Mark 1
The beginning of most stories sets the
stage for what follows. This is true in history, too. That which happened
before leads up to what would take place later. So Mark starts his record of the
life of Jesus saying, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God.”
In those few words, Mark says a mouthful!
First, “the beginning,” takes the reader
back to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Although the Old and New Testaments were
written in different languages, many Jewish believers at Mark’s time read the
Bible entirely in Greek – the same language the New Testament was written
in. The first word in Genesis 1 and Mark
1 is the same. God is at work here and
He is giving a new beginning, starting a new story in a sense. The old story began with Creation. This new beginning is about Redemption and
Justification.
Second, “the gospel,” tells us that this
is good news. The word “gospel” itself simply means, “good news,” or a, “good
message.” This gospel is that God has come to save His people – but not just
his specially chosen people Israel. Jesus came to save all people by his death
and resurrection.
Third, “of Jesus Christ,” reveals that
this beginning of good news is rooted in one person; a man named Jesus. “Jesus”
was a relatively common name, a Greek translation of the name Joshua, but the
title, “Christ,” is deeply significant. Christ means, “the anointed one,” and
translates the word “messiah” from the Old Testament. From the beginning of his
Gospel, Mark is saying that this Jesus is the one God promised would save His
people from sin. This is good news indeed!
Finally, “the Son of God,” gets to the
heart of the issue. From the outset, Mark tells us that, not only is Jesus the
messiah/savior, he is God’s Son. On the surface, that claim is not such a big
deal. In a sense every Israelite could see him/herself as a child of God. Indeed,
Christians still talk in these terms. However, as Mark continues, we will see
that Jesus is God’s Son in a way that no one else is as He wins salvation for
all who believe in Him giving us a new beginning in Him.
O Holy Spirit, open my mind and heart to
understand and believe Your Word about Jesus, the Son of God, who brings us
good news. Amen.
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