The Way of the Lord

Mark 6:1-8:21

The Gospel of Mark has much to say about the way we live our lives. Mark, at the outset, writes of "the way of the Lord," which is the way of Jesus. In one sense, the way of the Lord is literal: Mark depicts Jesus' journey from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem in the south. Far more significant are why Jesus takes the journey, how he goes about it, and what he accomplishes. By depicting a literal journey as the setting for the way of Jesus, Mark invites us to join Jesus on the road from popularity in Galilee to crucifixion in Jerusalem. We learn the way of the Lord by walking with Jesus. The Gospel of Mark, then, inspires us, as individuals and as a church, to follow Jesus wherever he leads.

This Week:

Building a New World

Mark 6:1-13

In this passage, Jesus is rejected by his hometown, but he sends his disciples out with his authority, and they preach, cast out demons, and heal the sick. We discover that meeting Jesus again involves embracing his mission, which is to build a new world by announcing the presence of God's healing, loving rule in the person of Jesus Christ, and applying his rule in practical ways to the pain of the world.