Why read the gospel?

A story: Once upon a time…
Two questions: Who is Jesus? What has he got to do with me?

Context - recent interests in Jesus: “Da Vinci Code”, “Passion of Christ”, “Jesus Tomb”, “Gospel of Thomas”

Being a disciple: Rabbinic discipleship model: imitate your teacher

Why according to Mark (kata markon)?

Mark is the shortest gospel, also the most condensed. Let make out life easier by starting small. Mark is almost half the length of Luke, 40 percent of Matthew and a full 200 verses or 25 percent shorter than John.

It is likely the earliest. Meaning Mark actually started a new genre known as “Gospel”. Later gospels may have added to the form but reading Mark may show us what the most essential elements of the gospel are.

“If Mark is indeed the first Gospel, it merits the most careful consideration. Its author introduced to the Roman world a type of popular literature previously unknown. The form of the Gospel appears to have been shaped by the mission proclamation of the early Christian community. Here for the first time the words and deeds of Jesus were remembered and proclaimed in a written form. It is therefore appropriate to label Mark a witness document that found its creative impulse in the early apostolic preaching of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is intended to be neither a formal historical treatise nor a biography of Jesus, but proclamation. The evangelist's intention is grasped when the opening line of the Gospel is paraphrased, "The beginning of the preaching of the joyful tidings." What follows is an historical narrative oriented around a crisis - the death of Jesus the Messiah. There are valid reasons for believing that the Gospel was written for people who themselves confronted a crisis not dissimilar to the one faced by Jesus.”
William L. Lane, “The Gospel according to Mark, the English text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes”, NICNT, Eerdmans 1974. (p1)

Why Reading?
Reading is an inclusive act. Everyone can read or be read to.
Let start reading and let our reading inform our living and let our living inform our reading. Read as if our lives depend on it. Read because we must and let start now.

Why together?
Reading the scripture is a community activity.

Why slowly?
“But perhaps the best reason is the most obvious: reading in the original languages slows us down, and reading the text more slowly down is essential for learning to love the Bible.” (Ellen Davies)

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
Gospel

What is the good news?
“Christianity is about something that happened.” (NT wright)
The Hebrew background (Messiah)
The Roman background (The Royal announcement)
Scope-Relevance-Surprise

Jesus Christ
Christ is not Jesus last name, it is a title.
Jesus is about history, the one who walked this earth and died and resurrected.
Christ is about interpretation of that historic event.
“Who is Jesus?” and “What has he got to do with me?”
“What is my place in the story?”