The Gospel Of Mark With Francis Chan: A Video Bible StudySample

Do you ever feel that, by introducing Jesus as an adult without telling of his miraculous birth, Mark skipped a crucial part of Jesus’s story? Without the Nativity, however, we can still see from the opening phrase that the author focuses on the reality that God became a person. Francis, in the video, asks us to “let that sink in. Have you really considered the immensity of that statement—of the event in which God became a man?” He then prays, “Teach us to marvel again, to be fascinated with the Good News of Jesus Christ, that God became a human.”

Mark tosses us into the scene of Jesus’s baptism by John—the event that launched his preaching ministry. Here we see the story from Jesus’s point of view. He’s coming up out of the water, John by his side, when we hear a voice from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son.”

If you’ve grown up in church, thinking of Jesus as the Son of God may not seem so exceptional. It’s just who he is, one of his titles, a way in which we talk about him. All of that is true. But Francis challenges believers to look anew at Jesus—the Son of God who came to earth as a human being. New believers are still in awe of the Incarnation—the idea that God would choose to take on humanity as part of his plan to redeem his people from their sin. Because of his great love for us, the creator of the world, the Son of God, became a man, fully human while still fully God—it’s an incredible mystery. He did this so that he could save us not from socio-economic troubles or military oppression, but from eternal separation from himself.

As we explore the Gospel of Mark, we will find a laser-like focus on the divinity of Jesus. Mark makes no apology for presenting the Son of God to his readers. And Francis reminds us that a man declaring he is God is something we must not ignore or disengage from. It’s huge. This claim should not be underestimated. We must decide if we can accept Jesus as Mark presents him. Is he God? If so, what does that mean for our lives? How will that reality affect our attitude, beliefs, and behaviors? If you’ve been a Christian for a while, have you lost your fascination with Jesus being the Son of God—the creator becoming one of his creatures, the divine becoming fully human?

If you’ve become immune to statements like those, spend time reading this passage in Mark, concentrating on John the Baptist’s words, and the baptism scene itself. How are they unique and incredible? How can you renew your passion and excitement for the Incarnation?