February 28th at 10:45 AM

Join us for our worship service, now meeting virtually. Contact us at staff@gbcbb.org for info on how to join. All are welcome.

Over the past seven Sundays we have been encountering the entirety of Mark’s Gospel through Max Mclean’s dramatic presentation.  One of the goals for doing this has been to hear the scriptures selected for our sermons within their surrounding context.  Due to time constraints last Sunday, we were not able to watch the video.  I encourage you to “catch-up” before Sunday by watching the video here, starting around 23:25 until 37:35.

As we have moved through Mark’s Gospel, something that has struck me is how often the narrator tells us after Jesus does or says something, something like, “And they all were amazed.” Or, “they were filled with wonder and awe.”  As I think about the repetition of such phrases, it seems to me that Mark is preparing his readers, you and me, for something even more amazing.  That something of course is Easter.  It’s the miracle of the cross and resurrection.  It’s the miracle that God changes the world, not through the kind of power we think God would use to change the world, but through the cross.

Another theme throughout Mark’s Gospel is that people misunderstand Jesus.  Jesus’ opponents misunderstand him.  The crowds do not realize who Jesus is.  Even his own disciples misunderstand Jesus.  We encounter one of those times when his disciples misunderstand Jesus in this week’s scripture from Mark 8:14-21.

This passage invites us to ponder whether we understand Jesus?  Sometimes I wonder if Jesus’ followers today really understand who Jesus was and how God’s kingdom was inaugurated.  I often wonder this when we cling to power that is the opposite of how God changed the world, of how the Kingdom of God came near.

As we prepare for worship, let us ponder whether we understand Jesus.