 |
| Photo: tithe.ly media |
Most of the criticisms that I hear about Christianity (many of them legitimate) are criticisms about the institution of the church and its traditions. I always try to explain that there is a difference between Jesus and the churches that claim to follow him. If you want to know the difference, get to know Jesus.
The media is full of people talking loudly about what it means to be Christian and what you have to believe. Often they are disagreeing with each other without explaining their thinking. If you're confused about what Jesus taught, get to know Jesus.
Many people in our country have tangled faith up in politics in ways that makes voting and party platforms a kind of worship that isn't of God, but of idols God opposed. If you don't like what you hear about Christianity in politics, get to know Jesus.
Church attendance and Biblical literacy is declining everywhere. Even if you want to understand the Bible, it's big and confusing for most people to read. I believe the Bible is an epic story about God's love for humans that culminates in the person of Jesus. If you want to understand the Bible, get to know Jesus. If you want to understand God, get to know Jesus.
Unlike the stereotypes about Jesus as just a nice, friendly guy, I find Jesus exciting, challenging, and inspiring in ways no one else is. If you want to learn or grow, get to know Jesus.
Jesus tells a story about God and humans that I find amazing and shocking. His ideas about faith are ones I would never reach on my own, but I've always found them to be true. If you want to be surprised, get to know Jesus.
And if you want to get to know Jesus, read a Gospel. They are the best record we have of who he was and is. I will be posting a few times a week with reflections and insights about the Gospel of Mark and hosting Bible studies twice a week to discuss together. A daily reading plan can be found at link.martinlutherchurch.net/mark and if you'd like to join a Bible study via Zoom, please reach out to me for the link so we don't have spam bots joining our conversation. I'm posting below some of the background and suggestions I printed for my community as a starting point for understanding Mark.
Grace and peace to all, regardless of belief or creed, and I look forward to discussions with those who join me in getting to know Jesus in the next 40 days.
From the Gray,
Pastor Ari Mattson
“Never underestimate my Jesus. When the world around you crumbles, he will be strong.” -Relient K, “For Moments I Feel Faint”
BACKGROUND
• Mark is likely the first of the four Gospels to be written, completed shortly after 70 C.E.
• Matthew and Luke borrow heavily from Mark’s gospel.
• Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four. Mark is condensed and brief in his descriptions.
• Unlike the other three Gospels, Mark doesn’t offer any background or explanation to Jesus
other than introducing him.
• Mark is writing to a Greek audience. Therefore, he describes Hebrew customs and words as
he writes.
• The culture of the Ancient Near East was very different than ours.
• Individual rights were only recognized for the wealthy or powerful.
• Honor and Shame were deeply important. Your reputation affected many aspects of your
life AND your family’s life. Therefore, close relationships with people from different classes,
ethnicities, and genders were usually discouraged or banned.
• Judea was occupied by Rome, who enforced their way of life on Jews. Some Jews played
along with Rome, but most despised being controlled and prayed for their nation to be free
again.
• Jews drew from their history and prayed for a Messiah (or anointed one of God) to save
them. Messiahs were typically warrior kings of great faith, like King David.
SUGGESTIONS
• Pay close attention to what Jesus says and does and how people respond.
• Try to avoid reading the Gospels like history books. The authors are not trying to tell us
everything about Jesus; they are trying to tell us what they think is important about him.
What does Mark want us to learn? Why does he share the stories he does?
• Because Mark is sparse on details, pay attention to the details that are shared. Why are they
important?
• The Gospel was mostly shared orally in the first century. Try reading portions aloud or find a
dramatic reading online to get a different perspective.
• You may want to read from a few different translations. Sometimes difficult words or ideas
get expressed in different ways.
• It’s okay if some things are tricky to understand. Scripture often shares images and ideas that
don’t immediately make sense on purpose. It’s in asking questions and being surprised that
we often learn most deeply.
No comments:
Post a Comment