Chapter One
God’s Servant Is Here!
(Mark 1)
The gospel is neither a discussion nor a debate,” said Dr. Paul S. Rees. “It is an announcement!”
Mark wasted no time giving that announcement, for it is found in the opening words of his book. Matthew, who wrote primarily for the Jews, opened his book with a genealogy. After all, he had to prove to his readers that Jesus Christ is indeed the rightful Heir to David’s throne.
Since Luke focused mainly on the sympathetic ministry of the Son of Man, he devoted the early chapters of his book to a record of the Savior’s birth. Luke emphasized Christ’s humanity, for he knew that his Greek readers would identify with the perfect Babe who grew up to be the perfect Man.
John’s gospel begins with a statement about eternity. Why? Because John wrote to prove to the whole world that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of God (John 20:31). The subject of John’s gospel is the deity of Christ, but the object of his gospel is to encourage his readers to believe on this Savior and receive the gift of eternal life.
Where does Mark’s gospel fit in? Mark wrote for the Romans, and his theme is Jesus Christ the Servant. If we had to pick a “key verse” in this gospel, it would be Mark 10:45—“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The fact that Mark wrote with the Romans in mind helps us understand his style and approach. The emphasis in this gospel is on activity. Mark describes Jesus as He busily moves from place to place and meets the physical and spiritual needs of all kinds of people. One of Mark’s favorite words is “straightway,” meaning “immediately.” He uses it forty-one times. Mark does not record many of our Lord’s sermons because his emphasis is on what Jesus did rather than what Jesus said. He reveals Jesus as God’s Servant, sent to minister to suffering people and to die for the sins of the world. Mark gives us no account of our Lord’s birth, nor does he record a genealogy, unnecessary in regard to a servant.
In this opening chapter, Mark shares three important facts about God’s Servant.
1. THE SERVANT’S IDENTITY (1:1–11)
How does Mark identify this Servant? He records the testimonies of several dependable witnesses to assure us that Jesus is all that He claims to be.
John Mark, the author of the book, is the first witness (v. 1). He states boldly that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It is likely that Mark was an eyewitness of some of the events that he wrote about. He lived in Jerusalem with his mother, Mary, and their home was a meeting place for believers in the city (Acts 12:1–19). Several scholars believe that Mark was the young man described in Mark 14:51–52. Since Peter called Mark “my son” (1 Peter 5:13), it is probable that it was Peter who led Mark to faith in Jesus Christ. Church tradition states that Mark was “Peter’s interpreter,” so that the gospel of Mark reflects the personal experiences and witness of Simon Peter.
The word gospel simply means “the good news.” To the Romans, Mark’s special target audience, gospel meant “joyful news about the emperor.” The “gospel of Jesus Christ” is the good news that God’s Son has come into the world and died for our sins. It is the good news that our sins can be forgiven, that we can belong to the family of God and one day go to live with God in heaven. It is the announcement of victory over sin, death, and hell (1 Cor. 15:1–8, 51–52; Gal. 1:1–9).
The second witness is that of the prophets (vv. 2–3). Mark cites two quotations from the Old Testament prophets, Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 (note also Ex. 23:20). The words messenger and voice refer to John the Baptist, the prophet God sent to prepare the way for His Son (Matt. 3; Luke 3:1–18; John 1:19–34). In ancient times, before a king visited any part of his realm, a messenger was sent before him to prepare the way. This included both repairing the roads and preparing the people. By calling the nation to repentance, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah and Malachi join voices in declaring that Jesus Christ is the Lord, Jehovah God.
John the Baptist is the next witness (vv. 4–8). Jesus called him the greatest of the prophets (Matt. 11:1–15). In his dress, manner of life, and message of repentance, John identified with Elijah (2 Kings 1:8; Mal. 4:5; Matt. 17:10–13; and note Luke 1:13–17). The “wilderness” where John ministered is the rugged wasteland along the western shore of the Dead Sea. John was telling the people symbolically that they were in a “spiritual wilderness” far worse than the physical wilderness that their ancestors had endured for forty years. John called the people to leave their spiritual wilderness, trust their “Joshua” (Jesus), and enter into their inheritance.
John was careful to magnify Jesus and not himself (see John 3:25–30). John would baptize repentant sinners in water, but “the coming One” would baptize them with the Spirit (Acts 1:4–5). This did not mean that John’s baptism was unauthorized (see Matt. 21:23–27), or that water baptism would one day be replaced by Spirit baptism (see Matt. 28:19–20). Rather, John’s message and baptism were preparation so that the people would be ready to meet and trust the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Our Lord’s apostles were no doubt baptized by John (see John 4:1–2; Acts 1:21–26).
The Father and the Holy Spirit are Mark’s final witnesses to the identity of God’s Servant (vv. 9–11). When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit came on Him as a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven and identified His beloved Son. The people who were there did not hear the voice or see the dove, but Jesus and John did (see John 1:29–34). The word beloved not only declares affection, but it also carries the meaning of “the only one.” The Father’s announcement from heaven reminds us of Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1.
You will want to note these references in Mark’s gospel to Jesus Christ as the Son of God: Mark 1:1, 11; 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 12:1–11; 13:32; 14:61–62; and 15:39. Mark did not write his book about just any Jewish servant. He wrote his book about the very Son of God who came from heaven to die for the sins of the world.
Yes, Jesus is the Servant—but He is a most unusual Servant. After all, it is the servant who prepares the way for others and announces their arrival. But others prepared the way for Jesus and announced that He had come! Even heaven itself took note of Him! This Servant is God the Son.
2. THE SERVANT’S AUTHORITY (1:12–28)
We expect a servant to be under authority and to take orders, but God’s Servant exercises authority and gives orders—even to demons—and His orders are obeyed. In this section, Mark describes three scenes that reveal our Lord’s authority as the Servant of God.
(1) His temptation (vv. 12–13). Mark does not give as full an account of the temptation as do Matthew (4:1–11) and Luke (4:1–13), but Mark adds some vivid details that the others omit. The Spirit “driveth him” into the wilderness. Mark used this strong word eleven times to describe the casting out of demons. The New American Standard Version has it impelled, and the New International Version translates it sent. It does not suggest that our Lord was either unwilling or afraid to face Satan. Rather, it is Mark’s way of showing the intensity of the experience. No time was spent basking in the glory of the heavenly voice or the presence of the heavenly dove. The Servant had a task to perform and He immediately went to do it.
In concise form, Mark presents us with two symbolic pictures. Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness remind us of Israel’s forty years in the wilderness. Israel failed when they were tested, but our Lord succeeded victoriously. Having triumphed over the enemy, Jesus could now go forth and call a new people who would enter into their spiritual inheritance. Since the name Jesus is the Greek form of “Joshua,” we can see the parallel.
The second picture is that of the “last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45). The first Adam was tested in a beautiful Garden and failed, but Jesus was tempted in a dangerous wilderness and won the victory. Adam lost his “dominion” over creation because of his sin (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 8), but in Christ, that dominion has been restored for all who trust Him (Heb. 2:6–8). Jesus was with the wild beasts and they did not harm Him. He gave a demonstration of that future time of peace and righteousness, when the Lord shall return and establish His kingdom (Isa. 11:9; 35:9). Indeed, He is a Servant with authority!
(2) His preaching (vv. 14–22). If ever a man spoke God’s truth with authority, it was Jesus Christ (see Matt. 7:28–29). It has been said that the scribes spoke from authorities but that Jesus spoke with authority. Mark was not recording here the beginning of our Lord’s ministry, since He had already ministered in other places (John 1:35—4:4). He is telling us why Jesus left Judea and came to Galilee: Herod had arrested John the Baptist, and wisdom dictated that Jesus relocate. By the way, it was during this journey that Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman (John 4:1–45).
Our Lord’s message was the gospel of the kingdom of God, or “the gospel of God” as some texts read. No doubt most of the Jews read “political revolution” into the phrase “kingdom of God,” but that was not what Jesus had in mind at all. His kingdom has to do with His reign in the lives of His people; it is a spiritual realm and not a political organization. The only way to enter God’s kingdom is by believing the good news and being born again (John 3:1–7).
The gospel is called “the gospel of God” because it comes from God and brings us to God. It is “the gospel of the kingdom” because faith in the Savior brings you into His kingdom. It is the “gospel of Jesus Christ” because He is the heart of it; without His life, death, and resurrection, there would be no good news. Paul called it “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:...