Recap

So far in Mark, we've read the prologue, Jesus' early ministry in Galilee, the calling and training of the disciples, the journey to Jerusalem, and started Jesus' time in Jerusalem. Mark's gospel opened with the assertion that Jesus is the son of God and king that the Old Testament had been looking forward to.

Jesus started his new reign with spiritual warfare in the desert and the declare the kingdom of God is near. This kingdom has authority over darkness, sickness, and nature, and makes unclean things clean. It doesn’t control people, but leaves them free to follow or reject Jesus.

The kingdom of God focusing on those in need and valuing people over laws. It includes everyone—men and women, young and old, Jew and Gentile. Notably, Gentiles often showed more faith than Jews.

But this led to confusion with people not understanding what Jesus was doing. Jesus is rejected by his hometown. King Herod thinks he is John the Baptist, back from the dead. The Pharisees want a sign and evidence, despite his many miracles. His own disciples think he's a ghost when he walks on his water.

We then got the turning point of the book. A blind man being healed in two stages and Peter declares that Jesus is the king they were waiting for but rejects the idea that Jesus must die. Like the blind man in the middle of his healing, Peter could see in part, but couldn't understand the full truth. 

This started the journey towards the cross. First, Jesus goes up a mountain with his closest disciples and is transfigured. Moses and Elijah appear and God calls Jesus his son. Jesus was still inline with the Old Testament and the will of God. What is about to come is all part of God's plan. We got more miracles and teaching as we approached Jerusalem. Just outside of Jerusalem, a blind man was able to see that Jesus is the king they’ve been waiting for. Jesus healed the man, confirming his belief. The king is about to enter the royal city.

Then Jesus entered Jerusalem with a royal procession. He visited the temple and found it a place of corrupt trade rather than a place of worship. Having the authority of a king in his royal city, Jesus chased all the traders out of the temple. This heightened the battle between Jesus and the religious leaders. They tried to trap him in with various logic problems. Jesus easily responded to all their questions and challenges.

Jesus then warned his disciples against listening to the religious leaders. All they care about is their own position and reputation. He pointed to a poor widow who had just put her last two coins in the collection box. This woman had given all that she had in humility, with no one watching. This is what it should be like in the kingdom of God. 

Mark 13-14

Drawing close to Jesus’ death, Mark picks up the pace. He has crammed so much in these two chapters that it feels like we’re now rushing forward to Jesus’ final moments.

Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple and then proceeds to tell his disciples what will happen before the end. There will be destruction and chaos. Believers will be persecuted, but the Holy Spirit will be with them to support them and give them the words to say. There will be an abomination that comes. This is likely a reference to the destruction of the temple that would happen forty years later, in 70 CE. This is why some argue for a latter date for when Mark was written.

Prophecies in the Bible tend to have a meaning for those listening at the time, and then a secondary meaning for something that is coming far in the future. But then Jesus will return and gather up all the believers to him. He warns his disciples to pay attention to wants going on and the signs that that day is drawing closer. No one knows when he will return, but when they see signs like wars and rumours of wars, it should be a reminder to them that they have a job to do. They wouldn’t want to be found lacking when Jesus returned.

It’s now two days before the Passover, and things are heating up. The religious leaders are determined to kill Jesus. Meanwhile, at the house of Simon the Leper, a young woman comes up to Jesus and pours expensive perfume on his head. There are many there that are angry. What a waste of expensive perfume. That money could have gone to the poor. But Jesus points out that what this woman did was really beautiful and important. She was preparing him for his own funeral.

Something about this crossed the line for Judas. Maybe he heard Jesus talk about his death too many times and he’d had enough. Jesus was meant to be a conquering king, not some suffering servant. He tries to force Jesus’ hand by partnering with the religious leaders to have him arrested. For Judas, the hope may have been that when they come to arrest Jesus, he would be forced to fight back.

Jesus and his disciples gather for the Passover, and it becomes clear that Jesus is fully aware of what Judas has done. Taking some of the items from the Passover meal, the bread and the wine, Jesus forms a new tradition. Just as the Passover was a reminder of all that God did to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, this new tradition of bread and wine would be a reminder of Jesus’ body broken, and his blood poured out.

Even at this point, it’s clear the disciples don’t understand what’s going on. We already have Judas trying to force Jesus’ hand, but Jesus also points out that Peter will reject him before the crow of the rooster the next day. Peter refuses to believe this is possible.

Jesus takes his disciples out to a place called Gethsemane, and then he moves away from them a little to pray. He cries out to God, begging him to take away this suffering that Jesus is about to face. Yet if it is God’s will, Jesus is willing to go through with it.

In this moment, we see Jesus’ humanity in a fresh way. We see a man who is mourning and grieving the pain they are about to go through. But as well that we see that Jesus is fully aware of what he is about to face. None of this is catching Jesus or God by surprise. This is all part of the plan, the purpose of the kingdom of God.

And then, once again, we get this contrast between Jesus, fully aware of what’s about to happen, and his disciples who are oblivious. They’ve fallen asleep, clearly with no idea what’s about to happen. Judas appears before them, with a crowd of guards and religious leaders. He greets Jesus with a kiss, which is the sign the guards were waiting for.

The disciples flee. Then we get this strange detail that is completely unique to Mark. A young man, dressed only in what seems to be a bedsheet, also flees. One of the guards grabs the sheet, and the young man runs away naked. There are lots of theories about who this young man is and why it’s included in Mark’s gospel. One theory is that it is John Mark, the author of the gospel himself. 

And so now Jesus is arrested before the religious leaders. They try to find some dirt on him they can use against him, but they struggle to even make anything up. All the while, Jesus remains mute, refusing to defend himself.

Finally, they ask him if he really believes he is the Christ, the future king, and the son of God. This time he responds to say yes, and to identify himself with the son of man figure in Daniel 7:13-14. This is a claim that all authority has been given to him and that he will be sat right next to God. 

This is enough for the religious leaders. As far as they are concerned, this is as good as blasphemy. They begin to spit on him and beat him. Outside, Peter is hanging around, trying to see what is happening. Three times someone asks him if he was one of Jesus’ followers, and three times he denies it out of fear. Then the rooster crows, and Peter remembers what Jesus says and begins to weep.

The situation looks bad, but surely Jesus will be able to turn it all round soon. Right?

Psalm 85

This psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah and falls into the category of lament psalms. The complaint is implicit in the requests that the psalmist makes.

Psalm 85:1-3 - Declarations of trust

Psalm 85:4-8 - Request

Psalm 85:9-13 - Declarations of trust

The psalmist starts with the declarations of trust, highlighting where God has been faithful to his people in the past. In the past, God favoured Israel. When they sinned, he forgave them. He withdrew his anger from them and restored their fortunes.

Next comes the request, and with is the implicit complaint of the psalmist. Once again, the people have sinned and fallen short of God. So the psalmist asks that God restore them again, ends his anger towards them. Surely God will not be angry with them forever? Revive your people again, God. Show them your steadfast love and save them.

The psalmist asks to hear God again, for surely God will speak to his people. And at that, the psalmist is back to trust. God’s salvation is near for those who fear him. In God, love and faithfulness meet. He is the source of righteousness and peace.

So the psalmist ends confidently. God will restore the land to good and plenty. He will bring righteousness back to the land. In this psalm is the recognition that God’s people have failed him and are facing the consequences of that. But there’s also the confidence that God will turn back and restore his people if they turn back to him.