1. What stood out to me from this chapter?Many scholars agree that the gospel of Mark is almost certainly the first of the gospels to be written. Even looking at the type of Greek language used to write it (not the formal educated Greek, but the common street language Greek), Mark was mostly written for an audience of the ordinary citizens. It's the shortest of all the gospels, with only 16 chapters, but it's not for lack of content. I was struck by how quickly he moves from story to story. He doesn't spend a lot of time on dialogue. He doesn't spend any time talking about the birth story of Jesus. He just wants to get out the news about all that Jesus did during his adult ministry, ending with his death and resurrection. It's kind of like the Twitter version of the gospel. #JesusPreachesCallsTeachesExorcisesHealsPrays
2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?
Because Mark was likely the first gospel written, scholars believe that Matthew and Luke were also written using Mark as a template. They simply added their own perspective and some other details that Mark left out. So it follows that most of the stories in Mark will be very similar to reading through those other two gospels. Outside of the other gospels however, one of the verses stood out to me, Mark 1:34 said that Jesus would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. This reminds me of James 2:19 which says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." It gives us some insights about the spiritual world. The demons all knew and believed that Jesus was the Son of God, the Holy One. It's funny that humans had (and still have) such a hard time seeing and believing that.
3. What does this mean for my life?
Jesus was the Son of God, but he was fully human. In fact, I believe that Jesus's miracles didn't necessarily come from his own "power" but from the Holy Spirit which filled him. I also believe that Jesus knew God's will so perfectly not just because he was a part of the Trinity, but because he was constantly seeking God in Scripture and in prayer. Mark 1:35-39 reminds us that even Jesus snuck away from the crowds (and even from his disciples) to pray and seek God in solitude. I need to do that regularly. That's a part of what this blog is all about. Carving out 30ish minutes each day to seek God in his word and in prayer and find out what he wants for me and from me.
4. What questions do I have about this chapter?
I understand there was a little bit of a mystery and plan to the time when Jesus was fully revealed as the Son of God, but why was he so intent on telling everyone to be quiet about who he was and what he had done? He quiets the demons before they can "spill the beans" about his identity. He tells the healed leper not to tell anyone. Why?
Those are my thoughts for the day! I'd love to hear yours. God bless and keep digging in!
In Christ,
Dan
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