Like the prophets of old, Jesus possessed authority to speak on behalf of the Divine, but in this case, He was the Divine. He had a greater authority than the Jewish scribes, so they could not conclude that He was simply a good rabbi. He had power over the physical and demonic realm, and they could not conclude that He was simply an earthy king. He is the Sabbath rest foreshadowed from Genesis and in the Law. A rest not captured one day a week or upheld by religious traditions, but a forever rest for the soul!

The way has been prepared by John. Jesus has passed the test of the wilderness, and now he emerges proclaiming that the time has been fulfilled. A massive pivot point has been reached in the story of God which marks a new chapter in redemptive history: the king has arrived with his kingdom. Jesus proclaims the good news and calls people to follow him—to enter life in his kingdom. This comes with great demands, but results in our participation in his mission and our joy.

There is no sanitized hospital delivery room nor even a mention of a dirty stable, just the wilderness. Mark has a point to make as he begins his gospel narrative – The Servant of God has come. He is on a mission to accomplish what those who had gone before Him could not … not Adam in the garden, not Moses on the mountain, nor even Israel in the wilderness. The beginning of the story is all about the beginning of victory over Satan, joy in the Father, and new life in the Spirit. It starts with a bang, so buckle up.

God works where we pursue our joy in Him. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” This is far more than a bumper sticker John Piper made up, it is at the heart of pursuing Christ. We flee “working to achieve” (Pt 1), we “die to self” (Pt 2), and we run to Him with a heart stirred with delight, joy, and pleasure. There He works for our Joy and for His Glory!

God works to bring spiritual life and power where there is first a death. The death of Christ frees us from the natural self-preservation that loves this life and labors to protect ourselves and our comforts. Yet it is in a daily dying that spiritual power is discovered … and where God works!

Our God does not work in ways men can watch and duplicate. He is not merely a great craftsman who has honed His skills. His power is not of this world and His works are not explained by human reason. People need to see power, and they need to know there is more than what they can see. We alone can show then that. Do you believe?

Christ, who alone could have accomplished the mission of the Father, chose a team to walk with in life and ministry. How much more then, did the apostle Paul, and do we today need a community to accomplish the mission of making disciples. The joy outweighs the mess, so jump on in!

Christ is the center of the mystery of God’s plan for redemption. We must be prayerful for His name to be declared and ready to declare His name. It is in our persevering-prayer and wisdom-walking that Christ is honored in our everyday living. Ultimate truth is made clear through the gracious speaking of God’s people.

Christ was a faithful servant of the Father. Though He was the Son, He became a slave to free us from slavery and make us sons. Because of the work of the Suffering Servant who gave Himself to make us sons, we are those most free to serve in every situation under any leader. Therefore, both earthly Christian workers and earthly Christian bosses have been set free to be the greatest servants of all.

In Paul’s treatise on the Christian family, he now addresses parents and children. We see two interrelated commands that produce powerful emotional responses – good or bad. A changed heart changes the manner of a father’s leadership … and that changes the whole family.