The Messiah Arrives
The Gospel of Mark opens with a declaration based on passages in the Hebrew Bible, providing the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist, and setting the stage for the mission of the Messiah. In this way, Mark’s account begins on a note of fulfillment. This man from Nazareth was the King and Savior promised by the God of Israel in the Scriptures.
Implicit in
this declaration was that the long-awaited “season of fulfillment” had commenced
with the appearance of the Baptist along the banks of the Jordan River and especially
with his baptism of Jesus – (Hebrews 1:1, Revelation 1:1-3).
[Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash] |
The Greek term translated as “beginning” 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 or “anointed one.” The term “beginning” deliberately
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).
The life, Death, and Resurrection
of Jesus inaugurated the promised New Creation and began the process of redeeming
humanity. His arrival also carried universal implications since his activity
and message constituted “Good News”
for all men – (Romans 8:20-23,
Revelation 3:14).
The Greek term translated
as ‘gospel’ means “good news, glad tidings” (euangelion). The
New Testament employs this word according to how it is used 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’ or “anointed one” was not his surname but the designation of what
he was - the Messiah of Israel, though to his neighbors, he was “Jesus,
the son of Joseph” or “Jesus of Nazareth.”
MESSIAH
In
the Hebrew Bible, two categories of men were “anointed,” priests
and kings. The ritual of anointing was performed by pouring olive oil on
the head of the man to set him apart for specific offices or tasks. “Jesus” is the
anglicized spelling of the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which means “Yahweh
saves” - (Leviticus 21:10-12, Psalm 89:20).
Among
first-century Jews, the term “Son of God” had messianic and royal overtones.
It was part of the promise of kingship to David, a royal legacy the Messiah was
expected to fulfill when he was crowned in Jerusalem - (2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 2:6-9).
The
reference by Mark to the passage “as written in Isaiah” describes
a composite of verses from the books of Exodus, Isaiah, and Malachi:
- (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. Jesus was the true representative of Israel and the Greater
Lawgiver who would traverse the “wilderness” and lead his people to the Kingdom
of God. By combining these passages, Mark summarized the Messianic expectations
of the Hebrew Bible.
The Gospel of Mark
has used other themes from the history of Israel in its narrative, although the
ministry of Jesus was much more than a replay of that ancient story, or an
attempt for Jesus to succeed where Israel failed.
The plan of the God of
Israel to redeem humanity 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. The reign of
Jesus would reach the “ends of the Earth,” and upon him, the Gentile
nations would learn to place their hope.
RELATED POSTS:
- Salvation for All - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)
- Ouvre les Cieux! - (L'Esprit de Dieu et la voix du ciel confirmèrent l'appel et l'identité de Jésus-Fils, Messie et Serviteur du SEIGNEUR)
- Call His Name Jesus - (Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the salvation promised by the God of Israel has arrived in all its glory)
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