The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God [i]
Mark begins, “The beginning of the good news…” Mark echoes the story of creation: the methodical taming of the deep waters of chaos into a life sustaining world. Mark’s world was chaotic due to the demonic powers of captivity under the empire of the competing gods called Caesar. Those listening to Mark’s “gospel,” evangelion in Greek – literally good angel, or good messenger –stood among the ruins of Jerusalem, among the ashes of the Temple, atop Mount Zion after the Roman legions had crushed the attempted Jewish Revolt of 66-70 CE.
Gospel, or “good news/good tidings” was a phrase used to describe the core message of hope and deliverance by the prophet Isaiah [chapters 40-50], delivered to those held captive in Babylon some six centuries before the time of Jesus and Mark. Ironically, the word Gospel also referred to Roman propaganda, delivered by messengers sent throughout the empire to proclaim new military victories such as the defeat of the recent revolt in Jerusalem. Those listening “atop Zion” to Mark’s gospel would recognize its long-ago origins in Isaiah, while people everywhere in Judea and Galilee were hearing the “good news” of the destruction of Jerusalem. Like those held captive in Babylon, now they were captive once again, this time captive at home.
Then Mark begins his story of Jesus with words drawn from Exodus, Malachi and 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.’” Thus, signaling that once again God promises to send a messenger to lead them out of the wilderness of captivity into freedom from the demonic powers of the empire. It will be like the deliverance from Babylon as Isaiah had announced, but his time rather than a physical roadway home, it will be a way “made straight” in human hearts: repentance, a turning back to the message and ministry of the Lord. Mark connects the current crisis to earlier cycles of captivity and deliverance. The good news of Jesus has its origins in these stories of our people going back over one thousand years.
We might imagine the people listening to Mark remembering how it all began. Once upon a time, in an ancient and faraway country, before there were cities and towns, only small tribes and caravans of people living on the land, wandering from place to place, looking for fresh water and green vegetation, there was a mountain top. Those who climbed up to the top of this mountain, like our father Abraham, said they could feel the presence of God. A presence that says, “Love the One God who loves you and cares for you always, and love and care for one another, especially the others, the poor, the widows, the orphans and strangers.”
When they came down from the mountain, they would repeat this good news to others: to Love God and Love others, all others. Throughout the years those who would go to the top of the mountain would leave a stone at the place where they felt the presence of God as a reminder. Even those who did not experience God left a stone to remember the stories they had heard of those who had. Each placed a stone, one atop the other, year after year, until first a monument was built. Years later a magnificent Temple covered the place on the mountain top where God’s presence could be felt and heard: to Love God and Love Others, all others. People would come to the Temple, and entering they would know that something important was there, something sacred and true. There was a presence, sacred and holy. They would stop and praise God and remember the stories of all those in the past who had been to the mountain top.
Over the years as more and more people made the journey to the top of the mountain leaving more and more stones one atop the other, soon a city was built around the Temple with long winding, narrow streets, lined with homes and shops and plazas and fountains. People coming to the mountain to experience God and hear the stories of the past would need to stop and ask directions to find their way to the Temple so as not to get lost in the back streets of the city. And each in turn would leave a stone to remember the great events and stories of the past. Soon there were so many stones a great wall surrounded the city with majestic gates and ramparts. People coming to the mountain to go to the Temple would have to find a gate they would be allowed to enter. Sometimes the gates were open, sometimes the gates were closed.
For many people, even in the city, the top of the mountain became more difficult to find. It had been covered with so many many stones. The gates were crowded, the streets noisy and narrow. There was so much activity, so many distractions and attractions that no one could hear the directions to find their way to the top of the mountain where God’s presence stood ready to remind them to Love the God who loves and cares for them always, and to love and care for one another, especially the others including those beyond the walls of the city.
Then, a deep darkness covered all the mountain. An empire took over the city and the Temple. The leader of the empire was believed by some to be a god. Life for the pilgrims traveling to and from the city to experience the Love of God found instead a harsh military occupation. The people were praying for relief. The people were taxed severely. Their produce and goods were sent back to the emperor to feed further expansion of the empire. The people were afraid and found themselves captive once again.
Far away, beyond the walls of the city, was a man, lonely in the wilderness. His name was John. He would cry out loud in the wilderness, “Prepare, prepare the way of the Lord. Make a way for God to return!” High above the crowded and noisy streets, above the gates, above the walls, above the top of the Temple itself, his voice could be heard floating on the wind. Some people, discouraged at no longer being able to find the top of the mountain could hear his voice, so loud and lovely was the voice of the man, lonely in the wilderness. First one, then another went beyond the gates of the city and followed the sound of that voice. They followed the sound floating on the winds. They could hear it like music in the sky! When they found John, he was singing, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”
All the people came out of the city and from all the surrounding countryside to be with the man, lonely in the wilderness, until soon, all the inhabitants from both inside and outside the walls of the city found themselves standing with the man, lonely in the wilderness. They joined with John in singing, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Everyone everywhere could hear the cry carried on the wind to the four corners of the Earth!
Then John led them down to the River – the River their ancestors had crossed long long ago to leave the wilderness and come to the mountain the first time. John invited them to bathe in the water, to confess their sins of forgetting God’s Way, and to remember their God – the God who loves them and cares for them always. “Remember to love God and to love the others, all others, especially the poor, the widows, the orphans and the strangers. And I tell you, another will come, stronger than me, who will show us the way back to the God who comes to lead us home. Remember, remember, remember today – the one who shall come will show us the way!”
As it was then, so it is today. When we listen above the noise of the city, above the demonic noise of empires, above the noise of the crowds, when we are still and listen wherever we are, a voice can still be heard, floating on the wind, beyond the noise and the gates of the city, above the tops of the highest mountains, still calling to us, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord; Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Open your heart to receive the message and ministry of our Lord.’
This is the beginning of the gospel, of the Good News, of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Always we begin again!
[i]
Mark 1:1-8
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