The Beginning

Background

What are the Gospels?

The Gospels are written books of the Bible that were circulated in the early church to give an account of who Jesus is and what He did in his earthly ministry. Each Gospel is different in tone and purpose, but all can be described to point us to who Jesus is.

Who wrote the Gospels?

Two of the four gospel writers were one of the 12 disciples, the closest followers of Jesus, who were also called apostles. The other two were close companions of these 12 disciples.

Matthew and John were disciples

Mark and Luke were close companions of the disciples.

Who wrote this Gospel?

Mark, as the gospel bears his name, wrote this Gospel, though we don’t see his name mentioned in the gospel itself. Tradition and textual evidence supports Mark as author. Early church fathers attributed this gospel to him. Who is he? Mark is identified in Acts 12:12 and other places in Acts 12:25. He traveled with Barnabas and Saul and quite the journey for unknown reasons. Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement over Mark. Paul did not want to take him. He is heard from again in Col 4:10. He labored with Peter in Rome in 1 Peter 5:13.

Many believe that much of the material that Mark has written is based off his laboring with Peter, hence why the testimony he gives is legitimate. His eyewitness account informs the Gospel, hence why it is accepted as canon in the Bible.

Most scholars believe that Mark is the first gospel written, written in the mid to late 60s AD.

What is the purpose of this Gospel?

The purpose of this Gospel can be summarized in verse 15 of chapter 1. Jesus says this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

A major theme of the gospel is recognizing Jesus as the Son of Man, Jesus’ favorite title in reference to himself.

Prophecy of the Messenger (1-3)

Verse 1

The beginning - This points us to Genesis 1:1. These two words should clue us in to what God is doing. Pointing us to the past, but informing us of a new start.

What was the past? The past was that we are created by God, yet the fall of man is evident and clear. Sin had entered, and we have been building to redemption since. God’s grand plan of redemption is now coming to fruition.

Of the gospel - What is gospel? It simply means, “good news.” It is the announcing of a birth event, a significant event at that, that would indicate a major change in world history.

But this gospel also is meant to be proclaimed, to be sent out, to be announced to the world. This is why Mark is writing this.

About Jesus Christ - Who is this good news about? Jesus Christ. Jesus is the first name “Yahweh is salvation”

Matthew 1:21 gave why he was named this

Matthew 1:21 ESV

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

yet Christ is not his last name. It is a descriptor of his position as Messiah, or “annointed one”. The gospel is that Jesus has come, and we proclaim he has come, and we proclaim what he preached, that in him is eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins.

The Son of God - What does this mean? This is a title. The rest of Scripture attains this title to mean that he is divine, that he is the eternal Son. Not that he didn’t exist and was born, but that his position as Son in relation to the Father. Simply put, He is God, the person of the Son, the triune God who is described as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God in three persons.

Verses 2-3

Next, Mark roots his gospel in the Old Testament, giving us clarity that what was written in the OT is connected to now. The whole of the OT points us to this very event that Mark is going to speak of. He begins by revealing the Scriptures that point us to a character that will prepare the way of the Lord.

By the way, this Bible was written over thousands of years, reminding us that God works on his own timetable. He has promised to save and deliver his people, but we must remember that God knows exactly the time and place to bring this promise fulfilled, in the fullness of time.

Also, this tells us that we cannot ignore the OT like so many try to tell us to do. It is essential to our heritage, essential to our understanding of salvation, and prophetic to the promise of who Jesus is and what He has come to do…to save us from our sins.

Fulfillment of the Messenger (4-8)

Verses 4-5

As Mark introduced the prophecy of a messenger, we now see that prophecy to be fulfilled in a person named John. What comes now is description of his work and his appearance, which would emphasize his intention to pave the way for Jesus, not himself.

Where was he? In the desert, in the same places where acts of God and ministry was happening in the OT, at the Jordan river. The desert was spiritual as well. As God’s people traveled through the wilderness, wandered yet sustained by God. Its here that the Good News will make his first appearance, paved by John, ready to show us salvation.

What was John doing? He was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He was a herald of a this particular truth. This baptism was one of cleansing, through their repentance. To turn away or turn back. “It meant a total commitment to serving God, relying on His strength, doing His will and living as His people.” - Donald English

This remind us that life goes beyond the physical. The address of John deals with the spiritual, with redemption. John is concerned about the souls of God’s people. He calls on them to repent, but also, no doubt is preparing the way of Jesus and His message. The message isn’t different, but it will be fully realized when Jesus shows them how their sins are forgiven and that they are called to follow Him. Why? Because He is God, we rely on His strength to save us, we do His will, and we live as the church, as His people.

Verses 6-8

What did he look like? He looked odd, but that was to emphasize that his message and acts were separated from the common prophet. God often did this to emphasize a particular message, how radical it was. John’s radical look informed his radical message.

How did he prepare the way? He prepared the way here by pointing to the greatness of Christ, in comparison to himself. What this shows is that John isn’t the one to be venerated and trusted in. Its his message and the person that he points to. That was his prophetic purpose. That was his goal. That is to be the goal of all of us. We point to Jesus, for He is the source of salvation. How humble was he? To the point that he wasn’t even worthy to tie the sandals of Jesus. The separation of purpose. The separation of creature from Creator. That is what John was pointing to. And he pointed that his baptism would be transformative, that the Holy Spirit would regenerate their hearts and that they would be filled with Him. It would be final and fullness of the Gospel through His work. His work only paved the way.

Ezekiel 36:25–28 ESV

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Jesus is first. We are limited. We should find our very same purpose in John himself. He is greater than I!

Fulfillment of the Promised Messiah (9-11)

And then enters Jesus. A few things to note here is that Nazareth is seen by these first century hearers as a place of wickedness. Nathanael in John 1:46

John 1:46 ESV

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

This not the expected place of Messiah. Again, this reminds us that the Gospel is unexpected and often does not make sense.

The second unexpected thing we see is that, Jesus needs to be baptized? What is this about. If Jesus is sinless, why do you think he would need to be baptized? Since sin is not the issue, there is something else going on.

The Message of Mark 5. The Baptism of Jesus (1:9–11)

he dedicates himself to obey God’s will through an event which symbolizes what the whole ministry will involve—making it possible for sinners to repent in order to find forgiveness and new life from God. In baptism he shares the circumstances in which people become aware of their needs, precisely in order to meet those needs

In other words, Jesus sets the example. He fully obeys the will of the Father. That is why the Father speaks and affirms that He indeed is the one that was promised. His very own Son is the Messiah. He is pleased with his actions, and will be pleased with all of them for his entire life. He is the sinless Savior, the Messiah promised. It has apocalyptic meaning, meaning this is a major world shattering event. This is fulfillment of Scripture itself!

Isaiah 42:1 ESV

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Psalm 2:7 ESV

7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

The unexpected entrance of the Messiah sets us up for the unexpected way he would save mankind. Not by being a moral example. Not by telling us to be moral. But living sinless where we could not, dying in our place for our sins, and being the Lord of our salvation. That it will be by grace through faith alone in him.

Character of the Promised Messiah (12-13)

And unlike us, Jesus when He is tempted, remains sinless. Jesus goes into the wilderness, just as God’s people went into the wilderness. But where Israel failed constantly, Jesus never gave into the temptations of Satan. In the other gospels, Satan tempts Jesus to use his power to feed himself, to save himself, and tempts him with the kingdom of the world. Where Israel complained about bread, Jesus didn’t. Where Israel tested the Lord, he did not test him but trusted in Him completely. Where Israel worshiped themselves, Jesus only pointed to true worship of the only true God.

And unlike us, he never failed. All of us have failed to be sinless. Jesus is sinless. And it was necessary for His work, for His salvation. But we are also reminded that Jesus was tempted like we are. He knows the struggle against sin. And that should encourage us to know that because Jesus knows, He can also sympathize with us, and help us.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

So, this is the introduction to the Gospel of Mark. This beginning reveals how rooted in Scripture