The Devotional - 118 - John Mark

Thought for the Day – 118 – John Mark

Proverbs 21:1 – Getting past this verse of scripture without thinking about it is like standing in the middle of an intersection during rush hour and not seeing the danger. Yet in our nation today we fail to see that our channels of government are no different than that of Solomon’s day. So why are we not on our knees in prayer to the One who can make changes in justice and righteousness?

 

Comments and challenges

Yesterday when I was in the Gospel of Mark I thought about the number of times I have referenced anything from this small book. No not much was my response; in fact if I am referencing anything from the four gospels it is usually from the gospel of John first, Matthew second and Luke third… Mark; hardly ever, so I thought why is that, can it be because his gospel is shorter than the others, or because he ran from the scene in the garden when the LORD Jesus was being arrested after someone grabbed his clothing. Now I am not alone in this, many “Bible thumpers” avoid the gospel of Mark.

I suppose that are many human elements that stand in the way of this little book, it is not chronological and his gospel is hard to follow as he hurriedly skips from one topic to another, but we should be mindful of this truth. Mark was educated… HE COULD READ AND WRITE! Now I write that boldly because most of the people of his day could not read, nor could they write, so I thought it might be good to take a look as some of the things he had to say about Jesus Christ; The Living Son of The Living God.

The other day I was talking with the pastor of a church and we were discussing the various Bibles available to us these days. He explained that he uses the King James Version in his church and that he had six or seven other translations available on his desk as he studied and this got me to thinking about the number I have. Readily I see four and a Strong’s Concordance. Also available with the touch of the keyboard are all of the translations available through; bibletools.com. I am sure that Mark a disciple of Jesus Christ did not have these resources and he says in his opening words, he had better resources than we have today.

We boast of our technology, Mark, relies on “As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the LORD, Make His paths straight.” Mark 1:2. With this authority, Mark begins his journal of the events of Jesus with the appearance of John the baptizer who came preaching confession of sin and water baptism for remission of sin.

C.I. Scofield says that Mark, also called John Mark was the son of one of the Mary’s that followed Jesus and was a nephew of Barnabas. As we travel through the book and reference the book of Acts we will see the connection of his name to Barnabas and other important information. Like the gospel of John the historical events of both books cover a period of seven years, both the gospels of Matthew and Luke cover 38 years. While the historical events offer different views of Jesus Christ; the Deity, the Person, the Ministry and the Son of God does not.

We also need to know that each of the gospels give an account of Jesus Christ in the four offices He fulfills in His earthly ministry. In Matthew; Jesus is “Covenant King” His birth in Bethlehem the city of David, Micah 5:2. In Mark; Jesus is the Servant King who emptied Himself of deity or the form of God but was in all respects; “the Mighty God” Isaiah 9:6. In Luke; we see Jesus as a human with needs like you and me. Jesus suffers, He is tired, He is hungry and we see His boyhood through His mother’s eyes. However, Luke protects the deity and kingdom of Jesus with Luke 1:32-35 and the apostle John reveals Jesus as the Sacrificial Lamb and Son of God in human flesh. John 1:1-14.

All of this preliminary information is needed; however what I have said is brief. If you have a Scofield Bible or other solid references, take the time to read up on the ministries of these four men, you will be blessed with their knowledge of Jesus Christ. How about you, do you have a strong knowledge of whom you believe in? I have all sorts of books and references but to my shame; most of these books sit on the book shelf gathering old age; the dust is just one of those rewarding hazards that causes a person to sneeze when deciding which one to look into.