Mark 1:1-20

“Different strokes for different folks.” That was the saying back in the 60’s. It sounds more dignified to say, The message is eternal thought the medium and the methods change.” In truth the message is eternal but tailoring the message to a particular audience is as old as Bible itself and no where is this more apparent than in the four gospels.

All four gospels tell essentially the same story and many of the same events of the story, but they each have a target audience. Matthew is directed at the Jews. The first gospel takes great pains to point out all that happened “according to the scriptures” and comments a great deal about Jesus’ teachings concerning the “law.”

Some say that Mark was written to the Roman mindset. That is likely true but in fact Roman domination was a fleeting thing. It would only last a few hundred more years; a mere blink in eternity. In the broader scheme of thinks it was written to the Alpha personality. Within a New York minute you are knee deep in action. In the first twenty verses John the Baptist comes and is in prison, Jesus is baptized, Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted by satan, and four disciples are called. All through this book we are going to hear phrases like “at once” and “without delay.”

The message is doesn’t. The method of presenting the message...? There is something for every style and taste.