Willing Servanthood

As our Bible study group dives into a new study this week, you can expect to see some posts about it as I try to process. Writing helps, so bear with me as we take Mark apart.

Mark, the shortest of the gospels, focuses on Jesus' servanthood.  I don’t know about y’all, but most of the time I stink at serving others. I know that it is more my motivation to get started than anything because once I get begin, I usually enjoy serving. Then I don’t know when to quit—the momentum (once finally set in motion) drives me—impels me forward. Ask my husband. We rarely have people over any more, but I love it once it is set in motion. Getting me to move though . . .

The question for me is how to get started. How do I become more motivated to serve--to open my life to others when there's just something in me that is reluctant to engage in beginning (my selfishness more than anything). What is it that stops the motion forward? The what ifs, maybe? What if they reject me? What if I can't finish what I start? What if I am not enough? What if it kills me? (not literally--just exhaustion . . .) What if . . . 

In Mark, we will be looking at what it looks like to serve the way Jesus served. He is the plumb line for servanthood--the suffering servant. Jesus was never inconvenienced to serve. He served when he was tired. He served when resources were limited. He served when the task seemed impossible. He served even when he was reviled, used, mocked, rejected . . . you get the picture.

Since Mark wrote to a Roman audience, there’s no genealogy included because it wasn’t terribly relevant to them or the story like it was to the Jews; the Romans, however,  were very interested in knowing about Jesus. As a result, Mark simply focuses on the character of Jesus and affirms different aspects of his character--that he is Messiah, God’s Son, both God and man, one who can perform amazing miracles. He shows the actions that prove these characteristics.

Ken Baugh, who wrote the intro to Wiersbe’s Mark study says that the three following things draw people to Jesus:

1.     A willingness to help others first

2.     A willingness to meet others’ practical needs

3.     A willingness to give sacrificially to others

Notice that each begins with the word willingness. Will we be willing to help others, meet their needs and give sacrificially? This isn’t easy stuff, but we can’t just avoid it! (Well, we could, but then we wouldn't grow.) 

So this week in Chapter 1, we are focusing on the following aspects:

1.     The immediacy of the gospel (note how often Mark uses the word   

Immediately

2.     The urgency of the call of Christ on His disciples

3.     Jesus’ authority over sickness and demons

4.     The spread of the gospel

5.     The healing of the leper

My prayer is that God will help me learn to be better at serving, and I know that He is faithful--when I ask His will (and I can't doubt that He wants me to be a servant), He will change my heart.