The Gospel of Mark (NRSV)

THE GOSPEL OF MARK


I have made available here, the location of the entire text of the Gospel of Mark which we will be studying. It is the shortest of the four Gospels and moves quickly through Jesus ministry. It does not contain a birth narrative. Jesus appears fully grown at the River Jordan seeking baptism at the hands of John the Baptist as the Gospel opens.

I recommend that you take the following actions to begin your study of this most powerful Gospel:

1. Copy the entire Gospel into a Word document format so that you can have it in a form that allows you to write your own notes about the text or questions you might have as you read it. This also allows you to have your own copy of the text to carry with you and to mark up as you see fit.

2. Begin reading the first chapter of the Gospel. Do not rush through this chapter. Read and re-read it. As you read, pay attention to things in the text that trouble you, amuse you, anger you, frighten you, confuse you, or make you want to read more or put the whole thing down and forget it altogether. The Gospel is intended to move you emotionally and to stir up the many feelings that are described above. Jesus' own disciples moved towards him and away from him during their time with him. Their final day with Jesus, they all left him.

3. Post comments about first chapter on this blog. You can do this anonymously or use your own true identity.

4. Pick a verse or two from the first chapter that you would like to memorize and make it part of your daily prayer life. Make a copy of these verses and carry them with you in your pocket, purse, or wallet. Make an effort to pull the verses out and repeat them over and over again until they are part of your memory. Post these verses on the blog under this entry.

Here is an example of a verse from Chapter One:


9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Why do this, you may ask.

To be a baptized and confirmed Christian means that we desire to be formed by the Gospel message. Formation happens as we embrace the message by memorizing verses that get our attention as we read; allowing the text to raise questions, hopes, doubts, fears, and love in our hearts and minds.

The message of the Gospel enters our souls as we repeat prayers, passages of scripture, hymns, and practice other forms of meditation. We come together each week to hear and receive the Word of God. We repeatedly put these words on our lips so that they can move to our minds on the way to our hearts. It is in the heart that we are truly and deeply formed by the Word, but it can not get into our hearts if it is not first on our lips and in our minds.

5. The formation of the heart changes the way we think, speak, and act towards ourselves, God, and others.

What changes might you expect to see in your life as a result of this time of study? Everyone is formed by some "word." What we will discover is how profoundly we have been already formed by a word or set of beliefs. These words and beliefs determine how we relate to one another.

As you read the Gospel of Mark, you will tend to read it and understand it according the beliefs you bring to the reading. These beliefs may be your best understanding of what you believe to be the Christian faith or they may be your sense of things you have learned from parents, teachers, the media, or other influences in our world.

6. Be prepared to have your ideas and beliefs challenged and changed.

God's Peace in the Word Made Flesh,
Bob+