The Gospel of Mark
Reading Diary A:
Mark 1
In this chapter, John the Baptist encounters Jesus, the son of God. Throughout this first chapter, the reader immediately sees Jesus perform many miracles, such as releasing an evil spirit from a man's body, healing the "sick and demon-possessed" (Mark 1:32 NIV), and making a leper clean. This is a perfect introduction to Jesus's life--it accurately represents the practical servitude he has for his Father in healing His people and spreading His word.
Mark 2
I love the story of Jesus's healing of the paralytic because it is a good message to Christians about having faith in God to do virtually anything. The men in the story are not deterred by a crowd where so "many [are] gathered together, insomuch that there [is] no room to receive them," and have enough diligence to carry their friend on a mat all the way up to the roof, and proceed to cut a hole in the roof, just so they can get their ailing friend in Jesus's presence. And, "when Jesus saw their faith," he healed the man completely so that he could walk out of the house completely healthy. This is an especially good lesson for spiritual leaders: that they may be persistent in serving the Lord and have faith that they can change lives.
The reader consistently sees Jesus leading by example throughout his life. When he is questioned by Pharisees for eating with sinners and tax collectors (who, in those times, were seen on a similar level as sinners), he preaches a message of love and explains that he is in the world to heal the broken, not to save those who are already righteous.
Mark 3
In this chapter, Jesus begins to show his affinity for speaking in parables, or stories used to demonstrate spiritual morals. The reader will see in the next chapter that he uses these copiously to show his followers how to think and behave.
Mark 4
The parables in this chapter speak to all followers of Christ, but some pertain especially to leaders in the church. The story of the sower is an example of this. Jesus states that a leader must spread the word of God extensively, but warns that some preaching will inevitably fall on deaf ears--the lesson here is to be persistent and to spread love, so that no matter how the word is received, they will at least have had the love of God demonstrated for them.
Jesus also tells his followers to be a light in the world (or a "lamp on a stand"). He implores them not to hide their faith, but to spread it to others. He also assures them that if they have an inkling of faith the size of a mustard seed, then God can use them to multiply and do great works.
Mark 5
Jesus as a healer certainly is a convicting thing for anybody to read about! In chapter 5, a demon-possessed man and a woman who had had an illness of the blood for twelve years approached Jesus at a desperate time in their lives. They had great faith, and in the end, Jesus was able to heal them because of this.
Mark 6
This chapter discusses John the Baptist's beheading, then goes on to tell about the miracles that Jesus performed. The reader sees that Jesus, with faith, can multiply five loaves of bread and two fish into a full meal for five thousand men (and, some believe, all the women and children who were with them, totaling about 15,000 people). Jesus's followers also see him walk on water in a storm and are terrified, thinking that he is a ghost, but he calms their fears and then calms the waves and wind. Throughout this book, Jesus tells his followers to have faith, and only then can they do the extraordinary with God's help.
Mark 7
During the time that Jesus lived, the Pharisees were a group of people who believed in God, but some of them did not necessarily believe that Jesus was the son of God. They went through all the motions of loving their Lord, but did this out of fear instead of love for their Father (my campus pastors would call this "head knowledge" instead of "heart knowledge"). Jesus calls them out on this and rebukes them in this chapter.
Mark 8
This chapter is pivotal in Jesus's life. One of the most important things about it is that Jesus predicts his own death towards the end of the chapter--that Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, would betray him. He assures his followers that whoever gives up his own life to pick up Jesus's cross will be rewarded with eternal life in Heaven.
Mark 9
The last part of this chapter is a very convicting passage. Jesus rebukes all sin and encourages those who sin to cut off all temptation in their lives--for example, if a person's hand causes them to sin, then they should cut it off because it would be better to enter Heaven maimed than to go to Hell with both hands. Obviously, with a modern-day interpretation of scripture, He is not necessarily telling people to literally cut off their limbs, but to eliminate the source of sin.
Reading Diary B:
Mark 10
This chapter is a collection of practical teachings by Jesus for everyday life. He discusses divorce, the upbringing of children, and materialism, and how people should act with each of these cases to demonstrate God's glory.
Mark 11
This is also known as Jesus's triumphal entry--when Jesus enters Jerusalem, his disciples go before him and bless his name as he rides a colt, and everyone declares Him to be his Lord. Later on, however, Jesus's authority is questioned as he waits in the temples. He responds that John's baptism was from Heaven, and so He has the authority from Heaven to perform his good acts.
The remainder of this Gospel is an account of Jesus's prediction of his death, the last supper, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. These are quite possibly the most important parts of the Bible for a follower of Christ. In some schools of belief, to be a true Christian, one must proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God and the Lord and Savior. He must declare that Jesus died and, three days later, rose again to join his Father at His right hand in Heaven.
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