Hurry up and wait!

Mark

First impression: finding the context

Because of the allusions to Roman customs make it clear that this Gospel was written to the believer who lived in Rome. (SourceView Bible p. 1283)

Mark, also called John Mark in other books of the NT [New Testament] wrote this book which carries his own name. Now, some people believe that this account should be named after Peter because even when John Mark was who wrote it, because he was Peter’s translator, it seems like Mark is recording the Gospel according to Peter! (SourceView Bible p. 1283) Mark is an interesting book because, unlike the other Gospels, it does not start with the genealogy of Jesus. He jumps right into the action! He talks about the messenger that was to come before the Messiah, John (Mark 1:1-8) He seems to be in a bit of a rush to tell everyone about Jesus’ ministry.

What are the main themes, and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one sentence summary of the “main idea”?

Mark is also the Gospel in which I noticed the words “immediately” and “instantly” are used the most times! Things just happened quicker for Mark, I guess.

The main idea I would say is the fact that Jesus did not “…come to be served but to serve others and to give his life as ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Mark captures Jesus’ story in an action novel that can be read quickly. We need to remember that he is writing this Gospel during the persecution period. So, the faster the better, and even then, Mark made sure to include many of Jesus’ miracles and stories!

What is the primary reason this book was written?

Mark wanted to encourage the suffering believers of Rome and the world. What can encourage you more than the story of Jesus, who came to this world to fulfill the prophecies, even the one about His own death. They all needed to hear that even when the Messiah was killed, He rose from the dead and went to heaven to prepare a place for His followers in heaven! They needed to hear the miracles and the teachings of Jesus, to remember Him, and His teachings, so that they could pass the knowledge on. And Mark encourages people by telling them that Jesus’ last word were these:

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” (Mark 16:15-18)

Good job Mark, good job!

Theme tracing

God/Jesus is:

Holy (1:24)

Full of authority (1:27)

A healer (2:11 / 6:56)

A teacher (4:1)

The disciples’ tutor (4:34)

Our provider (6:8-9)

Cool, He can walk on water (6:48)

The Messiah (8:29)

Powerful (12:24)

The God of the living, not the dead (12:27)

The One and Only Lord (12:29)

As far as a Redemptive plan… Mark recorded these words from Jesus:

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)

The message is clear, whoever gives their live for Jesus’ sake, will save it. And over all things, protect and treasure your soul, because no matter what you get in this life, if you lose your soul, you got nothing left!

Personal application

My timeless truth is that everything is possible with God. (10:27) The disciples thought that no one could attain salvation, and Jesus basically answered “indeed”, but He right away added that with God’s help there  is no impossible thing.

I am encouraged in the area of faith because many of the miracles occurred because of the person’s faith… for example the woman who had a constant bleeding for 12 years! He thought to herself “If I can touch His robe, I will be healed” (Mark 5:28) So, she came as close as she could and touched the very corner of Jesus robe… and guess what? Yes, she got healed instantly! So, I want to have more faith, a faith like that, a “little corner” faith!

Point of passion

I want to share this story because it applies to my Point of Passion, which is provision for the poor and the needy. But in this case it is used the wrong way! Please pay attention to the motives of the heart of the different character in the story:

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.” (Mark 4:3-9)

And here we are, thousands of years later, talking about this woman and her actions. She spent a lot of money [a year’s wages] to get this perfume and then she just poured all in Jesus’ head. And I can almost hear the people at the table, giving her a hard time for “wasting” this expensive perfume, instead of doing “the right thing” and giving all that money to the poor. But I love Jesus’ response, about Him only being with them for a short season and the poor being with us for all of our days. And here we are, with the poor still among us!

I think the guys at the table were right in paper, as far as written laws go, but they did not see the heart of the woman. And Jesus opened their eyes to the fact that this woman was preparing Him for Burial, because after His death, there was not going to be time for the proper preparations. But only He knew these things…

I need to remember to have my heart at the right place as well. And not to be only thinking about the price of things but also about the purpose of things…