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The Beginning of the Gospel
Mark 1:1
Introduction:
ILL.
READING THE INTRODUCTION TO A BOOK.
As we begin a new study in the book of Mark it is important that we take the time to look at the introduction.
We need to know the author, the subject matter, and the purpose of the book.
Understanding these issues will help us to understand what Mark has recorded and its significance to our lives.
Ultimately this is the main goal of our study (or any study of the bible): that we will be changed by our understanding of God’s word.
Specifically, in the book of Mark we will have the unique opportunity to look closely at the life of Jesus and so our purpose should be to understand who Jesus is and what He teaches.
If we truly know who he is then we will follow Him; we will obey him; we will be changed from who we are into who He wants us to be.
This is the purpose of our study.
And if we are going to accomplish this purpose then we must begin with the introduction.
Mark introduces his Gospel with these words: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Here we see a couple of important things.
First, we see that this book is more than just a bunch of facts about Jesus; it is the good news that we need to hear.
Second, the content of this gospel account is extremely important.
This is a gospel that is all about Jesus.
Additionally, if we do a little bit of extra work we will see several distinct features of Mark’s gospel account.
I.
The Beginning of the Good News
Let’s start from the beginning.
Mark says in verse one that this is the beginning of the Gospel.
But what does he mean?
Well, this is like an introduction to the introduction.
In the first fourteen verses of Mark we find the preparation for, and the inauguration of the ministry of Jesus.
John prepares the way, Jesus is baptized, Jesus undergoes the temptation of Satan, and this his public ministry begins.
This is Mark’s introduction, and verse one is the introduction to the introduction.
Verse one reveals that the entire theme of this book is the gospel, vv.
2-14 introduces this theme, and then the rest of the book explains this theme.
So, Mark is about the Gospel.
But what is the Gospel?
Usually when we think of the Gospel we automatically think of the Christian message.
In our culture this is what the Gospel is.
Some people even think of the gospel as just being a kind of book in the bible (i.e.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
However, this is not what Mark’s original readers would have thought of.
In the first century the term gospel was a common term that simply meant “good news.”
In the Roman Empire this would have been a particularly significant word because whenever the Emperor had good news he would send out his own gospel message (i.e. an heir to the throne being born).
So, when ever something good would happen to the Emperor all the people would hear of this good news.
The idea being that good news for the Emperor was good news for his people.
This is the term that Mark, and many of the New Testament authors, employs here.
Except this “good news” is far greater news than any “good news” from the Emperor.
In fact, this “good news” would prove to be far better than any good news ever because it is good news from the Heavenly King.
This good news is from God.
We need to pay close attention here, for if the subjects of an earthly ruler were excited to here the good news of their earthly king then how much more should we be excited to hear the news of the Heavenly King.
This is something that we must be paying attention to, and that we should be excited about.
The Emperor would send forth his good news for something as silly as his birthday, but the subject of God’s good news is far more important.
Mark tells us that this good news is the good news of Jesus.
II.
The Message of the Good News
Mark writes that this is the “gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Literally, this is good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As we read these words it may be easy for us to just gloss over them.
If you have spent any time in church then you have heard these words thousands of times—Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
However, these words from Mark should cause us to pause and take a closer look.
In this verse alone Mark lists three different titles for Jesus, and each one of them is extremely significant.
First, Mark uses Jesus’ given name.
Your probably think “yeah what’s the big deal, Jesus was his name?”
But Jesus’ name is very significant.
It is not like Mary and Joseph just chose this name out of hat.
They didn’t go down to the book store and pick up one of those “baby names” books.
Jesus was the name that God chose.
In *Luke 1:31* we see that the angel who came to Mary and told her that she was going to have a son also told her to name that son Jesus.
In *Matthew 1:21* the angel came to Joseph in a dream to tell him that Mary was going to have a son.
In this dream the angel tells Joseph that this child was to be named Jesus.
This time the angel also tells Joseph why this child is to be name Jesus: “for he will save his people from their sins.”
This is the significance of the name Jesus.
Literally Jesus means “the Lord is Salvation” and it points to Jesus’ role as the Savior of the world.
This is how Marked viewed Jesus, and this is how we must see him as we study through the book of Mark.
Jesus is the Savior and He came into this world in order to save his people from their sins.
The second title that Mark uses for Jesus is Christ.
Contrary to popular belief Christ was not Jesus’ last name.
Christ is a title for Jesus.
It is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word for “Messiah.”
Literally it means “an anointed one.”
It is a term that has heavy Old Testament connotations.
God had promised to send a Messiah to His people for their salvation.
The people had been looking forward to the coming of this Messiah since Genesis chapter three.
Here Mark declares that Jesus is this Messiah.
He is the anointed one that was promised in Daniel 9:25-26.
Finally, Mark declares that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is a shocking claim!
When Mark says that Jesus is the Son of God he is declaring that Jesus is God.
When we read that Jesus was the Son of God we might think that this means that He was lesser than God.
However, in the Bible when someone is said to be the “son of” a person it usually means that they are of the same essence or nature as that person.
For instance, if I said that I was the “son of a Shirley” what would that make me?
It means that I am a Shirley.
That is my Dad’s last name, and so it is also mine.
So this phrase, “the son of God,” refers to Jesus as the second Person of the Trinity.
He is God.
This claim to deity did not escape the religious leaders of Jesus’ day.
They knew exactly what it meant.
In *John 5:18* they wanted to kill Jesus because “he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”
Additionally, the rest of the New Testament confirms that Jesus is God.
For example, *Hebrews 1:8-9* clearly declares the deity of Jesus.
Not to mention Jesus’ role as the Savior Messiah made it necessary for Him to be God.
No one but God could have done what Jesus did.
He was the only possible sacrifice for sins against an infinitely good God (*Hebrews 2:17*).
When Mark says that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God it is quite an amazing claim.
He is claiming that what we are about to read is the good news about the one who came to save His people from sin, the long anticipated Messiah, God Himself.
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