Mark

Mark
Words of Faith 10-10-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 1
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Today we begin a new journey in the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the most brief of all the Gospels. I have often called it the "blunt force Gospel" because Mark so often hits us with powerful truth in a way that leaves us reeling while utterly changing our lives. The Gospel of Mark moves in rapid fire from event to event.
Mark is one of the "synoptic" or "same-view" Gospels along with Matthew and Luke. For many years Mark was thought to be a condensed version of Matthew, but it is now generally regarded to be the oldest of all the Gospels and likely a source used by Matthew and Luke.
So who was Mark? His more complete name was John Mark. He was Jewish and lived in Jerusalem with his mother, named Mary (Acts 12:12). He was probably a young teen during the ministry of Jesus. The Last Supper likely took place in his family home (Mark 14:12-14). Some evidence in the Gospel indicates that Mark was a firsthand witness to the Last Supper and the arrest of Jesus (Mark 14:51).
In the book of Acts, we hear about Mark as a missionary companion of the Apostle Paul and his cousin Barnabas on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). But Mark later left the mission and went home to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Barnabas later wanted to take Mark with them on the next mission but Paul refused (Act 15:37). Paul and Barnabas had such a sharp disagreement that they parted ways and Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus (Acts 15:39).
John Mark was later reconciled to Paul and was with him in Rome at the time of the writing of Colossians and Philemon from prison. By the end of Paul's life, Mark was back in full favor with him (2 Tim 4:11).
After working with Paul, Mark became a companion and witness to Peter and his ministry in Jerusalem and Rome (Peter 5:13). Some commentators claim that Peter furnished much of the material for the Gospel or Mark made notes of Peter's preaching and later used the notes to help write the Gospel. The strong influence of Peter gives us a powerful direct witness to the words and work of the Lord. This provides a powerful first-hand testimony of the ministry and impact of Jesus.
The Gospel of Mark was probably written in A.D. 67-70 and appears to be directed to the Roman world or the world at large with reaching Gentiles in mind. Mark's recipients are not familiar with Jewish terms and customs so he constantly explains them. However, they are familiar with Christian history and terms.
The purpose of the Gospel is to show that Jesus is unquestionably the Son of God. It is good to note several special features found in the gospel of Mark.
1. Mark is the Gospel of Realism. Mark reports Jesus' life as it was with little interpretation. It is an on-the-spot eyewitness account written in a fact-by-fact style. The account is unvarnished.
2. Mark is the Gospel of Action. A key word we find is "euthys" which means straightway, immediately, forthwith. It occurs over thirty times. The Gospel paints a moving, vivid, day-to-day drama of the dramatic life of Christ. It rushes from event to event as if breathlessly moving toward one final ultimate climax.
3. Mark is the Gospel of Humanity or the Gospel of Emotion. Jesus' humanity is forcibly pictured. Jesus is the carpenter (Mark 6:3); He was moved with righteous anger (Mark 3:5; Mark 8:33; Mark 10:14); He became weary (Mark 4:38); He marveled at the people's unbelief (Mark 6:6); He became tired and needed rest (Mark 6:31); He was moved with compassion (Mark 6:34); He sighed (Mark 7:34; Mark 8:12); He looked and loved the rich young ruler (Mark 10:21); He hungered (Mark 11:12).
4. Mark is the Gospel of the Eyewitness. Mark adds detail after detail to the events of Jesus' life, details that could come only from an eyewitness. During Jesus' temptation He was with the wild beasts (Mark 1:13). Jesus named James and John "Boanerges" (Mark 3:17). "He was very displeased" with the disciples' rejection of little children (Mark 10:14). When Jesus foretold His death, the disciples "were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid" (Mark 10:32). "The common people heard Him gladly" (Mark 12:37).
Are you ready for the Gospel of Jesus as penned by John Mark, informed by Peter, and inspired by the Holy Spirit? This is not a sugary book about positive thinking. This is about the coming of Jesus and His resolute journey to the cross to save you. This is not a "Jesus-lite" presentation or a self-help book designed to give you a daily pick-me-up. This is the real deal about the wonder of His love and the cost of discipleship.

Father God, make the Gospel of Jesus alive in my life. Breathe the Gospel into my heart. Make a straight path for Jesus into my soul and into my world. In the powerful Name of Jesus, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.