Mark 1:15-45

Mark 1:15-45

“Today’s reading centers on the absolute authority of Christ Jesus, displayed again and again in this passage after he announces that the kingdom of God is at hand…Under Christ’s authority we are called to both repent and believe. Repentance means death, an utter turning from who we once were, but death to self becomes life in Christ, and repentance is followed by a new life - directed by our belief in Jesus.”

Mark 1:1-13

Mark 1:1-13

“Mark is a man in a hurry. But in the last sermon, we found that Mark’s breakneck speed is a deliberate strategy, employed by an expert communicator, to fulfill a twofold purpose. Mark wants his readers / listeners to know ‘Who Jesus is’, and ‘What it means to be his disciple.’ That’s it, his little book is laser focused on addressing only those two things. The Gospel of Mark is completely shaped with this in mind. He reorders events in Jesus life, omits things the other guys include and crafts an orator’s narrative that is exciting and fast, compelling and simple.”