October 14 - Mark 1:1-13

I'm cheating!  I've been so focused on breaking down three verses in Matthew (oh, you don't even want to know!!!) and writing a paper on the growth of Christianity around the globe, I don't have the energy to think too deeply.  So ... since we were discussing the first part of the book of Mark yesterday, I'm going to re-post my blog from April 1, 2009 ... which just happened to be on those same verses.  

April 1 - Another Opening ... Another Show - Mark 1:1-13

The Gospel of Mark could very well be called the Gospel of Peter. The author Papias in 110 AD stated that Peter was the source of information for Mark. He wrote that the information came straight from the apostle John. It is generally accepted to be true. Mark was not an eyewitness follower of Jesus, yet while he accompanied Peter in his journeys, he wrote down his memories and transcribed Peter's Aramaic speech to Greek for the common man.

Mark's gospel is the Action Gospel. He uses the word 'immediately' over and over through the gospel and strings sentences together using 'and' quite often. There is always a sense of pushing forward to the next event. Mark was more than likely the first gospel to be written and Matthew and Luke used it as a resource for their writing. Matthew incorporates about 90 percent of Mark and Luke incorporates about 40 percent. Of Mark's 661 verses, over 600 are found in Matthew and Luke. It was probably written about 57-59 AD from Rome and was written for Gentile Christians. His purpose was basically 'pastoral.'

Mark didn't begin his gospel with the the story of Jesus' birth. The reason he was writing was to encourage Gentiles who had already come to know who Jesus was and were already Christians. He wanted to give them a fresh look at the life of Jesus as many of them were beginning to deal with the reality of persecution. Jesus was obedient and to be a true disciple of His, obedience was called for.

The first thing that Mark did was to identify Jesus as the Son of God, then he moved to proving that this was who He was. He quoted prophecies from Malachi and Isaiah and gave the testimony of John the Baptist. (Mark 1:1-8)

Whenever notable people came into a community, roads were repaired so that their caravans would find the travel easier as they approached. Malachi and Isaiah's prophecies were meant to remind people that they needed to prepare their hearts for the coming King. (Mark 1:2-3)

John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and he presented the Messiah to the world. He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He was doing all that he could to prepare the hearts of the people of Judah for the coming Messiah. His clothing and lifestyle indicated that he was a Nazirite (Numbers 6:21), but it was also very similar to the clothing worn by the OT prophets (Zechariah 13:4) and what they knew of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). Locusts and honey were common foods in the desert area. (Mark 1:4-6)

The word 'baptism' in this passage literally means immersion. John acknowledged that his baptism was an outer sign of cleansing, but imagine for a moment being immersed in the Holy Spirit. That was the promise that John offered with the coming of the Messiah. (Mark 1:7-8)

When he baptized Jesus, there was no confession of sins. He was being obedient to the over plan of redemption, John's role in that plan. He identified with the nation of Israel and this was a time of dedication to his mission. The people saw and heard the vision of heaven open. What does Mark say? "Heaven being torn open." They saw the Spirit of God descend and they heard the voice of God speak. (Mark 1:9-11)

Jesus faced Satan for 40 days in the desert. Mark didn't call him the devil (the slanderer). He wants us to see Satan for who he is - the opposition, the tempter, the one who will do anything possible to stop the movement of God in this world. This is the beginning of his attempts to get Jesus to turn aside from God's will. But, Mark also wanted his readers to see that Jesus didn't face this alone. God's angels were there to assure Him continually of the presence of the Almighty. (Mark 1:12-13)