Another Point of View - January 9

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 1, 2, 3; PM Psalm 4, 7; Isa. 40:12-23; Eph. 1:1-14; Mark 1:1-13 

The beginning of the Good News as told by Mark begins with a passage from Isaiah and John the Baptist hanging out in the wilderness.  It caught my ears especially this morning because Sunday’s Gospel was the same story but told from Matthew’s point of view.  Matthew’s story came after a long account of Jesus’s genealogy that was not read yesterday. Two stories read back to back, slightly different, from different points of view written to different communities and we have heard them both in 24 hours’ time. 

It is in Matthew’s Gospel that John tries to tell Jesus that Jesus should be the one baptizing him.  Mark’s Gospel this morning adds some important context, but Matthew’s Gospel adds that small little detail that we would have missed if we didn’t have Matthew’s point of view. 

Could this be indicative of the nature of God – that there are some details that we need another point of view to fully understand? The different Gospel narratives together paint a much clearer picture of who God is in Jesus Christ, with no one Gospel claiming an exclusive understanding.  As Christians, we are given all of the texts to read and study together.  We need different points of view together to paint a picture of the greater truth of God’s love and character. 

Maybe this is just how the world works.  Truth is always bigger than our own limited point of view.  If it’s true about God, shouldn’t it be true about everything else?

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  What stories or truths are important to you that might benefit from another point of view or a few more details? 

Daily Challenge:  Reread the story from Mark.  Now read the passage in Matthew’s Gospel here.  What are the major differences that you notice?