1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 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. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 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. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Mark’s gospel opens with a line that serves as the book’s title. The gospel is the good news of God’s power through Jesus Christ to save all who believe (Rom 1:16). This is the good news about Jesus who’s name is the Greek for the Hebrew Joshua which means “Yahweh is salvation” and Christ is the greek equivalent of the Hebrew title of Messiah, the Anointed One. Not only Jesus a man who is God’s special agent of salvation but He is fully divine as the Son of God. This is a very special message.
Mark begins with a quick introduction of three events we need to understand Jesus’ ministry. The ministry of John the Baptist who came before Jesus, as prophesied in Isaiah and the prophets, as a messenger to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry. Second, Jesus was baptised in the Jordan along with all those from Judea and Jerusalem. He was probably baptised to show full agreement with God’s plan and to identify with Israel’s sinful predicament although He didn’t confess any sins like the rest did (Mark 1:5). At His baptism, God the Father confirmed and approved Jesus’ ministry with the Holy Spirit present as a dove. All three persons of the Godhead present at once. Thirdly, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where He was tested by Satan for forty days. Jesus’ testing was used by God to prove that he was qualified for His mission while Satan used the time to try to get Jesus to move away from His divinely appointed mission.
We are introduced to a very unique individual with a very unique and divinely appointed mission. Will you listen to Him?