The following is the afterword to our recently published outreach booklet, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark.”
The gospel of Mark ends abruptly. The women who came to anoint Jesus’ body were met by heavenly angels showing them an empty tomb. The tomb was empty because Jesus had risen from the dead. The women were stunned and astonished—a natural response when seeing an angel and evidence of Jesus’ resurrection!
The rest of the New Testament records how the news of Jesus’ resurrection spread. The other disciples saw the empty tomb and later saw Jesus alive in Galilee—just as he said. In addition, Paul writes that more than five hundred people saw him at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Luke writes that Jesus “presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them for forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
Christianity is based upon these historical events. It is far more than a philosophy or moral example; it is founded upon the reality that the Son of God came to die and rise again so that many could be forgiven (Mark 10:45).
Making Sense of it All
The account of Jesus’ life that you’ve just read is key to God’s plan to restore his creation to perfection and beauty. We live in a world of beauty that is marred with brokenness, suffering, and pain. We can all agree: the world is not the way it’s supposed to be. Of course, there are myriads of suggestions on how to improve, change, or fix the way things are, but God’s solution is much more radical—it deals with the root of the problem.
In the beginning God made male and female and placed them in his perfect garden. God made them in his image or likeness. They were to show God’s beauty in how they lived, related to each other, and stewarded God’s creation. He gave them a mandate to cultivate the garden, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the entire earth, bringing all of creation into harmony with God’s righteous ways.
But something went terribly wrong. The garden, designed to be cultivated for God’s honor, fell into corruption. The first couple, Adam and Eve, refused to listen to God’s voice and sinned against God. Their sin brought a curse upon themselves and the entire creation. Their descendants would carry that same corruption, being inclined toward rebellion against God. In other words, this is not just their story, but it’s our story.
Every person is born with a sinful nature predisposed to wrong. It is not that we are as corrupted and wicked as we can be, but we all have an inner impulse to do what we know is wrong. Consider when a parent says “No” to a ten-month-old child crawling toward an electrical socket. The child stops, looks at her mother, and then turns to reach out her hand in defiance. As the child grows, she steals from her siblings, lies to cover it up, and feels guilt and shame when caught. Children are not taught to steal, or lie, or rebel, yet they quickly become experts at these things unless taught otherwise.
Why is this? The principle of sin is not just “out there,” but “in here”—it is in all of us. The problem of humanity is not something outside of us but a problem within each of us. Therefore, the solution cannot come from us but must come from outside us. Jesus Christ is the answer!
God is merciful and gracious toward sinners like us. In the garden God made a promise to that first couple. From the offspring of the woman would come one who would crush all sin and evil and reverse the curse of sin upon God’s good creation (Genesis 3:15). The story of the Bible is the story of this offspring, this descendent, who would come to crush sin and restore creation.
We learn that this descendent would be a king, wielding power to defeat his enemies and bring blessing to his people and all creation (Daniel 7:13–14; Isaiah 9:6–7). Rather than a kingdom of sin and darkness, his would be a kingdom of righteousness and light. As history went on and as God spoke through the prophets there was an anticipation of this coming king. He was the hope of the nations. He was God’s Savior and would rescue the world from sin and death.
When the Gospel of Mark begins with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” we are immediately told that Jesus is the promised Savior to accomplish God’s restoration of creation.
The word “gospel” means good news—news so good that it deserves to be shouted in the streets. Mark is telling us that God’s Savior has come! The title “Christ” means anointed or chosen one. Jesus is God’s chosen one. Chosen for what we ask? He is God’s chosen King who has come to save his people from their sin.
One could paraphrase the opening of Mark’s gospel this way: “The announcement of the great news of King Jesus, the Son of God!” Jesus, God’s Son, has come to reverse the curse and bring God’s righteousness and peace to a world corrupted by sin and evil.
Now we might expect Jesus to gather the armies of heaven and destroy all sin and darkness to bring about his kingdom of righteousness and light. But if this were the case, all humanity would fall by his sword. We are all sinners who sin and would be condemned by this righteous King of Light.
But in unfathomable mercy, this King came to rescue and save sinners like us. He said that he came to seek and to save the lost.
How would he do this? He would do this through his death on the cross. The King would die in the place of his people who deserve death. As the Scriptures teach: the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). That is, we deserve death because of our sin. Sin is a corruption that must be destroyed and cannot be tolerated in God’s kingdom of light. Death is the just and necessary penalty before a just and holy God. God cannot simply dismiss sin any more than a righteous judge can acquit the guilty. A just judge condemns the guilty and acquits the innocent.
In God’s kindness toward us, the judge of heaven graciously allows a substitute in his Son who died in the place of sinners, bearing the penalty we rightly deserve so that we can escape the condemnation due for our sin.
Jesus, in kindness and grace, sacrifices his life so that we might live. The king dies for his subjects in an act of love. This is a truly amazing love that defies our comprehension! It is this part of the story, the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in the place of his people that is so wonderfully told in Mark’s gospel. This is why he said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Response Required
How does Jesus’ death, which took place so long ago, affect you today? Jesus came to heal the sick. He came to forgive the sinful. He came to restore the repentant. Are you sin-sick? Are you sinful? Are you repentant?
Jesus’ message is summarized at the beginning of the gospel of Mark: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Jesus calls sinners to repent and believe. Not all will be rescued. Not all will enter his kingdom of righteousness and light. Not all see their sin. Not all recognize their need. Not all see their problem as one within them. Do you see your need? Do you see your sin? If you do, the announcement of Jesus’ salvation demands a response: repent and believe!
Once you recognize you have a problem and that Jesus is the solution, you must repent and believe. Repentance is a change of mind that includes confessing and forsaking your sin and living your life in a new direction. To repent means that we no longer live for sin or for ourselves, but we live for Jesus and for his kingdom. This is not a call to perfection, but it is a call to change direction.
Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed? Is there a change in the direction of your life that needs to happen? Jesus is calling you to repent and follow him.
Belief coincides with repentance. When Jesus calls us to “repent and believe” he is calling us not only to forsake our sinful ways but to believe or trust him. Rather than relying on sin to satisfy, we trust that Jesus will satisfy. Rather than relying on our efforts to save us, we trust that Jesus will save. We trust that his truth and his kingdom will prevail. We don’t just believe in Jesus, we believe Jesus. We take him at his word and do what he says. This is a call to trust, commitment, and loyalty—that is true, saving faith (James 2:14–26).
These are the questions before you: Will you pray to God and confess your sin? Will you be loyal to Jesus? Will you trust him and rely on him? Will you believe that his death pays the penalty for your sin and his resurrection ensures your resurrection life in his eternal kingdom? Will he be your hope in life and death? Will you repent and believe? Will you commit to following Jesus?
Evidence of True Conversion
When you repent and believe the gospel—the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection that deals with sin and advances his kingdom—something fantastic happens to you. The Bible calls this regeneration. Regeneration is a new beginning. The Bible also speaks of this new beginning as conversion, being born again, or becoming a new creature. These terms tell us that when you become a follower of Jesus you are deeply changed where all areas of your life are affected. This change includes a desire to do what is right, a desire to please and worship God, a desire to be with God’s people who have been changed like you are, and a desire to know more about this great God who has saved a sinner like you.
Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is a true follower of Jesus. Only those who have been born again are true Christians. Do not be deceived by counterfeits that imitate a true work of God. If signs of conversion are lacking in your life, don’t be discouraged and don’t “try harder.” Pray, confess your sin, and commit to learning more of the grace, wisdom, and mercy of Jesus Christ.
True evidence of conversion comes through the Spirit of Christ working in and through you. Conversion is a gift of God through his Son, not your own doing.
What’s Next?
As a follower of Jesus there are several things you are called to do. Three of the most important things for your own growth and maturity as a follower of Jesus are to (1) be involved in a good church; (2) study your Bible; and (3) pray.
Jesus Christ promised to build his church (Matt 16:18). The church is a community of Christians who commit to loving one another and encouraging each other to loyalty and trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus has gifted the church with leaders who teach the word of God and equip Christians to live in this world (Ephesians 4:11–12). Following Jesus is not an individual effort. God has made you to be part of a community of believers that he calls his body (Ephesians 1:22–23).
Second, God has also gifted us with his word. The Bible is God’s complete revelation where we learn of him and what he expects of us. The Bible is light to guide us, truth to mature us, and wisdom to instruct us. The Bible is about God, his kingdom, his covenants, his Savior, and addresses everything we need to live godly in this life and ensure we are prepared for the age to come.
Finally, another important gift God has given us is prayer. Prayer is talking with God. He is a good Father who delights to hear his children. God uses the prayers of his people to carry out his purposes and plans in the world. We must pray for help in time of need. We must pray for God’s forgiving grace and for his transforming grace so that we mature as followers of Jesus Christ. With the Bible and prayer, we listen to God and speak back to him.
Conclusion
Those who gave you this booklet have prayed for you and gifted this to you in love. If you have any questions, they would love to speak with you further. The matters discussed here are of utmost importance. Your soul is valuable. Entrust it to Jesus Christ today.
Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish before his glorious presence, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen. — Hebrews 13:20–21