Mark 1

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0:00 So for the next several weeks, we're going to work our way through the Gospel-According Mark and it looks like when I started looking at how to break it down for us, it's like if I just start reading on it and talking about what seems relevant and important

0:33 will never make it through Mark. So the discipline I'm going to give ourselves is we're going to take one chapter a week. So if you want to read along, we're going to do one chapter a week and we may not cover everything in the next chapter, but if you gather on Sunday, you're not asking any questions that you want about Gospel Mark whenever, but especially as we read through it. But on Sunday, during this time, I'll talk about something from one chapter of time. So this week we're going to look at the first chapter. But before we get into it, I just want to say a little bit about Mark because it's really interesting, actually.

1:08 You know, Mark was not one of the 12, right? Jesus calls 12 Jews to be at the title. He was not one of the women, or the class of women's fallen, and he wasn't one of the women in that core group. And so the question kind of emerges where who is Mark, why is he writing an interesting story about the Gospel of the Jews and Jesus? And the place I want to look to think about that or answer that is in each chapter's way. So if you want to look at this,

1:44 there's a little section there, a chapter 12. And part of the scriptures, remember how this book comes to us. It's like the Old Testament books, the Torah, and then the Minor prophets, the Major prophets, and the History books, and the Wilson literature were bound up and kind of understood by the times Jesus comes on the same. You know, they were in separate bindings, and you can see when you read through the history of the Old Testament,

2:18 sometimes they had some of them, other times they didn't have all of them, but during the inter-castamental period, as the Israelites are dealing with exile and then off-casing, it becomes really important for the Israelites community to codify what does it mean to be Israel. And so in that process, not only did they solidify the book of what we call the Old Testament, what might be called the Jews Bible, they also proliferated practices and rules. And so the term Jew doesn't really occur in the Old Testament until they're coming back from Babylonian exile,

2:54 and it really starts to identify with a type of religiosity that develops in Babylon's distinguishments from the Babylonian, and it was perfected in that kind of early first century, just before Jesus comes on the theme. But Pharisees and Sadducees, the stuff inside of the Israelites were really codified in that inter-castamental period as a way to exclude and build a facility, right? And this is why Jesus is so kind of revolutionary because he's kicking up against the rules all the time.

3:28 The New Testament then isn't codified until like 300 when the emperors' policies, like we need an official set of documents that says this is what the followers of the men of Jesus now call Christians will be identified by. And so all the bishops of the Church gather the 300, and they all lay on the table the books that they were using and the Church is over under their jurisdiction, and they began to go down, which ones do we all use, which ones have we made copies of, which ones do some of us use and not all of us.

4:00 And one of the key components of making a book, making it into the New Testament without all universality but authorship, who wrote it. And so the gospel of Mark, there is deep tradition on who wrote the gospel of Mark, dating way back into the history of the Church since this recognition. Even you can see written document extra biblical before the 300, the people talking about this to John Mark who wrote the gospel of Mark who comes up in Acts chapter 12.

4:36 So let's look at it here, Acts chapter 12. Okay, I'm going to run through it just to get to the mention of John Mark, but the story here, if you have a chance to sometimes read Acts chapter 12, it's really fascinating. Right, King Herod is substituting the followers of the way. Peter, Peter the oldest of the disciples. So you know the way the disciple tradition would work often is Rabbi would make his disciples, people would come in and test auditions and he'd text them to see who knew the writing on itself and could keep up with him in the learning who had the best versions of the Bible memorized.

5:16 And then the Rabbi would often have one who was older than the rest, who was the next in line to carry the teaching of that Rabbi. And so there were a set group of teachings walking around Israel the first century because there were a set number of a missile Rabbi would pass on the disciples. And so you knew which Rabbi was kind of teaching you were taking based on who you were the disciple for. Right. And so Peter was the oldest of the 12 which is why he emerges in Acts as one of the leaders of the Church because they're all now following in behind him.

5:50 He's the oldest he's the takeover from Jesus. And so when Herod's first giving the church the first person he arrested is Peter because Peter is allowed as good people who stood up at Pentecost and freaked in order that 3000 people might be converted. He's walking around Jerusalem in the neighboring towns announcing that there's a new king. The Messiah has come. And all of the old ways have been fulfilled in the person of Jesus. So our worship can evolve. Peter's in jail. He's trained in jail in Jerusalem. And you remember the story he says that he's having a vision but these angels come from loses bond put the guards to sleep and open the gates in front of them.

6:28 And it's like walked out and then they're walking to the city gate and the city gate opens in front of them. And he walks out the city gate and then the age of these people like Holy cow. And where did Peter go first when he gets to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark where they were gathered together and when you knock at the door of the church, he's the one who's going to be there. He went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark where they were gathered together and when you knock at the door of the great way servant going in the road to enter.

7:11 Recognizing Peter's voice in her in her toys to do not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was sound standing at the gate. They said to her you're out of your mind. But he kept insisting that it was so and they kept saying it is an angel but Peter continued knocking and when they opened they saw him and were amazed. But most things to them would be silent. He described to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison and he said tell these things to James and to the brothers and then he departed and worked in another place.

7:41 He's going to tell anybody who can but the first place he does a lot of scholars think this is Peter's little house church. This is Peter's church. This is Peter's church. This is he got his people. This is his church. John Mark's mom is the home that they meet in. Often in acts they meet in women's homes. John Mark's mom is the house they're meeting and John Mark. Most people understand the gospel of Mark written based on the teachings of Peter.

8:14 John Mark then he traveled with Paul on one this year journey and then famously lead Paul Paul gets mad at him and then he comes up again in colossal culture to feel better about him. And by second Tennessee he loves John Mark again. But when he left Paul and got and got left out of the next missionary during the Paul he left to go back to Jerusalem which was where Peter hung out. And so a lot of people understand truly into things that Mark is written by the disciple of Peter and that Luke remember Luke is written out of the title of Paul.

8:51 These two leaders in the first century church that carry forward the teachings of Jesus and establish the people of God in Asia Minor and finally Rome and then all the known world whose teachings codified the new testament are character in the gospel. You got Matthew one of the disciples John one of the disciples Mark the Peter version and then Luke with Paul version. And so when we go to Mark versions Mark version is really distinct.

9:27 I mentioned that that it's the shorter version to the kids that's true it is the shortest version. It cuts out a lot of extra stuff cut straight to the point. And it does because immediately if you were to walk through Mark's gospel and underline how many times immediately pulled up you got this guy and find another word you think immediately all over the time. And so he doesn't have a birth narrative to jump right into the ministry.

9:58 Let's look at Mark chapter one. Oh, last about the writing of the gospel of Mark. We are pretty sure most dollars things are different. We know that Peter ended up being martyrs in Rome. He was brought to Rome and martyr. We're pretty sure John Mark as he's insightful and maybe even cried followed Peter there. And so what it looks like is a couple of kind of coded stuff.

10:28 It might get to later. You know, Mark moved through it that Peter and Mark are compiling the gospel in Rome. Peter knows he's getting ready to down right and he wants the story of Jesus written down on paper before he leaves the world and goes to what's next. Okay, and so we think that Mark wrote this in Rome with Peter under a rat out to the church in Asia minor to make sure they have the story from Peter's perspective.

11:00 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. They're pretty sure that's the title of the God verb and it's a close sentence. So that they're writing this is what Mark is trying to write for us. The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God. I said, I'm going to hope to be just fun. We could spend our time right there that the crisis got a last name. It's a title. What it means to be the son of God. But what I wanted to do is we go through the baptism and it kicked off with his baptism by down the back.

11:35 And then we have this kind of experience in the story and the public affirmation of Jesus and then the spirit and verse 12 immediately drives him out into the wilderness and he was in the wilderness for 40 days. Verse 14, and now after John was arrested Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God and saying the promise fulfills and the kingdom of God is that he repents and believe in that.

12:05 This is the first point to sit for a second. John Mark in Rome writing a story from the first hand accounts of Peter. We're under first achievement to a first being persecuted. Right before the beginning of the gospel of Jesus and the first thing that Jesus. Because the time of fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in God.

12:37 One of the core. Tenants. Of the good news of Jesus Christ. Is that a certain thing is complete. And present. Jesus consistently all four gospels and in one. The reason I come to tell you the rain of God is here. Not somewhere else. It's not on its way. It's not coming. Yours have to bring it about.

13:08 Manuscript or make it happen. Jesus says get on board. Either you're with me or you're not because the rain of God is here now. In Luke when he sends out the 72. He just tells him the rain God is coming. When Jesus first thing he said in the time of fulfilled. Let me misperce it right. The time of fulfilled and the kingdom of God got hand. Repent and believe in the good news. Come on board.

13:41 This is important because like. So often confused in the church. I have friends in all things of the church. But one of the lines that I started repeating because I like what it did to the eyes of pastor friends of mine. It's when I reminded them that we didn't need to conquer the world. Oh hey.

14:11 You know we don't have to conquer the world. Jesus already did that. It was news when Jesus walked out of the Jordan River and into the desert when they arrested John the Batsons and Jesus came on the scene. So the time of fulfilled the kingdom of God's hand and all that was 2000 years ago. Jesus has been in charge for a long time.

14:44 And so the question isn't who's in charge or what world are living in. We need to make something happen. Something has happened. Jesus had come. The time of the fulfilled the reign of God is here. And in the first chapter, Mark's come like me. Come running on to the scene in the dark world mark. Very quickly, right? Immediately. With this like authority. Of only the ones who could be in charge to come with this authority.

15:16 And already chapter one. So we're through the age on the back of the building like four paragraphs into the gospel of Mark. And we're now these launches ministry. And then look at verse 16 passing alongside the city of Galilee. It's all Simon. Now first personally gets to other disciples and speakers. I just tell them now I can't get in. That's important. Right? It's time to be there. And it's brother Andrew. And other versions of the story.

15:47 Andrew gets called first and then he goes to get Simon Peter. He's like Peter, you got to see this guy. So Peter forgets that part when we're telling his version of the story. Right? And then it says verse 20. He calls Simon and Andrew then he calls James and John the sons of Zebedee. And then verse 20 and immediately he called them and they left their father's deputy in the boat. A hired servant and with hired servants and followed him. So the disciples recognized the authority of Jesus and when they get the opportunity they

16:20 go we'll say more about that in just a minute. But I want you to keep going down. Look at verse 21. He goes into Capernaum and immediately on the side but immediately he enters the synagogue in his teaching and they were at Don's status teaching for his talk in his own authority. The scene here in John chapter 1. Jesus is the one. He teaches with authority. You know I mentioned that rabbis would move around places like Galilee usually not staying. They'd have a group of disciples with him.

16:51 But the rabbi whoever was teaching had at one time been a disciple to another rabbi. And he had learned and memorized the Bible and not only the Bible but the midrass teachings around the Bible that were associated with that rabbi. So that if you were going to synagogue on any kind of regular basis you had heard the midrass from each of the campus. It was not novel. These guys were not making up their teachings. They were teaching borrowing on the authority of a rabbi from before.

17:21 When Jesus shows up he's got a whole new teaching. And they're like we have never heard this before and he's not fighting rabbi who's a waspate. He's just fighting himself. This guy teaches as though he has the authority to know what the scriptures say. Jesus comes to the authority. He teaches with authority. And immediately there was in the synagogue a man with an unseen spirit and he dropped cries out.

17:54 Jesus refused the unclaimed spirit and then the spirit listened to him. And the unclaimed spirit convulsions and crying out with a loud voice to an audience. And they were all amazed with the questions among themselves. What is this? A new teaching and this authority he commands the unclaimed spirit and the obam and at once his family spread everywhere throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. At once everybody in Galilee has heard this dude because he walked into his synagogue, he talked with his own authority and then commanded a demon and the demon.

18:27 Un willingly we'll be in what Jesus told him to do. Right? And it goes on further. Then they go to Simon's mother-in-law who's sick and Jesus who's laying in a bedstick, he just gives it his urine. Says come on up. She gets up, he gets to leave, he starts making dinner for everybody. And he came and took her by the hand and he lifted her up and the fever left her and she began to serve them.

18:57 And that evening at sundown they brought him all he was sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city gathered together all the door and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and packed out many demons and he would not permit the demons to drink because they knew him. Jesus has authority to tell his folks what's up. Sickness, spiritual demonic presence, scripture, he's walking around with all the authority.

19:32 The last one if you sit down to the leper sword verse 40 and the leper came to him and torn him and kneeling and fed him. If you will, can you make me clean? Moved with pity he touched out his hand and touched him and said to him I will be clean. And immediately the leper too left in and he was made clean. This is the last one he puts in this story because it has a double meaning, right? The leper's being the skin disease which is girding me.

20:04 And so he's clean, he doesn't have the skin disease anymore. But ultimately he's ceremonially unclean. If you have to go through ceremonial rights to be able to go back into the temple and make your sacrifices in, but the type of Jesus makes him does both for you. The reason I belabor this point is because I want you to think about that the teaching and the miracle of Jesus are all together. One is not proof of the other, but the good news, the gospel of Jesus is not that healing has come.

20:36 It's not that the teaching has come. It's not that even forgiveness has come. The good news, the gospel of Jesus is that Jesus is coming, bringing with him all of it. That Jesus is the reign of God is here. Which means that once again God has been charged. Though, though, trimorially and every day we keep resting control from authority from God and making our own decisions and living in a world wrought by the failings of humanity into a world wrought by the failings of humanity comes the one good King.

21:25 Down from wherever he was infinitely into the world and immediately start setting things to rise. He walks around and disease runs away. Spiritual oppression leaves enlightenment with authority dawns on people's minds. Jesus is walking around healing not to prove that he's the king, but for heaven's sake you can't not. We tell them, would you not keep quiet for minutes because my thing is moving too fast and I have certain things I need to accomplish.

22:00 This, um, primordial and cosmic pain. In thrones then and now and forever. Creator of the world and the creator of the world. In which we live, move and have our game by which the whole world is held together.

22:31 This place walking around in Egypt, Minor and Galilee. Pick who. Simon Peter and Andrew and James and John. Consistently we will find. They must be left bright than Jesus had hoped. They're often left faithful than he expected them to be.

23:06 And they certainly have moral and spiritual failures over and over again. There's one piece about the way. Rabbi to pick disciples in the first country where you know I mentioned you start when you're real little Hebrew school in the first century and you. Member out all of the storms first. After that usually the girls were done and didn't educate women well in those cities.

23:40 They would memorize they would all this young children would memorize all hundred and fifty songs which like when you then see marriage, magna cat and you like what's the gas specimens of all the storms and because that's because house and praise because you internalize it all. But then some of the boys would quit but then the boys might go to learn the history. Right. And so they would go they would start to learn the coral after they've learned the phones. And then after the coral most of the boys would quit they go on and run something else some of the best might go on and learn the midrath or the law.

24:16 Certainly by then almost all of them that were done they go and learn the trap crap of their parents but the best of the best of the best might go and follow around a rabbi for a period of time. And you'll see it sometimes in Jesus the rabbis they would ask a question that would refer to a text in the scriptures. And the learning was always one person after another because you would ask a question.

24:46 My dad asked the potential of the cycle of question that the title would have to ask a question that Jesus that demonstrated that we knew the answer by which virtue is in and then put the conversation forward. If you watch some of the way Jesus interacted with the disciples or with the Pharisees they come and ask him a question and he asked him a question back. Right. Should he take action? Who's in his regard? See. And it moves the conversation forward. Right. And so the best of the best of the best would then go follow around a rabbi and it will be around him until he said go home and learn the trade or yes you can join my crew and wait for me to die and eventually be a rabbi.

25:27 Right. Jesus walked around the alley and picked the deal. He slipped the process on the hand. With all authority in heaven and the heart that sickness death and the devil as here to that no religious authority can question only the amazing box with all the authority in heaven and on earth.

25:58 Jesus walked around a minor gallery to part on and picked out who were not good enough. Welcome women that you couldn't. This is to show you that he takes the authority in heaven and lit up people who were not already good enough to be good enough to follow. Jesus.

26:31 I start the fire system. Jesus leveraged his authority for you. Jesus called Simon and Andrew and James and John and he called you. You're not you're going to fail. You're going to fault her.

27:01 You're not going to believe it. At times. Remember the type is walk up the hill of Galilee to see the resurrected Jesus. Some of them believe in some of them. Jesus is authority. Overwhelmed. Your faulty faith. Your wandering mind. Your fickle heart. Your like your weak spirit and will. The authority of your original God. In order to call you to say all of it.

27:32 Strength and weakness. Goodness and evil. Belief and unbelief. Call all of it. To come and follow. Jesus has the authority to call you and he tells you. He calls you. To come and follow him. As a doctor you can. This is one of the core words of Mark. Mark says don't wait.

28:02 Don't wait to get well. To get smart enough. To get holy enough. To get good enough. You can convince enough. Don't wait. Don't wait. Go now as much as you can with what you can. Where you can follow this one. Who has come? The time is now. The kingdom has to be here. He is in time. Go and live out here. And we'll move through the gospel of Mark over the next 16 weeks.

28:34 Over the next 16 weeks. I hope that we can be people who see in Mark and Peter's vision and experience of Peter an opportunity to follow with large and small decisions of our lives. With abandon and with failure that we would follow Jesus wherever we can. Wherever we can. Right now. I'm afraid that we could do that in Jesus name. But thank you for the gift of your son and pain that he's come, that he exists, that

29:09 his reign is here now. Thank you. Good Lord. Quicking our hearts with faith this morning. So we could believe, receive, repent, believe, and follow. As those first ones did, as time Peter did and Andrew and things and John and even John Mark. Give us faith like that. Thank you. Let's say we pray. Amen.