3. the prologuelogosdocs.s3.amazonaws.com/third-edition/004-mark/... ·...

Lesson&#3&

The&Prologue&(1:&1315)&

In#Lesson##2#we#examined#the#historical#and#cultural#context#from#which#the#Gospel&according&to&Mark&

emerged,#learning#that#it#was#an#extraordinarily#tumultuous#and#dangerous#:me.#

• The#Roman#Emperor#Nero#had#launched#the#first#stateBsponsored#persecu:on#against#the#Church#in#Rome#(A.D.#64B68);#

• #Nero#commiLed#suicide#in#A.D.#68,#followed#by#a#quick#succession#of#four#emperors,#three#of#whom#were#murdered#or#commiLed#suicide;#and##

• the#Great#Jewish#Revolt#blazed#across#Pales:ne#(A.D.#66B73),#resul:ng#in#the#destruc:on#of#the#Temple#in#Jerusalem#and#much#of#the#city,#along#with#the#death#of#1.2#million#Jews.#

We#learned#that#Mark#addressed#his#gospel#to#the#Chris:ans#in#Rome#during#this#:me#of#great#persecu:on,#and#that#his#gospel#is#a#drama:c#“call#to#ac:on.”#

We#learned#that#Mark#designed#his#gospel#as#a#2Bpart#structure#that#pivots#on#Peter’s#confession#of#faith,#and#that#a#Prologue#and#Epilogue#frames#the#2Bpart#structure.###

We#also#learned#that#Mark#employed#a#unique#prose#style#that#creates#an#intense#sense#of#urgency,#speeding#the#narra:ve#forward#at#a#blistering#pace#and#bringing#it#to#an#abrupt#halt#in#its#final#verse.#

In#Lesson##3#we#will#closely#examine#Mark’s#“Prologue,”#1:#1B15.#

In#these#first#15#verses#Mark#sets#the#narra:ve#pace,#creates#springB:ght#tension#and#begins#building#an#urgency#that#reaches#feverBpitch#by#the#gospel’s#end.##This#is#dazzling#technique,#bathing#Jesus#and#the#gospel#message#in#a#whiteBhot#light,#incandescent—and#dangerous.#

Few#things#are#more#important#to#a#story#than#how#it#begins!#

In#the#first#few#pages#of#a#story#the#author#sets#the#stage#for#what#will#follow:#

• he#introduces#the#major#characters;#

• he#lays#the#groundwork#for#their#rela:onships#with#one#another;#

• he#plants#seeds#of#conflict;#and#• he#creates#a#mood#that#will#shadow#the#rest#of#the#story.#

In#the#first#few#pages#the#author#also#establishes#his#own&rela:onship#with#those#who#par:cipate#in#the#story:#

• the#author###(the#person#who#actually#writes&the#story);#

• the#narrator###(the#person#who#tells&the#story);#• the#characters###(the#people#who#are#in&the#story);#and#• the#reader###(the#people#who#read&the#story).#

In#the#first#15#verses#of#Mark#the#narrator:#

• roots#his#story#in#history#and##########prophecy;#

• iden:fies#John#the#Bap:st#as#the##forerunner#of#the#Messiah;#and#

• he#establishes#Jesus#Christ#as#the##Son&of&God.#

This#is#cri:cal#informa:on#to#the#story,#and#the#narrator#provides#it#to#us#(his#readers),#but#he#withholds#it#from#the#main#characters:##as#the#story#opens#we#become#privy#to#informa:on#that#the#main#characters#will#have#to#discover.#

Providing#us#with#such#cri:cal#informa:on#while#withholding#it#from#the#main#characters#creates#a#tension#that#builds#throughout#the#Gospel&according&to&Mark.#

I#realize#that#all#of#this#is#“literary#stuff”—the#mechanics#of#how#a#story#is#told.##But#if#we’re#to#become#“educated#readers#of#Scripture”#it#is#important#to#understand#what#Mark#had#in#mind#when#he#wrote#his#gospel,#how#he#constructed#it#and#why#he#constructed#it#as#he#did.#

Only#then#can#we#truly##understand#Mark’s#gospel,#and#only#then#can#we#begin#to#probe#its#spiritual#meaning#and#its##applica:on#in#our#own#lives.#

Studying#Scripture#is#much#like#studying#music—or#any#other#art.##Anyone#can#appreciate#the#Gospel&according&to&Mark,#just#as#anyone#can#appreciate#Mozart’s#famous#String#Quartet##19#in#C#Major,#K.#465.###

But#knowing#that#Mozart’s#string#quartet#is#nicknamed#“Dissonance”;#that#it#was#composed#in#1785;#that#it#was#stylis:cally#modeled#aker#Joseph#Haydn’s#Opus#33#series;#and#that#it#is#the#last#in#a#set#of#6#string#quartets#dedicated#to#Haydn,#Mozart’s#friend#and#colleague,#deepens#our#understanding#of#what#we#hear.#

Further,#once#we#know#that#Mozart’s#string#quartet#was#composed#in#four#movements—as#are#most#of#his#later#quartets—we#understand#how#it#is#built:##its#architecture.#

Then,#knowing#that#the#1st#movement#opens#with#ominous#quiet#Cs#in#the#cello,#joined#successively#by#the#viola#(on#A�moving#to#G),#2nd#violin#(on#E�)#and#1st#violin#(on#A),#thus#crea:ng#the#“dissonance,”#which#finally#resolves#into#a#bright#C#major#of#the#1st#movement’s#Allegro#sec:on,#deepens#our#understanding—as#well#as#our#apprecia:on—of#what#we#hear.#

And#so#it#is#with#the#Gospel&according&to&Mark.#

So,&turn&with&me&to&&

Mark&1:&1315,&and&let’s&have&

a&look&at&this&extraordinary&

gospel!&

Kurt#Aland,#et#al.,#editors.##The&Greek&New&Testament,#4th#edi:on.##London:##United#Bible#Socie:es,#2001.#

I#have#translated#the#Greek#text#as#closely#as#possible#to#highlight#Mark’s#prose#style#and#rhetorical#devices,#capturing#as#best#I#can#the#effect&that#Mark’s#gospel#produces#on#his#readers.###

The#Gospel#According#to#Mark#The#Prologue,#1:#1B15#

Beginning#of#the#gospel#of#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God,#as#it#has#been#wriLen#in#Isaiah#the#prophet:#

&Look!&&I&send&my&messenger&before&your&face&who&will&prepare&your&way;&

& &a&voice&of&one&calling:&&“In&the&desert&prepare&the&way&of&the&Lord;&make&

&straight&paths&for&him.”#

John,#the#one#bap:zing#in#the#desert,#appeared#proclaiming#a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins,#and#the#en:re#Judean#countryside#and#all#the#people#of#Jerusalem#were#going#out#to#him,#and#they#were#being#bap:zed#by#him#in#the#Jordan#river#confessing#their#sins#and#John#was#clothed#with#camel’s#hair#and#had#a#leather#belt#around#his#waist#and#ate#locusts#and#wild#honey#and#he#spoke#out#saying:##“Aker#me#comes#one#who#is#migh:er#than#I,#the#thong#of#whose#sandals#I#am#not#worthy#of#stooping#down#to#loosen;#I#have#bap:zed#you#in#water,#but#he#will#bap:ze#you#in#the#Holy#Spirit.”#

The#Prologue,#cont.#

And#it#came#to#pass#in#those#days#that#Jesus#came#from#Nazareth#in#Galilee#and#was#bap:zed#in#the#Jordan#by#John,#and#immediately#coming#up#out#of#the#water#he#saw#the#heavens#being#torn#apart#and#the#Spirit#like#a#dove#descending#into#him,#and#there#was#a#voice#out#of#the#heavens:##“You#are#my#Son,#the#Beloved;#in#you#I#am#wellBpleased.”#And#immediately#the#Spirit#drives#him#out#into#the#desert,#and#he#was#in#the#desert#forty#days#being#tempted#by#Satan,#and#he#was#with#the#wild#beasts,#and#the#angels#were#ministering#to#him.##Aker#John#had#been#arrested#Jesus#came#into#Galilee#proclaiming#the#gospel#of#God#and#saying:##“The#appointed#:me#has#been#fulfilled,#and#the#kingdom#of#God#is#fast#approaching;#repent#and#believe#in#the#gospel.”##

“Beginning&of&the#gospel#of#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God#.#.#.”#

The#Greek#text#is:#

=Arch; touæ eujaggelivou =Ihsouæ Cristouæ ui∆ouæ qeouæ . . .

The#first#word#“Arche”#=#“Beginning#”#(as#in#“archeology,”#the#study#of#beginnings),#and#it#lacks#the#definite#ar:cle#one#would#expect:##“The&beginning#.#.#.”###

This#is#very#deliberate,#although#most#transla:ons#wrongly#supply#“The”:##in#Greek#grammar#this#lack#of#an#expected#definite#ar:cle#is#called#an#“anarthrous”#construc:on,#and#it#emphasizes#the#quality#or#character#of#the#noun#that#follows.#

When#Mark#omits#the#expected#“The,”#and#begins#his#gospel#gramma:cally#with#an#anarthrous#construc:on,#it#is#a#proclamaSon,#a#sudden#trumpet#blast#on#a#quiet#akernoon:#

“Beginning&of#the#gospel#of#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God!”#

As#readers#we#know#precisely&who#Jesus#is#at#the#outset#of#our#story,#for#we#are#told#in#the#gospel’s#opening#seven#words#that#he#is#the#“Son#of#God,”#and#by#telling#us#in#the#form#of#a#proclama:on,#there#is#no#room#for#doubt.###

Consider#the#effect&on#Mark’s#persecuted#audience#in#Rome#in#the#2nd#half#of#the#1st#century#.#.#.#

• Nero#may#be#the#Emperor#of#the#Roman#Empire,#but#Christ#is#the#Son&of&God.#• Rome’s#Chris:ans#may#seem#puny#and#helpless#in#the#face#of#the#greatest#empire#on#the#face#of#the#earth,#but#Rome#is#aLacking#heaven#itself,#and#Nero#is#aLacking#God.#• In#the#Gospel&according&to&Mark,#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God,#enters#history#drama:cally#as#King#of#kings#and#Lord#of#lords,#and#Nero#is#no#match#for#him!#

For#Mark’s#audience—the#persecuted#Chris:ans#in#the#Church#at#Rome—this#is#good#news,#indeed.#

As#a#herald,#Mark#proclaims#God’s#entrance#into#history,#and#he#calls#it#the#“gospel”#of#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God.##“Gospel”#is#the#key#word#in#Mark’s#Prologue:##it#is#his#theme,#the#very#substance#and#message#of#his#narra:ve.##In#Mark,#the#word#“gospel”#embodies#the#enSre&Chris:an#message—the&person,&

works&and&words&of&Jesus&Christ.#

So#important#is#the#“gospel”#in#Mark#that#it#frames#his#en:re#Prologue,#and#it#provides#the#launching#pad#for#the#story#proper:##“Beginning&of&the&gospel&of&Jesus&Christ,&Son&of&God&.&.&.&repent&and&believe&

in&the&gospel”&(1:#1,#15).#


Beginning#of#the#gospel#of#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God,#as#it#has#been#wriLen#in#Isaiah#the#prophet:#

&Look!&&I&send&my&messenger&before&your&face&who&will&

&prepare&your&way;&a&voice&of&one&calling:&&“In&the&desert&

&prepare&the&way&of&the&Lord;&make&straight&paths&for&

&him.”&

Not&only&has&Jesus&Christ,&the&Son&of&God,&entered&dramaScally&onto&the&

stage&of&history,&but&Isaiah&the&prophet&had&foretold&the&event&700&years&

earlier,&validaSng&Mark’s&claim!&

It#is#this#“gospel,”#which#is#rooted#back#in#the#Old#Testament#and#that#bursts#forth#in#the#New,#that#so#frightens#the#characters#who#people#Mark’s#story.##

The#intrusion#of#the#gospel#into#daily#life#shocks#and#disorients#those#it#touches:##they#draw#back,#frozen#with#fear,#bewildered.##Like#a#vector#shot#from#eternity#into#history,#the#gospel#intersects#reality#at#precisely&Mark’s#moment#in#:me.#


“John,#the#one#bap:zing#in#the#desert,#appeared#proclaiming#a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins,#and#the#en:re#Judean#countryside#and#all#the#people#of#Jerusalem#were#going#out#to#him,#and#they#were#being#bap:zed#by#him#in#the#Jordan#river#confessing#their#sins#and#John#was#clothed#with#camel’s#hair#and#had#a#leather#belt#around#his#waist#and#ate#locusts#and#wild#honey#and#he#spoke#out#saying:##“Aker#me#comes#one#who#is#migh:er#than#I,#the#thong#of#whose#sandals#I#am#not#worthy#of#stooping#down#to#loosen;#I#have#bap:zed#you#in#water,#but#he#will#bap:ze#you#in#the#Holy#Spirit.”#

A#desert#landscape#sets#the#opening#scene.##The#first#half#of#the#prologue#moves#the#story’s#ac:on#from#the#desert#to#the#fringes#of#civiliza:on.##We#hear#“a&voice&of&one&calling:&&‘In&the&

desert&prepare&the&way&of&the&

Lord&.&.&.,#and#John#appears#from#deep#within#the#desert,#clad#as#the#prophet#Elijah,#and#bap:zing#“the&whole&Judean&countryside&

and&all&the&people&of&Jerusalem”&

in#the#Jordan#River.##Juan&de&Juanes.&&St.&John&the&BapSst&(oil&on&

canvas),&c.&1560.&&Joan&J.&Gavara&CollecSon,&

Valencia,&Spain.&

The#second#half#of#the#Prologue#then#moves#the#story#back#from#the#edge#of#civiliza:on#to#the#desert:##Jesus#is#bap:zed#in#the#Jordan#River#and#he#is#immediately#driven#deep#into#the#desert#“with#the#wild#beasts,”#where#he#confronts#Satan—and&

defeats&him.#

As#Israel#passes#through#the#Red#Sea#in#Exodus#and#faces#conflict#in#the#desert#for#forty#years#before#entering#the#Promised#Land,#so#does#Jesus#reverse#the#movement#in#Mark,#leaving#the#Promised#Land#and#passing#through#the#Jordan#River#to#face#conflict#in#the#desert#for#forty#days.##


“John,&the&one&bapSzing&in&the&desert,&appeared&proclaiming&a&bapSsm&

of&repentance&toward&the&forgiveness&of&sins,&and&the&enSre&Judean&

countryside&and&all&the&people&of&Jerusalem&were&going&out&to&him&.&.&.&&

As#we#begin#verse#4,#John#the#Bap:st#enters#the#story#as#abruptly#as#our#narrator#begins#it.##In#the#original#Greek,#the#verse#starts#with#a#strong#verb,#“appeared.”##In#Mark#we#know#nothing#of#John’s#history:##he#simply#walks#out#of#the#Old#Testament#and#appears#on#the#pages#of#the#New,#proclaiming#“a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins.”##Placing#a#strong#verb#at#the#head#of#the#sentence#intensifies#the#ac:on#and#the#suddenness#of#John’s#appearance.##A#literal#transla:on#would#render#the#verse:##“Appeared#John,#the#one#bap:zing#in#the#desert#.#.#..”#

John’s#mission#is#dis:nct#and#wellBdefined:##he#prepares#“the#way#of#the#Lord”#making#“straight#paths#for#him,”#and#he#does#so#by#“proclaiming&a&bapSsm&of&repentance&

toward&the&forgiveness&of&sins.”&&&

The#phrase#is#rich#in#meaning.##“Bap:sm”#is#an#act#signifying#“repentance,”#or#metanoia,#a#deliberate#turning#away#from#sin#and#toward#God.##It#is#not#a#casual#move#but#a#deliberate#one,#accompanied#by#a#cleansing#with#water.#First&one#repents;#then&one#is#bap:zed.##Together,#bap:sm#and#repentance#point#toward#the#“forgiveness#of#sins.”##

In#Mark,#repentance#and#bap:sm#precede#“the#forgiveness#of#sins”#and#point#toward⁢#they#do#not#accompany#it#or#cause#it.##


“John,#the#one#bap:zing#in#the#desert,#appeared#proclaiming#a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins,#and#the#en:re#Judean#countryside#and#all#the#people#of#Jerusalem#were#going#out#to#him,#and#they#were#being#bap:zed#by#him#in#the#Jordan#river#confessing#their#sins#.#.#.##

John’s#message#at#the#Jordan#is#so#compelling#that#“the&enSre&Judean&countryside&and&all&the&people&of&Jerusalem&were&going&out&to&him.”&&

Again,#the#verb#sits#at#the#head#of#the#verse#in#the#Greek,#stressing#acSon:##a#literal#transla:on#reads,#“and&were&going&out&to&him#the#en:re#Judean#countryside#.#.#..”##The#imperfect#tense#(“were#going#out”)#stresses#the#con:nuous#stream#of#people#flowing#out#to#hear#John.##“The&enSre&Judean&countryside&and&all&the&people&of&Jerusalem”#is#striking#in#its#sheer#boldness.##John’s#preaching#does#not#draw#a#curious#few,#but#thousands#flock#to#him.##


“John,#the#one#bap:zing#in#the#desert,#appeared#proclaiming#a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins,#and#the#en:re#Judean#countryside#and#all#the#people#of#Jerusalem#were#going#out#to#him,#and#they#were#being#bap:zed#by#him#in#the#Jordan#river#confessing#their#sins#and#John#was#clothed#with#camel’s#hair#and#had#a#leather#belt#around#his#waist#and#ate#locusts#and#wild#honey#.#.#.##

Dressed#in#camel’s#hair#with#a#leather#belt#around#his#waist#and#ea:ng#locusts#and#wild#honey,#John#presents#a#striking#prophe:c#figure,#vividly#recalling#Elijah#in#2#Kings#1:#5B8:###

&“The&king&[Ahaziah]&asked&them&[the&messengers],&‘What&kind&of&

&man&was&it&who&came&to&meet&you&and&told&you&this?’&&They&replied,&

&‘He&was&a&man&with&a&garment&of&hair&and&with&a&leather&belt&

&around&his&waist.’&&The&king&said,&‘That&was&Elijah&the&Tishbite.’”#


and#John#was#clothed#with#camel’s#hair#and#had#a#leather#belt#around#his#waist#and#ate#locusts#and#wild#honey#and#he#spoke#out#saying:##“Aker#me#comes#one#who#is#migh:er#than#I,#the#thong#of#whose#sandals#I#am#not#worthy#of#stooping#down#to#loosen;#I#have#bap:zed#you#in#water,#but#he#will#bap:ze#you#in#the#Holy#Spirit.”#

When#John#says,#“Ader&me&comes&one&who&is&mighSer&than&I&.&.&..&&I&have&

bapSzed&you&in&water,&but&he&will&bapSze&you&in&the&Holy&Spirit,”&he#supports#the#sequence#of#his#“bap:sm#of#repentance”#preceding#Jesus’#“forgiveness#of#sins.”#John’s#bap:sm#in#water#precedes#Jesus’#bap:sm#in#the#Holy#Spirit;#it#prepares#the#way,#and#it#ushers#on#stage#Jesus#Christ,#the#Son&of&God.#

Verse#nine#then#moves#us#into#the#second#half#of#the#prologue.#John#and#Jesus#move#from#opposite#direc:ons#and#meet#in#the#Jordan#River.##

In#the#waters#of#bap:sm#the#messenger#meets#the#Lord.##The#scene#is#striking:#

.&.&.&and&immediately&coming&up&out&of&

the&water&he&saw&the&heavens&being&

torn&apart&and&the&Spirit&like&a&dove&

descending&into&him&and&there&was&a&

voice&out&of&the&heavens:&&“You&are&my&

Son,&the&Beloved;&in&you&I&am&well3

pleased.”#

Piero#della#Francesca.#The&BapSsm&of&Christ&

(egg#on#poplar),#c.#1450.##Na:onal#Gallery,#London.#

Picture#a#horizontal#plane:##all#human#history#leads#into&this#moment,#to#the#coming#of#the##Messiah;#all#future#history#flows#out&of&this#moment,#a#:me#of#redemp:on#for#all#people#on#earth.##On#the#ver:cal#plane,#Jesus#comes#up#out#of#the#water,#and#the#Spirit#goes#down#out#of#the#heavens.##As#the#horizontal#and#ver:cal#intersect,#God#announces,#“You&are&my&Son,&the&Beloved;&in&

you&I&am&well3pleased.”&&

This#is#a#dazzling#moment!#

C.S.#Mann#remarks#that#when#God#declares:##“You&are&my&Son,&the&

Beloved;&in&you&I&am&well3pleased”#its#importance#“can#hardly#be#exaggerated.”#

As#readers#we#have#now#been#told#of#Jesus’#iden:ty#twice&in#eleven#verses:##once#by#the#narrator#and#once#by#God.##

Jesus,#having#been#acknowledged#and#his#authority#proclaimed,#the#Spirit#then#drives&Jesus#into#the#desert#where#he#engages#Satan,#is#with#the#wild#beasts,#and#the#angels#minister#to#him.###

The#Greek#word#translated#“drives”#is#ejkbavllei#(“ekballei”),#a#compound#of#the#preposi:on#ek#(“out#of”)#and#the#verb#ballo&(“to#throw”).##It#is#a#very&aggressive&word,#unlike#MaLhew#and#Luke’s#more#passive#“was#led.”#


“You#are#my#Son,#the#Beloved;#in#you#I#am#wellBpleased.”#And#immediately#the#Spirit#drives#him#out#into#the#desert,#and#he#was#in#the#desert#forty#days#being#tempted#by#Satan,#and#he#was#with#the#wild#beasts,#and#the#angels#were#ministering#to#him.”#

No:ce#that#in#verse#thirteen#we#have#a#sequence#of#three&events,#just#as#we#have#in#the#bap:sm,#anoin:ng#and#proclama:on#of#verses#nine#through#eleven.##The#symmetry#of#the#two#events,#linked#together#as#they#are#with#“and#immediately”#in#verse#twelve,#suggests#an#in:mate#connec:on#between#the#two.##

# ##

Indeed,#we#may#visualize#the#events#as#a#:ghtly#kniLed#chias:c#unit:#

A #John#bap:zes#Jesus#in#the#Jordan#(v.#9)##B #The#Spirit#descends#into#him#(v.#10)## #C #God#proclaims#Jesus#as#Son#(v.#11)## # #D #And&immediately#the#Spirit# # ## # # #drives#him#into#the#desert#(v.#12)## #C’ #Satan#tempts#Jesus#(v.#13a)##B’ #The#wild#beasts#are#with#him#(v.#13b)#

A’ #Angels#minister#to#Jesus#in#the#desert#(v.#13c)#

The#three#events#of#verses#nine#through#eleven#are#mirrored#by#their#opposites#in#verse#thirteen.#The#whole#structure#turns#on#verse#twelve,#moving#Jesus#from#commission&to#acSon.##

The#tempta:on#scene#in#Mark#is#lean,#lacking#the#details#given#in#MaLhew#and#Luke.##Nevertheless,#it#presents#a#powerful#picture.#In#a#very#real#sense,#Mark#portrays#Jesus’#tempta:on#as#the&opening&salvo&in&a&war.##The#scene#is#set#in#the#desert#with#the#wild#beasts,#and#it#is#fraught#with#danger.#&


.#.#.#and#the#angels#were#ministering#to#him.##Aker#John#had#been#arrested#Jesus#came#into#Galilee#proclaiming#the#gospel#of#God#and#saying:##“The#appointed#:me#has#been#fulfilled,#and#the#kingdom#of#God#is#fast#approaching;#repent#and#believe#in#the#gospel.”#"

When#we#reach#verses#fourteen#and#fikeen,#Jesus#moves#back#into#Galilee,#“Proclaiming&the&gospel&of&God&and&saying:&&‘the&appointed&

Sme&has&been&fulfilled&and&the&kingdom&of&God&is&fast&approaching:&&

repent&and&believe&in&the&gospel.’”&&Our#narrator#prefaces#Jesus’#movement#by#no:ng#that#“John#had#been#arrested#.#.#..”—a#clear#foreshadowing#that#the#ensuing#life#and#death#eschatological#conflict#will#not#be#without#heavy#casual:es.#

# ##

Jesus’#message#picks#up#where#John’s#lek#off.##John#came#in#from#the#desert#“proclaiming#a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins”;#Jesus#comes#in#from#the#desert#“proclaiming#the#gospel#of#God.”##There#is#a#sharp#dis:nc:on#between#the#two:##John’s#proclama:on#lays#the#groundwork#for#Jesus’#proclama:on.#

“The#gospel#of#God”#is#the#gospel#that#proceeds#from#God;#Jesus#is#the#messenger#who#both#announces#the#gospel#and#who#embodies#it.###

In#the#first#fikeen#verses#of#his#gospel—what#I#have#called#the#“Prologue”—Mark’s#narrator#accomplishes#three#things:#

1. #he#drama:cally#proclaims#the##beginning#of#a#new&era&in##history;#

2.   he#creates#dramaSc&tension&by#providing#us#with#important#informa:on#that#the#rest#of#the#characters#in#the#story#lack;#and##

3.   #he#presents#a#dangerous&terrain,#and#we#move#through#it#at#breakBneck#speed.##

# ##

To#produce#the#speed#and#the#drama:c#forward#movement,#Mark#employs#an#unusual#set#of#stylis:c#devices,#not#only#in#his#Prologue,#but#throughout#his#gospel:#

• The#repe::ve#use#of#the#connec:ve#“and”;#(of#the#11,022#words#in#Mark,#1,084#are#“and”)#

• The#repe::ve#use#of#“immediately”;##(Mark#uses#it#41#:mes,#oken#in#combina:on,#“and&Immediately”;#MaLhew#uses#“Immediately”#only#5#:mes;#and#Luke#only#once);#and#

• The#use#of#the#“historical&present”#tense#(suddenly#shiking#a#past#event#to#the#gramma:cally#present#tense,#intensifying#the#sense#of#urgency).#


Beginning#of#the#gospel#[inclusio#with#v.#15]#of#Jesus#Christ,#Son#of#God,#as#it#has#been#wriLen#in#Isaiah#the#prophet:#

&Look!&&I&send&my&messenger&before&your&face&who&will&prepare&your&way;&

& &a&voice&of&one&calling:&&“In&the&desert&prepare&the&way&of&the&Lord;&make&

&straight&paths&for&him.”#

John,#the#one#bap:zing#in#the#desert,#appeared#proclaiming#a#bap:sm#of#repentance#toward#the#forgiveness#of#sins,#and#the#en:re#Judean#countryside#and#all#the#people#of#Jerusalem#were#going#out#to#him,#and#they#were#being#bap:zed#by#him#in#the#Jordan#river#confessing#their#sins#and#John#was#clothed#with#camel’s#hair#and#had#a#leather#belt#around#his#waist#and#ate#locusts#and#wild#honey#and#he#spoke#out#saying:##“Aker#me#comes#one#who#is#migh:er#than#I,#the#thong#of#whose#sandals#I#am#not#worthy#of#stooping#down#to#loosen;#I#have#bap:zed#you#in#water,#but#he#will#bap:ze#you#in#the#Holy#Spirit.”#

The#Prologue,#cont.#

And#it#came#to#pass#in#those#days#that#Jesus#came#from#Nazareth#in#Galilee#and#was#bap:zed#in#the#Jordan#by#John,#and#immediately#coming#up#out#of#the#water#he#saw#the#heavens#being#torn#apart#and#the#Spirit#like#a#dove#descending#into#him,#and#there#was#a#voice#out#of#the#heavens:##“You#are#my#Son,#the#Beloved;#in#you#I#am#wellBpleased.”#And#immediately#the#Spirit#drives#him#[historical#present]#out#into#the#desert,#and#he#was#in#the#desert#forty#days#being#tempted#by#Satan,#and#he#was#with#the#wild#beasts,#and#the#angels#were#ministering#to#him.##Aker#John#had#been#arrested#Jesus#came#into#Galilee#proclaiming#the#gospel#of#God#and#saying:##“The#appointed#:me#has#been#fulfilled,#and#the#kingdom#of#God#is#fast#approaching;#repent#and#believe#in#the#gospel#[inclusio#with#v.#1].”##

So,#what#does#all#this#mean#to#Mark’s#audience,#the#Chris:ans#in#Rome#at#the#:me#Mark#writes#his#gospel?&

There#is#a#price#to#be#paid#for#the#Kingdom#of#God—and#the#:me#to#pay#it#is#NOW.#

I#know#you’re#afraid,#but#the#:me#has#come#to#stand#up#and#be#counted,#no#maLer#the#cost,#for#this#is#war&and#Christ#will&be&victorious!"

1.   Why#is#it#important#to#examine#so#minutely#Mark’s#opening#15#verses,#the#Prologue?###

2.   What#does#Mark#accomplish#by#telling#his#readers#who#Jesus#is,#while#withholding#that#informa:on#from#his#characters?#

3.   What#stylis:c#devices#does#Mark#use#to#create#a#sense#of#speed#and#urgency#in#his#gospel?#

4.   What#insight#do#we#gain#by#learning#that#Mark#addresses#his#gospel#to#the#Chris:ans#in#Rome#who#are#being#systema:cally#persecuted#under#Nero?#

5.   How#might#we#apply#what#we#have#learned#about#Mark’s#Prologue#to#our#rela:onship#with#Christ#today?#

Copyright#©#2014#by#William#C.#Creasy#

# All# rights# reserved.# No# part# of# this# course—audio,# video,#photography,# maps,# :melines# or# other# media—may# be#reproduced#or#transmiLed#in#any#form#by#any#means,#electronic#or# mechanical,# including# photocopying,# recording# or# by# any#informa:on# storage# or# retrieval# devices# without# permission# in#wri:ng#or#a#licensing#agreement#from#the#copyright#holder.#

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