAT! Are you serious? Some dude comes along, that you've never seen before, speaks one sentence and you completely throw away your entire life to go follow him? Seriously!
Can you imagine, for one second, what Peter and Andrew's hearts felt like when they heard, literally, the voice of God speaking to them; commanding them to follow. I don't know about you, but my heart is wrecked when I read Jesus' words. I can't fathom actually hearing them. If I hadn't had a heart attack at that moment from the sheer power and authority of them, I probably would've fallen to my knees and wept at the beauty of the sound of His voice!
Next: vs 23-28. There were so many teachers and philosophers trying to win the attention of the people back then, they immediately recognized that when Jesus spoke, he carried authority. It wasn't new to them that someone else would be coming along spouting out this new philosophy, it WAS new to them that the person could actually command results with His teaching and his words alone. Can you imagine standing there watching a demon possessed person, who by the way refers to himself in a pluralistic fashion saying, "Have you come to destroy us?" But then he says probably the most key thing from this entire chapter. "I know who you are- the Holy One of God". If I hadn't believed by then, I probably would've had to re-evaluate my position after that encounter!
Okay, I'm done. But I can't wait for your comments! There's sooooo much more in here. We could seriously do a month just on this first chapter. What are your thoughts?
-robbie
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Every miracle and teaching that Jesus performs, people are always amazed and spread the word.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we?
Why don't we leave church renewed and praising God and going and telling our friends all about Him?
And does the lack of it depend on "seeing" the miracle? Hearing the word as it left His mouth?
What's it gonna take for us to tell the world?
The words in Mark Chapter 1 create this movie scene for me, one where there is a huge heightening to this exact point in the story line- everything in the entire movie has built up to this, and the orchestrated music is playing very loudly, harsh drum beats that set the tone of strength and honesty, touching you soulfully through each measure!
ReplyDeleteAnd the best part in vs. 17 & 18, after Jesus tells to follow him- they do- because they want to, because they believe, because they know who he is. People often talk of whether or not they will be able to recognize Jesus when he comes again. It is evident to me through this scripture-You Will Know! If your Faith is nourished by staying in the Word, and you never settle for less than the truth about God, and you never lose your desire to share with the rest of the World what a life with God has to offer, you will be the first to recognize who He is!
Several verses caught my attention but 10-11 moved me somewhat. John baptizes Jesus and all three persons of the Trinity are involved. The Son is baptized, the Holy spirit comes down, and the Father speaks. You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.
ReplyDeleteAs a believer there is comfort in these words. Nothing I could ever do would be pleasing to the Father. Only through his Son will he find no fault in me. Words really can't describe the beauty of Jesus and the promise of Salvation. Thank God!!!, he loved and give us a choice.
It's crazy to think that the disciples just would throw away everything and follow Christ. That shows some real faith. I think we all need to have faith like that and be able to listen to God and follow what he commands us to do. I know in this day and age it would be hard to just up and leave everything you have. But that's what they did they left their father and everything else...I wonder if it's harder for us to have faith like that today because there are so many distractions these days? Or are we afraid of what God may want us to do?...just some thoughts! :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder what it looked like when the angels were ministering to Jesus before he was tempted. What were they doing, and what would an average person have seen.
ReplyDeleteAlso I think the reason that the fishermen jumped up and followed Jesus is because in their hearts they knew who he was or that their hearts needed him.
I just pray that my heart is that open that when God meets me in daily life that I recognize him and jump at the chance to follow him.
I like how this Gospel starts with an introduction of who Jesus is. This would be a great place to start for someone seeking truth, as it lays out not only the propehcies of the Old Testament, the prophecies of John the Baptist, God making clear to all that this was his Son and the fullfilment of those prophecies, the purposeful leading of the spirit to show his Divinity, though human, and power over Satan, and that now was the time where Jesus was prepared to begin His ministry. His power and presence to command followers and His ability to perform miracles are both highlighted. Want to show womeone who Jesus was, this is a beautiful start!
ReplyDeleteI am struck by a lot of the language used in this book:
1. v5 - "they were being baptized..., confessing their sins." Were they simply confessing to God, or to each other? Do you think we just confess that we are sinners, and not that we have sinned in this area or that?
2. v10 - "saw the heaven's being torn open" - Why use such strong language? To me it makes me visualize that God wanted all to see this, so rather than just opening the heaven's, He ripped them open, which would've been hard not to notice. He wanted all to hear Him announce that this was His son!
3. v15 - "the time is fulfilled" - this shows me that even Jesus prepared, studied, and worked before it was time to begin His ministry.
4. v18, 23, 42 - "immediately" - as many of you have commented, when you encounter the Christ face to face, the reaction is instantaneous. The disciples, the unclean spirit, and the physical affliction (leprousy) did not hesitate to respond to Him.
5. v22 - "they were astonished" - another bold word. I am sure we have all met people who were intriguing, but Jesus when He spoke was so much more than that, people couldn't help but hang on His words.
I was really intrigued by vs. 44, when he tells the leper to go show himself to the priest and do what the law of Moses commanded... I looked up that law and it is VERY detailed! It's Leviticus 14 - the whole chapter. There are instructions for your regular leper (if there is one) and then if the leper is poor.
ReplyDeleteMy study bible indicated that Jesus instructed the man to do this as a show of respect to Mosaic law but also to prove that He was the one who actually cleansed him. Pretty cool.
Also, I think this gospel forces us to dig deeper because it is the shortest of all the gospels and as I'm sure you've seen, Mark uses a lot of "immediatelys, at once, and suddenlys". To me, it's a good, broad overview of the gospels and hits the highlights of Jesus' ministry.
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are— the Holy One of God." 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" v. 24 and 25
ReplyDelete"And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him." v. 34
"See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest..." v. 44
Wonder why Christ desired so much to be kept quiet? Perhaps God had to work slow so that we should comprehend what was going on. I've heard some answers to the above question but still... I can't help but wonder.
(C) "Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
ReplyDeletewho will prepare your way,
I wonder how many ways this is used even now. I think God always puts people in our lives that He knows will lead us in the right direction when we decide to follow him. I know for me when I truly gave my life to the Lord and began living for Him, I found that almost immediately my job changed for the better, my friends changed for the better, my habits changed for the better. People who I would have never associated with suddently became really close friends and people that I considered my close friends, suddenly became very distant memories of my former life. I know that God put people in my life for me..he "sent his messenger" in a way that would open my eyes. Maybe not the same as this biblical story, but still someone was put in my path that grabbed me by the arm and set my feet on the right path. Who told me of the good news, of the gospel and how if I let it change me I would never be the same...thank the Lord I listened!!
V22: “The people were amazed at his teachings because he taught them as one who has authority, not as the teachers of the law”. I always struggle with understanding and comprehending the transition of what was commanded in the Old Testament to the teachings in the New. This verse proves that Jesus’ teaching was radically different from the messages and lawful commands they were used to hearing in the synagogues. This had to be hard for many especially those that did not get to hear Jesus face-to-face. However you have to believe that those who truly loved God and sought truth and grace heard him personally even if they never physically encountered Jesus.
ReplyDelete