The Gospel of Mark is one of the earliest recorded accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Church history connects Mark’s retelling with Peter’s eyewitness accounts as a source, but Mark puts the pieces of the story together in a way that sets his readers up for a new and much-needed perspective—a way to see Jesus as both the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and as the King over their present circumstances.
Mark was most likely writing to the Roman Christians who were under the intense persecution of the Emperor Nero in the first century. They needed encouragement. They needed understanding. They needed to see that the new King they had committed to follow was the Suffering Servant foretold by Isaiah. They needed to be reminded that suffering was indeed a part of following him, but that suffering did not get to have the last word.
The lame will walk. The eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will hear. Jesus’ actions of healing and restoration were the initiation of a Kingdom of Shalom, a putting back together of what the evil in our world had torn apart. Yet many could not see. Many were waiting for a king who would conquer their enemies by force, a Messiah who would hang out with the “good crowd,” the religious leaders, and those with political power. But Mark is asking his readers to go back and take another look at the Jewish prophets of the past. What did their Messiah look like? All throughout Mark’s gospel, he’s asking his readers the question “Can you see it?”
The Gospel of Mark reminds us that the Kingdom of God is not about political power or national pride. It’s a radical subversion of all that is anticipated. Strength through weakness, power and might through suffering and sacrifice. It’s an upside-down kingdom where the last are first and the first are last, where outcasts and beggars are the ones who can see clearly!
As we read through Mark’s gospel together, we want to invite you to consider the way that you see Jesus. What assumptions do you bring to your relationship with him? What might cloud your vision? Do you see him for who he truly is? We’ll do this together by doing what we can to place ourselves inside the narrative. As you listen we’ll ask you to imagine yourself in the scene, this might be new to some of you but this kind of practice actually engages different parts of our brian and can help us see familiar stories in new and exciting ways.
As usual, feel free to pause the podcast and go deeper, either in your own study, or with resources provided in our show notes from the Bible Project and more.
Thanks so much for listening, Join us tomorrow for our first episode in the Gospel of Mark.
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