EPISODE 141 GOSPEL OF MARK CHAPTER 1 "Jesus the servant"

Welcome, friends, to Share the Word. Whether you're just beginning to explore the Bible or have been a Christian for years, we believe that you'll get some great insight from our podcast as our teachers unpack the big ideas of the New Testament in a down-to-earth language. Thanks for being a listener. Now let's get right into today's lesson. Hello, I'm Margie, and this is Share the Word. Today we're starting a new book, the Gospel of Mark.

The title and the theme of this book is Jesus, the Servant. The big idea for chapter one: prayer, a power source for service, which I won't even mention until the very end. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln frequently visited the hospitals where the soldiers were being treated. On one such visit, he lingered at the bedside of a dying young man. When the president asked if there was anything he could do, the soldier replied, Yes, will you please write a letter to my parents? Lincoln did so, adding, Written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.

When he gave the letter to the young man, the soldier was shocked to realize that it was the President of the United States at his bedside. Then Lincoln asked, Is there anything else he could do for him? To which the dying soldier replied, Would you please hold my hand? It will help to see me through to the end. Abraham Lincoln did just that. He sat all through the night holding his hand until it turned cold in death.

The president had come to the hospital to serve, not to be served. This approach echoes the hallmark verse for this Gospel of Mark. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Per our usual, when we start a new book, we cover the history. Today, we will begin with the who. The Gospel of Mark was most likely written by John Mark.

However, he is not specifically identified in the text. It is assumed that at the time of Jesus's ministry, John Mark was too young to be a disciple. He was probably only about 12 years old at the time of the crucifixion. Though not one of the original 12 disciples, the author clearly had an intimate knowledge of Jesus's three-year mission. Perhaps Peter was John Mark's primary source of information regarding the firsthand accounts for this Gospel. We know the two had a unique relationship, and that John Mark was Peter's frequent traveling companion.

Peter even declared that Mark was his son of faith. Though usually referred to as Mark, John Mark was his given name. According to Strong's Concordance, John was his Jewish name, meaning God is gracious, and Mark was his Roman name, meaning autumn or fall. It is believed that John Mark was the young man who ran naked out of the Garden of Gethsemane the night of Jesus's arrest. One reason for this speculation, because this specific incident is only recorded in this Gospel. It's as though John Mark were tattling on himself.

It is understood that John Mark's family was well-to-do and intimately involved in Jesus's ministry. His mother was referred to as one of the Marys that cared for and supported Jesus. Most likely, their home in Jerusalem was the place where Jesus and his disciples could retreat safely to rest and refresh. And perhaps John Mark's home was the site of the Last Supper, also later thought to be the location of the first Christian church in Jerusalem. We've met John Mark before at Share the Word. He accompanied the Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey.

John Mark was also considered to be the reason for the initial split between the Apostle Paul and Barnabas before their second missionary journey. Barnabas, thought to be John Mark's older cousin, wanted him to accompany them when they returned to check on the churches they had planted. However, the Apostle Paul had lost confidence in the young companion when he abandoned them and the mission in Perga. After their sharp disagreement about John Mark, the Apostle Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways on different missionary journeys. Barnabas took John Mark with him to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas with him through Syria and Cilicia. Fortunately, John Mark sailing off to Cyprus with his cousin was not the end of the story.

Years later, we do know that John Mark and the Apostle Paul were reconciled. The Bible tells us the Apostle Paul had great confidence in John Mark and complimented him as a fellow worker, even requesting his presence in Rome to assist him after his arrest. These positive references to John Mark indicate that he did, in fact, faithfully serve God and the church. Most likely, this book was written between A.D. 55 and 59, but some say possibly as late as A.D. 70, when John Mark was in Rome or possibly Syria. This gospel is an important part of the New Testament. It is the shortest of the four Gospels.

However, John Mark actually records more miracles than any other gospel. The other three Gospels, quote, all but 31 verses of the book of Mark, maybe because the Gospel of Mark was the first of the four Gospels written. The Bible Project defines the word gospel to literally mean the good news, referring to the announcement that Jesus has brought the reign of God into our world through his life, his death, and his resurrection from the dead. Now, the purpose of the Gospel of Mark. As we have discussed before in Share the Word, each of the four Gospels focuses on a different attribute of Jesus, audience, and a different creature from the vision in Ezekiel 1. Matthew focused on Jesus as the long-awaited King of the Jews, and his audience was the nation of Israel, and the creature representing that gospel is a lion for kingship.

Luke focused on Jesus as a perfect man. His audience were Greeks who sought perfection, and that gospel was represented by the image of a man. John focused on Jesus being fully God and fully man. His audience was, well, everyone, and the animal associated with John's gospel is an eagle representing God. And finally, Mark, who focused on Jesus as a servant. His audience was primarily Roman.

Most likely, his audience would have appreciated this type of person, as Romans were accustomed to having servants who responded promptly and immediately. The creature associated with this gospel is an ox, a work animal, a beast of burden. John Mark's gospel is a book of action. Again, Roman culture would have highly valued that characteristic. The Gospel of Mark covers a lot of territory. In this journey with Jesus, we visit Judea, Nazareth, Syria, Philippi, Galilee, Jericho, Bethany, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Golgotha, in quick succession.

Because John Mark presented Jesus as a servant, he gave no record of Jesus's genealogy or birth. It would not have been important to the Romans to know the origin story of a servant. Mark included only 18 of the almost 70 parables. Parables were stories, and servants would not be expected to speak. On that note, John Mark included only one major discourse of Jesus. He only recorded 37 verses from that teaching, compared to Matthew's 97 verses.

John Mark recorded 18 of Jesus's 35 miracles, plus summaries of other miracles, because servants would be expected to act and to do. John Mark used the word immediately some 40 times. That would be the same number as the other three gospels combined. The word immediately carries a very urgent tone, things happening in rapid-fire and dramatic pace. Writer Manford George Gutz in his commentary, The Go Gospel. Reminds us that John Mark focused on the strenuous life of Christ.

Events quickly follow one another in startling rapidity. The narrative literally runs. Things keep happening. This, of course, to indicate forward motion, the opposite of dragging or procrastinating. For Mark's audience, that is the definition of servanthood. Servants had to be ready and timely.

John Mark wanted to show his Roman readers Jesus as the perfect divine servant, who was not only able, but ready and willing to instantly serve them physically and spiritually. John Mark conveyed that not only through the content he selected about Jesus, but also by the way he pictured Jesus in constant motion. Chapter one is full of just that: constant motion. So let's jump into the text right after the joke. What do you call a servant with fake teeth? An indentured servant.

I know, even I can admit that that one's pretty bad. As mentioned, the Gospel of Mark presents a fast-paced view and vivid pictures of Jesus, the servant on the go. Jesus's identity is revealed by what he does, not necessarily by what he says. A cheer for this gospel might be, Action, action, we want action, A-C-T-I-O-N. And chapter one sets the tone for the rest of the gospel. To use John Mark's word, we immediately are introduced to John the Baptizer.

Now, this John was Jesus's cousin, the son of Elizabeth and Zachariah, whose story is found in the Gospel of Luke. John the Baptizer very much reflects and resembles the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament recordings found in First Kings. But, of course, John Mark does not spend any time on that because it's not important to the theme of his gospel. Plus, his audience, being Roman, would probably not care about the Old Testament prophets nor be familiar with the references to the Jewish text. But the passage of scripture John Mark did use was from Isaiah 43. Why?

Because it's one that denotes action and service. Plus, it clearly defines the role of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was not the prophesied servant king, but his forerunner, his announcer, his herald, so to speak. By using this particular passage, Mark carries a sense of urgency and movement. Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight the path for him.

In the ancient world, the figure of speech make straight was associated with the custom of preparing the highway for a dignitary, or in this case, the visiting servant king. In those days, citizen servants, slaves, would literally go ahead of the royals and level the roads for the noble journey. That way, their travel would be as smooth and as swift as possible. John the Baptist's role was to make the path smooth and speedy for the imminent arrival of servant King Jesus. John the Baptist took his job seriously. Even his preaching was intense and fervent.

Get ready! Move! The King is coming! The time is at hand! Ready yourself, people! Repent!

Get baptized! All of this creating a sense of activity and vigor. Repent, biblically speaking, doesn't just mean saying, Oops, sorry, and just continuing on the same way. Repent in the Hebrew is metanoia. It means to recognize wrongdoing and humbly turn around, to make a 180-degree turn, to change our mind and our lives, to turn from evil and to turn towards God. So it's not just an apology, but it's a commitment to change, heading completely in a new direction.

And baptism, well, it is defined as an outward symbol of that inward transformation. The other major difference between this gospel and the other gospels is how many details John Mark leaves out while frantically running his reader from event to event. John Mark moves quickly from Jesus's baptism to the desert where Jesus is tempted. Then he adds, almost like a side note, that John the Baptizer was arrested and imprisoned. We see that Jesus picks up the message where John the Baptist leaves off, proclaiming that the time has come, the kingdom of God has come. Repent and believe the good news.

Notice that all of that language is in the present tense, meaning that the servant King is now here. And on the move. Then John Mark hurries the reader directly into Jesus's public ministry. Suddenly, Jesus is by the Sea of Galilee, walking and watching and calling four of the twelve disciples. We see this in verses 16 through 20. Two sets of fishermen, two sets of brothers: Peter, Andrew, James, and John.

Jesus calls to them, Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. And immediately they go. Oz Guinness, in his book The Call, makes the observation that the primary call to the followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him. And in the Gospel of Mark, we see how Jesus begins by calling the disciples unto Himself. He called them to be with Him, to learn from Him, and to observe His example as a servant. Then He committed to send them out to preach and carry out His ministry.

Next, John Mark rushes us through verses 21 through 34, where Jesus is pictured quickly moving to Capernaum, a man on a mission, one might say. Capernaum is a fishing village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was also a Roman garrison and a customs station, a perfect place for this book as it was a hustling, bustling town. Capernaum was located on the Via Maris, one of the Roman roads. It was considered a superhighway and therefore a major trade route that bordered the Mediterranean Sea, connecting Egypt, Africa, and Asia. Many travelers and traders passed through Capernaum.

It was the site of Peter and Andrew's home. It became the site of Jesus's second home, which would act as his unofficial headquarters. Because of its location, Capernaum was the perfect place to set up shop to get the gospel message out to the entire known world. We will quickly look at verses 21 through 34 because they give us the events of a single day in the busy and demanding life of Jesus. First, we see Jesus immediately entering a synagogue and beginning to preach, then delivering a parishioner of an unclean spirit. Then he goes to Simon Peter and Andrew's house, where he immediately heals Peter's mother-in-law.

In the evening, the whole city came to see him, bringing all of the sick and the demon-possessed. Remember, to the Hebrew, sunset indicated a whole new day. So technically, Jesus moved from the Sabbath, or Saturday, right into Sunday without a break. The next morning, we witness Jesus moving from village to village, town to town, to preach the gospel good news message. After healing a leper, Jesus directs the man to keep quiet and honor the Mosaic law. But of course, the former leper did not obey.

So from then on, Jesus had to move outside of the villages and the towns, in the lonely places, to preach, teach, heal, deliver, to serve folks. You will probably notice, if you are reading along with us, that John Mark uses the words Whole, all, everywhere, everyone, frequently, especially in regards to people coming to Jesus. You might also notice that he uses the word many when referring to those who Jesus actually healed, helped, and delivered. Why? Because Jesus lived within the parameters of his physical limitations as a man. He did not heal every illness.

He did not answer every question. He did not aspire to everyone's desire. The other question on your mind might be, how? How does Jesus, the servant King, keep up this hectic pace being a man? Well, I'm glad you asked. I think we get a partial answer tucked into chapter one.

Verse 35 says, Now, in the morning, having risen long before it was daylight, Jesus went out and departed into a solitary place, and there he prayed, which is also our big idea. Prayer, a power source for service. Saint Francis de Sales has been accredited with saying, Every one of us needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we're busy. Then we need an hour. If that is true, we can only imagine how much more prayer Jesus, as the servant of God, needed. He was aware of his need as a man.

Jesus took time to rest and retreat from the crowds. He had to have a solitary time. He had to refresh through prayer. He had to commune with the Father. He had to get divine inspiration, guidance, and power from the Holy Spirit in order to serve at this frantic pace. A wise person once said, Kneel before God, then stand before men.

We too should follow this beautiful, humble example. In the beginning of the podcast, I opened with a story about Abraham Lincoln as a servant leader. There were actually several presidents that fall into that category. One of them was Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States. Coolidge was known for being a very quiet and simple man, to the point that there is a funny story about President Coolidge attending a dinner party where his dining companion said, I have a bet with my friend that I could get more than three words out of you. He looked at her and calmly said, You lose.

President Coolidge was also known to be a committed Christian, as was his namesake, John Calvin, the reformer. Another story, which illustrates the point that he was a kind, observant servant leader, was also said at a dinner party, one given by Dwight Morrow. He was the father of Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Then presidential candidate Calvin Coolidge had left a dinner party, and the host Morrow told the remaining guests that he believed Coolidge would make a very good president. The others disagreed. They felt Coolidge was too quiet and that he lacked color or personality.

Anne, only six years of age at the time, spoke up and said, Well, I like him. And with that, she displayed a finger with a small bandage around it. He is the only one at the whole party who asked about my finger. Her father then added, And that's why he will make a good president. As you listen to the podcast of the Gospel of Mark, hang onto your hat. Be ready for lots of action and service.

And then be ready for God to take action and move in your life. And then perhaps you might be challenged to move and to serve God and others in your world. I'm Margie Biasato. This is Share the Word. Thank you for listening. Thank you, Margie, and thanks for listening.

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