Advent Identity - Part 2

One week closer to Christmas!

But in this series of posts, we’re going with the traditional designation, Advent. I chose this term because it underscores the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ as a Man to our world. Reflecting on the meaning of Advent prodded me to investigate how the gospel writers introduce Jesus to their readers. Last week, we looked at Matthew, so today, we’ll cover the gospel according to Mark.

Here’s the opening verse:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” - Mark 1:1

Like Matthew, Mark identifies Jesus as the Christ. But unlike Matthew, he calls Jesus the Son of God, not the Son of Abraham or David. Matthew mentions these patriarchs because he wants to provide genealogical evidence that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel. Mark’s agenda appears to focus on the gospel which has to do with Christ’s status as the Son of God.

Let’s unpack this.

To start, let me offer a couple of preliminary notes. One, there’s a strong tradition that Mark got much of his material from the apostle Peter while they were in Rome (see links here and here). Two, many Bible scholars believe Mark was writing to the Romans as his primary audience (see links here and here). In light of this background, it’s likely that Mark was trying to present the gospel in terms that Romans could grasp.

It turns out that one of those words is “gospel.” The Latin term evangelium is nearly identical to the Greek word euaggelion that Mark uses.

In Greco-Roman society, “gospel” usually referred to an event of military or political significance. In Mark, it occurs eight times, and in three verses, the gospel has a universal scope:

“And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.” - Mark 13:10

“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.” - Mark 14:9

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” - Mark 16:15

The gospel Mark promotes from his very first verse is global! This is news that will make a massive impact!

And what is the good news?

Again, Mark connects it to Jesus as the Son of God.

This, too, would not have sounded strange to Roman ears. Examples of emperors who were declared to be divine included Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, and Nero. So the people living in the Roman Empire were accustomed to certain individuals being honored in such a way.

But was the claim about Jesus credible?

Mark thinks so!

To make his case, he takes us to the Old Testament. Let me quote the larger passage:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 2just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘BEHOLD, I AM SENDING MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; 3THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!”’” - Mark 1:1-3

There are two main characters here: a messenger and the Lord. In the ancient world, messengers would travel to cities to announce gospels such as a king’s ascension or a general’s victory. These envoys would also get the people ready to welcome that successful leader into the town with appropriate fanfare.

God adopted this pattern for His Son. He sent a man to announce the coming of Jesus and to prepare the people to receive Him.

“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7And he was preaching, saying, ‘After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals. 8I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” - Mark 1:4-8

God called John the Baptist to bring the Jewish people to repentance which they were to express through baptism. And it’s no accident that he conducted his ministry in the wilderness near the Jordan River.

This was a picture of the history of Israel brought into John’s present situation.

After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the children of Israel had lost their leader Moses. The new leader, Joshua, would take them through the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

John the Baptist was preparing the people to enter the kingdom of God. And they would do so by following a new Joshua–Jesus Christ. (By the way, Joshua and Jesus are English variations of the same name in Greek–Iesous!)

After all this, Mark presents Jesus:

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him; 11and a voice came from the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’” - Mark 1:9-11

The great announcement from God Himself: Jesus is the Son of God!

Remember that Roman emperors claimed similar dignity.

And even the Old Testament referred to kings with that title.

“I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind” - 2 Samuel 7:14

“He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’” - Psalm 89:26

In view of Old Testament usage and the Roman context, I’d say that in declaring Jesus as the Son of God, Mark is announcing that Jesus is King!

This is the heart of the gospel; it’s why we celebrate Christmas.

For Mark, Advent is gospel-centered.

May it be so for us as well.

(The verses in this post are from the NASB20 version of the Bible.)

(Image is from https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.4927442083.5681/flat,750x,075,f-pad,750x1000,f8f8f8.u3.jpg.)