Week 5, January 25–31: Matthew 26–28; Mark 1–16; Exodus 1–3

• Sun      Jan 25 Matt. 26–28
• Mon     Jan 26 Mark 1–3
• Tue      Jan 27 Mark 4–6
• Wed     Jan 28 Mark 7–9
• Thu      Jan 29 Mark 10–12
• Fri        Jan 30 Mark 13–16
• Sat       Jan 31 Exod. 1–3

Last week’s post mentioned the two general purposes for doing a Bible read thru: 1) to meet with God regularly and hear what he has to say, and 2) to cultivate a lifelong habit of growing in familiarity with God’s word. We will come back to the second point later, but let us consider for now the first point and the value of meeting with God and hearing from him regularly.

In John 15, Jesus instructs his followers to abide in him as he abides in us. His word abides in us, and we bear fruit, act as his true followers, and glorify God by abiding in him. Having a plan and setting aside a little time each day to sit and read a few chapters of his word is perhaps the most tangible and practical way to put into practice this instruction from Jesus. It really is pretty simple, but there is no better way to abide in Christ than to read his word.

We have the Holy Spirit in us. God is with us. The very presence of Christ, by his Spirit, is dwelling within us as Christ-followers and among us as his church. That is an astounding benefit of the gospel and the true experience of every follower of Jesus. And the same Spirit that dwells in us is the Spirit who carried along the prophets and apostles in the writing of Scripture (1 Cor. 2:12–13; 2 Pet. 1:21). We are to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17), in our daily battles that are not against flesh and blood. Reading God’s word is a way, the best way, to encounter the God who created all things, who loved us and saved us through his Son, and who is near us and with us.

After finishing Matthew, we move right into the second of the four Gospel accounts, the Gospel of Mark. This coming Sunday will be resuming our sermon series in Mark, which we began last year.

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 advances toward that point at Golgotha more quickly than in the other Gospels. You will 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 the other three Gospels, there are some differences too. Mark is most similar to Matthew and Luke. John’s Gospel tells the same basic story, but in the most distinctive way. As we read the Gospels, it is important to remember that these differences matter. It may seem a bit strange and unnecessary for us to have four separate versions of this same story. But remember, each of the Gospels tells the story a bit differently with different emphases and a distinct message.

If he had thought it best, God could have inspired Scripture to include just one account of these events, perhaps it would have been like a harmonious, chronological mashup of what we have in the four Gospels. But he did not do that. In his infinite wisdom, he chose to include four different versions of the story of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. We do well to pay attention humbly to this.

Mark highlights Jesus’s deeds more than his words. Several of the long speeches or sermons of Jesus that are included in Matthew are missing from Mark. Mark also highlights the mystery of Jesus’s identity. Those who should have understood who he was, do not 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 8:27–33 is a key passage in the book. There, Peter, who represents the disciples, finally gets it, at least partially. In reply to Jesus’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the Christ (the Messiah).” (v. 29) Unfortunately, right after this Peter responds to Jesus in a way that makes it clear he still misses the point. He rebukes Jesus for saying he will soon die (v. 32), and Jesus rebukes him and says, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (v. 33)

Mark’s Gospel ends in basically the same way all four Gospels end. Jesus is risen from the dead, out of the tomb, and he appears to his disciples. As you read through each of these accounts of Jesus’ life, take in the story, resist rushing through what may have read many times before, notice the details, meditate on the wonder of this familiar but amazing story, and let it stir your heart to worship our risen Savior.

We will also begin Exodus at the end of this week. Exodus follows Genesis as the second part of the Pentateuch. As the narrative moves from Genesis to Exodus, the focus shifts from the story of a family to the story of a nation. God has been faithful and fulfilled his promises to bless the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has used difficult circumstances and even sinful acts to accomplish his purposes (see Gen. 50:20). And now, while they are in Egypt, outside the Promised Land, Abraham’s descendants, the family of Jacob, have been fruitful and multiplied and grown into a great nation (Exod. 1:7, 12). God appears to Moses and calls him to lead his people out of slavery. They will leave Egypt to go to the land of Canaan, the land the Lord promised to give to Abraham’s descendants. There will be delays and years of wandering in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land, but God’s mighty act of deliverance from Pharaoh and Egypt is the first step. The early chapters of Exodus set the stage for the exodus from Egypt.

As we read the early chapters of Exodus, it’s important to keep in mind that they are setting the stage not only for what follows in the rest of Exodus, but also for the rest of the Pentateuch, and indeed in the rest of the story of the whole Bible. God’s miraculous deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt is a picture of his deliverance of his people from slavery in sin. The exodus is one of the greatest displays of God’s goodness and love; it is the event that is recalled most often throughout the rest of the Bible.