There’s no doubt about it – Christians believe the strangest message. It’s a message that is ‘a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles’. What’s the message? ‘We preach Christ crucified’ (1 Cor 1:23). That might be a familiar phrase, but think about that clash. It’s like saying we trust the Queen and her hanged. Or we tell everyone about our CEO and him electrocuted. The Christ is the long-anticipated and glorious King, chosen by God to rule God’s people, to bring God’s kingdom into the world. Crucifixion is the most shameful death, a death reserved for traitors and the lowest scum of criminals.

The person Christians follow is Jesus: the Crucified King.

Mark’s gospel is all about this king, who brings in the Kingdom of God. Last year in Mark 1-8 showed us who the king is – the kingdom of God is near because King Jesus is here. In this series in Mark 8-16 we’ll see how Jesus brings the kingdom of God – it comes as Jesus is crucified and raised from the dead. Anyone can enter God’s kingdom by trusting the king whose death ransoms us (Mark 10:45) and by believing the strangest message – ‘the message of the cross which is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’ (1Cor 1:18).

You can also listen to the sermons from ‘Mark 1-8: Who is Jesus’ here