Think Bigger A frequent and powerful story plotline: When all seems lost, a hero arrives, hope is re-kindled, victory becomes possible, and everything changes for those who belong to the hero. Ex: Prince Caspian (Narnia series) Lucy Finds Aslan (a lion) in the forest Lord of the Rings, Gandalf on Horse, The Mandalorian (Luke Skywalker vs Dark Troopers) If only we lived in a world as exciting as that. We do. It’s actually real. No, animals don’t talk. As far as I know none of us has a lightsaber. Yet, to see and experience it you need to think bigger. You need to open your eyes. Series: Gospel of Mark Story of Jesus Christ and the arrival of something called the Kingdom of God When we think about this, usually our thinking is too small That will change as we take seriously this 16-chapter book in the New Testament Let me quickly summarize the plot line for you: When all seems lost, a hero arrives, hope is re-kindled, victory becomes possible, and everything changes for those who belong to the hero Who wrote it? Mark. How do we know this? In the early early days Papias (church father), said that Mark collected the teaching and events about Jesus from the apostle Peter, wrote them down, but in a different order Let’s set the scene: When all seems lost, a hero arrives, hope is re-kindled, victory becomes possible, and everything changes for those who belong to the hero We’re at that first part: “when all seems lost” The world is groaning with pain Sin runs rampant; there is so much debauchery that it sickens the stomach God’s people are oppressed; they are ruled by a tyrannical power named Rome There hasn’t been a prophet in hundreds of years To many of the people there seems to be a great silence from God going on for generations upon generations Satan and his workers in the demonic realm seems to be winning Many: “Maybe that’s it, we’re done.” Have you ever felt at the very end of your rope? Have you ever been at the point where you said, ‘I get why people think about ending their own lives’? That’s what I think the nation was feeling—and that’s the exact moment when we hear chapter 1 verse 1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. -“the gospel” = (in context) a proclamation about (a) the enthronement of a new King, or (b) a royal victory. Jesus is the new King whose coming victory (through the crucifixion and resurrection) will be the decisive death blow to the powers of darkness and the kingdom of darkness. What this looks like is multifaceted: The King will re-establish his throne in Jerusalem The King will triumph over the powers of darkness (not just political but demonic) The King will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour The King will proclaim the day of God’s vengeance The King will proclaim liberty to the captives The King will open the prison to those who are bound The King will bring good news to the poor The King will bind up the brokenhearted The King will offer forgiveness from sin The King will bring peace with God The King will reward his people The King will tend his flock like a shepherd The King will make all things new in his dominion (See Isaiah 40, 61, elsewhere) -“Christ” = God’s chosen and anointed King; his representative on the earth (He was the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies) -“Son of God” = special relationship. More… -summary comment: We are being told that when all seems lost, the hero has finally arrived, and his name is Jesus, the King. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,[b] “Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare[c] the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight,’” -“in Isaiah the prophet” = quotes the OT, and also includes Malachi along with Isaiah. Isaiah talked about God coming to rescue his people and restore Jerusalem as a light for all people. People were preparing for God himself to come. -summary comment: We are being told in unmistakable terms that when all seems lost, the hero has finally arrived, and this hero whose name is Jesus is actually God himself come to us in human form—and this is confirmed in the Bible. 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” -John is Jesus’ cousin (as told in Luke, but not here) -his baptism is a Jewish washing ritual (not the same as modern Christian baptism) -if we are going to be right with God, confessing sins is key -river Jordan (runs north south from the Sea of Galilee down to Jerusalem) is still there today. If you visit you can buy little jars with water from the Jordan River. -lots of people; people are flocking, but instead of something like Boots and Hearts, it’s to this fiery preacher -“clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist” = prophecies said that Elijah would come before the Messiah. Elijah wore a garment of animal’s hair with a leather belt. John, therefore, is the new Elijah. -“clothed with camel’s hair… ate locusts and wild honey” = John is an ascetic. Disciplining the body for the sake of the soul and drawing nearer to God. -“the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stood down and untie” = a statement of extreme humility. Slaves untied the straps of their Master’s sandals. John is saying he’s not even worthy to do that for Jesus. The Messiah is that honourable. -“he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” = Jesus will give the Holy Spirit to his people to remake them and work through them as his people. The giving of the Holy Spirit to the people was also promised in Joel 2:32, both men and women, young and old. -summary comment: We are here being told in unmistakable terms that when all seems lost, the hero has arrived, and that the prophecies about him are finally being fulfilled. And he will give the Holy Spirit himself to his people. Hope is possible again. Victory is coming. 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[d] with you I am well pleased.” -no birth narratives; straight to action as an adult -“he saw the heavens being torn open” = a visual sign of his special access/relationship with the Father -“and the Spirit descending on him like a dove” = The Holy Spirit sometimes take shape as a dove. Note that the dove was present after the flood in Genesis (with the olive leaf in its mouth) recalling a new reign of peace. -“a voice came from heaven” = the voice is the Father’s. Note the presence of the Trinity (the Father’s voice, the Son’s presence in Jesus, the Holy Spirit as a dove). -“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” = The statement ‘You are my Son’ is a quote from Psalm 2. In that Psalm God establishes his chosen King in Jerusalem to rule against the enemies of God. It had been used about King David but points in a greater sense to Jesus. -summary comment: When all seems lost we are being told in unmistakable terms that God himself has ordained this moment. Just as in the days of old, the King who will come to re-establish his throne in Jerusalem and vanquish God’s enemies. 12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him. -“the wilderness” = a place of danger, chaos and evil spirits. -“forty days” = this reminds us of the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. They failed to be faithful, but Jesus succeeds at being faith. -“tempted by Satan” = This is God’s chief Adversary. The name “satan” in Hebrew literally means “adversary.” Here we aren’t told the specific details. They are found in Matthew and Luke. -“the angels were ministering to him” = one of the functions of angels is to minister to (or serve) God’s people. See Hebrews 1:14. That is certainly happening here. -summary comment: When all seems lost we are being told in no unmistakable terms that Satan’s days are numbered. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;[e] repent and believe in the gospel.” -“Galilee” = a region north of Jerusalem -“proclaiming the gospel of God” = Recall previously the definition of the gospel. It is a proclamation about (a) the enthronement of a new King, or (b) a royal victory. -“The time is fulfilled” = i.e. the long wait is over! God is acting! -“the kingdom of God is at hand” = Also translated, “is near.” -“repent and believe in the gospel [i.e. good news]” = This is our response to the announcement about the kingdom’s nearness. To “repent” is to acknowledge your sin, to ask God for forgiveness, and to commit to live according to his way. Next, we “believe.” This is about pledging allegiance to the newly enthroned King. -summary comment: When all seems lost we are being told in unmistakable terms that the waiting is over. The kingdom of God… Is. At. Hand. Let me remind and review with you what that good news announcement is about—that enthronement and royal victory through the coming King and his kingdom: The King will re-establish his throne in Jerusalem The King will triumph over the powers of darkness (not just political but demonic) The King will proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour The King will proclaim the day of God’s vengeance The King will proclaim liberty to the captives The King will open the prison to those who are bound The King will bring good news to the poor The King will bind up the brokenhearted The King will offer forgiveness from sin The King will bring peace with God The King will reward his people The King will tend his flock like a shepherd The King will make all things new in his dominion If you were hearing this for the first time, you would probably have a lot of questions. Well, the rest of the story will fill in the details. I began by talking about a common storyline when all seems lost and the arrival of a hero. We wonder, ‘if only we lived in a world as exciting as that.’ We do. It’s actually real. But we’ve been deceived into thinking small. Here are some of the ways: Jesus. We think small things about Jesus when we think he’s just a nice guy who said some nice things and met an untimely death. Our exploration of the Gospel of Mark will be an invitation for you to think bigger and see more. Salvation. We think small things when we think it’s just about getting into heaven. That’s a very significant part of it. But it’s about God bringing heaven to earth and about the renewal and renovation he is bringing to all things. Our exploration of the Gospel of Mark will be an invitation for you to think bigger and see more. Evil. We think small things when we think this is confined to people who are really, really bad. But Satan is alive and well; he has workers (called demons or unclean spirits) who are causing mayhem in the world, and quite possibly some of your lives. Our exploration of the Gospel of Mark will be an invitation for you to think bigger and see more. Faith. We think small things about faith when we think it’s all about having warm and cozy feelings and showing up at church once in a while. But it’s about pledging allegiance to the King, being adopted into his family, and being an agent of his grace and truth in the world. Our exploration of the Gospel of Mark will be an invitation for you to think bigger and see more. The Purpose of Life. We think small things about life when we put ourselves at the centre instead of God. Our exploration of the Gospel of Mark will be an invitation for you to think bigger and see more. Jesus announced the nearness of the kingdom of God. That’s when it began. He will bring it to full completion when he returns. Until then, you and I are active parts of the story—this is the battle of the kingdom of God over the kingdom of darkness. This is a story we are actually in and which is more real and more consequential and more exciting than anything you are going to read or watch. The movie “Vantage point” told the story of an American President Ashton. He was giving a security speech in Spain. There was an assassination attempt. Initially, the only evidence they have is of footage on a camcorder. The movie collects different people’s points of view (vantage points) to paint a picture of what really happened. It wasn’t until they had all these other points of view that they could find out the truth. This is also what we need to do. Are we using a limited vantage point in our faith, or are we looking at the bigger picture through a biblical lens? “Sometimes it looks like God is missing the mark because we're too short-sighted to see what He's aiming for.” -Oswald Chambers. What might your life be like as you begin to think with greater clarity about the battle between light and darkness… the Holy Spirit inside of you… God’s tools for the renovation of the world… kingdom of God… When all seems lost, a hero arrives, hope is rekindled, victory is possible, and everything changes for those who belong to the hero. As we begin our journey through the Gospel of Mark, let’s think bigger and see more. Amen.