It's great to see you as always. Folks, I don't know if you've ever played the game of Guess Who.
! It's one of my childhood favourites. In Guess Who, the idea of the game is to guess the identity of the character of your opponent from a selection of about 30 possible characters in the game.
So you use a process of elimination. You ask them questions about the appearance of their character. Do they have brown hair? Are they a man or a woman? Do they have a big nose or a small nose, big lips, small lips and so on.
So you work out their character before your opponent works out your character. It's a great game.
Now there's only really so far that you can push this analogy, but Mark's Gospel, it works a bit like a big game of Guess Who.
Except Mark, who wrote the Gospel, is absolutely terrible at playing it. In fact, he wants to let you win.
Because right from the beginning of his Gospel, he gives the game away in the first verse, doesn't he? Look at verse 1 there that Steve read.
Mark kicks it off, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark reveals the identity of the main character of his book straight away.
It's the first thing that he says to us, isn't it?
He says to us, as the game begins, listen, my character is a man called Jesus, who is God's King, the Christ, the Son of God.
He gives the game away.
But actually he knows that with this particular character, you are going to need more help.
He gives us the answer straight away, but it won't mean we'll automatically win the game.
He tells us the answer by name, the identity of Jesus, but the problem still remains for us.
Will we work Jesus out?
Will we work him out?
Not just in name, but in his nature.
Guess who?
Mark says.
But you know, Mark isn't against us as he writes his book.
He wants to help us.
He wants us to win and to work Jesus out and to respond to him properly.
Do you remember, if you were here last week, Mark showed us the right response for Jesus.
If you look at verse 15, the last verse that Steve read there, Jesus comes out saying,
the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe in the gospel.
That is Jesus' slogan.
And it shows us the response that Mark expects us to have towards Jesus.
But in his opening section here, Mark shows us a collection of voices and of people who say things about Jesus and do things with him
to help us to really work Jesus out.
Guess who he says?
So there are, I think, about six characters in this section who help us work Jesus out.
And I want to take you through three of the main characters, at least three of them.
And you may find it helpful to look on the back of your printed sheets that were in your Bibles
to see those characters as we move through.
So first of all, the first character that we see in this section is a messenger.
It's a messenger.
First of all, Jesus is the one announced by the messenger.
Now I think we can see a really important figure in Mark's opening passage here.
He's probably the most important, actually, if you look at verse 4.
If we read that.
John appeared, baptising in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
And what we've got with this appearance of this guy, John, is a phenomenon.
If you look at verse 4 to 8.
This man, John, appears, and it's absolutely remarkable what happens.
Look at verse 5.
All the country of Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptised by him in the river,
River Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt round his waist
and ate locusts and wild honey.
Now this man, John, his appearance is slightly odd, isn't it?
To say the least.
I am not sure that I could pull off the camel's skin and leather belt look.
And he's eating locusts, isn't he?
And honey.
It sounds a bit like a stag do that has gone terribly, terribly wrong, doesn't it?
But actually for the crowds who are around, his costume and the things that he does are loaded with meaning.
They're bursting with meaning.
So Mark tells us he generates this massive crowd, doesn't he?
And his appearance reminds us of the appearance of Elijah,
who is in the Old Testament part of the Bible.
John is like a new Elijah.
Now Elijah in the Old Testament was one of God's most important messengers.
So he's like a new Elijah.
And we see as well that he's in the wilderness, don't we?
Around the River Jordan doing this baptism stuff.
And again, those places are loaded with meaning for John's listeners.
Do you remember way back in Exodus, in the story of Moses and the salvation from Egypt,
God's people are led through the wilderness, aren't they?
Through the desert.
And eventually they cross over the River Jordan into the Promised Land.
So John the Baptist gets these great crowds together and it's like a revival, isn't it?
It's like a new Exodus.
A new salvation.
And it's all about to happen.
So it's amazing.
It's a phenomenon.
Now what is really surprising is what John then says in verse 7 and 8.
If you just glance down.
He preached saying,
After me comes he who is mightier than I,
the strap of whose sandals I'm not worthy to steep down and untie.
I've baptised you with water.
But he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.
So all of this phenomenal activity, this new Exodus activity,
is just part of the build-up.
It turns out that John here isn't the main player.
He's just the messenger boy.
There is one coming, he says,
who won't just get you wet with water,
but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.
God's Spirit.
He will change you not just on the outside of your body,
but he will change you on the inside.
And he says to these folks around him,
you need to get ready for him.
Get ready.
Confess your sins.
Admit your need for forgiveness.
Get ready for him.
I've given you water,
but he will be the Spirit-giver.
So Jesus firstly is announced by this phenomenal messenger
who says, get ready for Jesus.
Second though,
Jesus is announced by another group of people,
the prophets.
He's announced by the prophets.
And the prophets hope in Jesus.
Just look at verse 2 and 3.
There's another group we hear from, isn't there?
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way.
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make his paths straight.
So Mark there quotes some prophets
from the Old Testament, doesn't he?
The prophet Isaiah.
And actually the prophet Malachi
is quoted in there as well.
So these prophets have said something in the past
which suddenly now
has a new resonance
in Mark's day.
You know, Emma and I have been watching
a new crime series
called Endeavour on ITV.
It's just finished.
It is a really great TV show.
It's about the life of Inspector Morse
when he was younger,
when he first started out.
It's really good.
But actually, you know,
the one annoying thing
at the end of the series
was that the producers
decided to leave the plot
on a ridiculous cliffhanger.
So Inspector Morse is left in prison.
He's falsely accused of murder.
All the good guys have been framed
for things that they didn't do.
And all of the bad guys
seem to have gotten away with it.
It's really annoying.
And you've got to watch,
you've got to wait for a whole year
to watch what happens.
You're left in suspense.
You're waiting for everything
to be resolved in the plot.
For things to be put right.
You really, really want
the next series to come.
And I guess that's why
it works, doesn't it?
But Mark's Gospel,
it comes at a point
in the whole Bible story
where there is a huge cliffhanger
still looming.
You know, it's been about 400 years
since anybody has spoken
God's word to the people.
Just turn with me, if you will,
to the last book in the Old Testament.
So it's just a couple of books
before Mark,
to Malachi.
Malachi.
Malachi, you can find it
on page 968
and 969.
So Malachi.
The last book in the Old Testament.
Page 969.
Let me just read to you
some words from Malachi
chapter 3
and verse 1.
Behold, I send my messenger
and he will prepare
the way before me.
And the Lord whom you seek
will suddenly come
to his temple.
The messenger of the covenant
in whom you delight.
Behold, he is coming,
says the Lord of hosts.
But who can endure
the day of his coming
and who can stand
when he appears?
For he is like a refiner's fire
and like fuller's soap.
He will sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver.
And he will purify
the sons of Levi
and refine them
like gold and silver.
And they will bring offerings
in righteousness
to the Lord.
Then the offering
of Judah in Jerusalem
will be pleasing
to the Lord
as in the days of old.
As in former days.
Now Malachi
wrote those words
about 400 years
before Mark
was around.
And we see there
that Malachi
has got this great hope
that things
are going to change.
They're going to change
significantly.
See what he says
in verse 4.
He gets a bit reminiscent,
doesn't he?
Nostalgic.
Ah, the good old days.
He says,
do you remember
those old days?
The days of old
where we offered
to God
in righteousness.
righteousness.
Where our relationship
with God
was right.
What a happy time
that was.
What a good time.
But the problem
of Malachi
is that's just
not how life
is now.
If you read
the short book
of Malachi,
it's maybe a 10 minute
job,
it's a great
thing to do.
Malachi
gives us
a sad story
of the total
breakdown
and disintegration
in the relationship
with God
and human beings.
Everything
has just
fallen apart.
There is this
cosmic barrier
there.
And things
are so bad
in Malachi's time
that actually
people don't
even realise
they're bad.
That is a bit
like today,
isn't it?
Things have
gotten so bad
between God
and human beings
we don't even
realise they're bad.
It's really
so sad.
It's really
so dangerous.
But Malachi's
hope is that
that will change.
And it will
change,
do you see,
in chapter 3
of Malachi
when a messenger
announces
the arrival
of the Lord.
And God
then
will himself
suddenly come.
we'll
know that
when the
Lord's
messenger
announces it.
Then the
Lord himself
will suddenly
come.
So Malachi
says,
watch out
for the
messenger.
When the
messenger
appears,
we know
that the
Lord is
coming.
He's
coming.
He's
coming.
He's
coming.
So back
to Mark.
Back to
Mark.
Mark quotes
the Old Testament
prophets,
doesn't he?
in verse 2
and 3.
As if to
say the
cliffhanger
is finally
over.
The silence
is finally
broken.
Malachi's
hope is
becoming a
reality.
In Malachi's
day it was
when the
messenger
appears,
the Lord
is coming.
He's
coming.
But in
Mark's
time it's
not like
that.
John,
the
messenger
arrives,
and so
now for
Mark,
the Lord
has come.
The Lord
has come.
Jesus is
announced by
the messenger,
and so
Jesus is
the hope
of the
prophets.
But there's
a third
character in
this opening
section of
Mark.
We also
see that
Jesus is
the one
affirmed
by the
Father,
by God
the Father.
Have a
little look
down at
verse 9
there.
So Mark
says,
in those
days Jesus
came from
Nazareth of
Galilee,
and was
baptised by
John in
the Jordan.
So at the
beginning of
Mark's
Gospel we
don't get
Mary and
Joseph,
do we?
We don't
get any
stories of
mangers,
there are
no genealogies,
there is
no childhood
of Jesus.
Mark
introduces
Jesus in
a really
abrupt way
doesn't he?
It's as if
Jesus just
appears out
of nowhere,
and he
comes and
he's almost
like everyone
else isn't
he,
being
baptised
by John.
But what
happens at
his baptism
really distinguishes
Jesus from
everybody else
around him.
as he's
baptised by
John,
he comes
out of the
water,
doesn't he?
And Mark
uses a
word that
is only
used in
his Gospel
and he
only uses
it twice.
Look at
verse 10.
When he
came up out
of the
water,
immediately
he saw
the heavens
opening,
and the
spirit
descended
on him
like a
dove.
Now the
word
opening
there is
more like
the word
torn.
The heavens
were torn,
open.
That's the
unique word
there.
As Jesus
appears from
this baptism,
something
unprecedented,
something
truly cosmic
occurs there.
The heavens
are torn,
open.
As Jesus
appears from
the baptism,
it's almost
like the
twitch in
the curtains
between
heaven and
earth,
suddenly opens,
doesn't it,
momentarily.
It twitches
open,
they're torn
open.
And it's
the same
word that
Mark uses
at the
end of
his Gospel
when Jesus
dies on
the cross.
When the
temple curtain
is torn
from top
to bottom.
The curtain
that divides
man from
God is
torn.
heaven.
So Jesus
appears,
and he
is the
one to
break down
that
dividing
wall.
He will
tear open
the cosmic
divide between
man and
between God.
And a voice
comes from
heaven at that
point,
doesn't it,
in verse
11.
You are my
beloved son,
with you I
am well
pleased.
Christ.
The heavens
tear open
as Jesus
appears,
and the
Spirit of
God descends
on him
like a
dove.
And this
voice from
heaven,
God the
Father,
booms out.
It reminds
us of the
anointing
ceremonies of
kings in
Malachi's good
old days.
the great
kings of
Israel,
like King
David,
who were
anointed
with oil,
and the
Spirit of
God rushed
upon them.
It's
Jesus'
anointing
as God's
king here.
The Spirit
falls upon
him,
and God
the Father
says,
I'm delighted
in you,
my son,
my king.
Jesus is
affirmed
by God
the Father.
So everything
comes to a
head,
doesn't it,
at the
baptism of
Jesus.
The one
whom the
messenger
announces
is the
one who
the prophets
hoped for.
The Spirit
giver is
here.
So it
isn't he
is coming
anymore,
it is most
certainly he
has come.
Malachi's
dream has
come true.
He's the
Spirit giver
come to
change us
from the
inside.
God's
pleasing,
delightful
son,
his king.
So it's
good news.
It is
good news.
But you
know,
as we
finish this
afternoon,
Mark changes
the mood
in the last
few verses
that we
read.
Guess who?
He says to
us.
Even though
Mark wants
us to win,
he knows we
are going to
need more
help to
work Jesus
out.
Because the
Lord Jesus
has come,
but not in
the way that
we'd expect.
Look with me
at verse 12
to 15
there.
After the
baptism,
the Spirit
immediately
drove Jesus
out into
the wilderness.
And he
was in the
wilderness
40 days,
being tempted
by Satan.
He was with
the wild
animals,
and the
angels were
ministering to
him.
Now after
John was
arrested,
Jesus came
into Galilee
proclaiming the
gospel of
God and
saying,
the time is
fulfilled,
and the
kingdom of
God is at
hand.
Repent and
believe in
the gospel.
There are a
few more
characters here,
aren't we,
that we see.
With this
new exodus
salvation that
Jesus brings
in, did you
notice that the
job of the
appearing Lord,
he finally
comes,
but it
starts not
with glory
and power
and might,
but with a
trip to the
desert, a
trip to the
wilderness.
He's led by
the Spirit of
God to be
alone.
He's driven
out by the
Spirit of
God to face
Satan, and
he's opposed
by the devil,
and he's
tempted by
him for
40 days.
He's with
the wild
animals, he
is threatened.
And the
phenomenal
king's
messenger boy
in verse
14 is
arrested.
He's
opposed by
the authorities.
So when
the Lord
arrives, he
doesn't arrive
with open
arms, does
he?
But Mark
there gives
us a hint
that as the
Lord tears
the heavens
open, he
himself must
be torn by
opposition.
And he
must face
temptation, he
must face
our greatest
enemy.
You know,
verse 12
and 14
seem like bad
news, don't
they, if it
weren't for
verse 15.
Because after
the temptation,
after the
arrest, the
Lord Jesus
again emerges
into Galilee.
He turns what
we think we
need from the
Lord on
its head.
He's led
by the
Spirit to
face Satan.
And it's
only getting
through
opposition
and evil
and temptation
and to
emerge on
the other
side that
Jesus can
show us
that he
is Lord.
Then and
only then
does he
and can he
say of
himself that
the time is
fulfilled and
the kingdom
of God is
at hand.
Repent and
believe in
the gospel.
So it
really isn't
the Lord is
coming, the
Lord is
coming.
Jesus says
about himself
that the
Lord has
come.
Only
though by
emerging from
temptation
and opposition
can he
truly say
that.
Jesus
hoped in
the
prophets
announced
by the
messenger
affirmed
by the
father
led by
the
spirit
tempted
by the
devil
and
then
and
only
then
emerging
as
self-pronounced
king.
Guess who
Mark says
have you
worked him
out?
Let's pray.
Let's종