Mark Vol. 1 - Week 1 (1:1-8)
Mark 1:1-8
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Jesus Christ, The Son of God
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Mark 1:1-8 〰️ Jesus Christ, The Son of God 〰️
This week, we begin volume one of our walk-through in the gospel of Mark. Volume 1 will consist of us going through Mark 1-6, taking the disciple’s gospel account verse by verse. Even at this rate, the Sunday sermons will feel like they’re going at breakneck speeds, but we’ll be sure to fill in gaps or answer questions here in the guides and in discussion with our people.
As we’re beginning this book, it’ll prove helpful to look at the purpose of its writing, the history of the author, and its place in the New Testament, among three other accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth.
For a long time, Mark’s gospel was considered an abridgment of Matthew’s gospel, as it shares many similarities with Matthew and Luke (these three are called the synoptic gospels). Because of this, it wasn’t really considered trustworthy or deserving of being included as canon in Scripture. As time has passed and more historical documents and writings have been discovered, the widespread consensus is that Mark’s gospel was written before Matthew’s account. Mark was written by John Mark in Rome, primarily to Roman Christians, sometime before 70 AD. John Mark (there are a lot of Johns, so he goes by Mark) was a friend and colleague of Peter and the apostle Paul who collected the many stories and accounts of Jesus, weaving them together to tell the good news of the Messiah with a specific intention in mind.
Mark’s written account of Jesus’ life wasn’t something that was new to the original audience, as many who heard it had already had first-hand accounts, read it themselves, or heard another gospel account. He intended to bring a new perspective to the familiar story of Jesus’ life. What Mark emphasizes is Jesus, the servant. There’s language peppered throughout the book, emphasizing Christ’s service, love, and care for the flock. While stories in Mark overlap with the other Synoptics, John Mark accentuates these details to show the merciful and servant nature of Jesus. (See Mark 10:35-45 and Matthew 20:20-28; while the same story, Mark’s account is extended and more fleshed out.)
There are so many exciting details in Mark’s gospel that have made it a perfect biblical case study. For more detail and personal study, The Bible Project has two excellent videos on Mark; one is a 5-minute summary, and one is a little longer at 10min. If reading is more your game and you want to go even further in-depth, The Gospel Coalition has a great 12-week study, and The Bible Project has a written breakdown of Mark as well. Now, let’s dive into this week’s passage.
Mark 1:1-8
To kick off Mark, we’re starting with, where else: Mark 1:1-8. John Mark begins with the bold words: “…Jesus Christ, the son of God.” It’s easy for those who have spent some time in Scripture to blow by this and not think much of it, but Mark wants us to get something here. This character that we’re about to be introduced to is the Messiah for whom Israel has waited. He then flexes his Old Testament knowledge by referencing Malachai 3:1a and Isaiah 40:3:
“See, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies.” Malachi 3:1 (CSB)
“A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.” Isaiah 40:3. (CSB)
This, coupled with this grand introduction to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paints a portrait of Jesus as the One Israel has been waiting for. This sets the stage for Jesus’ arrival and ministry, as it shakes out to be far different than what the Jews expected it to be. They were anticipating the Son of God to be a powerful, ruling leader who would free them from the strong arm of Roman oppression, not a humble craftsman from Bethlehem. On top of this, the messenger declaring the way for the Messiah is some loon out in the desert wearing camel’s skin and eating locusts.
In verse 4, Mark writes, “John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” The word “preaching” here (kēryssōn) could alternatively translated as “proclaiming as a herald,” in a way, fulfilling this prophesy found in the earlier references to Malachi and Isaiah. Now this begins to make more sense. But John the Baptist isn’t baptizing people and forgiving sins himself. He’s actually preparing the way for the Lord.[1] What gives us an even broader picture is knowing that John didn’t invent baptism. It’s occurred in Judaism for some time as the way Gentiles were to be admitted into the Jewish beliefs. John the Baptist turned this on its head by saying that God’s people are now to be immersed in water. No longer do genetics, family lineage, or ritual sacrifice grant you salvation. Things are beginning to change.
Interestingly, however, there appear to be a great many people who were all in with this, as “all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins” (v5). The submerging in water and confessing of sins before God now marked the “turn” of a Jew to God.[2] John the Baptist was literally making the way for the Messiah, as he set the new standard of confession, repentance before God, and turning from sin towards the Lord. There was no tabernacle or temple that John was running. No animal sacrifice was made on behalf of individuals. John’s preaching and baptizing of Jews set the foundation for Jesus’ ministry, where forgiveness and payment for sins would ultimately be settled on the cross.
This week’s passage concludes with John giving one final proclamation. “The One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me….I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (v7a, 8). John is signifying that it is not he who can forgive sins but God alone. He is refusing to hold that authority, placing it on Jesus. The Message, a paraphrase of this passage, words it like this: “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out” (v8).
This week’s discussion will focus more on John’s message and purpose as the one who “prepared the way for the Lord.” John’s message was clear to those baptized: the Messiah is coming; repent. Holiness before God will no longer be the ritual killing and sacrifice of an animal but a heart of repentance before God. This would upset the status quo of Judaism, as the Old Testament Law was a fixture in their culture, with the temple at the center of it all. While John seems to have a minor part in making a way for the Christ, he ultimately gave his life to prepare the hearts and minds for the coming of a savior in an unlikely way.
Key Terms and Doctrine
Deity of Christ
In this passage, we get a clear explanation of who Jesus is: the Son of God (Mark 1:1). He is not part man and part God. Jesus was and is fully God and fully man. Jesus lived more than three decades on earth, experiencing the full range of human existence: physical limitations (Matt. 21:18), emotions (John 11:33-36), and temptations (Matt. 4:1-11).[3] Jesus was and is fully God, always the Son within the Trinity alongside the Father and Holy Spirit. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” Colossians 2:9 (NIV). The theological term for the doctrine of Jesus being fully God is the Deity of Christ. We believe that Jesus was entirely human while remaining entirely God.[4]
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
What are some repeating words, phrases, or concepts in this passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Read verses 7-8 again. What was John’s message?
How does John the Baptist function as a transitional figure from the Old Testament to the new covenant?
In what ways did John “prepare the way” for Jesus, the Messiah?
Verse 5 says that the people were being baptized by John, confessing their sins. Now read James 5:16. Is there someone you know and trust to whom you can confess your sins?
John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 103.
Ibid., 104.
How Was Jesus Fully God and Fully Man? https://www.gotquestions.org/fully-God-fully-man.html
Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine: Essential Teachings of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 1999), 229-241.