Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 6 Study # 1
January 8, 2019
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Mark's presentation of Jesus' summons to four of His disciples is the last part of his "introductory" themes as he sets the stage for understanding The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Introduction: In our last study, we considered Mark's presentation of Jesus' "Gospel". We saw that it was a message greatly opposed by those in authority (John was imprisoned). We saw that it was "Gospel" in that it announced
both the "nearness" of the promised kingdom (the time has been fulfilled; the kingdom is "at hand")
and the methodology of entrance into it (repent and believe). And we saw that the issues of "repent" and "believe" are inseparable as necessities for God's willingness to make people heirs of His Kingdom.
It may well help us to grasp the distinction between these two necessities. "Repentance" is the "relational key" to any legitimate approach to God for acceptance, and God "forgives" all who approach Him on this basis. "Faith" is the "foundational doctrinal key" to the promise of God to "forgive". "Repentance" without "Faith" does not endure, and "Faith" without "Repentance" does not grant reconciliation to God.
Now, having considered John's presentation of Jesus, we have our attention turned to His summons to four men who became "disciples".
- I. This "Summons" in the Light of the Larger Picture.
- A. Mark 1:1 is "title": it covers the entirety of Mark's Gospel.
- B. Mark 1:2-20 is "introduction": it sets the stage for our understanding of Mark's presentation.
- 1. Mark 1:2-8 is the presentation of Jesus' link to the prophecies of the Old Testament by means of the introduction of John as the "forerunner" according to critical prophecies of the Old Testament that specify a "preparer" who was to come before "The Coming One".
- a. This is Mark's attempt to ground his record in the "Isaiah apologetic" so that "faith" can arise and be stabilized.
- b. This is Mark's presentation of the core issues of the Gospel: repentance unto forgiveness and faith unto salvation.
- 2. Mark 1:9-15 is the presentation of "the Coming One Who is The Mightier One" Who would be The Son Whose "pleasing" of the Father consisted of standing steadfast against "Satan".
- a. 1:9-11 presents Jesus as "The ' Essentially ' Mightier One": the Beloved Son of the Father identified by the Father's voice from heaven.
- b. 1:12-13 presents Jesus as "The Worthier One": the Successful Victor Over Satan.
- c. 1:14-15 presents Jesus as "The More Effective One": the One Who baptizes with The Holy Spirit through the effectual message of "repent and believe".
- 3. Mark 1:16-20 is the presentation of the "messengers" of "The Mightier One".
- C. Mark 1:2-20 is the presentation of the "Historical/Theological Center" of the Gospel.
- 1. John is "forerunner" according to "past" history.
- 2. Jesus is the "Mightier, Worthier, More Effective" "Coming One" according to "present" history.
- 3. The disciples are the "messengers" who are to be trained to present Jesus to succeeding generations according to "future history".
- II. This "Summons" in the Light of Mark's Use of "Four".
- A. That there are "four" disciples "fits" the concept of "archetypical" representatives.
- 1. "Four" Gospel records to complete the "Picture of Jesus".
- 2. "Four" living creatures to complete the presentation of the "essential glory" of God.
- 3. "Four" walls around the New Jerusalem with "three" gates per wall.
- 4. "Four" disciples, divided into "two" units ("two" being the minimum requirement, given the task).
- a. Two required to "multiply and fill the earth".
- b. Two required to "establish the truth of any legal accusation".
- c. Two required to "go forth as messengers of Jesus" (two by two).
- d. Etc.
- B. That there are "two" doing each of "two" tasks strongly implies what Jesus declares to the first set of two.
- 1. Jesus declared He would turn their immediate "activities" into a metaphor of their future as disciples.
- 2. In the outworking of the tasks of the disciples, there is a basic "split" in "task" as there are two distinct groups for which the disciples exercise their given functions.
- a. There is "evangelism" aimed at "the lost".
- b. There is "edification" aimed at "the saved".
- III. This "Summons" in the Light of Its "Setting".
- A. Mark deliberately presents this "theme" of "summons" in a direct connection with "the Sea of the Galilee".
- B. Mark, having only sixteen chapters of information, refers to the "sea" more times (15) than all of the other books of the New Testament except Matthew (28 chapters, 16 references to "sea") and Revelation (22 chapters, 22 references to "sea").
- C. Notably, the New Earth of Revelation 21 is characterized by only one thing: there is no more sea.
- D. More notably, in Mark's record, the disciples, though fishermen, are terrified when faced with their imminent immersion into "the sea".
- 1. Ironically, the "sea" is deadly as an "environment for men", but is a source of "life" as an "environment for fish".
- 2. These disciples walked a narrow path by choosing to draw their "life" from something that can kill them within minutes.
- 3. Given Mark's penchant for geographical metaphor as a means of illumination for relational reality, we can "see" the "sea" as a metaphor for "the people" being confronted with "their" attitude about "how to live" and Jesus' alternative attitude (bringing "repent and believe" to the fore once again").
- a. This picture is "graphic" once we understand that the disciples, from Mark's point of view, face a most critical and deadly "environment" that consists of the attitude that "Life" is the result of having the approval of men (the "pride of life" of 1 John 2:16).
- b. This picture becomes more "graphic" when we understand Jesus' question in John 5:44 as a most basic theological reality regarding both 'repentance' and 'faith'.
- 4. It is a deadly reality that one cannot "derive life" from the suffocating death of the "sea" of man's approval: the "sea" will kill those who accept it as a "source" of "life".
