Mark 1:1-- The Basics

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

This is the title of the book of Mark. We call it the “Book of Mark” because second century tradition tells us it was written by John Mark, a disciple of Paul and Barnabas and a scribe for the apostle Peter. Sometimes the book of Mark is called “Peter’s gospel” because it is supposed that Mark dictated the gospel from Peter’s rememberances. Although portions of the book were written from people’s memory, the work has so much literary style, it probably. Recent discussions by Richard Bauckham confirms that the gospel of Mark probably depended a lot on Peter's testimony, as well as other eyewitnesses.

But the title Mark gave his own gospel is this: “The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus was the name “Y’shua” in Hebrew, what we normally translate “Joshua.” It means “Yahweh is Savior.” “Christ” is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” which literally means “anointed one” and is applied to those whom God selected to hold an office, such as priest or king. “Son of God” can mean different things, depending on the context, but it usually stands for one who has been given authority by God, especially one who rules over another, such as a king. So what Mark wants us to pay attention to is that this book is about Jesus who was appointed by God to rule over God’s people.

What Mark-- we'll call him "Mark" for simplicity's sake-- is writing this book for is to help us make a commitment to Jesus. We need to realize who it is that Jesus says he is, that he is God's chosen king, but also that we need to yield our allegiance to Him as king. To surrender to Jesus' rule is to offer him fealty or "faith". This is not simply belief that he is king. Mark instead is asking us to submit our lives to His life and teachings. If we surrender ourselves fully, then we will obtain all the blessings that God has to offer. This is the promise of Mark. The details of that promise are to come.