Rack Focus: The Gospel of Mark
2024 comes full-circle with a return to the first gospel.
Rack Focus: Switching to the Gospel of Mark
Hello, Dear Reader!
It’s time to rack focus again and shift to a different part of the Bible for a few weeks before we enter the Advent season, along with movies about hurting your lungs and feelings, killing your boss and spouse, surviving a horror or being killed by one, and gaining audience and market share. Let’s begin now…
We spent first quarter 2024 in the Gospel of Mark with the life of Jesus. We spent second quarter after Easter in Acts of the Apostles. We spent the summer in the Old Testament with 1 and 2 Samuel and the story of King David. And in the fall we went to the Letter of James. Finally, we come full circle and rack focus back to the Gospel of Mark.
For more on why we “rack focus” here and how it works, check out the first Rack Focus post in the archives:
Okay, here’s a paragraph you will either think is an interesting peek behind the curtain or an excellent opportunity to practice scrolling. But let it never be said that I wasn’t a writer who refused his readers context!
The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) typically lists four readings for each Sunday of the year for clergy and worship leaders to select from as they build themes, select hymns, and craft sermons. The list is almost always an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a gospel reading, and an epistle (fancy Bible word for “letter”). We’re closing Year B of the 3-year RCL and this fall I’m pairing R-rated movies with the Gospel of Mark.
About the Gospel of Mark
The 2nd of 27 books in the New Testament, the Gospel of Mark should perhaps be the 1st. It wasn’t the first book of the New Testament written - most letters or epistles like Romans or Philippians were written first - but it is likely the first of the four gospels written. “Gospel” means “good news,” and many modern scholars believe Mark was likely the first written, with Matthew and Luke using it as a source for their writing and that John, well, John did its own thing.
Mark is the shortest of the four gospels, clocking in at 16 chapters. Most of our time here will be in chapter 10, which sees Jesus in a mixture of engaging the people, teaching the people, healing the people, and working things out with the disciples. Many of these stories are back-to-back even, a reminder that these writers often built story upon story for impact more than showing a concern for chronological storytelling.
One of my favorite ways to learn about the Bible for free and from a source I trust is Enter the Bible. This clean and accessible website is curated by staff and faculty of my alma mater, Luther Seminary. Read it for free, create a free account if you want to read it as a “course,” and see where it takes you. Not all theological resources on the Internet are created equal. Shocking, right? Enter the Bible is created and curated by people I trust. Learn more about their approach online.
One of my goals with R-Rated Movie Club is to make the Bible and movies as accessible as possible. You keep reading, I’ll keep writing, and we’ll learn together along the way. I hope you enjoy learning something new from highlights of James and maybe learn about a few new movies along the way.
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About the Movies
Mark demonstrates Jesus in a variety of settings, and the movies are quite the variety, as well. Here’s where we’re headed:
September 22, 2024
Mark 10:2-16 | Jesus welcomes the children.
Thank You for Smoking | The tobacco industry welcomes the children.
September 29, 2024
Mark 10:17-31 | A man does not like what he hears Jesus say to his face.
You Hurt My Feelings | A writer does not like what she hears her husband say behind her back.
October 6, 2024
Mark 10:35-45 | Jesus reminds the disciples it isn’t about who is the greatest.
Horrible Bosses | Nick learns his boss will never appreciate him or his work.
October 13, 2024
Mark 10:46-52 | Many people see with new eyes as Jesus heals a blind man.
Anatomy of a Fall | A woman on trial tries to get people to see her point of view.
October 20, 2024
Mark 12:28-34 | Jesus says living a life of faith all comes down to one thing.
Shaun of the Dead | Shaun says surviving zombies all comes down to one thing.
October 27, 2024
Mark 12:38-44 | The smallest of gifts can have the biggest impact.
JFK | The smallest of gifts can have the biggest impact.
November 3, 2024
Mark 13:1-8 | In a time of distrust, Jesus asks who do you trust?
Bamboozled | In a time of competition for market share, the TV says trust me.
November 10, 2024
John 18:33-37 | Pilate asks Jesus if he’s king. Jesus says, you said it.
Tetris | Nintendo is set to launch Game Boy with Mario. Henk Rogers has a better idea.
How do I choose scripture quotes?
If we go way, way, way back to the beginning with Sunday Matinee #1, you’ll find a succinct explanation of how I pull quotes from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). A lectionary is a tool for preachers and worship leaders to select scripture readings to inspire sermons, liturgy, and music for worship services. There are several lectionaries out there, and while the RCL is far from perfect and not every church follows any lectionary at all, the RCL is also by far the well-known and widely-used.
In the RCL, each Sunday has an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and New Testament epistle reading. The RCL has three annual cycles, Years A, B, and C, and we’re well into Year B, focusing on the Gospel of Mark. This is also a good time to remind readers that the scripture in a Sunday Matinee is posted two weeks prior to its RCL appearance to help R-Rated Movie Club be more helpful for preachers, Bible studies, and people who want to read ahead before their church’s worship service.
For the second year of R-Rated Movie Club, I plan to focus on these RCL texts:
January-March: Mark (New Testament gospel)
March-April: Acts (New Testament history)
May-June: Mark (New Testament gospel)
July-August: 1 Samuel / 2 Samuel (Old Testament history)
August-September: James (New Testament epistle)
October-November: Mark (New testament gospel) ← You are here!
December: Luke (New Testament gospel) RCL Year C begins
I hope to be writing R-Rated Movie Club for a long time and using a variety of scripture readings keeps this project fresh for me, just like using a variety of movies does.
Thanks for reading, sharing, and subscribing. God’s blessings and good movies to you!
Thank you for your support!
In case you need a refresher on what “rack focus” means in the movies, once again here is the amazing video from No Film School about the Rack Focus technique. Know it, love it!