The Gospel According to Mark:
Today we begin a new preaching series - with the goal of answering four important questions: Who was Jesus Christ? Why did he come to earth? What did he do and teach during his short life? And why is it vital that we find the right answers to these questions? Our source for this quest will be the Gospel (meaning "good news story”) According to Mark.
Who was Mark? Luke’s writes in his account of the Acts of the Apostles that Mark was the nephew of Barnabas and participant in the early ministry of the Apostle Paul. According to Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in Western Turkey until 130 A.D., Mark had been the secretary and translator for Simon Peter and “wrote accurately all that Peter remembered.” A reading of Mark reveals that nothing happens in which Peter is not present - giving credibility to the view that the Gospel of Mark is an eyewitness testimony of the Apostle Simon Peter.
Mark’s story telling moves with the pace of contemporary life. In fact 35 times he uses the word “immediately” to describe the life and ministry of Jesus - taking the reader breathless from one miracle and teaching to the next. As one commentator wrote: “Mark is meant to grab you by the collar and make you face the truth about Jesus, about God, and about yourself.”
God certainly knows that we need to do this today!