God’s Story Is Our Story: From Genesis To Jesusনমুনা

Reflecting on the last week: What is “the gospel”? The New Testament includes many different articulations of the “good news,” but this is the earliest gospel presentation recorded in a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). According to Jesus, the gospel is that God’s kingdom—the kingdom of life, love, justice, mercy and beauty intended in Genesis but thwarted by human rebellion—is scarily close. The reign of God, prophesied in Isaiah 52:7 as “good news,” is just around the corner. God’s mission, explained and expanded upon throughout the whole Old Testament, is finally coming to its fulfillment. Yet, the description of “the gospel” is so brief here that it leaves us wanting more. It makes us ask questions. When will the kingdom get here? Where is it? What will it look like? Who gets in? How do I participate? What does Jesus have to do with it? These are the questions that Mark’s gospel answers. Sometimes he shows the answers through stories. Other times he puts the answers in the mouths of different characters. As we read Mark, we must find our definition of God’s kingdom challenged and redefined by the life and teachings of Jesus. Who gets in? Successful people, right? Powerful people, right? Righteous people, right? Wrong. Jesus receives sinners, the weak and the poor. What does Jesus have to do with it? He’s a great teacher and a prophet right? Wrong. Jesus is that, and so much more. His authority and reign becomes increasingly identical to the Lord’s as Mark goes on. When does the kingdom come? When Rome falls, right? Wrong. The kingdom’s inauguration (and call) is a crucifixion. The power of sacrificial love triumphs not only over Rome but over sin, death and the devil. The Kingdom of God continually redefines our expectations about salvation, power, self-worth, glory and our very identity.