The beginning of …

Mark 1:1-8

¹ The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—

³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ”

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Like many New Testament books, Mark begins with a short summary of his book’s most important ideas: the beginning of the good news, and Jesus and what he’s been anointed to do. The Greek word Mark uses for “good news”, euangelion, means a public announcement of a great event, like the birth of a king, or that a major battle has been won.

Mark isn’t telling us this is the beginning of his book. (We can see that.) He’s telling us that his book is about the beginning of the announcement of the good news about Jesus. And he says that the beginning doesn’t start at the beginning of his book. It continues the good news that Isaiah announced. But then he quotes from both Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. It seems it continues the whole Scriptures’ narrative of what God has been doing to reveal himself and restore people to relationship with him.

Who is “the Lord” that John prepares the way for? Malachi and Isaiah are explicit: it’s Yahweh, Israel’s God, the creator of all. We’ll see tomorrow that John is preparing the way for Jesus. He is none other than the embodiment of Israel’s God, fully human but also fully God, God coming to his people as one of us. Mark makes it clear from the start, but it takes longer for the people around Jesus to understand.

When you get to the cliff hanger at the end of Mark, ask yourself how what begins with the Scriptures and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection continues. John describes Jesus as the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit, which launches the world-transforming spread of the good news, and God’s rescue of humanity, throughout the world. And I have an active part in that.

Lord God, I’m stunned at how you continue to act in surprising ways that should have been obvious from the beginning. Jesus, I’m so grateful that you came into my world to rescue humanity, ultimately all of creation, and even me. Holy Spirit, I want to be part of what you’re doing to continue the announcement of good news about Jesus in my world today.

Written by David Cornell

Have a look at the Bible Project overview video of Mark