A New BeginningSýnishorn

A new beginning

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1)

Today, we read the first verse of the Gospel of Mark. It makes it very clear that the main character around whom the whole book revolves is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

But now, I want to draw your attention to the very first words Mark writes: “The beginning.” This means much more than the beginning of the book. Mark is writing about something entirely new, a new beginning that the Lord God is making in this world.

The very first book of the Bible also begins this way: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). That book tells how the world was made and how the first people were created. Then we read how those people disobeyed God, how their descendants kept turning away from the Lord God, and how the world suffered greatly from the consequences of sin.

But God did not allow that situation to continue indefinitely. He promised renewal and restoration. This rescue plan became visible with the coming of Jesus Christ to earth. His birth was a crucial turning point, ushering in a new episode in human history. It is this new beginning that Mark describes in his book.

The world needed a “new beginning” because something crucial had gone wrong. Does your life also need a new beginning? In what respect?