Exalting Jesus in Mark

Dr. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, Tony Merida

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780805496857
• eBook ISBN: 9780805496864
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, this new commentary series, projected to be 48 volumes, takes a Christ-centered approach to expositing each book of the Bible. Rather than a verse-by-verse approach, the authors have crafted chapters that explain and apply key passages in their assigned Bible books. Readers will learn to see Christ in all aspects of Scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition. Exalting Jesus in Mark is written by Daniel L. Akin.

The Good News of Jesus Christ the Son of God

Mark 1:1-8

Main Idea: The gospel is the good news that God has kept His promise to send a Messiah, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

I. We Can Trust God to Keep His Promise (1:1-4).

A. God kept His word to send the Messiah (1:1).

B. God kept His word to send His forerunner (1:2-4).

II. We Can Trust God to Send His Preachers (1:4-8).

A. Like John we should be faithful (1:4-5).

B. Like John we need to be humble (1:6-8).

The Gospel of Matthew is written to Jews telling them that Jesus is the Messiah King who fulfills Old Testament prophecy. Mark is written to Romans telling them that Jesus is the Suffering Servant who actively ministers on our behalf and gives His life as a ransom for many. Luke is written to Greeks telling them that Jesus is the perfect Son of Man who came to save and minister to all people through the power of the Holy Spirit. John is written to the world, telling that Jesus is the fully human, fully divine Son of God in whom we must believe to receive eternal life.

The Gospel of Mark is fast moving and hard-hitting! By the far the shortest of the four Gospels, it is noted as much for what it omits as what it includes. In Mark there is no genealogy of Jesus, no miraculous birth narrative with Bethlehem and shepherds, no childhood at Nazareth or visit to the temple, no Sermon on the Mount, and few parables.

To summarize, Mark recorded, in rapid-fire succession, specific events from the life and ministry of Jesus to prove to a Roman audience that He is the Christ, the Son of God, who served, suffered, died, and rose again as the Suffering Servant of the Lord depicted by the prophet Isaiah.

As we prepare to walk through this powerful Gospel narrative concerning Jesus Christ, two questions need to be raised and answered. First, who wrote this Gospel? Second, how should we approach any of the Gospels?

Authorship

The early church agreed unanimously that a man named John Mark wrote this Gospel. His mother was Mary, whose home in Jerusalem was a meeting place for believers of the early church (Acts 12:12).

The Hebrew name John means “God’s gift.” The Roman name Mark means “polite” or “shining.” John Mark, though never mentioned by name in the Gospel, may be the naked boy of Mark 14:51-52. John Mark and his cousin Barnabas accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 12:25), but Mark turned back before the journey ended (Acts 13:13). This irritated Paul and led to a parting with Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41). Later Paul and Mark were reconciled, and Mark was “useful” to Paul (2 Tim 4:11).

Finally, the early church affirmed Mark was the apostle Peter’s interpreter. He recorded Peter’s experiences with the Lord Jesus. Mark’s account being especially vivid when it involves incidents with Peter supports this view.

Some Basic Presuppositions Concerning Our Gospels

How do we approach the four Gospels and, in particular, the Gospel of Mark? What presuppositions should we bring to our study?

(1) Gospels are historical and not mythological accounts. What they record really did happen. (2) They will vary because they are written by four different men. However, because they were inspired by God, all they wrote will be true. (3) Gospels are more than thematic biographical studies. They are not biographies in the modern sense. They are historical theologies of the person and work of Jesus Christ. (4) Portions may be summarized and not given as exhaustive accounts. (5) Gospels are more concerned about Christ’s death than His life (more than one-fourth of each deals with the final week of His life). One scholar said Mark “is a Passion Narrative with an extended introduction” (Stein, Mark, 33).

As we begin an exciting journey through this Gospel, what does Mark want us to understand concerning the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

We Can Trust God to Keep His Promise

Mark 1:1-4

Jesus said in John 5:39, “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me.” God had promised to send a Savior, a Deliverer, a Messiah. Mark says the time has arrived, and He has appeared, as well as the one God called to prepare the way for His arrival—Jesus Christ and John the baptizer.

God Kept His Word to Send the Messiah (Mark 1:1)

Without wasting any words, Mark gives the introduction to Mark 1:1-15 as well as the theme of the entire book: it is about good news of Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God.

The word beginning recalls Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. Something new and exciting has occurred. The word gospel means a message of good news or of joyful tidings. It speaks of the coming Savior who would provide salvation promised by the prophetic word. The time of God’s salvation has arrived! God has kept His promise to send a Messiah.

This Messiah is “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” “Jesus” is the Greek name for the Hebrew Joshua: “Yahweh is salvation.” “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah: “the anointed one.” Initially a title, “Christ” would become a common part of the name of our Lord. “Son of God” is a crucial title for the promised deliverer. It takes Christology to a higher level. Bob Stein says, “Son of God reveals Jesus’ unique and unparalleled relationship with God. It is the favorite title of Mark for identifying Jesus (1:11,24; 3:11 [cf. 1:34]; 5:7; 9:7; 12:6; 13:32; 14:61-62; 15:39), and when Mark was written, it conveyed to the Christian community the idea of both preexistence and deity (cf. Phil 2:6-8; Col 1:15-20)” (Stein, Mark, 41). One cannot avoid the inescapable conclusion that Jesus is indeed God!

And of all Jesus’ titles, the title “Son of God” in particular appears at significant points in the Gospel and sometimes in the mouths of some interesting personalities! Perhaps most striking is that the disciples never recognize Jesus as the Son of God in the Gospel of Mark. The demons get it right (3:11; 5:7). Even a Roman centurion understands it (15:39). Yet not until after the resurrection did the disciples get it. If Jesus’ disciples failed to see it, there is hope for those who seem the furthest away from seeing it today.

There are four strategic confessions in the second Gospel: (1) Mark’s assertion in 1:1: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (2) Peter’s confession in 8:29: “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ.’” (3) The Messiah’s affirmation by the nation through the words of the high priest in 14:61-62: “Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” (4) A Roman (Gentile) soldier’s recognition of Jesus as the Son of God in 15:39: “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” This is how the Gospel of Mark unfolds. It begins here with the declaration that this is the “gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

God Kept His Word to Send His Forerunner (Mark 1:2-4)

Before the Messiah, God promises to sen...

Table of contents

• Series Introduction ix
• The Good News of Jesus Christ the Son of God 1:1-8 3
• The Baptism and Temptation of the Servant-King 1:9-13 10
• Building the Kingdom of God 1:14-20 17
• Why Jesus Should Have Absolute Authority in My Life? 1:21-28 24
• A Day in the Life of Jesus 1:29-34 29
• The Kingdom of God Marches On 1:35-45 34
• Jesus of Nazareth: The God Who Forgives Sin 2:1-12 39
• Jesus: The Friend of Sinners 2:13-17 46
• Everything Changes with Jesus 2:18-22 52
• When Man-Made Rules Get in the Way of God’s Gracious Plans 2:23-28 59
• It Is Always Right to Do Good 3:1-6 63
• The Pressures That Come with Faithful Ministry 3:7-21 69
• The Unpardonable Sin 3:22-30 75
• Who Is Part of the Family of God? 3:31-35 81
• Do You Have Ears That Hear? 4:1-20 86
• What Do We Learn About Jesus and His Kingdom from a Lamp, a Bunch of Seeds, and One Small Seed? 4:21-34 91
• The One Who Can Control the Storm 4:35-41 97
• Can the Demonized Be Delivered? 5:1-20 103
• Jesus Is the Great Physician 5:21-43 111
• Jesus: A Prophet Without Honor! 6:1-6 116
• Advance the Kingdom 6:7-13 123
• What Do You Get for Faithful Service to God? 6:14-29 128
• The Feeding of the Five Thousand 6:30-44 135
• Jesus: The One Who Walks on Water and Heals the Hurting 6:45-56 141
• The Deadly Lures of Legalism 7:1-23 149
• Jesus Christ: The God Who Astonishes Beyond Measure 7:24-37 158
• Sometimes We Just Don’t Get It! 8:1-26 164
• The Normal Christian Life: Following and Serving the King 8:27-38 171
• A Glimpse of Glory: The Transfiguration of Jesus 9:1-13 178
• Lessons Learned in the Fires of Failure 9:14-29 185
• The Road to True Greatness 9:30-50 191
• Jesus, the Bible, Divorce, and Remarriage 10:1-12 200
• Jesus Loves the Little Children (Why I Believe Children Who Die Go to Heaven) 10:13-16 211
• What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life? (Will You Leave Everything and Follow Jesus?) 10:17-31 219
• Sent to Serve (Why Did Jesus Come?) 10:32-45 227
• Loving Someone Enough to Stop and Help 10:46-52 235
• Here Comes Our King (The Triumphal Entry of Jesus) 11:1-11 242
• A Savior for All Nations 11:12-25 249
• Three Reasons People Are Not Willing to Follow Jesus 11:27-33 259
• God Sent His Son and We Killed Him 12:1-12 265
• Should Christians Obey the Government? 12:13-17 273
• Will There Be Sex in Heaven? 12:18-27 280
• Two Great Commands/Two Great Loves 12:28-34 286
• Turning Theologians on Their Heads 12:35-40 292
• The Poor Woman Who Gave All She Had 12:41-44 299
• What Did Jesus Say About the End Times? Part 1 13:1-23 307
• What Did Jesus Say About the End Times? Part 2 13:24-37 314
• A Sacrifice of Extravagant Love 14:1-11 319
• The King Prepares for His Passion 14:12-25 325
• The King Who Suffers Alone 14:26-52 331
• The Beginning of the End for the Great King 14:53-72 337
• Jesus the Great King: The Sacrifice for Sinners 15:1-20 344
• The Murder of the Great King 15:21-47 349
• The Resurrection of the Great King 16:1-8 359
• Works Cited 369
• Scripture Index 377