WEBVTT 00:00:00.100 --> 00:00:08.519 Well, good morning. It is good to see you. It is great to gather this morning as we begin our two services. 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:16.240 It may feel a little thin to some of you compared to what it was last week, but know that we hope and anticipate 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:22.219 that having this room will mean that more people may be able to come and join us later this fall. 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:29.640 I want to send a special welcome to those of you who are moving here to be a part of the university life, 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:34.340 whether you're a student or a grad student or postdoc, whatever it is. 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:39.560 I did want to mention two weeks from now we'll be having a college, we call it college lunch, 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:41.899 but it's really for anyone involved in the university world. 00:00:42.020 --> 00:00:49.120 So more details to come, but two weeks after the second service, so it will be 1230, we are going to be doing that. 00:00:49.119 --> 00:01:02.519 Before my mother passed away, when I would go visit her, one of her favorite shows was the Antique Roadshow. 00:01:03.339 --> 00:01:07.879 Now about 10 of you have seen this, and another 10 of you have seen it but won't admit it, 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:09.959 and the rest of you may have never seen it. 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:18.139 But the Antique Roadshow is this show where people bring their stuff that they have that they think might be valuable 00:01:18.139 --> 00:01:20.579 to see if it might be valuable. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:24.119 They bring it to appraisers and the whole show is about these conversations. 00:01:25.419 --> 00:01:27.919 Because these people come in and they don't know. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:37.320 They don't know whether this little green vase is a $5 Martha Stewart from the 1980s line vase from Target, 00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:42.280 or whether it's actually a Ming Dynasty vase worth thousands and thousands of dollars. 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:43.980 I looked it up. 00:01:44.240 --> 00:01:52.799 The greatest find ever was a watch that a guy bought for $345, and it was appraised at over a million dollars. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:56.920 It was a unique one-of-a-kind pocket watch that he had. 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.320 So, you know, and there are all sorts of things. 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:03.780 Paintings, vases, Navajo blankets, wooden boxes, furniture. 00:02:04.299 --> 00:02:07.939 And, you know, these people bring in, and they're either family heirlooms, 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:09.860 and people are like, yeah, I got this. 00:02:09.920 --> 00:02:13.900 My great-great-grandfather had it in their house, and I don't know if it's worth anything or not. 00:02:13.979 --> 00:02:14.780 What do you think? 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:17.620 And sometimes the people are like, nah, not really. 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:20.439 And sometimes they're like, wow, you've got something special here. 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:25.539 Or sometimes it's people that, things that people picked up along the way. 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:32.000 Hey, I got this at a garage sale, and I looked closer, and I thought, I wonder if this is more valuable than the five bucks I paid it for. 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:36.639 So they have no sense of its worth, and they look at it, and they just think, well, you know. 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:43.620 It's easy sometimes for us to miss something of value that's right before our eyes. 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:51.920 Whether it's by ignorance or whether it's by overly being familiar with these things, we don't think about some of these things as being super valuable. 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:59.599 And I wonder if in our culture today, we do the same thing with Jesus. 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:05.939 I wonder if for some of us, Jesus is like that grandma's chair in the corner. 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:08.439 It's always been there, not really thought about it. 00:03:08.819 --> 00:03:11.479 You're familiar with Jesus. 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:13.180 It's a common thing. 00:03:13.500 --> 00:03:14.699 It's no longer special. 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:16.699 You've grown up with Jesus. 00:03:16.939 --> 00:03:18.780 You can sing the Sunday school songs. 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:24.840 But he's become so familiar, he's not particularly precious. 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:29.960 And you've lost sight of whether he's valuable or not in your life. 00:03:31.420 --> 00:03:35.360 For some of us here this morning, Jesus may be something unknown. 00:03:37.099 --> 00:03:39.460 And the little that we know of him, we may not be interested. 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:42.259 We may think Jesus is a part of a political party. 00:03:42.340 --> 00:03:44.159 Or we may think he's a cultural figure. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:49.219 We may think that he's a nice idea or a great teacher. 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.780 But we don't really know much about him. 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:54.800 We've never really investigated. 00:03:55.539 --> 00:03:57.759 And we're not sure whether he's worth the attention. 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:05.319 Although hopefully, if you're here this morning, you actually think it's worth coming here to this gathering. 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:09.300 Coming to church to find out a little bit. 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:15.140 My hope is that you're here this morning because you're open to seeing Jesus more clearly. 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:21.160 And this is why we're teaching this fall through the beginning of the book of Mark. 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:26.100 If you want to turn there, it's page 785 in your pew Bibles. 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:30.800 If you brought your own pew or you can just listen along, we will read it together in a minute. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:36.120 But we're looking at this book of Mark, this account of Jesus. 00:04:36.520 --> 00:04:41.939 Because what Mark is trying to answer is the very question, who is this Jesus? 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:44.860 Is he really valuable? 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:49.340 Is he really worth our attention, our time, our worship? 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:57.639 So this is what we're going to look at this morning for a little bit as we dive in. 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:05.279 And so, the gospel according to Mark, we're going to start in chapter 1, verse 1. 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:07.959 And we'll read through verse 13. 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:11.300 So, let's read God's word together. 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:17.180 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:20.620 As it is written in Isaiah, the prophet, 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:41.300 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:50.240 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:57.319 Now, John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:00.400 And he preached, saying, 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:21.239 In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:30.540 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove. 00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:33.360 And a voice came from heaven, 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:35.639 You are my beloved Son. 00:06:35.840 --> 00:06:38.860 With you I am well pleased. 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:42.400 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:46.400 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:48.439 And he was with the wild animals. 00:06:49.219 --> 00:06:52.319 And the angels were ministering to him. 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:54.500 This is God's Word. 00:06:54.579 --> 00:06:55.419 Let's pray together. 00:06:56.279 --> 00:07:00.519 God, as we look at this passage this morning, we ask for your help. 00:07:01.099 --> 00:07:06.479 For, Lord, we know that it is you who opens our hearts and our minds to understand your Word. 00:07:07.539 --> 00:07:12.299 It is by your Spirit, Lord, that we are able to know you through your Word. 00:07:12.339 --> 00:07:13.899 And I pray for your help this morning. 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:18.359 I pray, Lord, that I might speak clearly the words you would have me speak. 00:07:19.179 --> 00:07:26.539 And I pray that, Lord, we together would sit under your Word and receive it as your words to us. 00:07:27.219 --> 00:07:36.459 Lord, that you might change our hearts and our minds and our wills because of who we understand you to be this morning. 00:07:37.299 --> 00:07:38.939 We pray this in Jesus' name. 00:07:40.219 --> 00:07:40.539 Amen. 00:07:40.539 --> 00:07:40.699 Amen. 00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:40.740 Amen. 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:45.379 So, as we look at this section, we're going to walk through it. 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:52.120 As we do here at Trinity, we're going to look at verse 1, which is an introductory statement, kind of a title for the book. 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:54.420 And then we're going to look at verses 2 through 13. 00:07:54.579 --> 00:08:00.980 And we're going to see two things about Jesus that Mark wants us to know right up from the start as we're… 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:04.620 as he launches into this account of Jesus' ministry in life. 00:08:04.620 --> 00:08:06.800 So, that's what we're going to do. 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.060 If you're writing your outline, those are your three points. 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:11.000 The intro and then two things about Jesus. 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:13.379 The intro sentence packs a lot. 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:16.439 And Mark is saying to us, this is what this book is about. 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:18.560 And he says a lot in a few things. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:20.660 He starts with, in the beginning. 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:23.160 Or the beginning of the gospel. 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:23.880 And… 00:08:23.880 --> 00:08:32.259 But that beginning has these resonances for anyone who's a Jewish reader because it's a translation of the word that begins the book of Genesis. 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:33.840 The very start. 00:08:34.259 --> 00:08:43.500 The very commencing of God's work in the world that has this echoes in Genesis of his creating the world. 00:08:43.920 --> 00:08:49.580 Mark is saying, we're going to talk about God's creative work in the world in a special way. 00:08:49.580 --> 00:08:53.200 And this is a… this is going to be about a gospel. 00:08:53.500 --> 00:08:56.920 And the word gospel means good news. 00:08:57.300 --> 00:08:57.580 Right? 00:08:58.040 --> 00:08:59.680 It is a good word. 00:09:00.740 --> 00:09:05.200 And it is… it was often used in the first century in a number of different contexts. 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:09.560 It was used, for instance, for the birth of a new child who would become the emperor. 00:09:09.560 --> 00:09:13.420 Or the declaration of military victory. 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:20.559 And so, this is… these were the good newses that were proclaimed in the Roman Empire in the context in which Mark is writing. 00:09:22.179 --> 00:09:29.039 And Mark is saying to them, you've heard many accounts of good news about the Roman Empire and about the Roman Emperor. 00:09:29.399 --> 00:09:32.659 But I want to tell you that there is one really good news. 00:09:33.019 --> 00:09:34.979 It is not just some good news. 00:09:35.079 --> 00:09:36.939 It is the good news. 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:41.420 And it's greater than all those other things. 00:09:41.520 --> 00:09:46.300 And that good news, as Mark goes on, is about a person. 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:49.740 The good news is about Jesus Christ. 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:53.460 And Jesus has names, and these names are pregnant with meaning. 00:09:54.280 --> 00:09:58.140 Jesus is a translation of Joshua in the Old Testament. 00:09:58.680 --> 00:10:02.300 And it's… and it means God is salvation. 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:03.380 Right? 00:10:03.380 --> 00:10:06.260 And so, Jesus comes with this word right from the start. 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:07.879 He is coming with a purpose. 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:10.220 He's coming to bring something to us. 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:12.460 And then the second word, Christ. 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:19.159 And these are so familiar words that, again, like the vase in our grandma's house, we want to look at it carefully again. 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:20.720 Jesus Christ. 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:22.600 Christ means anointed. 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:26.700 It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word, Messiah. 00:10:27.220 --> 00:10:29.480 And this is a pregnant term. 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:37.159 Because Mark is writing in the first century when the Jewish people had been waiting for years. 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:39.019 In fact, decades. 00:10:39.139 --> 00:10:40.399 In fact, centuries. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.700 Waiting for this one that the Old Testament foretold. 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:44.659 A Messiah. 00:10:44.899 --> 00:10:48.259 Someone who God would send to bring peace. 00:10:48.680 --> 00:10:53.039 To overthrow their enemies and establish a kingdom that would last forever. 00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:56.179 This was the hope of a messianic kingdom. 00:10:56.819 --> 00:11:01.139 And Mark is saying, this Jesus is the Messiah. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:03.019 He is the Christ. 00:11:03.339 --> 00:11:06.959 The anointed one of God who's come to do all of these things. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:10.100 But Mark is not done. 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:16.960 Because the last thing he says in verse 1, he says, this beginning of God's new creative work. 00:11:17.580 --> 00:11:21.320 The good news is focused on this person who is the promised one. 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:24.180 He is the Son of God. 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:32.379 And if you want to read, if you want to read through the whole book of Mark this week, you will see something. 00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:36.259 This term is used three times for Jesus in this whole book. 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:38.700 It's right here at the very beginning. 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:41.799 And we'll see in this passage a little bit further on. 00:11:42.620 --> 00:11:49.860 It's used in the middle of the book at the transfiguration where God again affirms to his disciples, 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:53.139 this is my Son with whom I am well pleased. 00:11:53.319 --> 00:11:54.360 Listen to him. 00:11:54.779 --> 00:11:57.220 And then it's used at the very end of the book. 00:11:57.639 --> 00:12:05.740 In the mouth, not of his disciples, but in the mouth of a Roman centurion who watches him die and says, 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:08.740 surely this was the Son of God. 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:11.740 How can that claim be? 00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:15.440 Well, that would be a great sermon, right? 00:12:15.700 --> 00:12:17.340 But that's not what we're going to talk about today. 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:20.139 So what I want to say is hang in there and wait and see. 00:12:20.180 --> 00:12:22.340 Because Mark is going to unfold what that means. 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:23.840 Why does he say that? 00:12:23.899 --> 00:12:28.379 And how does that play itself out in the life and the account of Jesus that we see? 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:31.340 So that's what we're going to do as we… 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:34.360 So that's Mark's title in his introduction, right? 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:38.580 And what Mark is going to do is give us not a description. 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:42.660 It's not a formal biography in some senses. 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:49.740 But it is true account of who Jesus was put together like a portrait. 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:56.259 Some of the other gospel accounts, Matthew, Luke, have a lot more teaching, a lot more instruction. 00:12:56.379 --> 00:12:57.539 They include Jesus' teaching. 00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:58.560 They have more commentary. 00:12:59.060 --> 00:13:02.039 Mark writes in this staccato narrative. 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:04.720 And it's like he's a painter painting a portrait. 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:07.279 And each account is a little brush stroke. 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:11.620 And when you see it all together, he's going to teach us all sorts of theology. 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:15.320 But not by being explicit with it, by being implicit. 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:18.220 As he says, this is what this guy does. 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:19.500 This is who he is. 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:21.480 This is how he interacts with the world. 00:13:22.299 --> 00:13:28.799 And as we look at this portrait together, as we invite you to go on with us on this journey 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:37.180 to explore who is this Jesus again, my hope is that you will see these great things. 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:45.039 You know, as this last year, I actually decided to read the biography of Alexander Hamilton 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:46.000 by Ron Chernow. 00:13:46.319 --> 00:13:47.939 And yes, it's because the musical. 00:13:48.479 --> 00:13:51.620 And yes, the musical is great apart from its… 00:13:51.620 --> 00:13:55.139 Well, we really enjoy the PG version that you can download. 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:57.899 You can buy a PG version of it, which is lovely. 00:13:58.279 --> 00:13:59.919 You can't get the video of that. 00:14:00.179 --> 00:14:02.719 So, but the musical is pretty magical. 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:07.159 But as the biography unfolded, it gave all these pictures of here's who he was. 00:14:07.179 --> 00:14:12.019 In the Caribbean, here's how he was when he first arrived in New York. 00:14:12.099 --> 00:14:13.120 And here's what he did. 00:14:13.459 --> 00:14:16.919 And here's how he moved through his life in different relationships and different things. 00:14:17.239 --> 00:14:22.539 And this is what Mark is going to give us, is a picture like that, an account of who 00:14:22.539 --> 00:14:23.419 Jesus is. 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:25.519 So, let's go on this journey together. 00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:30.639 And we're going to start this morning because we're going to look at verses 2 through 13 and 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.399 see what Mark launches us with. 00:14:32.479 --> 00:14:34.839 And we're going to see two things about Jesus this morning. 00:14:35.319 --> 00:14:36.719 This is hopefully very memorable. 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:39.920 Jesus is a man with a history and he's a man with a family. 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:41.279 What does that mean? 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:41.940 Hang on. 00:14:42.180 --> 00:14:43.940 We'll fill those things out and let you know. 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:48.440 So, verses 2 through 8 is Jesus is a man with a history. 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:57.080 As Mark transitions from his title, he begins with, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:05.100 and he quotes the Old Testament about someone who is coming to prepare the way for the Lord. 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:06.160 Okay? 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:11.700 Now, some of you are Bible scholars and you'll start looking for these words in verse 2 somewhere 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:12.280 in Isaiah. 00:15:12.280 --> 00:15:14.560 And you'll find out, yeah, it's not really there. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:18.680 Because in fact, Mark has conflated some Old Testament passages. 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:24.500 Verse 2 is actually probably a quote from Malachi chapter 3 verse 1. 00:15:24.500 --> 00:15:31.860 It has some similarities with parts of Isaiah, but it seems like for Mark, it's the quote 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:38.759 in verse 3, which is from Isaiah chapter 40, which was read by George earlier in the service. 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:46.700 This promise of comfort and the coming of God to bring comfort to his people and someone 00:15:46.700 --> 00:15:52.120 coming to prepare the way for God to do this work in the world. 00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:59.419 And as you go through that quote then, verse 4, who is going to be this one who's going to 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:00.179 prepare the way? 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:02.500 Well, verse 4 says it's John. 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:04.080 Who the heck is John? 00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:05.419 Mark doesn't tell us. 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:06.559 He just shows up. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:09.099 Again, this is the way Mark tells stories. 00:16:09.559 --> 00:16:10.299 John shows up. 00:16:10.419 --> 00:16:12.699 And John shows up and he's doing this ministry. 00:16:12.839 --> 00:16:13.659 He's in the wilderness. 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:14.879 He's baptizing. 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:21.239 He's proclaiming a message of repentance from sin and of forgiveness for sin. 00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:24.000 And he's kind of a weird dude. 00:16:24.739 --> 00:16:26.659 He's wearing animal clothes. 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:28.819 He's eating locusts and wild honeys. 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:33.399 Eating locusts might not be as weird to us, to them as it might have been to us. 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.139 But it was still pretty weird. 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:44.779 Unless you were an Old Testament student and you knew that in fact in 2 Kings verse 1 chapter 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:49.439 8, the prophet Elijah wore the same thing. 00:16:50.299 --> 00:16:57.359 Elijah, who was the one who came and proclaimed God's work in the middle of a dark time in his 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:04.460 people, Elijah who confronted leaders who didn't accept God's work and trust in God's salvation, 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:09.500 Elijah who was translated up into heaven and did not die. 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:16.420 And so the Jewish people thought he was going to come again before the Messiah and prepare the way for the Messiah. 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:23.080 And all of these threads of expectation are drawn together by Mark in this really short narrative to say, 00:17:23.580 --> 00:17:30.720 John the Baptist is like the Elijah coming now to proclaim the good news of something that's coming. 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:34.539 Because when you look at verses 7 and 8, what did he preach? 00:17:35.560 --> 00:17:37.600 He didn't preach about himself. 00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:40.039 He didn't even preach about the kingdom of God. 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:43.119 He preached about one who is coming after him. 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:46.059 One who is great with power. 00:17:46.819 --> 00:17:50.819 And one who, when he arrives, John the Baptist would say, 00:17:51.259 --> 00:17:55.579 I'm not worthy to even untie his sandals. 00:17:56.659 --> 00:17:59.240 That's how much greater he is than I am. 00:17:59.579 --> 00:18:02.339 And look, again, Mark doesn't make a big deal about this, 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:05.980 but John the Baptist is the last and greatest Old Testament prophet. 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:08.619 He had a great successful ministry. 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:10.379 God was doing good things. 00:18:10.479 --> 00:18:13.199 People from all over were coming out to him. 00:18:13.899 --> 00:18:19.879 And yet John says, none of this is important except to prepare the way for the one who's coming after me. 00:18:22.579 --> 00:18:25.759 So this is what Mark is telling us, 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:31.539 that John the Baptist is coming to prepare the way for this one to come. 00:18:32.419 --> 00:18:32.939 Right? 00:18:32.939 --> 00:18:33.000 Right? 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:39.619 Why does Mark tell us to do this? 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:41.059 Golly, where am I in my notes? 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:41.900 Okay, here we go. 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:45.140 Why does Mark tell us this? 00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:47.279 Well, for two things. 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:49.420 One, because as we look at John the Baptist, 00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:53.119 there's a paradigm there for us as human beings to have. 00:18:53.539 --> 00:18:55.099 Because in our human hearts, 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:59.319 we so often make ourselves the center of the story. 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:03.819 We think that the story of our lives and the story of everything else around us 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:06.799 is really happening because we are in the middle of it. 00:19:07.419 --> 00:19:08.819 And John the Baptist says, 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:11.639 I have this great ministry and this great thing, 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.279 but it's not about me. 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:17.639 And we're supposed to look at John the Baptist and learn something. 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:19.799 Because when Jesus arrives, 00:19:20.419 --> 00:19:22.539 Jesus claims the center place. 00:19:22.539 --> 00:19:25.619 The center place in our lives, 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:27.220 the center place in our world, 00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:29.099 the center place in human history, 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:33.519 the center place in the work of God in the world. 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:35.539 Jesus takes a place. 00:19:35.879 --> 00:19:38.319 He alone is worthy of taking that. 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:41.659 But the good news is that 00:19:41.659 --> 00:19:46.460 that reorientation that John the Baptist models for us 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:50.019 is really, really good news for us. 00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:52.500 Because this Jesus who has come, 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:55.420 He is the one that our hearts long for. 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:57.559 People went to John the Baptist 00:19:57.559 --> 00:20:00.839 because they knew that they needed something from God. 00:20:00.940 --> 00:20:02.119 They needed reconciliation. 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:04.099 They needed forgiveness of sins. 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:08.200 They needed somehow to return to God. 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:10.119 And John the Baptist said, 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:11.619 I can do a little bit, 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:13.160 but the one who's coming after me, 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:15.559 He's the one that you need to look to. 00:20:16.379 --> 00:20:19.019 He's the one who's going to come. 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:21.579 And this one isn't just, 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:24.099 He didn't just show up as the next in the line 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:27.099 of God sort of throwing spaghetti at the wall 00:20:27.099 --> 00:20:28.720 and hoping something's going to stick 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:30.660 in terms of actually establishing His kingdom. 00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:31.460 Right? 00:20:31.639 --> 00:20:32.879 Part of what we're seeing here 00:20:32.879 --> 00:20:35.099 is that Jesus is rooted in history, 00:20:35.480 --> 00:20:37.779 in the history of God's work in the world, 00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:42.059 preparing the world for Jesus to come. 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:45.440 And so when we look at Jesus, 00:20:45.899 --> 00:20:47.519 again, just like we look at a vase 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:47.940 and we think, 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:50.319 well, maybe it's a 1980s Martha Stewart vase, 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:51.000 and we know, 00:20:51.179 --> 00:20:54.179 no, it's a 16th century vase from China 00:20:54.179 --> 00:20:55.779 that has immense value. 00:20:56.099 --> 00:20:58.700 Let's see how rooted Jesus is 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:03.059 so that we understand how valuable He is. 00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:07.139 So Jesus is a man with a history. 00:21:08.419 --> 00:21:11.779 A history that's all been leading to this moment, 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:13.819 the arrival of Jesus in the world. 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:16.599 But He's also a man with a family. 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:19.079 And verses 9 through 13, 00:21:19.399 --> 00:21:21.899 we learn a lot in this story 00:21:21.899 --> 00:21:24.299 about Jesus' two great identities. 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:25.319 Right? 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:26.579 And the literary link, 00:21:26.659 --> 00:21:29.679 this is when Jesus shows up for the first time. 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:30.160 Right? 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:31.900 We saw the title in verse 1. 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:33.440 Then verses 2 through 8 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:34.900 were all about this John the Baptist 00:21:34.900 --> 00:21:36.620 and what was going on there. 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:38.180 And then finally in verse 9, 00:21:38.580 --> 00:21:39.759 Jesus shows up. 00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:40.400 Right? 00:21:40.620 --> 00:21:42.960 In those days, Jesus came. 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:45.880 And Jesus was a real person from a real place. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:47.700 He was from Nazareth of Galilee, 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:49.400 and He showed up at the Jordan River. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:52.259 In case you wonder whether this is just mythology, 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:53.019 it's not. 00:21:54.360 --> 00:21:56.960 Mark is saying this was a real person 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:58.019 in real time, 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:59.220 doing real things. 00:21:59.220 --> 00:22:00.900 Jesus shows up. 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:03.819 And the narrative is really evocative 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:05.120 for a careful reader. 00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:07.860 Jesus comes to John, 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:09.319 and He is baptized. 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:11.579 And when He is baptized, 00:22:11.860 --> 00:22:14.279 a few remarkable things happen. 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:16.539 First, it says, 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:19.100 the heavens were torn open. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:20.700 And second, 00:22:21.100 --> 00:22:22.360 the Spirit of God 00:22:22.360 --> 00:22:24.279 descended down 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:26.339 into this one 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:27.700 who had just been baptized. 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:28.019 baptized. 00:22:30.700 --> 00:22:32.740 This is an incredible story 00:22:32.740 --> 00:22:34.720 that these things would happen. 00:22:35.380 --> 00:22:36.380 This had never happened 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:37.100 with anyone else 00:22:37.100 --> 00:22:38.360 who got baptized by John, 00:22:39.100 --> 00:22:40.039 is Mark's implication. 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:42.259 This was a unique event. 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:43.340 Right? 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:44.279 And then, 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:45.920 after these sort of 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:47.840 surprising things, 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:48.740 then, 00:22:48.840 --> 00:22:49.940 the Spirit that just 00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:51.460 descended upon this man, 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:53.840 seemingly giving the affirmation 00:22:53.840 --> 00:22:55.299 as the words of God say, 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:56.340 this is my son 00:22:56.340 --> 00:22:57.340 in whom I am well pleased, 00:22:57.680 --> 00:22:58.819 God seems to be saying, 00:22:58.940 --> 00:22:59.880 this one is special, 00:23:00.059 --> 00:23:01.600 and then He's driven out. 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:02.579 Right? 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:03.759 He's not celebrated. 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:04.279 He's not, 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:05.240 you know, 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:06.680 there's no great parade. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:08.319 There's no great promotion. 00:23:08.460 --> 00:23:09.880 He gets sent out alone 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:10.840 into the desert, 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:13.480 into the wilderness, 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:15.839 and faces trial 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:16.920 and opposition. 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:18.759 In fact, 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:19.319 it says 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:20.700 the wild animals 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:21.460 were with Him. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:22.880 A lot of commentators 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:24.039 think that the wild animals 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:24.279 were, 00:23:24.940 --> 00:23:26.400 was a common term 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.460 in the first century 00:23:27.460 --> 00:23:28.440 used 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:30.940 as the Christians 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:31.460 talked about 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:32.180 the persecution 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:32.860 they faced. 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:33.579 And part of it 00:23:33.579 --> 00:23:34.099 was because 00:23:34.099 --> 00:23:34.880 at times 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:36.059 in the Roman Coliseum 00:23:36.059 --> 00:23:37.200 during times of persecution, 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:38.960 there was literally 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:39.799 wild animals 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:40.720 that were unleashed 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:41.500 onto Christians 00:23:41.500 --> 00:23:42.700 as sport. 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:44.539 And they were killed by it. 00:23:45.140 --> 00:23:45.900 And so, 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:46.700 there might have been 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:47.660 a sense in which 00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:49.019 Mark is bringing 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:50.519 that evocative imagery 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:51.099 into, 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:52.339 into place. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:54.599 But as Mark tells 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:55.380 this narrative, 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:55.779 right, 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:56.660 it's what, 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:57.619 five verses? 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:58.380 Four, 00:23:58.460 --> 00:23:59.059 I can't count. 00:23:59.220 --> 00:23:59.960 Four verses? 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:02.460 What does he say? 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:04.180 He says two things 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:04.779 about Jesus' 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.039 family and identity 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:06.859 that are remarkable. 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:07.700 First, 00:24:07.799 --> 00:24:08.140 he says, 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:09.579 Jesus came 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:10.339 to identify 00:24:10.339 --> 00:24:11.380 with humanity. 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:12.859 Right? 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:14.000 What we know 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:15.400 from the rest of Scripture, 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:16.799 Mark doesn't make it 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:17.400 clear here, 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:18.619 but from the rest 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:18.960 of Scripture, 00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:19.819 we know Jesus 00:24:19.819 --> 00:24:21.119 was without sin. 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:22.839 Jesus didn't need 00:24:22.839 --> 00:24:23.480 to wash. 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:25.240 Jesus didn't need 00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:25.960 to repent 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:26.759 of sin 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:27.700 because there was 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:28.900 no sin in him 00:24:28.900 --> 00:24:30.259 to repent of. 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:31.819 He did not come 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:32.660 to this baptism 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:33.359 because he, 00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:34.319 like the rest of us, 00:24:34.380 --> 00:24:35.059 needed all this. 00:24:35.339 --> 00:24:36.400 He came uniquely 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:37.380 as the one person 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:37.799 in history 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:39.000 who never needed it. 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:39.680 And yet, 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:41.460 he submitted himself 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:42.400 to this 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:42.880 to say, 00:24:43.340 --> 00:24:44.480 I am identifying 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:45.500 with you. 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:47.840 I am one 00:24:47.840 --> 00:24:48.900 with you. 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:50.680 And this identification 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:51.620 with humanity 00:24:51.620 --> 00:24:52.539 goes further 00:24:52.539 --> 00:24:53.799 because what we see 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:55.100 in verses 12 and 13 00:24:55.100 --> 00:24:56.100 is he's driven out 00:24:56.100 --> 00:24:56.900 into the desert, 00:24:57.299 --> 00:24:58.220 into the wilderness. 00:24:58.740 --> 00:24:59.100 Again, 00:24:59.160 --> 00:24:59.759 if you go back 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:00.200 and you read 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:00.940 the Old Testament, 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:02.279 the desert is always 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:03.480 a place of hardship 00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:04.380 and of trial. 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:05.500 It is a place 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:07.279 where human beings 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:08.740 feel their neediness. 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:09.720 We need food. 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:10.539 We need water. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:11.319 We need shelter. 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:12.559 And we don't get it. 00:25:13.339 --> 00:25:13.680 Right? 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:15.759 And anyone who knows 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:16.319 the history 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:18.640 of the Jewish people 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:19.599 knows that they wandered 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:20.200 in the wilderness 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:21.859 for 40 years. 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:24.319 But part of the thing 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:25.259 that happens also 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:25.799 in the wilderness 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:26.920 is God provides. 00:25:27.460 --> 00:25:28.599 Even as he tests, 00:25:28.700 --> 00:25:29.980 he also provides. 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:32.620 And Mark doesn't tell us 00:25:32.620 --> 00:25:33.319 what happens 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:35.420 like Matthew and Luke 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:36.160 tell us about 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:36.880 the temptation 00:25:36.880 --> 00:25:38.420 and how Satan came 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:39.779 and the particular ways 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:40.840 in which he was tempted 00:25:40.840 --> 00:25:42.460 and the particular ways 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:43.519 in which Jesus responded. 00:25:43.580 --> 00:25:44.259 He doesn't get into 00:25:44.259 --> 00:25:45.380 any of those details 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:48.300 because his point 00:25:48.300 --> 00:25:49.340 is simply to say, 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:51.100 you're identifying with me. 00:25:53.060 --> 00:25:55.400 This is what Jesus is doing. 00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:57.900 He's identifying with us. 00:26:00.040 --> 00:26:00.759 And for those of you 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:01.660 who've been here this summer 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:02.320 as we preach 00:26:02.320 --> 00:26:03.340 through the book of Isaiah, 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:05.200 we know that he submitted 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:06.019 to this part 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:07.380 of being a suffering servant, 00:26:07.559 --> 00:26:09.519 identifying with fallen humanity 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:11.720 because he has a trajectory 00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:12.720 in his life 00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.059 of being the suffering servant 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:16.220 who in the end 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:17.819 would go to the cross 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:18.960 to die for us. 00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:20.960 The suffering servant 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:22.140 who Isaiah told us 00:26:22.140 --> 00:26:23.759 in chapter 53 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:25.140 was pierced 00:26:25.140 --> 00:26:26.500 for our transgressions, 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:27.720 was crushed 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:28.880 for our iniquities. 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:30.120 Upon him 00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:31.200 was a chastisement 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:32.440 that brought us peace. 00:26:32.440 --> 00:26:33.960 And with his wounds 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:35.460 we are healed. 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:37.039 All we like sheep 00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:37.799 have gone astray 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:38.960 and we have turned everyone 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:39.980 to his own way. 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:41.539 But the Lord 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:42.779 has laid on him, 00:26:43.140 --> 00:26:44.160 the suffering servant, 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:46.180 the iniquity of us all. 00:26:47.600 --> 00:26:48.680 And so this Jesus 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:49.960 came to identify 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:51.500 with fallen humanity 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:53.580 so that he could be 00:26:53.580 --> 00:26:55.019 a substitute for us 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:56.700 and achieve our salvation. 00:26:58.059 --> 00:26:59.880 One commentator said this 00:26:59.880 --> 00:27:00.620 about Jesus, 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:02.899 he will don the servant's trowel 00:27:02.899 --> 00:27:04.519 rather than the warrior's sword. 00:27:04.939 --> 00:27:06.579 He will practice sacrifice 00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:07.500 above vengeance. 00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:09.739 He will not inflict suffering 00:27:09.739 --> 00:27:11.539 but suffer himself 00:27:11.539 --> 00:27:13.259 as a ransom for many. 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:17.579 But this story also tells us 00:27:17.579 --> 00:27:19.039 that Jesus is not just 00:27:19.039 --> 00:27:19.839 another human 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.539 but he is also uniquely 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:23.819 and specially 00:27:23.819 --> 00:27:26.099 the Son of God. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:28.959 As Jesus comes out of the water, 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:30.319 the heavens open up, 00:27:30.420 --> 00:27:31.140 they're rent. 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:32.840 And there's this imagery 00:27:32.840 --> 00:27:33.799 reminding us 00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:34.640 of what happens 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:35.360 at the end 00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:36.539 of Jesus' life 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:38.059 when he dies on the cross. 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:39.079 The curtain 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:40.079 in the veil 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:40.779 of the temple 00:27:40.779 --> 00:27:41.460 that kept 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:42.559 the people 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.019 from the glory of God 00:27:44.019 --> 00:27:45.519 because it would break out 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:47.940 and destroy us 00:27:47.940 --> 00:27:49.200 in our imperfection 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:50.140 was rent 00:27:50.140 --> 00:27:51.380 in the same word, 00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:52.340 the same Greek word, 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:52.940 was rent 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:54.240 from top to bottom. 00:27:54.240 --> 00:27:58.039 As the sky is broken 00:27:58.039 --> 00:27:59.299 in this way, 00:27:59.880 --> 00:28:00.099 right, 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:02.079 the spirit comes down 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:03.460 and this voice comes, 00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:05.799 this is my beloved Son 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:09.000 in whom I am well pleased. 00:28:10.420 --> 00:28:11.960 Just as Jesus came 00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:12.460 and said 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:13.640 by his identification 00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:14.460 with humanity, 00:28:14.599 --> 00:28:15.420 I'm a part of you, 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:17.299 God now comes and says, 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:18.720 I am making, 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:20.240 I am letting you know 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:21.620 that he is a part of me. 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:23.179 We together 00:28:23.179 --> 00:28:24.679 are a part of a family, 00:28:24.859 --> 00:28:26.099 a divine family 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:26.959 of God, 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:28.139 of Father, 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:28.599 Son, 00:28:28.679 --> 00:28:29.699 and Holy Spirit. 00:28:30.219 --> 00:28:32.039 We in our Trinity family 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:36.059 are sending this one 00:28:36.059 --> 00:28:37.199 into the world 00:28:37.199 --> 00:28:40.019 for his purposes 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:42.879 so that he might come 00:28:42.879 --> 00:28:43.739 and be the bridge, 00:28:44.199 --> 00:28:44.939 to be the one 00:28:44.939 --> 00:28:46.139 who could rebuild 00:28:46.139 --> 00:28:47.699 a bridge 00:28:47.699 --> 00:28:48.239 between 00:28:48.239 --> 00:28:50.579 that the chasm of sin 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:51.720 had created 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:52.759 between humanity 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:53.519 and God. 00:28:54.139 --> 00:28:55.019 This is what God 00:28:55.019 --> 00:28:56.220 has come to do. 00:28:58.139 --> 00:28:58.919 And so Mark, 00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:00.579 in this incredibly 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:02.319 understated narrative way, 00:29:02.919 --> 00:29:03.699 is teaching us 00:29:03.699 --> 00:29:04.639 about the incarnation, 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:05.939 about the doctrine 00:29:05.939 --> 00:29:06.559 of the Trinity, 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:07.779 about the purposes 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:09.019 of God and salvation, 00:29:10.139 --> 00:29:11.699 about the fulfillment 00:29:11.699 --> 00:29:12.539 of his promises 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:13.759 and his faithfulness. 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:16.220 This is the Jesus 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:17.259 that Mark is holding 00:29:17.259 --> 00:29:18.079 out for us. 00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:18.179 Jesus. 00:29:21.419 --> 00:29:22.460 My family and I 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:23.059 have been watching 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:25.539 the Miss Marvel series 00:29:25.539 --> 00:29:26.259 on Marvel. 00:29:26.919 --> 00:29:28.980 She's a new superhero 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:32.319 and this last episode 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:33.460 that we watched last night, 00:29:33.679 --> 00:29:34.759 one of her best friends 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:35.500 found out 00:29:35.500 --> 00:29:36.659 that she was actually 00:29:36.659 --> 00:29:37.859 a superhero, 00:29:38.019 --> 00:29:39.519 that she had superpowers. 00:29:40.059 --> 00:29:41.299 And she realized 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:42.659 she didn't know her friend 00:29:42.659 --> 00:29:43.839 as well as she thought. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:44.359 In fact, 00:29:44.439 --> 00:29:44.879 she wondered, 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:45.840 do I know anything 00:29:45.840 --> 00:29:46.680 about you at all 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:47.820 because I don't know 00:29:47.820 --> 00:29:49.140 that you're a superhero? 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:51.320 She's actually 00:29:51.320 --> 00:29:52.400 kind of hurt, right? 00:29:52.780 --> 00:29:53.380 It's kind of like 00:29:53.380 --> 00:29:54.320 Ned in Spider-Man. 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:55.160 He like drops 00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:57.900 the Death Star Lego, 00:29:58.140 --> 00:29:58.920 which is really sad, 00:29:58.960 --> 00:29:59.260 by the way. 00:29:59.360 --> 00:30:01.360 But when Ned finds out 00:30:01.360 --> 00:30:02.060 that Peter Parker 00:30:02.060 --> 00:30:03.040 is actually Superman, 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:05.100 this always happens 00:30:05.100 --> 00:30:05.660 with superheroes. 00:30:05.800 --> 00:30:06.860 There's some disclosure 00:30:06.860 --> 00:30:07.800 where people are like, 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:08.680 oh my gosh, 00:30:09.300 --> 00:30:11.100 I thought I knew you 00:30:11.100 --> 00:30:11.640 and I don't know 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:12.580 anything about you 00:30:12.580 --> 00:30:13.300 at all. 00:30:13.299 --> 00:30:15.519 And friends, 00:30:15.639 --> 00:30:16.639 in Mark's beginning 00:30:16.639 --> 00:30:17.440 of this gospel, 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:18.440 this is what he's saying 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:19.000 to us. 00:30:19.419 --> 00:30:20.680 You think you know Jesus, 00:30:21.379 --> 00:30:23.680 but you may not know 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:24.460 Him at all. 00:30:24.859 --> 00:30:25.740 There is so much 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:27.839 for you to see here. 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:31.299 We're doing this series 00:30:31.299 --> 00:30:32.299 so that we can deepen 00:30:32.299 --> 00:30:33.919 and refine 00:30:33.919 --> 00:30:35.119 our understanding 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:36.579 of who Jesus is. 00:30:36.639 --> 00:30:37.220 To see Him 00:30:37.220 --> 00:30:38.419 and all His complexity 00:30:38.419 --> 00:30:40.500 and all His compelling nature 00:30:40.500 --> 00:30:43.259 and all His beautiful actions 00:30:43.259 --> 00:30:45.240 and His heart 00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:46.099 for the world. 00:30:46.980 --> 00:30:47.759 And my prayer 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:49.660 is that as we see Him, 00:30:49.900 --> 00:30:51.160 that we will be surprised. 00:30:52.019 --> 00:30:52.960 That some of our 00:30:52.960 --> 00:30:54.599 comfortable presuppositions 00:30:54.599 --> 00:30:56.720 will be shaken up. 00:30:56.879 --> 00:30:57.980 That some of the ways 00:30:57.980 --> 00:30:59.500 in which we proudly dismiss 00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:00.579 or resist Him 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:02.000 will be challenged. 00:31:02.879 --> 00:31:04.000 And where we have 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:05.279 fuzzy understanding 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:06.240 of who He is, 00:31:06.720 --> 00:31:08.420 that we will gain 00:31:08.420 --> 00:31:10.099 great and brilliant clarity. 00:31:10.099 --> 00:31:11.199 that we will see 00:31:11.199 --> 00:31:12.319 the beauty 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:13.919 and the majesty 00:31:13.919 --> 00:31:15.139 and the wonder 00:31:15.139 --> 00:31:16.019 and the awe 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:18.219 of who Jesus is 00:31:18.219 --> 00:31:19.599 as He's come to earth. 00:31:21.459 --> 00:31:22.480 So I invite you, 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:24.039 come on this journey 00:31:24.039 --> 00:31:24.819 with us. 00:31:26.199 --> 00:31:27.079 One little thing 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:27.559 I'll just say, 00:31:27.659 --> 00:31:28.319 if you want to come 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:28.779 on this journey 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:29.619 in a special way, 00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:30.359 in the back, 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:31.740 there are Scripture journals. 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:33.579 It's the text 00:31:33.579 --> 00:31:34.839 of the Gospel of Mark 00:31:34.839 --> 00:31:35.799 with lots of room 00:31:35.799 --> 00:31:36.559 to take notes. 00:31:37.059 --> 00:31:38.000 So if you want to, 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:38.980 pick those up for $3. 00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:40.420 and if you can't afford $3, 00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:41.519 just let us know 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:42.180 and take it anyway. 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:45.779 But if you want to pick those up 00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:46.779 to help you study 00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:47.519 along with us 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:48.420 with the Gospel Mark 00:31:48.420 --> 00:31:48.940 this fall, 00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:50.160 we'd love for you 00:31:50.160 --> 00:31:50.839 to do that. 00:31:52.839 --> 00:31:53.519 With that, 00:31:53.620 --> 00:31:54.660 let me pray. 00:31:56.700 --> 00:31:57.440 Lord Jesus, 00:31:57.680 --> 00:31:59.339 we come to You 00:31:59.339 --> 00:31:59.880 this morning. 00:32:00.019 --> 00:32:00.779 We confess. 00:32:02.120 --> 00:32:02.559 Lord, 00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:03.740 we confess our need, 00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:05.140 our need to know You 00:32:05.140 --> 00:32:05.660 more. 00:32:06.460 --> 00:32:06.880 Lord, 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:07.980 for the amazing thing 00:32:07.980 --> 00:32:08.480 about You 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:09.380 is that we could 00:32:09.380 --> 00:32:10.200 study You 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:10.920 for a lifetime. 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:11.920 We could study 00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:12.480 Your Word 00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:13.160 and the account 00:32:13.160 --> 00:32:14.880 of who You are 00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:15.799 and what You have done. 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:16.400 And Lord, 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:17.559 yet continue 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:18.680 to grow 00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:20.200 deeper 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:22.240 and with greater clarity 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:24.640 seeing who You are. 00:32:25.740 --> 00:32:26.059 Lord, 00:32:26.099 --> 00:32:26.660 we thank You 00:32:26.660 --> 00:32:27.519 for what we have seen 00:32:27.519 --> 00:32:28.059 this morning. 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:28.660 And we pray 00:32:28.660 --> 00:32:30.000 that we might be encouraged, 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:31.200 Lord, 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:32.460 to long for 00:32:32.460 --> 00:32:33.180 and to pursue 00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:34.000 knowing You more 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:34.559 this fall. 00:32:34.559 --> 00:32:37.519 we pray these things 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:38.339 in Jesus' name. 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:39.419 Amen.