Why Jesus Was Tempted By The Devil

Mark 1:13-14 "Immediately the Spirit *impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him."

Introduction:

    Why is it that when a person becomes a follower of Jesus in saving faith that God does not wisk them away immediately to Heaven? There are many days that I wish that was all there was to the Christian life. However, do you realize that if God did transport a person immediately to Heaven upon their express of trust in Jesus Christ, such an arrangement would not fit the pattern set forth by Jesus. 

    Whenever we look at the life of Jesus, one could ask a somewhat similar question: "why did not God transport Jesus away by simply having Him prick his finger to bleed forth one drop of blood much earlier in His human life?" The answer to this question is that Jesus had to first secure the perfect righteousness required for the Christian life by undergoing every stage of humanity in order to pay for it by going to the cross. Furthermore, crucifixion was required in order for Jesus to become accursed on behalf of the sinner. 

    The first Adam brought into the world curse, sin, and death (Romans 5:12-21). The Second Adam, Jesus, needed to bear the curse by hanging on the cross (see Deuteronomy 21:33; Galatians 3:10-13). 

    Whenever we look at the Christian life, it is, by design, patterned after Jesus' life. He underwent testing, temptation, battles with darkness, so that He could demonstrate how one human life, yielded to the Father's will and the power of the Spirit, would set forth the way for each an everyone of those who would trust in Him by faith (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 3:6). In this post today, I want us to briefly look at why Jesus was tempted by the Devil - since that event marks the near beginning of His public ministry following His baptism.

    As we begin to answer the question of "why Jesus was tempted by the Devil", we must express the following proposition: Jesus provides the pattern and power for fighting the Christian’s enemies. The sooner the Christian realizes that whatever Jesus experienced in His humanity provides the basis for strength of living the Christian life in their own humanity; the sooner the Christian experience will be made that much clearer. Note with me first...

1. The Pattern for defeating the enemy by Jesus.

    The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:21 

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps."

    It is interesting to note how Matthew and Luke each record the temptation of Jesus by Satan. Matthew's version has Satan tempting Jesus to turn stones to bread (Mt 4:3-4); to leap from the pinnacle of the Temple (Mt 4:5); to worship him to receive all the world’s kingdoms (Mt 4:8). This ordering by Matthew suggests that for Jewish readers, since the Temple was central, the enticement was for Jesus, as man, to take up His role of Messiah/King without going to the cross. 

    Luke has Satan entice Jesus to turn stones to bread (Lk 4:3-4); express worship of him to obtain the world’s kingdoms (Lk 4:5); to test God by leaping off the pinnacle of Temple (Lk 4:9). Luke’s ordering suggests that for his primary Gentile audience, with whom world conquest was everything, Satan was tempting Jesus to seize the world, thus, skipping the cross. 

    If we take both Matthew and Luke's records to indicate a string of repeated, intense cycles of temptation near the end of Jesus' experience in His 40-day trek through the Judean wilderness, then we have the full view of how intense this period was. Jesus was tested in both the religious or spiritual sphere and the theater of the world. Mankind craves control. Whether by manipulating people by the misuse of religion or through means of materialism, humankind's propensity to be bound under the yoke of temptation reminds us of what the Fall of Adam produced. This is why the Apostle John records in 1 John 2:15-17 - 

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

    As Jesus stood toe-to-toe with Satan, he handed Satan his first defeated at the hands of a man. Jesus denied His self-will (i.e. “lust of the flesh) in not turning stones into bread, but instead drew strength from God’s words. As to the kingdoms of this world (lust of the eyes), Jesus remained true, rather than giving into self delusion. Finally, with regards to Him not jumping from the pinnacle of the Temple, Jesus denied any right over his own life (i.e. pride in what one has, pride of life), since as man, He drew His sufficiency from the Heavenly Father. 

    What Jesus did, as the "Second" or "New Adam" (see Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45-47), was to set the pattern for how all of those redeemed in saving faith are to "fight the good fight of faith" (see Ephesians 6:11-13; 2 Timothy 4:8-9).  If I, as a Christian, am to better understand why I must go through temptations; testings; disappointments; heart-aches; stretching of personal faith; periods of wondering whether God cares for me; sensations of the Kingdom of darkness; and on-and-on; I must realize that the Christian life is patterned after "the pattern-man", "The New Adam", the Lord Jesus Christ. 

    However, we don't simply have a pattern when it comes to fighting the fight of faith - as important as that is. Praise be to God, as a result of Jesus' resurrection and ascension into Heaven, as well as by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Christian has access to Jesus for the power to "fight the good fight of faith". Hence... 

2. Power for defeating the enemy from Jesus. 

    Whenever you consider how the New Testament is laid out with respect to how the believer draws strength from the Lord Jesus Christ: The Gospels portray Christ; Acts preaches Him; The Epistles explain Him; Revelation exalts Him. What will follow from here are citations of New Testament passages which show how the Christian life is connected to all Jesus experienced by way of His temptations. 

    In as much as His temptation by Satan near the beginning of His ministry was of utmost intensity, yet, throughout His experience here on this earth, Jesus was assaulted and insulted. Thankfully, Jesus never caved into pressure. Note with me the following texts which explain how the Christ-follower has power for defeating the enemy.

Luke 22:28 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials”. Jesus expresses to His disciples how He experienced "trials" throughout the duration of His ministry leading up to the cross. 

    We next read in  Luke 22:42-44 42 

"saying, 'Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." 

    It was in the Garden of Gethsemane (literally, "the Garden of the Olive Press") that Jesus, in His humanity, felt the pending weight of God's wrath on sin. His submission to the Father's will by way of His human will would show how He, yielded to the Holy Spirit, would push through and do what needed to be done. From hereon I'll quote three more passages as we finish out today's post. As the reader will see, the following texts link together Jesus' temptations to how the Christ-follower draws strength for everyday Christian faith.

Hebrews 2:17-18 "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."

Hebrews 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

2 Cor 10:3-4 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

Meet John The Baptist - An Arrow That Pointed To Jesus

 

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to consider the man whom God chose to function as a forerunner to announce the arrival of Jesus on the public scene - John the Baptist. The beautiful picture above artfully depicts John the Baptist, with a small banner containing the phrase, "ecce agnus dei", which translated means: "behold the Lamb of God". John made it his life's mission to point others to Jesus.

    I recall not to long ago an illustration given by a preacher that compared the Christian's relationship to Jesus to that of the moon to the sun. The sun is a light bearer, giving off its own light as a result of thermonuclear fusion in its core. The moon, which we see at night, is a reflector of the sun's light. In like manner, we know that Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, is the "Light of the World" (John 1:9; John 9). The Christian operates as a reflector of His light to others (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15).

    I'll admit that when it comes to reading the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John), it is easy to rush past John the Baptist to get to Jesus. Yet, unless we grasp the mission and man that was John the Baptist, we could miss out on further insights into Jesus Himself and application for our own lives. Whenever we count up the number of verses devoted to John the Baptist's life and ministry in the New Testament, we arrive at over 90 verses. John the Baptist is what I call "an arrow pointing to Jesus". Let us consider some details about his life and ministry.

1. John the Baptist was predicted in the Old Testament.

    In the opening verses of Mark 1:1-3 we read the following words:

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’”

    The Holy Spirit worked through the pen of Isaiah in Isaiah 40:1-3 to express this prediction. Interestingly enough, Isaiah himself was echoing back to what God said to the people through Moses in Exodus 23:20. Moreover, The Holy Spirit through Malachi, the final author of the Old Testament writing prophets, would take-up the sentiments of Isaiah and re-issue them in his own predictions about the "forerunner", John the Baptist, in Malachi 3:1. This pattern of "preparation" and "proclamation" runs its course in the New Testament accounts of John the Baptist. He functioned as an arrow, pointing to Jesus.

2. John the Baptist was the final prophet in the line of the Old Testament prophets.

    If one reads more of John the Baptist in Mark 1:4-5, we see what may appear as an odd description of his wardrobe and eating habits:


"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey."

    When the Holy Spirit inspired the original documents of the Old and New Testament, He did not waste space. The point of describing what John the Baptist wore and ate had to do with demonstrating his continuance in the Old Testament prophetic office. According to 2 Kings 1:8, the prophet Elijah himself wore similar garb. Furthermore, references to John's consumption of locusts demonstrated his following the dietary laws concerning "clean" and "unclean" in Leviticus 11:21-22. As to the reference to "honey", a scan of the Old Testament scriptures will yield some sixty mentions of honey. Passages such as Psalm 19:10-14 use honey as a metaphor for scripture itself, describing it in terms of: "sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb".

    These three descriptions of John give us insight into what he was all about in his spiritual walk with the Lord: power of the Spirit (pictured by his garments); purity of life (his diet of locusts) and the preciousness of the Word (the honey he ate). Indeed, the follower of Jesus ought to have these traits operative in their life if they expect to be an "arrow pointing to Jesus".

    John's life and ministry would function to bring a close to the Old Covenant age and announce the arrival of the New Covenant era as inaugurated by the incarnate Christ. Jesus Himself said of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11-13 -

"Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John."

    Luke in his Gospel also records this same speech of Jesus about John the Baptist in Luke 7:24-33.

3. John the Baptist was commended by Jesus

    Another reason it is valuable to study John the Baptist is because of what Jesus had to say about him. Jesus comments on John the Baptist in Matthew 11:8-15 -

"But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

    That latter phrase spoken by Jesus, "He who has ears, let him hear", urges us to pay attention to what He just said. Jesus defended and validated all John had done. John the Baptist would be arrested, imprisoned and beheaded for confronting Herod's immorality and for articulating the truth of God's Word (see Matthew 4:12; 14:1-12; Mark 6:16-29; 9:13; Luke 3:18-20). John himself became very discouraged while in prison, wondering whether Jesus "was the One" (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7:18-23). Yet, John's faith was not snuffed out. 

    Jesus' vindication of John speaks volumes to how He ever lives to make intercession for every follower of His as He presides as the Eternal High Priest at the Father's right-hand (Hebrews 7:24-25). Jesus wanted to make sure John's ministry (which may had last no longer than a year) would not be forgotten. This ought to remind every Christian who aspires to be an "arrow for Jesus", that the Lord is ever advocating for you and that your efforts are not in vain. Hebrews 6:10 tells us:

"For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints."

4. John the Baptist was an arrow, pointing to Jesus

    As we close out this post today, we can say that John the Baptist was an arrow that pointed to Jesus. Jesus described John as a "burning light" in John 5:35 - 

"He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light." 

    Whenever one reads the accounts of John the Baptist's birth narratives, it is clear that God had already ordained him to point the way to Jesus from the very beginning (Luke 1:11-20, 57-65). John lived in a desert while ministering (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:4; Luke 1:80; 3:2,3); made his life and mission all about pointing to Jesus (Matthew 17:11; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 1:15-17,76-79; 3:4-6; John 1:7,8,22-28,31-34; 5:32-35). It is amazing to see how even others testified to much God used John the Baptist to point to Jesus (Acts 13:24,25; 19:4). Such observations ought to speak volumes to the Christian today.

    Can it be said of any Christ-follower that others see your life pointing to Jesus? John's motto of his own life is summarized in the statement he made in John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease." This is what it means to be an "arrow, pointing to Jesus".

The Beginning Of Mark's Gospel - Why Mark Wrote His Gospel

Mark 1:1 "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

Introduction:

    In today's post I want to explore the occasion behind the writing of Mark's Gospel. Put another way, we want to discover why Mark wrote his Gospel. In this post, we shall look at two motivations which uncover the occasion for Mark's Gospel.

1. A proclamation purpose: to communicate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the heart of the Gospel.

2. An apologetic purpose: to combat heresy.

    In the last three posts, we have surveyed the life, conversion, ministry and martyrdom of John Mark - the author of the Gospel bearing his name. Interested readers may consult those posts 

here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/04/p1-introducing-john-mark-author-of.html, as well as here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/04/p2-introducing-john-mark-author-of.html and here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/04/p3-introducing-john-mark-author-of.html. So, what were the occasions or motivations behind Mark's Gospel?

Proclamation purpose: to communicate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the heart of the Gospel.

    The Apostles' preaching in the Book of Acts followed a pattern which corresponds quite nicely with the contents of the Four Gospels. In Acts 10:36-43, we read an excerpt of Peter's preaching that bears forth such an established pattern, focused on Jesus:

"The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

    The first three Gospels were composed, beginning with Matthew (roughly 50 A.D., or less than 30 years after Jesus' death, burial, resurrection and ascension); Luke (60 A.D.) and then Mark (simultaneous to Luke or shortly thereafter in 62-65 A.D). If we were to take each of those first three Gospels and line them up with Peter's message, we would discover all of their contents structured around that common core of Jesus' life, death, resurrection. John's Gospel (90 A.D.) would mainly, in its core elements, parallel this same format (with the additional idea that John's Gospel tends to supplement material not covered in the first three Gospels).

    Whenever we turn to the opening verse of Mark, we see this template of Jesus' life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension conveyed. In the underlying Greek text, Mark's one-verse introduction contains seven words (which turn into roughly twelve words in many English Bibles). Seven is a perfect number, "God's number", corresponding to the Perfect Savior, the focus of this perfect Gospel. What is there about this Gospel, this "Good News", which by the Spirit's doing, persuades sinners to trust in Christ? It is worth meditating briefly on the opening verses of Mark 1:1. 

    That first word "beginning" ("Ἀρχὴ" or "arche" in the Greek), delivers the promise of "starting-all-over-again", the new birth. Christian spiritual life has a beginning. Just as time and space had a beginning as a result of God's creation of it from nothing (Genesis 1:1), so too is salvation a work of God wrought in the human soul, which of itself can bring forth nothing. The Expositor's Bible Commentary notes this of Mark's use of the word "beginning":

"Another possibility, however, is that by the use of the word archē (“beginning”) Mark is imitating the opening verse of the LXX (en archē, “in the beginning,” Gen 1:1) and wants his readers to realize that his book is a new beginning in which God reveals the Good News of Jesus Christ. Taken in this way, the first verse is not only a title for the entire book but a claim to its divine origin."

    Then we see the second and third words, translated "of the Gospel" ("τοῦ εὐαγγελίου" or "too euanggelioo" in the Greek) in our English Bibles, as conveying "Good News". This is what the Gospel is: Good news! You can have forgiveness of sins - Good news! 

    The fourth and fifth words of Mark's introduction (translated in our English text as "of Jesus Christ", Greek "Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ" or "yaysoo Christoo"), brings us to the goal of our salvation: Jesus Christ Himself! Our own righteousness is but filthy rags. Jesus Christ came to bring everything we need; set us free from our guilt and cloth us in His righteousness - glorious indeed!

    Then we see those sixth and seventh words of Mark 1:1, "the Son of God", ("υἱοῦ θεοῦ" or "hooeeoo theoo"). The name "Jesus" reminds us that He is truly man for us. "Christ" describes the office He occupies as the chosen and only way to the Father, empowered by the Spirit. The phrase "Son of God" reminds us that He is truly God also, granting every believer access to the endless power and life of God. 

    These seven, wonderful words of Mark 1:1 are finite in number while bridging us to the infinite excellence of God Himself through Jesus Christ! Thus, the first and primary reason for Mark writing this Gospel is to communicate about how Jesus Christ is the center of the Gospel. 

Apologetic Purpose: Mark wrote His Gospel to combat heresy

   The infamous "Simon The Magician" is first introduced in Acts 8. In the ministries of Phillip the Deacon and the Apostle Peter, this man Simon appeared to had believed the Gospel, as recounted for us in Acts 8:9-13. It is then later in Acts 8:18-20 that one reads what Simon would do next:

"Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!"

    Peter urged Simon to repent. Sadly, Simon responds in the following manner to Peter in Acts 8:24 "But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Simon's profession of Christ resulted in being counterfeit. Simon would sow discord and further false teaching into the early church. I have read in times past of how some surmise that Simon may very well had planted the seeds Gnosticism that would afflict the church in the second century. As to how much we can connect the heresy of Gnosticism to Simon is another post, for another day. What we do know is that history does tell us how Simon's actions would contribute to one of the reasons for the composition of Mark's Gospel.

     Eusebius, the fourth century church father who wrote the first history of the church, notes of the heresy of Simon combatted by the Apostle Peter in his Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, chapter 14, section 1: 

"The evil power, who hates all that is good and plots against the salvation of men, constituted Simon at that time the father and author of such wickedness, as if to make him a mighty antagonist of the great, inspired apostles of our Saviour."

    The reference to "The evil power" by Eusebius refers to the same Simon which I just mentioned. Eusebius then connects the battles between Peter and Simon to the writing of Mark's Gospel in Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, chapter 5, section 1:

"And thus when the divine word had made its home among them, the power of Simon was quenched and immediately destroyed, together with the man himself. And so greatly did the splendor of piety illumine the minds of Peter's hearers that they were not satisfied with hearing once only, and were not content with the unwritten teaching of the divine Gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark, a follower of Peter, and the one whose Gospel is extant, that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been orally communicated to them. Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus become the occasion of the written Gospel which bears the name of Mark."

    Mark's Gospel (along with the other three Gospels of our New Testament) enable the church today to not only communicate clearly the Gospel of Jesus Christ by centering upon Him, but to also accomplish the Apologetic task of defending the Christian faith against heresies, ideologies and any other man-made system which attempts to undermine the truth. With these thoughts in mind, it is imperative, then, to acquaint ourselves with this marvelous book: The Gospel of Mark.

     

P3 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better - How The Lord Rebuilt A Broken Man

Colossians 4:10 "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him)."

2 Timothy 4:11 "Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service." 

1 Peter 5:12-13 "Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark."

Introduction:

    We have considered the life story of John Mark, the author of the second Gospel in the New Testament. Why? Mark's story aids us to see a man who fought to know Jesus better, If we were to distill the lessons we have learned thus far from his life, we could capture it in three headings:

1. We all begin by knowing about Jesus.

2. You must be born-again to know Jesus.

3. There is a battle to know Jesus better.

    Mark experienced all three of these in his life. As we look at the above three opening citations, Peter's remarks in 1 Peter 5:13 testify that Mark was converted under his preaching. We had noted in the last post that Mark experienced saving trust in Jesus between that moment we first met him in Mark 14:51-52 until we arrive on the scene at Mark's mother's home in Acts 12. Mark went from "knowing about Jesus" to "knowing Him". We then noted how Mark would start out with Paul and his companions on their missionary journey in Acts 13:4, only to leave them behind near the end of the chapter. 

How the Lord rebuilt a broken man

    Mark was a broken man. Thankfully, he had a Godly cousin named Barnabas who took him under his wing (Acts 15:39). Twelve years would pass until we find Mark commended by both Paul (see above, Colossians 4:10 and then later in 2 Timothy 4:11). As already referenced, Peter referred to Mark has "my son" in 1 Peter 5:13. Such apostolic commendations of Mark reveal that God had done a great work in his life. The great commentator Herbert Lockyer has this to say of Mark's recovery from failure:

"But Mark had won his spurs again and recovered his place in apostolic esteem. The years the locust had eaten were restored and he became a valued colleague of Paul (Colossians 4:10, 11; Philemon 1:24). A further impressive testimony to Mark's reinstatement is found in Paul's tribute to Mark's usefulness (2 Timothy 4:11). The wound was thoroughly healed."

    Have you ever felt useless? I have. Have you ever found renewed joy when you realized God still had a work for you to do? I have. What joy coursed through Mark's heart. I often think of what would had happened if Barnabas had given up on his cousin? More to the point - what would had occurred if the Apostle Peter himself had not taken on Mark as his protege?

    Church history has a surprising amount of material on Mark outside of the New Testament. I will only cite a few examples, since there is a large amount of material. The following citations illustrate the benefits the come with continuing to fight the good fight of faith in knowing Jesus better.

How God used Mark until his dying day

    The fourth century church historian Eusebius records in Book II, chapter 15 of his "Church History" the following of how Mark would come to write his Gospel:

"And so greatly did the splendor of piety illumine the minds of Peter's hearers that they were not satisfied with hearing once only, and were not content with the unwritten teaching of the divine Gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark, a follower of Peter, and the one whose Gospel is extant, that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been orally communicated to them. Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus become the occasion of the written Gospel which bears the name of Mark. And they say that Peter when he had learned, through a revelation of the Spirit, of that which had been done, was pleased with the zeal of the men, and that the work obtained the sanction of his authority for the purpose of being used in the churches."

    Whenever you read the above quote of Eusebius in context, the Apostle Peter had fought the ravages of the heresy of Simon the Magician, whom we read of in Acts 8:18-24. God had done a wondrous work. Peter and he both counteracted the error of Simon through the eventual publication of his gospel. The Roman historian Tacitus writes of how the Roman Emperor Nero had persecuted Christians a few years before the writing of Mark's Gospel. The combination of fighting heresies and knowing of persecution provides the backdrop for the writing of Mark's Gospel, 

    The so-called "Fragments of Papias", authored by a student of Polycarp, who in turn was a student of the Apostle John himself (thus Papias would had known John), records the following about Mark's Gospel in his third fragment, verse 16:

"Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements."

    What I like about this quote is that it contains one of the earliest evidences of the church father's teaching on the inerrancy of the New Testament documents - of which Mark's Gospel was an example. I could give a few more quotes, but suffice to say, Mark would pen his Gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Mark we have today is a testimony of, among other things, of how Jesus can rebuild a broken man. 

    Other records of church history tell us that Mark would go to Alexandria Egypt to begin a church. Mark would be martyred for his faith in the Lord. The 16th century writer John Foxe records for us the record of Mark's death in his famous "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", page 17:

"Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis (that is, a secretary or scribe), and under whose inspection he wrote his gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands."

Mark fought the good fight of faith. He fought till the end to know Jesus better. The second Gospel of the New Testament that bears his name testifies to this Jesus that preserved him to the end. May you and I entrust our lives to the Lord this day. I hope through these last few posts that the reader can see that it is worth fighting to know Jesus better,

P2 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better - A Crisis Of Faith

Acts 12:24-25 But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

Acts 13:13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 

Acts 13:36-39 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 

Introduction:

    In our last post, we introduced the reader to John Mark, otherwise known simply as "Mark", the author of the second Gospel. The purpose of our biographical sketch of Mark was to draw attention to how he fought to know Jesus better. If we were to summarize what we learned, it would be this:

1. Knowing Jesus better begins with knowledge about Jesus.    Mark 14:51-52

    This is where everyone starts. Whether someone has never heard of Jesus, derived from a Christian home or has heard of His name in passing; pre-conversion life is, at best, "knowing about Jesus" but "not-yet-knowing Him". This was Mark. 

2. Knowing Jesus better requires being born again to know Jesus. Acts 12:24-25; 13:13

    The reader can note the first two passages from Acts which are cited to show Mark's involvement in the early Christian movement. By the time we arrive at Acts 12 and Acts 13, the Christian movement is roughly 12 months old. In between the time we witness Mark fleeing from the scene of Jesus' arrest until the launch of Paul's missionary journey, Mark had experienced conversion in saving faith. It is worth, at this point, to bring in the opening verse of Mark's Gospel, since it speaks of the very Gospel which the Holy Spirit used to win this young man to Christ.

The Gospel which persuaded Mark to go from "knowing about Jesus" to "knowing Jesus"

    Mark begins his Gospel with these words: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The second century church father Origen of Alexandria is cited in the "Ancient Christian Commentary Series" as noting the following of what Mark writes in this opening verse:

"The gospel is primarily concerned with Christ Jesus, who is the head of the whole body of those who are being saved. Mark conveys this point when he says, “The beginning of the gospel concerning Christ Jesus.” … In its unfolding the gospel has a beginning, a continuing middle and an end."

    In the underlying Greek text, Mark's one-verse introduction contains seven words (which turn into roughly twelve words in many English Bibles). Seven is a perfect number, "God's number", corresponding to the Perfect Savior, the focus of this perfect Gospel. What is there about this Gospel, this "Good News", which by the Spirit's doing persuades sinners to trust in Christ? It is worth meditating briefly on the opening verses of Mark 1:1. 

    That first word "beginning" ("Ἀρχὴ" or "arche" in the Greek), delivers the promise of "starting-all-over-again", the new birth. Christian spiritual life has a beginning. Just as time and space had a beginning as a result of God's creation of it from nothing (Genesis 1:1), so too is salvation a work of God wrought in the human soul, which of itself can bring forth nothing. Mark was brought to realize he needed to start anew. As Jesus Himself taught in John 3:3 "you must be born again". 

    Then we see the second and third words, translated "of the Gospel" ("τοῦ εὐαγγελίου" or "too euanggelioo" in the Greek) in our English Bibles, as conveying "Good News". This is what the Gospel is: Good news! You can have forgiveness of sins - Good news! You no longer have to be alienated from God - Good news! You can have abiding hope in Jesus Christ in this life and the one to come - Good news!

    The fourth and fifth words of Mark's introduction (translated in our English text as "of Jesus Christ", Greek "Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ" or "yaysoo Christoo"), brings us to the goal of our salvation: Jesus Christ Himself! There is none better. Our sin promises everything and delivers nothing. Satan claims we can be free but binds us in our guilt. Our own righteousness is but filthy rags. Jesus Christ came to bring everything we need; set us free from our guilt and cloth us in His righteousness - glorious indeed!

    Then we see those sixth and seventh words of Mark 1:1, "the Son of God", ("υἱοῦ θεοῦ" or "hooeeoo theoo"). The name "Jesus" reminds us that He is truly man for us. "Christ" describes the office He occupies as the chosen and only way to the Father, empowered by the Spirit. The phrase "Son of God" reminds us that He is truly God also, granting every believer access to the endless power and life of God. Were He not truly God with us (see Matthew 1:23), then His accomplished work on the cross would not have the infinite value that it has. Were He not truly man for us, then He could not had performed His work on the cross - since only as man could He experience death. These seven, wonderful words of Mark 1:1 are finite in number while bridging us to the infinite excellence of God Himself through Jesus Christ!

When one is born-again to know Jesus, what follows is the battle to know Jesus better    

    It would not take long though for Mark to experience something which caused him to have a crisis of faith. The reader may note on the opening verses above that Mark started out with Paul and his companions in Acts 13. By the time we reach the near-end of Acts 13, Mark leaves Paul and the mission behind. Note once again what we read in Acts 13:36-39

"After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus." 

    This defection by Mark had hurt Paul so deeply that he strenuously opposed bringing Mark with him on his second missionary journey. We read the "falling-out" between Paul, Mark and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-39

"After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus."

    So what might had prompted Mark to abandon the early Christian mission? The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes:

"Why did he turn back from the work (Ac 13:13)? Not because of homesickness, or anxiety for his mother’s safety, or home duties, or the desire to rejoin Peter, or fear of the perils incident to the journey, but rather because he objected to the offer of salvation to the Gentiles on condition of faith alone."

    The details of Mark's leaving of Paul and Barnabas reminds the reader that the Bible is as much a historical book as it is a spiritual one. We must not think of the Biblical authors as men unacquainted with short-comings and frailties. Mark gave into the pressures and rigors associated with a ministry that was confronting evil itself. Thankfully, Acts 15:36-39 is not the last time we hear of Mark. Would this young man recover from this major moment of failure? The next post will answer that question.

More next time....

P1 Introducing John Mark: Author Of The Second Gospel Who Fought To Know Jesus Better

Mark 14:48-52 "And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? 49 Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” 50 And they all left Him and fled. 51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. 52 But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked."


Introduction:

    Whenever we turn to the Four Gospels of the New Testament, we discover their primary purpose is to persuade the entrusting of our life into the hands of Jesus. In today's post, I want to introduce you to a man who fought to know Jesus better - John Mark - whom we otherwise know as  "Mark", the author of the second Gospel. 

    To better understand the Gospel of Mark, we need to grasp how Jesus of Nazareth would impact the author himself. As we attempt this brief sketch of Mark's life in both the New Testament and church history, we shall glean lessons which pertain to the significance behind knowing Jesus better.

Mark is introduced as a man who knew about Jesus, but did not yet know Him in a personal, spiritual sense.

    In the opening passage above, I underlined a phrase which speaks of a certain young man fleeing from the scene of Jesus' betrayal and arrest on the eve of His crucifixion. The Expositor's Bible Commentary has this to say of the young man in question:

"Only Mark records this mysterious episode. The “young man” (v. 51) is not identified, but the consensus is that he is Mark. Why else would he insert such a trivial detail in so solemn a story? Was this Mark’s way of saying, “I was there”? Why he was there is not explained."

Later the commentary adds:

"Perhaps the main point of the story—and the reason Mark included it—was to show that the forsakenness of Jesus was total. Even this youth forsook him."

    John Mark was an interesting young man. His first name was of Hebrew origin (something like "Yohanan"), quite common in the first century Jewish world. His other name, "Mark", was a very common Greek name, "Markos". As to whether or not Jesus and the disciples actually held the last supper in Mark's boyhood home, one can only conjecture. Since we observe Mark fleeing from the scene of Jesus' arrest, some commentators have suggested a link between the upper room of the Lord's supper to that of Mark's boyhood home. That connection, though speculative and intriguing, is not near as important as to note how Mark is first encountered as within ear-shot of Jesus' arrest.

    This particular reminiscence by Mark about his "fleeing from the scene" of Jesus' arrest shows us how he knew about Jesus. Mark, like so many of those who first hear the Gospel, only know about Jesus. In cultures like the United States, the cultural memory of a Judeo-Christian worldview functions as a rapidly fading "low-frequency hum" in the background of our secular society. Sadly, the name of Jesus is nothing but a slur or curse word used by many people. Regardless of background or how much or little exposure one has to Jesus, whenever the Gospel is proclaimed, whatever is "known about Jesus" is immediately corrected.

    R.C. Sproul writes about Mark's appearance in Mark 14:51 as a portrait of a sinner in need of salvation:

"The motif of clothing and nakedness is at the heart of our understanding of redemption. Our own righteousness, we are told, is like rotten, filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The only way any of us can stand in God's presence is to be stripped of those rags and then clothed afresh in the garments of Christ's righteousness. That is the Gospel. You and I can never stand in the presence of a holy God unless we are clothed from on high with a righteousness that is not our own." (St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary on Mark, page 347).

    Mark knew about Jesus. What was needed was a spiritual transformation in which He would come to know Jesus.

Mark would go from "knowing about to Jesus" to "coming to know Jesus" in salvation.

    Following the events of Jesus' arrest, crucifixion and resurrection, another year would pass until we cross paths once again with John Mark in the New Testament. Acts 12:12 records a prayer meeting that gathered to pray for an incarcerated Apostle Peter. Luke, the author of the text in Acts, describes the prayer meeting scene:

"When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying."

    It is not long after Peter's release and later beginnings of the first missionary of the Apostle Paul that we then find Mark's involvement in the ministry of the Gospel. Acts 13:5 speaks of Mark (identified with his Hebrew name "John"):

"When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper."

Closing thoughts: Born again to know Jesus better

    John Mark had evidently had a conversion experience through saving faith in the risen Savior. The Apostle Paul's inclusion of Mark in that first missionary journey testifies to Mark's rapid growth in faith. Mark was likely not even twenty years of age. Youth, ambition, giftedness - all ingredients that are admired by many - resided within Mark. It would not take long until Mark would become a broken man. This man who "knew about Jesus" had come to know Him. 

    The Christ of history, space and time, whom He glimpsed arrested only a year prior, was now His Savior, Lord and treasure. The physically risen Lord, ascended into Heaven, would by His Holy Spirit wield His authority in Mark's life. Truly, the purpose of salvation is to know Jesus better (see Philippians 3:7-10; 2 Peter 3:18). As we shall see in the next post, John Mark would soon see that "knowing Jesus better" involves a fight of faith.

.....more next time

How God Takes Failure And Makes Us Useful - A Short Study On Mark

2 Timothy 4:11 "Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service."

Introduction:

"Failure" is a word no one in American culture likes to consider. The American way of life is designed to avoid failure as much as possible. It is very easy in the minds of many to "write-off" people that, in their eyes, are "failures". Interestingly enough, the Old and New Testaments record many examples of people used by God that were "epic-failures". This is God's intended pattern. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21:

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."

Have you ever felt like a failure? I have. Do you wonder whether or not God can use failures in such a way as to advance His Kingdom? If we're honest, we all have failed and have asked such questions. In today's post we will look at a biographical sketch of the author of the second Gospel in our New Testaments - known simply as "Mark". We will discover how it is that God takes failure and makes the follower of Jesus useful for His glory.

Mark - an unlikely and insignificant figure
Mark's story, like his mentor the Apostle Peter, is a remarkable story of failure and and redemption.  We first meet Mark in Mark 14:51 as an anonymous young man fleeing from the Garden of Gethsemane following Jesus' arrest. Mark's downplaying of himself in his own Gospel gives us insight into a character molded by the turning lathe of humility. 

The only thing we can gather at this point concerns the one statement of the young man as "following Him". How close Mark was following Jesus and disciples is not divulged. 

The testimony of church history tells us how God would end up using Mark. An early church father, Papias of Hierapolis, notes how Mark was an "associate" of the Apostle Peter. Per Papias' testimony in a collection of his writings called "Fragments of Papias":

"Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the statements."

Mark would record what he heard as the Apostle Peter preached a series of sermons on the life of Jesus to an eager Roman audience. Mark's transcriptions would end up being the Gospel of Mark. That gives us the end result of Mark's life. But how did Mark become useful for God in the manner recorded above?   

Mark: An Initial Success

We must go back some thirty years into the younger years of Mark. John was his first name, although his surname "Mark" ended up being the primary way he was addressed. In Acts 12:12 we see Mark's house being used as a meeting place of the early church. The people were gathered to pray for the release of the Apostle Peter from prison. Per Luke's record in Acts 12, Peter was released by an angel. As he made his way out of the prison, he awoke as it were from a dream or in what he thought was a vision (see Acts 12:10-11). Peter's instinct was to go to Mark's home, where the early church was gathered in prayer on his behalf. As the profile for Mark builds, we find him to be a man that could be trusted.

There is no doubt that Mark became an important component in the life of the early church. Many today would call Mark a "success". However, God often chooses "failures" over "successes" to do His kingdom work. In order for Mark to be used greatly by God and to write the second Gospel bearing his name, he would have to experience failure.

Mark: A man that failed

Mark's ascendancy within the Apostolic circles of the early church came to an abrupt halt when he deserts Paul in Acts 13. Acts 13:13 recounts the event: 

"Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem." 

In Acts 15:38-39 Paul refuses to have Mark accompany him on his missionary journeys:

"But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus."

This turn of events followed from the failure of Mark recorded in Acts 13:13.  Barnabas chooses to take Mark under his wing as a protege. Consequently, with Mark's mentoring received from the Apostle Peter, Barnabas would be used by God to "rebuild" a fallen and failed Mark. 

One of things we learn from failure is that the aftermath can result either in us giving up entirely or learning lessons that rebuild character. Whenever God places people across the path of someone that has failed, the end result can be a more useful person to do God's bidding. Mark had enjoyed success. Now, he failed miserably. Despite such setbacks, Mark was being rebuilt by God through the combined efforts of Barnabas and Peter. God had a purpose in mind with young Mark.

Mark: A Man Useful For God 

It is years later in Colossians 4:10 and later again in 2 Timothy 4:11 that we learn of Paul and Mark having not only been reconciled, but somehow Mark being deemed as "useful".  2 Timothy 4:11 reads: 

"Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service."

We've already noted how church history tells the story of Mark penning his Gospel under Divine inspiration as he listened to the Apostle Peter preaching in Rome. Mark is a supreme trophy of God's grace. God molded Mark to be an aid to the Apostle Peter. In short - Mark became useful for God as a trophy of grace (see all about trophies of grace in Ephesians 3:10). Truly every local church should be God's trophy case full of trophy's of grace who owe their existence and success to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Closing thoughts

God uses failures. We looked today at Mark, the author of the same said Gospel bearing his authorship. As we journeyed through his story, we noted how God took Mark, an initial success, and permitted him to fail. The failure of Mark was used by God to bring in mentors like Barnabas and Peter to shape him into a useful vessel for His service. 

Mark needed rebuilt after his failure. God orchestrated such a rebuilding project - resulting in a man equipped to write one of the 27 books of the New Testament. Four words: success, failure, rebuild and useful. This represents a process we find again and again in scripture and throughout church history. Will you and I submit to God's process? Will we allow Him to take our failures, rebuild what was torn apart and make us useful enough to be used by Him to bless many people? I pray that we will. 

A Good Friday Mediation - S.L.O.W down and take time at the cross

Mark 14:12 "And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”  (ESV)

Introduction:

Mark's Gospel uses the word "immediately" in over 40 places to hasten the pace of his book.  When Jesus came to this world, He had a mission to accomplish and much ministry to do.  With the idea of "activity", Mark also omits his commonly used word "immediately" from the two sections that demand a slower pace: namely Jesus' last public sermon (The Olivet Discourse) and His preparations for the day and night before His crucifixion. 1

The need to s.l.o.w down and take a long hard look at what Jesus accomplished in His first coming and what He will accomplish in His second coming

It is in the first half of Mark 14 (and more particularly Mark 14:12-28) that we find Jesus celebrating His final meal with His disciples.  It is on this particular occassion that Jesus transforms the Passover celebration commemorating the Old Testament Exodus into focusing on what would be His once for all provision for salvation.  Scripture encourages the believer to use the event of the Lord's Supper to s.l.o.w. down and take a slow and long look at the cross. (1 Corinthians 11:23-34; Hebrews 12:1-3)  Consider the following thoughts from Mark 14:22-28 by way of the acrostic s.l.o.w....

Spend time with Jesus.  Mark 14:12-17

Three times in this section do we find reference to the disciples needing to "prepare" for the meal they would have with the Master. (Mark 14:12,15,16)  The emphasis here is the need to spend time with Jesus.  In fact we read in Mark 14:17 - "When it was evening He came with the twelve."  So if we are going to take a slow look at the cross, we must aim to spend time with Jesus.  But notice the second purpose for the Lord's supper here in Mark....

Look at the Scriptures.  Mark 14:18-21

Jesus communicates to His disciples that He is going to be betrayed, and that "the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him." (Mark 14:21)  The thing I love about the Lord's supper is how it slows us down enough to hear God's Word and read God's Word about Jesus.2  And so in seeing the celebration the Lord's supper here in Mark, we learn to slowly look at the cross by spending time with Jesus and looking closer at the scriptures.  Now notice a third truth...

Ongoing Nourshment from Jesus.  Mark 14:22-25

Why is it that Jesus chose to use the Passover meal to communicate what He was going to accomplish on the cross?  Simply put - Christ is the source of nourishment in the Christian's spiritual walk. (John 6:53-58)  The symbols of bread and fruit of the vine are signs that point us to the presence of Jesus among His people as they come together. (Hebrews 2:11-14)  The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 reminds us that the Lord's Supper is "a symbolic act of obedience." 3 The food and drink of the Lord's table are physical means of nourishment, staples for physical existence.  They point and signify the fact that the Master is ever with His church, to the end of the age, feeding and nourishing the saints of God through the word. (Matthew 28:18; John 21)   

Slowing down to spend time with Jesus, looking at His word and enjoying ongoing nourishment from Him is what we need reminded of, however there is one last truth we learn from this text...

Worship in celebration of Jesus.  Mark 14:25-28

Mark 14:26 states - "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, as prescribed for us here in Mark, we should not end on a low note.4  In the Passover Meal that night, Jesus and His disciples would had closed singing what the Jews came to call the "Great Hallel", the section of Psalms 113-118 and 136.  Read those Psalms, and you understand that the tone is not of sadness and defeat, but of victory and expectation.  The word "Hallel" in the Hebrew means "praise" and is in our word "Hallelujah" which means "praise the Lord." 

Closing thoughts:

Remember, take time to take a s.l.o.w look at the cross. 

Spend time with Jesus
Look at the scriptures
Ongoing nourishment from Jesus
Worship in celebration of Jesus

End Notes______________
1. The Olivet Discourse in Mark 13 is the final sermon Jesus delivered on the slopes of the Mount of Olives which lies East of the city of Jerusalem. The subject of that message was the events and times leading up to Jesus' second coming. Without a doubt God's people need to slow down and base their prayers and hopes in this life on the soon return of the Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:1-3)

2. We slow down enough to not merely read the word, but to reflect on it. (Joshua 1:8) My question is: "what scripture is Jesus referring to here that speaks about His betrayal?" Comparing passages such as Psalm 55 and 109 yields to the reader a set of pictures and predictions about the betrayal of our Lord at the hands of Judas. 

3. Jesus was in the midst of His disciples. Contrary to what some may teach, the bread and fruit of the vine do not turn into the body and blood of Jesus, nor do they contain His spiritual presence. Rather Jesus is in His people as mediated by the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. (John 16:14; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13) As these disciples came together to eat this first meal, Jesus was with them in a personal way. 

4. To merely treat the Lord's Supper like a solemn memorial service only is to stop short of its ultimate aim. Yes, time was needed for these disciples to digest what their Master was to undergo in a few short hours. Undoubtedly, we need time to take a slow look at the cross. However, Good Friday points beyond itself to Resurrection Sunday. 

The Sweeping Message Of The Last Seven Sayings Of Jesus From The Cross

Hebrews 12:2-3 "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Introduction: The Seven Sayings of Jesus

    Today's post features the seven statements that Jesus uttered from the cross during His six hours of crucifixion. First, let's consider all seven sayings in their chronological order:

1. “But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.” Lk 23:34 

2. “And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Lk 23:43 

3. “When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” Jn 19:26-27

4. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Mt 27:46. Compare Mk 15:34. 

5. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” John 19:28 

6. “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:30 

7. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:46 

Considering the whole message of the seven-sayings of Jesus from the cross.

    These "sayings" occupy a total message that is strung together like seven perfect pearls. Writers have noted the pattern and have found meditating upon these sayings a valuable exercise for the Christian's faith and spiritual vitality. The great 19th century Baptist preacher C.H Spurgeon has deemed the seven sayings as follows:

1. The First Word (Forgiveness)
2. The Second Word (Salvation)
3. The Third Word (Affection)
4. The Fourth Word (Anguish)
5. The Fifth Word (Suffering)
6. The Sixth Word (Victory)
7. The Seventh Word (Contentment)

As Spurgeon comments in his book on the seven sayings - "Christ's Words From The Cross": 

"There are many other ways in which these words might be read, and they would be found to be full of instruction. Like the steps of a ladder or the links of a golden chain, there is a mutual dependence and interlinking of each of the cries, so that one leads to another and that to a third. Separately or in connection, our Master's words overflow with instruction to thoughtful minds."

    To give one more example of how various authors have considered these seven sayings of Jesus as a collection, Andrew W. Blackwood notes in his book - "The Voice From The Cross", the following headings for each saying:

1. The Prayer of Forgiveness
2. The Promise Of Life
3. The Word of Kindness
4. The Cry Of Derelection
5. The Call For Help
6. The Shout Of Triumph
7. The Prayer of Trust

Here again, we see the sayings portrayed as a shimmering string of pearls. 

How we can understand these seven sayings in light of considering the major themes of the four Gospels. 

    In look at these sayings and considering what various authors have written about them, one must take into mind the intentions of each of the Gospel authors. Sayings #1, #2 and #7 derive from Luke's Gospel, which aimed to show Jesus as the perfect Son of Man (see Luke 19:10). Sayings #3, #5 and #6 derive from John's Gospel, whose aim is to present Jesus Christ as God in Human flesh or the Perfect Son of God (see John 1:14; 20:30-31). Then there is that middle saying, saying #4, which is found in Matthew and Mark's Gospels. 

    Matthew presents Jesus Christ as the royal King coming to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:23; 20:28; 28:18-20). Mark presents Jesus as the suffering servant willing to give His life a ransom for many (see Mark 10:45). 
    Such considerations of the Four Gospel writers can aid us in understanding how these seven sayings incorporate a full-orbed view of Jesus Christ as the King, Suffering Servant, Perfect Son of Man and God in human flesh.

Final thoughts and reflections on the seven sayings of Jesus

    When we look at the sayings together, there is undoubtedly a plot-line and symmetry. The plot-line proceeds from Jesus crying out as the propitiatory sacrifice in saying #1 (i.e satisfying or staying God's wrath on sinners) to having full confidence that His offering for sins is fully accepted in saying #7 as the atonement for sins. The others sayings touch upon pieces of human experience (loneliness in saying #3; forsakeness in saying #4 and thirst in saying #5). 

    These particular sayings remind us that Jesus was truly man and was indeed fulfilling the prophetic picture of the suffering Messiah in Isaiah 53. This was no supposed suffering. Rather, this was a genuine suffering by the Person of the Son in true humanity. Sayings #2 and #6 reminds us of Christ's Divine authority. The whole Person of Christ was on the cross. It was His humanity that had the nails and lashes of the whip driven in and brutally applied. In His Deity, the inestimable value of the atonement was paid. The totality of all that Jesus did is carried forth on these seven sayings.