title="English
The Beginning
Mark 1:1
“All beginnings are hard!” wrote Chaim Potok as he began one of his novels. Personally, I have found this to be true. And today we begin a new series of messages – from the Gospel of Mark entitled This Too Shall Be Made Right. I spent four years of my life working on Mark’s Gospel when I did my dissertation and I return to it 29 years later for the first time to do a series of sermons out of it. I’m finding it hard to know how to begin so I thought I begin with something you may not expect, i.e., a video clip of Pablo Picasso creating a painting: http://youtu.be/-AHgNrjfMmg?t=1m15s.
That video clip shows an artist at work – knowing what he’s making. But, we who watch it don’t know what he’s doing or why he’s doing it. By the end, the result is very different from what we’ve expected. And, it brings us to the title verse in Mark’s gospel, 1:1, in which we see God once again beginning a new creative work – just like in Genesis. Mark’s opening word is the word “beginning”. But different from Genesis 1, this time God will not be creating “out of nothing” but will recreate what Eph. 2:10 calls a beautiful masterpiece out of a world that has gone wrong. This is what we read in Mark’s title verse:
The beginning of the good news about Jesus: the Messiah, the Son of God.
“All beginnings are hard” – so let’s let God’s Word guide us word by word as we begin:
#1: The Beginning
Like the Genesis and John, Mark’s opening word is simply “beginning”. In the beginning God created the world. Now, in Mark 1:1, God is about to bring about a new beginning. The Bible is declaring that a new divine creation is at hand. For the reader who has read the book of Genesis, this is a thrilling opening.
And notice this too: The entire book of Mark is called a beginning. What Mark is saying is that when we have finished reading his book, something new from God will have been launched. But, the good news doesn’t really begin until we get to the end of the book. Of course, this drives us to read how Mark ends his gospel. For many reasons, I’m convinced that the Gospel of Mark originally ended at 16:1-8. What we find there doesn’t seem, on the surface, to be such a great beginning. Why do I say this? Jesus has died. His disciples had betrayed and abandoned him in his last days. And, even though a young man dressed in white tells three women that Jesus had risen from the dead, the women are only alarmed by the news. They don’t seem to believe it at all. In fact, no human being other than a Roman centurion had ever seemed to grasp fully that Jesus was the Son of God. So, the end of the gospel that Mark says is good news says this:
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid (16:8).
We read this and wonder whether anyone will ever hear again about Jesus. Of course, Mark is not fiction but historic narrative so we know the disciples overcame their fear and carried the gospel out to the world. The point is this – The good news from God may not always look like good news in our human eyes. Similar to the Picasso video, as God is creating his great masterpiece, he knows what he is doing even when we don’t comprehend it. And this is what I want you to take home: What may look like an ending in human eyes is often a new beginning in the eyes of God.
I am quite sure that the Apostle Peter was the main source for Mark’s information in this gospel. Peter knew this truth well. He had seen Jesus die. Peter had been one who had consciously and intentionally betrayed Jesus. Peter had felt like a failure and he had given up hope. But, God had never given up on Peter. Peter would always want those of us who follow Jesus to know what he wrote about in 1 Peter 1: In this dying world, we have been given “a new birth into a living hope.” If you are facing what now seems like an ending, I urge you to entrust it to God today. He is the one who turns apparent endings into beautiful beginnings. This death of Jesus, according to Mark, is a new beginning.
#2: Good News
This beginning is an announcement of some good news (i.e., gospel). The word euanggelion, meaning good news, was a word used when a king sent someone to announce a great victory over an enemy. And, we’ll see in Mark that the idea of a new and victorious kingdom led by a powerful and good king is a central message. So, why does this kind of announcement need to be made? There are several reasons:
The first reason a victory needs to happen is that there is a lot of bad news in the midst of what was originally “very good”. When God first created, he made something that was beautiful. But, since Genesis 3, there has been a lot that is not so beautiful in God’s artistic creation. What kind of bad news did Jesus see in the world? Mark’s gospel keeps telling us of the kinds of things Jesus took on in his day. As we go through Mark’s narrative, we’ll see the bad things Jesus confronted: personal evil powers, sickness, poverty, people with disabilities, natural disasters, broken relationships, legalism, pride, abuse of power, unjust governments and systems, possessions being put in God’s place, death… There was a lot that had gone wrong. It would be quite a job to clean up a “work of art” gone so fully wrong. And, of course, there are still countless wrong things in our world. We need some good news in the midst of this world filled with bad news. If this world will reflect God’s glory, there is a lot that is wrong that will need to be made right.
The second reason a victory needs to happen is that there are real enemies to the rule of God that need to be defeated. The Bibles summarize them in three categories:
- The world – all the systems, values and patterns that have been established by centuries of sin, pride and self-centeredness. Paul warns us about this in Rom. 12 saying, “Don’t let the world shape you.”
- The flesh – We’re not just victims of what has gone on before us or of the patterns of our culture. We are also complicit. We are prone to live for ourselves instead of for God. In Eph. 2, Paul would say that when things are wrong in our lives, it’s not just the world. No, he said, “all us us lived gratifying the sinful cravings of our flesh and following our own desires and cravings.”
- The devil – Jesus constantly confronts the real personal evil called Satan and his minions. Let’s us not have such a limited worldview as to think there are no spiritual realities. In Eph. 2, Paul warns us about the one he calls “the ruler of the spirit of the air” who seeks to work in us.
Do you see my point? We need a victory over these enemies. We need good news in the midst of all this bad news. And Mark opens by telling us that the King over all kings is going to begin something that will lead to a complete victory. A new rule is breaking into this world with a new king. As we read the Gospel of Mark, we will be seeing whether this new king has the power and the will to defeat the enemies and to establish a new kingdom. (Let me tell you right now – Jesus does have that power and that will.)
This may sound very theological and conceptual. But, it is very personal. Why do I say that? Because all of us know that there are still some bad things in our personal lives that need to be forgiven and made new. There are some battles in our lives about which God needs to declare victory. So, we all need to respond to this new king. We will hear from the new king that we need to repent and believe and follow. We need to repent of our self-ruled ways and of following the ways of any others would-be-ruler in this world. We need to trust this new king. And we must follow this new king.
So, who is he?
#3: About Jesus
God’s good news is not about a pamphlet I have to read or a prayer I have to pray or a program I have to enter into. All those have a role to play in God’s new creation. But, the heart of the good news is that it’s about Jesus. Jesus is the one who lived the life we should be living but are not. Jesus is the one who died the death we should have to die because of our sins – but no longer have to because he did it in our place. Jesus is the one we should believe in. Jesus is the one we must follow. Jesus is the one who must be the Lord of our lives and our church. Jesus is the one to whom our lives should conform. The good news is about Jesus.
Who is he? Mark will show us so much. But, in this title verse, the Bible tells us two foundational truths:
- Jesus is the Messiah – The Greek word is Xristos = the Christ. Jesus is the one the Jewish people had waited for. He had been promised throughout Scripture in the prophecies. The Messiah was the one who would set all things right. The people of Israel longed for him and prayed he would come. But, as is the case with most of us, they had gotten the idea of Messiah horribly wrong. They thought Messiah would only bring blessing to Israel rather than to the whole world. They minimized Messiah’s calling to being only the political liberator of Israel from Rome. They even ignored all the parts of the Bible saying that the Messiah would have to suffer. So, throughout Mark’s gospel, Jesus would tell his Jewish followers not to say yet that the Messiah had come – not until they could grasp more fully who the Messiah was. In spite of that, the Bible states definitively that Jesus was and is the Messiah. As was promised in the prophecies, when the Messiah completes his work, all things will be made right.
- Jesus is the Son of God – Throughout the book, we will see that Jesus does what only God can do. He bears the characteristics of Jehovah God. He forgives sin. He raises the dead. He creates food. Jesus is the Son of God who alone can accomplish the work of the kingdom of God. He is worthy of our trust. He is worthy of our praise. He is worthy to be followed.
When we read this opening verse, we know who Jesus is. Then, throughout Mark, we will see that God the Father identifies Jesus as his Son. The demons also know who Jesus is – “the Holy One of God”, they will call him. But no human being grasps who Jesus is fully -- until a Roman Centurion sees Jesus dying. Sometimes the disciples see in part. (Peter called him the Messiah in Mk. 8 but, in doing so, did not grasp what that word meant.) So, we read with amazement as people see Jesus’ divine acts and hear his teaching but remain as dense as rocks to the fact that this is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Reading Mark is a bit like reading Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. In that book, we know early on that Rodion Raskolnikov killed a pawnbroker – and then we read on and on to see how his covered-up crime will play out. In Mark, we know as readers immediately who Jesus is and we read on and on wondering whether people in the story will know that he is the Messiah and Son of God who has come to bring God’s good news. We wonder whether people will turn from their old ways, believe in Jesus and follow him. But what happens is this: As we see their unbelief and their constant turning back to old ways of thinking and living, we recognize ourselves. Each passage in Mark will force us to ask the most important question of our lives, i.e.: Have I surrendered fully in faith to Jesus, the only one who can forgive my sins, rescue me from my way of life, and begin to make all things right.
The beginning of the good news about Jesus: the Messiah, the Son of God.
I ask you to consider this statement: The beginning of things being made right in any area of your life begins with surrendering in faith to the rule of Jesus. I’m not offering a simplistic cliché here. I’m telling you that the starting point for the transforming of anything that is wrong in your life is Jesus. I’m not saying that if you trust Jesus today, you will never be selfish, lust-filled or angry again. I’m not saying that God will not use medicine to further his healing work in your body. I’m not saying that God will not use wise counseling to help you rethink how your do relationships and to help you develop new patterns of living from what has trapped you before. I’m not saying that you will not need a supportive community to teach and correct you and to help you find liberation from addictions. God uses each and all those things and many, many more. But, I am saying this: It all starts with Jesus. Do all those things without Jesus, and you will still find that true life is missing. The good news is about… Jesus.
Jesus is the one through whom all things were made in Genesis 1. Jesus is the one though whom all will be recreated until Revelation 21-22 becomes a reality and all things are made right – including all things in our lives..
Now we come to the Lord’s Supper. I am often told by people who build things that it’s easier to make something beautiful out of “scratch” rather than to have to work with something that already exists – and has become dirty, brittle, and broken. In God’s first creative work, he spoke and things came into being ex nihilo – out of nothing. But, in his greatest masterpiece, our own remaking, he is working with a world he loves but that is badly marred. We are brittle and stubborn stuff – not easily re-shaped. God had to come personally into this sinful world to begin this work. He had to become the ultimate suffering artist entering into the pain of this world. For the new creation to begin, we eventually see Jesus dying on a cross. On one side, we see sinful and broken people confused and wandering and fearful and trembling (like Mk. 16:8). But, this great Artist will complete his work of re-creation. The death of Jesus that looked like an ending was not an ending. The death was became the basis for our own justification and the resurrection became both the power and certainly of our own reclamation. It was the beginning of good news about Jesus.
When we think of God’s good news, we dare never forget what it took to begin our restoration. And that’s what we will do as a community today. Too all who admit that “I too am sinful and need to be forgiven – I too am broken and need to be remade”, I say, “Come now to the table of God’s grace.”
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Chinese
開始
《馬可福音》1:1
"萬事開頭難!"這是Chaim Potok在他的一部小說開頭寫到的。我發現這確實是真的。今天,我們將開始一系列有關《馬可福音》的信息,題目是《這也終將得以糾正》。在我做學位論文時,我曾用四年時間研究《馬可福音》。29年後,我第一次開始根據這部福音書做系列講道。我發現開頭真的很難,我想講章的開頭可能出人意料,是一個有關Pablo Picasso繪畫的視頻片段(http://youtu.be/-AHgNrjfMmg?t=1m15s)。
這段視頻是說一個藝術家在工作——他知道他在做什麽,但觀看的人卻不明白他在做什麽或為什麽這樣做,而最後的結果大大出乎我們的意料。這個視頻將我們引到《馬可福音》的起始經文1:1,在這裏,我們看到神再次開始一個新的創造工作——就像在《創世記》。《馬可福音》的開篇詞是"beginning"。但與《創世記》第1章不同,這一次神不是從無造有,而是從一個錯誤的世界重新創造一個美麗的作品——就如弗2:10中描述的那樣。《馬可福音》1:1說:
耶穌福音的起頭:彌賽亞——神的兒子
"萬事開頭難。"——所以,在開始的時候,就讓神的話逐字逐句地引領我們。
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#1: 開始
就像《創世記》和《約翰福音》,《馬可福音》的開篇詞只是簡單的“beginning”而已。起初神創造世界,如今,在《馬可福音》1:1,神將要進行一個新的開始。聖經宣稱神的一個新創造即將進行。對已讀過《創世記》的讀者而言,這是令人震驚的開篇。
我們也會註意到:整卷《馬可福音》被稱為一個開始。(作者)馬可認為,當我們讀完他的書,一些從神而來的新東西已經開始了。然而,真正的好消息始自我們讀完這卷書的時候。當然,這促使我們想知道馬可是如何寫這部福音書的結尾的。基於多個理由,我確信《馬可福音》原本在16:1-8結束。我們發現這裡從表面看起來并不像有一個偉大的開端。 為什麽我這樣說?(當時)耶穌已經過世,祂的門徒在最後的日子裏已經背叛和離棄祂。即使是一個身著白衣的年輕人告訴三個女子,耶穌已經從死裏復活,三個女子因這個消息而受到驚嚇。她們看起來根本不相信這個消息。事實上,沒有人比那個羅馬的百夫長更能體會耶穌是神的兒子。因此,《馬可福音》的結尾是這樣寫的:
“他們就出來,從墳墓那裏逃跑,又發抖又驚奇,什麽也不告訴人,因為她們害怕。”(16:8)
我們讀到這些,就想知道是否還有人也聽說過耶穌。當然,《馬可福音》不是虛構的,而是歷史記述,所以我們知道門徒戰勝了恐懼,把福音傳到各地。要點在於——從神而來的好消息在人眼中未必是好消息。就像Picasso的視頻,神正在創造一部偉大的作品,雖然我們不明白,但祂知道祂在做什麽。這就是我要你們學到的:人眼中的結尾常常是神眼中的開始。
我確信使徒彼得是《馬可福音》信息的主要來源。彼得也知道這個事實。他看見耶穌死了。彼得是有意背叛耶穌的人之一。彼得感受了失敗,他已經放棄了希望。但是,神卻從未放棄過彼得。彼得通過《彼得前書》1節,一直想讓我們這些追隨耶穌的人知道:在這個將亡的世界,我們“已經重生,並有活潑的希望。”(參彼前1:3)如果你正面對一個結尾,我鼓勵你把它交托給神。祂可以把結尾變為美麗的開始。根據《馬可福音》,耶穌的死,是一個新的開始。 -
#2: 福音
這個開始宣布了一些好消息(福音)。Evangelion這個詞,意味著好消息,用在當國王派遣某人宣告偉大的勝利的時候。我們可以看到,圍繞一個由強大而良善的王所率領的嶄新、得勝的王國,這種觀念是《馬可福音》的中心信息。那麽,為什麽需要這種宣告? 有以下幾個原因:
第一個得勝要發生的原因是,本來是原先的“甚好”摻雜了許多壞消息。
神起初創造時,所造的一切全然美麗無瑕。但是,從創世記三章開始,在神充滿藝術的創造中發生了許多不美好的事。 耶穌在世界上看到什麽壞消息? 馬可福音一直不斷的告訴我們耶穌在祂的日子里所承受的那些事。 讀完馬可福音的記載,看到耶穌怎樣面對這些敗壞的事:個人性的邪惡勢力、疾病、貧困、殘疾、自然災害,破裂的關係、律法主義、驕傲、濫用權力、不義的政府和系統、以擁有強佔神的位置、死亡。。。偏離正道的事比比皆是。與“傑作”完全的差錯,要正本清源有太多要清理的工作。除此以外,世界上還有無盡的錯事。在這個充滿了敗壞消息的世間我們需要好消息。如果這個世界反映神的榮耀,許多錯的事需要得以反正。
第二個得勝要發生的原因是真正對抗神的統治的仇敵必須打敗。聖經總結三類:
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世界 - 從世紀以來,以罪,驕傲和自我中心中建立起來的所有的系統,價值和模式。保羅在羅馬說12章中說,“不要效法世界的樣式”
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肉體 - 我們不僅僅是在我們以先,或當今文化的犧牲品,我們本身也是與罪串通一氣的。我們都是傾向于為己而活而不是為神而活。以弗所書第二章保羅的話是說當我們生活不對勁,不只是世界的問題。不是的,他說;“ 我們。。。放縱肉體的私欲,隨著肉體和心中所喜好的去行。。和別人一樣。”
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邪惡 - 耶穌不斷的面對真實的個人的惡,叫做魔鬼和他的走狗們。讓我們的世界觀不要狹隘到以為靈界事實的不存在。在以弗所書2中中, 保羅警告說這個“空中邪靈的掌權者”時刻尋找吞吃我們。
你明白了嗎? 我們需要在這些仇敵身上得勝。我們需要在壞消息中聽見福音。馬可福音開篇說王萬之王要開始一項工作,這項工作將帶來完全得勝。嶄新的政權隨著新王將要打破世界。我們讀馬可福音,可以看見這位君王是不是有能力和定意來打敗仇敵經歷王國。(我現在就告訴你—耶穌有這個能力和定意。)
可能你聽起來覺得太神學和抽象了。但是這關乎自身。 我爲什麽這樣說呢?為我們每個人都知道在自己個人生活中都有一些壞事需要被赦免得以煥然一新。在我們生活中有些爭戰需要神來宣告得勝。所以我們每個人都需要來回應這位新的君王。我們會聽到這位新的君王說我們要悔改,相信和跟從。我們需要為自我掌管的生活方式以及跟隨其他將要來的掌權者王悔改。我們需要信靠這位新的君王。跟隨這位君王。
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#3: 關於耶穌
神的福音並不是我必須去讀的小冊子,或我必須念的禱告,抑或我必須參加的項目。我們所有的人在神的全新創造中都扮演一個角色。但是福音的中心是有關耶穌。耶穌是我們所有的人本來要活的樣子但是活不出來。耶穌的死本來是你我因為過犯不得不死,但是我們卻可以不死,因為耶穌替我們死了。耶穌是我們應該相信的。耶穌是我們應該跟從的。 耶穌是那個應該成為我們生活和教會的主的。耶穌是我們生活應該要成為的樣式。 好消息是有關耶穌。
祂是誰? 馬可福音會告訴我們很多。但是在這個標題的經文中,聖經告訴我們兩個基本真理:
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耶穌是彌賽亞---希臘文是 Xristos 就是基督。耶穌就是猶太人一直在等待的救世主。聖經一直在預言祂的來臨。彌賽亞就是那位'可以糾正一切的主'。以色列人一直在等待祂,祈求祂的降臨。但是,與我們大多數人相比,以色列人在關於彌賽亞的問題上犯了可怕的錯誤。他們以為彌賽亞僅僅給以色列人帶來祝福,而不是全世界其他的人。他們縮小了彌賽亞的作為,以為彌賽亞僅僅是將以色列人從羅馬統治中解放出來的政治領袖。他們甚至忽略了聖經中所有關於彌賽亞必須受苦難的經文。所以,在通篇馬可福音中,耶穌總告訴祂的猶太追隨者'不要說彌賽亞已經來到了'—直到他們更加能夠更加深刻地把握瞭解'誰是彌賽亞'。除此以外,聖經確切無疑地肯定'耶穌就是,永遠是彌賽亞'。就像預言所說,當彌賽亞完成他的工作,所有的錯誤都將被糾正。
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耶穌是神子—在通篇馬可福音中,我們將看到,耶穌做了那些'只有神能做的事'。祂帶有耶和華神才有的特質。祂赦免罪;祂起死回生;祂造出食物;耶穌是神的兒子,只有祂能完成'屬於神的國度'的事。祂配得我們信賴;祂配得我們讚美;祂配得我們追隨。
當我們讀這些開頭的經文,我們就知道耶穌是誰。當我們讀完馬可福音,我們就會知道神指定耶穌為'神的兒子'。魔鬼也知道耶穌是誰—他們叫祂'神的聖者'。但是,沒有人真正明白'耶穌是誰'。 --直到一個羅馬軍官看到耶穌死後。 就是使徒有時也只是部分了解。 (彼得在馬可福音第八章稱祂為彌賽亞。但在行為上,他並沒有真正了解這個詞的含義)所以,我們驚訝地讀到,人們見證了耶穌的神聖,聆聽了祂的教誨,但在'耶穌就是彌賽亞,神的兒子'這個事實面前,卻如此愚如頑石。
讀馬可福音有點像讀陀思妥耶夫斯基的《罪與罰》。在那本書中,我們早就知道拉斯柯尼科夫殺死了當舖老闆—但隨著閱讀的進行,我們漸漸看到被他掩蓋的罪行如何真相大白。
在讀馬可福音時,我們馬上就知道'耶穌是誰'。然後隨著閱讀的進行,我們開始憂心人們是否知道祂就是彌賽亞,神的兒子,祂來就是要帶來'神的好消息'。我們不知道人們是否會脫離他們的老路改信耶穌,並且追隨祂。但事實上我們看見的是:他們的不信,他們不斷迴轉老的思維與生活方式,從他們身上,我們看見自己的影子。馬可福音的每一個段落都迫使我們問自己一個生命中最重要的問題,如:我有沒有信心完全順服耶穌,順服那個唯一能赦免我們的罪,救贖我們,並糾正一切錯誤的耶穌?
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福音由耶穌開始:彌賽亞,神的兒子
我請你思考這個申明:你的生命步入正軌的開端,始於順服耶穌掌權的信心。我並不是簡單地重複一個陳詞濫調。我要告訴你的是,轉變你生命中那些錯誤從耶穌開始。我不是說今天你信了耶穌,你就不再自私,物慾或憤怒。我沒有說,神不用(現有的醫療設備)治療你的身體;我沒有說神不用聰明的心理諮詢來幫助你調整關係,或神不用心理諮詢幫助你從羈絆你的生活方式中走出來、建立新的方式。我也沒有說你不需要社會資源來教導你、糾正你、從上癮的惡習中釋放出來。神使用這每一樣,這所有的,甚至更多、更多。但我要說的是:這所有的一切都從耶穌開始。如果沒有耶穌,你做所有這一切,依然會迷失自己。這個好消息就是。 。 。耶穌。
耶穌就是創世紀第一章中創造一切的那一位。耶穌就是重建一切,糾正所有錯誤—包括我們的生活,並使啟示錄21-22章變成現實的那一位。
現在,我們來到主的聖餐。常常有人告訴我,修復'擦傷'容易,而將那些已經存在的污垢、易碎、已經破碎的東西進行重建就要困難得多。在神的第一次創造中,祂在談話之間就從無到有創造了這一切。但祂的最大傑作是—祂將與這個祂熱愛、卻被嚴重毀壞的世界一起合作—重建我們。我們是這麼易碎卻又頑固,不易被重塑,祂必須親自來到這個罪惡的世界開始祂的工作。祂必須作為那個最終受難的藝術家進入到這個世界的痛。當新的創造開始時,我們后来看見耶穌死在十字架上。一方面,我們看見有罪的、破碎的人們困惑,他們徘徊、他們害怕、他們戰抖(像馬可福音16:8 )。但是,這個偉大的藝術家將完成他的重塑工作。耶穌的死看起來像尾聲卻不是結束。祂的死成為我們稱義的基礎,祂的復活成為我們重新被造的能力和確據。它是有關耶穌的好消息的開端。
当我们想起神的福音,我们不敢忘记这个重建开始的代价。那就是我们今天這一群體要做的。对所有承认'我有罪,我需要赦免'的人—我也是破碎的一個,也需要被重建的—来吧,来加入神"恩典的聖餐"。
祂的荣耀,
格雷格Waybright博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2012, Lake Avenue Church