Casual Reflections on the Gospel of Mark, Chapter One
So, I've been reading through the Gospel of Mark recently and writing down my reflections as I go. About halfway in, I realized that Jesus was blowing my mind with some of the insights He was giving me and I thought to myself, "Huh, why not use my blog to let Him blow other's minds too?" And so, I now present to you my first blog series on the Gospel of Mark. The way this series will work is simple: it's a very, very casual adaptation of my even more casual, stream of consciousness-style reflection notes that is intended to aid your reading per chapter and hopefully give you a fresh perspective. This is not a sermon or a doctrinal treatise; it's a collection of reflections to help you encounter the Jesus you read about as you're reading through Mark. Think of it as a play-by-play. The translation I'm currently reading through is the Names of God version of the God's Word Translation. Enjoy, and if you benefit then please share!
Act One: Galilee and War
The Good News of King Jesus and His Reign is here! And the Good News is, of course, that that very Kingdom Reign has come. Fulfilling the prophecies, John came onto the scene like a match lighting up the dark of night. But even his spark couldn't compare to the unexpected blaze to come.
John came to prepare hearts to welcome The King. He was the King's herald, shouting, "Good News! A new King is here! All hail The King and His Reign!"
He did this by ceremonially bringing the wayward back into Israel, literally and figuratively. He led them out of The Wilderness (both symbolic and literal) and back into the Promised Land, back into the Fold of Yahweh's People, by having them pass through the Jordan River like their ancestors of long ago.
John was an eclectic hermit and monk, but that only increased his mystique and awesomeness amongst the people. However, John said a Greater One was coming. And just when you expect Yahweh, God Himself, to show up on the scene in radiant glory and usher in His Reign...Jesus shows up stage left!
Jesus, however, reverses the Baptism process. He is baptized out of the Land and into the Wilderness! There, He purifies and conquers the Wilderness by resisting The Enemy, befriending the wild animals which have rebelled against Adam and his descendants, and having the "gods"* humble themselves to serve Him!
*Most scholarship today suggests that the ancient near-easterners and the Biblical authors saw the angels as lesser elohim ("deities").
Jesus then picks up where the now-imprisoned John left off: "Turn your lives around! Yahweh's Kingdom Reign is here---what Good News!!!" He then calls some disciples (who aren't yet Apostles), and travels with them to Capernaum where He begins unveiling the Kingdom and continues His war on The Enemy, albeit while trying to keep His identity as King a secret. It is most evident in Mark that The Great King is on an undercover, secret mission. He uses many disguises in Mark: Herald of The King, Warrior, Doctor, etc. But rarely does He let on that He Himself is really The King and not a pauper.
We see the disguised Warrior King continue His assault on The Enemy by healing Simon's mother-in-law (for which I'm sure Simon was grateful [western sarcasm]), and later the whole town, liberating many from slavery and oppression to evil spirits.
Just when the people of the village thought they had a good thing going for them with this Jesus guy, He up and leaves to continue His role as Herald in other parts, fighting The Enemy along the way in the form of leprosy. However, he fails to do so secretly and now the cat is out of the bag that this Man is leaving His mark on the World.
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