SGC, as we’ve noted from Mark’s gospel, Jesus began His public ministry in the region of Galilee preaching the “gospel of God”. Not just any gospel message. But the very gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1; Matthew 4:17,23; Luke 4:43).
Moreover, Mark narrows his recounting of what Jesus was preaching when writing how He, “came into Galilee. . .saying things” about the power and rule of God in and through His personal ministry and preaching (Mark 1:14-15). Including two commands to repent and believe in this gospel of the kingdom. Jesus has absolute authority as the Son of God, in the flesh, to command and rule, as He is working out our salvation.
This is the lens through which we’re to read the rest of Mark’s gospel. For instance, the Son of God has kingdom power over demons (Mark 1:21-28, 34,39), sickness (Mark 1:29-34; 40-45) and nature (4:35-41). Mark wants us picking up on the authority of Jesus and the power of the kingdom of God in and through His person and work.
Beyond this, it becomes inarguably clear that Mark doesn’t want us separating any of this authority from Jesus’ Word. It bears repeating, “Jesus came. . .saying things.” Mark is interested everywhere throughout the warp and woof of His gospel account to reinforce our belief in the gospel of His kingdom. To reinforce our faith in the ruling, saving authority and power of the Word or teaching/preaching of Jesus for the new life He commands to come to life within us. And, among us.
Right out of the gate this is incontrovertibly evident. Peter, Andrew, James and John respond in faith to His word summoning them to follow and obey Him (1:21-28; Luke 5:1-11). Plus, members of synagogues acknowledge his teaching to have authority as he commands unclean spirits (Mark 1:21-28). Shortly thereafter, a leper is healed upon the word of his command as Jesus says, “I will,” heal you, “be clean” (Mark 1:41-42). And who can forget about Jesus calming a storm in Mark 5:35-41. Jesus was personally present, but asleep on the ship. However, the storm wasn’t calmed until he “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace be still!’” The disciples then marvel how the “wind and the sea obey him”
What Jesus says, being the Son of God, has authority and power. And Mark is interested in our believing in the kingdom authority of what Jesus savingly says to us for our lives.
With this in mind, how are we to turn to His revealed and inspired Word for our lives? His authoritative kingdom Word as a ‘rule’ for our lives and belief? Especially when Jesus hasn’t spoken to every detail of every situation and thought we routinely encounter on a day to day basis.
“What Jesus says, being the Son of God, has authority and power. And Mark is interested in our believing in the kingdom authority of what Jesus savingly says to us for our lives.”
Below are three ways we can look to His Word to ascertain how He is ‘saying things’ to us. Or, how he continues speaking to us about our day to day according to His ruling Word of authority and power. His life giving and life transforming Word (John 6:63; 1 Peter 2:2 et al).
Firstly, Jesus has spoken to us by ‘saying things’ to us explicitly throughout His Word
The Word of our Lord Jesus speaks to us rather directly throughout the whole compass of His revealed Word. What He says explicitly to us are His commands, instruction, guidance and council for life. His authoritative Word for us to follow. Such explicit ‘saying things’ are those things that are direct and clearly obvious in their meaning. Much like He explicitly commands Simon, Andrew, James and John to “Follow me” in a new direction and orientation for their lives (Mark 1:16-20). This was direct and obvious. For you theology bobble heads, this is known as God’s preceptive will or God’s revealed will explicitly commanded in Scripture. His will of desire as Kevin DeYoung puts it (Just Do Something; A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will).
The direct and explicit sayings of Jesus throughout His Word -the Bible- are meant to re-orient our lives, thinking, decisions, priorities, passions, concerns, schedules, emotions, hopes, so forth and so on.
This is precisely why the apostle Paul writes a young pastoral emissary in Ephesus, saying, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. . .” (2 timothy 3:16); while shortly thereafter, charging Timothy to, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
Jesus explicitly ‘says things’ to us via His revealed Word in all of these ways for the whole of our lives.
For instance, the explicit word of Jesus for us in Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…”. Meaning, we are to get to know and personally ensure we become familiar with and serve those among the church we aren’t as well acquainted over and against those we already well know. This is Jesus explicitly ‘saying things’ to us about who to befriend and reach out to. Our response to this, in faith, isn’t to say I can’t because this isn’t my personality or strong suite. Or to say others are more gifted. This would be our ‘saying things’ rather than following what Jesus is explicitly ‘saying’ to us.
Additionally, the explicit word of Jesus for us in James 1:27 is ‘saying things’ to us about, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. . .” We are to visit with and minister to orphans and widows because the Word of our Lord, Jesus Christ, explicitly ‘saying things’ to us about pure religious expression actively doing so.
As a complimentary aside to this, are there explicit exceptions or qualifications in relation to how we understand widows? Yes. We find Jesus ‘saying things’ to us and for us in 1 Timothy 5:1-16.
The explicit Word of Jesus throughout the Bible is ‘saying things’ to us in such direct and inarguable ways as this.
“Jesus explicitly ‘says things’ to us via His revealed Word in all of these ways for the whole of our lives.”
Secondly, Jesus has spoken to us by ‘saying things’ to us implicitly throughout His word
The Word of our Lord is also ‘saying things’ to us that aren’t as clearly or directly defined throughout the whole compass of His revealed Word (the Bible). Often, His ‘saying things’ is more indirect, or better, generally implicit, rather than obviously explicit, as accented above.
What I mean is, there are things about our lives God’s Word doesn’t spell out so directly or ‘technically’ like an IKEA instructional manual. Rather, His Word for our lives often presents like a word search, so called. A word search presents us with a hodge podge of letters with a word bank that involves us actively seeking out the words in the word bank among the hodge podge of grouped together letters in order to locate the words in the word bank. In other words, the generally implicit Word of Jesus ‘saying things’ to us throughout the Bible also involves us searching His Word for a consistent and coherent Word or guide for the word bank of our lives.
Conversely, Jesus doesn’t want us to merely follow His Word for us an impersonal and instructional manual for our lives life a Google search. He want’s us personally pursuing Him and seeking out His word for life. He wants us going to His Word with questions, confusions, misunderstandings and the like, as a means for us to grow in our dialogue and conversation with Him. As we’re sorting through marital categories, financial priorities, relational dynamics, emotional compartments, unjust experiences, breakthrough progressions, so forth and so on.
What Jesus is ‘saying’ implicitly throughout His Word is meant to embolden us to more actively search for His will and purposes for our lives. To more actively seek out His will for discernment and understanding about our lives and how He would have us live by faith; in obedience to His Word, which is, “life and spirit” (John 6:63).
Much like the disciples interact with him about how to pray. They generally (implicitly) observe Him praying in Luke 11:1-4. He isn’t directly commanding them or explicitly directing them to pray in any certain manner, as in Matthew 26:38-41. However, they generally observe him doing so, and seek Jesus out to for Him to ‘say things’ to them about how to pray.
This being said, how are we to interact with the implicit Word of Jesus for our lives? Well, by way of actively turning to and listening to his revealed Word in general. And, actively searching His Word, asking for His Word for your life.
The implicit Word of Jesus ‘saying things’ to us, engages us to delve into the whole compass of His Word as a means of guidance and instruction for our lives as we proactively strive to discern what His Word is ‘saying’ about our life and how His Word instructs us for life.
To be more on the nose, Jesus implicitly ‘saying things’ to us throughout His Word, relates to how the less obvious or direct commands, instruction and guidance of His word for our lives, speaks into our lives as we search and seek His word for our lives. It involves us searching and hearing how our questions, appertaining to His will and word for our Iives and situations, are resolved by means of discerning and hearing a consistent theme or cohesive motif throughout God’s word, that speaks, generally, into any given situation, decision or judgement that His Word doesn’t explicitly speak to.
“Jesus implicitly ‘saying things’ to us throughout His Word, relates to how the less obvious or direct commands, instruction and guidance of His word for our lives, speaks into our lives as we search and seek His word for our lives.”
He speaks to us implicitly, as we’re searching His Word, through a cumulative testimony in general. What this means is, gather from how He’s ‘saying things’ to you, about your personal direction and faith, from the interrelated and consistent themes and principles among God’s Word that prove to be consistent and speak harmoniously into the decisions, judgments and occasions you’re sorting through.
This is how the writer of Hebrews aims to encourage and instruct our faith. Throughout Hebrews 11, the author provides us with a general unified panoramic sampling of Old Testament persons who lived by faith as a means to encourage his readers -and us- to live by faith ourselves (Hebrews 12:1). This general list of folk and their lives in general implicitly serve as Jesus ‘saying things’ to us about how we are to live by faith.
Thirdly, Jesus has spoken to us by ‘saying things’ to us perspicaciously throughout His Word
With the above being said, there is an order and priority, or progression as we’re sorting through Jesus ‘saying things’ to us throughout His revealed Word. The aforementioned points supersede this particular point in biblical validity, priority, superiority and reliability, as we discern how God is ‘saying things’ to us germane to our lives, our beliefs, our attitudes, or relationships, our romances, and our worship in following HIm.
Nevertheless, what Jesus says to us about our lives is also perspicaciously ascertained or gathered from a collective council of wisdom gathered and gained from those among your faith community who are also searching and familiarizing themselves with what ‘things’ Jesus is ‘saying’. Not to mention perspicaciously observing the experience of those around us as they’re actively aiming to perspicaciously discern what Jesus is ‘saying’ for them in their experiences and scenarios.
Isn’t this what Solomon, more or less, is sharing with his son in Proverbs 3:5-8, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
But how?! We don’t find explicit instruction germane to how we go about doing this. Well, the whole of Proverbs 3 and surrounding chapters speak perspicaciously to how we are to live by faith in these verses. We are to search out and familiarize ourselves with God’s whole Word to discern the internally consistent wisdom of Jesus ‘saying things’ to us about life, by way of surrounding ourselves with those familiar with God’s Word, those who have experienced similar experiences before us, those who are in authority (such as parents, teachers, grandparents, friends who have walked through similar situations following Jesus, and so on) and those who will be impartial and objective listeners and guidance providers as we’re aiming to align our lives with the life giving truths of God’s Word.
The general wisdom of Proverbs particularly speaks to this. While the Proverbs aren’t meant to be taken as absolutist truths that always produce an equivalent outcome, they do serve as reliable guides of wise principles to guide us throughout life. (Proverbs 1:1-6; 8-9; 11:4; 18:1-2,5; 19:20; 20:10,18,23; 24:6; et al).
SGC, Jesus says things to us as we perspicaciously search out the perspicacity of others He is ‘saying things’ to. Isn’t this also what Paul is touching on in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, 18-23?! We have a community of faith that sows and waters into our faith (1 Corinthians 3:7-18). And, God grows our faith and understanding as we perspicaciously go about doing so.
You and I need a community of believers, outside of ourselves, to help us and serve us as we’re sorting through the categories and experiences of life. I’m learning this and realizing this afresh with my wife of 21 years. She has recently reminded me, of late and recent, as we’re sorting through some personal differences, I haven’t heard and understood her well enough, in some areas, so as to care for her as she needs. . .and, as I want to. We recently had dialogue with treasured friends who have perspicaciously shared wisdom and perspective that has helped us.
This is ultimately the wisdom of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He brings us into the company of the church as a means to grow us in love and understanding, as we’re sorting through the faith (Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12:3-8;). He has saved us into a community of believers to be disciples by them (Matthew 28).
What wonderful love He has shown us by ‘saying things’ to us through and by the aforementioned means. Thank you, Jesus!
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