Lectionary blogging: Mark 1: 1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   “Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight”
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

Literally from Greek:  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, son of God.  Just as it was written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I am sending my messenger to your face who will prepare your way, a sound crying out in the wilderness:  "Prepare the way of the Lord.  Make straight his paths."  John, the one baptizing, happened in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the rekease of sins."  And all of the region of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  And the John was clothed in camel hair, and leaven leather around his hip and eating locusts and wild honey.  And he proclaimed saying, 'The one mightier than me is coming after me.  I am surely not fit to stoop down and loose the strap of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you in a holy spirit.'"

The book of Mark--the entire book--is the "beginning."  This written story, from the beginning to its end, is the "gospel."  None of the other gospel writers identify their work as a "gospel."  Only Mark does this.  In the world of the first century, "gospel" was generally understood to be an oral proclamation.  In fact, before Jesus, the most common use of the word "gospel" was to announce Roman military victories:  "Good news!  Caesar is victorious in Gaul!" 

Mark's use of "gospel" is the first time that "gospel" was used as a title for a written composition.  Moreover, the content of this "gospel" is not sayings or philosophy, but rather the story of a person--the whole story from 1:1 to 16:8.  The entirety of this presentation is the "gospel."

That's why Mark ends as it does.  The women are at the tomb of the resurrected Jesus.  They are told to follow his brothers into Galilee, but the women were afraid and didn't tell anybody anything (16:8).  The book even ends with a preposition!  It ends so abruptly that some have supposed that the real ending was lost.  In the second century, at least two additional endings were added to try to make Mark come out better.

I think Mark knew exactly what he was doing and the ending he gave us is the ending he intended.  The book ends up in the air because this whole dramatic story is only the "beginning."  The rest of the Christian story is being written in the lives of those who "follow the way."  The written book is the prelude.  The on-going story is lived in the New Community.

It is, however, a prelude that Mark wants to be completely understood.  Though he introduces Jesus as "Christ, son of God," he will not allow this exalted identification to be spoken by a human being until chapter 15 when the centurion at the cross speaks of Jesus as "son of God" (15:39).  That title--the highest possible--is reserved until the complete story is told, as if to say that we cannot use it until we know precisely what it means.   

With that brief but potent introduction, Mark moves immediately to Isaiah the prophet as a means of introducing a major character, John the baptizer, and the concept of "the way."  As if to underline its importance, "the way" is mentioned twice.  The messenger will prepare our way which is an exhortation to prepare the Lord's way.

John the Baptist "happened" in the wilderness.  The word is egeneto, which means "came into existence."  He is presented as Elijah, he dressed like Elijah (2 Kgs 1: 8), and he agitated like Elijah.  Prophets--the true ones--generally were a pain-in-the-neck to the political powers.  Elijah had urged rebellion against the house of Ahab.  Like Elijah, John the Baptist was regarded a subversive threat by the Herodian government.

"All" of Judea and "all" of Jerusalem went out to John in the wilderness.  Right off the bat in Mark's gospel, we see a rejection of the Temple.  The people did not go to the Temple--the center of Judaism--which was right in their own city.  No, they went out to the wilderness to hear the agitator John.  The Temple had its own mechanisms for dealing with sin, but people preferred to go to John and his "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

John and Jesus were both alike and different.  They both were preachers, both had an association with the wilderness, both advocated repentance, both forgave sins, both died a violent death.  The differences, however, are more striking.  John was an ascetic, Jesus was not.  John observed meal rituals, Jesus did not.  John worked in Judea, Jesus mainly in Galilee.  People came to John, Jesus came to people.

As in all the gospels, John is presented as an important figure, but a subordinate one to Jesus.  The "one mightier" will follow John.  Where John baptizes with water, Jesus will baptize "in a holy spirit."  As we proceed through Mark's gospel, it will become clear that baptism "in a holy spirit" means confrontation with the political powers.