I bet when you say that we’re up to day three for Mark 1:1 alone, you started to wonder about this study. You might even have started to think the Six+ means six plus several lifetimes of studying the Four Gospels. Well, rest assured, we will not do this with most of the verses in the Four Gospels. But, we will do it with some. When we do, there is a reason: We do not want to rush God speaking to us through the verse. We do not want to rush the verse sinking in as deep as possible.
Rushing through the Word of God is wrong. Period. Any questions? We will not shortchange God or the process of Him working in us.
NOTE TO INDIVIDUALS: If I ever rush a verse that speaks to you, then, by all means, stretch that verse out into more days of study on your own.
NOTE TO BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: If you are an individual, working in a Bible study group, and a verse speaks to you more than the allotted time in this “6+ Year Four Gospel Project,” then here’s my suggestion. Add more time of study to your day. Do today’s lesson, as assigned to your group, but also continue studying the verse that spoke to you so much. Sure, it means more work, but is there any such thing as too much time for God or His Word? Really? Really. (This is what I tell myself, at any rate.)
We are doing a third day so I can share more insights of the verse with you. I’ve allowed you to study it on your own without any of my input up until now. After all, I haven’t wanted to influence your study in any way. I wanted you to study it for yourself and form your own conclusions, so that whatever I say will just be bonus material that will get you to think and draw you deeper into the Word and help you live more of a life of Jesus.
I said it earlier, and I still mean it, how I could study this verse alone for days, if not weeks or months. Let me share with you the translations which spoke the most to me. This is where I get really excited. The Word of God is such a precious gem I want to cherish and enjoy as much as possible.
Mark 1:1 / Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
-- HCSB: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Mark 1:1 / GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
-- GW: Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.
Mark 1:1 / Expanded Bible (EXB)
1 This is the beginning of the ·Good News [Gospel] about [of] Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
-- EXB: Scripture taken from The Expanded Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Mark 1:1 / The Message (MSG)
1 1-3 The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
Watch closely: I’m sending my preacher ahead of you;
He’ll make the road smooth for you.
Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
-- MSG: Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
I just shared four different translations or versions of Mark 1:1 with you. Isn’t it astounding how vastly different they are? And, how they aren’t? And, at the same time? This is what gets me thrilled to read and study the Word of God. It makes me soar. How about you?
Does this give you a sampling as to why you should never read or study just one version of the Bible? If you do, you’ll stunt your growth, just like wearing too small of shoes as a child. Studying just one version gives you tunnel vision, whereas studying multiple versions gives you a much broader vision. It’s like the difference between looking at a painting with your nose pressed against it versus taking several steps back and viewing it.
However, that being said, when just reading your Bible, it’s best to just read one version, otherwise you’ll get pulled into looking at many translations. Reading your Bible can be different than just studying it, particularly if you want to read the bible through in a year (or another period of time).
We are not just reading the Bible, though. We’re trying to absorb every minute, microscopic detail, so we can claim it as our own. After all, we want to get as much as possible as we can. So, multiple translations studying is absolutely essential.
The best, most effective, and highest quality craftsman is the one with the tools—and the craftsman knows how to best use these tools. Hence, let me teach you about another tool for your toolbox. It’s called BibleHub.com.
2 Look up your verse or passage from the Bible.
If you look up a passage, it will just give you the Bible. But, you can click on a specific verse from there.
NOTE: It’s the one verse at a time that you gain the most resources. So, even if you are studying a passage, I recommend looking up one verse at a time so you can see all of the resources there.
So, here’s what you do now: There are three search boxes kind of near the center of your screen, or at the very top, there is one big box. If you use the three smaller boxes, use the top box that says Bible and type in Mark 1:1. Otherwise, in the very top of the screen, there is one big and long search field. Type in Mark 1:1. Either way, you’ll get here:
3 Look around on that screen. It’s the everything you need to get the most out of studying the word on that one screen. It’s one-stop shopping, so to speak. There’s so much found here, as a matter of fact, I recommend only using this resource for a while until you’re absolutely familiar and comfortable using it. It gives you everything you need for focus (which is really a word study), cross-references, and numerous commentaries (if you scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “ADDITIONAL COMMENTARIES” link, there are even more.
I think this is by far the best resource for Bible study—and it’s all in one place.
Now, shall we start to use this new resource or tool?
Keep this link open on your internet:
Go ahead and read the verse again.
I don’t know about you, but the phrase “the beginning” sure has me stop. It makes me pause and think of all of the beginnings in my own life. Then, it reminds me of THE beginning, in Genesis 1:1.
Mark 1:1 doesn’t refer to just any beginning, however. Mark 1:1 is the beginning of the promise of eternity for us who believe. It’s the beginning of the life of the gospel, good news, or eternal promise of Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Son of God. (Which also proves the trinity, by the way.)
As we do this “6+ Year Four Gospel Project,” we need to keep asking ourselves these questions in our prayer journals:
Who is Jesus? What did He do, think, feel, say? What does He want us to do, think, feel, say? What does this mean for me and my life? How can I apply these lessons learned, and answers received, to my life? How can all of this help me live a life of Jesus?
CAN YOU IMAGINE LIVING BEFORE JESUS CHRIST DID IN THIS WORLD?
NOTE: Jesus has always been. So, what I refer to in this section is ? His actual 32 years or so, where He lived on this earth.
Can you imagine living in the world before Jesus Christ? And, what about before he was born? Walked on earth? Murdered and crucified? Died? Resurrected? Appeared again thereafter?
If I was born before Jesus, sin would have been a constant concern. Never mind how I know how much I accidentally sin without even realizing now. This would only add to the pressure, if I didn't know about the forgiveness of my sins. Additionally, I tend to sin when I am not paying attention. It takes constant intention and attention. Every hour of every day. Therefore, what a relief it is to know if I slip or miss something, I already have grace.
I have hope. I have forgiveness. I am already living an eternal life. Grace abounds in my life. I know how Jesus lived and what He did. But, oh, how can still learn all of the nuances. I want to do so.
So, no. I cannot imagine living a life pre-Jesus. But, this is something I need to try to do as I go through this "Six Year Gospel Project." The more I try to, the more I'll get out of this study.
Mark 1:1 reminds us there was a time that was the beginning of the gospel, good news, eternal message of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It was the start of when Jesus's ministry began.
This is where we walk into the scene... just before Jesus was even born. Where there were still animal and blood sacrifices made for the atonement and forgiveness of sin. Where behavior, thought, feeling, and intention had to constantly be taken into account.
An animal had to die, blood had to be shed, for the forgiveness of my sins before the final sacrifice made by Jesus Christ.
See. I thank God for that. I'm a mess whenever I see a dead animal on the side of the street. I cannot imagine an animal dying every single time I mess up, which is quite often. Too often.
No, I don't try to ever take grace for granted. I just know I am forgiven, so all I need to do is turnaround and try my best to learn from my mistake.
So, the Four Gospels are about before Jesus, his life, and thereafter. This is what I need to constantly keep in mind.
Prayer journal whatever came to mind as you read that section.
PRAYER JOURNALING SUMMARY
Answer each of these questions about today’s lesson: What jumped out at you? What did you learn? What can you apply to your life? What did you say to God? What did God say to you? What did you learn about Jesus, if anything? Who is Jesus? What did He do, think, feel, say? What does He want us to do, think, feel, say? How can this passage deepen your knowledge of Jesus Christ? What does this mean for me and my life? How can I apply these lessons learned, and answers received, to my life? How can all of this help me live a life of Jesus? Write out a summary prayer.
15 MINUTE STUDY
Look at more references about Mark 1:1, totaling 10 minutes. Then:
PRAYER JOURNALING
Answer each of these questions: What jumped out at you? What did you learn? What can you apply to your life? What did you say to God? What did God say to you? What did you learn about Jesus, if anything? Who is Jesus? What did He do, think, feel, say? What does He want us to do, think, feel, say? How can this passage deepen your knowledge of Jesus Christ? What does this mean for me and my life? How can I apply these lessons learned, and answers received, to my life? How can all of this help me live a life of Jesus? Write out a summary prayer.
30 MINUTE STUDY
Look at more references about Mark 1:1, totaling 10 minutes. Then:
PRAYER JOURNALING
Answer each of these questions: What jumped out at you? What did you learn? What can you apply to your life? What did you say to God? What did God say to you? What did you learn about Jesus, if anything? Who is Jesus? What did He do, think, feel, say? What does He want us to do, think, feel, say? How can this passage deepen your knowledge of Jesus Christ? What does this mean for me and my life? How can I apply these lessons learned, and answers received, to my life? How can all of this help me live a life of Jesus? Write out a summary prayer.
45 MINUTE STUDY
Look at more references about Mark 1:1, totaling 10 minutes. Then:
PRAYER JOURNALING
Answer each of these questions: What jumped out at you? What did you learn? What can you apply to your life? What did you say to God? What did God say to you? What did you learn about Jesus, if anything? Who is Jesus? What did He do, think, feel, say? What does He want us to do, think, feel, say? How can this passage deepen your knowledge of Jesus Christ? What does this mean for me and my life? How can I apply these lessons learned, and answers received, to my life? How can all of this help me live a life of Jesus? Write out a summary prayer.
60+ MINUTE STUDY
Look at more references about Mark 1:1, totaling 10 minutes. Then:
PRAYER JOURNALING
Answer each of these questions: What jumped out at you? What did you learn? What can you apply to your life? What did you say to God? What did God say to you? What did you learn about Jesus, if anything? Who is Jesus? What did He do, think, feel, say? What does He want us to do, think, feel, say? How can this passage deepen your knowledge of Jesus Christ? What does this mean for me and my life? How can I apply these lessons learned, and answers received, to my life? How can all of this help me live a life of Jesus? Write out a summary prayer.
