Today is the first day of the Tattoo Church Bible Reading Plan so here we go.
Today’s reading is Mark 1. Here are a few notes and something to think about:
- Mark opens up with telling us that come guy named Isaiah wrote about Jesus. At first we could read right past this but let’s take a second and consider what this means. Isaiah was called a “prophet” which means he was someone who spoke for God. Isaiah wrote about Jesus nearly 700 years before Jesus was even born! That’s . . . very interesting. Don’t you think?
- Then there’s this guy John the Baptist; who was kinda crazy sounding right? First, he was not a Baptist in the sense of being a member of a denomination of Christianity. His name could be better said as John the baptizer. But he wore camel hair clothes and ate bugs! The funny thing is he was Jesus’ cousin. Man talk about having weird family stories. I think Jesus would've had us all topped!
- Verse 10 starts talking about something called “the Spirit” which sounds kind of spooky but it’s actually God. The Bible tells us that God exists in three separate persons; God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To be honest it is a bit difficult to understand but who wants to serve a God they can completely understand. I mean if there really is a God, then there should be things about him that we don’t fully get.
- In Mark 1 we see Jesus being baptized by his cousin John. In case you’re wondering what being “baptized” means: it’s what someone does when they decide to follow Jesus. It’s when they get lowered under water and brought back up. It’s a symbol of dying and coming alive again to a fresh start in life . . . and who doesn’t need that sometimes?
- In verse 14 we read that John, Jesus’ cousin, gets thrown in prison by King Herod (you will read more of him later).
- Next we get a front seat as Jesus calls the first men to follow him. Then Jesus takes his four new followers (also called disciples) to a synagogue (kind of like a church) and Jesus starts teaching people. The Bible tells us the people were all amazed at how Jesus spoke with authority! Then Jesus starts healing people, lots of people.
Did you notice who Jesus called to follow him? Just normal guys. They were just fishermen. They were normal guys who worked their craft everyday; a lot like a tattooer. Just normal people who worked with their hands. Did you notice that when Jesus told Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew to follow him they immediately dropped their nets and followed him. Then just a little further down the beach James and John left their dad on the boat and followed Jesus when they were called. So does that mean Jesus was the first guy to say, “I like to take long walks on the beach?” Maybe.
What was it about Jesus that inspired such immediate obedience from these men? What was it about him that caused you to follow him? Or what is it that is keeping you from following him? Did you notice how when Jesus started talking to people everyone was captivated by his authority and later he demonstrates this authority when he starts healing all kinds of people. Jesus is always drawn to the pain of people and he always desires to bring healing to our lives. Some of you may be having a difficult time even believing Jesus is who he claimed to be, God in human form. The cool thing is God welcomes our questions and doubts. There’s also plenty of real evidence to support the Bible and what it says. I’d love a chance to talk with you about it if you want. Email me Tommy@tattoochurch.com