Day 3: 5 Basic Points From Mark (Mark 1:1-3)
Today’s Passage: Mark 1:1-3
Wait a minute. How can anyone get 5 points from 3 verses?
This is the beauty of Mark’s simplicity. It is jammed packed. Because it is so succinct, we can miss much.
Before I sketch out the 5 points, let’s consider the text.
It is largely an Old Testament quote. Mark does not use many of these, so when he does, we really notice.
“As it is written” is a phrase that prepares us for the quotation. It is not about Jesus, but about John the Baptist. The point? Yes, this gospel is new, AND it has been part of God’s plan all along.
We never know God’s timing. Sometimes it seems as if he moves quickly. Other times, God requires us to be patient.
Now onto those 5 points.
Capturing the word gospel allows Mark to make a point. The Good News is a historical event. The Good News is not an abstract idea. It is not a made-up story. It happened.
It happened by being born in flesh and blood. Jesus, the Christ. The Good News inextricably connects God to humanity—to us. In brief, Jesus Christ is Good News.
Its brevity is free of window dressing. In its raw, matter-of-fact statement, Mark communicates that the Good News is basic and uncomplicated.
While basic, this Good News is not an out-of-the-blue sort of thing. No, the Good News is connected to God’s Plan from the ages.
Mark’s hard-hitting introduction is not meant to teach or inform. We are left wondering what he means by presenting this unadorned, eternal, basic plan of God, which took place on earth- connecting God to humankind, to us. The answer: The Good News is meant to call and challenge us.
The Gospel calls to us to turn and follow. The Gospel challenges us to live for God.
Mark led by the Spirit of God is brilliant. His use of the word’s gospel, Christ, and Son of God delivers points #1 - #3. Point #4 is delivered by the use of the Old Testament quote.
Taken together, with its brevity, it is a call and a challenge. God patiently waits for our response.