Practicing What I Preach

This past Sunday, I finished preaching through the Gospel of Mark at the church I serve. I ended the sermon with a call to reflect on how God has changed us as we have studied this book. I want to practice what I preach and offer you my humble reflection on what God has done in my life through this series.

The title Son of Man has become a precious name to me. In my own personal preaching and conversation about Jesus, this was a name that I rarely used to describe Him. This is interestingly true of the men and women in Mark's Gospel account. Jesus takes that title for Himself as He describes who He is and what He came to do. This name that Jesus places on Himself is one deeply rooted in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Before studying this book, I assumed that the phrase Son of Man was primarily a nod to Jesus' humanity in contrast to the more common title, Son of God. But that is not at all the case. It stems from the promise of a forever King called the Son of Man who is setting up His eternal kingdom in Daniel 7. Jesus' ministry as portrayed in Mark is as one who is establishing His kingdom.

But what has made the title so precious to me is how this King, with all authority given to Him, was patient, gentle, and kind with His people. He was loving to outsiders and did everything He could to serve those in His path through word and deed. He could have come with terrible vengeance and power. He could have overthrown every other earthly king. But instead, our King is known for His mercy and forgiveness. What a marvelous King. What a precious Son of Man. All of this challenges me to lead like Jesus. As a father, patience and gentleness must be what I'm known for by my kids. My aim should be to be a kind and forgiving husband. My pastoral ministry should be marked by a love for outsiders and service through word and deed.

While our Savior goes by many names in Scripture, the title Son of Man has been far underused and appreciated in my own life and ministry. There are many incredible things to glean from the Gospel of Mark. But the highlight for me was seeing the Son of Man for the King He truly is.