Instagram Jesus Week 3: Devotional Day 1
DAY 1 – Monday
Daily devotional
Read
Mark 8:29-33
Ask
What does the Gospel of Mark teach us about Jesus as Messiah / Man / Son of God? If you have a study Bible, you might find it helpful to read about each of these themes. If you don’t have one, skim through your Bible, highlighting these titles of Jesus as they come up in Mark’s Gospel.
Reflect
Who is Jesus? This question is at the heart of the Gospel of Mark. Those who encounter Jesus as he goes from town to town teaching with authority, healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the thousands, and quieting storms, are constantly confronted with the question, who is this guy?
Just like how we use our roles and relationships to define ourselves, so also Jesus uses such titles to define himself. Three of the key titles that appear in the Gospel of Mark are Messiah (translated Christ), Man, and Son of God. These titles, especially Messiah and Son of God, are unique to Jesus.
While the titles are unique to Jesus, they were well-known before Jesus began his ministry as described in Mark. For example, Jeremiah 23:5-6 describes the coming Messiah as the one who “shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely” (ESV). When Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, he probably has this powerful, conquering king image in mind. At face-value for Peter, this is who the Messiah is.
Have you ever been quick to make an assumption about someone based on their title? Have you expected them to behave a certain way and then they do the unexpected? That is where Peter was when he declared Jesus was the Messiah. He was correct in regards to the title, yet his assumptions about what it meant were not quite right. Jesus is Messiah, he would indeed execute justice and righteousness, save Judah and Israel, yet he would do it through his suffering (for more on this, take a look at Isaiah 53).
As you read through the Gospel, watch for these titles (Messiah, Man, Son of God) and pay attention to how Jesus defines them.