Date: July 30, 2023

Bible Text: Mark 4:35-41, Mark 6:45-51, Mark 16:1-8 |

Series:

This week as we continue our Road Trip through the Bible, we come across some postcards from the seaside. The Gospel of Mark is believed to be the first of the four that appear in the Bible. It is shorter and "punchier" than the others, emphasizing the activity of Jesus' ministry. The gospel tries to present Jesus as not only the Messiah but also the Son of God (they weren't necessarily the same thing!). Written to a congregation undergoing hardship, it provides an answer to the question, "What do we do with obstacles and suffering?" The sea in our postcards is a stormy one, but we know a certain someone who can help us in the storm.

 

There is so much material to cover for each of these sermons! It's a lot to take in. What questions do you have after listening to this one? Let us know in the comments below!

A Note from the Preacher

One of the bits I didn't include when talking about the Messianic Jewish community in Rome that Shaia points out (and many other sources attest) is that both Simon Peter and Paul were probably living there at the time of Nero's persecution. Paul had been arrested in Judea and was sent to Rome when he appealed his case to the emperor. He was living in Rome under house arrest, perhaps for several years while awaiting trial. As a Roman citizen, he was entitled to protection from torture and a quick, painless death. Tradition holds that he was beheaded during Nero's persecution, in or around 64 AD. Simon Peter did not share that status and protection of citizenship. The tradition around him is that when the persecution heated up, he fled the city. But along the way, he was met by the Risen Christ, who asked him, "Where are you going?" Simon, recognizing that he was turning his back on Jesus again, returned to Rome, where he was promptly arrested and, according to tradition, crucified upside down, because he didn't count himself worthy to die in the same way Christ had. Peter is believed to have died in 64 AD, but possibly as late at 68 AD.

Here's a link to an interesting scholarly (but easy to read) accounting of the traditions around the martyrdom of these two great apostles: https://bam.sites.uiowa.edu/faq/peter-and-paul-martyrdoms

 

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