LESSON 24 – THE GOSPEL OF MARK 1:1-8
THE GOSPEL OF MARK 1:1-8
Mark 1:1-8 introduces the “good news” of Jesus Christ by starting immediately with his public ministry through John the Baptist. It establishes Jesus as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. It establishes John as the prophetic messenger to prepare the way for Jesus, a message of repentance and new baptism with the Holy Spirit. The passage highlights that Jesus is coming and is more powerful than John, indicating a new and more powerful way of connecting with God.
The Gospel of Mark is the most translated book in the world, and Mark is written for the Gentiles, the Roman world and for those unaware of the background of the Old Testament. The apostle Peter speaks very affectionately of Mark and in his first letter he calls him “Mark my son” (1 Peter 5:13). In Chapter 14, verse 51, Mark says, “Now a young man followed him (Jesus) wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked”. Many bible scholars have indicated that this was most likely Mark, as he is the only one who mentions this incident. Mark was a very wealthy young man of the ruling class, and in 10:17, he states, as he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus looking at him, loved him and said to him in Mark 10:21, “You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me”. Once again, it suggests that Mark was this wealthy young ruler, and later after thinking it over, Mark gave away all that he had and followed Jesus.
The Preparation for the Public Ministry of Jesus:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way, A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”
John the baptizer appeared in the desert for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to meet him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. (Mark1:1-5 NAB).
The phrase “As it was written” stresses that the words were from God Himself. It establishes it as God’s truth, and it specifies that it is written with God’s authority and by God through His messengers. The name God was very sacred to the Jews, so rather than say, “God Wrote”, they would say “It is written”.
What’s amazing is that it was 20-mile trip from Jerusalem to the Jordan River and a 4,000-foot drop down to the river. How many of us would walk 20 miles to hear a man preach, and then walk another 20 miles back? It is estimated that there could have been between 200,000 and 500,000 people that participated in John’s ministry in this way. The Jordan river, which bordered the Promised Land, was a significant location where the Israelites entered their new life under God’s covenant. John’s ministry here symbolizes a new, spiritual Exodus, a time for starting over.
John the Baptist’s water baptism was a sign of repentance, but he pointed to a greater baptism that Jesus would bring, a baptism with the Holy Spirit. Repentance means changing your mind and going in a different direction. Repentance is the way man comes to God, and the great result is the forgiveness of sins. These people were looking for the greatest blessing a person can experience, and that is having his sins forgiven, and that is why they went to listen to John. They found forgiveness of their sins, and it came via repentance.
Unfortunately, forgiveness is, many times, misunderstood. It appears that we have grown up with the idea that you forgive people only when they apologize to you. If the person admits his wrongdoing to you, then you forgive him. According to Scripture, that is wrong. On that basis, very few reconciliations would take place. Forgiveness must begin prior to the offender coming to you.
That’s the glory of the story of the prodigal son. The son came back after he wasted his father’s goods, his life had been humbled, broken and ready to be of service to his father. After his father saw him, and before a word was uttered, he opened his arms and welcomed his son back with hugs and kisses while the fatted calf was being prepared. The father, for his own reasons, was ready to forgive the hurt caused to him and forget it. Forgiveness means forgetting it, not bringing it up at another time, and treating it as if it never happened.
God does this on the basis that is the cross of Jesus Christ. So, the basis that we are exhorted to forgive is that we have already been forgiven. So to be clear it starts with a change of attitude in the heart of the one who has been offended, but it can’t be successful or complete until there is a heartfelt change in the attitude of the offender. He must admit his offense and admit it was hurtful. That is repentance.
Mark quotes from the prophets, specifically blending passages from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. To validate John the Baptist’s role as the prophesied forerunner:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you: This line from Malachi refers to a messenger that will precede Jesus.
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him’”: Isaiah’s prophecy describes a voice in the wilderness preparing a ceremonial road for the King’s arrival. Mark indicates that John the Baptist’s ministry was part of God’s sovereign plan, breaking centuries of prophetic silence and signifying a new act of salvation.
So, John the Baptist started his ministry in the wilderness which would seem to be the worst possible place. But it was extremely successful! It is said that God chose the wilderness because it was a symbol, a symbol of the desert that is a picture of mankind, of our empty, anxious, worried, troubled and fearful lives. In Mark 1:6, Mark tells us:
“John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.” This was merely the necessity of clothing and food. And this is what he proclaimed:
One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy spirit.” (Mark 1:7-8 NAB).
Untying sandals was the task of the lowest servant. John is stating that he is unworthy of even this humble task, and he illustrates the immense divinity and superiority of Jesus. I believe we all know that John was Jesus’s cousin. While John’s baptism was symbolic and external, Jesus’s baptism would be internal & transformative through the holy spirit. And on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God entered, Peter stood up and offered the people the forgiveness of sins and the promise of the spirit. From that day forth, God makes available to anyone who chooses to start from the beginning, the place of repentance. So, start there, when you are in your quiet place, say to God, “Lord, I repent. Please send me the Holy Spirit through Jesus Lord”, and he will.
Until next time, may love, peace, and joy be with you always.