“Introduction to the Gospel of Mark - Who is Jesus?”
Sermon Title: Introduction to the Gospel of Mark - Who is Jesus?
Scripture: Mark 1:1 ESV
Introduction
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This opening statement of the gospel of Mark sets the tone for what we will discover in the book of Mark. The authorship of this gospel is credited to Mark, who is called John Mark in the book of Acts. This book is dated to around 65AD where severe Christian persecution took place under the rule of the Roman Emperor Nero. The Apostle Peter was martyred during this period which may have prompted Mark to write this gospel. Mark wrote this gospel in Roman, in the epicenter of Christian persecution, which challenges believers to stand firm in the face of persecution and difficulty.
Mark was not an apostle, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. Mark is best known for abandoning Paul and Barnabas during their mission trip for unknown reasons, which became the source of sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas that led to them going separate ways; Barnabas took Mark and Paul took Silas. What led to this person to write one of the greatest books of the Bible?
Mark in Scripture and the Early Church
Mark is exemplifies the continuous work of God who doesn’t give up on us even if we mess up in major ways. We find clues of Mark’s life later on in Scripture:
· Paul describes Mark as “one of his coworkers in the ministry (Phln. 1:24).”
· Paul instructs the Colossian church that Mark was with him and to welcome Mark if Mark comes to them (Col. 4:10).
· In 2 Tim. 4:11, Paul instructs for Timothy to bring Mark with him “for he is very useful to me for ministry.”
· God’s continuous work in Mark’s life to restore him and bring him back into God’s mission, such that Paul, who had once considered Mark as a failure, fully embraced him later.
· Peter tells us that Mark is with him and calls him “his son in the faith (1 Peter 5:13).” We speculate that Peter brought him to faith or discipled Mark, or both.
· The early church pastor Papias records that Mark sat at the foot of Peter and collected Peter’s teachings which later became the Gospel of Mark. This connection can be seen in how Peter and the other disciples are portrayed unflatteringly, but they share the major theme that they were all given second chances.
3 Distinctive Characteristics of Mark’s gospel
1. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest and “punchiest” of the Gospels. Mark frequently uses vocabulary that quickens the pace such as “immediately”, which is used 40 times in his gospel and 7 times in chapter 1. He transitions quickly from one event to the next. This quickness is also seen in how Jesus’ teachings are summarized much more briefly in Mark. Additionally, there is an abruptness to Mark’s Gospel that is demonstrated in the absence of a birth narrative and the brevity of Jesus’ baptism and temptation accounts.
2. Mark highlights Jesus as the suffering servant-Messiah. The first half of the Gospel highlights the identity of Jesus as the mighty Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1–8:30), while the second half highlights the mission of Jesus in serving and suffering for the sake of the world (Mark 8:31–16:8). It begins with an emphasis of Jesus’ authority, but shifts to Jesus’ repetitive revelation of his suffering and death as he approaches closer to Jerusalem. One of the key verses that capture this notion is Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
3. Mark emphasizes the concepts of Discipleship and what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus has certain expectation of his followers, but Mark’s gospel portrays the disciples in a lower light than the other gospel writers – they are depicted as constantly confused and missing the point. As flawed as they may be, we see how they still follow and learn from him as works in progress. The reader is challenged to respond to the call of discipleship even if it should cost you much.
Mark 1:1 - “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”
a. The beginning
The first word in Mark’s gospel is “beginning” echoes back to the beginning of Genesis as an indication that something big on par with creation is happening. It is the beginning of an accurate historical account of the Christ, the Son of God. This is the beginning of His story that will change the world forever.
b. The beginning of the Gospel.
The word “gospel” was originally a secular word that was later adopted mostly within the Christian context. It means “good news” and was used often by messengers or heralds proclaiming and spreading the news of the king to every corner of the kingdom, such as the birth of the crown prince and the subsequent coronation of the future king. An inscription for Caesar Augustus says: The beginning of the gospel of Caesar Augustus. Mark uses the same formula proclaiming Jesus as the King who has come.
The early believers and the gospel writers were intentional about using this word “gospel” rather than other more religious words available to them. Why? For two reasons:
· What they were sharing was good news about something that had already happened. Other religious words suggest what you need to do to get right with God, but “gospel” conveys the message that something has already happened and now has implications for you. The good news is that God has done something for you!
· The second reason is that what they were sharing was not some myth or tale with a moral. They were claiming that this is an actual historical event that changes everything!
c. Jesus Christ
Christi is not the last name of Jesus (back then, in that part of the world, last name’s did not exist in Jewish culture) His name is Jesus, and His title is the Christ. Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiach/ Messiah” which means anointed one. Mark makes the connection that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament messianic prophecies – God in the flesh! Mark proclaims that Jesus is not just another prophet, teacher, ethical good man, religious leader, or a politician. He is the Messiah, the one who brings light and life and deliverance.
d. Son of God
The opening statement of Mark is shocking enough with its revelation, but it makes a truly shocking claim, that Jesus is the Son of God! Never has anyone made this claim in the history of the world and proved himself to be true. If Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, then that means that He is our Lord, and we owe Him our worship, we own Him our obedience, and we owe Him our lives.
Conclusion
In the Gospel of Mark, we will be discover a man who confronted the norms of his time, who was a living scandal for both Jews and Gentiles and continues to be so today. We will be confronted by this Messiah and he will challenge us. Today, many preach about Jesus while downplaying culturally controversial and scandalous aspects. As a result, our culture has created many different versions of Jesus.
Kevin Deyoung who is a famous theologian identifies various versions in our culture:
· Republican Jesus opposes tax increase; holds family values, and owning firearms.
· Democrat Jesus opposes Wall Street and Walmart; stands for reducing our carbon footprint and spending other people’s money.
· Therapist Jesus who helps us cope with life’s problems, heals our past, tells us how valuable we are and not to be so hard on ourselves.
· Starbucks Jesus who drinks fair trade coffee, loves spiritual conversations, drives a hybrid, and goes to film festivals.
· Open-minded Jesus who loves everyone all the time no matter what, except for people who are not as open-minded as you.
· Martyr Jesus, a good man who died a cruel death so we can feel sorry for him.
· Gentle Jesus who was meek and mild, with high cheek bones, flowing hair, and walks around barefoot, wearing a sash and looks German.
· Hippie Jesus who teaches everyone to give peace a chance, imagine a world without religion, and helps us remember all you need is love.
· Yuppie Jesus who encourages us to reach our full potential, reach for the stars, and buy a boat.
· Spirituality Jesus who hates religion, churches, pastors, priests, and doctrine; he wants us to find the god within and listening to ambiguously spiritual musical.
· Platitude Jesus, good for Christmas specials, greeting cards, and bad sermons; he inspires people to believe in themselves, and lifts us up so we can walk on mountains.
· Revolutionary Jesus who teaches us to rebel against the status quo, stick it to the man, and dream up impossible utopian schemes.
· Guru Jesus, a wise, inspirational teacher who believes in you and helps you find your center.
· Boyfriend Jesus who wraps his arms around us as we sing about his intoxicating love in our secret place.
· Good Example Jesus who shows you how to help people, change the planet, and become a better you.
Mark cuts through he confusion and clearly proclaims that Jesus is Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. He has not only come to tell us about the good news, but he himself is the good news. May we get a clear understanding of this good news and its implications for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as we journey through the Gospel of Mark. May the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit move and transform you by the power of the gospel.
Reflection and Response
There are those who have been growing up in the church and have somewhat of an idea about who Jesus is. And there are those of us who vaguely have an idea of who he might be but not quite certain.
· Regardless of your prior knowledge of Jesus, is He the Jesus that the Bible tells us about?
· Is there a possibility that we might have taken the Jesus of the Bible and distorted Him after our own image, to fit our own politics, to fit our own ideas of how the world should work, to fit our ideas of what church should look like, etc.?
· How comfortable are you with your current understanding of Jesus?