gospel

Repent and believe

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“Now after John was arrested…”

Something just changed in the way Mark was telling the story. The incredible, relentless pace of events just stopped. Something happens that we didn’t see coming. When did it happen? How did it happen?

John is suddenly and forcibly removed from the scene and Jesus becomes the focus. As John himself said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30). SPOILER: This is not the last we will hear of John. Don’t you just hate it when you see “to be continued”? Wait patiently for Chapter 6.

Jesus moves to Galilee and begins preaching the gospel of God. His message is slightly different than John’s. Instead of announcing one who is coming, he boldly states “the time is fulfilled” and “the kingdom of God is at hand”.

The response he demands is not a call to arms, to overthrow the oppressor Rome and set up God’s kingdom on earth. The Good News demands a different response – one of confession of sin, repentance, and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. The plans of Jesus are long range, much longer than the temporal hopes of many around him. The kingdom he proclaims will last forever, and its citizens must be prepared to dwell with God.

For more, see Mark 1:14-15

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

The gospel begins

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“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Take a Bible and open it to it’s center. Chances are you’ll find yourself in Psalms. But the real center of the Bible is the gospel. The Old Testament looks forward to it as the fulfillment of God’s promises. The New Testament looks back on it as the foundation of the hope we have for our salvation.

But, what is the “gospel”? The word is used fairly loosely today and maybe without much thought to what it means. It can refer variously to the first four books of the New Testament, absolute authority (“the gospel truth”), or a musical style or genre.

Basically, “gospel” means “good news”. In New Testament times it meant a particular kind of news: a message of victory or great joy. When coupled with an oracle predicting a coming ruler, it proclaimed all the ways that the birth of this great person and his eventual rule were glad tidings which would bring about the hopes and dreams of the nation and its people for happiness and peace. They got a lot of things right in that description, but they got the wrong guy. It was not a Caesar who could perform all this, but Jesus.

No doubt Mark and the other New Testament writers took advantage of this expectation when they chose the word “gospel” to tell about the message and the man that is Jesus. Was the world in a mess back then that needed a great man to straighten it out? Are we in need of the same today? The good news is that the answer to both questions is the same: Jesus Christ, who is not just a man, but the Son of God.

Reference: Mark 1:1

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

Mark

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Mark is thought to be the first gospel written, and the John Mark we meet in Acts 12:12 to be its author. It is also the shortest account, which leads some to question why Mark didn’t say more than he did. But in his commentary, R. Alan Cole considers Mark to be the first to see the gospel as “a Passion story with an extended introduction.” If you include the Old Testament, it is a very long introduction, indeed.

Mark has a distinctive tone. He tells his story in quick, action-filled episodes. He doesn’t allow his subjects to talk you to death. His favorite transition from one story to the next is “…and immediately….” Jesus is seen as one who cuts through the religious red tape and gets things done, whether he’s healing the sick, confronting an evil spirit or defusing an academic booby trap set by the Pharisees.

Jesus is the kind of Savior that the centurion could not help but like: “…only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:8-9)

On one hand it is astounding that Mark does not include this story in his gospel. On the other, it’s the kind of attitude that Mark takes for granted. It’s the way things should be done. No lengthy explanations, motivational speeches or theological dissertations: just do it.

For more details, read the book of Mark.

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley