In a gloomy time for Israel when both the northern and the southern kingdoms were in disobedience to God, Isaiah was desperate for God’s help and intervention in the protection of Judah. In Isaiah 64:1-5, he cries out to God. But one thing is clear: Isaiah isn’t hopeless. He knows that God is faithful even if Israel and Judah are not. In the midst of Judah’s disobedience, Isaiah sees Judah’s inability to save herself. This story reads very much like ours: if a righteous God will not rend the heavens and descend to save us, we are truly hopeless. Isaiah’s cry is our cry; we need a God who can rescue us and save us from our sin.

Mark, in starting his record of the Lord’s Gospel, gives his readers a behind-the-scenes look that the disciples were not privy to during its occurrence. He takes care to explain just how Isaiah’s prayer (and ours!) are answered in Jesus Christ.

Three Things Mark’s Introduction Shows

1. God’s promise. (Mark 1:2-3)
2. God’s announcement. (Mark 1:4-8)
3. God’s arrival. (Mark 1:9-13)

NOTE: This is the third sermon in a series titled The Gospel According to Mark. See the rest of the series here.