Peter is the apostle we all love—passionate, energetic,
enthusiastic, prone to gaffs, faulty, flawed. One observation sums him up for
me: “Peter is the apostle who never has an unspoken thought.” If it flashes
through his mind, he couldn’t help but say it! As one who frequently gets into
trouble by saying things I shouldn’t, I love that about Peter!
Of course, another reason we love Peter the best is that we
know the most about him. The Gospel writers barely mention many of the
disciples: while a few—Thomas, James, John—show up a bit, Peter engages with
Jesus more often. This allows us to get to know him more than the average
disciple. We get to see his passion, his eagerness, his
mistakes and failures. And, of course, this makes us love him all the more. We
identify with him, he’s like us—excited about our faith yet insufficient to the
task so much of the time.
Biblically, we know of Peter’s work as a fisherman, his
joining Jesus’ band, his presence at the transfiguration, his great profession
of faith, his epic failure in denying the Lord, his gracious restoration by the
risen Christ. So many of the Gospel stories have Peter as an active
participant, or at least in the background. But, as much as we know of him,
there is so very much the Bible does not tell us.
Church history and tradition takes over at this point. We
know from early church sources, that following the resurrection of the Lord,
Peter’s imprisonment and release (Acts 12), he traveled throughout the Roman Empire,
sharing the Gospel of Jesus. His initial focus was with his fellow Jews, but he
quickly learned to spread the Word to the Gentiles as well (Acts 10-11).
Eventually, Peter’s missionary journeys landed him in Rome, the center of
civilization, where in order to communicate the Gospel clearly to the people,
Peter needed assistance. Enter the younger disciple, John Mark. For the latter
part of Peter’s life, Mark served as Peter’s companion and translator. It is
likely that Mark was with Peter when he was swept up in Emperor Nero’s
persecution of Christians in the 60s which ultimately led to Peter’s
crucifixion (upside down at his own request).
So, in his Gospel, Mark recounts the stories of Jesus which
he learned from the Apostle Peter himself. His goal is to communicate the truth
of Christ’s salvation; and Mark does so during a time of suffering, injustice,
and pain. His goal in his writing is not to provide a biography of Jesus, or of
Peter, but to recount those stories that further Jesus’ purpose on this
earth—the salvation of God’s people.
When we read the Gospel according to Mark, we are, in a
sense, reading Peter’s own account of Jesus. While the apostle served as the
primary source of Mark’s Gospel, this book is not about Peter, it’s about
Jesus!
Join us in worship this week as we begin our study of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, according to Peter’s missionary companion, Mark.
Read Mark 1:1-8.
1. What different ways can you understand the opening
line—“the beginning of the gospel…?”
2. How does the quote from Isaiah fit the beginning of the
Gospel well?
3. In verse 4, John is introduced. What three
characteristics of John are mentioned? How might each connect with Isaiah’s
quotation?
4. How do the people respond to John’s message? How is each
response similar to how we are to respond to the Gospel today?
5. Verse 6, the description of John’s clothing and food
seems terribly out of place. Why do you think this material is included? What
is the author trying to indicate about John and/or his message?
6. John is clearly referencing Jesus in verses 7 and 8. What
does his description of Jesus indicate about John’s views? Why is this
important to point out here?
7. John’s baptism is one of water (vs. 8) while Jesus’ is to
be with the Holy Spirit. What do you think John is trying to say about the two
baptisms?
