Mark Those Observations!

I have been teaching through the Gospel of Mark on Friday nights for the college ministry for a couple of years now. My Expository Preaching professor, Dr. Ardavanis, is also preaching through the Gospel of Mark in his church at Placerita Baptist in Santa Clarita. One of the joys of my preaching class, which has also become a source of personal embarrassment at times, is hearing how he has preached through the sections of Mark and what the propositional statements were for his texts when I didn't necessarily see them that clearly. For instance,

1. The "Compassionate Goodness of Christ" is NOT the main point of Mark 7:31–37, in which Jesus heals a deaf man.

2. "Christ's Compassion and Miraculous Provision" are definitely aspects of Mark 8:1–10, but NOT the main point to emphasize, which I also did.

3. I generally have been teaching each paragraph, or section of thought, observing Who Christ is, what He has said/done, and how people respond to His actions. They make for great little devotions, but seem--to me now--to have been missing something that unified them all.

One of the greatest mistakes I feel like I have made is teaching through the Gospel of Mark, without the overarching theme of the whole book, and the major theme of the larger sections of Mark's writing.

For instance, 1:1 says, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." THIS is the purpose statement of the book of Mark. Therefore, my steady appeal to those who hear my messages should be something along the lines of "This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and here in this passage it is clear that He is the Son of God. Will you receive Him by faith and follow after Him?"

Also, if you look closely you will find the theme of Jesus' authority threaded in and out of the context of chapters 1–8. You will see His authority over sickness, Satan, demonic possession, forgiveness of sins, creation, sickness, death and disbelief. Surely Mark comes out strong in his Gospel providing evidence for the authority that Jesus Christ has as the Son of God.

And, if you look to the next large context of Mark, you will find an "inclusio," which is a body of thought inclosed with one main purpose. The inclusio spans from chapters 8 to 10. On either end of the body of thought, there are two similar miracles performed by Jesus that function as the passage's "book ends." At the center of these three chapters lies the three different foretellings of the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of Man. Not only that hard news to hear for the 12, but also a model for the way in which they would live following after Him--if you are to follow Him, you are to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. If you are to follow Him, then forsake it all to find it all in Him. If you are to follow Him, you will not be ashamed of Him in this adulterous and sinful generation. If you are to follow Him, you will be last of all and servant of all. If you are to follow Him, you must be servant, slave, and sacrificially selfless to all. These are the terms or requisites of authentic discipleship.

What is interesting in the first bookend, when Jesus heals the blind man at Bethsaida, is that He heals him in two phases. Why? It was not because Jesus was warming up and improving or practicing on him. It was not that anything was limiting Him from healing this man's blindness. It WAS an illustration for the doubting disciples for them to have the eyes of their hearts opened to the truth of who Jesus really is. In 8:17, 18, and 21 say, "Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?...Do you not yet understand?"

And what is unique about the second healing of Jesus restoring sight to blind Bartimaeus, is that He does it without touching him. Just the commendation of Bart's faith and the power of Christ would suffice. For Bart had seen/believed something about Jesus that others were slow and partially blind to see about Him--"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Bart got it right! He knew that this man was the promised Messiah through the line of David! And it was his undivided faith that healed him.

So lesson learned: Preach the biblical text propositionally with the support, flow and force of the context.