Son of God
Mark 3:21 says, “Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’”
While Jesus is frequently called the Son of Man in Mark’s gospel, He is also often referred to as the Son of God. Mark opens his gospel with these words: “The beginning of the gospel about Christ, the Son of God.” One of the most unlikely believers comes at the end of Mark’s gospel. He is a Roman soldier who has watched many men die, but he has never seen anyone with this kind of courage. He announces: “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39).
What did Christ do to prove he was the Son of God? Mark gives us several answers. First, he called men to follow him, and they did. The disciples leave boats full of fish in response to Jesus’ call in Mark 1:16-20. In chapter 2 it is Matthew who leaves a lucrative position to follow, and in chapter 3 Jesus summons the twelve to preach and to drive out demons. In ancient times, a rabbi never called his own disciples—he was sought out by his students. It was unthinkable that a man would call his own disciples, but Jesus commanded with this kind of authority.
Another evidence of Jesus as the Son of God was his supernatural knowledge. In Mark 2:8 he knows what the scribes are thinking as he forgives the paralytic. He is aware that the daughter of Jairus is not dead but asleep, Mark 5:39. In Mark 8:17 and 9:33, he knows what the disciples have been talking about though he is not within earshot. As he prepares for the entry into Jerusalem, he knows the exact location of the colt he will ride. When he shares the parable of the tenants in chapter 12, he envisions his own death. In chapter 13 he predicts what will happen in the last days. Jesus knew what others were thinking, what was going to happening their lives, and in the future of the world.
One more evidence of Jesus’ power as the Son of God was his authority over diseases and demons. Mark writes to a Roman audience interested in power, action and authority. There are 20 miracles in his gospel, but only four parables. The people in Jesus’ day has seen the
faith healers, the charlatans who came through and put up a tent and healed a few bogus cases of arthritis and then ran for the next town. But in Jesus, they found someone who was real, someone who could speak and the lame, the blind, and the deaf were haled.
Our reaction to Christ is all-important. He does today what He did then. He calls you to follow Him, and it is not a call that can be taken lightly. Mark’s consuming conviction is that Jesus is the Son of God. We are called to follow Him because He is the Messiah with a legitimate claim on our lives!