#875: Mark 1-2 | Mystery | Psalm 77

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Original airdate: Thursday, September 5, 2019

*** SHOW NOTES (not a transcript) ***

Lead:

Some days you learn that you really didn’t know something like you thought. Today, for me, it was “mystery.”

Intro:

Today I woke up to a really tense dream. And I, like you, I’m sure, have often wondered about dreams and visions and…mysteries. We’ll get to that in a moment.

Welcome! If you’re newer to the show, just a quick reminder about how we do things here — we start with the Bible, a different translation every week, and we use a slightly modified version of The Bible Project’s read-the-Bible-in-a-year plan. But I know you can go anywhere and get “the perfect voice,” and I like to think about this more like you and me having a cup of coffee and just reading and talking about this stuff.

So I usually try to add some definition or exploration of something about theology and apologetics with a bent toward how we engage people, so whether you’re a seeker or believer wanting to go deeper, it’s not a sermon or exposition of the text so much as adding stuff that you probably don’t get on a typical Sunday morning.

Finally, I like to close with a wisdom segment, usually a Psalm. And then try to make that all fit in 22-23 minutes so it fits into your commute or wherever you happen to listen.

Sponsor:

Bible segment (read along with The Bible Project):

Passage: Mark 1-2
Translation: HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 73
Words: ~1544

Thinking/reflection segment:

Mystery: The concept of mystery in scripture is intimately connected with God’s revelation. The biblical idea is different from the primary English sense of mystery or mysterious, which involves something hidden and unknown. In contrast, the biblical concept involves something that was formerly unknown by human beings, but has subsequently been revealed by God to a person or group, though it remains a mystery for others until it is explained.(1)

Mystery: Scripture frequently describes God as one who knows all things, even that which the human mind could never know or finds incomprehensible. Thus he sees the secret intentions of human hearts (Ps. 139:1–4, 23; Matt. 6:4–6; Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 4:5; 14:25; Heb. 4:13), comprehends the seemingly unfathomable mysteries of the universe (Job 38:1–39:30), and, most important, understands the meaning of human history. God understands human history because the events that comprise it correspond with his own intentions: he wills all that happens, and does so to accomplish his own purpose (Dan. 2:37; 5:21; Rom. 11:25–36). People, on the other hand, both because of their sin and because of their human limitations, remain ignorant of God’s purpose when left to their own reckoning (Dan. 2:27, 30; Mark 4:10–12; Luke 19:41–44). God graciously responds to this human inadequacy by revealing his purpose to his people. When God’s purpose is revealed in this way, the Bible frequently refers to it as a “mystery.”(2)

Another aspect of this passage (Mt 13:12-15) lies in the unasked question as to why, if the Messiah has come, evil still persists in the world. The servants in one of the parables wanted to pull up the weeds, symbolizing evil or evil persons, but were told to allow them to grow until the time of harvest, that is, judgment (Mt 13:24–30). The persistence of evil in the world and the way God will eventually deal with it is one of the “mysteries.”(3)

The biblical idea of mystery, then, reminds Christians that God holds the course of human events in his hands and has so shaped them that they work for the salvation of his people. It also demonstrates the graciousness of God in revealing his redemptive purposes to prophets and apostles and, through them, to all who are willing to hear.(4)


Wisdom segment:

Passage: Psalm 77
Translation: HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 20
Words: ~328

Love you!

-R


Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org


Sources and resources:

(1) Michael Scott Robertson, “Mystery,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

(2) Frank Thielman, “Mystery,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, electronic ed., Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 546.

(3) Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Mystery,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1513.

(4) Frank Thielman, 547.