The Beginning...

Mark 1:1 NKJV

The story of Christ's ministry is only the beginning of the "good news" (gospel means "good news"). That's hopeful! But Mark is probably only saying "This is how the gospel started". And that's good too....

Because it really is "Good"! There isn't too much around that is truly good so I'm ready to hear more.

And the goodness starts early as Mark explains just who he is writing about:

Jesus: from Yeshua (Joshua) means "Yah(weh) is salvation". And I thought God is supposed to be love. (1 John 4:8), but maybe they are the same thing?

I like the way the Tanakh translates salvation as victory or triumph eg 1Chronicles 16:23 is "Sing to the LORD, all the earth. proclaim His victory day after day." or Isaiah 12:3 "Joyfully shall you draw water From the fountains of triumph" Often it uses the"deliverance" too., all of them stronger than our English word "salvation. Does God rub on some salve and we are saved?

Hey, I don't want triumphalism but I do want to respect what God's great salvation.

Christ: the anointed one, equivalent to the Hebrew "Messiah" - which is mind blowing stuff when the hope of the Messiah was what kept Israel and the Jews focused and a separate nation. They lived for His coming. Some Jews even still hope for the coming of their Messiah.

Mark tells me "This Jesus is the One, you've been waiting for"

The Son of God: This is a big idea and maybe the rest of Mark's gospel is explaining just what the this title means. In any case He is definitely divine. He is more than just a normal human, He is "the" Son.

Plenty of good news in the first verse.... The promised Messiah has arrived at last, He is divine and He will bring victory. He will win!