Mark’s Prologue
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The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b] 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”
Mark’s Genesis
I’ve been on a few writers courses in the past and one thing that usually comes up is the importance of the opening sentences which can grab the readers attention such that they don’t want to put it down.
Here are a few:
‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’
— 1984, George Orwell“Once upon a time…”
— Grimm’s Fairy Tales“You better not never tell nobody but God.''
— The Colour Purple, Alice Walker“Mr & Mrs Dursley of No4 Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
— Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling‘It was love at first sight.’
— Catch 22, Joseph Heller‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’
— Genesis 1:1‘The Beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the son of God’
— Mark 1:1
Marks opening sentence is surprising, to say the least. He doesn’t begin with the nativity scene, he takes us back to the Prophets and even gives echoes of Genesis Chapter 1 ‘In the beginning God…’
If you are lighting four Advent candles the first traditionally speaks of the promise that the Christ would come and also foretells that He will come again at the end of time. Last week we learnt of the promise given to Abraham and Sarah that their descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand and that through them all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
The second candle represents the prophets and prophecies of a coming Saviour. Our reading from Mark 1:1-8 is like the Genesis chapter one of Mark, the Prologue to Mark ‘The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’
Let us look at Mark’s Prologue.
Mark’s Prologue: Jesus is Good News
Mark’s gospel is first written around 60AD and he is fast out of the blocks in verse 1 leaving us in no doubt that Mark knew who Jesus was. He doesn’t begin with the nativity scene, he begins with the declaration of the ‘Good News of Jesus Christ the son of God.’ For Mark, Jesus is not a great person among people but God among people, Christ, God in the flesh, God with us. Christ was a Greek word used for “Messiah” but to add “Son of God” in the first sentence is a bold term which goes beyond the popular understanding of Messiah (most thought Messiah would be a powerful political (but human) leader). Mark, in the very first verse, claims outright divinity for Christ and then Mark goes for more clarity.
Mark asserts that John Baptist is the “voice” crying out in the famous passage of Prophet Isaiah 40. Prepare the way of “the Lord.” The word translated “Lord” is the Hebrew “Yahweh” and because Mark is equating John the Baptist with Isaiah’s “one preparing the way,” it means Mark is equating Jesus with Yahweh the Lord God of Israel himself!
Mark begins the gospel of Jesus Christ not in the Nativity but with the Prophets in the Old Testament. Jesus, ‘God with us’ is the one to whom all the prophets pointed.
Mark’s Prologue: The Prophets are precise
‘As it is written in the Prophets.’ — Mark 1:2
‘Written’ carries the meaning of fulfilled. The Prophets pointed forward to Jesus as the Christ with same assurance of Breaking News!
Micah 5:2, written about 700BC, (same as Isaiah) named Bethlehem as the birthplace. That’s precise, “But you, Bethlehem …out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Mark takes us (the reader) back to the Old Testament prophets and Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40.
300BC ‘See I am sending my messenger who will prepare the way for me.’
— Malachi 3:1700BC ‘In the desert prepare the way for the Lord make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’
— Isaiah 40:3
Isaiah 7:14 Reports, God would send a saviour: Immanuel (God with us).
‘The Lord will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (meaning God with us).’
It’s hard to believe Isaiah 9:2-7 was written 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 9:2 speaks of a new day dawning
“The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness,
a light has dawned.” — Isaiah 9:2
Even though the world was a dark place, the people needed to know darkness would not have the last word.
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”— Isaiah 9:6
Notice it is announced as a birth notice! ‘A child is born,’ as if it has happened even though it was 700 years before. So convinced were the prophets that God had spoken and that ‘the zeal of the Lord would accomplish it’ (Isaiah 9:7) Notice also the Character of the Christ: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince Peace.’
Wonderful counsellor,
God counsels God guides equips us through life - we can know him personally and can pray/ask/seek Him wonderful counsellor
This baby boy is also Mighty God,
not mighty person, not mighty prophet, not a special good person; mighty God. This would have sounded like blasphemy to Isaiah’s listeners. A baby who is Mighty God. A child is born, Emmanuel ‘God with us’ – Mighty God
This baby Jesus is also to be known as ‘everlasting father.’
That’s strange, a baby called everlasting father. This Jesus can be an everlasting father to you, (Psalm 68:5 –‘father to the fatherless) a father you will never lose, who is with you always, loving you. Everlasting.
Prince of peace;
Maybe there’s turmoil in your life, financial, a relationship, illness, fear of Covid and you’ve lost your peace – you need to meet the peace prince,
He is here with us, Immanuel. Do you feel in turmoil? You do if your marriage is insecure. You do if your job is at risk. You do if your health is under threat. Darkness will not have the last word!
The Light of the world has dawned, Immanuel God with us.
Mark’s prologue: personal and direct
Mark abruptly and bluntly says prepare!
I’m sure you will at some time have been stuck in traffic jams as roads are being altered. Road Jams stop us from getting through and spiritually Road-jams can stop God from getting through to us. So, today when we hear of the voice of one in the desert crying, 'Prepare the way, get the road ready for our God', it's a good idea to listen and look at our own life-road, see where the Road-jams are, and ask God to help us free them straightaway. By rejecting our sins and seeking God's forgiveness, we receive God’s peace and freedom of forgiveness that we so desperately need.
We ignore road danger signs at our peril but we seem to have lost that sense of the danger of sin (pride, lust, materialism, drink, drugs). These things can take hold of us and have power over us. What the wild man John Baptist says may seem abrupt, to be told to repent, turn around, say sorry to God for these Road-jams may seem harsh but it is to release us and save us, preparing the way getting our lives ready so that God can travel straight into our lives without finding any Road-jams. Mark 1:3 — ‘Prepare yourself’, like a road being resurfaced. What could he mean, this is very personal, even blunt! 'Road-jams' of selfishness and traffic jams in the way we love. We need to be freed and released into loving kindness and thoughtfulness. Perhaps there are ‘road-jams’ in our honesty, because we don't always tell the truth, or live the truth. That needs mending with truthfulness and more than that we need a personal encounter with Jesus who said ‘I am the truth.’ There are perhaps road-jams and delays caused by Pride which prevents God from getting through to us: Pride which says 'I don't need God', 'It’s my life and I'm fine as I am, thanks'. We need to humble ourselves and submit to the one who said I am the way the truth and the life.
When today we hear the voice of one from the desert shouting, 'Get the road ready for our God', it's a good idea to listen to him, look at our own life-road, see where roadblocks are, and ask God to help us put them right straight away.
God with us means if you have invited him into your life he is within you, with you. God with us isn’t a religion it’s a person - Jesus. If you think about a close relationship you are in, how it came about how it developed. Spending time, talking, sharing, caring. Jesus with us is a bit like that. Will you prepare for him, open up your heart to him?
I hope so.
