Follow: A Word about Words (Mark 4) May 26, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message
Like starving people devouring a surprise meal, Mark’s first readers must have devoured his gospel. Living in the city of Rome and facing persecution, Mark’s first readers must have scoured the pages of this letter, moaning for some morsel of hope.
After all, they were surrounded by people who believed the worst about Christians. Romans accused Christians of being aloof, secretive and responsible for calamities because Christians did not worship the traditional gods.[1] Writing a generation later, a man named Tacitus would describe the situation of Christians in Rome in these words:[2]
Their deaths were made farcical. Dressed in wild animals’ skins, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or crucified, or made into torches to be ignited after dark as substitutes for daylight. Nero provided his Gardens for the spectacle, and exhibited displays in the Circus, at which he mingled in the crowd – or stood in a chariot, dressed as a charioteer. Despite their guilt as Christians, and the ruthless punishment it deserved, the victims were pitied. For it was felt that they were being sacrificed to one man’s brutality rather than to the national interest. (Tacitus)
How could Mark’s readers endure Rome? Perhaps they hoped to find an answer in Mark’s letter.Read More »Follow: A Word about Words (Mark 4) May 26, 2013 – Sunday Morning Message