Finished Reading Mark
This morning I finished reading the Gospel of Mark. I have been impressed with the large response from the congregation in reading this text for the week. The congregation has a gospel meeting this coming week, and the reading was done to prepare our minds for the preaching. A lot of people have commented to me about various aspects of the book. The book is on the mind of the congregation. The last few chapters impressed me because of the ability of Jesus to properly handle the Old Testament text. There are various issues and questions given to Christ, and in each case he focuses on the core element of truth in the problem. He applies text to the situation. Jesus is perfect in using scripture to manage human affairs. The application of the text is always clear and correct.
The second insight into Christ from the last few chapters is that Christ never seems to be out of control. The whole world is in conflict and Jesus remains calm through it all. There are angry emotions, politics, and jealousy, but Jesus rises above the affairs of the reactionary world. This is a great lesson for leadership. One of the weaknesses in leadership, ministers, and congregations is to become reactionary. Jesus provides an example of remaining calm in chaotic situations and times. Help us to be more like Jesus.
Related posts:
- Reading Through the Book of Mark
- Finished Reading “Jesus: a life”
- Finished Reading “I Just Want to be a Christian”
- Finished reading "Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times"
- Chapters 4-7 in Mark
About The Author
I’m teaching a class on John Eldridge’s “Wild At Heart” Wednesday nights in my church. Early on in the class, the question came up from the book asking what kind of man Jesus was. Of course John Eldridge’s intent was to get us to ask if “being a ‘nice guy’ should be the life goal of a Christian man. We did discuss Jesus chasing the money traders from the temple, but one thing that really jumped out that night was a comment my friend made: “Jesus was always intellectually prepared.” He always knew what was on the heart beyond the question, and He addressed the heart issue rather than the question that was designed to trap. I know that is something I often struggle with; I’ll get hung up on the question and fall right into the trap. As you said, Jesus always maintained control of the exchange.
Wild at Heart is a great class book for men. It paints a powerful picture of a Christian man, instead of maybe some of the passive pictures that are painted today. Thank you for interactive with me in this reading.