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Mark 1: Everyone’s Talking

There are moments in history that stand out in our lives that last for a lifetime. Can you name any that stand out for you? Whether that could be the birth of a family member, the death of a monarch, a tragedy or disaster? I’m sure we can all remember a time like this.

There are significant moments in history, like the death of Queen Elizabeth 11, that are remembered for generations to come.

Today we will be looking at an event in the bible which had been talked about and was foretold for centuries. This had everyone talking about something so amazing and significant they couldn’t stop talking about it until it actually happened. They lived in the hope and trusted in the promises given by God that one day He would send the Messiah, the ultimate sacrifice for each and every one of us.

The first questions you may ask are ‘Who is talking and what are they talking about? This account found in Mark chapter 1 has many people talking about the arrival of the Messiah, including the Old Testament prophets, Malachi and Isaiah, as well as New Testament followers and disciples, the four gospel writers, everyone in between The Testaments, those in heaven, those in hell, people today. Jesus is a historical fact, even included in secular history. Time 100 magazine did a list of the most influential historical figures and Jesus Christ came number 1. Even the secular world is talking about this event.

So, if there were so many people talking about this, what was this amazing event that everyone was talking about?

• Isaiah is talking about The Messiah coming, the messenger that is preparing the way for the Messiah and extraordinary things are going to happen that we don’t expect.
• Salvation – talked about by the 4 gospels and John the Baptist
• Hope, One is coming who is Yahweh, Jehovah the Son of God the Messiah.

Malachi is talking about a messenger being sent ahead of one who is the Messiah, who will prepare the way for Him. This messenger mentioned in Malachi and Isaiah is John the Baptist, the most famous prophet and the one who was noted to be the greatest amongst people, Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11).

Jesus Himself said no one would rise up greater than John the Baptist. This is high praise, but he is only here to pave the way for the one who is the Messiah and redeemer, Jesus.

“As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”
Mark 1:2

John the Baptist’s ministry represents a fulfilment of the promise of a new exodus in which Israel is delivered and finally enters into the Jordan river to receive God’s promise of salvation. He was pointing the people to the true Messiah, one who was much greater than him. He was the messenger, preparing Judea for Jesus’ life-changing ministry. Freedom that they had never known – baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. Confessing their sins, the people were baptised by him in the Jordan River (Mark 1:5).

John the Baptist was calling people to repentance, turning away from their sins and turning to God for forgiveness of sins. The act of repentance had to precede baptism, and therefore baptism was not the means by which sins were forgiven but rather a sign showing that a person has truly repented. John the Baptist’s ministry in the wilderness was once again a fulfilment of prophesy found in Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare    the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

This is John the Baptists message: ‘After me comes the one who is more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.’ (Mark 1:8). The unfastening of someone’s sandals in Jewish times was seen as a task reserved for the lowest of slaves, and certainly wasn’t meant to be done by a Jew. Jewish instructions said that a disciple should do everything for his teacher that a slave would do. However, Jesus is so great, John the Baptist, who was considered the greatest of the prophets, is not worthy to do the most menial of tasks of a servant for Jesus.

John the Baptist Continues: ‘I baptise with water, but He will baptise you with the holy spirit. (Mark 1:8). This is the true reason behind why Jesus came into this world – to die so that our sins can be forgiven on the cross at Calvary, the innocent lamb of God dying for us when we don’t deserve it. John the Baptist’s baptism could wash sins clean temporarily, but Jesus Christ can wash away sins for eternity, including the forgiveness of sins in the past, present, and future. He does this for us because He loves us unconditionally.

Colossians 1:13-16 tell us that:

¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Who is this special person that everyone is talking about? Mark 1:1 gives us this answer,

“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah the son of God.” What a way to start a gospel! Who is Jesus? The meaning of the name Jesus is ‘to deliver, to rescue.’ 

When we talk about Deliver, we are used to that from the Old Testament in the likes of Exodus when God delivers the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians. However, the idea of complete rescue is a new concept which Jesus brings to completion in His new age of ministry. Romans 10:13 says, “For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Not just a few, but everyone! This is a gospel truth not to the elite, but to the many.

Jesus’ humility and love for others is unparalleled, flowing from the infinite love of God for His people. The ‘ransom’ of Christ’s life was paid to God the Father, who accepted it in full, as a just payment for the sins of the world, past, present and future. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rmans 5:8).

Has there ever been a time when they have not been talking about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah? Isaiah had been talking about the Lord Jesus the Messiah at least 700 years before Jesus or John the Baptist came on the scene. Malachi had been talking about this 400 years before this account in Mark 1.  Then after Malachi there was 400 years of silence. This is the period between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. There was nothing shared in the Bible of what happened during this period. The people had to live in Hope that the Messiah was coming soon. There was suspense of when the Messiah might come. Not knowing when His arrival will be and with this silence of 400 years between the old and new testaments the expectation grew with time, generation after generation.

They were looking forward to the physical coming of the Messiah, but Jesus has been present from the beginning. There has never been a time when Jesus has not been there. In Genesis 1:1-2 reads, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.’

At first glance the account of creation found in Genesis 1 v 1 seems to focus on God the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, the opening words of John’s gospel adds clarity to show that the Lord Jesus, the Son of the God was present as an integral part of the Trinity,

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1:1-5).

This tells of the Word being there in the beginning. The Word is Jesus Christ. He wasn’t just there at Creation; He was part of every aspect of it, working in total unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is amazing that the One who died for our sins on the cross and who came to earth to walk amongst us, was the same One who created all things with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is the thread which runs throughout the Bible. He was there through it all, at the beginning, middle and end of the Bible. From Genesis every story points to Him and whispers His name. ‘Jesus says I AM the alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13)’. He is there from beginning to the end of time. Jesus is this thread which leads to a roadmap in the Bible going from the Old Testament in Genesis to Revelation in the New Testament.

When we talk about this roadmap, we see Isaiah pointing to Jesus. However, the Israelites and Isaiah were in a completely different place spiritually than the Jews we find in Mark chapter 1. Isaiah was in agony with all the oppression going on around him. However, he writes in Isaiah 64 and in other chapters about a hope. Firstly, that a messenger is coming to point to the long-awaited Messiah, which is John the Baptist. Secondly, and more importantly, there will be one coming who is greater than John the Baptist. Isaiah is not looking to someone who is merely a human but is looking further to Heaven – to God and Jesus, who is fully God in human form. Isaiah 64:1-3 reads,

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
    that the mountains would tremble before you!
² As when fire sets twigs ablaze
    and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
    and cause the nations to quake before you!
³ For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
    you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

This is a plea from Isaiah to God, Why? Well, he is in agony. He pleads that God will ‘rend the heavens and come down.’ This is fulfilled with Jesus coming to earth. The mountains were the most solid thing of their time; Isaiah believes that the power of God can make even the most solid thing tremble and he is pleading for it to happen.

There is hope! Someone is coming that will do all this. Isaiah isn’t pleading for John the Baptist, he is pleading for Jesus. He is not settling for the greatest in human form but looking to God.

But then looking at this roadmap it points directly to this account in Mark 1, to the baptism of Jesus, and all the way to Jesus on the Cross. As he died this all came true. The mountains tremble, nations quake and the enemies knew your name on that cross. The things in Isaiah also are reiterated in Malachi about a messenger preparing the way for Jesus, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the LORD you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.”” (Malachi 3:1).

In the Old Testament the LORD is in capitals in this section. This is interesting to look into to see the context of who Isaiah and Malachi are describing. The LORD, when in capitals in the Old Testament refers to the Hebrew name Yahweh which describes God in the most sacred of ways. The name suggests that God simply is. He possesses an underived existence; He is the eternal “I AM”.

Malachi is saying that John the Baptist is preparing the way for Yahweh, Jehovah, God in His most sacred form. Although it hasn’t been revealed as to what form this will take at this time, we know with hindsight this to be the divine Messiah, Son of God, Jesus, and in this most miraculous and beautiful act of baptism in Mark 1 we see the fullness of the holy Trinity displayed.

We find the Baptism of Jesus in Mark 1 vs 9-11.

Jesus, is the perfect lamb of God, the Messiah, who is free from sin, yet He identifies with the sins of His people. Even though He Himself was free from sin, He was still baptised (Mark 1:9-11). This is to fulfil the prophesy in Isaiah 40.

Mark is known as the whistle stop gospel. He attacks it at full speed, but he doesn’t miss the important details. Anything that is mentioned due to Mark’s brief nature must be taken into consideration as the fact that it is mentioned means the details given are hugely important.

In verse 10 as Jesus came up out of the water, this is the unexpected event that was prophesied in Isaiah 64. “Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (Mark 1:10). This is the moment we see the trinity in its entirety. The Holy Spirit was there at the beginning of creation, hovering over the waters, and also the Holy Spirit is described in the gospel of Mark descended like a dove and hovering over the waters. This account in Mark’s gospel links straight back to creation, the roadmap as mentioned earlier pointing to Jesus.

Jesus is commissioned for a unique purpose and to finally complete God’s rescue plan for humanity. God the Spirit anoints Jesus as Israel’s long-awaited King and Messiah and commissions Him as God’s righteous servant. (Isaiah 42:1)

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.

At Jesus’ baptism the heavens were ripped open and the heavenly voice of father comes down, confirming the eternal, loving Sonship of Jesus and the eternally existing relationship of divine love that the Son and Father share, as well as Jesus’ identity as the messianic Son of God, ^“And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11). The heavens ripping open is a violent picture of the awesome power of God the Trinity. Imagine actually being there. This foreshadows to the events at the cross. When Jesus died the curtain was torn top to bottom in the temple.

This beloved Son is the triumphant King, yet He is also the humble servant into whose hands the Father is well pleased to place the mission to bring Salvation to the nations

Then, in Verses 12-13 of Mark 1 Jesus is sent by the spirit into the wilderness for 40 Days where Jesus is tempted and equipped for the start of His ministry. In verses 14-15 we read, “

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.¹⁵ “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

This is the final fulfilment of the prophesy in Isaiah 40; Jesus announcing to the world, the wait is over. Finally, the time has now come, I am here. But there is one small clause, life-changing clause, “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15b).

All you have to do is repent and believe to receive the gift of salvation and be a part of the kingdom of God, His chosen family. However, when you look into it a bit more in depth, it isn’t as easy as just saying sorry and believing in God and be done with it to get a free ticket to heaven. Repenting is not just saying sorry. It is a complete change in character, in nature and a clear transformation in your life. It is a full 180-degree spin to acknowledge that we are all born with sinful natures, (Romans 3:23). All the things we have done wrong is not just against others or ourselves, but deeply hurts our Heavenly Father and Jesus. We need to completely turn from our sinful ways and not do these things, but I know that this is not an easy task. This is where God in His goodness to us, left the Holy Spirit as a helper and comforter to all who believe in Him. You can ask for forgiveness from Jesus and He will give you the Holy Spirit’s help to change you from the inside and help you fight against our human nature, living for a far greater purpose. When you accept Jesus, it is a wonderful day, especially knowing that the best is always yet to come. Jesus promises to take your sins away, as far as the east is from the west, and we know that He always keeps His promises.

Summary

We have gone on a road trip through the bible, from Genesis to Revelation, including Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Malachi, to New Testament scholars in Hebrews and Romans, from Old Testament through the silence to the New Testament, eventually crash landing looking at the events in Mark 1 about, John the Baptist and Jesus.

I would like to summarise with 3 points and a challenge.

1. Declaration of Isaiah and Malachi saying that a ‘messenger is coming’. Also looking forward with expectation and suspense to the Messiah Jesus is coming. John the Baptist paving the way for the Messiah.
2. Confirmation – God ‘This is my Son’. Everyone who has gone before calling for repentance and the sacrifices that have been offered to Himself will one day be finished and completed in Jesus.
3. Proclamation – ‘The time has come. Repent and believe the Good News.’
   
   Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

I encourage you to turn your eyes upon Jesus, and in His strength we can move mountains.

So, everyone is talking. What should everyone be talking about? The good news – Jesus died for us and rose again to a glorious ascension to heaven, to be at the right hand of the Father. Mission complete. He has WON. Victory Assured. Death defeated, sins forgiven. IT IS FINISHED!!!

Then, as stated in Matthew 28:18-20, we are called to make disciples of all nations, knowing that the Lord is with us always even to the very end of the age. Put our trust in Him, repent and believe. Share the good news that ‘He Has Risen’ each and every day and in His strength, we can do immeasurably more through our Saviour the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ.