For the NIV reading click here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1%3A1-13&version=NIV
Questions I'm thinking about for this first reading:
Answering who Jesus is and why he is so important are two main concerns for the whole Gospel of Mark. As you read 1:1-13, how would you begin to describe who Jesus is and why he's so important? Why do you think verses 2-3 important? Verses 4-5 are fascinating to me becuase it implies something has gone wrong with God's people in Jerusalem that require returning to God/repenting. What would it mean for us to take verse 11 seriously, that God loves Jesus, sees Jesus as His Son, and is well-pleased with him? In verse 12 why would Jesus immediately be sent (Greek word is 'cast out') into the desert being tempted by Satan? How am I going to apply/embody this text as God's good news to me/for me?
What are you thinking about/wondering as your read 1:1-13?
I often struggle with reading the bible because of the actual wording of things, and find myself not getting out of it as much as I can, so I may be off course here. But what strikes me most is that prior to Jesus going and facing this tremendous challenge~ God reminds him that he is loved, and the angels attended to him throughout his days in the desert. To me it is almost as though it is a 'pep talk' - and it really embodies our lives on earth. God loves us, but yet we WILL face adversity, if we remember that love, and rely on that love during hard times we can endure just as Jesus did and be strengthened by and in our relationship with Him.
ReplyDeleteThe notion of the people in Jerusalem needing to repent is interesting to me as well...how did the people know they were sinners? John taught them to repent for their sins, but it is different than it is for us, where we have been taught the way God wants us to live. Did the people already know? How did they know, other than John....?
Verses 2 and 3 are important to me because I see the role of " messenger " as that of the church today .
ReplyDeleteVerse 5 is indeed fascinating .It tells us that ALL the people of Jerusalem went out to John .
These are the same folks that clamored for Jesus' crucifixion a few short years later .
Verse 11 raises the possibility that God is pleased with His Son Jesus , in part because Jesus is embarking on His mission , the "Father's business " . That means that for me
it is possible to please God the Father if I am "about His business" .
Here's the good news of verse 12 for me ; the Father sent His own Son into the desert to be tempted,perhaps to test His human heart . Can I complain when my heart is being tested by trial and temptation ?
In reading this first part of Mark , I'm thinking that the same is in store for us if we are to follow Jesus ,our hearts may in fact be tested and we will please the Father if we are about His business .
Liz, that's what's so facinating to me about the people of Jerusalem - they were people who lived within the ministry of the temple, and yet John called them out to turn toward God (=repent). And they WERE the religious people...those, who like us, had been taught about God. Clearly the religious system had failed in a big way. This is not anti-semitism at all, but reminds us that our faith is about trusting in and living for God. It was John who pointed out to them that they needed to repent (turn).
ReplyDeleteDoc, one of the hard parts about the gospel (what feels like not-so-good-news) is that saying yes to God means we have to be willing to say 'no' to other stuff, just like saying 'yes' to Kelli means I say 'no' to every other woman. So I wonder if Jesus' temptation was the test as to whether saying 'yes' to God in his baptism would be followed through by saying 'no' to all the other alternatives. And, yeah, I think you're right, we probably have to face similar testings.
ReplyDeleteI like what Doc had to say. I find it interesting that verses 2 and three make it sound like people weren't really getting the message when John the Baptist was talking. They did the baptism thing, however I think most people didn't have a clue what was really going on. What makes me think this is that Mark talked about a voice in the dessert.
ReplyDeleteI too like what Doc has said here. Some of it I was going to type. I was really struck by verse 5, that "The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem." This must have rivaled or exceeded the large gatherings we read about to whom Jesus preached later on. This was a Really Big Deal. Essentially, this was Jesus's coming out party. He arrived at a gigantic gathering, gets baptized, and then in case anyone has any questions, God stops by and removes all doubt about who this is, and where He stands. Also, v5 says that those being baptized were said to have confessed their sins. Even denominations practicing adult baptism treat it as an event of conversion, belief, and acceptance. I think it is cool that they accompany this with confession. Hmmmm. Now I'm thinking Jesus had no sins to confess or belief to profess. What did He get out of this? Or was this just as important for the people as it was for their Savior?
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Dave...it was a big deal. There clearly was a need for spiritual renewal. With Jesus' presence, it was time for God to get it going (as we'll see in vv. 14-15). Makes me wonder about the church (local churches all over including Webster, Bergen, etc.) if we are being faithful or if we need to repent, too. At the same time, I don't think renewal can be fabricated...it is an act of God in God's time, when people are open and willing. I wonder if Jesus' baptism emphasizes that baptism represents a clear stand on God's side. And for all of us, this means repentance, but for Jesus it didn't...at least that's kind of how I make sense of it. Then, that decision to stand for what God stands for is then tested through temptation...which, as Doc mentioned we all may have to undergo. We could all say a lot more in these first 13 verses (like the significance of God naming Jesus 'Lord' through the OT quotations, etc.) For now, speaking personally, I am pushed to reflect on how thoroughly I have said 'yes' to God, how ready I am for God to bring renewal (through repentance) to both my heart and my ministry, and how completely I trust that Jesus is God's good news for all!
ReplyDeleteWhat I get out of this the most, is that when we make the choice to follow God, everything changes. Even Jesus had to make this choice. He was created; the son of God, and yet he faced temptations and made choices just as we do.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded yet again that we are all just a part of God's plan for the redemption of all humanity. Isaiah the prophet spoke of God's plans for the future so that when his prophecies came to fruition, God would be glorified and His work revealed. John the Baptist was then to come and prepare the way for Jesus by guiding others to an understanding of what it means to repent and receive forgiveness. John points out that his role in God's plan is to baptize people and that later Jesus will come to give them the Holy Spirit. So many people throughout history have had various roles to play in God's overall plan for all of Creation. It is so hard to realize that all our efforts during our short time on earth play a role in furture generations. Do we realize the importance of our willingness to follow God's plan for our lives even when we do not see fruit? Do we realize that God is using us as just a small part of a much bigger plan?
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