10.19 Mark 14-16

Joel Nagel

10.19.2020

Mark 14-16

Summary:

This is Mark’s passion account. Passion comes from the Latin for ‘suffer’ which tells you a little something about what we really think about love. Mark’s crucifixion account, like the first 13 chapters of his gospel, is more sparse. Most scholars believe Mark was written first and Matthew and Luke use his gospel as a jumping off point to add their own (and the Spirit’s) details. There are a couple of parts that differentiate Mark’s account. 1. In verses 51-52 where Mark includes the detail that a young man fled the scene of Jesus’ arrest in his underwear but the guards grabbed him by the underwear and he left it in their hands and escaped naked. Many believe that this is the author himself running naked on the Mount of Olives! 2. Even as the most brief gospel, the details on the resurrection are particularly sparse. Scholars have wondered if some of the last words fell off of original manuscripts or if verses 9-20 were added later. [Note: verses being added later do not make them any less biblical – God has given us what we need!] If Mark were to end at verse 16:8 it makes it the best ending of all the gospels in my opinion. Read 16:1-8 again and imagine this as the ending. The women go to the tomb to embalm Jesus, wondering if they’ll even be able to do it because of the large stone, but instead they they are greeted by an angel with news of resurrection. They are given a mission to tell Peter and the disciples but they are so afraid that they say nothing. And then it ends! But we know how the story goes. The fact that Mark is sharing this gospel means that they did find Peter and tell the disciples. I love thinking that for a brief moment the best news the world ever heard was totally in their frightened hands!

Key Verse:

Mark 16:8

“And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Vision of self and others and God

What message has God given me that would change the world if I would overcome my fear and share it? To whom does God want me to tell the good news of new life? The trust that God puts in us to proclaim his message is truly incredible!

Go With God

Today’s prayer time will be all about who I need to speak up to and what God wants me to say!

Jesus

It’s interesting that even in the accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the people surrounding him (in this case Mark and Mary) still stand out. Jesus found a way to be humble even as he did the greatest and most terrible thing the world has ever seen!