Reversing the Wilderness
Within this section Mark is showing the beginning of Jesus earthly ministry as it is set within the region of Galilee (Mark 1:14-39). This passage Jesus goes into Capernaum, which is located on the north west side of the sea of Galilee, located in small territory of in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali (Matt 4:13). Luke explains that Jesus was rejected at Nazareth and then moved to Capernaum (Luke 4:16-31). Matthew explains that Capernaum becomes his hometown (Matt 4:13,
Begotten from the Father before all ages
Last week we looked at heresies and errors in how Jesus is the Son of God. Most of these heresies or errors came from not understanding the doctrine of eternal generation. The doctrine of the Trinity is hard for us (fallen and finite creatures) to grasp. When speaking of the uniqueness of the Son as the second person of the Trinity, not the Father and not the Spirit, we talk about his eternal generation, that is, the Father begetting the
The Preacher
Mark continues to move at a fast pace. The first impression that Mark presents of Christ after the temptation in the wilderness is that of Christ as the preacher. The Next section is really one big section from Mark 1:14-39, beginning with Christ preaching and Galilee and ending with him preaching in Galilee. Marks Gospel is really one of geography, beginning in Galilee and ending in Jerusalem with the hinge in Mark 8:29, Peter’s confession. Mark arranges the gospel not
The only Son of God
Today we come to a new line of the Nicene Creed. We are still discussing Jesus Christ (it is about 58% of the creed). The line is "The only Son of God." This week we look at an issue that has come up frequently in history. Three significant heresies that have been taught regarding the sonship of Jesus are 1) Adoptionism, 2) Islamic understanding of the Son, and 3) Eternal subordination of the Son. Due to the length of this,
Baptism and Wilderness
Mark 1:9-13 Mark's gospel is noticeably shorter than the other Gospels. It is 22% shorter than John, 38% shorter than Matthew, and 42% shorter than Luke. This is notable in the fast pace Mark jumps into the gospel, beginning with Jesus' ministry. Jesus is baptized in verse 9 of Mark. However, Matthew is still in genealogy and only at Hezekiah. Luke is only beginning to tell of the announcement of the pregnancy of John the Baptist. And John is talking about
One Lord Jesus CHRIST
This week we will finish looking at the Nicene Creed line, which says, “And in one Lord Jesus Christ.” We have seen the exclusiveness that there is only one way of Salvation. We have seen the title Lord given to Jesus and the prophetic name of Jesus as the savior of our sins. This week we look at the name Christ. Christ is not Jesus’s last name but speaks again of who Jesus is. Like the name Jesus, it is
The Forerunner
Mark does not spend any time looking at the early life of Jesus Christ. We get no managers, magi, or angels. Mark abruptly turns from his introduction (Mark 1:1) to John the prophet. We know him for his ceremonial act of baptism; Jesus calls him ‘John the Baptist’ (Matt 11:11-12). We can sometimes focus on his actions of baptism (as we will see with Christ and his miracles) and neglect or minimalize his preaching. John was more than a man
One Lord JESUS Christ
We are continuing to look at the Nicene Creed and particularly the line, ‘And in one Lord Jesus Christ.’ We have seen the exclusiveness of the Gospel, which says there is one way of salvation. Last week we looked at the title Lord given to Christ. This week we will look at the name Jesus. Jesus, to us, is a very particular name that we know who we are talking about. We are talking about Jesus Christ, the second person
One LORD Jesus Christ
Last week we looked at the exclusiveness of Christianity that Jesus is the only way. Over the coming weeks, we will continue on the same line of the creed, but we will be looking at the titles given to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus. The first one is the Lord. The word for Lord is Kyrios in Greek, which appears over 700 times. Lord is a title we do not use much in today’s vocabulary. It can have
Gospel of Jesus
Mark 1:1 The opening verse in Mark one is a summary of the whole book. In this one verse, we get a simple statement about Jesus and who he is. Mark does not seem to hide this line to the end, with an enormous twist at the end of his gospel. From the gates, he explains his gospel in an excerpt. In this one verse, we find great news to everyone who understands and believes this one verse. In twelves words
