“He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach”.
~ Mark 3:14
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to ask lots of questions? It is good to ask lots of questions. Do you like to learn? It is good to learn. It is good to write down what you learn. It is good to talk about the things that you learn. The Bible was written to tell you what God has done, what He is doing and what He is going to do. The Bible teaches. The books of the Bible have been written differently than all other books. God used guys to write down the words that He breathed on them or that He inspired them to write. When you read the Bible, it is as if God is speaking directly to you. God had some guys – like Paul and Moses, write more than one book that’s included in the Bible. God had some guys – like the major and minor prophets, write down words which warned His specially chosen guys, gals and kids. God had other guys – like Paul and John, write down words which are to encourage the specially elected guys, gals and kids who He has adopted to be His children. The books that Paul and John wrote were written to teach you. God had other guys – like Mark and Luke, record the events that took place in Jesus’ life, in Paul’s life and in the early church. What Mark and Luke wrote will inform you. Your grandpaa calls Mark the midnight reporter. Your grandpaa will tell you someday why he likes to call Mark the midnight reporter. Mark is one of your grandpaa’s favorite Bible characters. Mark is a young guy when you first meet Mark in the Bible. Mark not only wrote the book that goes by his name, Mark is also talked about in one of the books that God had Paul write and in one of the books that God had Peter write. Your grandpaa thinks that guys like Mark are who are missing today in missions. Mark went where things were happening. Mark liked to go to different places. Mark had a very curious spirit. Mark wrote down what he heard and what he saw. Another group of college age young guys and gals in just a few weeks will be here in Guatemala. These college age guys and gals are going to be here for nearly eight weeks. These guys and gals are going to see a lot of Guatemala while they are here. These guys and gals are arriving curious to find out what the country of Guatemala is like and to find out what the guys, gals and kids who are living here are like. These guys and gals on the summer team will do things with kids while they are here – like having daily kids’ happenings. These guys and gals will be asked to write down each day the things they are learning while they are in Guatemala. These guys and gals will take lots of photos to remember their time while they are in Guatemala. Your grandmaa and grandpaa really want young guys and gals to visit countries like Guatemala. Your grandmaa and grandpaa want the young guys and gals to be able to return to their families, friends and churches having gotten to experience what life is like for the guys, gals and kids who live in a country like Guatemala. Your grandmaa and grandpaa also want the young guys and gals to be able to convey when they get back to their families, friends and churches what is taking place in a country like Guatemala. Mark did this in his book and when he traveled from one place to another.
Your grandpaa really enjoys giving devotionals to college age young guys and gals who are visiting another country on a summer team. These young guys and gals are looking for God’s will for their lives. These young guys and gals will listen to God’s voice as He speaks to them while they are in their host country. Your grandpaa’s first devotional for these young guys and gals is always about Mark’s life story. Why do you think that your grandpaa likes Mark so much that in his first devotional he talks about Mark’s life with the young guys and gals who are on a summer team? There are a couple of reasons. Your grandpaa has already given you one reason. The second reason is because a guy or a gal will sometimes cause a problem without meaning to cause a problem. When Mark went along on Paul’s first trip, Mark caused a problem. Your grandpaa someday will tell you about the angst that Mark caused. The important thing to remember about Mark is that he probably knew that he had caused a real mess but in the end per what Paul had scribed in one of his letters, Mark had rebuilt the broken relationship that occurred when Paul had gotten really upset with him. God teaches you through the lives of the men who you find in the Bible.
Mark’s book is not all that hard to read. Mark’s book gets right to the point. Mark 3 is a good example of how Mark gets right to the point on what he wants to say. Mark tells you about a guy with a deformed hand. Jesus healed this guy after Jesus was dared by some Jewish worship officials to do it. Jesus healed the guy on a Sabbath Day to show you that it is okay to help another guy, gal or kid on the Sabbath Day. Mark even says Jesus was angry with the attitude of the sanctimonious guys who told Him that it was wrong what He did when He healed the guy’s badly deformed hand. Mark then talks about what Jesus did with those who were sick and with those who had evil spirits. Would Jesus live forever on planet Earth? Jesus knew that he would not live forever on planet Earth. What did Jesus do? Mark tells you in verse 14 what Jesus did “He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach”. Here is a good time to ask some questions. Why do you think that Jesus appointed or chose twelve guys to be apostles – and not eleven or seven or thirteen or . . .? How did Jesus pick the twelve guys who would become known as apostles? Guys, gals and kids learned from hearing Jesus teach. This is why guys, gals and kids were always following Jesus. Who would teach after Jesus was no longer living on planet Earth? Jesus picked twelve guys to teach them to teach what He taught. Your grandpaa helped start a program that has twelve guys in it. These twelve guys are taught to teach. What do you think that Jesus has chosen you to do?
Mark 3 (44)