The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’
Mark 1:1-4 NIV
In our Sunday services this year, we are travelling with Jesus through the Gospel (the Good News) according to St. Mark. The way that the Gospel begins is illuminating.
‘The beginning’. ‘Beginning’ (Greek – ‘arche’) is the first word of the Gospel which is echoed at the start of St. John’s Gospel. It is interesting that neither gospels say anything about the birth of Jesus: in both Gospels we first meet Jesus at his baptism in the River Jordan at about the age of thirty. This is what Mark calls ‘the beginning’.
Both Gospels are echoing the first word of the Bible in Genesis 1:1 rendered in English as ‘In the Beginning’. It is telling us that what God is doing in Jesus is both the beginning of the recreation of the world as well as a continuation of the work of creation itself which is ongoing.
‘Of the good news’. The Greek word translated in English as ‘the Gospel’ or ‘the Good News’, is one that describes the proclamation made in the Roman Empire on behalf of the Emperor. It usually proclaimed a military victory or the taking office of a new Emperor. Mark is therefore telling us that this is the beginning of the proclamation of a victory that has been won; but by whom? Certainly not the Emperor. No, this is ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah [or Christ]’.
‘Jesus the Messiah [or Christ]’. The name ‘Jesus’ is the English form of the Aramaic name Yeshua. Aramaic was the language spoken by Jesus and his disciples. ‘Yeshua’ is a translation of the Hebrew name ‘Yehoshua’ or ‘Joshua’ meaning ‘the LORD [i.e. God] is salvation, or deliverance’. Jesus’ name signifies to us that Jesus is the one in whom and by whom God will deliver us from all that is destructive and ultimately from death. The term ‘Christ’ is not a surname, it is simply a Greek translation of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ meaning someone who has been anointed by God as a king. So this is ‘The beginning of the proclamation of the victory of God’s anointed king, the one in whom God will deliver us, and not only us, but also the whole of creation’.
This Jesus is not only a saviour, not only a king; he is also the ‘son of God’. When we hear those words, I suspect that we hear only half of their meaning. To those living in the Roman Empire, ‘son of God’ was one of the titles of the Emperor. These first few words of the Gospel of Mark are therefore deeply subversive; everything that they say about Jesus was also everything that was already said of the Roman Emperor. In other words Jesus is being presented as a rival to the greatest power in the Roman world.
Two things need to be noted. Firstly, this was being said after Jesus had died and after the disciples’ experienced the empty tomb and a vision of angels, a mysterious event recorded at the end of Mark’s Gospel, and recorded with very little detail making it a strange victory. Secondly, if any of these things were being said about Jesus in his lifetime, especially if he had said them about himself, then it is no surprise that he was crucified. Crucifixion was the punishment given to those who challenged the power of Rome and its Emperor.
But this king, this saviour, was not to be found in the places of power. This was the one who was found in the wilderness, at the margins. The Gospel quotes from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
The wilderness here is not the desert, nor is it the open and deserted countryside. Rather, it is the patch of land that surrounded the city walls in the ancient world. It was the shanty town on the margins of the city where the poorest lived. Medieval cities also had a ‘wilderness’ outside the walls. In Hereford, this was the area we now call Greyfriars (after the Franciscan friars) and Blackfriars (after the Dominican friars). The friars also lived and worked in the shanty towns at the margins of medieval cities and towns.
The wilderness serves as a metaphor for any marginal place or people. There are many such ‘wildernesses’ in our society and world today.
One final thought: we are frequently told that Christianity and religion in general are being marginalised in our society and this is often lamented. I suppose we can feel it keenly given the fact that Christianity used to be so central in our national life. Yes, we can mourn that loss, but we can also see it as an opportunity. If Christianity is being marginalised then we as Christians will find ourselves where we were at the beginning. The wilderness is the place to which Jesus has gone before us, and the margins are the place to which we can be pleased to return.
Brislington Community News 