For this week's Bible Challenge we have most of the Gospel of Mark - the first 12 chapters.
A couple of things to notice about the Gospel of Mark - first of all there is no Nativity story in Mark - he doesn't think how Jesus was born was important - Mark jumps right in with John the Baptist, Jesus' Baptism and the temptation in the wilderness - but even those stories are prelude to what is important to Mark, the works and teaching of Jesus.
So in these chapters we see Jesus healing and preaching and teaching - the Jesus we see in Mark has three major points:
1. God means it when he says love your neighbor as yourself - these things that distract you are getting in the way
2. Get out there and tell people that God loves them and wants them to love others i.e. stop hiding you lamp under a bushel
3. And oh, by the way, don't expect it to be easy, expect to be persecuted and for people to be mad at you - keep watching God is coming
Mark races through Jesus' life and ministry and keeps coming back to these points - not a bad summery of the Gospel actually.
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