Key Verses: 1, 3, 8, 11, 15, 17, 24, 34, 35,
45
Mark takes no time in jumping into
what is important. I like that in an author. When I read a book, I want to know
the BLUF, the bottom line up front. I want that in conversations as well. I
need to know what subject we are talking about before I can effectively tune in
to the conversation. So Mark is a book I can get into. (Not to say that I don't
enjoy the rest of Scripture, but indulge me a bit this morning.)
Mark starts by grounding what he has
to say in the Old Testament Mr Big Prophet, Isaiah. In fact, Isaiah really is
the Gospel spelled out in advance. Everything important about Jesus is found in
Isaiah, including the Resurrection. Mark starts with John the Baptist. You
might ask why. Mark wants to ground every element of Jesus ministry in
Scripture, including baptism, Jesus' and yours. And as Jesus is baptized, the
first public confirmation of Jesus' identity occurs since those connected to
His birth. This is the first confirmation over which Jesus had some control. He
could have chosen to not show up on baptism day. But He did show up.
Jesus picks up where John leaves off:
God is near, repent and believe. In fact, this really is where the New
Testament stays. The Scriptures are about God being near, right where we live,
about our fall and need for repentance, and that we must believe what God has
said, put our trust in Him. This is the Good News.
You will find Mark action packed. The
things he records show Jesus' authority over all the “impossible” problems
people face. Everything from demon possession to physical sickness. Jesus has
no problem tackling these. He is, as the demon states, the Holy One of God. He
is the promised Messiah. He is God in the flesh. Everything is under His
dominion. Nothing is outside of the reach of His authority.
Jesus didn't want publicity. His
mission didn't require it. The best servants know their place, and are content
to stay there. We are called to be servants. Mark shows Jesus just doing things
that demonstrate His authority. No need to get CNN or FoxNews on the scene.
When God is really involved, people can't help but tell what has happened.
I don't want to water down what Jesus
did with the man with the skin disease. Whatever the disease was, it was
incurable. That is the point. If it was a poison ivy rash the man would not
have been stunned with the cure. The crowd would have dismissed what He did as
nothing unusual. But instead, they are flabbergasted. They know this is
something unheard of and they can't contain their wonder and excitement. This
is not like the medicine men of the old west whose medicine were alcohol and
opium based. It didn't make much difference what you had, you felt better after
taking their medicine! And you wanted more! Jesus actually changed lives.
Don't dismiss Scripture because our
modern mind has been trained to dismiss what we can't explain. Some things
happen that are outside our explanations. God just does some things differently
than science would demand. That is the point. He is God. We are not.