The Blockbuster Gospel Mark Chapters 1-10

I like the way that Mark starts off, its like an action packed blockbuster movie. No long introductions, no lengthy genealogies, it just starts off with the main hero, who he is, what he is doing, how people are reacting to what he is doing and he pummels you with story after story of his deeds. Its like a roller coaster ride in a way. It starts off with a quote from the Book of Isaiah which is basically about John the Baptist (”the messenger”) and Jesus (”you”). We aren’t told much about John’s background here just that he was baptizing and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. We are also told that he wore clothing made with camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist (not the best dresser in those parts), and he ate locusts and wild honey. Lets just say if I were to meet John today I would think that he was a bit of a “nut job.” Yet there was something special about John, the passage says in verse 5 of the first chapter that the whole Judaean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. To say that he could draw a crowd here would be an understatement. Not only did they go out to him though but they confessed their sins and were baptized by him. Why were they so attracted to John? He wasn’t the best dressed? He didn’t eat at the best restaurants in town. They went after him because he spoke about the one who was coming. His message was about Jesus as he puts it “one more powerful than he the thongs of whose sandals he is not worthy to stoop down and untie. He said that ” I baptize you with water , but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Not sure if the people understood all this but they responded to the message. In verse 9 Jesus shows up and he’s baptized by John. As he’s coming out of the water, “he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert… So Jesus is coming out of the water after being baptized, he sees heaven torn open, a voice comes out of heaven and he disappears before a crowd of people. I wonder what the crowd was thinking at this point? I wonder if their eyes were wide open and jaws were dropping at this point. Wow Mark really gets the story going doesn’t he? Not a moment of rest from all the drama being plaid out in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and those who witnessed it.
Compassion & Faith
In chapter 1:40-42 a man with leprosy. Back in those days leprosy was taken seriously and people who had this disease was considered cursed by God and were usually isolated to leper colonies and such. Jesus did something here that nobody else at that time would have done. He reached out his hand and touched the man. Then he said be clean and the man was instantly healed. He didn’t have to take any antibiotic treatments he was healed on the spot. The thing that got me though was that Jesus not only healed the man physically but he did something else he touched him. the man probably hadn’t been touched by anyone in a long time. Jesus could have just said be clean and not touch him but he touched him. He basically broke all tradition, or way people treated folks suffering from this condition and touched him he gave him a bit more than just physical healing he gave him the warmth of a human touch. so many people need to be touched physically not just healed by a drug or even a miracle but they need a human touch on their hand, a hug, to know that they are valued, the matter that they are alive and someone sees them and cares about them. Our modern medicine is quick to dispense drugs to cure ills how much time do they really spend with someone though/ when was the last time they actually took the time out to touch that sick person hand with glove or no. The last time I was in the convenient care center the doctor was in and out of there in 5 minutes I barely have time to say what was wrong before he was writing me a prescription all I had was a sinus infection imagine if it was worse? In Mark 2 Jesus heals a paralytic; the cool thing about this story to me is the actions that the men took to bring the paralytic to Jesus. “Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” This man got healed because some of his friends went through great lengths to bring him to the healer. They weren’t going to let the crowd stop them from getting their friends to Jesus. I wonder whose roof they destroyed though and if they had to pay for repairs afterwards.

Parables &Possessions & A Prophet without Honor
In Mark 4 Jesus speaks to the crowd in parables. These parables were very farm oriented and being an agricultural based vulture at the time the people would have understood Jesus through his illustrations. However, this was not exactly the case and we find in one instance the disciples themselves were asking him to explain what he meant . He explains it to them and moves on to a few others. In Mark 5 we have the story of the demon-possessed man. Mark picks up on something a bit different here than Matthew here: Mark ends the section with the man who was healed wanting to follow Jesus and Jesus telling him to go home to his family and tell them how much the Lord had done for him, and how he had mercy on him. so the man went and away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. I hadn’t noticed that before in the reading of this story and thought that it was a nice aside. The man didn’t just get healed but he went and told his story to not only his family but to others as well. The scripture says that “an all the people were amazed” wouldn’t you be? I’ve always wondered why the story of the prophet without honor was stuck in Mark? why did he decide to tell this story? Basically Jesus went back to his hometown and taught in the Synagogue. Many who heard him were amazed but some folks took offense and began asking where did he get these things? Isn’t this the carpenter? Basically we know this fellow when he was this high isn’t he the carpenter? Mary’s son? who does he think he is? Have you had the experience of this kind of thing happening to you before? Perhaps you are someone famous yet to the people who know you back home, when you were a little one running around bare-footed you are still the kid who lived in the purple house at the end of the block or whatever color house you lived in. Don’t feel bad even Jesus had to deal with this kind of thing. Unfortunately for them, he could not do any miracles there and was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus Loves the Little Children
I like how Mark included he story of the little children and Jesus and I’ll end with this here. The thing that strikes me about this hero is that he wasn’t too busy to spend some time with the kids. He became indignant when his disciples were hindering those who was bringing them to him and he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Jesus gives us an example here as to how we ought to relate to children. I see so many people neglecting kids nowadays, they don’t even want to be around them, they treat children as if they are a curse or nuisance instead of the gift from God that they are. It was shameful then and its shameful now and like Christ we should be indignant about this.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

That’s it the hands are getting tired…