This is a continuation from the previous post titled "He was with the wild animals"
Let's return to that one little verse, Mark 1:13
and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tested by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
I tried to show in the previous two blog entries that there are characters in Mark's gospel who represent "Satan" and "wild animals." Now I'd like to show what I think Mark meant by "angels" who "attended him."
Example #1
The Greek word Mark used for "angel" also means "messenger." In the beginning of Mark's book, after introducing Jesus, an angel is immediately introduced:
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger (or "angel") ahead of you, who will prepare your way."
Mark then introduced John the Baptist to the story. I think John is effectively the first example of an "angel" who baptizes and prepares the way for Jesus.
Example #2
Mark 1:29 ... they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
"To wait on them" could also be translated "to attend them". It's the same Greek word as in that one little verse above where the "angels attended him." So, Peter's mother-in-law is another example of an "angel" who attended Jesus.
Example #3 - my favorite example!
Mark 15:40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Cared for his needs = attended him. It's that same Greek word again. So, all along Jesus' journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, the women were with him. The "angels" had followed him and "attended him" just like it says back in that one little verse (1:13).
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At the end of Mark's gospel, the women come to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, only to find that he is not there:
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
THE END.
The women have been told to spread the word of Jesus' resurrection. The women are the angels - the messengers, but they fail to do as they are told. Everyone has abandoned Jesus. There's no one left to tell the good news.
Why does Mark end his story this way? Maybe Mark wants YOU, the reader, to be the messenger? Maybe it's your job to be the angel now?
Perhaps YOU are one of the angels Jesus spoke of when he said:
Mark 13:24 ...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 26 At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
And so, the gospel of Mark begins AND ends with the sending of messengers (angels).
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Now that we've identified some of the "angels" in the gospel of Mark, let's look back with an updated perspective at that one little verse:
Mark 1:13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tested by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Last but not least, in the next blog entry, we will talk about the wilderness! Click here: https://mattandkim17.wixsite.com/matt/post/he-was-in-the-wilderness-forty-days
If you missed the first two blog entries (1. Satan, 2. Beasts) click here: https://mattandkim17.wixsite.com/matt/post/being-tested-by-satan
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