Context
We come to the end of the Gospels in today's readings. Matthew's gospel closes with the great commission, our marching orders from the Savior. Mark's story of Jesus closes with a strange verse of that commission, including poisonous snakes and drinking poison. Luke jumps to the story of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven, which is where Luke picks up when he writes his sequel, the Acts of the Apostles.
A note is in order about the textual difficulties about the end of Mark. We already spoke of textual variants when we read John 8, the story of the woman at the well. The earliest manuscripts of the book of Mark end after verse 8 and do not include verses 9-20. Some later manuscripts have verses 9-13 and others include the entire passage. How the original book Mark wrote ended may remain something of a mystery, but it seems likely that it ended in verse 8. On the other hand, everything that is said in verses 9-20 (properly interpreted) is included in other gospels. It is not untrue, it is just not likely that it was part of Mark's gospel.
Devotional - What Gives You the Right?
Sharing the gospel is an aggressive act and there is no way that we can make it anything other than that. Paul talked about the offense of the gospel and if we remove the offense of the gospel we have effectively removed the gospel. Consider these truths:
- You are a sinner.
- You deserve eternal hell.
- There is nothing you can do to change that.
- To be saved, you must repent of your sins, die to self, and give up your life for Christ.
- You must give the reins of your life to Christ - he is the absolute Lord of your life.
- From that point on your life is no longer yours. You have been bought with a price and you are a servant of Christ - a slave of his kingdom purposes.
Well, isn't that special!
No one wants to hear that they are hell-deserving sinners, helpless of saving themselves. We want self-affirmation, not self-denial. This message will never be well received in a sinful world.
What gives us the right to preach such a message? What gives us the right to go up to otherwise happy people and demand that they yield everything to Christ? Where do we get the nerve to tell people that they cannot do what makes them happy, that their choices are sinful, that they must let someone else have control of their lives, that their religion is wrong, that Jesus is the only way? Where do we get the right?
We get the right from Matthew 28:18. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me," Jesus said. By his perfect life, by his willingness to die on the cross for our sins, and by his glorious resurrection, Jesus was given the name above every name, before whom every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
That Jesus, the one who has all authority over the this world, who has the absolute right to rule over everyone and everything in the universe, told us as his disciples to go and make other disciples, to preach the gospel and call people to follow him in faith and obedience.
We have EVERY right! Yes, people are rebellious and refuse to recognize Christ as the rightful ruler of the world, but that doesn't change the fact that he is. He is the Lord of all and the clear title to every heart and every life in this world. We have not only the right but the command to tell every person in this world that Jesus is Lord, that he died for our sins, and that he lives to save to the uttermost those who come to God in faith.
Father, may I never apologize for proclaiming Christ as Lord
Think and Pray
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