Mark 1 - What Day In the Life of Jesus Looks Like!

Mark 1 - NIV


Verses for the Day

Jesus Announces the Good News
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Commentary

Today we begin Mark's gospel, which is the shortest of the 4 gospels at only 16 chapters. The gospel of Mark is the earliest gospel written, and one of the earliest books written in the New Testament. We know it is written before A.D. 70, because it doesn't talk about the fall of the temple in A.D. 70, which both Matthew and Luke talk about. 

Mark is written from the perspective of the apostle Peter. It is fast paced and centers on the actions of power that Jesus manifested. This is reflected in Jesus' words above. Jesus is announcing the Good News. Often we associate the Good News solely with Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. If we believe in him we are saved and obtain eternal. Of course, this is true, but Mark adds a difference nuance to his gospel, one that I think makes the Good News even fuller. 

Jesus' first words in Mark are, "The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Good News." 

The good news in Mark is that Jesus came to not only teach and proclaim the kingdom of God, as he does in the parables in Matthew and Luke, but he shows its power. I have often called this the "Show and Tell Gospel". Jesus told them the kingdom of God was near, and then showed them what it looked like. His sermons were short but his applications were powerful! 

Look at the first chapter alone. Mark doesn't spend a lot of time telling us about Jesus' lineage, as Matthew does with Jesus' genealogy all the way from Abraham. He doesn't go into the birth narratives of Jesus and John the Baptist, like Luke starts his gospel with. Jesus gets right to showing he is the Messiah.

Just look at the signs and miracles Jesus demonstrated in Mark 1. This is why some call Mark the "power gospel". 

1. After calling the disciples, Jesus immediately went to teach in the synagogue. The people noted that he taught with authority. Then he showed a different type of authority, when a man who was demon possessed, cried out in a loud voice, "What do you want do you want to do with us Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy One of God". This demon was one of the first to recognize Jesus' true nature as both a man and God. Immediately Jesus cast out the demon saying, "Be quite, Come out of him." 

Jesus showed the people his authority in teaching the Word of God and the authority and power he had over the spiritual world. Quite a way to start his ministry among the people.

2. Jesus healed many others including Peter's mother in law's fever. By the way this shows us Peter might have been married. 

3. Many others brought people who were demon possessed and were diseased. Jesus healed MANY who were sick and demon possessed. Sometimes we read in other passages Jesus didn't heal people because of their lack of faith. 

4. Finally, Jesus heals a man with leprosy who said to Jesus, "If you are willing you can make me clean." Jesus was a little indignant with the way the man phrased this but healed him anyways.

I would say that is a pretty full day of ministry. Note he did all of this on the Sabbath Day. Later Jesus would get into it with the religious leaders for healing a person on the Sabbath. They were more interested in rules than healing people. 

Application

1. How does Jesus' view of the gospel in Mark 1, change or enhance your view of the gospels?

2. Later Jesus would equip the disciples to do the same things he did in chapter 1 of Mark. Do you feel equipped to cast out demons and pray for healing for people? Why or why not?

Final Thought

Jesus' kingdom is every bit at hand, as it was when he started his earthly ministry? The question is are we going to repent from not wanting to be a part of it, or not expecting it to happen in our churches today! Let's not only preach the gospel but show people what it looks like in action!

Prayer of the Day

Jesus, we thank you that you showed us what God's kingdom in heaven looks like on earth. In heaven there are no demons or diseases. Help us to repent from wanting to live lives which don't give you the opportunity to bring in your kingdom through us like your first disciples. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matthew 18:6-9 Causing to Stumble

Causing to Stumble 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Reflection: Matthew reminds us today that we don't live only unto ourselves. Our actions have repercussions on others either directly or indirectly. This is especially true for children and youth, who are impressionable. I still remember when I was...
Read more

Luke 8 - The Key to Exponential Growth!

Image
4  While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:   5  “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.   6  Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.   8  Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” Click Here to Read Luke 8 This is a very familiar parable for Christians.  We have heard it many times.  It is a simple parable in some senses, but worth delving into time and time again because its principles are so important.   What I would like to focus on today is the last line, which says the seed came up and yielded a crop hundred times more than was sown.  At the end of t...
Read more

"Everything in Moderation" ...Is that in the Bible?

1 Corinthians 6 12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. You have heard the saying, "Everything in moderation". While that may be true in some sense, it really depends what that "everything" is. Crack cocaine in moderation? Sex with a prostitute in moderation? A glass of wine in moderation? A Big Mac a day in moderation? You see the point! While that may seem like an extreme argument, Paul is trying to snuff out a problem in Corinthians church. The problem was people were dabbling in sexual immorality and saying it was okay. Since they were forgiven what would it hurt to engage in a little bit of fun. But when you read the list of the things in the verses above...
Read more