The Beginning of the Good News

MEMORY VERSE: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel.” —Mark 1:14,15

MARK 1:1-13

THE expression, “good news,” used in the caption of this lesson, is what the Bible refers to as “the Gospel” Paul refers to it in Romans 1:1 as “the Gospel of God,” and explains in verse 2 that it had been promised by God’s prophets “in the holy Scriptures.” In Romans 1:16 Paul refers to this same Gospel as “the Gospel of Christ,” and declares it to be “the power of God unto salvation.”

In our memory verse this same Gospel is called “the Gospel of the kingdom of God.” In Romans 10:15 it is described as “the Gospel of peace.” It is the Gospel of God because the great Creator of the universe is its Author. It is the Gospel of Christ because it is through his death and resurrection that God’s plan for the blessing of mankind is made effective. It is the Gospel of the kingdom of God and of Christ because the provisions of God’s plan for the blessing of the world are to be carried out through the establishment of a world-wide-government of righteousness. It is the Gospel of peace because the great objective of the divine plan is to re-establish peace between God and the human race, which, through the sin of our first parents, has been estranged from the Creator and under condemnation to death.

The first verse of our lesson speaks of “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Obviously the reference is to the beginning of Jesus’ personal ministry of the Gospel: for as we have seen from Romans 1:1,2, the Gospel had been “promised afore” by God’s prophets and recorded in the Scriptures. Also, the Apostle Paul informs us in Galatians 3:8 that the Gospel was preached unto Abraham when God said to him, “In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

It is interesting to note the beautiful manner in which the prophets of the Old Testament set forth the “Gospel.” Take, for example, the Prophet Isaiah: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.” … “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return [from death], and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”—Isa. 35:5,6,10

While the Gospel had been set forth by the prophets of the Old Testament, there had been no general proclamation of the good news prior to the coming of Jesus. The general proclamation of the Gospel began with the ministry of Jesus, and Jesus, in turn, commissioned his disciples to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel as a witness unto all nations.—Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8

Jesus said, “This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end [of the age] come.” (Matt. 24:14) Some have mistakenly supposed that by this statement Jesus meant the whole world would be converted by the preaching of the Gospel. If Jesus meant this, then his prophecy would appear to have failed, for after nearly two thousand years the world is far from being converted, and now professed Christianity is becoming an ever-decreasing minority in our chaotic world.

What Jesus did say was that the Gospel would be preached in all the world as a “witness.” The main purpose of this witness has been, and still is, to attract a people willing to suffer and die in the cause of Christ. These are given the assurance that if they are faithful they will be exalted to immortality in the resurrection, and reign as priests and kings with Christ in that wonderful kingdom of promise which will bring restoration of human life to all who will then believe and obey.—Acts 15:13-17; Rom. 2:7; Rev. 20:6

QUESTIONS

What is the “good news” referred to in the caption of our lesson?

When was the Gospel first proclaimed?

What is the main purpose of proclaiming the Gospel?

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