Amazing! No other word says it better! John Newton wrote about “Amazing Grace.” Mark wrote about an amazing man–amazing works and amazing words. Amazing stories!
Who is this amazing man? Who is this “Jesus”? Mark leaves no doubt about his answer: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” With power over evil (unclean spirits), all kinds of diseases, leprosy, paralysis, the Sabbath, even nature–Jesus lives out the claim of Mark 1:1. The disciples marvel as they experience faith and fear (unfaith) side by side: Who is this that even the waves obey his voice?
But the question Mark is most interested in is not “who is Jesus?”, but “who can be a follower of Jesus?” This is the central question of this short gospel. The question resounds across the centuries. It is the question of every human heart that gets a clear view of Jesus. Can I be a follower of Jesus? Will he accept me? To answer the question, Mark fills his gospel with stories of people like us–people whose past is characterized by and even overcome with evil, people who have served in the demonic realm, religious outsiders, people considered unclean, people with doubts, people fearful in the midst of the desire to believe. The outcasts of society can come to Jesus and he will accept them and welcome them–the women, the blind, the children….
All it takes is a commitment to really be a follower! Mark’s third question is a natural follow up: What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? Change, faith, action. Ready, set, go! The good news is that Jesus wants us to become his disciples! We can be like him, which means that we will never be the same again.