In Graeme Goldsworthy’s excellent book on preaching, he opens by telling the story of an Australian Sunday school teacher who felt that her class was a bit too boring for the five-year-olds that she was teaching each week. Therefore, she decided that she would start on a different note on one particular week. She began the class asking, “Who can tell me what is gray and furry and lives in a Gum tree?” The children, of course, were caught off guard by such an odd question for the beginning of a Sunday school class, so they just stared blankly at her. So, she went on, “Come on, someone must know. What is gray, furry, lives in a Gum tree – has a black leathery nose and beady eyes.” Still, the children sat silent. Finally, she declared, “Oh, surely you know. It lives in a Gum tree; eats Gum leaves; it had big beady eyes and furry ears.” Still, nothing. Finally, a girl raised her hand, and the teacher excitedly called on her to answer only to hear the girl respond, “I know it’s Jesus, but it sounds like a Koala!”¹

Perhaps that’s an exaggeration for how often the right answer to questions asked in Sunday school is Jesus. I’m not sure. I will say that I’ve wondered myself when I ask my children a theological question and they rightly answer, “Jesus,” whether they really knew the answer or just knew it was a really safe guess.

But perhaps the greater danger is our failure to recognize the centrality of Jesus for the Christian faith. After all, without Jesus, Christianity simply doesn’t exist. A number of churches focus on issues like caring for the poor, doing good to one’s neighbor, ministering to orphans, fighting for the lives of the unborn, creating schools, or a number of other things that are great things, aid communities, and better the lives of those around us. However, none of these things stands at the core of the Christian faith. What stands at the center of Christianity is a person – Jesus of Nazareth. If you remove him, his teaching, and his work, then you have removed the very heart and soul of the faith. You could do a number of good things and in the end none of them would matter. Christianity is centered in Christ.

This is reflected clearly in the gospel of Mark, which many believe to be the first of the four gospels that was ever written. And Mark is different from the other gospels – Matthew, Luke, and John – in many respects. For one, Mark’s gospel doesn’t give us as much of Jesus’ teaching as the other gospels. His gospel focuses more on Jesus’ actions. And because of this, it is a fast-paced gospel. You feel at times like Mark is rushing to get to the next event and leaves you out of breath as you read. The fast-paced effect is only heightened by Mark’s consistent use of “immediately” and by starting sentences with the word “And.” We actually see both together in 1:29, as Mark begins the sentence, “And immediately . . .” It’s as if Mark constantly saying to his readers, “Let’s keep going,” like the leader of a group of weary hikers who seems to have more energy than everyone else.

Yet there are also occasions where Mark provides the same event that is recorded in one or more of the other gospels while providing numerous and more vivid details than the others. His writing seems to suggest eye-witness testimony of the things about which he writes.

Perhaps both Mark’s fast-paced nature and eye-witness view are tied to the reality that Mark is heavily dependent on the apostle Peter. Throughout the earliest days of the church, it was noted that Mark had been an aid to Peter and that his gospel account reflects that which he heard from Peter. And when we read of Peter, for example, seeing the resurrected Christ on the seashore and first putting on his outer garment before diving into the water, we’re reminded that he was a man who acted quickly (whether his actions were always wise or not). So, it should not be surprising that Mark’s gospel, which reflects Peter’s eye-witness testimony both moves quickly and provides vivid details of events.

And another way that Mark’s gospel is different from the other gospel accounts is how he begins. Matthew starts with a genealogy, tracing Jesus back to the line of Abraham. Luke starts with the narrative of his birth. John begins with a rich theological treatise. Mark, on the other hand, begins with a title of who Jesus is followed by a number of things or persons or events that bear witness to who Jesus is. And I think there’s a reason for that. Mark wants us to know right off the bat that thought there will be a number of interesting details in this account we are about to spend the next few months reading, studying, and preaching through, his writing is about one person – Jesus, the Christ.

This is why he begins verse 1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” His intent is not to keep hidden until the end just who this Jesus is. He wants us to know right from the beginning that the good news is about the one Jesus of Nazareth who is both the Christ and the Son of God. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that in his prologue (Mark 1:1-13), he provides us with a number of witnesses as to who this Jesus is. Thus, my aim this morning is simply to bring to light what I think is Mark’s intention – making sure we understand who Jesus really is.

And Mark accomplishes this aim by telling us of four sources that bear witness to Jesus’ identity: the Old Testament Scriptures, John the Baptist, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this morning, I want us to look at the witness of each of these and see what they have to tell us about who this Jesus of Nazareth was and is.

Let’s first turn to . . .

The Witness of the Old Testament Scriptures

After starting with his statement of who Jesus is in verse 1, Mark writes in verses 2-3, “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.”’”

Now, we might think this an odd way to tell us who Jesus is both because it seems like an obscure Old Testament quote from Isaiah and it isn’t clear that it’s talking about Jesus. So, perhaps I can muddy the waters a bit by saying that it’s not simply a quote from Isaiah. It’s actually a quote from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Mark actually links these two texts together and credits them to Isaiah probably because Isaiah is the better known prophet and because the text from Isaiah is the longer of the two. Second, the quote is not about Jesus explicitly. These texts are about a messenger, and the one that Mark identifies as the messenger is John the Baptist.

This becomes clear when Mark immediately follows the quote of a messenger crying out in the wilderness by writing in verses 4-7, “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.’”

Obviously Mark is saying that this “messenger” who was prophesied to come crying in the wilderness as a prophet is John the Baptist. This is why Mark points us to John, crying out in the wilderness and dressed like a prophet. But how does this tell us anything about the identity of Jesus?

Well, that becomes clearer if we pay closer attention to the two Old Testament quotations that Mark puts together in verses 2-3. As I mentioned, he’s quoting Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. And if you go back and look at each of those texts, you’ll see that in each of them the messenger is proclaiming the coming of God himself, and he is preparing the people for God to come to them.

So we read, for example, in Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple . . .” God is speaking here, saying that he will send a messenger who will prepare the way before me. God is coming to his people. This messenger is merely preparing the people for his arrival.

Similarly, in Isaiah 40:3, we read, “A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Again, God is coming to his people; the messenger is merely preparing the people for his arrival.

Therefore, when Mark identifies John the Baptist as this messenger, out in the wilderness, having people confess their sins and symbolize that repentance through the act of baptism in preparation for the arrival of God, our eyes should widen and ears perk up as to who this next character is who will step out onto the stage. Who is it that arrives after John announces this? The answer? Mark writes in verse 9, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

Jesus is the one whose arrival John is preparing the people for. Thus, it is clear that John wants us to see that Jesus must be no one less than God. And indeed he is. He is God the Son. Thus, the Old Testament bears witness that Jesus is himself God the Son.

However, the Old Testament Scriptures aren’t the only thing that tells us who this Jesus is. We also have . . .

The Witness of John the Baptist

Going back to verse 7 and continuing to verse 8, we read John’s preaching. Mark writes, “And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’”

Right from the first note of John’s preaching, it is clear that the one coming after John is in John’s eyes much greater than he is. He says that he’s not worthy to stoop down and until the strap of his sandal, but perhaps that doesn’t communicate as clear as it should. The loosing of sandals in order to clean one’s feet was a task so lowly in first century Judaism that only slaves did it. And even then, not just any slaves. Only Gentile slaves could be treated in such a degrading fashion. This was the lowest and most humiliating of tasks, and John says that he is not worthy to untie the sandals of the one who is to come after him. That is quite lofty praise then to say that one would be so much greater than you that you would not be worthy to do the most lowly, demeaning, and humiliating task for him.

But though that tells us the one coming after John is much greater than him, it doesn’t tell us precisely how much greater does it? That reality isn’t made clear until verse 8, where John says that whereas he baptizes with water, the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Now, this idea that the one coming after John would be able to pour out the Spirit on people even as John was plunging them into water might not at first ring as a strong statement concerning Jesus’ identity. However, when we consider that in the Old Testament only God could pour out the Spirit on an individual, it becomes a huge statement.

I mean, simply think back through the Old Testament for a second. It is God who puts the Spirit on Moses and then in Numbers 11 pours out the Spirit on other elders among the Israelites as well. With Saul, Israel’s first king, God puts the Spirit on him, and later, as Saul disobeys the Lord, it is God who removes the Spirit from him. Then, it is God who puts the Spirit on David. And David was the greatest king in Israel’s history. And yet he recognized that he was completely dependent on God’s mercy if he was to have this Spirit. This is why he prayed after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11). Finally (though we could note more evidence) it is in Joel 2:28-29 that God declares that the day shall come to pass when he would pour out his Spirit on all of his people.

Therefore, if God alone pours on individuals and John proclaims that the one coming after him is far greater than him and will baptize individuals with the Spirit – that is, pour out the Spirit on them, then the one coming after John cannot be anyone less than God himself.

Thus, when we read immediately after John’s proclamation, “In those days Jesus came to from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan” we must see clearly that Mark wants his readers to see that Jesus is nothing less than God the Son.

Yet there is more. Mark also points us to . . .

The Witness of God the Father

We read in verses 9-11, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 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. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

Now, this is quite a remarkable scene. Jesus is baptized and the heavens are torn open as a voice from heaven (which we must understand to be that of God the Father) declares, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Perhaps we would say, “This really testifies as to who Jesus is. He is most definitely God the Son. After all, just listen to the words that God the Father declares of him – ‘You are my beloved Son.’” And indeed, he is God the Son, we’ve already seen that in the first few verses of Mark’s gospel.

However, I actually think this declaration points to something more. To be called God’s “son” is not always a reference to deity or divinity in the Bible. That is to say, to be called God’s son doesn’t mean that the one bearing this title is God. After all, in Exodus 4:22-23, God says to Pharaoh, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’” And that’s precisely what God did with the tenth plague in Egypt.

But the point is, Israel, God’s people are called God’s “son.” Furthermore, God made a promise to David in 2 Samuel 7, promising to raise one up from David’s line, from David’s very own flesh to be his king. Specifically, God said to David, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body [that is, this is clearly one who will be a human], and I will establish his kingdom. . . . I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” (2 Sam. 7:12-14). Therefore, it was not surprising that every time one from David’s line was appointed to be the next king in David’s line, they would read Psalm 2 at his enthronement, in which God says in verse 7, “You are my son . . .”

Moreover, God speaks in the book of Isaiah of one who would be a servant to him, one who would be called Israel (that is, one from that people) and one who would save Israel (that is, their redeemer). And of this servant, we read in Isaiah 42:1, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him.”

Therefore, when Jesus is baptized, the Spirit descends on him, and the Father declares from heaven, “You are my Son in whom my soul delights,” he is clearly proclaiming that Jesus is the one promised from David’s line who would be his servant to come save his people.

Therefore, Jesus of Nazareth is a man, from David’s line, who is God’s king, and who came to save God’s people.

And yet there is more. Mark also gives us . . .

The Witness of the Holy Spirit

We’ve already mentioned that the Spirit has made his presence known by descending on Jesus at his baptism, but Mark also mentions that the Spirit did something else. In verses 12-13, we read, “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”

Now, this might not seem that the Spirit is bearing witness as to the identity of Jesus in any way by driving him into the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by Satan. However, I think we are to see the Spirit’s witness here. After showing that Jesus is coming to fulfill the role of Israel as God’s son, it is easy to remember why Israel was not sufficient to bear that title of God’s son in a worthy manner. After all, God redeemed his son, Israel, from bondage in Egypt only to lead them into the wilderness and have them give in to the temptation to sin against God. They simply refused to believe him and trust him. Therefore, they wondered in the wilderness forty years and were judged.

It should, therefore, not be seen as a mistake that after identifying Jesus as the one who is God’s true son – the king from David’s line who would rightly represent and resemble God – that Mark mentions Jesus going out in the wilderness for forty days to be tempted. And Jesus didn’t face a temptation in a place of paradise like Adam in the garden. No, Jesus was out there with wild animals so that angels had to come and serve him and minister to him.

By seeing Jesus walking through the role of Israel who went into the wilderness for forty days and failed to obey, we are to read this anticipating Jesus walking through temptation in the wilderness and obeying where both Adam and Israel had failed.

But Mark mentions nothing of Jesus’ success. Now, the other gospel writers do, and we know it’s true. Perhaps Mark even wanted us to read this text and remember that Jesus indeed overcome every one of Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. Or perhaps Mark just wanted us to see that Jesus was coming, under the Spirit’s direction, to be tempted, even as we are. And if he was subject to temptation even as we are, it is a reminder that he had become like us. Jesus of Nazareth was nothing less than a man, even as we are. He came to face temptation, to bear trial in the wilderness, and to live as one of us. Jesus of Nazareth was a man.

So, what then does Mark’s prologue tells us but that Jesus of Nazareth was nothing less than God and nothing less than man. Indeed, we must conclude according to Mark’s testimony that Jesus of Nazareth was nothing less than fully God and fully man, or, we might say, he is the God-man. Indeed, that is who he is.

But why did God the Son need to take on flesh and become one who is both God and man? Why do we need Jesus, the God-man? The answer is that if man was to be saved, we needed one who could represent us before God, and only a man can represent us before God. However, if we are to be saved, we need God to save us, for none can save except God. Therefore, Jesus, the God-man, lived a perfect life as our representative, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, was raised from the dead and intercedes as our high priest at the right hand of God so that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life if we will repent of our sins and believe in him. That’s why we need Jesus – the God-man. It is because we need a Savior, and the good news – the gospel – is that the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth, did everything necessary for our salvation if we will simply repent of our sins and believe in him. That is the good news. And that’s what we remember and proclaim as we come to the table this morning. Amen.