The Beginning of the Gospel

Lesson 1

The Beginning of the Gospel

(Acts 12-13, Mark 1)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Have you experienced setbacks in life? How did they turn out? Our study this quarter is based on the Gospel of Mark. Early in life Mark experienced an enormous setback. He persisted and ended up at the center of the work of the early church. Guided by the Holy Spirit he wrote the Gospel of Mark. What a comeback! Let’s plunge into the story of Mark and discover how his life got back on track and how he starts his gospel!

1. Peter’s Son?
   
   1. Read 1 Peter 5:13. Did you know that Peter had a son named Mark? (As we will see, Peter and Mark worked together. Peter is using a term of affection, he is not saying Mark is his actual son.)
      1. Is this Mark, Peter’s co-worker, the author of the Gospel of Mark? (Papias, an early Christian writer, tells us that Mark was a close associate of Peter. This explains why Peter refers to Mark as “my son.” According to the Bible Exposition Commentary, Church tradition refers to Mark as “Peter’s interpreter.” It appears that Peter preached about his work with Jesus, Mark wrote it down and arranged it. NIV Study Bible, Introduction to Mark.)
      2. When you think about Jesus’ disciples, with which one would you want to work? (Peter is a man of action. The book of Mark is filled with action – small wonder if he took his source material from Peter.)
   2. Read Acts 12:1-2 and Acts 12:6. What do you think the phrase “Herod was about to bring [Peter] out” means? (Given that Herod had just killed James, he was going to bring Peter out to kill him.)
   3. Read Acts 12:7 and Acts 12:11-12. What do we learn about John Mark and Peter? (Peter knew they would be praying for him at the home of John Mark’s mother.)
2. John Mark, Paul, and Barnabas
   
   1. Read Acts 13:2-5. Where do we find John Mark now? (He is assisting Paul and Barnabas!)
      1. What does that tell you about John Mark? (He was at the center of the action.)
   2. Read Acts 13:13 and Acts 15:36-39. Think about this. Why didn’t Barnabas just agree with Paul? The Holy Spirit had called Paul and Barnabas to work together! (Verse 39 refers to “sharp” disagreement. Barnabas must have thought highly of John Mark and he must have thought that Paul was being unreasonable. Paul must have been very critical of John Mark.)
   3. Read Colossians 4:10. What clue do we find here about why Barnabas is such a supporter of John Mark? (They are related!)
   4. Read 2 Timothy 4:11 and Colossians 4:10-11. What do we learn about the relationship between Paul and John Mark late in Paul’s life? (They have reconciled and John Mark is an important help to Paul).
      1. We have now learned that John Mark is ultimately a close associate of Paul and he is a close associate of Peter. What does that tell you about Mark’s comeback as a gospel worker? (He is working with the principal leaders of the early church. Mark has made up for his earlier failure.)
         
         1. Given the texts we have studied, how do you think Mark made his comeback? (It helped to be related to Barnabas. But the context suggests that Mark worked hard and with the top leaders. Even though Paul was against him, he worked with Paul to change his opinion. He didn’t avoid Paul.)
3. Mark Introduces Jesus
   
   1. Read Mark 1:1. Do you prefer the simple or the complex? How does Mark start his gospel? (Simple, direct, and to the point.)
      1. Can you see Peter speaking this way?

3. 2. Read Ephesians 6:18-19. Paul writes of the “mystery of the gospel.” Is Mark starting out the wrong way by making things simple? Is Mark heading in the wrong way because of the influence of Peter as opposed to Paul?
   3. Let’s step back a minute. Put yourself in the time frame of the early church. How challenging would it be to argue that Jesus was “the Son of God?”
      1. Is there a mystery in the idea that the Son of Mary is also God’s Son?
   4. Read Mark 1:2-3. What argument is Mark making that Jesus is God? (Read Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Both of these prophesy that a messenger will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.)
   5. Read Mark 1:4-7. Was Jesus preceded by a messenger? (Yes! John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. John the Baptist even says that is what he is doing.)
      1. If you were reading the Gospel of Mark would this help convince you that Jesus is the Son of God? (Mark cites the Bible and recent events showing fulfillment of prophecy about the coming of the Lord. Isn’t this what we tend to do? We look around, see what is happening, and then compare that to Bible prophecy.)
   6. Read Mark 1:8. How is Jesus’ baptism different than John’s?
   7. Read John 4:1-2. How do you explain Mark 1:8 when John the Baptist predicts Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit? (This text is consistent in that Jesus is not baptizing with water. John the Baptist must mean that Jesus would cause people to come “under” the power of the Holy Spirit. I can see the symbolism between being buried in water and covered with the Holy Spirit. Compare Matthew 28:19.)
   8. Read Mark 1:9. Why would Jesus need to be baptized? Was He a sinner who needed to repent and be baptized?
   1. Read Matthew 3:13-15. This is Jesus’ answer to the question of why He should be baptized by John. What does Jesus mean that He is being baptized to “fulfill all righteousness?” (Baptism is the ordinance that we go through to show that we died to our old life and now are righteous by faith in Jesus. Romans 6:4-5. Jesus is being an example to us. He is showing us how to fulfill righteousness.)
   10. Read Mark 1:10-11. What additional proof does Mark give that Jesus is the Son of God? (God proclaimed Jesus was His Son at Jesus’ baptism.)
       1. Notice who descended on Jesus. Is this further proof that Jesus’ addition to John’s baptism is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
       2. Have you been baptized by water and the Holy Spirit?
4. The Message
   
   1. Read Mark 1:14-15. What does Mark teach us is the “gospel of God?” (The time is now. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Let’s examine each of these in turn.
      1. “The time is fulfilled.” Read John 3:30. Did Jesus wait to begin His ministry in earnest until after John had been imprisoned? (The two ministries were passing by each other. John’s ministry diminished as Jesus’ ministry grew. John prepared the way. Now was the time for John to diminish and Jesus increase.)
      2. “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Is Jesus the Kingdom of God? (Yes. The King is present. The means by which God’s Kingdom on earth will be restored is now operating.)
      3. “Repent and believe in the gospel.” I thought that John preached repentance. Are the people still in need of confession of sin? (I don’t think that is what repentance means here. Of course the people had sins. But the repentance here is tied to the gospel. The people needed to change from their old view of dealing with sin, to the new view of Jesus being their sin-bearer and the Holy Spirit guiding their life in the right path.)
   2. Friend, have you accepted Jesus as God come to earth? Have you repented and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ? If not, why not do that right now?

5. Next week: A Day in the Ministry of Jesus.