The Beginning of The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Mark 1:1-8

The gospel of Mark starts with ‘The beginning’, which is not just any beginning as in normal books, but is actually a technical term in the biblical language. In Genesis, we read that in the beginning, God, the Word, created the heavens and the earth. Also in the gospel of John, we read that in the beginning, there was the Word. Here in the gospel of Mark, we read that this is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ‘The beginning’ is translated from the Greek word ‘arche’, which can also be translated as ‘origin’ or ‘principle’, so by origin or principle, it is meant that the authority of this book is derived not from human but from God Himself. As in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the authority to create is made and executed by God and not humanity. You might be familiar with the thinking that religion is man-made and it is a social construct. Some people fear the future and death, so they somehow need a religion. This is not the biblical view of religion. When you read the Bible, you find that it is by God Himself, not a human product. Why do many people not go to church anymore? Maybe it is because they think this is just a human product. They might ask, ‘Why should my life be driven by human ideas, since I am also a human and can think for myself?’. Unless we believe that the meaning of life can only be given by God Himself, I think agnosticism and skepticism are quite logical and attractive. When Mark starts the gospel with ‘the beginning’, it means that in Jesus, a new creation has begun.

‘Gospel’ is a translation from the Greek word ‘euangelion’. It is interesting that Luther does not want to name his church as lutheran, but as ‘evangelische kirche’. What is the meaning of ‘evangelische’, ‘evangelium’, or ‘euangelion’? There are different contexts. It can be used as good news or a report of victory from a battlefield. When a country or a nation wins a battle, there is this ‘euangelion’ to proclaim or announce. There is a military aspect here. Our world now is full of wars, but the real war is the spiritual war. It is not a war between countries or nations. It is the war in the human heart against hatred, envy, pride, etc. Who can win against these enemies? Actually no one, as we are too helpless. The Bible tells us that man has fallen into sin and disobeys God. After the fall, there is no more strength to live a good life. I am not saying that there is no goodness at all in this world. There is of course common grace from God such as sunshine and a beautiful springtime. However, deep down in our heart, we reject God. We also reject our fellow human beings. We want to live for ourselves, for our own happiness, for our own convenience. Who can liberate us from this miserable condition? The holy gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the One who can liberate us from this power of ego-centered, self-centered life, from sin, from life that is directed only to oneself and not to others, let alone to God Himself. It is truly good news that Jesus Christ came and gave us victory in the true war, namely the spiritual war. It is important to acknowledge, detect and diagnose the real enemies in this world: not other countries, traditions or cultures, but the power of sin that we cannot overcome with our own strength. This is the first aspect, which is the military aspect.

The second aspect of the meaning of the word ‘euangelion’ or ‘evangelium’ is in the context of the birthday of a caesar, for example Caesar Augustus. His birthday was hailed as good news, as ‘euangelion’. In the caesar’s cult, a caesar was hailed as the son of god, so when Caesar Augustus was born, it signalled a beginning or good news to the whole world. It is interesting that Mark writes it is the beginning of ‘the’ gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not ‘a’ gospel. It is not a beginning of a gospel among many, but it is the beginning of ‘the’ gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course in the world we can hear a lot of good news. In our context today, we do not celebrate the birth of a new chancellor or president, but we can create our own good news. What is your good news? To have summa cum laude in your studies, to get promoted in your work, to get your first property, to get married, to get a child? That’s good news in the world. Again, the beginning of the gospel of Mark talks about ‘the’ good news, namely the good news of Jesus Christ. All other good news pale in comparison with the good news of Jesus Christ. There is no other good news that is as glorious as this good news. This is the in-breaking of God’s saving act in the world. True peace, true good news, release from war and oppression, will be given in Jesus Christ.

Let us read some verses from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 52:7 says,

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Also Isaiah 61:1-3,

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

True righteousness, peace, liberation from oppression - God has announced that from God’s side, the work of salvation has been completed in Jesus Christ. From your and my side, we are required to repent and believe in Jesus. There is an invitation to believe and live a life driven by the person of Jesus Christ Himself. The gospel is not bad news. It is good news, and in fact it is the best news. Sometimes christianity is heavily misunderstood as a culture. For example, in Germany, there is a term ‘Kultur Protestantismus’. Of course christianity has a cultural aspect, for example the beautiful music we sing. However, reducing christianity to a mere culture is a total misunderstanding of christianity. Christianity is about a person we believe. It is about Jesus Christ. It is about the revelation of God Himself in Jesus Christ so that we may know God. The name ‘Jesus’ is from the old Hebrew word ‘Jeshua’ or in English, ‘Joshua’, which means ‘God is my salvation’. Christianity is about true salvation in Jesus Christ, and this is the beginning of the gospel of Mark.

The announcement is not without risk and danger because in that time of caesar’s cult, where everybody worshiped the caesar, there was then a group of people who confessed differently that the true good news is not Caesar Augustus. The caesar is not the gospel - it is a false gospel. The true good news is to be found in Jesus Christ, and in Jesus Christ alone. He is the true Son of God, and not caesar, who is a fake son of God. And Jesus will liberate us from the power of sin. I hope this is also good news for you and for me, not only for today but for our whole life. There is not one person who regrets the decision to receive Jesus Christ in his or her heart. May we be blessed with the invitation of this holy gospel. For our fellow church members, I hope we can do more after these 26 years. Let us announce, proclaim, share the true treasure of the church, as Martin Luther put it in the famous 95 theses, ‘the true treasure of the church is the holy gospel of Jesus Christ.’.