Mark 1:1 – Jesus Name and Title

Mark 1:1

1. The Gospel is a Greek word that means “good news”. In English, we have become so used to the Greek word that there is a risk that we lose its meaning, namely that Jesus means “good news”.
   1. A few hundred years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied of a future when a messenger would call out “good news” of “salvation” and that “God is king” (Isa 52:7).
   2. The good news for the Jewish people who heard Jesus live was that their long-awaited “Messiah” was finally here and that he now offers forgiveness for sins.
   3. This offer is open and freely available even today.
2. Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, Yeshua or Yehoshuah, and is a contraction of the two Hebrew words “yeho”, which is a word that comes from “YHWH” / “Yahweh”, and “shua” which means “salvation” or “save us!”. So all in all, Jesus’ name becomes “God saves us” or “God the saviour”, which is very consistent with Jesus being God who became man to save us.
   1. In biblical times, a person’s name was more than just a nickname; it also represented the person’s purpose, character and life.
   2. The fact that Jesus was given the name “Jesus” gives us a signal that he will be a saviour who, like Joshua, will open up the holy land to God’s people.
   3. When something significant happened in life, it was not uncommon for a person to get a new name.
      1. When Simon the disciple becomes the leader of the disciples, Jesus gives him a new name: “Peter”, which means “rock” (Mk 3:16).
      2. In the context of Jacob becoming the father of a new nation, God gives him a new name: “Israel”, which roughly means “God fights” (Genesis 32:28).
3. Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Messiah” and means “the anointed one”.
   1. In biblical times, a new king or high priest was anointed with oil when he was installed, similar to the way we crown someone king today (2 Sam 5:3).
      1. Jesus is “the anointed one” both in terms of being king and being high priest.
   1. The Jewish people had long waited for the “anointed one” to come and “save” their people (Dan 9:25).
4. The Son of God has many different meanings:
   1. “Son of God” was a title applied to kings of David’s line (2 Sam 7:14).
   2. In his humanity, Jesus is the “Son of David”, but in his divinity he is the “Lord of David” (Mk 12:35-37).
   3. Within the Trinity, Jesus is the person called “the Son”.
   4. From our human point of view, Jesus is the “Son of God”, but from Jesus’ point of view, he is a “Son of Man” because he is the member of the Trinity who was born as a human being.
   5. The demons knew from the beginning that Jesus is the Son of God (Mk 3:11), but for humans it requires the Father to reveal it in the human heart (Mt 16:16-17).
5. According to Isaiah, the Messiah would be a “son” whose name is “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).