QT 10/9/2023 Mark 1:1-8, Does our pride prevent us from serving?

Mark 1:1–8 (ESV) —

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way,

3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’ ”

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 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. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

 

NOTE: The gospel, to Mark, would not have meant that it was one of four books sharing the life of Jesus from different perspectives, although that is what happened. The gospel was simply the message of Jesus. Mark does not spend time a lot of time setting up the story. It was pretty simple, God said he would send a messenger to prepare the way of the Lord. The messenger was Jesus, not John. And John recognized that the story had little to do with himself. In John's words, "I am not worth to stoop down and untie (his sandals)." That is interesting because Mark's gospel (his historical account) portrays Jesus as a servant (Mk 10:45), and yet John was not worthy to untie the servant's sandals. John was a servant to THE servant, the Son of God.

 

The gospels each emphasize a different picture of Jesus. God used four pictures: King (Matthew), Servant (Mark), Man (Luke), and God (John). An emphasis on "servant" seems the least likely and least important. In many ways, it is the most important. The sin in the garden started because man wanted to be like God. He wanted to rule his own life. And he rebelled against God's rule and has suffered the consequences ever since then. This is an important concept to God, the idea of humility and servant-hood. If the ruler and creator of the entire universe can humble himself and serve the rebels, why do we find it so hard to give up our "rights" (as we call them) and serve others?

 

PONDER:

1. If the one who is "mightier than I (John)" can serve others, why do I struggle?
2. My struggle is pride--the problem that Adam and Eve gave into in the garden. They rebelled against the idea of God ruling, knowing right and wrong, and they wanted to be the ones to determine right and wrong. Do I do the same? Am I willing to submit to God's definition of right and wrong, and not my definition?

 

PRAYER: Father, the world battles against being servants. They do not like your definition of right and wrong. They are anything but humble. Help me to live, accept, and stand up for your definition of right and wrong. Help me to be a servant of you and of others.