As we stepped further into the gospel of Mark this morning, Rick Marshall reminded us of the writing class adage: show, dont tell. The author of Mark is doing just that, defending the claim of Jesus as Messiah by showing, and by asking implicit questions throughout: who is this guy? who is he? Jesus is described through conflict, in scene after scene, and a pattern becomes apparent. 1st scene, curtain goes up, Jesus by the sea, no words, no backstory, just follow me. 2nd scene, curtain goes up and we are in the synagogue, and Jesus is teaching with authority, in contrast with those other preachers. 3rd scene, curtain goes up, woman with a fever is healed, and on it goes, scene after scene, lepers healed, cutting open a roof to lower in a man in need of healing, and all along the way, amazement, awe, and questions. And...the religious leaders in every scene, always in the background, always in the corner, always stepping out of the shadows to speak with Jesus, questioning him about this and that: about the Sabbath, about how the scriptures are to be used. And again and again, the questions hang in the air: who is this guy? who is he? By the 10th scene, the curtain goes up, they are in the synagogue again, and a man with a withered hand is there. Because of the purity laws he shouldnt be there at all. But he is. What will Jesus do, the religious authorities wonder? It is the Sabbath, after all, and no work of any sort is to be done, not even healing. Jesus, though, in his typical fashion, asks a question in return: what is better to do, good or bad on the Sabbath? Jesus goes right ahead and heals the man, and is angry and grieved at the religious authorities hard hearts. Amazement--who is this guy? who is he? Now the scene turns and (mightily ticked off) the religious authorities begin to conspire with Herod to destroy Jesus. Curtain down. And the questions hang in the air: who is this guy? who is he?
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 01:26:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015