September 2015
So what does your surname mean? Perhaps it indicates what an ancestor of
yours did for a living (Smith or Farmer) or where he lived (Wood or Lancaster)
or who his father was (Johnson or
McDonald). But Christ is not a surname
like those; it is a royal title, like Elizabeth ‘Regina’ (or ‘Reg’ as it is
inscribed on the coins in your pocket) which means, of course, ‘Queen’.
The arrival of ‘The Christ’ was eagerly anticipated, an
honest and noble King sent from God who would replace the selfish, unjust and
destructive rule of their average human leader.
At first it did not seem that Jesus of Galilee deserved such a title: he
was born in morally suspect circumstances to an ordinary family, he had no
political or military training and by the age of 30 he was still an
unknown. But Mark begins his account of
Jesus boldly: “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
and very quickly he is showing us how this ‘travelling preacher’ is behaving
like a King with authority.
Jesus commands people to down tools and join him and they
obey him. He confronts the
demon-possessed and the demons obey him.
He goes to those who are sick and dying and the diseases obey him. He proves that he has God’s authority to
forgive sin and, when he and his friends are about to be drowned at sea, he
commands the wind and waves and they obey him too. And all the time people are asking “Who is
this? Who is this who has such authority?”
Peter is the first to dare to speak what others have only wondered, “You
are the Christ”.
When was the last time you read the early pages of one of
the Gospels and asked yourself the question, “Who is this? How do I account for this man?” You must have a Bible on a shelf somewhere
that you can dust off, or perhaps you would like to read with some others in a
small group where questions can be discussed.
If that’s you, let me know and I’ll tell you about a group that you can
join.
Sincerely
Graham Burrows
vicarburtonholme@btinternet.com
