Over the years I’ve read verses in the Bible that I just don’t get.  That’s always going to be the case.  Some things in the Bible are just going to be a mystery.  The Bible even says that.

Deuteronomy 29:29 CSB
[29] The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

There are hidden things that we’re just not going to know.  I admit, in my sin, that isn’t to my liking.  I mean really? 

Enquiring minds want to know!

The reality though is that we often can’t figure out what has been revealed to us.  Why is that?  Well not to put too fine a point on it.

We’re lazy!

My pastor said recently in a sermon that we have no excuse, given today’s technology and wide variety of available resources not to study and research what we read in the Bible.  He’s absolutely right.

To that point I came across a great example of how a little research can change the way we read the Bible. 

Currently in my personal study I’ve begun going through Mark.  Mark 1:1 made my pastor’s point in my mind and I want to share with you how I was able to bring about a deeper understanding.

Mark 1:1 CSB
[1] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Now I’ve read that verse probably hundreds of times over the years.  Mark doesn’t start off his gospel like the others, Matthew, Luke, and John.  Or does he?  Let’s have a look.

Matthew 1:1 CSB
[1] An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Matthew opens with genealogy.  This is where Jesus Christ came from.

Luke 1:1-4 CSB
[1] Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, [2] just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. [3] So it also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, [4] so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

Luke opens with an explanation of why he’s writing.

John 1:1-5 CSB
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men. [5] That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

John?  Well, he opens with power.  Pointing out exactly what he’s about to tell us.

Now I get it.  You’re saying Colby, why is that so important?  So they all start differently.  Well it’s important because the way you read from the start will dictate how you perceive what is written.

Mark starts by telling us what and who he’s writing about.  Look again.

Mark 1:1 CSB
[1] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

If we’re not careful we can miss a few things here that will change the gravity with which we read Mark.

The first thing I noticed is that all of the other gospels start in different spots of history. 

Matthew by pointing to the lineage of Jesus.  Displaying how Jesus can be Messiah and much more.

Luke by stating the confidence that his audience can have in his investigation of the eyewitness accounts.

And John by saying,  hey guys,

We’re dealing with God here!

John can be a little intense.

Mark though he’s a little more subdued, right?  Wrong.

I used to think that the opening of Mark was simply a statement of where he was going with his writing.  I thought that Mark just jumped right into a narrative.  That was until I studied both sides of the comma in verse 1.  This is where I realized how differently I would read Mark’s gospel from now on.

The first two words “The beginning”.  If we’re not careful we will miss the real meaning here.  This is where being lazy will get us.  I realized that John and Matthew both address beginnings.  Matthew indirectly and John very directly.  I realized a similar language in Mark and John.  That’s why I know I need to read the Bible.  So that those realizations can happen.  The word beginning appears in both right off the bat.   So I went to the Internet and found an interlinear Bible.  An interlinear Bible is a Bible that shows you the original language and the English so that you can see how it was translated or interpreted.  In this case the word was Greek in Mark and sure enough it was the same word used in John.  Now what did that tell me?

John’s very forceful opening points directly to Genesis 1, the very beginning.  I believe wholeheartedly that Mark while not as directly had the same intentions.  That’s because the next part of his opening hit me like a lead weight between the eyes.

When I study I will read several chapters fairly quickly.  Then I will go back a dig deeper.  In Mark chapter 5 we see Jesus meet a demon possessed man.  The demon says the following.

Mark 5:7 CSB
[7] And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!”

It dawned on me that Mark wasn’t so subtle after all and that I needed to reread everything in a new light.  If we’re not careful we will miss that Mark is claiming the deity of Jesus right from the start by pointing to creation using words coupled with both the Title, the full name and relationship of Jesus to God the father.  Mark didn’t just start with words to kick off a story.  He started by pointing to God in the flesh by stating Jesus Christ, the Son (capital S) of God.  I used to think of the word Christ as a title but now I realize that it is also a name.  Designating the Word, the Son of God, the Son of the Most High God.

I hope that helps you read the Bible differently.  I’m forever changed.  I’m striving to not be lazy.

Love in Christ,

Colby