Jesus: The Man Who Changed HistorySample

Opening lines are always revealing.

You read, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” and you’re imagining stars and planets and spaceships. You hear, “It was a dark and stormy night…” and you’re picturing a haunted house and some spiderwebs strung over creaking doors. A well-written book will grab you from the first sentence and draw you into the story. It tells you what it’s all about.

Mark’s Gospel is just like that. It’s a no-nonsense account of the life of Jesus. And it begins with an announcement of good news.

“Good news” is more than just a light-hearted story at the end of a TV bulletin. It is a declaration that something life-changing has happened and that things will never be the same as a result. As we’re introduced to Jesus in Mark’s Gospel, the bold claim is that he is the best news ever.

Mark introduces Jesus with two job titles which explain why his arrival is seen as such good news. He is, first, “the Messiah” - that is, God’s chosen King who would save his people. And he is, second, “the Son of God” - that is, God himself, comes in the flesh to put right what is wrong with the world.

Lots of people claim to speak for God but if someone claims to be God - and then backs it up with evidence - we ought to pay attention.

Mark’s challenge to us, right from the top, is:

If, after looking into Jesus’ life and claims, he isn’t the best news we’ve ever heard, then we can be sure we’ve missed something significant.