Jesus in 3 D Series #1

Jesus in 3 D Series

Get Ready! Mark 1:1-8

Intro: God loves ‘little’ people I was so thrilled to hear someone say that golf was more than Tiger Woods! Yet, the reality for most of us is that we are average and our lives will seem not to make any difference to anyone but our immediate family. The media or news is always much more interested in the ‘bad stuff’ than in what the normal person does. What is surprising and to our benefit is that God cares and chooses to use the ‘little people’ not the superstars. We begin a series that will introduce us to Jesus Christ and how God has chosen to work among us. We will look at the background to this Gospel Story and be introduced to Mark, John the Baptist and Jesus.

#1. Who is Mark? Mark most likely wasn’t involved with Jesus’ early disciples much if at all. He became one of Peter’s special helpers and then also worked with Barnabas and Paul for a short time. Mark heard the gospel story through the teaching of both Peter and Paul. Something happened between Paul and Mark that resulted in Paul not wanting to bring him along on his last missionary journey. Mark had the privilege of hearing and working with both apostles, witnessed many miracles and truly the birth of the early church. He also was around both apostles when they were martyred or killed for their belief in Jesus. Mark’s mother was very involved with Jesus’ inner circle of helpers. It is possible that she might have hosted the last supper at her house.

Mark wrote the shortest gospel which now is considered by many to be the first written. He writes in rapid fashion where different scenes appear one after another. He focuses more on Jesus’ actions then his teachings. I believe he truly shows that the gospel is lived out with both action and teaching!

#2. Who is John? John is Jesus’ cousin who plays a special part in introducing Jesus’ mission and purpose in coming. He is a rather oddball type of person. He would be like a hippie that lived off of the earth and lived up in the mountains. He understands his role as one who prepares the way for the One to come that will bring the Spirit. John preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He is a true servant who is willing to step aside as Jesus comes into the spotlight. He acknowledges that he isn’t worthy of any special attention and that Jesus is truly the Son of God, which meant He is God.

Mark, in his typical style, goes out of his way to describe John. He wore an interesting outfit that was custom made with Camel skin. He had a diet that consisted of nuts, locust and wild honey. He stood out in his day and would stand out in our day also. He is truly a prophet that brought the Old Testament era into the New Testament era. He obviously attracted a crowd in his dress. He cried out in the wilderness and many came out to see him because they had a sense that it was God’s time to do something special. His message was rather simple – get ready for the one to come by being baptized as you confess or tell God that you are a sinner, one who has broken God’s law, who needs his help.

#3. What is the gospel and what does this have to do with Jesus? The word gospel described a messenger coming back with a message of how the battle is doing. If the battle was being won then this was good news! If the battle was being lost it was obviously bad news. What is amazing is that Mark is telling the story of how Jesus is both the messenger and message coming from God to tell us that the biggest story in life has a great ending even though it involves bad news.

The real story is that Jesus is both a little people and God all wrapped into one. This is the message of Christmas that the eternal Word of God would become flesh and blood. God chooses to become man in order for the salvation of people to happen. The Gospel Story is going to show us Jesus isn’t someone that was made up but a real person who lived like you and me. He has a mom, earthly father, brother and sisters. He gets into trouble with different people over how he chooses to bring the most important story-message of all history.

Conclusion: What is your ‘thing’? One simple lesson from this intro to Mark’s gospel is that it is important for everyone, including YOU, to understand your place in God’s kingdom. This comes back to how you respond to God’s call and work in your life? What does the good news mean to you? Are you more concerned about being a superstar or being someone that follows Christ? John understood his part to be one preparing the way by being at the right place at the right time. Mark was someone who was ok with being in the background and being like an inside reporter who listens, learns and then writes so others can know the story about Jesus. The simple message is that we need Jesus’ love in order to have our lives transformed. This will help you understand how you fit. So the word repentance is important because it explains how we, myself included, need God’s help to turn away from sin, living life on our own and turn back on the right path with God’s help through His Spirit living in us. This is the gospel story that is always exciting whether you are a superstar or just a normal average person.