The King & His People
The Gospel of Mark is the true story of the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God. Mark wrote his Gospel for two primary reasons: Exalt the King and encourage the King’s people to follow Him. Mark is a fast paced account of Jesus the King that, at every turn, calls everyone, everywhere to respond to Jesus’ grace by giving Him their ultimate allegiance.
Though Jesus had predicted He would rise from the dead, now that He’d died it appears none of His followers believed He would rise. They were just as unlikely to believe it as we today often feel, and yet somehow they ended up believing it. They were surprised by the evidence, and it left them in awe. Jesus has in fact risen, and the only reasonable response is incredible awe.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
8 Reasons why I believe Jesus rose from the dead, (blog article), John Piper
The Resurrection of the Son of God, N.T. Wright
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Why do we call it Good Friday? Why do we call it Good Friday when everything about it seems awful? The answer is: The Curtain.
Resources:
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Why is Easter such a big deal to Christians? We can’t understand that without understanding Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday shows us that Jesus came to bring God’s presence, and shows us how we can enjoy it through Him.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
The Temple and the Church: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, G.K. Beale
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The desire for greatness can lead us to work harder and get better at our jobs or cultivate our gifts. On the other hand, it can also lead to conflict, power grabs, and war. Something has gone wrong. In this passage, Jesus shows us the true greatness is the path He took for us: service.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
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While many of us acknowledge greed to be a major problem in the world, we don’t think of ourselves as greedy. In this passage, Jesus exposes our hearts’ attachment to money, shows us how we can released from it, and offers us something better.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
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There are plenty of people in the world we’ll never meet or know anything about, and our lives will be no different as a result. But if Jesus is who He claimed to be, only one response is fitting: Lose yourself to gain Jesus.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
Is C.S. Lewis’ Liar-Lord-or-Lunatic Argument Unsound?, blog article by Justin Taylor
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Religious leaders of Jesus’ time saw his disciples as unclean. Jesus agrees that we need to be clean, but he locates the source of our uncleanliness and the solution to it in a different place, and suggests that religion actually makes it worse.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
You Can Change, Tim Chester
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When you see a threat that is powerful and out of your control, you’re afraid. But to not be controlled by fear, you need someone to be with you, for you, and more powerful than whatever is threatening you. In this passage Jesus reveals Himself to be all three, such that if you fear him you can be free from fear of other things.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
Awe, Paul Tripp
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We all know we need to rest, yet it seems hard to accomplish. We can’t leave work on time, can’t take adequate time off, and even when we do we still have to go back to work. This passage in Mark revolves around a dispute concerning rest, and Jesus responds to the enemies of rest by pointing to Himself as the True Rest.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
Wisdom and Sabbath Rest, Timothy Keller
Is the Sabbath still required for Christians?, Thomas Schreiner
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Life outside of God’s kingdom has brought all sorts of evil with it. In this story we see a display of that in a paralyzed man who came to the King, jesus, for healing. Jesus responds by giving him a greater healing, and in so doing points us to the healing we all need.
Resources:
Baker Exegetical Commentary: Mark, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
Guilt and Shame: 2012 CCEF National Conference
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Mark begins his gospel helpfully with an introduction. in the introduction he begins to answer the two big questions his gospel will answer, “Who is Jesus?” and “What does it look like to follow Him?” We see here that Jesus is the King who calls us to leave everything for something far greater.
Resources:
What is the Trinity?, R.C. Sproul
Mark Commentary, Robert Stein
Jesus the King, Timothy Keller
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