Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. 2 As it is
written in Isaiah the prophet: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of
You, who will prepare Your way. 3 A
voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight!" 4John
came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of
Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan
River as they confessed their sins. 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around
his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He was preaching: "Someone more powerful than I will
come after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of His
sandals. 8 I have
baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit."
Our Advent journey continues this week with
the 2nd week readings and emphasis. In week 1 the emphasis is the "Advent
of our Lord," not 2000 years ago when he came first as a lowly infant, but
at the end of time when he will come again to judge the living and the dead. In
weeks 2, 3 and 4 of Advent, the emphasis shifts back to his first advent/coming.
Weeks 2 and 3 feature John the Baptist. The historic collects of the day help
us focus our attention. Week 2's collect says: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only
Son. By his coming give us strength in our conflicts and shed light on our path
through the darkness of this world; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
So, as I ponder Mark 1:1-8 this morning
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.
Surely, our hearts can get "stirred
up" when we think about this!
Cheers,
T.M.
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