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Jesus The Son of God - Mark 1
Jesus The Son of God - Mark 1
”The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1)
While there is no publishing date concerning Mark, it is an early document that shows Jesus was understood to be the Son of God from the beginning. Such is claimed right in the very first sentence.
Then, John the Baptist recognized Him as being greater than he and the one who would fulfill the prophecy of the coming Messiah. (1:7-8)
God the Father openly proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God. (1:11)
Satan challenges this, not by denying it but by asking Him to ‘prove it’. And HE DID. Here not by doing miracles but by being absolutely faithful to the Father and the whole plan of redemption. (1:12-13)
The apostles, having been with Jesus for some time, a fact that comes out as you compare the other gospels, are willing to leave everything, follow Him, and eventually to die for this claim. (1:16-20)
The demons not only obey Him, they proclaim: “we KNOW who you are, the Holy one of God” (1:24-27).
He demonstrates his power over the physical / material world, cleansing a leper. (1:40-44)
Mark throws in two ‘general’ statements concerning Jesus:
· ”And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was” (Mark 1:34).
· ”And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons” (Mark 1:39).
Whatever you may think about the statement that “Jesus was a good man, but…”, there was NO BUT added by the early Christians! There is a clear line drawn that separates people: there are those who are ‘for Him’ and there are those against Him. The challenge is not reading Mark’s message, but how do you respond to its claims? And this is just chapter 1, we still have 15 more chapters to work through! What will YOU do with Jesus?
Hugh DeLong
