Pentecost 9, August 10, 2014, Mark 1.1-12 Children: There are 66 books in the Bible; there are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew; the New Testament was written in Aramaic and Greek. So we have to translate it into our language. Mark is usually the first book translated for two reasons; it’s the shortest and it’s the simplest. Mark is the second of four gospels; gospel means “good news” and these four gospels tell the story of Jesus’ life. Matthew was written for the Jewish mind; he’s trying to convince the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah… so he begins Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham and tells the story of the wise men who were looking for “the king of the Jews.” Luke was written for the Gentile mind; he’s telling Jesus’ story for the rest of us… so he begins Jesus’ genealogy with Adam and includes lots of stories about families, women, and children. John was written for the educated, philosophical mind; “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Mark was written for the Roman mind; it’s a simple straight-forward story filled with action… so there is no genealogy and he jumps right into the story beginning with John the Baptist! 1-3 The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I’m sending my preacher ahead of you; He’ll make the road smooth for you. Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! Mark has always been my favorite gospel and it’s because of these first two words; the story of Jesus is good news. Maybe you already know John the Baptist preached in the wilderness and you might have wondered why? It’s simple… He had a balanced and simple diet of locusts filled with protein, and wild field honey filled with carbohydrates. It was balanced and simple, which is the point; Mark is writing a balanced and simple story about a God who loved us so much he sent his Son to live among us and save us. Now I’ve always thought that any writer, without thinking, puts himself into his work. C. S. Lewis was criticized for writing Christian books and said, “I don’t write Christian books; I’m a Christian who writes books.” John Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas on the first of Paul’s three missionary journeys. They reached Cyprus and were going on to Turkey, but Mark refused to go with them and we’re never told why. Instead, he went home; I think things got complicated and he needed some time alone. Later Mark came back, but Paul didn’t want him. So Paul and Barnabas separated; Mark went with Barnabas to Cyprus and Paul and Silas went in another direction. Later Mark becomes Peter’s disciple and in 1 Peter we read, “Mark, my son.” Eusebius, a third century Christian, says that everyone was fascinated by Peter’s teachings and asked Mark to write them down. He begins with John the Baptist… 4-6 John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey. Ray Stedman likes the story in Mark 10 about a rich young ruler and he noticed something the rest of us never have. A rich, handsome man about town meets Jesus and is fascinated by him; he asks how he can inherit eternal life… maybe you remember Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor? Do you remember why they divorced? They were the dream couple. They had everything. They were famous. And most of us believed they really loved each other. But they were bored; with the money and the fame and with each other. Maybe this rich young ruler was bored? So he asked Jesus for eternal life; it’s not a life that simply goes on forever; it’s a life that you wish might go on forever. Then Jesus gives him a choice; hang on to his money and his things or give them away and find eternal life. As he walks away, “Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him!” There is only one person in the world who’d have known that detail; Mark might have been that rich young ruler. 7-8 As he (John the Baptist) preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.” Mark knew what John the Baptist had said was true; he’d experienced it himself and now he was telling the story that had changed his own life. Have you been baptized? Have you traded your old life for a new life? Have you been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit? Have you been changed from the inside out? As we begin reading the gospel of Mark, maybe you’d like to make sure?
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 02:27:50 +0000
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