Daily Devotions
Mark
Day 9
Text: Mark 1
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." 1 Peter 1:3
THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS
The “Synoptic Gospels is a term used by New Testament scholars to describe the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. They are called Synoptic Gospels because when studied carefully, they seem to provide a perspective of the life of Christ that bears startling similarities.
However, this must not lead us to think that there are no visible distinctive characteristics in each Gospel. A careful study of the Gospel of Mark will reveal that his approach is refreshingly different.
MARCAN CHARACTERISTICS
Mark had his own characteristic style of writing, just as the other two Synoptic Gospel writers. Two things may be observed:-
1. Straight to the point
One of the most striking things about the way Mark wrote his Gospel was that he would go straight to the point… “immediately.” Whereas both Matthew and Luke would write about the Nativity of Jesus, Mark began the writing of his Gospel with John the Baptiser preaching in the wilderness.
This does not mean that he does not appreciate the nativity stories related to the Birth of Jesus. It simply means that Mark was just “being himself” in his approach of writing the Gospel.
2. Simple but elegant lines
We will stand amazed at the way in which Mark seemed to be so sparing with words. He was certainly not loquacious. Nevertheless, in his economy of speech, there is no loss of accuracy in preserving the message of the Gospel.
OPENING LINES
The opening lines of the Gospel of Mark teach us much about what we may expect in the book.
“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.”MARK 1:1
1. Declaration of the subject of the Gospel of Mark
Mark’s objective was to preserve a rich and wonderful heritage of Christian beliefs. The sum-total of the Gospel may be summed up in just one word- “Jesus”.
2. Definition of the subject
Mark makes two vital remarks concerning his belief in the identity of Jesus:-