The Beginning

I believe that the Gospel is huge ... much bigger than we realize. Sure, "saved by grace through faith apart from works" is huge. "Jesus died for my sins" is gigantic. "Everlasting life" is spectacular. But ... I think it's even bigger than that. So it's interesting to me that Mark begins his Synoptic Gospel with "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). It's easy to miss, but ... this, he says, is "the beginning of the gospel." To what is he referring?

Some think it refers to the fact that this is "the Gospel of Mark" and verse 1 is the beginning of that Gospel. I don't think so. Then, perhaps, he's referring to the next passage where he quotes Isaiah's prophecy (and Malachi - Mal 3:1) regarding John the Baptist (Mark 1:2-3; Isa 40:3). Maybe he's saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ begins in prophecy. Jesus was foretold as early as Genesis (Gen 3:14-15) and is carried throughout the Old Testament. Or maybe he's referring to the beginning of the story of the gospel in his readers' day with the introduction of John the Baptist (Mark 1:2-11). After 400 years of prophetic silence, John bursts onto the scene, beginning this new moment in time ... "the gospel." Jesus's ministry began in earnest after His baptism and testing in the wilderness. That beginning. I also think it's interesting to note that Mark's gospel is the first gospel to be written. As a disciple of Peter, Mark's gospel is based on Peter's recollections. So Mark's gospel itself is the beginning of all other gospels in that sense, and, in fact, Matthew and Luke at least certainly drew on Mark's gospel built on Peter's memories. So maybe that's the beginning he's also indicating ... "This gospel I'm writing is the first of them."

It doesn't really seem clear or even that vital. There is no deep theological doctrines or historical significance to the somewhat ambiguous claim that this is "the beginning of the gospel." It is significant, however, that the gospel does not begin with the birth of the Christ. Mark doesn't even include the story. No ... the gospel begins ... in Genesis, in prophecy, in all of history. Scripture says Jesus was "slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8), that Christ was "foreknown before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:19-20), that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4). Paul says we were given grace in Christ Jesus "before the ages began" (2 Tim 1:9). So what is certain is that this point in time when Mark was writing was not the beginning. It began before anything was made and was continuing right through Jesus's days and continues now. This gospel is much, much bigger than we realize. Now that is significant.