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ELCOME to the Gospel of Mark! Skipping all the preliminaries, Mark jumps right into the ministry of the Savior. By verse 10 of chapter 1 we already have John the Baptist stepping aside and Jesus being anointed by the Spirit at His baptism. By verse 20, Jesus is through with His temptation and is calling His disciples. By verse 30 we are already reading about Jesus being a locally famous miracle worker. And, by the end of the chapter we find Jesus ministering out in the wilderness in order to accommodate the huge crowds that were following Him. So, Mark gives us no genealogy, no Christmas story and almost no introduction. Essentially, Mark presents John's words and Christ's baptism as the only necessary seals of His role as the miracle working Son of God. It is a simpler view of the gospel.
Whatever Mark's objective, it is obvious that He intended to describe the deeds of Christ in order to point us in the right direction. Certainly, Christ's deeds were different than anyone else’s. And Jesus was indeed a doer. He wasn't just a good teacher, a wise guru or an austere presence. He went about doing good things (Acts 10:38). He was definitely a man of action. He didn't just talk about people's problems, He got involved. He didn't just propose possible solutions, He solved problems. He wasn't a theorist or a philosopher, He was a technician; a spiritual mechanic. One could say that Jesus got His hands dirty. He understood His contemporary culture and was involved with His neighbors. His love was evident; His doctrine, practical and effective. His ministry touched people's lives. He cared, and it was obvious.
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