I’m so happy to be back to share this week’s readings with you! Honestly I can’t wait–let’s dive right into the Gospel reading first.
This week is like hitting the “rewind” button from last week’s reading. We saw Jesus last week at the end of his ministry, just two days from His crucifixion. Today we go all the way back so we can start at the beginning. Mark’s words sound innocuous to us today, but let’s unpack that first verse. Mark is truly setting the stage for the rest of his Gospel.
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (v. 1)
“Gospel,” in some versions, “good news,” in Greek, euangelion. In Roman times, the word was meant to convey imperial good news, like the ascension of an emperor or a military victory. Mark claims the word for Jesus, and then he goes further.
“Son of God” was a title familiar to any person living in Rome at the time. Since the time of Augustus the Roman emperor claimed “Son of God” as one of his titles. (Augustus was the first in Rome.) I want to be clear here–Augustus wasn’t the inspiration for claiming the title for Jesus. Mark was saying “THIS is what the Son of God really looks like. Not an emperor or anyone else. THIS man, Jesus Christ.”
Mark then quotes Isaiah 40:3, which we’ll get to as part of today’s Old Testament reading, and moves on to John the Baptist. John was the messenger for Jesus. His dress was reminiscent of the OT prophet Elijah, and while he baptized followers, he was emphatic that there was someone else coming.
The next event in Mark’s Gospel is Jesus’ baptism by John. In the Lectionary we won’t get to it until early January! For the rest of Advent we will leave Mark and pick up part of Jesus’ birth story in Luke and more background in John.
Do these words sound familiar? We did just read one verse in the Gospel reading, but so much of this is in Handel’s Messiah! They are some of my favorite in the Old Testament. Have a listen:
But I am a fan of context. Isaiah 40 opens after one of the saddest, most devastating scenes in the whole Bible. Every time I read it I want to pull King Hezekiah back. Go back and read chapter 39. Hezekiah was king of Judah, and he had successfully beaten back the Assyrian invasion through his faithfulness and God’s immense goodness.
One day a Babylonian envoy came to visit. Hezekiah was feeling pretty good and showed them around, showed them everything. EVERYTHING. The temple, the treasury. Why? Who knows. Maybe he got carried away. The text doesn’t read like he was trying to brag, more like he was clueless. He was certainly dazzled by these fancy visitors who came all the way from Babylon to visit him.
Isaiah shows up with the most devastating word from the Lord, “Behold the days are coming when all that is in your house…shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left.” Nothing.
There is a time gap between chapters 39 and 40. Chapter 40 is clearly addressed to the exiles. In spite of the circumstances, God has not left. The exile WILL end. A messenger will tell you it’s coming, so stay awake. (Remember last week?)
This is a word of ultimate hope in the midst of desolation. A high point is coming. Hold on.
The first part of this Psalm especially is a lament. But the larger part of today’s Psalm is hopeful, reminding us to LISTEN. God is good.
Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-15a
Remember that Advent is a time of watching and waiting, and a time of learning patience. Peter is speaking right into this in this passage. He wrote this letter to Christians who were expecting Jesus to come back at any moment, but who were getting discouraged. “Where is He? Did we miss it? Why hasn’t Jesus come back for us yet?” Today’s reading is specifically on this point.
Peter simply wants to remind them, and us, that God does things in His own time. We can’t understand it and we aren’t meant to. I think one point to really ponder for the week is that what looks like slowness to us is patience to God, so unwilling is He to lose anyone.
Do your kids (if you have them) ever get frustrated with how slowly you act? I am not good with waiting, but my husband is good (too good, ha) at waiting for exactly the right moment to do something. It can look like he’s just dragging his heels sometimes, but he often knows sees things that I’m not paying attention to. When he finally does act, it is usually with much better timing than I have! And what I had been attributing to slowness is often wisdom.
That’s what Peter is saying. God is patient and truly wants everyone to repent. But–and this is important–there will come a day when He will come back, and it will be unmistakeable. We just have to “count God’s patience as salvation.”
I often say, a little flippantly, “I don’t pray for patience, because I know how God teaches it.” But even here, as we watch for Jesus, we are learning patience.
Commentary
I’ve already said quite a lot about today’s passage, but I have a couple of thoughts that pull the passages together.
Has anyone every promised you something? How did you know they would make good on it? The first time someone makes me a promise it takes a little bit of faith, maybe knowing their background or someone else’s experience with the person, to trust that they will follow through. But if we have a relationship, and they’ve proven themselves trustworthy in the past, I’m far more likely to believe a subsequent promise, even if it seems bigger.
In Isaiah’s reading, God is making a promise to His people. The exile will end. I’ll send a messenger and then you will be rescued. Be ready!
Mark begins his Gospel, his account of the promises of Jesus, by reminding us of one of God’s promises and shows how God fulfilled that promise of a messenger in the person of John the Baptist. He isn’t establishing his own credibility; he’s reminding us of God’s.
The promises and claims that Jesus will make in Mark’s Gospel are surprising and bold, but we know that God fulfills his promises. Peter points back to this quality as well. We need to live faithful lives in the waiting.
The picture above is Notre Dame de Paris, before the fire. We were last there at just about this time two years ago, but these days it feels like a lifetime. Have a great week!
