Think Wink.

In the previous post, I spoke about how Mark presents Jesus as Messiah, Meshiyach, through viewing Jesus as the King of the Jews. We saw that in the divine pronouncement in Mark 1:11 that the Father was alluding to Psalm 2:7 where the Son is the King who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Then Mark shows that Jesus’ gospel is the arrival of the kingdom of God/Heaven. Then the ensuing miracles that Jesus performs in his ministry demonstrate his sovereignty over the whole of creation. Mark shows quite effectively Jesus as King. The office of the king in the Old Testament is an office that one is mashach when he is declared to be king (1 Samuel 10:1-4). In this post, I want to see how Mark presents Jesus as ho Christos by showing him to be the Prophet.

First, as in the previous post, I first want to demonstrate that to be a prophet you are anointed. Look at Isaiah 61:1-2

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Isaiah here says that the Spirit of Yahweh has come upon the speaker, who does not seem to be Yahweh or Israel. But this speaker does have Yahweh’s Spirit. Notice the ground for having the Spirit, “because Yahweh has anointed (Hebrew:mashach; LXX: ἔχρισέν) me to bring good news (LXX: εὐαγγελίσασθαι) to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted…” The preacher has been anointed. This speaker is mashiyach as he is mashach by God. So if Mark can show that Jesus is this man, that he did what this preacher is to do, then he shows Jesus as Mashiyach and χριστός.

I could cheat and turn to Luke 4:16-21 where Jesus cites this text at the Synagogue in Nazareth as fulfilled in himself. But that isn’t showing how Mark demonstrates his claim in Mark 1:1 and Mark 8:29 that Jesus is χριστός. So how does Mark do this? Most poignantly he quotes Jesus as referring to himself as a prophet in Mark 6:4, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household” [Edited by Author].

Look at Mark 1:14-15 where Mark records Jesus’ first words in Kata Markan,

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God (κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ), and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ).”

First you will see that like this Isaiah 61:1 figure, Jesus preaches the good news. Mark comments in Mark 1:32-34 that Jesus healed many sick and demon oppressed. Like all the other Old Testament prophets, Jesus commands his hearers to repent and believe in the Word that he has spoken from God, namely the gospel. His preaching was authoritative and perceived as authoritative. In Mark 1:22 Mark comments, “he taught them as one who had authority (γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων).” Again in Mark 1:27 Mark comments, “A new teaching with authority (διδαχὴ καινὴ κατ’ ἐξουσίαν)!” Notice also that at Jesus baptism, the Spirit of God came upon Christ. Mark comments in Mark 1:10, “And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.”

Prophets also predict the future. We see in Mark 13 where Jesus predicts the fall of the Temple and Jerusalem at the hand of Titus and the Roman Legions. In Mark 8:31-32 Mark comments for us, “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly.” He predicted this death and resurrection again in Mark 9:31 and Mark 10:32-34. Jesus even predicts Peter’s denial and the fleeing away of the Twelve in Mark 14:26-30.

Mark indeed does present Jesus as the Prophet of Isaiah 61:1-2 who has been anointed by God. And this Prophet had a message, gospel, for his Galilean hearers: The Kingdom of God is near, repent and believe in the gospel. He commanded them to stop their sinful ways, return to God and trust in his rule. The nearness of the kingdom is what Mark declares to be the gospel. We must believe and trust in that kingdom. This kingdom is not a territorial kingdom, it is the rule and reign of God through his Christ, his Messiah. We must stop our sinful rebellion against the King and turn to him for he has good news for us. In his kingdom there is forgiveness for that rebellion, there is healing, there is freedom. Come and bow your knee before this omnipotent Christ. Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came…to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He came to serve you. He paid the price that your rebellion cost, he absorbed for you the wrath of Yahweh against your rebellion and gave you his perfect standing before the Father to be judged by. Come swear allegiance to this Christ who has chosen you and loved you and adopted you into the family of God. Come.

Related posts:

Testifying without Testifying Part 3 of 3

Mark’s King Jesus

Testifying without Testifying Part 1 of 3