Hatred between Jews and Samaritans was fierce and long-standing. In some ways, it dated all the way back to the days of the patriarchs.
Yet, Jesus, even though He was a Jew, did not see Samaritans that way – Jn 4:3-10. The ruins of the city are located in the Samaria mountains of the West Bank and are under the jurisdiction of the Israel National Parks Authority; it is currently closed to visitors due to the security situation.
A business leader recently wrote a book about urgency, because, he said, most people are complacent and don’t realize it. If anything is going to happen for the better, he wrote, it must be tackled with urgency.
That’s a good way to describe the Gospel of Mark. This book is short and to the point, an approach reflecting the attitude of Rome’s culture.
The Roman world of Mark’s day was focused on getting things done now! So Mark used words like immediately and quickly almost fifty times to describe the urgency and immediacy of Jesus’ mission and message.
Mark had been a teenager in Jerusalem during the ministry of Christ. He was caught up in the events of our Lord’s death and resurrection; and his mother’s home was probably the location of the Upper Room where Jesus met with His disciples and, later, where the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost.
As a young man, Mark faltered on Paul’s first missionary journey, but he later became a respected leader and, according to tradition, a close associate of Simon Peter. His Gospel likely reflects Peter’s action-packed record of Christ’s life.
Mark wrote his Gospel during a time when everything dear was being swept away by marching armies, mindless persecution, injustice, and death.
His Gospel helped the Roman world focus like a laser on the story of Jesus. So it is today. The more chaotic our world, the more urgently we must proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Key Thought:
The Son of God had supreme power, which He used to serve others with urgency and to sacrifice His life for the world.
Key Verses:
“But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk 10:43, 45).
Key Action:
When we become disciples of Jesus Christ, we’re seized with urgency as we serve others and share His Good News with a needy world.