Jesus is tempted in the desert with safety, influence and political power; or, the most common desires of the world. Over the last generation or so, the evangelical church has been more adept at endorsing these dominant desires and is in need of recovering its true form and beauty.
True religion is more than hearing and even more than believing, it is building a life that manifests the character of Jesus.
Our modern Bible was shaped by the Jewish people who were exiled from their homeland in 586 BC by the Babylonian Empire. The cultural trauma of that event influenced the writings that Christians hold dear today. The 586 exile colors all of the Bible, start to finish. The Hebrew authors who wrote the Bible used the exile experience to prophecy of a new king, a king who would deliver them from their occupiers.
What we think is very much a matter of what we wish and seek to think, and what we feel is very much a matter of what we wish and seek to feel. In short, the condition of our mind is very much a matter of the direction in which our will is set.
Mark highlights the growing unrest with the teaching and ministry of Jesus. On one hand his popularity grows and on the other he addresses controversial subjects. Confessing who Jesus is (part 4) does not always mean you will do what he says. The question his disciples must confront is will they follow him when things get hard or even confusing?
Mark begins his narrative by describing who Jesus is, why he came, and what he brought to the world. Jesus’ identity as the son of God makes it even more amazing how compassionate he is to us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a key phrase in understanding Mark’s narrative. His life and ministry (his teaching, healing, and compassion) was and continues to be good news. This good news is hope to the world, especially to those who are hurting, broken, and living amidst chaos and confusion.
