• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
1
The Servant Who Rules
Exploring the Gospel of Mark
Volume One: Mark 1-8
Ray C. Stedman
Also by Ray C. Stedman

Adventuring Through the Bible
Authentic Christianity
Body Life
God's Final Word
God's Loving Word
Is This All There Is to Life?
Our Riches in Christ
Spiritual Warfare
Talking with My Father
Waiting for the Second Coming

Discovery House Publishers
Books, music, and videos that feed the soul with the Word of God
Box 3566 Grand Rapids, MI 49501

THE SERVANT WHO RULES
2

RAY STEDMAN
EDITED BY JAMES DENNEY
The Servant Who Rules @ 2002 by Elaine Stedman
Discovery House Publishers is affiliated with RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512.

Discovery House books are distributed to the trade exclusively by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville,
Ohio 44683.
Book Design: Sherri L. Hoffman
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture references are from the New International Version, @ 1973, 1978, 1984
by International Bible Society. Used by permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stedman, Ray C. [Servant who rules] The servant who rules: exploring the gospel of Mark / by Ray C.
Stedman. p. cm. Originally published: The servant who rules. Waco, Tex.: Word Books, c1976. ISBN 1-57293-
084-5 1. Bible. N.T. Mark I-VIII-Commentaries. I. Title.
BS2585.3 .575 2002 226.3'07-dc21
Printed in the United States of America 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 /DP/ 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved.

Contents
Foreword by David Roper
PART ONE: The Servant Who Rules
1. The Place to Begin (Mark 1:1-8)
2. Jesus Came (Mark 1:9-15)
3. A Day in the Life of Jesus (Mark 1:16-39)
4. The Healer of Hurts (Mark 1:40-2:12)
5. The Scandal Maker (Mark 2:13-3:6)
6. False Forces (Mark 3:7-35)
7. The Dimming of the Light (Mark 4:1-12,21-25,33-34)
8. Seeds of Truth (Mark 4:3-9, 13-20,26-32)
9. Why Are You Afraid? (Mark 4:35-5:20)
10. The Weakness of the World (Mark 5:21-6:6)
11. "Who Is This?" (Mark 6:7-52)
12. When Rite Is Wrong (Mark 6:53-7:30)
13. "Do You Still Not Understand?" (Mark 7:31-8:21)

3
14. The Turning Point (Mark 8:22-33)
Foreword
An author I read many years ago drew a distinction between those who manufacture
servanthood and those who distribute it.

"Manufacturers" derive their motivation to serve from within themselves. They serve because
they pity the needy or because they believe they have a duty to give something back to the world
(noblesse oblige). Some have a compulsive need to be needed; others serve out of guilt and fear.
In any case, "manufacturers" soon find their efforts dreary and empty, and they lose interest; for,
as Ray Stedman continues to remind us, "the flesh [human endeavor] counts for nothing" John
6:63).

"Distributors," on the other hand, serve out of an intimate connection to Jesus. They sit at His feet, listen to His words, learn from His great heart, respond to Him in prayer, drink in His love, draw on His power, and distribute His compassion to others. That\u2019s what keeps Jesus' servants going for the long haul. They give away all that He has given to them, a concept Ray weaves through the warp and woof of these studies.

It was my privilege to gather weekly with staff members at Peninsula Bible Church when Ray
was first thinking his way through the gospel of Mark in preparation for preaching this material,
and then I heard each text taught on subsequent Sundays. More importantly, I saw the texts lived
out in Ray's life, for he was truly a leader who served over the long haul. He was my friend and
teacher for many years, and I sorely miss him. But like Abel, though now in God's presence, he
"still speaks."

David Roper
Boise, Idaho
One
The Place to Begin
\ue000Mark 1:1-8

According to the Wycliffe Bible translators, more than two thousand language groups in the
world still do not have any portion of the Bible translated into their language. Those groups are
found throughout the world--in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. Some
of these language groups are small; for example, the Dia language is spoken by no more than
1,880 people in a remote section of Papua New Guinea.

I once spent two weeks in Mexico, observing the work of Wycliffe Bible translators. While I was there, I learned that the gospel of Mark is the most widely translated book in the Bible. Almost all Wycliffe translators begin with Mark when they translate the Scriptures into a new language.

Why?
For one thing, it's the shortest of the four gospels, which makes the task of translation shorter and
easier. But the brevity of Mark is not the only reason it is so widely translated.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...