I am a huge fan of Mark’s gospel. The more I study the book the better I like Mark’s approach. Dispense with the genealogies and theological treatises. WHAM! Here is the good news about Jesus the Messiah!

Mark begins with Isaiah to let the readers know God has been saying this all along. Then, he moves right to John the Baptist. And Mark dives right into his basic theme: The kingdom of God just isn’t what you think it may be.

Where do you go to hear the good news? Jerusalem? Are you kidding?

⁴ John was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. ⁵ Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. ⁶ John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:4-8, CEB)

You need to take three cabs, a train, a mule and then walk the last mile to go hear good news. And when you get there, the man isn’t Joel Osteen! He’s the ANTI-Osteen. He doesn’t smile. His teeth (what he has left) aren’t white. That suit… oh, forget it!

And the man tends to insult you.

And THIS is called the “good news.”

Mark is immediately into his theme of who is “in” and who is “out.”

The gospel reaches the edges. It reaches the margins. And sometimes it doesn’t look pretty but it preaches straight. It hits where it belongs and people understand that. You don’t dress it up, sit it on a silver tray and make it look good for the multiple screens you have in your well-appointed sanctuary.

The gospel is for the edges of our world. No one is outside the power of the Kingdom of God. And that good news will reach to the farthest edges.

You… on the edge… ready to give up… look up. Someone is there. And for you, it’s good news.