September 30, 2005

THE BEGINNING

Mark 1:1-20

Today, we are beginning a study of the Gospel of Mark. We are embarking on a journey together that will take us over 6 months. On this journey we will travel back in time almost 2000 years. We will travel back and forth across the holy lands of the Bible, from the banks of the river Jordan, to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, to the temple in Jerusalem and many points in between. On this journey we will witness many dramatic events. We will meet a fascinating caste of characters.

But above all, on our journey we will meet one central character. For this is first and foremost his story. We see this in the opening words of the Gospel of Mark:  The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This book we are going to study together is good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He will be the focus of our attention. I have two over-arching goals in this series. First, is that those of you who have never met Jesus, those for whom he is only a name, will meet him and see him clearly. Whether you come to one sermon, or sit through the whole series, you will see Jesus, witness his acts and hear his words, as related in eye-witness accounts. That you will come face to face with his claims and his demands, and be moved to put your faith and trust in him.

My second goal is for those of us who already know Jesus and have already trusted in him as Savior. My goal is that we will see him with new eyes, hear something from his lips or understand something from his actions that we did not know before, or be reminded of some truth learned in the past, but forgotten or neglected in the hectic pace of life. And above all, that as we walk through these chapters with Jesus, and share this journey with him, we will see him afresh and fall in love with him all over again.

I have chosen the Gospel of Mark for this journey for a rather simple and selfish reason. It is the only one of the four gospels that I have never preached through. I have studied it and I have taught it in Bible studies, but I have never preached through it systematically. So this will be a journey of fresh discovery for me as well.

This gospel has been referred to since very early in church history, as the Gospel according to Mark. Most scholars believe that this Mark is the same John Mark, whose story is told in the book of Acts. Although Mark started out his ministry career with Paul, according to church history, as his ministry unfolded, Mark became closely associated with the Apostle Peter, and it is believed that Peter’s preaching and his memories of his years with Jesus became the basis for Mark’s gospel. Thus, though Mark himself was not a disciple of the Lord, and was not himself an eye witness to all the events he records, he based his account on Peter’s words, making this the closest thing we have to a gospel according to Peter. Most scholars also agree that Mark’s gospel was the first and earliest one to be written, dated possibly as early as 55 AD, making it the earliest written link we have with the events of Christ’s life.

Mark is the shortest of the four gospels. Mark writes like a man in a hurry. His language is plain and to the point, his descriptions are short but often vivid. The gospel is action packed, with the focus on what Jesus did more than on what he said. This may reflect Peter’s personality, as well as Mark’s own tendencies. But it is also appropriate to his particular audience. Mark wrote his gospel for a Roman audience. Thus his style is appropriate to impacting people with a culture that valued actions over words. This trait in his writing is evident from the very beginning of the book. He is in a hurry to get to the action. He takes only a few verses to cover what the other gospels take several chapters to cover. He says nothing about the birth of Christ. He recounts no genealogies, which would have been meaningless to a Roman audience. He rushes instead to begin his account of the public ministry of Jesus

With that introduction, let us begin the journey. (Read v. 1-8)

The first character we meet in the story is one of the most vivid. His name was John. He lived in the desert regions. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. He wore rough clothing woven from camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He was a throw back to the prophets of the Old Testament, especially to the prophet Elijah. And when he opened his mouth, he preached with power and clarity. The people of Israel had been without a prophet, without any word from the Lord for 400 years. Finally after so many years, a prophet was again declaring the Word of the Lord in Israel. Word spread like wild fire, and the people flocked to hear him preach.

His message and his ministry were simple as well as bold. He was the promised forerunner of Old Testament prophecy. He had come to announce the coming of Messiah and to prepare the hearts of the nation for his appearance. He emphasized the need for repentance, and he baptized all those who responded to his message.

This was a new and dramatic act. The Jews were familiar with the rite of baptism. It was an act of initiation which they required for Gentiles (non-Jews) who wished to adopt the Jewish faith. The convert was required to immerse himself in water to symbolize their adoption of Judaism. What was different about John’s baptism was that he was requiring Jews to be baptized! Jews thought they inherited the kingdom of God by birthright, simply by being born to Jewish parents. John’s message was clear. If you want to make yourself ready for the coming kingdom of God, you have to repent and be baptized. The Greek word for repentance is a compound word, meaning a change of mind. It is not so much an act of penance or emotional sorrow, although that may well be part of it. It is a change of mind and direction. It is an act of the will that says, “I was traveling in this direction. I am now turning and traveling in a different direction.” It involved both a confessing and a forsaking of sins, as Mark records in verse 5.

Along with this emphasis on repentance was the clear declaration that he was only a forerunner. Mark points this out by quoting the Old Testament prophecies in Malachi and Isaiah. (Read v. 2-3). Mark also quotes John’s own words in verse 7-8. (Read)

This was John’s ministry in a nutshell. Repent! And Get ready for the One who is coming after me. And as the text states, such was the hunger of the nation that the whole region of Judea and Jerusalem went out to hear him preach and to be baptized by him.

Like one who is eager to get past the appetizer to the main course, Mark does not keep us waiting long. In the very next verse he introduces the main character of the story. He has already titled his book as “the good news about Jesus Christ”. Now for the first time he introduces him to the story line. (Read v.9-11)

His name was Jesus. He came from Nazareth, which was the town where he grew up from his early childhood. This first public appearance is both an act of submission and identification as well as a commissioning and a commendation. The first is earthly. He submits to the ritual of baptism. By this act, he identifies himself with John the Baptist’s ministry and the kingdom which John has been announcing and the righteous standard of living which this kingdom required. The commissioning and commendation are heavenly. I believe the primary purpose for this was for Jesus’ own benefit. Mark clearly tells us that Jesus saw heaven opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending upon him like a dove. It is not clear whether others around were able to see this as well. According to John’s Gospel, at least John the Baptist witnessed the descent of the Spirit. But the primary beneficiary of the event was Jesus himself. This is also clear from the words that God the Father spoke from heaven. The voice addressed Jesus directly: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.

One reason why Jesus needed this commissioning and reassurance of the Spirit’s presence and the Father’s approval was that he was about to undergo one of the most intense periods of testing of his entire ministry. (Read v. 12-13)

Here again, Mark gives the sketchiest of accounts. He doesn’t mention fasting and he gives no details of the temptations as the other gospels do. He simply states that it took place, and gives a very abridged description of the arduous nature of the experience. He was in the desert for 40 days. He was tempted during that time by Satan. He was with wild animals who are depicted here as a source of menace and danger. The only softening touch in the description is the mention that angels were tending to him during the time.

Now the scene shifts. From the Jordan River and the desert wilderness of Judea, the scene shifts to the region of Galilee, around the Sea of Galilee where so much of Jesus’ public ministry took place. A period of some months is passed over without comment. Mark again uses his kind of newscaster, shorthand reporting style to summarize the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee. (Read v.14-15)

I think it is interesting to compare the description of Jesus’ preaching here and that of John the Baptist. Jesus picks up the same themes and application and simply advances them another step. Both emphasized the need for repentance and a change of heart to participate in the kingdom of God. But while John said, “Repent and get ready! A greater than I is coming!” Jesus announced, “The long period of waiting is over. The time has come. Repent and believe the good news.”

John used the language of anticipation. Jesus used the language of fulfillment. The Promised One had arrived.

The differing responses to that declaration, both negative and positive, will provide the drama that is played out in the rest of Mark’s Gospel. It was a declaration that allowed no one to remain neutral. It demanded a verdict. Repent and believe the good news. Or continue in your unbelief and in your present world view and direction of travel. That choice will be presented repeatedly in the course of Mark’s account.

That choice remains the central question of history, and continues to provide much of the drama being played out in the world today, both on the great stage of human events, and on the smaller stage of each individual life. Is this good news true? Has the kingdom of God come down to earth? Has the king, the Lord of all life, the Son of God, appeared among us? Is his name Jesus? The entire population of the world can be divided into two categories, labeled simply, Believers and Unbelievers. Those who believe the good news and those who do not believe it. The answer to that question created huge controversy in Jesus’ day. It continues to create controversy in our world today.

My question to you is a personal one. Do you believe? Is Jesus the promised Messiah? Is he the “greater one” that God promised to send? Is he the Son of God? This question is the Great Divide of history. Which side are you on? Are you a believer? Or are you an unbeliever? How you answer that question will affect not only the rest of your life, but all of eternity. The challenge of Jesus’ words almost 2000 years ago, remains relevant today: Repent and believe the good news!

If you have never taken that step, we would love to talk to you about what is involved and what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we leave this text, however, there is one further challenge. As Jesus began his preaching ministry; as he began declaring the good news of the kingdom of God, he also began to gather around himself a band of followers to join him in the work. (Read v. 16-20)

As we consider the challenge of these verses, I need to clarify something. If we only had the account written by Mark, we would be led to assume that these verses represent the first encounter between Jesus and these fishermen; that Jesus, walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, met these total strangers, and called them to follow him. That they, asking no questions, laid down everything to follow him. However, if we compare the accounts in the other gospels, we find that this was not a first encounter. Andrew, Peter, John, had all had prior experience with Jesus. They had heard him preach. John and Andrew had been present when John the Baptist announced that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Andrew, for one, had already declared his belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

This was not a first contact. This was not an initial call to faith. This was a call to commitment and service in the Kingdom of God. As such, I would point out that it contains a number of elements.

It is an invitation. This is found in the opening word: Come! It is a welcoming word, a word of inclusion, and acceptance. More than that, it is an invitation to an intimate relationship. Come, follow me. The language here is the same language that a rabbi would have used to enlist followers. But their teaching style was such that it did not involve coming at regular hours to a classroom, but rather becoming the rabbi’s companion, going everywhere with the rabbi, and learning and being taught along the way. The method of teaching was first of all about relationship and then about content. This is the invitation that Jesus extended to these fishermen there beside the Sea of Galilee.

It is an invitation to a join a cause.  That mission and that cause is to recruit members for the kingdom of God. To become “fishers of men”. Using an analogy from their profession as fishermen, Jesus invited them to join him in his kingdom work.

It is an invitation that includes enablement and equipping. The wording is clear. I will make you fishers of men. We don’t have to do it by ourselves. Out of the relationship of following, will come the enabling and the equipping to win others to faith in Christ.

Finally, it is an invitation that requires a commitment. We are told that Andrew and Peter left their nets to follow him. James and John left their father in the boat and followed him.

Now, the question is this: Is this an invitation to all believers? Or is this an invitation to a specific class of believers, a sort of mobilized, elite force within the larger body of Christ? Does God want all of his followers to leave their vocations and their families to engage in the work of the kingdom of God?

I would answer this way. I believe the invitation to a relationship is open to all. Jesus words, “Come after me,” are graciously extended to all. I also believe that he wants every believer to be engaged in kingdom work and be active in the cause of fishing for men and bringing others to faith in Christ. I also believe that when we follow close to Christ, he will enable and equip us for effective service for him. But what about leaving all for his sake? I would say this. I believe we should all be ready to write God a blank check with our lives; to say to him, “Lord Jesus, I am willing to go anywhere you lead me and do whatever you ask me to do.” And then follow where he leads. The real issue is not one of geography or even vocation. The essential issue is one of willingness and obedience. The leading and the direction are up to God.

Well, we have taken the first strides on our journey together. I apologize if I have moved too quickly. If you’re feeling left in the dust, the good news is that the basic issues laid down in this opening section will come up again and again. Is Jesus the promised Messiah, and the Son of God? Are you a believer or an unbeliever? If you are a believer, are you walking close to him and engaged with him in the task of recruiting followers for his kingdom?