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By Steven C. Wright|Published Date: February 08, 2010
Mark 1:1
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Story: First impressions are lasting, and Mark intends these first words to make an impact. This first verse contains the message of the entire book in concentrated form. Opening with “the beginning” hearkens back to Genesis 1:1. Such an allusion suggests this story will be of the epochal character of Genesis– perhaps an account of a new creation. This is the beginning of “the gospel,” which literally means “good news.” In the Old Testament, “good news” could refer to the proclamation of a battlefield victory (1 Samuel 31:9) or of God’s redemptive provision of salvation (Isaiah 52:7; 61:1). This good news is about “Jesus Christ.” Names are significant in Scripture. “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “Yahweh is salvation.” “Christ” is a title, not a name. It translates the Hebrew Messiah, which means, “anointed one.” Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed for their offices. Will Jesus fill such roles? His further identification as “the Son of God” links him to the messianic king declared to be Yahweh’s Son (Psalm 2:6-7). Putting it all together, this first verse prepares us to hear the story of Jesus as a proclamation of God’s victorious provision of salvation through His anointed Son, who fulfills the messianic expectations of Israel and thus begins a new epoch of redemptive history.
The Structure: Your high school English teacher would tell you that something is missing in this first verse. It isn’t a sentence, because it lacks a verb. This indicates that the author intends this verse to function as a title for the entire work. Our Bibles generally provide a title like “The Gospel According to Mark.” This is rooted in ancient tradition that declares John Mark to be the author of this anonymous work (an attribution we will accept in these studies), but the title of the inspired original is found in the first verse. We will hear frequent echoes of the themes introduced in this title as the story unfolds, and it will be good to listen for these echoes. As you read the Gospel of Mark, remember that the characters in the story don’t share the knowledge about Jesus you have from this first verse. The truth about Jesus emerges only slowly for some, like the disciples, and it is completely missed by others. It will be helpful to keep this progressive nature of the revelation of Jesus in mind. Why did Mark title his entire book “The beginning of the gospel”? Isn’t he going to tell the whole story about Jesus? He gives us a selective account of events from Jesus’ life, but the good news about Jesus doesn’t end with Mark 16. God’s saving work through Jesus continues even today as He builds His kingdom though those who place their faith in Christ. Mark provides us the beginning of an open-ended story in which you can have a role as you embrace with faith the good news of Jesus.
Do you know people who claim to have respect for Jesus but view Him only as “a great teacher” or “a moral example”? How does the opening verse of Mark’s gospel dispel such notions? Are you prepared to embrace with faith the good news about Jesus found in Mark’s gospel?
For additional insight to the teaching of Mark, get the book, Gospel Parallels, by Burton H. Throckmorton from our online store.
The Worldview Bible examines the teaching of Scripture according to the Story and Structure of Truth – the Framework of Christian Worldview – using only other Scriptures for illumination. Information about The Framework of Truth is available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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