The Point
Read Mark 1:1-15.
Have you ever had a conversation where someone was telling a story and you can't help but think to yourself, "I just wish they would get to the point"? Maybe you've heard a sermon or two that caused you to think that! (I see you nodding your head!) Sometimes we might even be guilty of filling in the details a bit too much, wrestling with the "important issue" of whether this happened on Tuesday or Wednesday, or making the story longer than it needed to be. Sometimes even blogs go on and on and on and...
Well, you get the idea.
Just get to the point!
That's one of the reasons I love the Gospel of Mark. Whereas John tells you why he wrote his Gospel near the very end (John 20:30-31), Mark tells you up front what he hopes to accomplish. John wants you to experience Jesus and then make up your mind about him. Mark will have none of that. He tells you up front who Jesus is and what Jesus stood for. In the first fifteen verses, even before you've turned the first page, you know all of that and more.
Mark doesn't have time for niceties or worrying about which event happened on Thursday and which took place on Sunday (except when he's telling us about the last week). He is writing to persecuted Christians, people whose very lives were in danger. As was the case in such situations (then and now), there was the danger that some might walk away from the faith because they weren't sure what they believed or who they believed in—and because the danger was great. More than that, Mark wants people who are unconvinced to be convinced of the truth he is sharing, that it's even worth suffering and dying for. He has no time for extras, for flowery language, for beating around the bush. So he gets to the point right up front.
"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God" (1:1). Let me tell you right away who this Jesus is: he is the Messiah, the savior of the world, and he is that because he is also the Son of God, the one true God, the creator of the universe. Pay attention to Jesus in the pages you're about to read, Mark says. He's what this is all about.
Now, he doesn't tell us about Jesus until a few verses later. He does take a moment to set the stage with a story about John the Baptizer, but only because he's about to encounter Jesus. (There are no angels, birth stories or shepherds in Mark. He jumps ahead 30 years to Jesus' ministry.) And after John encounters and baptizes Jesus, we then hear the point of Jesus' ministry. It is, perhaps, the shortest sermon ever preached. Whereas Jesus' first sermon in Matthew goes on for the three chapters, in Mark, the first sermon is one verse: "The time has come...The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (1:15).
If you've ever wished for someone to get right to the point, Mark is the Gospel for you. He doesn't waste time. This is urgent. People are dying for this faith, and you need to understand why they are doing that and who they are dying for. The message is no less urgent today. So let's pay attention. Let's pay close attention. What Mark has to tell us about Jesus might change everything.
Have you ever had a conversation where someone was telling a story and you can't help but think to yourself, "I just wish they would get to the point"? Maybe you've heard a sermon or two that caused you to think that! (I see you nodding your head!) Sometimes we might even be guilty of filling in the details a bit too much, wrestling with the "important issue" of whether this happened on Tuesday or Wednesday, or making the story longer than it needed to be. Sometimes even blogs go on and on and on and...
Well, you get the idea.
Just get to the point!
That's one of the reasons I love the Gospel of Mark. Whereas John tells you why he wrote his Gospel near the very end (John 20:30-31), Mark tells you up front what he hopes to accomplish. John wants you to experience Jesus and then make up your mind about him. Mark will have none of that. He tells you up front who Jesus is and what Jesus stood for. In the first fifteen verses, even before you've turned the first page, you know all of that and more.
Mark doesn't have time for niceties or worrying about which event happened on Thursday and which took place on Sunday (except when he's telling us about the last week). He is writing to persecuted Christians, people whose very lives were in danger. As was the case in such situations (then and now), there was the danger that some might walk away from the faith because they weren't sure what they believed or who they believed in—and because the danger was great. More than that, Mark wants people who are unconvinced to be convinced of the truth he is sharing, that it's even worth suffering and dying for. He has no time for extras, for flowery language, for beating around the bush. So he gets to the point right up front.
"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God" (1:1). Let me tell you right away who this Jesus is: he is the Messiah, the savior of the world, and he is that because he is also the Son of God, the one true God, the creator of the universe. Pay attention to Jesus in the pages you're about to read, Mark says. He's what this is all about.
Now, he doesn't tell us about Jesus until a few verses later. He does take a moment to set the stage with a story about John the Baptizer, but only because he's about to encounter Jesus. (There are no angels, birth stories or shepherds in Mark. He jumps ahead 30 years to Jesus' ministry.) And after John encounters and baptizes Jesus, we then hear the point of Jesus' ministry. It is, perhaps, the shortest sermon ever preached. Whereas Jesus' first sermon in Matthew goes on for the three chapters, in Mark, the first sermon is one verse: "The time has come...The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (1:15).
If you've ever wished for someone to get right to the point, Mark is the Gospel for you. He doesn't waste time. This is urgent. People are dying for this faith, and you need to understand why they are doing that and who they are dying for. The message is no less urgent today. So let's pay attention. Let's pay close attention. What Mark has to tell us about Jesus might change everything.
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