"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark:1:1)

The Son of God

Right away, with his first words, Mark shows us his hand concerning Jesus. He tells us what he thinks of Christ. He is the Son of God. All through the book of Mark, this title for Jesus will be an important theme. In Mark, the disciples never quite recognize this about Jesus. Demons will (Mark 3:11, 5:7). A Roman centurion seems to (Mark 15:39). But it won't be until after the resurrection that the disciples uncover Jesus' true identity. Mark, though, gives us the scoop and launches right into it: Jesus is the Son of God (1).

New Beginning

Does the start of this book make you think of the beginning of the Bible, Genesis 1:1?

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1, ESV).

Here, Mark speaks of a different beginning, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1). At the beginning of time, God created.

But Jesus brought the possibility of a new creation through his life and death, and Mark wanted to get right into it. He did not elaborate on Jesus' or even John's birth and childhood. Instead, he jumped right into the message about Jesus. And he did this because the message of Christ is good news that Mark could not wait to share.

Mark calls this a gospel (1). Gospel means good news. In those days, it was a word used to announce reports of victory from the battlefield or other forms of good news. In that era, they even used it to announce the good news of Caesar Augustus' birthday. But Jesus brought the good news of a new beginning in him (1).

If you've ever played Monopoly, you know how each roll of the dice leads to good news or bad news. You land on someone's property -- bad news. You pass Go and collect $200 -- good news. And sometimes you land on Chance or Community Chest -- it could be good news, it could be bad news.

But the gospel of Jesus Christ isn't just another in a long line of pretty good things to have happened. When Jesus comes into your life, he forgives you, accepts you, and puts you into his spiritual family. And the results are tremendous. It is the best thing. The supreme thing. The ultimate news! When you embrace it, good flows!

Benefits of the Gospel

First, embracing the gospel message helps a person deal with the negative effects of sin. That which they've committed, but also that which has been committed against them. Forgiveness flows, and Christ releases us from shame. He clears our guilt, awakens our conscience, and produces inward wholeness. Bad things we've done, things we've suppressed or ignored or learned to cohabitate with, are marked out by his blood. He slays the beast and makes way for us to overcome those sins.

"He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:12, NLT).

But a second benefit of embracing the gospel message comes from the acceptance that Jesus wins for you with God. And knowing God accepts you as his child has massive and positive benefits in your daily life. Rather than fight for the approval of others, you rest secure in the knowledge that God has chosen you, that he has made you his own. So many people are struggling for the esteem and favor of others, and this striving often requires compromising your values, playing a part someone else wants you to play, or living with the constant fear that you will be unfriended or disliked. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to place you firmly on the rock of God's love and grace and acceptance.

A third benefit of embracing the gospel message is the spiritual family God places us into. So many of us are searching for a loving community, a family of people we can share life with, and the gospel of Jesus Christ wins us such a group. When you trust Jesus, you are baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ, the family of God, the flock of Jesus. You become part of a new humanity generated by Christ's blood. You belong. You are not outside, but inside. You are in!

I pray, through our interaction with Jesus in the book of Mark, that the gospel of Jesus Christ will have its way in you, especially if you've yet to trust and believe in him. The war is over. He can make you new. He plans to make a new heaven and earth. In him, we have a new beginning.