This particular gospel moves so quickly from action to action that it’s hard for me to summarize each chapter adequately. In 6, Jesus is rejected in Nazareth, He sends out the 12, He feeds the 5000, He walks on water, He heals the sick, and John the Baptist is beheaded. In 7, Jesus solves some disputes with the Pharisees, He exorcises a demon over a long distance, and heals a deaf man. When you consider each of these events individually, it is astounding the types of works that Jesus wrought.

In the readings, one sentence jumped at me, so here it is:

“A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” Jesus said this, and I know it’s true. It applies not just to prophets, but to pastors, teachers, and evangelists. I believe this is the case because those who are around us the most think they know us the best. Sometimes, this is true, but most of the time, it’s not. For example, I have many friends who know more about my life and my heart than my own parents, or my brother, or any extended family member. They love me and respect me and honor me greatly. But, on the other hand, there are those in our own household who know us best, and the reason we have no honor with them is because they see our flaws on a regular basis. They love me and respect me, but they don’t honor me in the same way those outside do.

I pray that somehow, some way, the Lord can still use me to make a great impact on my extended family and on my immediate family. In the meantime, I will keep sowing and reaping in all places.

I will summarize each chapter in a phrase or sentence, then take a paragraph to explain something that caught my attention.

Chapter 4: Three parables, then the calming of a storm.

I want to zoom in on the parable of the sower. Today, I listened to a Bob Coy sermon about the law of sowing and reaping. The reason it’s used in the Bible to apply to spiritual things is because it is a flawless rule in the physical world. If you sow/plant beans, you reap beans. If you sow/plant corn, you reap corn. If you sow/plant good seeds (in good soil), you reap good crops. If you sow/plant good seeds (in good soil, but don’t weed it), you don’t reap good crops. They will be choked out. If you sow/plant (in bad soil), you don’t reap a good crop. It will be scorched because there are no roots. If you sow/plant good seeds (in no soil), you don’t reap a good crop. The seed will be snatched. That’s true physically. It’s also true that if you sow/plant bad seeds, you don’t reap a good crop. Your labor will be vain. But when Jesus explains this parable, he says something fascinating about the weeds that can choke out a crop. He says the things that will choke it out are the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things. What do people struggle with the most in this life? What competes for their attention? What draws/allures them away from the Lord? I think Jesus just told us.

Chapter 5: Jesus restores a demon-possessed man, raises a dead girl, and heals a sick woman.

“The demons begged Jesus.” This spiritual battle is not an even match between good and evil. It’s not a fair fight between God and Satan. As my pastor says, “They aren’t even in the same ring.”

A lot happens in that first chapter of Mark.

Forty days of temptation is summarized in 2 brief sentences. Jesus’ sermons are summarized in a single sentence: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

This makes me more than a bit curious. I find it hard to believe that He went around just proclaiming this one sentence. Yet, if He taught whole sermons, how many did He teach? What texts from the Old Testament did He use? How did it go with the audience when He proclaimed Himself as the central part of the sermon, as the Messiah, or did He in His teachings? Perhaps the biggest question of all: How did He tell people to repent and believe “the gospel” without having experienced the cross and the resurrection?

Surely someone knows the answer to this question.

So much happens in these chapters, it is nearly impossible to summarize in a short post. I will say this: the majority of things recorded seem like random tidbits of memory recorded as they came to the writer. Also, the majority of the events recorded were likely memorable because they were situations in which Jesus did something extraordinary–healing, casting out demons, challenging authorities, challenging traditions, giving stern warnings concerning an eternal sin, and choosing twelve disciples who were anything but extraordinary, that is, before Jesus got a hold of them.

Here’s the most fascinating thing about this book as a whole:

There is a controversy on the ending. It can end in trembling or in preaching. It can end in astonishment or in confirmation. It can end in fear or in signs. Either you saw Him or you will see Him.

Other notable features of the book:

• Long verses, short number of chapters
• “Immediately” is used often
• It skips the genealogy and starts with a BANG! Action.
• A lot of demons are cast out
• The first 1/2 of the book deals with His ministry
• The second 1/2 of the book deals with His time in Jerusalem
• The emphasis is on the human side, rather than the divine side.
• Focus on deeds, not words
• It begins with “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” which goes way back if you remember. Like before the foundations of the world.