Week 11, March 9–15: Numbers 25–36; Mark 1–9; Psalms 23–29

• Sun      Mar 9   Num. 25–27    Ps. 23
• Mon     Mar 10 Num. 28–30    Ps. 24
• Tue      Mar 11 Num. 31–33    Ps. 25
• Wed     Mar 12 Num. 34–36    Ps. 26
• Thu      Mar 13 Mark 1–3         Ps. 27
• Fri        Mar 14 Mark 4–6         Ps. 28
• Sat       Mar 15 Mark 7–9         Ps. 29

This weekly reading set includes parts of three different biblical books. We will finish Numbers then move back to the NT and start reading the Gospel of Mark. We are also continuing in Book I of the Psalms, reading Psalms 23 through 29 this week.

The latter half of Numbers includes the account of a new census for a new generation of Israelites. This second census is recounted in chapter 26, and this time it’s a count of the children of those who came out of Egypt. At this point, almost the full 40 years have passed since the first generation left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, made their way to Mt. Sinai, and eventually failed to trust God when they arrived at the border to the Promise Land (Numbers 13–14). Just as God had said, those from that first generation have all died in the wilderness, all except the two faithful spies, Caleb and Joshua. The Lord is preparing this next generation of Israelites to go into the land their parents failed to enter. Here we also read of Phineas, the new priest who will carry on the priesthood after Aaron is gone (25:10–14). And because Moses will not go into Canaan, Joshua is appointed to succeed him and lead this new generation into the Land (27:13–23).

Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels. It is also the most action packed and fast moving. In all four of the Gospels, the crux of the narrative is Jesus’ death on the cross. In Mark, the plot moves more quickly than in the other Gospels. You’ll probably notice the word “immediately” occurring often throughout Mark, giving the sense that Jesus is moving with a sense of urgency from one miraculous act to another on his way to the cross. While Mark shares a lot of similarities with Matthew (and Luke too), there are some differences too. (John’s Gospel tells the same basic story, but in the most distinctive way.) It is important to remember that these differences matter. Each of the Gospel presentations stands on its own, with different emphases. Inspired Scripture could have included just one account of these events, but in God’s wisdom he chose to include four different versions of the story of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

Mark highlights Jesus’ deeds more than his words. Several of Jesus’ long speeches or sermons that are included in Matthew are missing from Mark. Mark also highlights the mystery of Jesus’ identity. Those who should have understood who he was, don’t get it, at least at first. Instead it is often the ones we might least expect who understand that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son. Mark 8:27–30 is a key passage in the book. There, Peter, who represents the disciples, finally gets it, at least partially. In reply to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the Christ (the Messiah).” Unfortunately, right after this he will show he still misses the point when he rebukes Jesus for saying he will soon die. As you read through these accounts of Jesus’ life, try to just take in the story, let it captivate your mind, and let the wonder of who Christ is stir your heart to worship him.

We are now over two months into this read thru, and I wonder how it’s going for everyone. It is quite likely, I would imagine, that some have kept up and read pretty consistently and some have not. That is ok! Maybe you have fallen behind the scheduled reading, or maybe you’re just joining in and starting now. Here are a few ideas if you are behind a bit or if you are joining in the read thru now.

First, don’t feel guilty. Reading through the Bible like this is not a competition or a way to prove your Christian maturity, either to yourself, to your pastors or fellow Christians, and certainly not to God. As we have been saying, the aim is to grow in a regular habit of reading Scripture. We’re cultivating a practice of spending regular time meeting with God to hear from him through his word, which he’s graciously given us as the main means by which we know him. This is a patient, lifelong journey. It is not just an accomplishment to achieve or an obligation to fulfill. The Lord is gracious and kind, and we can rest in the finished work of Christ. We read the Bible not to gain his favor but out of joy as a response to his love. We read because we desire to know him more.

That is the first and most important thing to keep in mind if you’re not up to date with the reading schedule. With that in mind, there are a couple ways you could get back on the schedule. You could simply jump in at the reading for this week. Just skip what you’ve missed for now, or if you haven’t started yet and are thinking of joining the read thru, just jump in where we are now. This means you will miss some reading this time through, but it also means you can be reading where others at GBC are reading, which is one of the benefits of doing this together as a church. Also, remember, the Bible is meant to be read repeatedly over the course of a lifetime. You can fill in next year what you may have missed this year.

The other option is to try to catch up. You could set aside a larger block of time one day, or maybe an hour or so on a couple days, and settle in and read a larger set of chapters. This in itself can be a really rewarding practice, even if you’re not doing it to catch up on the read thru. It’s a way to resist the relentless pull we probably all feel to hurry up and get things done. True you will be picking up the pace in one sense, but you will be doing so by slowing down and sitting with Scripture for more than just a few minutes.

These are a couple ways to catch up with the reading schedule if you’re behind or just now starting. But again, the main thing is to rejoice in God’s grace in Christ and to read his word because you love him and want to know him.