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Jesus, God's Servant A Survey of the Gospel of Mark CHAPTER ONE: THE SERVANT'S PREPARATION by Massimo Lorenzini I. The Servant's Preparation (1:1-13)
Preparation in life is needed. Jesus' life illustrated this. The plant sends its roots into the dark soil before it can bring forth the flower and leaf. Joseph spent many years in slavery and prison before he became a ruler in Egypt. Moses spent forty years in the desert before God called him to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. Jesus spent thirty years in obscurity in Nazareth before He began His public ministry. Getting ready for our life's work is of tremendous importance. Don't be discouraged if God takes His time in preparing you for life. v. 1 gospel - The word comes from the old English "god-spel" (good news) and translates accurately the Greek euangelion. Jesus - Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua," which means "Yahweh is salvation" or "salvation of Yahweh." Given by the angel to Joseph and is descriptive of His mission-- "and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins" (Matt 1:21). v. 2 it is written - This common phrase in the New Testament (NT) to introduce Old Testament (OT) passages shows the NT writers' strong belief in the unchanging authority of the Scriptures. Jesus used this phrase as well when quoting the OT. in the Prophets - Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3. My messenger - John was the divinely appointed messenger sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. In ancient times, a king's envoys would travel ahead of him, making sure the roads were safe and fit for him to travel on, as well as announcing his arrival. v. 4 John - Hebrew "Yehochanan" which means "Yahweh is gracious" or "grace of Yahweh." His parents were told by an angel to give him this name which is fitting for the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1:13-17). baptizing - Jews practiced ceremonial washings, however, their only once-for-all washing was the immersion that non-Jews had to go through when they converted to Judaism. To tell Jewish people to be baptized or repent the same way non-Jews did would have been offensive. Most Jews thought they were saved simply because they were Jews. John told them that they had to come to God the same way that non-Jews did. John's baptism showed that everyone has to come to God on the same terms. v. 6 clothed with camel's hair - The OT says that Elijah dressed this way and, like John, separated himself from society (1 Kings 17:4, 9). Elijah was expected to return before the end (Mal 3:1; 4:5-6). Application - John appears as a strange man who had strange clothes and ate strange food. There is a lesson for us here. God does not always choose the kind of people we would select. (See 1 Cor 1:27-28; also 1 Sam 16:6-13.) v. 7 mightier than I - Disciples often served their teachers in the same ways that slaves would serve their masters, except for menial chores like taking off their master's sandals. John feels unworthy even to be the Messiah's slave. v. 8 baptize you with the Holy Spirit - Some OT passages speak of the Spirit being outpoured like water. These passages refer to the time of God's Kingdom, when He would cleanse His people and endow them with power to speak for Him (Isa 44:3; Ezek 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-29). The pouring out of the Holy Spirit is also a feature of the coming of the Messiah. The whole age between Christ's first and second advents is viewed as being marked by the ministry of the Spirit. v. 9 Jesus . . . was baptized by John - Why? See Matt 3:14-15. For Jesus, the baptism was, first, the fulfillment of all righteousness; secondly, as act of identification, in which He was "numbered with the transgressors" (Isa 53:12); thirdly, an act of dedication to His ministry; and fourthly, displayed his approval of John's message and work, and acknowledged him as the true forerunner of the Messiah. v. 10 immediately - The first instance of Mark's favorite adverb, occurring 41 times. Three events at Jesus' baptism set Him apart from everyone else: (1) The heaven's opened. (2) The Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. (3) The voice of the Father was heard from heaven, bearing witness to His Son. the heavens parting - A cosmic event. The gap between heaven and earth was bridged by the Son of God. We also see the Trinity here. v. 11 a voice came from heaven - Some Jewish teachers who believed that God no longer spoke through prophets believed that He now spoke to them by means of a voice from heaven, although this was not considered as important as prophecy. Here Mark shows that both a voice from heaven and John's prophecy testify to Jesus. v.12 immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness - Jesus' baptism was followed by further preparation in the wilderness where He would face His testing. Application - It is not uncommon that soon after a spiritual highpoint we find ourselves being tested in the wilderness. Life is made up of peaks and valleys rather than a constant plateau. God uses those dark valleys to test our faith and refine our character. Without such preparation in our lives we would not be faithful during the glorious peaks. Some valleys are created by our own sinfulness, some are the product of circumstance. But even as we are led by the Holy Spirit, we may find ourselves in those times of testing just as Jesus did. Next time you are facing difficult trials, rather than ask "Why me?" ask God "Lord, what is it you are trying to teach me?" v. 13 He was there in the wilderness - It was commonly believed that demons were attracted to places like bathhouses, graveyards, and deserts. Thus, Jesus is seen to battle with Satan on his own turf. tempted by Satan - The word "Satan" means adversary or one who opposes another. Before Jesus ever entered upon His ministry of challenging and breaking the power of Satan in others, that enemy had to be met and defeated in His own life. (See Matt 4:1-11.) Application. Before God can use us in ministry to others, we must have victory over sin and Satan in our own personal lives. When you face the temptation and turmoil that Satan brings, remember Jesus. He used God's Word against Satan and won. You can do the same. Victory only comes when there is a battle. Why did Jesus have to be tempted? To identify fully with human beings. (See Heb 4:15-16.) Satan, the world, and our own sinful nature may tempt us to sin. But God never tempts anyone to sin. God may use circumstances to test the genuineness of our faith, to teach us life lessons, and to reveal more of Himself to us. But whether we are experiencing temptation or testing, we can rely on the power of God's Word to see us through. (See Ps 119:11.) Application. How can you begin to prepare yourself to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, God's Servant? Be prepared to learn from His example.
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