“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 before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
—Mark 1:1-4 ESV
According to Mark (via Simon Peter, tradition says) the gospel “began” with John the Baptist.
J.Vernon McGee wrote there are three “beginnings” in the Scripture. Listed chronologically I think it helps us see the validity of the everlasting gospel:
• In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1)
• In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1)
• The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1)
The gospel was in Christ before the foundation of the world.
The importance of the gospel was such that its fundamental tenet—faith—was given in the Genesis to Abraham.
“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.”
—Galatians 3:8 ASV
This verse is a promise of Christ and helps in understanding how Abraham rejoiced in seeing Jesus’ day (see John 8:56). Hence, the gospel was promised even before the law existed.
Now, as Mark articulates, the gospel “begins” with the last (and greatest) Old Testament prophet, John the Baptist. His ministry was the dividing point:
“The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it.”
—Luke 16:16 ASV
What was John’s message?
• National repentance
• Denunciation of religious leaders and their justification of a physical decent from Abraham
• The kingdom of heaven is near—”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2 ESV).
Jesus, then, responded to John’s call, was baptized, (John’s concern is so very real…what sins did Jesus have to confess in conjunction with His baptism?) and (from a casual view) Jesus then became involved in a renewal ministry similar to the Baptist’s.
“He began to gather disciples, and, accompanied by them, he went among the people, speaking of God and his righteousness, of sin and the necessity of repentance; both baptized the repentant and called for spiritual reformation as well as social responsibility.”
(Arthur Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom, pages 184, 185)
But something happened that moved Jesus’ ministry from its anticipatory proclamation to the kingdom’s genuine arrival.
What was it?
Jesus heard.
And when He heard, the gospel would arrive!
