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I woke up quite early this morning.
Around 3 I pulled myself out of bed and opened up my copy of The Message to finish reading the good news according to Mark.
As I read through it, several things crossed my mind.
- Matthew seems to write from the mindset of proving to the Hebrews that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophecies within the Hebrew Scripture
- Mark seems to write from a mindset of encouraging his readers to give all they’ve got for the cause of Jesus
Along the way a couple passages really jumped out at me and stirred my heart and soul.
In the 4th chapter of his letter, Mark writes:
With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots. (mark 4:33-34)
I’ve always heard and known that Jesus used stories to relate to people, but Eugene Peterson really makes the language/idea pop when he suggests that Jesus presented his stories according to each group’s experience and maturity.
The NIV translates it this way: Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
It seems like we could take a lesson from Jesus when we’re trying to explain Biblical principals to people. Tell it like we would a story. Don’t try to impress people with your big doctrinal words. Don’t try to overdue the theological ideas. Break it down and tell the story in a way that makes sense to your audience.
The second passage that really grabbed me was a few pages over, in chapter 6.
Jesus wasn’t able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that’s all. He couldn’t get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.
That jumped out at me and really comforted me this morning. It helped me to realize that even Jesus, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Son of God couldn’t force people to change. Their stubbornness won out sometimes – even in his hometown.
I can often get frustrated when I see a lack of change in people I may be ministering with/to. But it’s really not up to me — it’s up to the Holy Spirit to convict hearts. I’m just called to continue living the life.
What do you think? What are you reading this week? Anything you really like in Mark’s telling of the good news?