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March 4/5, 2017
Jason Meyer | Mark 1:1-11
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”—Mark 1:1–11
Introduction
Today we begin a series on the Gospel of Mark. This feels a little bit like coming back to my first love.
Here is why. When I was a seminary student at Bethlehem seminary, I focused mainly on the apostle Paul’s letters. Later, I did my doctoral dissertation at Southern Seminary on Paul’s letters. You would think Paul’s letters would be my first love. But they are not. Here is why. When I first started teaching as a New Testament professor, I taught a survey of the New Testament class. I was ready to teach on Paul’s epistles, but that would have to wait because we had to begin the class with the Gospels. And in terms of date, I think Mark was written first, then Matthew, Luke, then John. So I started preparing to lecture on Mark. As I did, it happened. The Gospel of Mark and in particular the person and work of Jesus came absolutely alive to me. The Gospel of Mark has made an indelible mark on my soul. I am praying that by the power of the Spirit, it will come alive for you as well.
So today we are looking at verses 1–11. In my preaching class, I tell students often about Plato’s Clumsy Butcher analogy. A chicken has natural divisions (sometimes we talk about a clean cut or a clean break). What are those clear divisions? Sometimes it helps to start by seeing the point of the text and the divisions of the text become clear as day. This text features four testimonies that Jesus is the Son of God: 1) Mark (1:1), 2) the prophets (1:2–3), 3) John the Baptist (1:4–8), and 4) God from heaven (1:9–11).
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
First, the author comes bursting out of the gate with the glorious testimony that Jesus Christ is “the Son of God” (v. 1). We are going to say a lot about “Son of God” in the testimonies that follow. Here, let us take note of two words together: gospel and beginning.
1. Gospel
The testimony that Jesus is the Son of God is connected to the good news of the gospel. Notice also that the good news is not a random series of true statements or propositions. The gospel is not a mere proposition; it is about a person: Jesus. There would be no good news without Jesus. The good news is the story of salvation in Jesus. Remember that the name “Jesus” means “the Lord saves.”
2. Beginning
But “gospel” or “good news” or “Jesus” is not the first word. Mark opens with the word beginning. Why connect the word “beginning” with the testimony that Jesus the Messiah is the Son of God? The good news comes into the world at the climactic moment when the Son of God enters the world, takes on flesh, and dwells among us on earth as Jesus the promised Messiah, fully God and fully man. The beginning is bound up with the coming of Christ.
Therefore, Mark does not use the term “beginning” in a mere sequential sense: “This is the first thing I am going to say, or “This is where I want to start my writing.” The term “beginning” can mean the first thing someone does or it can mean “first” in a more elevated sense in terms of “origin.” Mark is saying, “This is where the good news begins”: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. One commentator catches the super-charged meaning of the word “beginning” and all of its biblical overtones. “For Mark, the introduction of Jesus is no less momentous than the creation of the world, for in Jesus a new creation is at hand” (James R. Edwards, Mark, p. 23).
This is the awe-inspiring origin of the good news: The new beginning that dawns with the coming of Christ. Something entirely new has taken place. We will see this in a fuller way as we walk through this text. Here, we simply note that the beginning of the gospel means that a new day and a new hope has come bursting on the scene with great blazing glory that pierces the darkness. The good news is wrapped up in the jaw-dropping identity of Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who has come in the flesh as the promised Messiah.
But Mark doesn’t want you to take his word for it. He is not claiming to speak an opinion based on his own authority. He is claiming to speak truth that is binding on everyone because God has spoken. Mark now will show how God has spoken through the prophets in a way that perfectly accords with this testimony.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’ ”
This quotation is a mixed quotation from two main places, Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Malachi 3:1 warns that God will send a messenger to prepare the way before the dreaded day of judgment called the Day of the Lord: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.”
Isaiah 40 speaks of preparation as well. The word of God comes to God’s people in exile and points to a singular voice crying in the wilderness, which will prepare the way of the Lord.
All three texts together focus on the preparation that must precede the coming of the Messiah. But notice the language very carefully as these texts are joined together. There is a first person (“I,” “my”), second person (“your”), and third person (“his”). Who is the I? “I send my messenger” (v. 2). That can only be a reference to God. Who is the “your”? It has to be the people or the audience. Who is the third person—the one will come and his way will be prepared in advance? You could say the Messiah and you would be right. But what does the text call him? “The Lord” (v. 3). God is sending someone to prepare the way for the Lord to come. Jesus is “the Lord.”
The forerunner really did come. He was given the task to get people ready for the greatest moment in human history. Let’s look at who he was and (more important) what he said about Jesus.
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Third, the author gives us the testimony of John the Baptist (1:4–8). We learn many things in these verses, but I will highlight only three: 1) the preparation shows the problem (vv. 4–5), 2) we see who John is (v. 6), and 3) we see what John says (vv. 7–8).
First, look at verses 4–5. In this text we have an explanation of the way of preparation that Isaiah foretold (vv. 2–3). What was the preparation? John preached a baptism of repentance in order to prepare the people to receive the Messiah. This preparation reveals the problem with the people: sin against God.
I am going to say a lot more next week about Isaiah 40 and why the whole context here of exile matters. We can briefly say here that Isaiah 40 is a text that originally came in a context of exile. Israel is still in slavery, even in their own land. But they are slaves of a far more powerful foe than the Romans—sin.
Don’t miss the fact that John is in the wilderness. The Jordan River is a significant landmark. It was not just a river, it was a border between the Promised Land and the wilderness. Here is why that matters. It was what one could call a crossing of the threshold. It is what happened in Israel’s experience in the Exodus from Egypt to cross over to the Promised Land. “Even in the first century, Jewish prophets led followers to reenact the crossing of the Jordan River in hopes of anticipating Israel’s liberation from the Roman Empire.” (Roads and Michie, Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel, p. 69). They are called out of where they are exiled and enter into the wilderness as a place of preparation where God will come to them. They will be a new beginning; a new Exodus deliverance. All the Jews shared in this slavery to sin.
Second, we learn who John the Baptist is. Mark gives us a physical description of what John wore (camel’s hair, leather belt) and what he ate (locusts, wild honey) in verse 6. The point of the description is to identify John as a prophet like Elijah (2 Kings 1:7–8).
He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
The narrator wants us to draw that important conclusion. Imagine a movie on the Civil War. The camera moves to a person and there is a still shot of his features. He is tall, with a dark beard, and a big tall black top hat. The movie does not need to have anyone break in and say: “That is Abraham Lincoln.” Everyone recognizes him by his distinctive dress.
Why does it matter that we connect John with Elijah? Listen to the prophets:
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”—Malachi 4:5–6
Now that we know who John is, Mark wants us to hear what he says (vv.7–8). Notice the word. He “preached.” John did not hold discussion groups. This word really matters.
The baptism symbolizing repenting of our sin problem is connected in John’s preaching with the coming of the Mighty One. I fear that we are always in danger of watering down the gravity of preaching. Some people confuse preaching with oratory (attempting to impress people or entertain them). A preacher is a herald. A herald is not trying to entertain. Gordon Hugenberger reinforces the gravity of the herald’s task by stressing the political or military associations of the word. He points to the work of Suidas, the 10th century Greek lexicographer, who said, “a herald is in time of war what an ambassador is in peace.” The herald would go into “enemy territory ahead of an advancing army to warn the enemy of certain destruction unless they accepted the proffered terms for peace.” Therefore, the king would invest the herald with the power to “either accept surrender on behalf of his king or to declare war if those terms were rejected.” The herald’s authority is completely derived and is legitimate only to the degree that he faithfully represents the one that sent him.
That is what John the Baptist is doing. He is saying that the heavenly King is about to make an appearance. He is coming. The problem is that you have all rebelled against his rule. Repent! Kiss the sovereign scepter and confess that your lives and your allegiance belong to him. He rules over you.
Notice the content of his preaching. John wants everyone to know the difference between himself (the herald, the preparer) and the coming Messiah (the main event). He continues to herald what Isaiah 40 says would be heralded: “Behold your God.” Behold the Lord God comes with might” (Isaiah. 40:9–10). He is the Mighty One that is coming, much mightier than John. John says he is not even worthy to do the most menial task of a servant (unstrap his sandals).
In fact, the Jews regarded unfastening someone’s sandals as the most menial action one could take; it was something reserved for a slave, “indeed of only Gentile slaves” (James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, p. 33). Jewish instructions say that a disciple should do everything for his teacher that a slave would do—except this one thing (Morna Hooker, The Gospel According to St. Mark, p. 38; quoting the Talmud B. Kethuboth 96a). When a guest came into the house, the servant would take the latchet (thong of the sandal that held the sandal together) before the guest took a bath. He contrasts his own ministry with that of the Messiah’s: "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8). The difference can be seen in what they use in ministry. John uses water. The one who is coming will use the Holy Spirit. No one can bestow the Spirit in the Old Testament except God. Who could be so identified with the Spirit that He has control to command the Spirit? It all comes together in the climax of verses 9–11.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Fourth, we have the testimony of God himself (1:9–11). The baptism of Jesus is an epic event—the opening event of his ministry. When the apostles looked for a replacement for Judas, the main criteria was to find someone who had been with Jesus from his baptism onward (Edwards, p. 34). It is important to note that three signs are here that the new creation or new beginning is taking place: the heavens opened, the Spirit descends, and the voice of God speaks.
The heavens will be opened, and from the temple of glory sanctification will come upon him, with a fatherly voice, as from Abraham to Isaac. And the glory of the Most High shall burst forth upon him. And the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him—Testament of Levi 18:6–8, written in 250 B.C.
The Testament of Judah says something similar. The messianic king will come as the Star of Jacob upon whom “the heavens will be opened … to pour out the spirit as a blessing of the Holy Father” (Testament of Judah 24:1–3). I quote these texts simply to show the end time expectation that some of the Jewish people had for what would happen when the Messiah came.
I will limit myself to five crucial questions here: 1) Why mention Nazareth? 2) Why was Jesus baptized? 3) Why were the heavens torn? 4) Why did the Spirit descend like a dove? and 5) What did the Father say and why does it matter?
First, the passing reference to geography is important. Jesus came from Nazareth. He came from a specific place. This is history. It is a little strange that the Mighty One would come from such an obscure, lowly place that people mocked. (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”)
The next thing we note is that Jesus was baptized. You should stop in your tracks and ask, “Wait a minute—why?” This was a baptism of repentance. Jesus was not a sinner! What could Jesus possibly be doing in that water? We will see this much more next week, but Jesus is here identifying with the need of the people that he has come to save. This is identification. In Christian baptism, going under the water means dying with Jesus and coming up out of the water means rising to newness of life with Jesus. But before we could identify with Jesus and what he did to save us, he had to identify with us and all that we had done as sinners.
Third, notice that Mark uses a word for what happens to the heavens that the other gospel writers do not use. Matthew and Luke say that the heavens were opened, Mark says they were torn. Why? There are at least three reasons and I will mention two here at this point. This is the answer to Isaiah’s prayer: “Rend the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). Why does it matter if Isaiah said it? What does it mean? If something is torn, then it will not be restored to what is was formerly. A permanent tear has taken place. You have heard the phrase “all hell is breaking loose.” The picture here is so much better. To quote one commentator, “all heaven is breaking loose” (Minear, Mark, p. 50).
Fourth, when the heavens are rent, the Holy Spirit (God) descends upon him. The Spirit does not have a physical form, but he descends in a dove like way (v. 10). I think the point of this detail (“like a dove”) is that the descent is not the swooping attack of an eagle, but the gentle descent or hovering of a dove. The same Spirit once hovered over the chaos waters at the beginning of time (Genesis 1:2) and now he has come like a dove to signal a new creation has begun. Heaven is invading this earth! God is on the move and the sinful chaos on earth is about to be addressed: New creation!
Fifth, the Father testifies that Jesus is the divine Son of God and the Suffering Servant. Where do we see those two things? God the Father testifies to Jesus’ identity in the language of two texts. Psalm 2:7 ("I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son'") and Isaiah 42:1 ("Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights"). The Son of God from Psalm 2 is also the Servant of God from Isaiah 42.
This already puts the main theme of Mark’s Gospel in front of us. People are going to struggle to put these two things together: The Son of God (Mark 1–8) is the Suffering Servant (Mark 8–16). The Father puts them together for us right at the beginning (Nazareth already pointed to it and Jesus consenting to a baptism of repentance).
Application
How the Story Begins and Ends
The Gospel of Mark ends the same way it begins. The story begins with the author confessing that Jesus is the Son of God. The story ends with someone from Mark’s intended audience confessing that Jesus is the Son of God. Mark begins on this note of testimony that Jesus is the Son of God and he will end by striking the very same note.
Here is what I mean. The Gospels are certainly intended to speak to everyone, but the Gospel writers had a more specific “bulls eye” audience in mind. The Gospel of Mark is especially focused on Roman Gentiles. The climax of the Gospel is when someone from this intended audience (a Roman centurion) testifies to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Jesus, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’" (Mark 15:39). In fact, the testimony that Jesus is God’s Son permeates the entire Gospel (1:1; 1:11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 12:1–11; 13:32; 14:61–62; 15:39).
The story begins with the tearing of the heavens (1:10). The story ends with the tearing of the temple veil (15:38). Repent and believe—add your voice of testimony to the earth-shaking truth that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh. Why did he come? He came so that through his death he would tear open the way to God and the way to heaven that has been blocked by our sin. He has torn heaven’s door off the hinges so that he might bring us to God. Repent of your rebellion and believe this good news! Three clarifications are in order to respond rightly to this good news.
1. Not a Religion
First, this gospel is not to be confused with religion. It is not a list of religious things to do like religious rungs on a religious ladder to religiously reach God. Religion is about what we do to reach God; the gospel is what God did to reach us. It is news, not advice. It is not something to do; it is something that has been done. In order to receive it, you must repent and believe.
2. Not One Story Among Many (many ways or roads to reach God)
Second, this gospel is also not one report of good news among many other such stories. Many ways to God or many different stories religions tell. In the ancient world of both Israel and Rome, the word “gospel” or “good news” would most often be the declaration of a military victory. In the Old Testament, when the Philistines defeated the troops of Saul, “they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news (euangelizesthai) … among the people” (1 Samuel 31:9; 2 Samuel 1:20; 18:19–20). The messenger who would bring the report was the herald of good news (2 Samuel 4:10).
In the Roman world, it was often the imperial proclamation of military victory, but it could also refer to other glad tidings. In 9 B.C., within a decade of Jesus’ birth, on the birthday of Caesar Augustus (who lived 63 B.C. to A.D. 14), he was hailed as a god and his birthday signaled the beginning of good news for the world.”
But there was a big difference. One commentator says it this way. “In the Greco-Roman world the word always appears in the plural, meaning one good tiding among others; but in the NT euaggelion appears only in the singular: The good news of God in Jesus Christ, beside which there is no other.” This is a totalitarian statement of truth.
We live in a world that wants to talk about everything on the level of tolerance where no story or narrative is placed over all the others. But this is the one story to rule them all. It is the one story that is like Moses’ staff. The magicians of Egypt may be able to turn their staffs into snakes, but Moses’ staff turned serpent devours all the fake snakes. I call you to repent of your refusal to bow the knee and confess with the tongue that Jesus is Lord. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, but it will be a forced confession and forced bowing.
3. Not Forced (not intellectual assent either)
Third, this good news does not call for a forced, arm-twisting confession. Where do I get that? Think about one powerful link between the Father’s testimony about Jesus and our own. God the Father doesn’t need to repent and believe, because he has always truly known and truly loved the Son. We, on the other hand, have walked in both ignorance and rebellion. We must repent and believe that Jesus is the Son of God in order to receive what he has done.
But here is where they are similar. Truly testifying to who Jesus is can’t be separated from truly delighting in who Jesus is. One part of our testimony is the declaration of our delight in Jesus. We are invited to delight in everything we see Jesus saying and doing in the months to come as we look at text after text. The fact that Jesus is God’s Son means that he does not merely have authority to speak and act for God, but to speak and act as God. There is no one like him. There is nothing worth more.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.—Philippians 3:7–8
Communion Conclusion: The Invitation to Draw Near Through the Open Way
The barrier between God and man is torn open. We now have access to God through what Jesus has done. So what do we do? Let’s do what the book of Hebrews tells us to do when we see the new and living way opened for us. Let us draw near and hold fast.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.—Hebrew 10:19–23
Let us hold fast to our confession: Jesus is the only way to the Father. He opened the way and we have entered through. We will not be put to shame. God keeps his promises. The day is drawing near.
When people talk to a stranger they may come up and say, “Excuse me, my name is so-and-so and you don’t know me but …” How different it looks when a child approaches their parent. The child does not say, “Excuse me”—he just runs and hugs. Children didn’t earn the right to this kind of intimacy. It is their birthright as children. We don’t earn the right to have such boldness and intimacy with God. It is a blood-bought birthright for every born again child of God. To as many as receive him, who believe in his name, he gives them the right to be called the children of God.
Sermon Discussion Questions
Outline
Main Point: Repent and believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to receive what Christ has done for the first time or in a fresh way for the hundredth time. Pray for a grace to rejoice in the surpassing loveliness of Christ and to delight in him more like the Father, who perfectly delights in the Son.
For Further Reflection: See Pastor Jason's Biblearc of Mark 1:1–11.