Dip Into The Book Of MarkSample

DAY 1: THAT’S A GREAT BEGINNING

I absolutely love the beginning of the Gospel of Mark; it is the summary of gospel of the kingdom in one sentence! Remember, when you are reading your Bible, don’t miss the opening verses – most of the time they summarise the whole book. Overlooking the first verses is like entering a theatre without a program; you may get lost throughout the opera if you don’t stop and read. 

So why is Mark’s opening so important? Look at the facts contained in this one sentence:

The beginning – I love this opening! You come in expectant; it’s not as if you have jumped in mid-way through, but you feel like you have arrived at the right time, ready, expectant and waiting for the epic story.

The beginning of the good news – the gospel and story of Jesus is always good news, even though some Christians choose to spin it into a story of judgement and hatred. Mark clearly tells us this is ‘good news’, so share it that way!

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God – so what is the good news? That Jesus is the promised Messiah and not just that, He is the Son of God. This revolutionary, politically charged, controversial and incredible statement that Mark’s original audience was dying for, the declaration is stated with boldness and confidence from the beginning of this story. The Jesus you follow is, in fact, the Messiah, no matter what anyone says, and not only that, He is the Son of God as He said and as this story will tell you.

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet – As the first gospel written, Mark declares from the beginning that this text does not stand alone but is the fulfillment and continuation of the story of the Old Testament and the prophetic message therein. 

What a start to the gospel of Mark – can’t wait to see what is next!