The Gospel's Rough Start Text: Mark 1:1-8
Introduction: No Time for Small Talk
The Gospel of Mark is a gospel in a hurry. There is no gentle introduction, no manger scene, no stories of the boy Jesus in the temple. Mark kicks the door in. He grabs you by the collar and gets right to the point. The first word, arche, is the same first word of Genesis. This is a new beginning, a new creation, and there is no time to waste. The King has arrived, and an announcement must be made.
Our modern sensibilities are often offended by this kind of abruptness. We prefer our religion to be polished, marketed, and user friendly. We want to ease people into the gospel, to make it palatable and inoffensive. But the gospel is not a product to be sold; it is a declaration of cosmic warfare. It is the announcement that the rightful King has landed in occupied territory to take back what is His. And the announcement of this invasion does not begin in a palace or a cathedral. It begins in the desert, on the lips of a wild man who eats bugs for lunch. This is not a seeker sensitive approach. This is a divine confrontation.
If we want to understand the nature of the good news, we must understand the nature of its beginning. The gospel is not an idea that humanity cooked up. It is a fulfillment of ancient prophecy. It is not a call to self improvement. It is a summons to radical repentance. And it is not ultimately about the messenger. It is about the one, infinitely greater, to whom the messenger points. This is the pattern for all true Christian faith and all faithful Christian ministry. It starts in the wilderness of our own sin, it demands we turn around, and it points us to the only one who can save.
The Text
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’ ”
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
And all the region of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
And John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and was eating locusts and wild honey.
And he was preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals.
I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
(Mark 1:1-8 LSB)
The Unvarnished Declaration (v. 1)
Mark begins with a title, not a preamble. This is the thesis statement for the entire book.
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1)
Every word here is packed with theological dynamite. This is the "gospel," the euangelion. This was a political term in the Roman world. It was the "good news" of a military victory or the birth of a new Caesar. Mark hijacks the language of the empire to declare that the true good news, the true victory, and the true King have arrived. This is a direct challenge to the claims of Rome.
And who is this king? He is Jesus, which means "Yahweh saves." This is His earthly, human name. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one. This is His royal title. He is the long awaited king from the line of David. But His authority transcends any earthly throne, because He is also the "Son of God." This is His divine identity. In a world where Caesar was called "son of god," Mark's opening line is an act of treason against the secular order. He is stating, from the outset, that this story is about God Himself entering human history as the rightful ruler of all things.
The Ancient Blueprint (vv. 2-3)
The gospel does not drop out of a clear blue sky. It is the culmination of a plan God put in motion centuries before.
"As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’'" (Mark 1:2-3 LSB)
Mark stitches together quotes from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. He is showing us that the New Testament is not a new religion; it is the fulfillment of the Old. John the Baptist did not just show up. He was sent, according to the script. The authority of the gospel is anchored in the prior authority of God's written Word.
The imagery is that of preparing a road for a visiting king. In the ancient world, when a monarch was to travel, a herald would go before him, and work crews would smooth the road, leveling hills and filling in valleys. John's job is to do this spiritually. He is the road crew for King Jesus. The mountains of human pride must be brought low. The valleys of despair and spiritual apathy must be filled in. The crooked paths of our sin must be made straight. The preparation for meeting Jesus is always repentance. You cannot welcome a king into a city that is in active rebellion against him. The heart must be prepared.
And where does this preparation happen? In the wilderness. The wilderness in Scripture is a place of testing, judgment, and new beginnings. Israel was tested in the wilderness. The law was given in the wilderness. The gospel call comes not from the corrupt religious center in Jerusalem, but from the margins. God often works from the outside in.
The Offensive Summons (vv. 4-5)
John's ministry is summarized in his central action and message.
"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the region of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins." (Mark 1:4-5 LSB)
We have to understand how utterly scandalous John's baptism was. In that day, baptism was for Gentiles who wanted to convert to Judaism. It was a cleansing ritual for unclean outsiders. By demanding that Jews, the covenant people, the children of Abraham, submit to his baptism, John was making a shocking statement. He was telling them that their ethnicity, their religious heritage, and their temple rituals were not enough. He was telling them that they were spiritually unclean, no better than pagans, and that they needed to convert back to their own God.
This baptism was tied to "repentance," which means a fundamental change of mind that results in a change of life. And it was "for the forgiveness of sins." John's baptism didn't grant forgiveness, but it was the sign of a repentant heart that was ready to receive the forgiveness the coming Messiah would provide. The response was overwhelming. A massive revival broke out. People streamed from the cities to the desert, drawn by the raw authenticity of John's message. And they came "confessing their sins." True repentance is not vague. It is specific. It acknowledges the dirt before asking to be washed.
The Prophetic Uniform (v. 6)
John's appearance was not an accident. It was a message in itself.
"And John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and was eating locusts and wild honey." (Mark 1:6 LSB)
This is the exact description of the prophet Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8. John is intentionally dressing the part. The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, had promised that God would send Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5). John's wardrobe is a living, breathing claim that he is that promised forerunner. He is the fulfillment of prophecy.
His diet of locusts and wild honey reinforces his identity as a man of the wilderness. He is not part of the corrupt, compromised system of Jerusalem. He is sustained by God's simple provision, separate from the world he is calling to repentance. He is rugged, austere, and utterly uncompromising. He is the opposite of the soft, effeminate religious leaders of his day, and of ours.
The Great Deflection (vv. 7-8)
The climax of John's message is not about himself, but about the one he serves.
"And he was preaching, saying, 'After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'" (Mark 1:7-8 LSB)
This is the heart of all true ministry. John was a spiritual powerhouse, but his entire purpose was to point away from himself. He engages in what we could call radical self-deprecation. To untie someone's sandals was the job of the lowest household slave. John says he is not worthy even of that menial task when it comes to Jesus. This is the necessary humility of every true servant of the gospel. We must decrease so that He can increase.
And here John draws the fundamental distinction. "I baptized you with water." This is the external sign, the symbol. It is important, but it is preparatory. "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." This is the reality. Jesus will not just get you wet on the outside. He will immerse you, submerge you, drench you in the very life and power of God Himself. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance, looking forward to the King. Christ's baptism is a baptism of power, uniting us to the triumphant King. This is the promise of the New Covenant. This is the fire of Pentecost. This is the power that turns fishermen into apostles and cowards into martyrs.
Conclusion: The Unchanging Pattern
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ sets the pattern for how that gospel always advances. It does not come to flatter us, but to confront us. It demands that we leave the comfort of our self-righteousness, our modern day Jerusalems, and go out into the wilderness of honest self-examination.
It demands that we confess our sins and turn from them. It requires us to listen to the prophetic voices that God sends, even if they look strange and their diet is peculiar. And most importantly, it demands that we look past the messenger to the Master.
The central question the gospel asks is this: have you moved beyond the baptism of water to the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Have you moved from an external religion of ritual and duty to an internal reality of divine power and life? John the Baptist prepared the way. But Jesus Christ is the Way. John pointed to the fire. But Jesus is the one who baptizes with it. And that is the beginning, and the middle, and the end of the good news.