Day 245

Mark takes no time in jumping into what is important. I like that in an author. When I read a book, I want to know the BLUF, the bottom line up front. I want that in conversations as well. I need to know what subject we are talking about before I can effectively tune in to the conversation. So Mark is a book I can get into. (Not to say that I don’t enjoy the rest of Scripture, but indulge me a bit this morning.)

Mark starts by grounding what he has to say in the Old Testament Mr Big Prophet, Isaiah. In fact, Isaiah really is the Gospel spelled out in advance. Everything important about Jesus is found in Isaiah, including the Resurrection. Mark starts with John the Baptist. You might ask why. Mark wants to ground every element of Jesus ministry in Scripture, including baptism, Jesus’ and yours. And as Jesus is baptized, the first public confirmation of Jesus’ identity occurs since those connected to His birth. This is the first confirmation over which Jesus had some control. He could have chosen to not show up on baptism day. But He did show up.

Jesus picks up where John leaves off: God is near, repent and believe. In fact, this really is where the New Testament stays. The Scriptures are about God being near, right where we live, about our fall and need for repentance, and that we must believe what God has said, put our trust in Him. This is the Good News.

You will find Mark action packed. The things he records show Jesus’ authority over all the “impossible” problems people face. Everything from demon possession to physical sickness. Jesus has no problem tackling these. He is, as the demon states, the Holy One of God. He is the promised Messiah. He is God in the flesh. Everything is under His dominion. Nothing is outside of the reach of His authority.

Jesus didn’t want publicity. His mission didn’t require it. The best servants know their place, and are content to stay there. We are called to be servants. Mark shows Jesus just doing things that demonstrate His authority. No need to get CNN or FoxNews on the scene. When God is really involved, people can’t help but tell what has happened.

I don’t want to water down what Jesus did with the man with the skin disease. Whatever the disease was, it was incurable. That is the point. If it was a poison ivy rash the man would not have been stunned with the cure. The crowd would have dismissed what He did as nothing unusual. But instead, they are flabbergasted. They know this is something unheard of and they can’t contain their wonder and excitement. This is not like the medicine men of the old west whose medicine were alcohol and opium based. It didn’t make much difference what you had, you felt better after taking their medicine! And you wanted more! Jesus actually changed lives.

Don’t dismiss Scripture because our modern mind has been trained to dismiss what we can’t explain. Some things happen that are outside our explanations. God just does some things differently than science would demand. That is the point. He is God. We are not.