Mark: Meet the Servant King

What if Jesus really is who he says he is? That would be the most wonderful, life-changing news in the world!

What if Jesus really is who he says he is? That would be the most wonderful, life-changing news in the world!
We’ll be looking into the first few chapters of Mark’s Gospel on Sundays in September and October at Sherford Community Church, but what is it about? And can it be trusted?
 
What is Mark’s Gospel about?
Mark’s Gospel is one of four books in the Bible that deal specifically with retelling eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The very first line in Mark’s Gospel gives us a huge clue as to what it’s all about:
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”
Mark says that Jesus is the Messiah: that is , Jesus is a king chosen by God, whose coming had been promised for centuries beforehand.
And Mark says that Jesus isn’t just the Messiah, he’s the son of God: that is, he is no ordinary human. He’s God come to earth!
The rest of Mark’s Gospel is concerned with two things. First, it shows us by what Jesus says and does that he really is God’s Son and the ultimate king. We see him say incredible things, and do incredible things that no-one else can do. Second, it shows us that Jesus has come not just to be a king but to be a servant – who sacrifices himself for the people he serves. Here’s how Jesus puts it in verse 45 of chapter 10:
“Even the Son of Man [Jesus’ favourite nickname for himself] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In short, Mark tells us that God has come as he promised. He’s come to be our king, but also to be the servant who gives his life to save us. As we see how badly we need saving, it becomes more and more clear that this is wonderfully good news!
 
But can it be trusted?
You’ve probably heard the argument that says that we can’t possibly trust a book written thousands of years ago, thousands of miles away, in different languages, when we don’t even have the original book! Sounds plausible, doesn’t it?
But actually we have more textual evidence (i.e. very old and accurate copies) of Mark’s Gospel than we do of a whole host of other things that we trust without thinking twice. For example, there is more textual evidence for Jesus’ existence than for Julius Caesar! On top of that we have records from historians of the time like Josephus and Pliny.
Finally, and most significantly, many of the most significant characters in the story (including most of Jesus’ 12 closest friends) were executed because they refused to stop saying that all these things were true. Would you hold onto something you knew was a lie when facing death?
 
What do you think?
When it comes down to it, we all have to make up our own minds about whether we believe what we read. I, for one, find the story compelling. More than that, I find the person of Jesus compelling. Why not join us on Sundays in September and October and decide for yourself?
What if Jesus really is who he says he is? That would be the most wonderful, life-changing news in the world!