The Gospel According to Mark

While I have been busy reflecting on my call to ministry nearly fifteen years ago, I have begun preaching a series through the book of Mark*. I use my terms carefully both here and in the title. In the Greek, the name of this "book" is Kata Markon. Kata is a word that means "according to" or "down from." So essentially, this "book" is Mark's account of the gospel. But whose gospel? According to Mark, the gospel is belongs to, and is about, Jesus Christ.

That is how Mark begins his gospel. In fact, Mark uses the same phrase (and the same word from the Greek version of the OT – the Septuagint) that is used in Genesis 1.1. "The beginning..." or "In the beginning..." Mark is showing this is a new beginning. Jesus brings with Him a new understanding, and a restoration of what has been corrupted. Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) that the Jews have long awaited.

This series will reflect on the Jewish nature of the Messiah. Who Jesus was and what He did should have been much more evident to the people of His day, but most were either too busy, were looking for something that Jesus wasn't, or simply didn't care. Ultimately, that sounds a lot like many people today. But the gospel is still relevant today and can still impact people today. So, that is part of why I will reflect on Mark's version of the gospel over this next year. You can find the modified sermon notes on the church's blog called Bread Crumbs (ffxbc.blogspot.com), and my personal reflections here. Personally, I am a few weeks behind because of my other reflecting, but I will catch up over the next few weeks.

I have said this many times over the past several months, but ultimately the cause for this study is:
If we are to place our faith in Jesus, we should better understand the faith of Jesus.

*If you want to know why Mark was the choice for this series (rather than, say, Matthew – which was written to a Jewish audience), click here.