The Servant King - 10 Lessons

The book of Mark begins with a declaration by the author, John Mark - The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1). 

The book is divided into two sections. Chapters 1-8, set in Galilee, asks the question, Who is this man? These chapters are full of miracles that reveal Jesus’ power and his teaching that reveals the unexpected nature of the kingdom he is bringing in. 

Chapter 8 is a turning point. Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is. Peter’s great confession, ‘You are the Christ’ is quickly followed by Peter’s rebuke of Jesus. Peter refused to believe that Jesus would suffer and die. Peter did not have the Isaiah 53 picture of a suffering Messiah. From this point onwards, Jesus begins to make his way to Jerusalem where he will be revealed as the King who would suffer and die for his people. Three times in chapters 8-10 Jesus speaks to his disciples of the nature of his kingship, culminating in the statement, ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:45)

In chapter 11 Jesus enters Jerusalem and is welcomed as God’s King. He then exercises his authority by driving out those buying and selling in the temple courts. This brings him into conflict with the religious leaders and begins a week of conflict and debate as they  question his authority. Jesus then condemns the religious leaders and predicts the fall of Jerusalem. 

In chapter 14 Jesus shares the passover meal with his disciples, where he takes the symbols of this meal and applies them to himself as the passover lamb who would save God’s people from sin and death. Jesus is then arrested and nailed to a cross. Instead of a cloud that descends (as at Jesus' baptism) it’s darkness that descends. Instead of the voice of God, it is Jesus who cries out. And instead of the author declaring who Jesus is, it’s a Roman centurion who declares, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ (Mark 15:39)

The book ends abruptly with women arriving at the tomb, where they’re told that Jesus has risen from the dead. They run away in fear. Fear was the response of the disciples in the boat when Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4). Fear was the response of Jesus’ disciples when he told them he would suffer, die and rise to new life, to pay the ransom for sin (Mark 8-11). And fear is the response here, when women are confronted with the truth, that Jesus has done what he said he’d do - suffer, die and rise to new life. The book ends with a challenge - what will you make of this Jesus? Will you believe this good news and follow Jesus as your Saviour King? Or will you retreat from him in fear?

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