Mark 1: 1-8
6 March 2011
I don’t go to the movies very often. But when I go, I enjoy watching the trailers. I like to see what is coming. Occasionally, there are previews that look interesting and I tell myself that this is a movie I’d like to see. However, all too quickly I forget the title and since I don’t really pay attention to what is playing, more often than not I miss the movie. By the time it comes out on disc it has all but escaped my memory all together. Once in a blue moon, the movie will be show on television and then I will remember that this was a movie that I wanted to see.
It’s amazing how quickly we forget some things. They say that men are notorious for that, especially when it comes to birthdays, anniversaries and the like. It’s not that they are not important things. It’s just that they get crowded out by a myriad of other things that vie for our attention.
Let me give you an example. I don’t think anyone here would say that faith is not important. The fact that we are here is an indication that we at least give faith and spirituality some thought. But I also think that most of us, me included, would say that we are not giving it enough of our energy and time. It’s not that we don’t consider faith important. It is just that other pressing things continually appear: it can be a crisis with the children, bills that have to be paid, health issues that demand our attention, meals that have to be prepared, groceries that have to be bought and the list goes on and on. I have no doubt that you know what I am talking about.
For me, this hour on Sunday is a bit like an oasis, where for a few brief minutes, I can pause and take stock of my faith and replenish my spiritual well. But even then, that can be difficult. Some Sunday we arrive with a myriad of things on our mind. Perhaps company is coming or just left. Our minds are somewhere else because of an issue we face. Family members weren’t ready on time or we just had an argument with our spouse. Again, the list goes on. Faith is important, but other things so often come between us and faith.
We’d like to know too how faith can answer some of these daily dilemmas we all face. What can faith do to improve my marriage, my relationship with my family, my work situation, my health and even my finances? We all have an idea that faith can play a part in all of that but how? Sadly, we don’t often have the luxury of spending time mulling over how faith can affect our whole lives. Like at the movie theatre, when it comes to faith, we content ourselves with seeing the previews, hopping that we will remember and notice when a movies we might want to see comes out.
Well, today I want to give you a preview of what is to come. Beginning this morning and continuing until it is all done, we will go through the gospel according to Mark, the oldest account of Jesus’ life and teachings. Going through it passage by passage, we will come face to face with the person who came and who continues to challenge and change the world.
Like those who first read this gospel, the story of Jesus is not new to us. When Mark wrote it, the people for whom it was for had heard all about Jesus. They knew He lived in Palestine, that He did miracles, cast out demons and taught. They also knew that He was crucified in Jerusalem and that on the third day he rose again and that He is now in heaven. These are all things that we too have heard about.
But when the first readers of Mark read the book, they rediscovered Jesus. And by the same token, they rediscovered God and how He speaks to every facet of our lives. That is my prayer as we go through Mark: that we come face to face with Jesus once again and discover Him afresh.
Faith is a bit like putting a puzzle or a scale model together. As a teenager, putting scale models of planes together was my favourite past time. As I took each part out of its plastic mould, painted it, found where it was designed to go and then attached it, I could see how the plane was designed to work. It was very satisfying when the plane was all assembled. I would then put strings on it and mount it to my bedroom ceiling. The process was not only enjoyable but instructive.
I trust this will be the case as we go through Mark together.
So, let’s start with the beginning. Interestingly enough, the beginning of Mark is also a preview of what is to come. It’s a trailer, if you wish, of the Good News of Jesus, the Christ.
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah, the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way – a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’
And so John came, baptising in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locust and wild honey. And this was his message. ‘After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stood down and untie. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1: 1-8)’”
When you hear the name Jesus, I wonder what comes to you mind. I’d like you to listen to what the person in Sheffield England, thinks. (Show You Tube: Who, in your view, is Jesus?)
As you can see and I’m sure you know, there are many thoughts about who is Jesus. In reality, I think that he leaves very few people indifferent. Just saying His name evokes all kinds of thoughts in people. This little clip which we saw shows that. It also shows the eternal question that continues to baffle us. What do you think about Jesus?
Mark had no issues with who Jesus was. There are no indications that he had ever met Jesus personally. Whether he had met Him or not does not make any difference. Mark, in the trailer for His book, unequivocally says this. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah; the Saviour God had said would come in the Old Testament. Jesus is the Son of God – not just of the essence of God but very God. He is the Lord, The creator of heaven and earth and the giver of life.
How could Mark be so sure? Well, John the Baptist was the one whom God sent to prepare the way. God had said he would come in the Old Testament. God had predicted that Elijah would return just in time to make a straight path for the Saviour to come. Wearing garments made of skin and a leather belt around his waist, and eating locust and wild honey could only describe one person. The One sent by God. That was how Elijah was dressed generations ago and that is what he ate.
John was a prophet who knew His mission. He called people to repentance not to become his disciples but to be ready for the Messiah. When the Messiah would come, not only would he call people to repentance but He would also show His power and give the Holy Spirit to impart life. This too, was already predicted in the Old Testament.
This is the Jesus that Mark presents. This is the Jesus we encounter when we hear His name. This is the Jesus who has the power not only to change lives but to give life. This is the Jesus who calls for an answer.
I hope that as we embark on this voyage through Mark, that you will bring your questions with you. I hope that if Mark challenges you, you will explore further the claims that are made. I hope that you will wrestle with those questions you may have about how faith and how Jesus relate to real life until you find an answer.
To be honest with you, I still wrestle with certain issues and I still confront Jesus on those issues. I suspect that it will be so for life. But as I journey along in the film that is my life, I do find that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of God, and the living God.
Now that you’ve seen the trailer of Mark, I pray that you will find, in your own life during the coming weeks that Jesus is all that Mark has said He is in your life.
