Mark 1

We discussed what a prolific writer Luke was and how his gospel provides us with so much detail. Mark’s gospel stands in stark contrast to Luke’s. Using the phrases “at once” and “immediately” throughout, Mark’s gospel is short, sweet, and to the point. He packed seven stories into half as many verses as Luke used to write the birth stories of John and Jesus.

As a high school business teacher, I required my students to write summaries of articles related to the topics we discussed in class. Invariably, at least one of my students would try to select the shortest article in the magazine. I tried to emphasize that it is very difficult to write a full page summary of a five-sentence article. Well, that’s sort of how I feel about writing commentary on Mark Chapter 1. Mark gave us the facts, and I hesitate to expound.

So, as I read this chapter for the tenth time this week, I asked God to pick out the items on which He wanted me to focus. The first thing I noticed was verse 18, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” Does this characterize how you and I respond when we hear Jesus calling us to, “Come, follow me”? Oh, you and I are much more likely to be like Gideon and throw out the fleece to test God’s patience. Are you really serious, God? Do you really want me to follow You blindly by faith? Uh. . . yeah. . . .

My favorite verse in this passage is Mark 1:22, “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” Jesus, we beg You to amaze us with your teaching today! We long for Your authority to rule in our lives. May we follow Your teaching far more readily than we follow the teaching of any other author. Amaze me today, LORD!

The final point I feel led to discuss comes from verses 35-38, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

“Everyone is looking for you!” In other words, how dare you be so selfish as to spend time alone with God? Don’t you know you are a celebrity and the people deserve to control your every waking moment?

I am reluctant to write about this topic because I do not want anyone to think of me as a selfish preacher’s wife. However, in the last month I have read two books that point out this topic. The focus of Jesus’ ministry was prayer and preaching. Yes, He took care of the physical needs of people, but only when it gave Him the opportunity to meet their spiritual needs. As church members, you and I need to encourage our pastors to spend the bulk of their time in prayer and preaching the Word of God. We need to stop demanding that our spiritual leaders are present for every committee meeting and every broken arm. While most pastors want to be informed of the goings on in their church body, they should not feel guilty about protecting their study time.

Please do not take this to the extreme. My intention is not to offend any of my readers. I trust that the Holy Spirit will speak individually to you about how you can be an encourager to your pastor. I know your pastor loves and appreciates you. Will you support him by letting him know how much you love and appreciate him?

I love you too!
Dana