Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2 Pe 1:2). Amen.
A title is meant to create interest and give you an indication of what is to follow. Think of the last internet article you recently skimmed or your favorite TV show that you regularly watch. The heading provides a clue of the content so that you were not unaware of what is to come.
The caption is also to grab your attention so you keep scrolling down paragraph after paragraph on your screen or tuning in week after week in your living room. Mark’s gospel is like that. He lets us know right away what he is going to cover. It’s all about Jesus.
We don’t have to get too excited that in the weeks before Christmas people don’t greet each other with “Happy Advent.” We still can.
And we still can appreciate the importance of the weeks leading up to Christmas. It is a time of preparation for Jesus’ coming as a baby. John the Baptist did that for the people along the banks of the Jordan River, making straight paths for Jesus as he is about to begin his ministry. He did it by filling in the ditches of despair (like the sinkhole on 694) and tearing down the peaks of pride (Mk 1:3).
It was a message of repentance—a change of mind that leads to a change in life (Mk 1:4). That is what God wants—that “everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pe 3:9)—turning from our sin and trusting in our Savior. As we join those in the wilderness in confessing our sins, we are comforted. Like the prophet Isaiah indicated to God’s people and to us: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her … that her sin has been paid for” (Is 40:2). Our debt from all the crooked and crummy things that we have done God pardons. All through Jesus. Or as John once pointed to Jesus, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). It was in their baptism and ours that God sends sins away. The psalmists had us sing so confidently: “You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins” (Ps 85:2).
So without skipping over Advent too much, we want to celebrate Christmas a tad early. (The choir is helping with that too.) As we get ready to stop in the stable at Bethlehem, Mark allows us to look into the manger early. We get a chance to see who is there.
Almost every word of Mark’s introduction is important. “The beginning” (Mk 1:1). Finally you have to start somewhere. A movie has to have an opening scene and a book an initial sentence. But there is a bit more with Mark. We go back to the first book of the Bible. When God created the heavens and the earth, it was perfect (Ge 1:31). That included our first parents—Adam and Eve. But when they believed the lie of the devil and ate of the forbidden fruit, they introduced sin into the world and its ugly companion death. But God promised that one day, one of Eve’s offspring would crush the devil’s head (Ge 3:15). That happened on Good Friday. Jesus finished him off for good (Jn 19:30). That was good news.
And that is what “gospel” means—good news. Since “news” is a neutral word—news can be good or bad—we are glad that Mark records “The beginning of the gospel” (Mk 1:1). This is information that is exciting and enjoyable. It is interesting that we refer to all four of the accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as “the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” They are all filled with good news.
That is because of the content of Mark’s biography. “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk 1:1).
“Jesus” (Mk 1:1). That is his personal name. It means “the Lord saves.” That is what Jesus did just as the angel taught Joseph when he told him: “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). Look into the manger early with Mark and see Jesus—Savior.
“Christ” (Mk 1:1). That is his professional office. It is the same as “Messiah.” Both translate as “the Anointed One.” Jesus Christ was appointed to be …
our prophet. Just as Christ went around “from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God” (Lk 8:1), we hear him speak to us in the Word, “words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
our priest. Christ “sacrificed for [our] sins once for all when he offered himself” (He 7:27). Jesus will go from the cattle shed to a Roman cross.
our king. Christ, the One who rose from the dead, rules as “the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Ro 14:9), operating as the Head in the best interest of his church (Eph 1:20-20).
Look into the manger early with Mark and see the Christ—the Anointed One.
“the Son of God” (Mk 1:1). Jesus, true God, took on flesh and became true man (Jn 1:1,14). He did it so that he could live under the Law perfectly for us (Ro 5:19) and to destroy the devil (He 2:14). Look into the manger early with Mark and see the Son of God.
Even as we have a happy Advent, we can have a merry Christmas. Look into the manger early with Mark. There is good news. It is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
We read from Mark 1:1:
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Pe 3:18).
December 10, 2017
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