The Sovereign Is Calling And I Must Go (Mark 1:12-20)

Wilt Chamberlain made his NBA debut in October 1959. He dominated in college and delighted audiences during one season with the Harlem Globetrotters. But how would he do in the big leagues? At the end of his first game, Wilt left the court with 43 points and 28 rebounds.^[1] Quite a rookie performance. And he still holds the record for more 40 point games 66 years later.

Last week Mark introduced Jesus. Socially speaking, He was an unknown. He had no political clout, no earthly certifications, no foot in the door with the Jerusalem elite. The people at the Jordan weren’t there to see Jesus, there were there to see John. But none of that mattered because when He came up out of the water heaven itself split open to grab our attention and say, “This is the Messiah. Look at Him. Listen to Him.” This was the One to behold.

So what would be Jesus’ first act? Would He throw Caesar off the throne? Host a big fundraiser? Would He demand genuflection or commission a palace? All would’ve been within His rights as King of kings. What would His first act be?

We learn very quickly that this King is not like other kings. In this Gospel, He begins His work going into battle alone – on our behalf – and then inviting us to fall in line behind Him to enjoy the victory. He doesn’t grind us down under His thumb, but lifts us up in His loving embrace.

Mark 1:12-13 – ¹² Immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. ¹³ He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.

There’s a sudden shift from verse 11 to verse 12. Mark makes fast movements in his writing. He’s going to use this term “immediately” more than 40 times.^[2] There is an urgency to the work of Christ culminating in His death and resurrection. He was on a mission, not a vacation.

As we read the other Gospel accounts it’s easy to think that Satan came, threw out his 3 temptations, which takes less than 2 minutes when you read it right through, and then took off. But we see here an extended period of testing and conflict between the Lord and our Adversary.

The wilderness doesn’t only speak to us of danger and isolation. It also proves an important point about Who Jesus is. You see, Moses had failed in the wilderness, due to frustration.^[3] Elijah failed in the wilderness, due to fear and despair.^[4] But Jesus did not fail.

Not only was Jesus doing what Elijah could not and what Moses could not, more significantly, Jesus conquered while Adam had surrendered. When Satan came and tempted Adam, he gave in. And he was defeated in the garden. A perfect garden where he was at home, where every need was met, where his perfect companion was constantly with them and together they communed with God Himself face-to-face. But Christ, the Second Adam faced an extended barrage of temptations in the wilderness alone. Hungry but with nothing to eat. Mark says angels were serving Him, but Matthew reveals they didn’t arrive until after the Devil left.^[5]

We’re told that the Spirit drove Jesus into this situation. It was an absolute, Divine necessity that He go and prove that He was qualified to be the Savior.^[6] It’s not that it was a question – God the Father wasn’t wondering if Jesus would pass the test – but as Hebrews would later explain:

Hebrews 2:17-18 – ¹⁷ Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

He was tempted not only to show He had what it takes to defeat the Devil – something no human had ever been able to do – but to also so that He might sympathize with us in our weakness.^[7]

And to think: This was Jesus’ rookie performance. Usually you don’t face the champ in your very first fight. But Jesus did and it wasn’t even close. Total victory over ultimate temptation.

Mark 1:14 – ¹⁴ After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God

About a year passes in-between verses 13 and 14. The Gospel of John records that Jesus had an early Judean ministry that overlapped with John the Baptist’s ministry – in fact, they may have been in the same general area.^[8]

But Mark’s Gospel has 3 major parts. You have the Galilean ministry in chapters 1 through 8. Then you have Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem in from the last part of chapter 8 through 10. And then you have Passion week in chapters 11 through 16. The opening 13 verses of chapter 1 are an introduction and the last few verses of chapter 16 are an appendix.

Here in verse 14 the Galilee portion begins. Galilee is not just some random place. As one scholar points out, Galilee has both a geographical dimension and a theological dimension.^[9] It was a place where the barriers between Jew and Gentile started to break down. There were a lot of religious Jews there, but it was also semi-pagan.^[10] Matthew calls it a Gentile district.^[11] In this remarkable place, Jesus met all kinds of people and proclaimed the Good News to all of them. Salvation for anyone. And in coming to Galilee, Jesus fulfilled yet another Isaiah prophecy: that the Lord would bring light and freedom and joy to the people living in darkness – the people in Galilee!^[12]

I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why wasn’t John one of the 12 apostles?” Wouldn’t he have been an incredible addition to the team? Full of the Holy Spirit from the womb. A faithful Nazarene. A great preacher. Humble and fearless. Yet, he was “arrested.” The term actually means “handed over into the power of men.”^[13] It’s the same word that will later be used when Jesus is betrayed by Judas.

Why wasn’t John brought into the 12? We obviously don’t know the mind of God, but we do know that, in His providence, God had set aside John to serve as the herald of the Messiah and to maybe use him as the “Elijah that was to come.” Later in Mark we’ll hear Jesus say, “Elijah does have to come before the end of human history, and John could have been Elijah, but he was rejected.”^[14]

You see, Christ’s offer to Israel to restore her and establish the forever Kingdom was a genuine offer. But Israel’s leaders, both political and religious, rejected Jesus, and so we now wait for the full and final consummation of the Messiah’s work and the establishment of His physical Kingdom.

Mark 1:15 – ¹⁵ “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

In the Garden of Eden, looking on the failure of man, the infiltration of sin and death into creation, the Lord made a promise to send a Son to defeat the Devil and save the world. And now, so many centuries later, the time had come. Not only were the gates of the Kingdom thrown open, but the arrival of Christ also signified the beginning of the end. Mark 1:15 is the start of the last days.^[15]

The coming of the Kingdom is good news, but it isn’t only good news. Along with the offer of salvation comes the promise of judgment. Those who refuse to enter in will face His inescapable wrath. And so, while sharing the happy tidings, Jesus also urgently invited people to enter in.^[16]

From the beginning, He explained how to gain access to the eternal Kingdom of God: Repent and believe the good news. In those few words we see an entire life being oriented toward the truth of God in trust and obedience. You have the heart, the mind, and the actions all together moving the progress of a life from going in one direction to now going in another direction.

We don’t earn a place in the Kingdom, we don’t climb in by our own grit or ability. We are invited in by the King, Who loves us and wants very much to spend eternity with us. But to receive what God has offered, we must have an operational faith – belief with repentance. A faith that is not just intellectual – and not just emotional – but rooted in love, truth, and motion toward God. It’s not just about words we say. In fact, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, “the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”^[17] And so, we must respond to Christ’s urgent summons with a living, childlike faith.

Are we in the Kingdom now? Some Christians and church traditions teach that we are and shouldn’t expect a physical manifestation of Christ’s Kingdom in the future. And Jesus said, “The Kingdom has drawn near. It’s at hand.”  But He would also go on to tell His disciples to pray, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Even later He will teach in His Olivet Discourse, “When you see the following things happening, you know the Kingdom is near.”^[18]

As Christians, we live in the reality of the Kingdom now in the sense that we know that this world is not our home, and that while we are passing through we are on a mission to further the King’s work and bring more citizens to His Kingdom. At the same time, here at Calvary we are futurists who see the unfulfilled prophecies in the Bible, including those about a Millennial Kingdom, and recognize that just as the prophecies of Christ’s first coming were literally fulfilled, so the prophecies about His second coming and the establishment of a Kingdom in Jerusalem will be literally fulfilled. And that belief should impact our plans, our values, the things we’re excited about, and so much more.

In the meantime, I receive the Kingdom here and now by submitting to God’s rule over my heart and life. I live a life defined by belief and repentance and trust in this Savior King Who has been revealed and Who works in and through my life as I walk with Him.

Mark 1:16 – ¹⁶ As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen.

First thing Christ did after being introduced was fight a battle He didn’t have to fight to so He could share with us a victory we couldn’t win for ourselves. The second thing He did was go looking for disciples. This may seem like normal to us in a world full of brand ambassadors and military recruitment, but this was an unusual thing. Old Testament prophets didn’t go looking for disciples. Most rabbis didn’t either.^[19] John the Baptist had disciples, but they came to him. But Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who goes looking for lost sheep. He seeks after you. He calls out to you.

Now, normally we thinking of the fishermen of Galilee being a coarse and impoverished lot. But the truth is, they were not peasants. In fact, they would occupy what we might call the middle class, (relatively speaking).^[20] But that doesn’t mean Christianity is a middle-class movement. Jesus brought people of every background into His fold, as He continues to do today. Because the Gospel brings hope and transformation to all peoples of all places and social classes. Spiritually speaking, no matter who we are, we’re blind, bankrupt, and in need of rescue. Jesus comes to us.

Mark 1:17 – ¹⁷ “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”

Jesus’ was not like the other teachers of Scripture at the time.  The other rabbis of Israel would not say “follow ME,” they would say, “Come learn the Torah from me.”^[21] And when Jesus talked about fishing for people, it would’ve reminded these Jewish fellows about that same image used in the Old Testament prophets. But there, fishing for people led to wrath and judgment. Here, Jesus says, “I’m going to send you to fish for people to save them from wrath and judgment.”

His call to them may only have been 10 words, but there could not have been anything more transformational, radical, or demanding. This was a command from the Son of God. But with the command came a promise. To receive that promise, they must go along with Christ’s demands – and He demanded everything. “Fall in line behind Me, come after Me, wherever I lead you.” But, if they were willing to follow, He would lead them into a greater life and experience than they could’ve possibly imagined.

Mark 1:18 – ¹⁸ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Look at this! Incredible faith. Incredible obedience. Immediate trust and belief in practice.

With that said, the Gospels are full of examples of the disciples making profound mistakes. They’re not recorded to shame them, but to help us. But you have to wonder, why not just pick those angels from verse 13 to be the Messiah’s entourage? Angels don’t misunderstand. Angels can’t be imprisoned. Angels don’t fear or falter. Humans do. But it is God’s desire to redeem us and sanctify us and make us His own special possession to be put on display for all the cosmos to see His power and grace and mercy and faithfulness. We are chosen despite our failures and weakness.

Mark 1:19-20 – ¹⁹ Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order. ²⁰ Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

These brothers would make up the core four of Jesus’ disciples. Though we’ll see their obedience was definitely not perfect, it was prompt and complete here at the start.^[22]

What enticed them to go? They saw no miracle. They may have known something about Jesus, but Mark gives us no such indication. They were propelled by Christ’s authority and Word. His word and presence were powerful despite there being no supernatural manifestation.

And so they left their own plans, they left their own designs, they left their human father to be led by Jesus, and lead Him He did, through thick and thin, ups and downs, failures and triumphs. Christ was always faithful to them. And His desire was to lead each of these fellows in very specific, and in some cases very different ways.

James would be a relatively early martyr for Christ in Jerusalem. Peter would become a leader in the Jerusalem church and, ultimately, be led to Rome. John would become the bishop of Ephesus, be exiled to Patmos, and receive the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Andrew “went as far as the borders of Russia” with the good news.^[23]

They didn’t know any of that that day as the water lapped the shore by their nets. But they believed that not only was Jesus worth serving, He was going to lead them for the rest of their lives.

Christ’s introduction in this chapter shows us so much about Him and about the life He’s called us to. Through this book, we see that Jesus has also sought you out and said to you, “Follow Me.” And He really, actually, wants you involved in His work and His Kingdom. He could use angels. He could find other John the Baptists. But He wants you and me to come after Him and be sent into a specific life of faith and power and grace and truth. One where we can overcome temptation because our Savior overcame every temptation. One where we continue to be renewed in our belief and built up in our faith by God the Holy Spirit, living under the protection of the Most High, dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty. A life where the King of kings brings us into His Kingdom and shares all He has with us. A life we get to walk in as we exercise our faith, grow in our knowledge and understanding of Christ Jesus our Lord, and wait with expectation and hope for all that He will accomplish by His power on our behalf.

Talking With A Man Down By The River (Mark 1:4-11)

Small towns like ours aren’t usually homes to pop-up shops. Popups are temporary spaces, placed in specific locations for a few days or weeks to blitz a market or generate interest in a new product. From celebrity chefs to fashion brands to Pokémon, there are all kinds of popup shops out there. Even big name companies like IKEA and Porsche have used the model.

The most interesting has to be the Icehotel in Sweden. Since 1989, this hotel has been built anew every November, accepting guests from December till March. It’s completely made out of natural ice and snow, and is redesigned each year.^[1] The Icehotel has received travelers from all over the globe, who have the chance to stay in a never before seen, artist-designed suite.

In Mark 1, a different sort of popup grabbed Judea’s attention. A wild and unique preacher opened a baptism ministry in the Jordan river. But this was not just some monk in the wilderness, this was a man with a famous past. The story of his birth would have been well-known: His father, a temple priest once spoke with an angel, who miraculously struck him mute. Later, he was healed when this son was born far past when his mother should have been able to have him.

But this remarkable baby did not grow up to follow in his father’s footsteps, even though he, too, was a descendent of the great High Priest Aaron. Instead of priest, this fellow became a prophet of Israel – the first in centuries. And more than a prophet, he became the herald, the forerunner of the Messiah. Tonight we see Mark’s record of John the Baptist’s work and his encounter with Jesus.

Mark 1:4 – ⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

John was sent by God to accomplish this specific ministry. It was hyper-focused and limited in both time and scope. It really was a popup. The truth is, John wouldn’t live much longer – we’ll see that in chapter 6 – but this was what God called him to do: To preach and baptize and reveal the Messiah.

Mark is very brief in his description here. We know from the other Gospels that John also taught that the Kingdom of God was at hand and that repentance should be demonstrated through acts of justice and morality, what John called fruits of repentance.^[2]

The Jews hearing his message and his call to be baptized would’ve had great cause for offense at his message and methods.^[3] You see, it was all happening in the wilderness – the historic site of Israel’s disobedience toward God. And Jews didn’t get baptized. Gentiles had to be baptized when they converted to Judaism, but not the children of Abraham. On top of that, being dunked in the Jordan would’ve brought to mind the story of Naaman the pagan, Aramean leper being washed clean in that river at the word of Elisha.

Now here’s a new prophet saying, “You’re all Naaman. You all need the same kind of conversion a pagan Gentile needs when he’s brought into the family of God.” He’s treating Jews as pagans.^[4]

Baptism does not earn you forgiveness. Don’t misunderstand what Mark wrote. Scholars, linguists and historians agree that this verse is not teaching that you are baptized in order to be forgiven.^[5] For one thing, this is not Christian baptism.^[6] But secondly, we see that repentance precedes the rite of baptism, which then becomes the outward obedience and testimony that you had repented.

What is repentance? Repentance is first an acknowledgement that you need God’s forgiveness and then choosing to not only change your mind but also your choices and actions accordingly. It means to turn away from your sin not toward a general sense of good, but toward God Himself.

Mark 1:5 – ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

This is a big deal. Tons of people in this southern region were steadily streaming to John and many (though not all) were having their lives truly changed by his teaching. This was no easy thing they were doing. To travel from Jerusalem to the Jordan was not only a 20 mile walk, you also had to come down 4,000 feet of elevation and then climb back up on your way home!^[7]

But on top of that was the cultural and philosophical journey they had to make. They had to leave where the temple was and go out here to this guy who was saying, “I’M telling you the true way to be forgiven.” This is a seismic event, theologically speaking. But we learn from the other Gospels it wasn’t just religious Jews going out to him. Crowds of people were coming out, full of Pharisees and tax collectors and soldiers and everyone in between. And we see here they didn’t just come to experience something exciting, they were confessing and believing his message.

Mark 1:6 –  ⁶ John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

Does Mark just want us to know John was a little strange? No. He wants us to know that John was a prophet. You see, this is how Elijah was described in 2 Kings.^[8] And when John’s father spoke with the angel, the angel said, “Your son is going to go in the spirit and power of Elijah and he’s going to turn many people’s hearts toward God and prepare them for the coming of the Messiah.”^[9]

The description of John paired with where he set up shop makes many people think he was one of the Essenes. They were a group of ascetics who believed in prophecy and had strong anticipation of the Holy Spirit.^[10] There are definitely some overlaps between John’s message and the Essenes, but there are also a lot of significant differences. Enough that it’s unlikely they would’ve still listed him as a member.

Mark 1:7 – ⁷ He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.

Everything about what John said and did was signaling something new, something monumental – that God’s dealings with mankind were dramatically changing. This sandal statement was part of it. The religious leaders of the day wanted the best places, the highest accolades, recognition in the marketplace, but not John. A few centuries later when the Talmud was compiled, Jewish rabbis taught that a disciple must do everything for his teacher that a slave would do for his master except menial things like taking off his sandals.^[11] John’s ministry was the start of a dramatic, new thing.

Meanwhile, the people wondered whether John was the Messiah himself.^[12] He was very clear that he was not the Messiah, but that the Messiah was much greater than him – that the Messiah was God Himself Who was coming to ultimately judge the entire world.

It’s interesting to me that John talks about how the people saw him as “powerful.” He said, “One more powerful than me is coming.” Clearly, there was great power in what God was doing through John. But he worked no miracles. He won no battles. There didn’t seem to be any manifestations or exorcisms. Those aren’t bad things, but they aren’t the only ways God shows His power. God’s power showed in John’s preaching and through the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing people of every background out to hear this first preaching of the Good News of the coming Messiah.

Mark 1:8 –  ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Did the people at the Jordan know what John meant by this? He didn’t seem to explain it and Mark never explains it. We’re left to discover it in Acts and in our own lives as we walk with the Lord.

John understood that his ministry and his baptism were only preparatory – there was something else coming. When you get to Acts, where the baptism of the Holy Spirit happens at Pentecost and the full work of Christ in His death and resurrection have been revealed, we learn that John’s baptism isn’t sufficient for Christians. In fact, in Acts 19 Paul meets some believers who received John’s baptism and Paul has to tell them that the Holy Spirit exists and that Jesus is the Messiah and those guys were then baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

But even in his limited scope, John was signaling here that real religion, true spirituality is not just ethical activity. It’s not just about being nice or socially good. It wasn’t just about people saying sorry for doing bad things. On top of Godly morality, it was about this full connection with God, being baptized with the Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus. Real Christianity is about seeking the God Who is seeking us and then living in His presence and having Him indwell our hearts.

A lot of times John the Baptist gets a reputation of being angry and crazy and overly harsh. He did say some very frank and difficult things to people. But his message was not a message of anger.^[13]

If we want to know what John’s message was like, we can go back to Isaiah 40, which is about John and his ministry. And there, describing the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, we read:

Isaiah 40:1-2a – “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. ² “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of hard service is over,”

John was sent to tell Israel that the Messiah “protects his flock like a shepherd, he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them…He gently leads those that are nursing.”^[14]

John’s point was not only that people should get right with God, but that God Himself was coming to meet them. That’s what Isaiah prophesied, and throughout the Old Testament it’s made clear that only God can pour out the Holy Spirit. So, if the Messiah is the One Who comes and pours out the Holy Spirit, then He cannot be simply a man, He must actually be God.

Mark 1:9 – ⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.

Among the vast multitudes of people, suddenly Mark trains his focus on one Person – a stranger in their midst. You see, Mark has shown us all southerners so far. Suddenly, this one Man from the far north has come down to be baptized, walking maybe 75 miles to get there.^[15]

John did not know Jesus was the Messiah. He says in John 1:31, “I didn’t know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” No one knew. It had to be revealed.

The question is: Why did Jesus get baptized? He certainly didn’t need to repent of anything. In fact, Matthew seems to feel a little uncomfortable that Jesus received John’s baptism. He records that John tried to stop Jesus and Jesus commanded John to allow it to happen.^[16]

Jesus did not need to be baptized. He didn’t need forgiveness. He didn’t need reconciliation with God. He didn’t need to flee from the coming wrath. So why did this happen?

It happened because Christ came to identify with us and to take our place.^[17] To be forgiven, to be saved, human beings need our sin to be dealt with. It can’t be ignored, it can’t be swept under a rug, it must be judged. And so God promised to supply a Substitute for us so that our iniquity could be pardoned. To accomplish this, God promised that He would provide Himself the Lamb – the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus was baptized so that you could know that He identifies with you, that He loves you, that He is willing to take your sin upon Himself.

Mark 1:10 – ¹⁰ As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

The Gospel of John reports that at least John the Baptist could also see this happening. This wasn’t just a beam of sunlight shining down. Mark uses a strong word that means the sky was “rent asunder.”^[18] It was a dramatic event signaling the start of something new.

What was starting was Jesus’ work and ministry. At the end of His Incarnate work, Mark will once again use this verb for tearing when he reports that the veil in the Temple is torn in two and Jesus is once more identified as the Son of God.^[19]

John’s ministry was forecast in Isaiah. Toward the end of Isaiah, in chapter 64, the prophet brings this request to God: “If only You would tear the heavens open and come down,” and he goes on to ask the Lord, “how can we be saved from our sin?”^[20] And here, God gives the answer.

Mark 1:11 – ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

In other world religions there are often many son gods. Zeus had Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, a bunch of others. Odin had Thor, Baldr, and others with strange names. Jesus Christ is the only, unique Son of God, and He is the only way you and I can be saved from our sins.

Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha all had the Jordan parted, showing they were authorized by God. For Jesus, the Jordan wasn’t parted, but the whole cosmos above it was!^[21] This was not just some wise teacher, this was not just a good man from Galilee. This is the One we’ve been waiting for.

God said, “This is My Son.” And in His message, He identifies Jesus as the figure from Psalm 2, from Isaiah 42,^[22] the God-Man, Shepherd-King, Redeeming-Messiah that had been promised all the way back in the Garden of Eden. That’s Who God says Jesus is.

Who do you say Jesus is? Jesus Christ is God come in human flesh, Who came to identify with you so He could be your Messiah and Redeemer and Friend and King and Savior.

To be saved by Him also means to surrender to Him and to serve Him. He came to us, now we must go to Him. To give our lives and hearts to Him, accepting His rule over us that we might receive His baptism. Morality isn’t enough. Social justice isn’t enough. “Speaking truth to power” isn’t enough. We must have the intimate with-ness with Jesus, through God the Holy Spirit Who Jesus has poured out on us so we can have fellowship with Him.

For those of you who have received the Lord, the question is what your Lord has commanded of you? Up in verse 4 where it says, “John came baptizing,” Mark does a funny thing. He wrote something like, “John came to pass.”^[23] We saw how the Lord had this plan for him to serve as the forerunner described in Isaiah. This beautiful, specific plan and calling.

What does God want to bring to pass through your life? What calling has He given specifically to you? Because God also has a plan and a will for your life and He loves you as a son or daughter and you are invited to please Him through the exercising of your faith and obedience. We may not be worthy to untie His sandals, but we’re welcomed to be a part of His ongoing work. So, let’s look on Jesus, listen to Him, and follow Him forever.

Who Do You Say That He Is? (Mark 1:1-3)

Mark 1:1-3 – The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.” ³ A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!

Have you ever wondered why we have these four Gospels in the New Testament? Christ’s life could’ve filled thousands of books. In fact, John tells us the whole world isn’t big enough for what could be written about Jesus’ life on the earth.^[1] But Matthew, Mark, and Luke seem to cover a lot of the same material. So much so that scholars group them together in what they call the “Synoptic Gospels.” John is off doing his own thing in his book.

The Holy Spirit determined that these four accounts were what we need to know about the life of Christ. Each was written from a unique perspective, to a unique initial audience, and with unique emphasis. Matthew was a Jew writing to Jews, Luke a Gentile writing to Gentiles. Luke’s Gospel is extremely historical, John’s very theological. Matthew wants us to see Jesus as the Son of David. John presents Him as the eternal Light of the World through Whom all things were created.

Where does Mark fit in? Frankly, Mark is often the odd man out. A lot of Christians can tell you that the Nativity is in Luke 2, that the Sermon on the Mount starts in Matthew 5, that Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus is in John 3. I bet most of us don’t have a similar familiarity when it comes to Mark.

It is the least frequently read or referenced Gospel.^[2] In fact, there was no commentary on Mark for 500 years after it was written! And then there wasn’t a second one written for another 300 years!^[3]

Would it surprise you to learn that Mark was not only the first Gospel written, but that, with this book, Mark invented the literary genre that we call “Gospel?”^[4] You see, like the other Gospels, Mark is not really a biography – certainly not in the way we think about it. It doesn’t give any information about the beginning decades of Jesus’ life. Mark doesn’t really tell us what was going on in the wider world. Biographies usually try to fill in as many gaps as possible with character development.

But Gospels are not just biography. They’re something new in human history. They present the story of the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. They’re proclaiming Good News to needy hearts. The opening line of this book is paraphrased this way: “The beginning of the preaching of the joyful tidings concerning Jesus the Messiah.”^[5] This is no mere biography. This is a we-interrupt-your-regular-programming, breaking news message. It’s not a book for the shelf, it’s a book for you.

In these opening sentences, Mark provides a lot of specific information at us about this Person He wants us to know about, Jesus. First, He is identified as the Christ. It means the Anointed One, the Messiah.^[6] The single most significant, important, consequential figure in all human history.

In Jesus’ day, there were many concepts of who the Messiah would be and what he would do.^[7] Several individuals had already tried to lay claim to the title, but none lived up to the name. Today, humanity still searches for a Deliverer. Who is going to save Western civilization? Who is going to stop all the wars? Who is going to overcome the existential threats looming on the horizon? Who will get society on the right track?

Here on page 1, chapter 1, verse 1, line 1, Mark points his finger directly at this Man from Nazareth and tells us, “This is the One!” This is the Person we can hitch our lives, our families, our communities, our nation to. This is the Person Who changes everything.

But then, not only is Jesus the promised Messiah, but He is the Son of God. This is a very important truth Mark highlights as he opens and closes the book. The last thing that a human being will say about Jesus in this Gospel is, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Mark is being extremely clear and direct about his message: Jesus of Nazareth is God come in Human flesh and He is the Savior.

As Mark introduces this Person to us, he lets us know right away that this is exactly Who the Old Testament anticipated. Jesus doesn’t just show up out of nowhere. The Old Testament shows us that He is the One sent by God. We’re not waiting for someone else. The Messiah has come.

In your version, verse 2 may say, “As it is written in the Prophets.” In many others, it specifically name-checks Isaiah. Mark’s quote here is an amalgam of Isaiah, Malachi, and Exodus. Mark seems to have a special affinity for Daniel as well – he quotes from every single chapter of Daniel’s book.^[8]

Today with all the sequels and reboots and cinematic universes, sometimes before you see a movie you kind of need to see some other movies, right? Or at least, seeing those previous entries will give you context for what you’re about to see.

We want to know Jesus. We want to be in intimate communion with Him. In a sense, Mark starts off by saying, “I’m going to tell you a lot about this Messiah, but when’s the last time you cracked open Malachi?” Jesus came in the volume of the Book. Though Mark was creating a new genre of literature, it was simply a continuation of God’s special revelation of Himself to humanity.

So, Mark wants us to know that Jesus is the Christ and He is the Son of God, but what we’ll also see is that Mark really wants us to understand that Jesus came as the suffering-Servant.

In a climactic moment, Jesus is trying to explain to His disciples why He came, and says:

Mark 10:45 – ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Perhaps this is why Mark has no genealogy for Jesus, no reference to the angelic host lighting the sky on the night of His birth. No one really cares where the servant comes from.^[9] Jesus came to serve. He came with unfailing love and mercy and sacrifice toward the people of earth. This Gospel shows us encounter after encounter between Jesus and all sorts of people, and His attempts to help them, to teach them, and save them. To change their lives by being in relationship to Him.

Amazingly we will find that almost no one understood Jesus during His earthly ministry. In fact, in every single chapter we find people misunderstanding Him, failing to comprehend what He meant, and bewildered by His choices. People are constantly coming up to Him and saying, “Why did You do that? What are Your disciples doing? What did you mean? Who do You think You are?”

There was constant friction between Jesus and peasants, Jesus and Pharisees, Jesus and scribes, Jesus and Sadducees, Jesus and Herod, Jesus and Pilate, Jesus and Jews, Jesus and Gentiles, Jesus and His family, Jesus and His disciples. We’ll find in Mark that His disciples almost constantly misunderstood their Master, sometimes in truly embarrassing ways.

This Gospel focuses not only on the saving work of Christ, but also on whether or not people understood Who He was and what that meant for them.

The hinge of the entire book is this scene where Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they offer all sorts of answers. But the pivotal moment comes when Jesus says to them, “But you, who do you say that I am?” That’s the key narrative thrust of this book. And because this is not just a biography, but a Gospel, a living proclamation directed at you, we, too, must answer that most-important question. Mark is a message delivered to you that demands a response.

Mark could have written a book listing all the triumphs of Christ, without the denials, without showing the fears of the people around him. But he didn’t. Instead, Mark seemed to write this Gospel for people in crisis.^[10] People who had failures of their own. People who had heard the preaching about Jesus, but were they following Him? Did they understand what it meant that the Messiah was revealed and was calling them into relationship with Him?

Mark wrote this book primarily to Christians living in the city of Rome and elsewhere in Italy.^[11] It was somewhere around 65AD. Rome had just burned in 64AD. Nero blamed the Christians for the fire and prejudice and violent persecution was engulfing the believers in the area.^[12] As they faced this terrible trial, what hope could they have for deliverance? What good was Christianity in a time like that? Where was the Messiah? Could the power and love and life of Jesus really help them?

Mark wanted these persecuted Christians to not only know that their Christ had power for them but that He identified with them. He wanted them to be encouraged and filled with hope by seeing their Savior. Toward that end, he put a few easter eggs in this book. For example, Mark’s is the only Gospel that mentions the “wild animals” with Jesus during His wilderness temptation. At the time, Christians were being brought into the arena and fed to wild beasts.^[13] Mark is the only Gospel-writer to record Jesus’ statement that, “everyone will be salted with fire.” Nero used Christians as torches in his courtyard. This Gospel was speaking directly to its initial readers. It still speaks today.

It shows them that the Messiah has come. He lived, He taught, He died, and He rose. And now it was time for them to decide what they really believed about Jesus. Who did they say He is? Was He just another phony revolutionary, or was He the real real? Who was this Jesus? Would they run and hide as we see so many people do in this book or would they walk by faith?

Mark knew something about doubt and fear and failure. He knew about cutting-and-running. He’s an interesting Bible character. We more commonly know him as John-Mark and through various references are able to sketch a good picture of his life. In fact – I have to throw this in – the church fathers say that he was known as Mark “stump-fingers.”^[14]

He grew up in a wealthy home. By Acts 12, the church was meeting in his mother’s house in Jerusalem. Papias, the church father who lived from 60-130AD records that Mark did not follow Jesus as a disciple before the resurrection. But at some point after, he became a Christian. Perhaps it was through the ministry of his cousin, Barnabas, the friend and missionary partner of Paul.

Paul and Barnabas brought Mark on their first missionary journey. He wasn’t just tagging along – he was given an important role on the trip.^[15] But, partway through, Mark abandoned the team. We don’t really know why, but we know that Paul was not happy about it. Mark had deserted them.

Later, when Paul and Barnabas were getting ready to hit the mission field again, they argued so passionately about whether to give Mark a second shot that they parted ways. Many scholars believe Mark was the young man referenced in Mark 14:52 who was in the Garden of Gethsemene but ran away naked when everything went down. The first act of his story is fear, failure, and flight.

But then, as the New Testament continues, Mark’s story changes because Mark changes. Before his martyrdom, Paul had changed his mind about Mark. In his final letter, he asks Timothy to bring Mark to see him because,  Mark “is useful to me in the ministry.”^[16] In Colossians, Paul says Mark had become a comfort to him and a coworker for the kingdom of God.^[17]

Peter called Mark his son in the faith.^[18] What Timothy was to Paul, Mark was to Peter. In fact, church fathers like Papias in 140AD and other writings near that time record that Mark worked with Peter and received all his material for this Gospel from him. Mark was called the “interpreter” of Peter’s message.^[19] Which is probably why Peter is such a highlighted figure in the book.

So, what changed? How did he go from being a doubting, fearful flake to a faithful disciples and Evangelist? From stump-fingered to stout-hearted? Circumstances didn’t get easier. The answer is simple: This Messiah transformed his life. Through faith, he was converted from fear to certainty, from flakiness to dependable, from cutting-and-running to serving in the eternal Kingdom of God. Once he truly realized Who Jesus is he was able to understand what it really meant to be a disciple.

Now, looking around at his Christian brothers and sisters in Italy and beyond, he knew they needed to understand not only what was true about their Messiah, but what it really meant to follow Him. Wilfrid Harrington writes, “[Mark realizes] It is easy enough…to declare, even with conviction: [Jesus is] the Messiah. What matters is how one understands that confession.”^[20]

What does it really mean to follow Jesus as a disciple? In this book, we’ll see again and again that the disciples were the ones who seemed to misunderstand Him the most! But the good news is that failure isn’t the last word. Not for Peter. Not for the disciples who scattered from Gethsemene or the women who ran away in fear at the empty tomb, not for John Mark, and not for us.

The One true Messiah still calls us to follow Him and have our lives transformed by His power, His teachings, His values, His understanding. To understand Who He is and what discipleship is.

Remember the very first words of the book: The beginning of the Gospel. This is not just a message for Peter or for people in Rome. It is a living, preaching testimony of Good News to you and to me. So, who do we say Jesus is? Mark closes his book with all the characters in the wind, all confronted with a faith choice. We know the choice Mark ultimately made, the choice Peter made. What about you? If Jesus is who Mark says He is, then everything must change. My whole life must become a response to His arrival, like someone preparing the way for the coming of a King, making His path straight. To ready myself for Him, conform my life to Him, watch for Him, listen to Him.

As we see our Savior on the pages of this Gospel, we’ll see His kindness, His compassion, His patience, His power, His tenderness, His grace, His divinity – but also His expectations and commands. Not only Who He is but what it really means to follow Him. The Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God has been sent to us. Who do we say that He is?