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Mark, The Son of God

The Roman Empire was, in many ways, not so dissimilar from America. Much of our legal system is based on that of Rome. Our appetite for entertainment and sports is quite similar to the Romans. They loved their races and fights in the Colosseum, while we love movies and football. 

One way that the Roman Empire was very different from America is how they viewed their leader. We are generally split right down the middle when it comes to the President of the USA. Some people like him, others don't. No one, however, would go so far as to claim that the President is God. 

The people of the Roman Empire worshiped their Emperor as a God. While viewing a leader of a powerful nation as a god was not unusual in ancient times (the Pharoahs of Egypt, for example) few held to the notion so fiercely as the Romans. In fact the most common title for the Emperor's divinity was the Son of God.

Background

The book of Mark was written by John Mark, a travelling companion of Paul and then of Peter. It was written in the late 50s AD. Mark wrote this Gospel for the church in Rome. It is widely accepted that he recorded the witness of Peter, which may be one reason why the book of Mark is seemingly so tough on the disciples. 

As we discussed last week, the Gospels were written for the second generation of Christians who quite possibly had never heard directly from an apostle or eyewitness. They weren't biographies in the modern sense, and the Gospel of Mark is no different. He recorded Peter's stories about Jesus with a purpose.

Themes

There are multiple themes in the book of Mark, but none more important than what is stated in verse 1. "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Everything in the book of Mark is intended to point to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. This includes all the miracles, speeches, and especially Jesus' death and resurrection.

Mark claimed that Jesus was the Son of God, a highly charged term at the time. As stated earlier, the Emperors of Rome were called the Son of God. It was a title reserved for the most powerful official in the land. So for Christians to start claiming that someone else was the Son of God, it was a direct challenge to the authority of the Emperor.

Mark knew what he was doing starting this book the way he did. The Christians in Rome would have immediately understood what this meant; Jesus, not Caesar, was the real authority. Even still Jesus was the Son of God based upon his actions of healing and mercy, not conquest and bloodshed.

The book of Mark is often called the "action gospel" because it spends relatively little time on teaching and instead focuses more on what Jesus did. Jesus often "immediately" goes from one place to the next, preaching and healing along the way. It was his preaching, healing, and ultimately his death on the cross that proved once and for all that he, not Caesar, was the Son of God.

Theological Point

Jesus is the Son of God. This is the foundational confession of the Christian faith. Unlike others who have claimed the title, Jesus didn't claim based on where he was born or who his Father was (even though he is the only person ever who could have). He proved it through his actions, especially the final act of dying on the cross.

Conclusion

Jesus was proven to be the Son of God through his actions. People followed him, and continue to follow him, because he laid down his life as a ransom for many. The resurrection vindicated his death, showing once and for all that Jesus, not any ruler of this world, was the true victorious conqueror.

We today need to prove that we are Christians by our actions. We have been called to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. We have been empowered by the same Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus at his baptism. It is time for us to witness the core of our faith; that Jesus is the Son of God.

Next week we will be looking at a book you probably weren't expecting; Philemon.

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