The Christmas tree has been taken down. The new calendar has been put up. (My mom got me a page-a-day calendar of Mr. Rogers' quotes. Today's is "We are all neighbors." I can already tell it will help lower my blood pressure.) There is something about a new year that feels hopeful. Or at least, we hope for it to be hopeful.
We're going to begin the year by spending some time with Jesus. Starting off any year with Jesus is a good idea, but this year it seems especially necessary. We went through a lot in 2020. And as much as we'd like to believe otherwise, a new year doesn't begin in a vacuum. We're all carrying difficult things into 2021. Fixing our eyes on Jesus will help us prepare for whatever this year brings.
Just so we're starting on the same page, a little refresher. The Bible contains four books—or Gospels—about the life of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word gospel means "good news" in Greek. (And we can all use some good news, right?!)
Many of the same stories are found in more than one Gospel. But they are told from different perspectives. Each Gospel writer is telling us something unique about Jesus.
You may have seen "chronological" Bible reading plans that attempt to stitch together all four Gospels into one narrative. While this can be interesting to read, I think it takes away from the distinctiveness of each Gospel. The authors were writing their books to different audiences. They each had different themes they wanted to highlight.
Over the next few months, we're going to spend time in the Gospel of Mark. We'll take a look at one chapter a week. This will not be an in-depth study, but rather a way to start the year with Jesus. Some weeks, I'll focus on one story within a chapter (there are lots of little stories throughout Mark). In other weeks, we might explore the chapter as a whole.
Why Mark?
Good question. Mainly because I want to be able to say, "Oh, hi Mark."
Just kidding.
The Gospel of Mark moves quickly. The scenes change as fast as they do in action movies. Because of this, it gives us a good overview of who Jesus is and what he's about.
Mark likes to get to the point. He was writing to a Roman audience, a culture that lived a hustle and bustle lifestyle. This is one thing we have in common with the original readers!
Mark makes his motives clear from the first sentence, just in case people have to leave early:
This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1, NLT)
Mark wants us to understand that the story he's about to tell should be considered good news.
But why does Mark have to spell it out for us? If something is good news, won't it be obvious?
Not always.
Mark portrays Jesus as the Suffering Servant. (The guys at The Bible Project have a great video about this.) When Jesus came on the scene, the Jewish people were longing for redemption. They were under the thumb of Rome, a political powerhouse. Yes, there was peace in Rome, but it was an eerie, tension-filled peace. The government was always watching over your shoulder, making sure you complied. And if you didn't, a terror-inducing cross loomed in the shadows.
The Jewish people wanted a Messiah who would kick some Roman butt. And we can all relate to that. We want the "bad guys" to get what's coming to them, don't we? We want to come out as the winners.
It seemed like Jesus was setting himself up to be the victorious Messiah. In the first few chapters of Mark, Jesus is on a roll, performing amazing acts and building a huge following. The only person who could spoil Jesus' fun was… Jesus himself.
As Mark continues his book, Jesus starts talking about suffering. The disciples don't like what they are hearing, especially Peter. At the halfway point of the book, Peter tries to put Jesus in his place. This doesn't go over so well.
Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead. As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.
Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. "Get away from me, Satan!" he said. "You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's." (Mark 8:31-33, NLT)
Ouch!
Before we shake our heads at Peter, we have to give him some credit for taking it on the chin.
See, most scholars agree Mark got the details of his book from Peter. That little fact makes me smile. It means Peter wasn't afraid to make himself look silly. He tells Mark to put this embarrassing incident at the center of the story.
Peter could have easily said, "I'm out!" after Jesus reprimanded him. But he kept following Jesus, even though he was confused. And eventually, he understood that Jesus came to achieve victory not through power but through suffering.
So, when do you have to be reminded that good news is good news?
When the path to it is winding and paved with suffering.
Next week, we'll dive into Mark chapter 1. But as we start this new year, let's reflect on Jesus' version of "success." It's a success not defined by how much we win, but by how much we're willing to lose for the sake of others.
Questions to Ponder:
This week, if time allows, try to read the whole book of Mark. Where are the places you see Jesus taking on the role of a servant?
What goals do you have for the new year? How would having Jesus' view of "success" change the way you seek to achieve them?
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