More Observations on Romans 12:1-2. Parallels to the Gospel of Mark.

While reflecting on Romans 12:1 & 2 and reading the book of Mark I found what I feel are some interesting parallels starting in chapter 8 and moving into chapter 9 of Mark.  I present them here for consideration.

I really want to start to notice the parallels starting at Mark 8:31 but it is interesting to see what is going on before these verses.  So, I will start by looking at what comes before this in Mark.

In Mark 7 among other things we have Jesus' interaction with the gentile (Syrophoencian) woman in Tyre.  Jesus is amazed at her faith.  It also appears that Jesus is ministering in the region called the Decapolis which is gentile country and some scholars believe the 4,000 who are feed with just a few loaves and fishes are a largely gentile crowd as opposed to earlier feeding of 5,000 thought to be largely Jewish.

In Romans chapter 11 Paul presents a theological discussion about the mystery of the inclusion of gentiles in God's plan of salvation.

So, we already see some parallels between the two in Paul's teaching on inclusion of the Gentiles in God's plan for man and Jesus' interaction with Gentiles in Mark.

Then in Mark 8:27 - 30 Peter acknowledges that he believes that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

This is where I would like to pick things up. 

Mark 8: ³¹ "And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."

Jesus is teaching His followers about the basic content of the gospel and that God's plan for showing mercy to mankind is Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection.

In Romans Romans 12:1 we read "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God,..." It is Jesus' sacrifice (referenced in Mark 8:31) that provides for these mercies.

A few versus later in Mark, after Peter completely misses Jesus' point, we see Jesus teach his disciples on personal sacrifice - Mark 8: ³⁴ "And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'"  In the Gospel the cross is the method of sacrifice.  Jesus is asking His disciples to sacrifice themselves and follow Him.

If we keep reading our Romans 12 verse we see that because of God's mercy (brought on by Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection) the beloved by God (Paul's brethren / Jesus followers) are "...to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, ^[a]acceptable to God, which is your ^[b]spiritual service of worship."

What is our response to Jesus' sacrifice for us?  Our presenting of ourselves as a sacrifice to / for Him, just as Jesus teaches in Mark that we are to take up our cross, the instrument of sacrifice.

Then a few verses later in Mark 8 we see in verse 38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”  In Romans 12 verse 2 we read, "And do not be conformed to this ^[c]world..."  The word world here in the Romans passage is eon or age.  Jesus speaks of not being pressured by this generation to be ashamed of Christ and Paul talks in Romans about not being conformed into the ways of this age. 

Romans 12: ² "..but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may ^[d]prove what the will of God is, that which is good and ^[e]acceptable and perfect."

Back in Mark we now move to chapter 9 verse 2 where we read: "Six days later, Jesus *took with Him Peter and ^[a]James and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;"

The Greek word translated "transformed" in Romans is the basis for our English word metamorphose.  The same word is used / translated "transfigured" in the Gospel of Mark.  So, in the Gospel we see Jesus transfigured right after his call for disciples to take up their cross and sacrifice themselves.  In Paul's letter to the Romans he tweaks the concept and calls for we believers to be transfigured as a result of / part of presenting ourselves a living sacrifice.  The transformation that God calls us to as Jesus followers is as radical as the transfiguration that Peter, James, and John witnessed on the mount of transfiguration.

Jesus and the Gospel of Mark do not say anything about the renewing of the mind which causes the transfiguration identified in Romans 12:2.

But it is interesting to consider that what comes next in Mark's gospel recounting...

As Jesus leaves the the transfiguration experience He has a brief discussion on Elijah, His own death, and His resurrection which the disciples don't appear to really understand.

Then they are immediately confronted with a crowd and Jesus is confronted with a challenge.

Before I talk about what we confront next in Mark let me mention 2 things.

First, I personally struggle with the transformation in Romans.  Will God really transform me?  So, that my behavior changes and I do the things that go along with being living sacrifice?  Can my habits and way of thinking really be transformed?  I hope so but I struggle with these things.

Then next thing to consider is Romans 12:3 where Paul says "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith."

God has granted us each a measure of faith...  Hm.

In Mark chapter 9 the problem with which Jesus is confronted after the transfiguration is that a man has a son with a seizure disorder (aka demon possessed) and Jesus' followers were not able to restore the boy to health.  Jesus gets a quick medical history from the boy's father and the father says in verse 9:22 "...if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

Jesus seizes (pun intended) on this and retorts in verse 23, “...‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Now this father was like me and apparently was "allotted" a small "measure of faith" and in verse 24 in desperation shouts “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Jesus, mercifully, does help him with his unbelief and quickly heals the boy of his malady and moves on with His disciples who begin to question why they could not heal the boy (that is, expel his demon) to which Jesus indicates in verse 29 “...this kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

After this point I stop seeing the parallels so much as in Mark there is further discussion on Jesus predicting His death and resurrection whereas in Romans Paul goes on to discuss different roles people can have in the church assembly.

That being said, I find comfort and encouragement reinforced by both Paul in Romans 12:1-3 and Jesus in Mark 8:31 - 9:29.  When I don't see the transformation which I am called to exhibit at least in part because of my lack of faith I can call on God in prayer to bolster my weak faith and help complete my own transfiguration.  Paul is reinforcing the teachings of Jesus and applying them to our own walk with Jesus.

God, please do help me in my unbelief.  Please do transform my mind as Jesus is currently transformed in His glory at God's right hand with more to come.

Note - Scripture passages quoted from NASB on Bible Gateway...

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+8&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+9&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+12&version=NASB