Out of the Gate

Mark’s book opens with a voice from heaven, a demon recognizing Jesus, men called to follow him and dropping everything to go, multitudes being healed. A gun sounds, the gates open, horses burst from the starting line.

Mark begins recording evidence to prove that this man is God in the flesh.

It’s like when a man tells you he loves you but in your mind, unless you are consumed by infatuation, you are telling him, “Prove it.” As you spend time with him, however, he proves it. He holds your head when you’re throwing up, he sits with his arm around you as you cry inconsolably after your cat dies even though he hates cats, he goes to your family reunion and endures hours of your crazy relatives’ banal conversation with a smile, he remembers the anniversary of your first date with flowers, he puts the toilet lid down, he stops belching at the table. He proves it.

Jesus is beginning to prove it. John is baptizing people in the wilderness, a man remarkably similar to a man Isaiah talked about. As he baptizes Jesus, a voice from heaven pronounces a validation and blessing, “This is My son in whom I am well pleased.” It’s a dad showing up at a presentation pointing to his kid and saying, “That’s my son; I’m so proud of him.”

Thomas Jefferson cut out parts of the Bible he didn’t agree with. Just removed them so his copy would not be cluttered with the parts he did not believe. This would have to be one of those parts if you did not sign on to the whole God thing….a voice booming down from heaven to affirm this particular person as his son….and later, the writer of the book of John states he is his only son.

Jesus’ first recorded statement is, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” Before his coming, people worshipped God from afar, much like today. All men pray, no matter the religion, creed or culture, hoping their god will hear; but he is afar. Jesus is unique, the kingdom of God is a hand…it is right here. God with us. In our midst. He institutes a totally new concept.

Jesus walks beside the Sea of Galilee and observes the fishermen at work. He picks out two, walks over to them and says, “Follow Me.” No five year plan or objectives, no salary negotiation, no promises, just a clear command, “Follow Me.” He could have walked into a hospital ICU, picked out two doctors and said, “Follow Me.” They are on the job absorbed with their work and some random guy walks in and says, “Follow Me.” Yet that’s not the amazing thing. The amazing thing is they went! Dropped everything, went. Chances are they had heard about him, but he’d not even gotten cranked up yet. Would you have walked out of a medical practice and followed him? Or even a good housekeeping job at the Holiday Inn that paid your bills…and followed him?

Just as Simeon and John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Messiah as soon as he showed up, these men knew they had no choice but to follow him. They would probably tell you they could not explain it, they just knew….they had to go. But of all the fishermen who were fishing on the lake that day, these are the ones whose lives were changed forever, whose words live forever, because they went.

Oswald Chambers says the “gospel of Jesus Christ forces a choice of the will.” That was certainly true with these men. What if they had not gone. They would have fished 30 years and died, but look what they would have missed.

He teaches in the synagogue…those present were amazed at his authority. Not as one interpreting the book, rather he spoke as if he were the author of the book.

He encounters a man with an “unclean spirit” who recognizes him. The people haven’t put two and two together, but this demon surely has. “I know who you are, Jesus…the Holy One of God!” Jesus commands the spirit to come out of him and the man goes into convulsions, the unclean spirit cries out with a loud voice and comes out of him. I think that would get my attention… I’d certainly sit up and at least listen to what the man says.

Jesus begins drawing crowds as he teaches in the countryside. He is a compassionate man and as he spends time with them and sees their physical needs, he begins to heal them A touch, a look, a word and they are healed.

People are ecstatic . He is mobbed. The message is lost…just give me the money. But at the end of the day, as the crowds fade away and walk back to their homes, they had to reflect on the healer, the one who changed their lives at least physically. Was he just a guy with a knack for healing or was he who he claimed to be, God, walking around on a dusty Judean hillside. Do we look at this whole section of scripture and think not of God, but of a TV faith healer laying his hands on some poor soul who has tried every other treatment to no avail and this is his last hope? We shake our heads at the scam being perpetuated on a desperate man by a man craving fame and adulation.

How is Jesus any different?

We have to hang in and read the whole story. Hebrews 11 contains an amazing catalog of people who knew Jesus was God to the very core of their being, knew him closely, intimately. Half the chapter is a stand up and shout list of people who obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight, received back their dead by resurrection.

The next half is also a group of people who knew Jesus was God to the very core of their being, knew him closely, intimately. They were tortured, stoned, sawn in two, put to death, destitute, ill treated, afflicted, living in deserts, mountains, caves and holes in the ground.

The depth and impact of what Jesus says goes far deeper than physical conditions. He never promises health, wealth and prosperity. He just says, “Follow me.”

A leper is healed. Jesus tells him not to tell but he cannot help it. His life has changed dramatically….a 180…he has to tell and they all come to see Jesus.

We begin to see a thread of what continues today. A few people out of the crowd knew he was who he said he was. Their changed lives were evidence they had come in contact with Jesus and although they could not explain it, they were never the same again.

Yet as we’ll learn, he was not interested in surface change. He’ll begin to have contact with men who were professionals at surface change and they were the ones who eventually killed him.

He’s interested in far more than that. At this point however, he is just giving credence to his claim of diety.

Stay tuned!