Introduction – Mark 1:1
–continued from part 1
3. Theme Verse — Mark 1:1
A. Gospel — (Evangel / Good News, from euangelizomai – to evangelize)
1) The “Gospel” is connected by the “as” in vs. 2 to the quotation in vs. 2-3. The intimation there as well as in 1:14-15 is that the “Gospel” is a fulfillment of something foretold in the Old Testament. — The “Gospel” is connected by the “as” in vs. 2 to the quotation in vs. 2-3. The intimation there as well as in 1:14-15 is that the “Gospel” is a fulfillment of something foretold in the Old Testament. [See also, Rom. 1:1-4, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Gal. 3:8, 1 Pt. 1:25 and Ps. 40:9, 68:11, 96:2, Is. 40:9, 41:27, 52:7, 61:1]
B. The Identity of Jesus — Christ, the Son of God
1) Christ = Messiah = Anointed One
A messianic expectation was already present in Jesus day (Luke 1). An expectation of deliverance from enemies and the Messiah as King-Deliverer was current.
2) Son of God, this title has OT precedence. Psalm 2 & 2 Sam. 7 join the title Son and Christ together as we see here in Mark 1. Son was a title given to David’s heir, it was also used of Israel, as being God’s Son (Hos. 11:1). But Mark shows that for Jesus, this means even more than the idea of Messianic Ruler.
DISCUSSION: How was Jesus less and more than what the Jews of His day were expecting in a Messiah? How might Mark 1:2-3 help us see what aspect of the Messiah’s ministry that Jesus was going to focus on in his first advent? Jot down your observations.
Less = Not the physical deliverer (that is the second advent). Not concerned with Jewish state and Jews alone.
More = Suffering Servant (hinted at from Mark 1:2-3’s focus on Isaiah 40), Son of God, a spiritual Savior.
3) The identity of Jesus certainly is key to what makes the Gospel good. And the identity of Jesus is a key theme of Mark.
The words Christ and Son (of God, or of the Highest), as a title for Jesus, appear in a uniquely important way in Mark. Jesus rarely calls himself these titles, preferring instead Son of Man which appears 14 times at least of Jesus in Mark.
| Christ / Son of David / King of Jews | Son of God / Son of the Highest |
| 1:1 (by Mark) | 1:1 (by Mark) |
| 8:29 (by Peter) | 1:11 (by God the Father) |
| 10:47-48 (by a blind man) | 3:11 (by a demon) |
| 14:61 (by the high priest) | 5:7 (by demons) |
| 15:2 (by Pilate) | 9:7 (by God the Father) |
| 15:32 (in derision at the cross) | 14:61 (by the high priest) |
| 15:39 (by the centurion) |
DISCUSSION: What can we see from this arrangement? What stands out?
After declaring Jesus is Christ and the Son of God, Mark proceeds to keep this quiet and show how people are not understanding His identity. Jesus never declares himself to be the Messiah directly. He distances Himself form some of the wrong ideas of a physical overthrow of governments as a result of his first coming. The climactic mid-point of the book is Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Messiah (8:29). The title Son of God is only at the end of the book used of Jesus by a person, and it is a Roman Centurion at the climax of Jesus’ suffering on the cross. In contrast before his end while on the cross, the Jews derided him challenging his claim to be Messiah.
4. Key Themes in Mark
A. Identity of Jesus
1) See questions about Jesus: 1:27, 2:7, 4:41, 6:2-3, 8:29, 10:18, 14:61.
2) See also statements of amazement about Jesus: 1:27-28, 2:12, 4:41, 5:42, 6:2-3, 6:14, 7:37, 10:24-26, 10:32, 12:17.
3) Notice the bewilderment and lack of understanding displayed by the disciples throughout the book 6:52, 7:18, 8:17-18, 8:21, 9:10, 9:32, 10:24-26.
4) Finally see how Jesus continually asks people to keep quiet about who He is: 1:34, 1:43-45, 3:10-12, 5:43, 7:24, 7:36-37, 8:26, 8:30, 9:9.
B. Mission of Jesus 1:38, 2:17, 10:45.
C. Importance of Faith: 1:15, 2:5, 4:40, 5:34, 5:36, 9:24, 9:42, 10:52, 11:22-24, 11:31, 13:13, 15:32.
D. Inevitability of Persecution 1:12-13, 3:21, 3:31-35, 8:34-38, 10:30-34, 10:45, 13:8-13.
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The posts in this series include notes from a Men’s Bible Study I’m teaching on the Gospel of Mark every other Saturday morning. I am sharing them so they might possibly be a blessing to others. Feel free to download the lesson sheets and use them for your own purposes.