Today as we continue our journey through the New Testament, we begin a new book. We see the gospel presented through the eyes of Mark. Chapter 1 begins with the baptism of Jesus by John - signifying the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry. We see the response of His heavenly Father in verse 11, "And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Jesus came to fulfill the purpose for which God sent Him. It pleased God to send Jesus to the world to save man from their sins.
Mark 1:23-24 "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God."
To get the impact from these verses it is necessary to understand that Jesus came to earth in the weakness of man. Why do you think Mark emphasizes the humanity of Jesus so much? Romans 8:3 says that “God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Again in Philippians 2:7-8 NASB: "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Hebrews 4:15 says that He was tempted “in all points like as we are.” He was subject to the same weakness of flesh. Then in Hebrews 5:8: "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And from His own lips He said, “I can of Mine own self do nothing."
In chapters 2 and 3 we see how the Pharisees respond Jesus. They misunderstand His ministry from the start - their eyes are blinded from the truth of who He is, and what He came to do. They criticize His healing and especially His ability to forgive sin ( 2: 7 ).
In Mark 3: 23 Jesus introduces us to parables. He asks the question: "How can Satan drive out Satan?" This of course is in direct response to the Pharisees accusation of Jesus doing works through the power of Satan. In verses 24 - 25 Jesus says, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand."
My final thought is this: The evil spirits saw Jesus as he was, plain as day. They saw him not as a carpenter or a good man or a rabbi but as the Son of the Living God. Humbled in human frame he still was the Messiah and the Son of God. The evil spirits KNEW His power and His authority. They had more discernment than most people around Him.
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This morning I really couldn't get past Mark 1:1 - "the gospel about Jesus Christ..."
ReplyDeleteIt hit me a while back that this was the easiest thing for me to spot regarding false teachings: are they all about Jesus or something else?
Anyone who has ever showed up at my front door with a religious agenda was peddling something other than the gospel about Jesus. And even within Christian churches, it's not hard to see if it's about Jesus or some misguided form of religious rule keeping or something else.
It's all about Him! That greatly encourages me, in both my life and witness. I certainly don't have it all together, but I can gladly point people to the One who does!
How very true. I haven't really thought of it that way before, but if you think of the JW's and their agenda, it is something other than a relationship with Jesus Christ. I too love the fact that Mark starts his message this way. By starting his gospel this way, he's saying JESUS is everything!!!!
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