Moments before the Seahawk playoff game yesterday, I had a friend of mine say “I’m an agnostic, but you being a minister and all…do you think God (if there is a god) cares who wins the game?” And I had to say “The God I believe in doesn’t much care who wins.” In retrospect, maybe I wish God had cared a little more!

That word “agnostic” came up in several conversations this week. People were using it as a self-description, usually not in some real technical sense but more of an expression of confusion. “I’m just not sure I can believe in or know God.”

Often when I’ve had these conversations, one of the things I’ve suggested to folks is that they pick one of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John and simply read through it and find out what it might say about God. It’s the same journey I’m inviting you on this morning. We are going to start reading through the gospel of Mark together. And while we will tackle mostly small sections on Sundays, I want to encourage you to read through the entire thing a few times on your own.

I’m going to spend a few extra minutes this morning talking about “The Gospel According to Mark” and the author before we actually read our sermon text. We won’t do this every time, in fact we won’t do it again. But if you were going to read any book, say, a book on economics. You would never read it without knowing who wrote it, when it was written, maybe the bent of the author’s viewpoint and certainly whether they were qualified to write it.

But somehow we often fall in the trap of thinking we can just pick up the Bible and it should all make perfect sense. You also need to know that scholars spend entire careers arguing, disagreeing and sorting through things I’m going to tell you in four or five minutes!

First, some background. As best we can tell the Gospel of Mark was the first of the four gospels written. It’s author, like all of the gospels, is nowhere directly listed. Even the title “According to Mark” was added in the second century.

But there is a very strong church tradition that this “Mark” was the “John Mark” mentioned in several places in the New Testament. “John Mark” was the cousin of Barnabas, who accompanied Paul on a missionary journey, but returned to Jerusalem in the middle of it, apparently earning the wrath of Paul for doing so. Paul and Barnabas argued over whether to take him on the next journey, and so they split up: Barnabas paired with Mark and Paul with Silas.

Mark was later reconciled to Paul. He also appears in proximity to Peter, the close friend and follower of Jesus.

This last connection is a very important one, because we believe that Mark was not only very close to Peter, but that Peter was the major source for much of Mark’s material. Several historical documents say that near the end of Peter’s life, Mark wrote down Peter’s memoirs, and shaped them into this gospel.

This connection with Peter would also place Mark in Rome in the mid-to-late 60’s AD. Now, the mid-60’s AD is exactly the time of the reign of the crazed Roman emperor Nero. It is well-documented by historians that in 64 AD, Nero set part of Rome on fire, and then looked for a scapegoat. He blamed it on this “sect” they called Christians, people who called upon the name of Christ and had some of them hunted down and punished or murdered.

All of this means that Mark may well have been writing, then, to this audience: Roman (Gentile, that is non-Jewish) Christians, in about 65 AD. Probably Latin readers, surely Greek speakers and most who had never been to the east end of the Mediterranean around Palestine. And people whose lives were very much at risk over matters of faith.

Now, a few words about what we will find in this book of Mark.

A Story. First, we will find a story. A whole and interconnected story. If you really want to understand the Jesus that Mark shows us in these months to come, read it from cover to cover. It’s not long, just sixteen short chapters.

Brevity. In Mark, you will find brevity. He is concise. No extra words, no long descriptions, no fluffy prose. Brief, straight, to the point. It’s refreshing, actually, and I think one reason he does it is so that we won’t get distracted. Everything else is stripped away so what we see is - Jesus. That is what Mark is interested in talking about.

Action. In Mark, we will also find yourself pulled along. Things happen in Mark, it’s an action gospel, and he doesn’t always leave you time to catch your breath. One section ends, and the next word is “Immediately…(something else happened).” Forty times Mark says “immediately!”

A human Jesus. In Mark, we will see a pretty human Jesus. Oh, there is plenty of discussion and connections to Jesus being muchmore than a man, especially in today’s passage. But Mark portrays a very real, down-to earth Jesus.

Sections. Lastly. Mark is nicely split into 2 sections. In the first 8 ½ chapters, we see Jesus as an admirable and remarkable person: teacher, healer, mentor, itinerant preacher wandering the land of Galilee.

If we only read this first part, we might revel in the glory of Jesus, he’s a hero like heroes of old. In these chapters, the disciples who follow Jesus are often portrayed as a bunch of guys who walk around saying “Who IS this guy?” Then, in the middle of chapter 8 there is a critical turning point, the hinge of the entire book, when Peter figures it out and says (v.29) “You are the Christ.” The Messiah.

From that point on, things change. Jesus’ life becomes pointed towards Jerusalem, his words are laced with irony, he predicts his own rejection, death and resurrection. All roads lead to Jerusalem, the passion and the cross. It becomes apparent that we can only see the earlier side of Jesus in the light of the cross, which will give us the truest sense of his glory.

With that, then…Will you stand for the reading of the gospel? And I invite you to read along, and then keep your Bibles open. Today I don’t have a one-or-two-or-three point sermon, we’re just going to look at the text together.

Reading: Mark 1:1-13

One of my favorite novels, that I often hand to people to read, is one written several years ago by Leif Enger called “Peace Like a River.” It’s narrated by a boy on a farm who gets up one night in the middle of the night to go out to the outhouse, and discovers his dad pacing back and forth on the flatbed of an old grain truck, deeply immersed in prayer, as was often his custom.

But imagine the boy’s astonishment when he watches his dad walk right off the edge of the truck into the air, go 30 feet out in the air, turn and walk back onto the truck, all the time eyes closed, lost in prayer! It’s the author’s way of saying, right at the beginning, “Whoa! This is no ordinary guy, and everything from here on better be read with a very watchful eye, because something powerful is at work!”

I think that’s what the gospel writer Mark is doing for us as well. Giving us a heads up, right at the beginning in this first section, hat when we deal with Jesus, it’s something very out of the ordinary.

In fact, from the very opening words, this gospel is laced with meaning. The first sentence doesn’t even have a verb in it, but it starts out in a rather familiar way: “The beginning.” Pretty much like Genesis 1:1, isn’t it? All the way back to creation, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” “The beginning.” Pretty much like John 1:1, isn’t it? Connecting Jesus to the creating of world, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

“The beginning of the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ …”

It’s pretty abrupt, isn’t it? No sweet Christmas story like Matthew and Luke, no slow start, no context, just what it is. Actually, it makes sense for Mark to start here if indeed he is partly publishing the memoirs of Peter, whose first interaction that we know of with Jesus was as an adult. The beginning of the gospel, “euangellion,” the Good News. It’s the same word we get words like “evangel, evangelist, evangelism, evangelical” from. The Good News of Jesus Christ.

Pretty amazing what we have done to a good word like “evangelical,” isn’t it? We’ve taken something that originates as the good news and attached a particular worldview, a code of behavior, a political party, some spiritual laws, an uncompassionate approach to faith, a particular political agenda and made it one of the most resented things in our culture.

“Evangelical” is Good News. Or it was. If properly used, to say something like “I’m an evangelical Christian” should be totally redundant. Every Christian is evangelical! It’s the Good News of Jesus Christ! If you’re a Christian, it’s all about the Good News! You’re for it! You share it! The Good News of Jesus Christ. I wish we could reclaim that word “evangelical” and get it re-attached to Jesus.

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Mark is already messing around in dangerous territory. His readers are people all too well acquainted with persecution from a Roman emperor. They knew all too well that Roman emperors considered themselves divine gods and demanded worship. They undoubtedly knew that Caesar Augustus, not so many years before, publicized this inscription for ahis birthday celebration: “Augustus’s birthday signaled the beginning of Good News for the world.” Mark knew exactly what he was doing. Laying out the claim of a false God, an emperor next to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Son of God.”

This is also a little breathtaking. Mark uses “Son of God” in this very first sentence. Do you see it? He just walked off the back of the flatbed truck! From now on, we will have to pay close attention. This Jesus…is Son of God. We will have to read everything else in this light. We will hear “Son of God” again in a moment at Jesus’ baptism. We will hear it echoed again at Jesus’ death by a centurion near the cross who will say “Truly this was the Son of God!”

The gospel of Mark is bookended by Jesus being the Son of God. It’s a signal: pay attention. Something remarkable is going on here.

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

Mark wastes little time in connecting this Son of God to the fulfillment of Old Testament imagery. He connects Jesus with the history of Israel, the Chosen People of God. He connects Jesus with John the Baptist, as always in just a few words, sparse on details. John appears in the wilderness. John baptizes unto repentance and the forgiveness of sins. People came from all over the region, hungry, it seems, to confess and repent.

It made me wonder about our practice here in worship. Every time we meet we make time for the confession of our sin. For some it probably seems rote. For some it may seem unnecessary. Many churches almost never include it in their worship times. Our culture says, and strongly, “Hey, Church- we want things that are positive. Not sin. Not wrongdoing. Not anything we deem negative.” Yet here is the GOOD NEWS come to the earth in a person, Jesus Christ, and how does John the Baptist prepare people for Jesus? By encouraging them to confess their sins. It seems that the bad news may have a place in understanding the good news.

John’s biggest role here is to take himself out of the spotlight and off of center stage and point at Jesus. “I wash you with water, but he will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

And so Jesus comes, and is baptized by John. No conversation, no details, no record of recognition. But as he comes out of the water, there is almost too much going on to understand:

• Jesus comes up out of the water.
  
• The heavens are torn apart. They are not merely opened, there is another more gentle word for that which is used often. No, they are torn apart, they are schizo-d, like our word “schism”, they are ripped asunder. The only other time Mark will use this word? In chapter 15, when Christ breathes his last and “the curtain of the temple” separating the Holy Place of God from the people, was torn in two, from top to bottom.
  
• Jesus comes up out of water, part of the created earth, the heavens tear open and the Spirit of God , like a dove comes down, and a voice comes down.

Look at all these directional words: Jesus comes up, the Spirit comes down, the voice of God comes down…do you see it? IN JESUS HEAVEN AND EARTH MEET. We’d better pay attention. He just walked off the back of the truck again. Who is this guy?

• And the voice says “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Now, think (Jim Edwards, Whitworth University): Abraham was a friend of God. Moses was a servant of God. Aaron was a chosen one of God, David was a man after God's own heart , Paul was an apostle.

Only the chosen people Israel (and one time the King, as Israel’s leader) have been called God’s Son before. Now Jesus has in a sense stepped in for failing Israel. And God says “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

This is who Jesus is. It was apparently important for him to hear, and know.

It is so imperative that we know who we are. Last Friday night I had the privilege of talking to many of our middle school and high school youth leaders, mainly folks in their 20’s, wonderful, amazing people who are committing hundreds of hours to walking with our youth as friends, leaders, role models. I’m in awe of this group of people.

Anyway, I stood up to speak and I had some things about ministry and life I had planned on saying, and I eventually did. But I stood up and looked at them all, and I couldn’t talk for a second. And when I could, I said “You know, before I start, I just feel compelled to tell you something. To remind you who you are. To remind you that you are someone who is loved deeply by God.”

They looked at me. I looked at them. I said it again. “This is who you are: someone that God loves so deeply.” I started to tear up. It overwhelmed me. Whether they could believe it, or looked down, or got teary back, or smiled, I just felt like they had to hear it, to have their identity, their core identity affirmed: “You are someone God loves so much.”

God does this with Jesus, the Son of God. At this point, Mark doesn’t tell us that anyone else heard the voice. The voice isn’t speaking to John the Baptist, or the bystanders (in chapter 9 at the Transfiguration the voice will be for others), but here it is to Jesus directly: “You are my son, the Beloved. With You I am well pleased.”

All this is going on, down at the river. And if we think about it, we have just received Mark’s picture of God: Father (voice), Son (Jesus), Holy Spirit (dove), the Trinity not explained but described, pictured here…just 10-11 verses into the gospel.

Whew. Let’s take a deep breath. Wait! No we can’t, because Mark is moving on:

Immediately, the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness. He was there for 40 sacred days, tempted by Satan, amongst wild beasts.

Way to spoil the picture, Mark. Beautiful river scene, Jesus is anointed in baptism, his identity is affirmed, it’s powerful, deep, beautiful. And boom!, he is in the wilderness, in darkness, tempted by evil.

On the one hand, that shouldn’t surprise us in the least. The world we exist in has forces and powers we don’t see or understand, but they clearly exist. Darkness and evil are real. All you have to do is pick up the newspaper or turn on the television. It’s not just a lack of education, or small bad choices. There are mass ethnic cleansings and landmines and tribal conflicts. There is evil and darkness, and they seem to be drawn to goodness like a magnet.

Happens all the time. Someone experiences God in a fresh, near, tender way. Someone meets the Lord. Someone experiences victory in an area of addiction. And immediately there is an almost superhuman “coincidence” of temptation that finds them.

We should expect it. Darkness doesn’t like light. Good lives, well-lived lives, good ministry will stir up all sorts of things. So when something amazing like this good news hits in Jesus, of course he is surrounded by Satan and darkness.

But there’s some mystery here, isn’t there? I mean, it’s the Spirit who drove him out there, like it was a kind of training camp before he heads into ministry in verse 14. This hard stuff is necessary preparation. And while God was using John’s baptism to get the people ready for Jesus…God was using baptism and temptation to get Jesus ready for the people. God was getting people ready for Jesus…and God was getting Jesus ready for people.

Well…there’s a lot more going on. This is just the “beginning of the Good News,” that one writer sums up like this: In Jesus, “God is here. And he’s on our side.” That’s the beginning. The good news continues when Jesus says the words that characterize the whole gospel: “Follow me.”

But that’s for next week. Let us pray.