The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus

Prayer

Our Father,

Your Son prayed that You would:

“Sanctify us in the truth; Your Word is truth.”

And so, we pray the same this morning as we turn to Your Word of Truth.

Sanctify us by Your Word.

Satisfy us by Your Word.

Sustain us by Your Word.

AMEN.

Introduction

The start of a New Year is an opportunity for many of us to make changes in our lives. Those changes might be goals that you set for your own improvement, such as physical improvement through a new exercise regimen or health diet; it might be emotional improvement through journaling or counseling; it might be spiritual improvement through Bible reading or some other spiritual discipline.

For me, every year, alongside spiritual improvement, I aspire to improve intellectually and devotionally. Intellectual improvement has to do with my mind, what I know, especially about God and His Word, while devotional improvement has to do with my heart, who I am in Christ and what I ought to do as a result of that identity in Christ. One way I endeavor to improve intellectually and devotionally is by reading good books.

The question I've been asked by several people over the years as I compile a New Years' reading list is, "How do I choose what to read? How do I determine if a book is worth reading?" Well, like many others, typically it comes down to a few key factors. One factor is the attractiveness of the cover or dust jacket! That may seem like a shallow reason to choose a book and determine that it's worth investing energy and time into reading, but really, contrary to the old adage, sometimes you CAN judge a book by it's cover! The cover of a book advertises the title of the book and its author with appealing graphics meant to grab a reader's attention. Very seldom, unless the book has been recommended by a close friend or family member or has been advertised all over the place, people simply won't pick up a book to read it unless it has an illustrious front cover with a captivating title or a popular author's name on it. Additionally, the back cover of a book, or the inside of the dust jacket, plays a part in if I put it on my "to-read" list. These features of the cover present me with a snap-shot or summary of the book's contents and the main thrust of the author's overall purpose or argument he or she is going to propose. If the topic or content doesn't sound appealing, relevant, or maybe it's heretical nonsense, then I usually won't pay for it or pick it up to read if it somehow is already on my shelf. So, that's one way that I choose my books. I DO judge a book by its cover!

But that isn't all that goes into my selection process. I'm much more careful and discerning than that! I will also take a look at the opening pages of the book, considering the table of contents, the foreword, the preface, the introduction, and maybe even read the first couple of paragraphs of the first chapter. This provides me as a reader with some much needed background information before I commit myself to reading the book. It gives me a more detailed image of what the front, back, and inside cover promises to offer me as its reader.

That's the benefit we have as readers in the 21st century. Books are highly advertised through all forms of media; they have attractive covers that catch the eye, and a rich description of its contents either on the back of the cover or in the introductory pages.

Ancient writers and readers didn't have such luxuries. They didn't have eye-popping cover art, short synopsis or cliff notes of their content, or unlimited amount of pages to include in their introductions to their compositions. And yet, they did attempt to grab their audiences' attention and communicate the scope of their work in the opening words and phrases of their writing. Even some of our favorite writers in more recent history had the power to captive their audiences in their opening words.

Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol wrote, "Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change for anything he chose to put his hand to.’ Old Marley was as dead as a doornail."

Herman Melville began Moby Dick with these famous words, "Call me Ishmael."

And my personal favorite, J.R.R. Tolkien introduced millions to Middle Earth in his book The Hobbit when he wrote, "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

The human authors in the Bible used the same tactic in their opening lines and verses to draw their readers into what they wished to communicate by inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

Moses, at the beginning of his five-volume work wrote, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1)

The author of Ruth set the scene by writing, "In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons." (Ruth 1:1)

Or take the author of Hebrews introduction to his letter, "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..." (Hebrews 1:1–2)

In so many words, these authors were able to do what any well-designed book cover is meant to do. Draw us in and divulge to us what their body of writing is about.

The Gospel writer, Mark, to me personally, has one of the more memorable and meaningful opening words in the Bible, which both draw us in and divulge to us what his Gospel account is all about:

Mark 1:1 ESV

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Far from being some pithy words on a dust jacket of a book, these words are full of wealth, carry weight, and prove that Mark's Gospel is worth investing our time and energy into reading, studying, and meditating. So, that's what we are going to do for the foreseeable future. We're going to pour our time and energy into what Mark has written in his Gospel.

This morning, I’d like to introduce us all to the entire book. Ironically, this sermon today will be much like a dust jacket to the entire series of messages on Mark to come in the future. Hopefully, like any good dust jacket, this message will whet your appetite for the Gospel According to Mark. We’re going to familiarize ourselves with Mark’s Gospel today and some of its major features. I’ve organized these under three main headings with the desire that they inform you and equip you for our study in Mark.

1. The author of this Gospel

The first main heading to help inform and equip us for studying this Gospel is learning a little bit about the author of this Gospel. It is unanimously and universally accepted that John Mark is the author. That may seem obvious based upon the name printed at the top of the page in our Bibles, but actually, Mark’s name never appears in his Gospel account at all. Unlike modern author’s today, the author of this Gospel did not want to be at the forefront of the stage, but wished to give center stage to Another. This Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not about John Mark, the deserter of Paul.

This raises a question then, doesn’t it? If Mark didn’t take credit for writing this Gospel, how is it universally attributed to Mark? What evidence is there to suggest that he did write this Gospel?

Well, the earliest evidence we have that links Mark’s name to this Gospel is the testimony of an Early Church Bishop in Asia Minor, Papias, who wrote a work called “Interpretation of the Lord’s Oracles” sometime between 110 and 130 AD. He was said to have personally known the apostle John. And although his original work is lost to us, thankfully we do have fragments. One fragment reads:

“Mark, who was Peter’s interpreter, wrote down carefully all that he remembered of what Christ had said or done, though not in order. For he had neither heard the Lord nor been His disciple; but afterwards, as I said, he had been Peter’s disciple. Now Peter used to teach according to the needs, without giving an orderly summary of the Lord’s sayings. So Mark was not wrong in writing down some things as he recalled them. For his one concern was this– not to omit nor to falsify anything that he had heard.” – Papias, Fragment 2:15

Another convincing piece of evidence is that Mark’s name was attached to the earliest manuscripts that were being sent and read throughout the known world. It’s estimated that this Gospel was written somewhere between the mid 50s and mid 60s AD, making this to be the earliest of the four Gospels. Definitely before the destruction of the temple in AD 70. In fact, it’s held that this Gospel was sent out to Rome before Paul’s visit on Paul’s third missionary journey, maybe it was even read alongside of the Letter to the Romans. Most likely, Mark wrote this Gospel while he himself was in Rome. All this to say, this Gospel was read by people who had either been alive during the days of Jesus, just 30 years previous, or had been in contact with the apostles who had been eye witnesses to Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrected body. Meaning, if anyone saw Mark’s name with this Gospel account, they would have spoken up to say, “Mark? I know that guy! He can’t even spell his name!” Or, “Jesus didn’t do what this guy wrote about!”. But, we don’t have any of that. To the contrary, Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels borrow significantly from this Gospel, 31 verses from Mark are explicitly quoted in their Gospels, and they personally followed the Lord Jesus. So, not only was it not disputed that Mark was the original, human author, but even the content of Mark’s message was not disputed, but rather championed and verifiably accurate.

Enough about how we know Mark to be the author, now how about who Mark was. John Mark is a prominent figure in the New Testament. According to Colossians 4:10, Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. In Acts 12:25, we learn that Mark accompanied Barnabas on Paul’s first missionary journey. But, for whatever reason, John Mark decided at some point during that trip to return to Jerusalem, where his mother’s house was located, while Paul and the others continued their ministry. By Acts 15:36–39, Mark’s departure had tarnished his reputation with Paul, which resulted in Barnabas and Mark leaving Paul’s company. Some time in between that rift and Paul’s final New Testament letter, Paul and Mark were reconciled because Paul calls Mark “very useful” to him for ministry in 2 Timothy 4:11 and his “fellow worker” in Philemon verse 24.

As I’ve already said, the Early Church Fathers attest to Mark having been the companion and disciple of the apostle Peter, even Peter’s interpreter. So, what we have in Mark’s Gospel is not his own eye witness testimony, but that of a true apostle.

I’m also inclined myself to believe that, while he didn’t explicitly mention himself by name, Mark did put himself into the account. It’s one of the more humorous parts of Scripture. The apostle John, in his own Gospel, often called himself “the Lord’s beloved”. But Mark, in chapter 14: 51 and 52, details the embarrassing account of when Jesus was arrested in the garden and a young man was seized by the guards, but escaped, leaving his clothes in the guards hands while he literally streaked away! This was his way of modestly identifying himself to his readers without naming himself!

And so, this is Mark. The “streaker” turned partner of Paul, turned deserter of Paul, turned disciple of Peter, turned useful fellow worker of Paul, turned author of the first Gospel account. God did a great work in this young man’s life. Christ changed him into a mature man for ministry.

Before we leave this heading, I do want to mention also the audience to whom Mark wrote. As I have said, Mark very possibly wrote this letter in the city of Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. And the way this Gospel is worded supports that proposition. How Mark wrote, the words he used, translating Aramaic terms into Greek and Latin terms, lends credibility to the fact that Mark’s Gospel was for Roman citizens, Gentile believers in the Roman church who were influenced by Greek thought and culture. Mark wrote to those who were unfamiliar with Jewish terms, customs, and laws because we see him explaining these throughout the Gospel. But, there are other basic Christian theological terms that he doesn’t explain. Terms like: Baptism, Holy Spirit, or Christ. Again, more proof that Mark’s audience were at least familiar with Christianity or were already Christians.

Whatever the case was, based on the content of Mark’s message and on the time period, Mark was writing this during a time when the Church was facing increasingly trying conditions, persecution from the Empire most notably. We will see undertones of that in the later parts of Mark’s Gospel one day!

2. The arrangement of this Gospel

On to the second heading that will help inform and equip us for studying Mark’s Gospel, which is the arrangement of this Gospel. That is to say, the structure, the organization, the big bones that make up the framework of Mark’s writing.

There are four key verses in Mark’s Gospel that provide an observable framework. These verses are four confessions with testimonies concerning Jesus.

The first confession is Mark’s testimony of Jesus in Mark 1:1:

Mark 1:1 ESV

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

This opening line functions as the title of the entire Gospel. Mark’s testimony of Jesus in his Gospel account is the foundation of the Church’s proclamation of the good news. Notice the three identifiers of Mark’s confession. He identifies this Gospel as one about a man named Jesus, emphasizing the Lord’s humanity. Mark also calls Jesus, the Christ. This isn’t Jesus’ last name, but emphasizes Jesus’ title as the Anointed One of God, the Messiah of God’s people, prophesied to come from ages past, the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies hundreds of years before. And then Mark identifies Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, emphasizing Jesus’ divinity, power, and authority which will be abundantly presented to us as readers in the opening chapters of this Gospel.

Then comes a second confession from Peter testifying to Jesus’ identity in Mark 8. At this point in the Gospel, Jesus is with His disciples and their conversation is one with which you’re probably familiar.

Mark 8:27–29 ESV

27 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?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Peter’s confession in verse 29 is the next “big bone” of the framework of Mark. Someone, somewhere has said that Peter’s confession is “the great hinge of the Gospel of Mark”. Indeed, we could break Mark into two parts. The first part is Mark 1:1 through Mark 8:26 presenting Jesus as the Servant of Yahweh who is the Sovereign Lord over all, having authority over diseases, demons, and death. And part two is Mark 8:27 to the end of the Gospel presenting Jesus as the Suffering Servant of Yahweh who ultimately serves mankind by dying on the cross. In contrast to what others were saying about Jesus, i.e. Jesus was a very famous person who did great things, taught good things, performed miraculous things, but was just a man, Peter’s confession essentially says that Jesus is more than that; Jesus is the Christ. He is Messiah. As we will see in Mark’s Gospel, the concept of Christ includes divinity, not just humanity. Matthew’s version of this account states Peter’s confession this way:

Matthew 16:16 ESV

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

According to both Mark and Peter, Jesus was truly human and truly divine. Fully man and yet also mysteriously fully God! Jesus is also the long-awaited Messiah; the promised One of the LORD who would bring redemption and uproot the government of the world to establish God’s kingdom and government on earth.

As great as these two confessions are from Mark and Peter, the third confession, which provides another pivotal piece to the structure, is the testimony of Jesus about Himself. His confession about Himself is this Gospel’s key verse, which both testifies to His identity and to the purpose of His life, ministry, and saving work on the cross. You probably have it memorized. It’s Mark 10:45.

Mark 10:45 ESV

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This is such a crucial verse to the arrangement of Mark’s Gospel. It is basically the point in Jesus’ ministry where He set His face on going to Jerusalem. Everything that has taken place in Mark up to this point has been in anticipation of this very moment. Everything Jesus had taught His disciples about His identity and purpose is clarified in this confession. He had told His followers several times before that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be killed at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and on the third day rise again. Mark 10:45 commenced Jesus’ determined journey to Jerusalem and imminent death on the cross. Just a few verses later, Mark 11 records Jesus’ last week before His crucifixion, what we call Passion Week, beginning with the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to His triumph over sin on Good Friday at Golgotha.

The final verse that makes up the supporting structure of Mark contains the fourth surprising confession of the Roman Centurion, who witnessed Jesus expel His final breath of life on the cross. Mark records this man’s confession in this way in Mark 15:39:

Mark 15:39 ESV

39 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!”

Even this pagan soldier recognized that this Jesus was far more than a mere man. When his eyes beheld how Jesus suffered on the cross, his eyes were opened to behold who Jesus truly was. The Son of God. Astonishing! Even Jesus’ death bears witness to His divinity! Praise God, because only the death of a holy, sinless, infinitely powerful substitute could atone for the sins of this centurion.

I would challenge all of us to memorize these four confessions which testify of Jesus’ identity and purpose. Mark 1:1, Mark 8:29, Mark 10:45, and Mark 15:39. If you know these verses, then you basically know the major pieces, the arrangement of Mark’s Gospel.

3. The aim of this Gospel

The last major heading that we should carefully consider since it will help inform us and equip us for studying Mark, is the aim of this Gospel. Put differently, Mark’s purpose or goal in writing his Gospel. Why did Mark write this Gospel? What does he intend us as readers to understand, believe, and do in response to what he wrote?

One feature that will help us determine the aim of Mark’s Gospel is a word that John Mark employed repeatedly throughout the Gospel’s entirety. It’s the Greek word euthus, or its variant, eutheos, which means “immediately, at once, right away, or straight”. In the New Testament, the word is used some 60 times. Just in the Gospel of Mark alone, I counted in the Greek myself, that it occurs 46 times. Mark first used the word euthus in chapter 1 verse 3 concerning Isaiah’s prophecy of John the Baptist who would “make [the Lord’s] path straight”, literally “more immediate, without curves or angles, hills or mountains in the way”. The final time that Mark employed this word is in Mark 15:1, which says:

Mark 15:1 ESV

1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.

So, despite this Gospel being the shortest in length of the four Gospels, it is arguably the most quick-paced and action-packed Gospel. That’s what this Greek word euthus or eutheos is designed to do to the narrative. It’s Mark’s favorite word by far! And it aids us as readers in picking up on the aim of Mark’s message. Of the 46 times this word is used in this Gospel, 40 of those uses occur before chapter 11. That is significant because remember that chapter 11 is Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the last week of His life before the cross. That means that over one-third of Mark’s Gospel, 37.5% to be exact, centers on Jesus’ final week of ministry, His death, and His resurrection. 40 times in the first 10 chapters of this Gospel, Mark uses the word “immediately, at once, as soon as, or right away”. It’s as if he is hurrying through the initial 62.5% of his Gospel in order to reach the heart of THE GOSPEL. Unlike the other Gospel writers, Mark doesn’t go into great detail covering the events of Jesus’ life and ministry before Passion Week. He doesn’t even write about Jesus’ birth. He just jumps in and goes from one action to the next, covering Jesus’ miracles and ministry until Jesus finally enters Jerusalem and then Mark chooses to slow the pace down. It’s as if Mark was so excited to proclaim not just who Jesus is, but what Jesus had really come to do.

Each of the four Gospels present Jesus from a certain point of view with a particular audience in mind. Matthew wrote to Jews and presents Jesus as King of the Jews. We see that in the opening genealogy of Jesus, the descendent of King David. Luke wrote primarily to Greeks, presenting Jesus as the Son of Man. Luke wanted His audience to see how Jesus identified with them, caring for the marginalized and the outcasts like Zaccheus the tax collector or the 10 lepers. John wrote generally for all people that they might believe in Jesus, presenting Him as the Son of God. John wanted to showcase Jesus’ divinity and puts forth a very high theology of Christ.

Then there’s Mark. As I noted earlier, Mark wrote to Roman, Greek-minded, Gentiles, believers and non-believers alike, presenting Jesus in his Gospel account as the Suffering Servant-Savior of Sinners. Matthew pictures Jesus’ royalty as King. Luke pictures Jesus’ humanity as one of us. John pictures Jesus’ divinity as one apart from us yet with us. And Mark pictures Jesus’ humility as the Servant of the Lord who came to Serve man and to Suffer as man’s Substitute to be man’s Savior from Sin.

Theme: The Gospel According to Mark is about the suffering servant-Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Really, this theme or aim of Mark’s Gospel is stated in Jesus’ confession in Mark 10:45.

Mark 10:45 ESV

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man 16 times in Mark’s Gospel. It carried massive significance to the Jewish expectations concerning the Messiah. By calling Himself the “Son of Man”, Jesus was identifying Himself as the Messiah. This can be understood from such passages like Daniel 7:13 and 14

Daniel 7:13–14 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus was identifying Himself as the One who inaugurates this everlasting kingdom. He has divine authority and sovereignty.

But, Son of Man also identifies Jesus’ human frailty. 93 times in Ezekiel, “son of man” refers to the suffering of the prophet. It emphasizes then, that Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

So, back in Mark 10:45, note that Mark’s Gospel is about Jesus. The gospel, at its very core, is not about us. The gospel is for us, but it is only about Jesus. Also, Jesus is the Son of God, who has authority to forgive our sins, cleanse us of all unrighteousness, and reconcile us back to the Father. And Jesus is also the Son of Man, who took on flesh to dwell with us to become a servant. Jesus “came not to be served but to serve.” Moreover, Jesus came to suffer for us through His death. “The Son of Man came… to give His life...”. And through His life of service and suffering in death, Jesus is our Savior. He “came to give His life as a ransom for many”. Through His perfectly righteous, obedient, humble, servant life and through His sinless sacrificial substitutionary suffering and death on the cross, Jesus saves sinners from God’s eternal judgment in hell, granting sinners resurrection unto eternal life and favor with God in heaven.

I’ll say it again, the aim of Mark’s Gospel is about the Suffering Servant-Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. He came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. In other words, Jesus’ suffering on the cross is the greatest expression of His service to us. What does this say about the character of God?! What does this tell us about His love for lost sinners dead in their sin?

Conclusion

Mark, in his Gospel, implicitly asks us, as his readers, three questions. Mark answers the first two questions for us himself.

Who is Jesus? He is the Christ. The Son of God and Son of Man.

What did Jesus do? He came to serve and to save sinners from sin, death, and judgement by giving His own life as a ransom.

And what will our response be to Jesus in regards to question numbers 1 and 2? What do you do with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Suffering Servant-Savior for Sinners?

If you’re someone who has not placed your faith in Jesus as your God, as the Lord of your life, and as your Savior from sin, your response to Jesus must be what Jesus preached in His very first sermon in Mark 1:15.

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

That should be all of our responses every day of our lives, whether you’re a Christian or not. Repentance and faith must be the air that we breathe. That means we are constantly turning from self, turning from Satan, turning from sin in order to turn completely, unreservedly, whole-heartedly to our Savior Jesus Christ; pursuing His righteousness, delighting in His love; honoring His death; living in His resurrection life.

I really am looking forward to our time in Mark’s Gospel even though I have no idea how long it will take us to walk through it all. For many of us, this will be a study of many familiar accounts in the life and ministry of the Lord. Or, maybe this will be a study introducing you to the Lord for the first time. Regardless, it is my prayer that our time in Mark will serve to deepen our understanding of the gospel and will renew our devotion for Jesus Christ. As we march through this short, yet action-packed Gospel, keep in mind who it’s about: our Suffering Servant-Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Take to heart what Jesus has done: He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. And, continue to ask yourself the question, again and again, What do I do with this Suffering Servant-Savior?

Prayer

Jesus Christ, Holy One of God,

We worship and adore You

for who You are to us:

Our Lord

Our Messiah

Our God

We also worship and adore You

for what You have done for us:

You became like us to serve us

You served us by suffering for us

You suffered for us to save us

You saved us from sin.

Lord, be our Teacher as we study Mark’s Gospel.

Give us a deeper understanding of Your

Identity and Purpose.

Give us a holier devotion as we

Draw near to You

to Follow You

and to Learn from You.

Give us ears to hear

and eyes to see

We pray this in Your wonderful name.

AMEN.