The Master of Ceremonies steps to the microphone and, after making a few witty comments, he transitions, “Our next guest needs no introduction.” Still, he proceeds to set the stage for the keynote speaker with a story, an endorsement, or highlights of the guest’s great accomplishments. Because even the most famous people ought to be properly introduced.
Experienced communication coaches teach that effective introductions contain several basic elements: establish the credibility of the one being introduced, humanize the guest with a story about them, be concise, and crescendo with announcing the guest’s full name. Following this formula, Mark offers a textbook introduction of Jesus in the first few verses of his Gospel.
Unlike other Gospel accounts, Mark skips the first 30 years of Jesus’ life and presents Jesus stepping through the curtains of history and onto the world stage at His baptism and temptation. He starts, “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). In these first dozen words and the verses that follow, Mark makes three introductory claims about the historic Jesus: He is God’s Son, He is the fulfillment of promise, and He is the greatest of saviors. Jesus needs no introduction but this one is perfect, nonetheless.
First, and most importantly, Jesus is God’s Son. Mark emphasizes from the outset that Jesus isn’t merely a prophetic voice or another great teacher or an inspiring leader, though He was all of these things. Jesus is God. God broke into history and became flesh, one of the central truths of the Christian faith. Nineteenth century preacher, J.C. Ryle, emphasizes its importance:
The divinity of Christ is the citadel and keep of Christianity. Here lies the infinite value of the atoning sacrifice He made upon the cross. Here lies the peculiar merit of His atoning death for sinners. [His] death was not the death of a mere man, like ourselves, but of one who is "over all, God blessed forever" (Romans 9:5). We need not wonder that the sufferings of one person were a sufficient propitiation for the sin of a world, when we remember that He who suffered was the "Son of God."
It was not enough for a good man to come into the world; We needed the God-man to atone for our sin. So when Mark introduced Jesus as the Son of God, he confirmed His divinity.
At the same time, he also connected Jesus with the Trinity. Jesus is God, but He is not God the Father or God the Holy Spirit. He is the Son, the second person of the Godhead. In fact, when Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:9-11), God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were simultaneously present. In essence, Mark was announcing that Jesus was more than a godly man. He was God-in-the-flesh, the second person of the Trinity, who had come to live among us.
Second, Mark presents Jesus as the fulfillment of a promise. In Genesis 3:15, God promised to send a Redeemer who would conquer sin and Satan and bring hope to God’s people. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, a messianic hope was building in Israel as prophets searched for the fulfillment of this ancient promise. For this reason, Mark 1:2-3 combines texts from Exodus 23, Isaiah 40, and Malachi 3 to prove that the whole Old Testament was filled with signposts showing the way to the coming Messiah or Christ. In fact, at the end of His life, Jesus would tell how all the Scriptures—starting with Moses and all the prophets—pointed to Himself (Luke 24:27). When Jesus was born, God was keeping His promise.
Finally, Mark introduced Jesus as the greatest of saviors. John the Baptist was the first prophetic voice for 400 years and therefore would have had considerable honor in Israel. But even as John called people to repentance for the forgiveness of sins, he taught that there was someone even greater than him—greater in status and greater in power with a greater message (Mark 1:7-8). John would reorient people to God. But Jesus would rescue them forever. Jesus is the greatest of all saviors.
HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE
So, the guest of honor is introduced and takes center stage. When they’re finished, the most common response is applause—a rousing affirmation of their performance. But Jesus doesn’t seek our applause; He wants our affection. We don’t offer Him a standing ovation, but humbly bow before Him as our Lord and King. The Son of God, the fulfillment of promise, the greatest of saviors deserves our adoration and allegiance.
This doesn’t happen because a person is merely introduced to Jesus—knowing about Him. It occurs when a person comes to know Jesus personally. Throughout his Gospel, Mark will put Jesus on display, highlighting His revolutionary teaching and redemptive work. Each time someone encountered Jesus’ love, power, grace, compassion, authority, and more, they faced a decision to either applaud Him as a guest act for the day or affirm Him for who He was and put their faith in Him for life.
Who is He to you? Knowing who Jesus is, you can respect Him as a guest or receive Him as God into your life. May His introduction move you to greater affection for Jesus your Savior!
Related content
See also the "Introducing: Jesus!" sermon from the "King Jesus" sermon series about the Gospel of Mark.