THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND! THE CLAIM.

 THE NEW TESTAMENT STATES THAT JESUS FULFILLED THE HOPES THAT JEWS HAD CHERISHED FOR CENTURIES. IT INSISTS THAT HE WAS THE MESSIAH. THAT CLAIM RAISES SOME CRUCIAL QUESTIONS: WHAT KIND OF A MESSIAH WAS JESUS? WHAT WAS THE NATURE OF THE MESSIANIC AGE HE  ESTABLISHED?  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST.MARK PROVIDES ANSWERS TO THESE AND RELATED QUESTIONS.
 MARK GIVES NO INFORMATION ABOUT JESUS BIRTH. HE BEGINS HIS ACCOUNT OF JESUS LIFE WITH THE SIMPLE WORDS, " THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD," [MARK 1:1]. THE "GOSPEL" [GOOD NEWS} IS THAT THE NEW AGE THE JEWS HAD BEEN EXPECTING FOR CENTURIES HAS ARRIVED. JESUS (SAVIOR) CHRIST ( "THE ANOINTED ONE," ( "THE MESSIAH") HAS COME. HE IS THE "SON OF GOD,"  AND THAT MEANS THAT OLD ISRAEL IS NO LONGER " THE SON OF GOD." [ EXODUS 4:22].
WHEN MARK USES THE TERM "GOSPEL"  HE IS NOT SAYING THAT WHEN JESUS CAME, GOD BEGAN TO FORGIVE SINS IN EARNEST, OR SAVE PEOPLE IN SOME NEW WAY. GOD ALWAYS HAS, AND ALWAYS WILL, SAVE PEOPLE BY GRACE THROUGH THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. HE IS SAYING THAT IN JESUS THE JEWS DREAMS WERE FINALLY FULFILLED. THE MESSIAH AND THE AGE OF THE MESSIAH HAD FINALLY COME. TO SUPPORT HIS CLAIM, MARK QUOTES [EXODUS 23:2O] AND [MALACHI 3:1] IN VERSE 2, AND [ISAIAH 40:3] IS RICH IN MEANING. IT WAS ORIGINALLY ADDRESSED TO THE EXILES IN BABYLON JUST PRIOR TO THEIR RELEASE FROM EXILE AND RETURN TO THEIR OWN LAND. IN QUOTING IT, MARK STATES THAT JESUS WAS ABOUT TO CARRY OUT A RESCUE MISSION THAT WOULD FAR SURPASS THOSE WHICH HAD FREED GOD'S PEOPLE FROM EGYPT AND BABYLON.  ( JOHN DID NOT  COME IN A POLITICAL UP-HEAVEL, BUT A RELIGIOUS REVIVAL.) GOD PREPARED HIS PEOPLE FOR JESUS MINISTRY AND MISSION THROUGH THE WORK OF JOHN THE BAPTIST,[ 1:4-8] JOHN CONDUCTED HIS WORK IN THE WILDERNESS, THE PLACE OF EXPECTATIONS AND NEW BEGINNINGS, THE PLACE GOD TAKES PEOPLE TO TEAR THEM AWAY FROM THE DISTRACTIONS OF DAILY LIFE. [JOHN 1: 28] STATES THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST WORKED ON THE EAST BANK OF THE JORDAN RIVER, THUS INVITING HIS AUDIENCE TO LEAVE THE PROMISE LAND AND ENTER IT AGAIN THROUGH A BAPTISMAL EXODUS AND CROSSING OF THE JORDAN. "NOTE WELL"- JOHN BAPTIZED JEWS, [MATTHEW 3:1-10;] [MARK 1: 4,5.]  THIS PRACTICE WAS UNHEARD OF, FOR ONLY GENTILES WERE BAPTIZED WHEN THEY CONVERTED TO JUDAISM. JOHN'S SUMMONS TO BAPTISM REMINDED THE JEWS THAT THEY WERE NOT AUTOMATICALLY CHILDREN OF GOD BY VIRTUE OF THEIR PHYSICAL DESCENT FROM ABRAHAM, [MATTHEW 3:9.] GOD WAS NOT INTERESTED IN NATIONAL CREDENTIALS . HE WAS LOOKING FOR REPENTANCE! JOHN POINTED BEYOND HIMSELF TO SOMEONE MUCH GREATER WHOSE MISSION WOULD TOTALLY TRANSCENDS HIS OWN. ( JESUS SAYS TO THOSE JEWS WHICH BELIEVED ON HIM : IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD, THEN ARE YE MY DISCIPLES INDEED. [JOHN 8:31.]
JESUS DID NOT SUBMIT TO JOHN'S BAPTISM TO RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. HE DID NOT SIN, AND NEEDED NO FORGIVENESS, [JOHN 8:46]. HE SUBMITTED TO IDENTIFY WITH THE NEW MOVEMENT HIS FATHER IN HEAVEN WAS BEGINNING THROUGH JOHN'S WORK, WHICH WOULD CULMINATE IN HIS OWN DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION [  FOR WE HAVE NOT AN HIGH PRIEST WHICH CAN NOT BE TOUCHED, WITH THE FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITIES; BUT WAS IN ALL POINTS TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE, YET WITHOUT SIN [HEBREWS 4:15].
THE EVENTS IN JESUS LIFE REPEATED IN BROAD OUTLINE THOSE OF OLD ISRAEL. HE PASSED THROUGH WATER IN HIS BAPTISM, AND THEN WENT INTO THE WILDERNESS TO BE TESTED BY SATAN. THOUGH THE OLD ISRAEL, THE FORMER SON OF GOD SINNED AGAIN AND AGAIN IN THE WILDERNESS, THE NEW ISRAEL REDUCED TO ONE, DID NOT. OLD ISRAEL WAS IN THE WILDERNESS FORTY YEARS. JESUS WAS THERE FORTY DAYS.  PASSAGES SUCH AS [ISAIAH 64:1] [JOEL 2:28,29,] AND [HOSEA 7:11.] ALSO THROW LIGHT ON JESUS BAPTISM. THE WORDS SPOKEN AT JESUS BAPTISM DEFINE THE NATURE OF HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY. THE VOICE FROM THE CLOUD SAID, " THOU ARE MY BELOVED SON; WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED,"  THE FIRST PHRASE IS FROM [PSALM:2;7]  IT WAS USED IN CORONATION CEREMONIES WHEN DESCENDANTS OF DAVID WERE ANOINTED INTO THE OFFICE OF KING. ITS USE AT JESUS BAPTISM STATED THAT, IN JESUS, THE LONG AWAITED DESCENDANT OF DAVID HAD FINALLY COME. THE SECOND PHRASE IS FROM ISAIAH [42:1] THE FIRST OF ISAIAH'S "SERVANT SONGS" ITS USE AT JESUS BAPTISM DEFINED THE KIND OF KING JESUS WOULD BE. HE WOULD BE A SERVANT KING, THE DOVE AND WATER REFER TO JESUS BAPTISM, HIS CROWN, HIS KINGSHIP, THE STOOPING  FIGURE, HIS SERVANT FORM.
 MARK'S ACCOUNT OF THE TEMPTATION CONSIST ONLY HALF A SENTENCE, " AND HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS FORTY DAYS, TEMPTED BY SATAN [ MARK 1:13a]  THE TEMPTATION ACCOUNTS  IN MATTHEW [4:1-11] AND LUKE 4:1-13] ARE MUCH LONGER; BOTH SPEAK OF SATAN LEAVING JESUS. MARK MAKES NO MENTION OF SATAN LEAVING JESUS. WHY NOT?  HIS ENTIRE GOSPEL IS A TEMPTATION ACCOUNT. JESUS AND SATAN ARE LOCKED IN MORTAL COMBAT THROUGHOUT. IN JESUS, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS DOING BATTLE WITH THE KINGDOM OF SATAN  [MARK 3:23-27.]
SATAN SEEKS TO ENLIST THE AID OF JESUS OWN DISCIPLES [MARK 8;31-33]. AT THE CROSS, IT APPEARS THAT SATAN HAS WON THE STRUGGLE.. HOWEVER, IT IS JUST WHEN JESUS APPEARS TO BE AT HIS WORST [ON THE CROSS] HE IS AT HIS VERY BEST, FOR HE HAS SERVED TO THE POINT OF GIVING UP LIFE ITSELF. HIS DEATH IS NOT DEFEAT, BUT VICTORY!
JESUS  WHOLE LIFE WAS A SERMON. HE WAS A KING WHO WALKED IN THE WAY OF A SERVANT. HE WAS ASKING THEM TO RE-THINK THEIR MESSIANIC EXPECTATIONS AND  GOD'S WILL FOR THEIR LIVES.