For
Wednesday,
September 23,
2026:
Mark
1:1a
NLT: “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of
God.”
I
don’t know if anyone notices, but as I assemble these daily
messages,
we
alternate topics
from various
books of the Bible.
Some
are
Gospels,
some are
letters or Epistles, and Acts is the history of the first church.
The
idea is that if you read these messages, you’ll experience a good
cross-section of the Bible.
Today
we add Mark’s Gospel to the mix. It’s thought to be written by
the Jesus loyalist John Mark, as
dictated
by
the
outspoken Simon Peter. I call him “Mr. Impulsive,” as he often
speaks and acts before thinking things through. But Jesus loved
Peter’s
enthusiasm, and he was chosen to lead the emerging church.
Let’s
look at verse 1. Journalism students learn to write
a condensed
version of
a story in its first sentence. It’s
called the “lead.” This
tells the reader what to expect in the remainder of the document.
We’re first told that this is “Good News,” and since it’s
capitalized, we can assume it’s a translation of “Gospel,” a
Holy Book about Jesus
the Nazarene, the earthly son of Mary and Joseph. We
now know that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Moshiach, the one promised in Isaiah.
Turns
out he’s the Son of God, or more accurately, God himself. Let
me explain.
Christians
know God in three different forms: Father God in Heaven, Jesus Son of
God on Earth, and the Holy Spirit, our counselor, advocate
and
helper, here
on
Earth
since Jesus returned
to
the
Father. One
God, three different forms. I heard a pastor call Jesus “God with
skin.” Sounds odd, but kinda makes sense. God in Heaven is a
spirit-being and
needs
no skin, just like the Holy Spirit – no skin, but helps us here
on
Earth. They’re all God, all
of one mind.
If
you’re a curious reader, this “lead” should ignite your
curiosity about (as Paul Harvey would have said) the rest of the
story.
This
wild ride culminates with mankind being the beneficiaries of Jesus’
sacrifice to forgive our sins, making a way for believers to spend
eternity in Father God’s Kingdom. So keep your eyes on heaven, that
prize, that goal, that reward for being faithful!
Pastor
Norton Lawellin
The
Father’s House
Jesus
In the City Fellowship
Truth
& Freedom Church
