The Beginning of the End

THE BEGINNING OF THE END THE BEGINNING OF THE END Jason Grissom / General Mark: The Savior who was a Servant / Salvation; Gospel / Mark 1:1 The purpose of Mark's gospel is to proclaim that life has been won for us in Jesus.   Mark 1:1 ESV The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. AUTHOR AUDIENCE Mark, led by the Holy Spirit, writes his gospel account based on Peter’s recounting of his time with Christ. He is writing to persecuted believers living in Rome. The evidence points to the church at Rome, or at least to Gentile readers. Mark explains Jewish customs (7:2–4; 15:42), translates Aramaic words (3:17; 5:41; 7:11,34; 15:22,34) and seems to have a special interest in persecution and martyrdom (8:34–38; 13:9–13)—subjects of special concern to Roman believers (and to Peter as well; cf. 1 Peter). A Roman destination would explain the almost immediate acceptance of this Gospel and its rapid dissemination. ATMOSPHERE The emperor at this time was Nero. After five years of responsible rule (A.D. 54–59) he had shown himself recklessly despotic in his relations with the aristocracy of Rome. By heavy taxation on the estates of childless couples, false accusations followed by confiscation of wealth, invitations to suicide at public banquets, he had reduced the Senate to abject servility and made of life a reign of terror for men of wealth. Relatively little attention, however, had been given by imperial authorities to the gatherings of Christians for worship. Their assemblies undoubtedly appeared indistinguishable from the vast number of religious societies and guilds found throughout Rome. Christians were occasionally accused of heinous offences by segments of the population. . No evidence exists, however, that the authorities regarded these charges seriously, or that there had been police investigation of the Christian gatherings. The situation was radically altered by the disastrous fire that swept Rome in the summer of A.D. 64. Of the fourteen wards of the city, only four were spared. Three wards were reduced to ash and rubble; in seven others many of the oldest buildings and monuments were destroyed or seriously damaged. After the initial shock, popular resentment was fanned by widespread rumors that the fire had been officially ordered by Nero. Nero did his utmost to aid the homeless and the injured, levying a tax for relief and lowering the price of grain to provide food for the impoverished. In a program of urban renewal he cleared the slums, widened the streets, provided new parks, and insisted that all new construction consist of fireproof material such as brick or stone. When none of these measures succeeded in allaying suspicion and resentment a scapegoat had to be found. Blame for the fire was placed squarely upon the Christians. Tacitus, writing a generation removed from these events, expressed himself with strong feeling: Neither human resources, nor imperial charity, nor appeasement of the gods, eliminated sinister suspicions that the fire had been instigated. To suppress this rumor, Nero fabricated scapegoats—and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called) … First, Nero had self-acknowledged Christians arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers of others were condemned—not so much for incendiarism as for their anti-social tendencies. Their deaths were made farcical. Dressed in wild animals’ skins, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or crucified, or made into torches to be ignited after dark as substitutes for daylight. Nero provided his Gardens for the spectacle, and exhibited displays in the Circus, at which he mingled in the crowd—or stood in a chariot, dressed as a charioteer. Despite their guilt as Christians, and the ruthless punishment it deserved, the victims were pitied. For it was felt that they were being sacrificed to one man’s brutality rather than to the national interest. Such erratic behavior by the central government meant that life became precarious for the Christians in Rome and Italy. While mass arrests and capital punishment upon admission to membership in a Christian group were presumably short-lived and localized excesses, they introduced the Church to martyrdom. The self-awareness of the Christian community in this critical situation is reflected in I Peter, with its message of trial by fire addressed to the Asian churches. In 1 Peter 5:13 ESV She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. “Babylon” is a cryptogram for Rome, the city where the new Israel now found itself exiled and captive. On this understanding, Mark’s task was the projection of Christian faith in a context of suffering and martyrdom. If Christians were to be strengthened and the gospel effectively proclaimed it would be necessary to exhibit the similarity of situation faced by Jesus and the Christians of Rome. The Gospel of Mark is a pastoral response to this critical demand. When Roman believers received the Gospel of Mark they found that it spoke to the situation of the Christian community in Nero’s Rome. Reduced to a catacomb existence, they read of the Lord who was driven deep into the wilderness (Ch. 1:12 f.). The detail, recorded only by Mark, that in the wilderness Jesus was with the wild beasts (Ch. 1:13) was filled with special significance for those called to enter the arena where they stood helpless in the presence of wild beasts. In Mark’s Gospel they found that nothing they could suffer from Nero was alien to the experience of Jesus. Like them, he had been misrepresented to the people and falsely labelled (Ch. 3:21 f., 30). And if they knew the experience of betrayal from within the circle of intimate friends it was sobering to recollect that one of the Twelve had been “Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him” (Ch. 3:19). When Mark was read in Christian gatherings there were notes peculiarly appropriate to the Roman situation. Jesus had spoken openly of the persecution that could be expected in the Christian life. In the interpretation of a parable he had referred to “those who have no root in themselves, but endure for awhile; then, when affliction or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away” (Ch. 4:17). He had foreseen that there would be others who had heard the word, “but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things” would prevent the gospel from becoming effective in their lives (Ch. 4:19). Mark recorded the fulfilment of these sober sayings in the experience of Jesus when a man of great wealth turned from him when he learned of the cost of discipleship (Ch. 10:17–22), and later Jesus’ own disciples fled from him (Ch. 14:41–52, 66–72). In a critical situation unfaithfulness and denial always threaten the life of the community from within. While Jesus promised his followers “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,” Mark noted that he had added the qualification, “with persecutions” (Ch. 10:30). He had warned of the day when those who followed him would be handed over to councils to be beaten because of their association with him. Jesus had not withheld the cruel truth that brother would betray to death brother, and the father his child, and children their parents, and that his followers would be hated by all men because they represented him. Precisely in this situation they would bear their witness for him (Ch. 13:1–13). In crucial statements on discipleship brought together by Mark, Jesus had made it clear that what he demanded was a radical abandonment of life in response to a call to martyrdom (Ch. 8:34–38). He had spoken of cross-bearing, which Tacitus affirms was a literal reality for Mark’s readers in Rome. It had been the literal experience of Jesus as well, preceded by trial before a Roman magistrate, scourging with the bone-tipped flagellum, and the cruel mockery of the Roman guard (Ch. 15:15–20). It was the threat of such treatment that could move a man to deny Jesus, displaying shame for his association with the Lord. In the pages of the Gospel he learned that he could save his life through denial only to experience rejection by Jesus when he returned at the last day as the sovereign Judge of all men (Ch. 8:38). This kind of language was charged with relevance for men and women upon whom was heaped derision and humiliation because they bore the name of Jesus. Now that we know our audience and the atmosphere in which they lived we will be able to see more vividly and clearly Mark’s aim and announcement. AIM His letter is intended to strengthen those who are suffering for righteousness sake by showing them a truly righteous man who suffered for their sake. The word beginning points to his aim “the Son of God”. Mark strategically uses this word to remind us of how history begin in Genesis and that history is not our story but His-story. The word “beginning” possess two different meanings in Greek. It can mean first as in order or fulfillment. Our context dictates to us our choice of definition. Mark follows his prologue with a prophecy and then a prophet. Therefore, he is telling us that God is fulfilling His everlasting promises. Matthew’s gospel confirms the fulfillment of prophetic utterances through the words of Jesus. Matthew demonstrates Jesus is the Savior and King through his Jewish genealogy. Matthew 1:1 ESV The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Mark’s gospel confirms the fulfillment of prophetic utterances through the works of Jesus. Mark demonstrates Jesus is the the Savior and King through his Genesis-like opening. Mark 1:1 ESV The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Gospel According to Mark is an inspired record that focuses on Christ’s works not His words. If you are reading a red-lettered Bible you will not find much red in Mark. Mark’s aim is to show a Gentile audience that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and he does this by recounting Jesus works not His words. Mark 1:1 states that he is the Son of God. Mark 8:27, the center verse of the book, addresses who Jesus is. Peter responds; Mark 8:27–29 ESV And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” Then in Mark 15:39 ESV And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mark concludes his Gospel with this Roman declaration. Mark gospel is dominated by Jesus. Every pericope in Mark is about Jesus except for two about John the Baptist (1:2–8; 6:14–29). From start to finish, Jesus is the uncontested subject of the Gospel of Mark, and he is portrayed as a man of action. The action of the Gospel is all-important to the meaning of the Gospel, for we learn who Jesus is not so much from what he says as from what he does. Mark writes with a paintbrush. Unlike the Gospel of John, for instance, where major themes are made explicit, Mark has much more implicit major themes, requiring readers to enter into the drama of the Gospel in order to understand its meaning. Although Jesus is often referred to as a teacher, Mark seldom reports the content of his teaching. It is quickly apparent that the is character of the teacher is more important than the content of his teaching. ANNOUNCEMENT In both the OT and in Greek literature euangelion was commonly used of reports of victory from the battlefield. When the Philistines defeated the troops of Saul on Mt. Gilboa, “they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news (euangelizesthai) … among the people” 1 Samuel 31:9 ESV So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 2 Samuel 1:20 ESV Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 2 Samuel 18:19–20 ESV Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.” The messenger who brought the report was the deliverer of “good news” 2 Samuel 4:10 ESV when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 2 Samuel 18:26 ESV The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” Among the Greeks the term was used likewise of victory in battle, as well as of other forms of good news. In 9 B.C., within a decade of Jesus’ birth, the birthday of Caesar Augustus (63 B.C.–A.D. 14) was hailed as euangelion (pl.). WHEREAS Providence that orders all our lives has in her display of concern and generosity in our behalf adorned our lives with the highest good: Augustus, whom she has filled with virtue for the benefit of humanity, and has in her beneficence granted us and those who will come after us a Savior who has made war to cease and who shall put everything in peaceful order; and whereas Caesar, when he was manifest, transcended the expectations of all who had anticipated the good news, not only by surpassing the benefits conferred by his predecessors but by leaving no expectation of surpassing him to those who would come after him, with the result that the birthday of our God the beginning of Good News for the world because of him. . . Since he was hailed as a god, Augustus’s “birthday signaled the beginning of Good News for the world.” The concept of “good news” was not limited to military and political victories, however. In the prophet Isaiah “good news” is transferred to the inbreaking of God’s final saving act when peace, good news, and release from oppression will be showered on God’s people Isaiah 52:7 ESV How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 61:1–3 ESV The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. For Mark, the advent of Jesus is the beginning of the fulfillment of the “good news” heralded by Isaiah. Mark is a herald of a new age that has longed been promised. Mark is calling his readers and us today to see Jesus as more than a great teacher for he records very little teaching. He will proportionally show us more miracles than any other gospel writer. Miracles are used to confirm Messianic prophesies. Seeing miracles will not cause you to become a true believer only seeing the Messiah will cause you to bear your cross. Miracles were a means to an end. They bore witness but the could not make one born again. Mark wants he audience to come to the Messiah for He is the Messiah not because he can work miracles. Mark dedicates 40% of his book to Christ Passion. The cross is central to Mark’s account. I believe Mark’s intent to distinguish Christ as different from all other euangelions. Mark’s knew his audience has been dominated by euangelions. Yet their experience with these announcements had left them wavering and wanting. Unfulfilled promises and pseudo Saviors led to a prevailing cynicism and skepticism. Every euangelion had failed to delivered. Their failure was used as a Satanic fertilizer to grow the aforementioned mindset. When our mind is fertilizer with Satanic forgeries and not with Scriptural faith we will treat Jesus as any other deity. They needed redemption from their slavery to sin and Satan but only sought relief from demons, disease, and death. They did not seek that which is eternal but temporal. They sought the gifts but not the giver. Mark separates Jesus from all other euangelions by his presentation of Jesus’ Passion. Mark is saying to his audience and to us; all other euangelions have died but they did not die for you they wanted you to die from them. He is asking; what did your previous euangelions ask you do to do from them? Serve me and I will save you by watering your crops. Serve me and I will save you by providing you with children. Serve me and I will save you by preserving your finances. This new euangelion declares; Mark 10:45 ESV For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark is saying more than another euangelion has come, but a new, unlike all others before him, has come. He offers a salvation free from works of righteousness. He offers a salvation that does not require servitude for freedom but freedom to serve from the heart. Mark distinguishes his euangelion in a way that would not be obvious to us but it would be to his audience. Euangelion, until Mark’s usage, always appeared in the plural, meaning one good tiding among others, but here it is used in the singular: the good news of God in Jesus Christ, beside which there is no other. Mark is saying; a new day has dawned. A new kingdom has come. The King our hearts have desired to serve has arrived. The well our thirsty souls have longed to drink from has been found. The sustenance for our starving souls has been incarnated. Today is the beginning of the end to that which has terrorized our souls. Triumph has condescended from the celestial city to claim those who have been held captive. This is the beginning of the end as our day of emancipation has arrived. This is the beginning of the end as our independence is being declared. This is the beginning of the end as our victory has been inaugurated. Mark 1:1 ESV The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Page 8. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:13 AM April 22, 2018.