Introduction to Mark

Our heavenly father, we thank you that you love us and care about us. And we thank you that we've not been left uncertain about your will, but you have provided for us the word of God. And as we study the Gospel of Mark in these next weeks, we pray that you will lead us and teach us in ways of life that are pleasing to you. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Is there a key to Mark? In chapter 9 and verse 7, the voice from heaven tells three disciples about Jesus: "This is my beloved son. Listen to him." The word listen also has the idea of obeying. So we listen to and obey Jesus as his disciples.

The gospel of Mark was written in Rome in the time of Nero—brutal and cruel. Peter founded the church in Rome and Peter was the source of the gospel that Mark wrote. Mark's gospel is scripture, but it is also historical in character. Thanks to Peter, there are many credible geographical and other cultural details in the course of Mark's text. And there are well-known historical characters as part of the story: John the Baptist, Herod, Pilate—these are all written about extensively in other sources. So the Gospel of Mark is both history and scripture. Not one or the other, but both. We read the Gospel of Mark with a good heart.

The First Part: Galilee (Chapters 1–6)

The key to Jesus' identity is that he is the son of God, the beloved. Mark's gospel falls into three unequal parts. The first is Galilee, chapters 1-6. Throughout those early chapters, Jesus identified himself as son of man, as prophesied in Daniel chapter 7. The first time Jesus used that term was in chapter 2 and verse 10 where he says the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Only God is authorized to forgive sins. So Jesus is claiming to be God—God with us.

His message was that the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. The evidence for what Jesus preached is that he healed every sick, diseased, disabled, or possessed person that crossed his path. Very early in Mark, Jesus chose five disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew (also known as Levi). These five were future leaders of the church and writers of much of the New Testament. Later Jesus chose an additional seven, and so these become the foundation heads of the new covenantal people of God.

Mark provides early evidence that Jesus is God:

• He silenced the great storm on the lake.

• He healed the possessed man, Legion.

• He healed a chronically ill woman.

• He raised Jairus's deceased daughter from the dead.

Jesus' phenomenal greatness spread not only through Galilee but effectively through greater Palestine—we might even say a significant part of the Middle East. And in chapter 3 and verse 7 there is this very important statement: "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea and a great crowd followed from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon." That is a very large geographical and cultural space. Chapter 3 and verse 7 is worth knowing about. Also, after the mission of the 12 disciples in Jesus, there was a gathering of 5,000 men. Such was Jesus' greatness in almost the Middle East that Pilate, the governor of Judea, would have known. And Caiaphas, the high priest, would have known. Both Pilate and Caiapas must have known about this Galilean prophet who was attended to and listened to by thousands of people.

But it was impossible because of that reason now for him to remain in Galilee. Indeed, Herod had already had John the Baptist killed, and the Pharisees and Herod's followers had already prepared conspiracy to destroy Jesus. That is the end of the first section.

The Second Part: The Journey (Chapters 7–10)

The second chapter 7 to 10: away from Herod, we see Jesus wandering to the north, to the east, and to the Decapolis. The first incident reported there is very significant and in a way troubling. There is a gentile woman called Syrophoenician. She's a gentile woman and she's deeply troubled because of the illness, serious illness, of her little daughter. She approaches Jesus for help and he responds with a simple parable, and it's a troubling parable because he says, "Let the children first be fed. It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to dogs." The children are the Jews and the dogs are the Gentiles like her. But she bounces back with her parable: "Yes Lord. But even the little dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." She recognized that Jesus' ministry to the Jews was coming to its end and would spill over to Gentiles like her. Somehow she understood the failure of the Jews to embrace Jesus and the Gentiles in the future would turn to him. It's a very interesting little story and we're not surprised that it was Martin Luther's favorite gospel story.

Back in Galilee, Jesus had already spoken about his death. He'd been challenged why the disciples didn't fast. And he responded by this parable: "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them. And then they will fast in that day." Jesus is bridegroom to his people, but his people will kill him. Jesus said that early in Galilee. So that the death of Jesus is like a creek that becomes a mighty river that runs through the entire gospel of Mark.

At Cesaria Philippi, Jesus was specific. No parables here. He began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. Six days later on a nearby mountain, Jesus was transfigured. Three disciples were given glimpses of the glorified son of man as he would be. The father spoke to those three men and said, "This is my beloved son. Listen to him." I believe these to be the key words of the gospel of Mark: "This is my beloved son listen to him."

Jesus would teach many things as he walked ahead secretly to Jerusalem. It was for the time he would no longer be with them—the future. These were to be his teachings for the church that would soon be born. And that is why he instructed the three future leaders: Listen.

Jesus' teaching for the future, for us, was given in the world that was the Roman Empire. Let me just mention three examples of this teaching that Jesus gave between the north and Jerusalem, words that will be instructive for the future of the church:

1. Marriage and Family: In the Roman world, it was said they marry to divorce; they divorce to marry. Six years, six husbands. That was what was said about marriage in the Roman world. But in chapter 10, Jesus taught that marriage was to be lifelong. It was to be a relationship of mutual care and fidelity. But he did provide for divorce and for remarriage.

2. Care of Children: In the Roman world, the swapping of children was often for political advantage. Alternatively, unwanted children were left to die. Recently archaeologists have found masses of the remains of babies and young children. But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Forbid them not, for to such belong the kingdom of God."

3. Wealth and Service: In the Roman world, wealth was everything; it meant power. But Jesus taught, "Go sell give to the poor." In the Roman world, everything was eminence. Listen to Jesus 10:35: "Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

The man who is God came to serve us by dying for us to release us from servitude. Jesus, the son of the Almighty, set the example of humble service in life and death. These were among Jesus' teachings on the road to Jerusalem for the church and for us, which is why we are to listen to him: lifelong marriage fidelity, loving care of children, practical care for the poor, the serving of others based on Jesus' example of his death as a ransom for our spiritual freedom. We are to listen to Jesus and obey his words about marriage, child care, the fallacy of wealth, and the serving of others.

I'm now going to make a radical suggestion. I'm going to ask you to stand and take a few deep breaths as I do. So please stand. Thank you.

The Third Part: Jerusalem (Chapters 11–16)

Which brings us to the third part of Mark's gospel: Jerusalem, which interestingly is the longest of the three sections. I'm taking the key passage to be 11 verse 15 where Jesus cleared the temple of sacrifice sellers and buyers and money changers. We know from Josephus, the Jewish writer, that typically at Passover there were as many as 300,000 lambs sold. The temple traders paid rent to be part of that process. And that rent was paid to the high priest. The high priest had become fabulously wealthy.

Senior members of the Sanhedrin approached Jesus and demanded to know by what authority he had for clearing the traitors from the temple. Jesus responded by a parable—the parable of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard leased it out and sent servants to collect the rent. The people who were leasing the vineyard refused to pay the rent and, although the owner sent several servants, these were killed. Finally, the owner sent his much-loved son: "Surely they will respect the beloved son." But they killed him too.

This is an extremely important parable. The vineyard is Israel. The lees [lessees] were the high priest and other members. The messengers sent to collect the rent were the prophets. And the father's beloved son was who? Jesus. And they killed him.

The theme of Jesus the beloved son runs through the gospel of Mark from beginning to end. It is the key to understanding so much of Mark:

• Chapter 1 and verse one: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ son of God."

• At the baptism: "You are my beloved son."

• At the transfiguration: "This is my beloved son. Listen to him."

• In Jesus' parable to the chief priests: "He still had one other, a beloved son."

• At Gethsemane: "Abba, dear father, all things are possible for you."

• Near the very end, after the crucifixion, a Roman officer said: "Truly this man, this crucified man, was the son of God."

At the transfiguration, the voice of God about his son was "Listen to him. Listen to Jesus." At the Jewish trial, Caiaphas asked Jesus, "Are you the Christ the son of the blessed?" Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of glory." This was blasphemy for which Jesus could have been stoned, but as a popular prophet, Jesus was highly regarded throughout Palestine. So the high priest decided to have Jesus removed another way, that is by the Roman authorities.

In recent times, Pontius Pilate had lost his patron in Rome and was now vulnerable in Jerusalem. And the high priest knew it. And so Jesus was handed over to them and the high priest bullied Pontius Pilate and the result was our Lord was crucified on the cross. He died and was laid to rest in a tomb.

In the next chapter, chapter 16, the tomb was empty. No Jesus. A robed young man spoke to the women disciples: "Jesus is going before you to Galilee." Earlier Jesus himself had said, "After I am raised up I will go before you to Galilee." In John chapter 21, the fishing scene, just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore. The resurrected Jesus returned to Galilee. After that we do not know. Silence. We are left to believe the son of man returned to the father as Jesus said he would. And next he will come back to us.

Conclusion

Just to conclude a few summary words. The father's message to us is straightforward: Listen to my son. That means careful study of the teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. In other words, the father is directing us to be disciples of Jesus. And so a good question for me and for you is: Am I a dedicated disciple of Jesus? That is the message of the gospel of Mark for you and me.

Jesus told the disciples, "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." Jesus died on the cross for us, in our place. The word ransom implies deliverance from spiritual bondage. Through Mark, we see many examples of bondage to evil powers. We see chronically disabled and diseased. But we also see everyday human behavior like the disciples who deserted him, like Judas who betrayed him for money, and for Peter who denied him—desertion, betrayal, denial.

Jesus' death was a ransom price for our forgiveness and spiritual freedom. Jesus cleared the traitors from the temple; the high priest received immense wealth from the sale of temple sacrifices. Jesus' authority to do this was as the beloved son of God, his father. But Jesus was not put to death in a temple or other religious local but through Roman crucifixion. It was through Jesus' death by crucifixion that you and I have been ransomed.

Critical are Jesus' words at the last supper. As they were eating, he took bread and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them and said, "Take, this is my body." And he took a cup and when he given thanks he gave to them and they all drank it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many."

From first to last, the Gospel of Mark is a story of Jesus' saving death for us. The holy communion retells Jesus' sacrificial death for our forgiveness. So God's word to us is simple: Listen to Jesus. Understand and do what he teaches. Become and be his disciples. This is God's challenge through Mark to us all. Listen to Jesus. Amen.

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