The Gospel of Mark opens with a declaration from passages in the Hebrew Bible, providing the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist. It sets the stage for the mission of Jesus and his proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Thus, Mark’s account begins on a note of fulfillment. The Man from Nazareth is the Messiah and Savior promised by God in the Scriptures.
Implicit in
the declaration was that the long-awaited “season of fulfillment” had commenced
with the appearance of the Baptist along the banks of the Jordan and his
baptism of Jesus – (Hebrews 1:1, Revelation 1:1-3).
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The term translated as “beginning” in the passage is the first word in the Greek text of Mark’s Gospel. Its position in the sentence makes it emphatic. The sudden appearance of John marked the start of the “Good News” about the Kingdom of God.
- (Mark 1:1-3) - “Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. According as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way. A voice of one crying aloud, in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, straight be making his paths.”
Other New Testament passages also link the
“beginning” of the Gospel to the Baptist. He was the one who “prepared”
the way for the Messiah. Moreover, the term “beginning” echoes the
creation story in the Book of Genesis:
- (Genesis 1:1) - “In BEGINNING, God created the heavens and the earth.”
- (John 1:1-3) – “In BEGINNING was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”
- (Acts 1:21-22) – “It is needful then that of the men who accompanied us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus came in and went out over us, beginning from the baptism by John until the day when he was taken up from us” (See also, Acts 10:36).
Thus, the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus inaugurated the promised New Creation and began the redemption of
humanity. His arrival also carried universal implications. For all humanity, his
activity and message constituted “Good
News” – (Romans
8:20-23, Revelation 3:14).
The Greek term translated as “gospel”
or euangelion means “good news.” It combines the Greek prefix
eu (“good”) with the noun angelion or “message.”
English words derived from it include “angel” and “evangelist.”
In the New
Testament, the applications of euangelion often are derived from prophecies in the Book
of Isaiah. For example, “How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings gLAD tidings, that publishes peace, that brings gLAD tidings of blessing, that publishes
salvation, that says to Zion, your God has become king” -
(Isaiah 52:7. See also Isaiah 61:1-3).
The announcement of the “Good News of Jesus Christ” marked the arrival of the promised salvation and reign of God. The genitive construction of the clause can mean either that Jesus was the content or the herald of the Good News, or both.
The term “Christ”
was not his last name but the designation of what he was - the “Anointed One,”
the Messiah of Israel, though to his neighbors, he was “Jesus, the son
of Joseph,” or simply, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
MESSIAH OF ISRAEL
In the
Hebrew Bible, two categories of men were “anointed,” priests and kings.
The anointing was performed by pouring olive oil on the head of the man to set him
apart for a specific office or task. “Jesus” is the anglicized spelling of the Hebrew name Yehoshua,
meaning, “Yahweh saves” - (Leviticus 21:10-12, Psalm
89:20).
Among first-century
Jews, the term “Son of God” had messianic and political connotations. It
was part of the promise of kingship made to David, a royal legacy the Messiah was
expected to fulfill when he was enthroned in Jerusalem - (2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 2:6-9, Hebrews 1:5-14).
The
reference in Mark to the passage “as written in Isaiah” describes
what is a composite of verses from the books of Exodus, Isaiah,
and Malachi, although the bulk of the material is found in Isaiah:
- (Exodus 23:20) – “Behold, I send a messenger before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.”
- (Isaiah 40:3) – “The voice of one that cries, prepare in the wilderness the way of Yahweh; make level in the desert a highway for our God.”
- (Malachi 3:1) “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes, says Yahweh of hosts.”
The quotation from Exodus
was appropriate, the promise to keep Israel safe in the “wilderness” and
lead her to the Promised Land. Jesus was the true representative of Israel
ready to traverse the “wilderness” and lead his people to the Kingdom. By
combining these passages, Mark summarized the Messianic expectations of the
Hebrew Bible.
The Gospel of Mark has woven
other themes from the history of Israel into its narrative. However, the
ministry of Jesus was much more than a replay of that ancient story, or simply an
attempt by him to succeed where Israel failed.
The plan of God to redeem
humanity and the creation from bondage to sin and death began to unfold in the
life of Jesus. His mission was far larger than the nation of Israel and encompassed
territory that extended well beyond the borders of Palestine. In the end, the
Kingdom of God would include all the nations and peoples of the Earth.
SEE ALSO:
- Salvation for All - (Jesus dispatched his disciples to announce his Lordship and salvation to the uttermost parts of the Earth)
- The Greater Moses - (In Matthew, Jesus is the Greater Moses who interprets the Law and the Prophets and brings God’s promises to fulfillment)