Good morning:
Well, as I ponder Mark 1:1-8 this morning and the things we covered yesterday, about the only thing that sticks in my mind as something worth mentioning is the way the passage begins:
"The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah..."
In very few words (Greek or English), the Evangelist is communicating something profound to us. On the one hand, we are to sit up and take notice that something new and dramatic has taken place--the evangellion ("good news") of Jesus has begun. Scholars point out that this use of the word evangellion--we could almost say this 'appropriation' of the word--was new for the Church. The word had had more of a political meaning...typically being part of the propaganda machine of the day. An announcement that the emperor was coming to visit; an announcement that a rebel province had been subdued; an announcement that an heir to the throne had been born; THESE were typically phrased in terms of 'evangelion' ("good news"). "GOOD," in other words, was basically in the eye of the beholder, and typically from the perspective of the ruling empire.
But when that word is applied to the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the goodness of the evangelion is NOT subjective. It is truly good news, both from the perspective of God....who longs to save His people, and from the perspective of humanity...who is incapable of saving itself.
The other fascinating thing about this little 1.5 verse section is that Mark wants us to understand that while this evangelion has BEGUN....it's nothing new. For no sooner does he tell us that the good news is off & running than he mentions the prophet Isaiah. The point being that TIME is in the hands of God. The plan of redemption is nothing new. It unfolds throughout human history according to the design of the Creator.
Cheers,
TM
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