Preparing to Read Mark · Unit 15 of 16
The Messiah, God’s kingdom, and Jewish hopes
Bible readings: 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 9:6–7, 11:1–5; Daniel 7:13–14, 12:2–3 (selected passages)
In the previous stage, we saw Judea finally fall under Roman power. Around the time of Jesus’ birth, Jews had experienced centuries of foreign rule. The temple still stood and the law was still observed, but David’s dynasty had not been restored, and real political sovereignty was not in Jewish hands.
Many people therefore pondered a question: when would God’s promises to Abraham, David, and the prophets finally be fulfilled completely?
1. Do Not Assume All Jews Expected the Same Thing
Jews in Jesus’ time did not share only one outlook. Some hoped for political liberation, some emphasized law and holiness, some anticipated final judgment and resurrection, and others believed God would personally intervene in history.
“All Jews were waiting for a military Messiah” is therefore an oversimplification. More accurately, there were diverse expectations about salvation, the kingdom, and an anointed one, all connected with Old Testament promises.
Before Jesus appeared, Jewish hopes were diverse; there was no single fixed picture of the “Messiah.”
2. What Exactly Does “Messiah” Mean?
“Messiah” comes from Hebrew and basically means “anointed one.” In the Old Testament, kings, priests, and others could be anointed and set apart for a special office.
Later, “the anointed one who is to come” gradually became an important focus of hope. The Greek translation of “anointed one” is Christos, from which we get “Christ.”
“Christ” is not Jesus’ surname. “Jesus Christ” means that Jesus is the Anointed One—the Messiah.
3. Why Is the Messiah So Often Connected with David?
Because God made a crucial promise to David: his throne and descendants would have a special place in God’s plan.
“When your lifetime is complete and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, and I will make his kingdom secure. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever.”
— 2 Samuel 7:12–13
When David’s dynasty later lost power, this promise was not forgotten. Hope for an ideal king gradually appeared in the prophetic books.
4. The Prophets Describe an Ideal King
“A child is born for us; a son is given to us. Authority will rest on his shoulders.… His authority and peace will increase without end. He will rule his kingdom on David’s throne, establishing it securely with fairness and righteousness from now and forever.”
— Isaiah 9:6–7
Passages like this led later Jewish readers to cherish the hope that a king truly pleasing to God would arise again from David’s house.
“A shoot will spring from Jesse’s stump, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength, of knowledge and reverence for the LORD.”
— Isaiah 11:1–2
Jesse was David’s father, so the shoot springing from Jesse’s stump uses the image of a new branch to describe David’s house rising again.
5. The “Kingdom of God” Is Not the Name of an Ordinary Country
When we hear “kingdom” today, we may readily think of territory, borders, government, and armies. But at its heart, the biblical “kingdom of God” means, first of all, God’s kingship and rule.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news, proclaims peace, announces glad tidings and salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God is reigning!’”
— Isaiah 52:7
The arrival of God’s kingdom therefore does not merely mean a new state appearing on the map. It means God displaying his rule, salvation, and justice as king.
We can begin by understanding the kingdom’s heart this way: God reigns, and his rule is made visible.
6. Why Did Roman Rule Intensify This Hope?
If God was Israel’s true king, yet Judea was actually controlled by Rome, a strong tension arose. Taxes, foreign armies, and Rome-appointed rulers constantly reminded people that they still lived under foreign power.
That does not mean everyone advocated armed revolution. Some may have expected political liberation, while others considered repentance, faithfulness to the law, and waiting for God’s own action more important.
7. Why Is the “Son of Man” Also Important?
Alongside hope for a royal descendant of David, Daniel contains another image that later became crucial: someone “like a son of man” comes before God and receives a kingdom and authority.
“In my vision at night I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He was brought before the Ancient of Days and received authority, glory, and a kingdom, so that people of every region, nation, and ethnic group would serve him.”
— Daniel 7:13–14
In ordinary language, “son of man” can mean a human being. But the vision in Daniel 7 also gives this expression a background of kingdom, authority, and hope for the last days.
When you later read Mark, you will notice that Jesus frequently calls himself the “Son of Man.” Remembering this background will show that the expression means more than simply “I am human.”
8. Hopes for Resurrection and Final Judgment Also Develop
In later Old Testament passages, hope for the resurrection of the dead and final judgment becomes clearer.
“Many who sleep in the dust will awaken: some to eternal life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. The wise will shine like the light of the heavens, and those who lead many into righteousness will shine like stars forever and ever.”
— Daniel 12:2–3
By New Testament times, the belief that God would ultimately raise the dead and carry out judgment was therefore deeply important to some Jews. Different groups still disagreed about resurrection, however, and we will encounter these debates when reading Mark.
9. The Prophets Also Hope for Deeper Renewal
The restoration the prophets expected was not merely the political return of a king. Israel’s long history had already demonstrated that even with land, law, temple, and kings, human hearts could still turn away from God.
The prophets therefore also spoke about forgiveness of sins, renewal of the heart, and a deeper relationship between God and his people. True salvation must address people’s inner condition, not merely replace one political government with another.
Biblical hopes gradually converge on a larger question: who can truly bring God’s kingdom, forgiveness, and renewal?
10. So What Were People Waiting For?
On the eve of Jesus’ appearance, we can consider several major strands of hope together:
- A descendant of David: God had promised David a throne, so some awaited a king who truly pleased God.
- The kingdom of God: people hoped God would truly display his royal authority, save his people, and establish justice.
- Israel’s restoration: prolonged foreign domination made “When will God restore his people?” a crucial question.
- Forgiveness and human renewal: the prophets showed that the problem lay not only in foreign governments; people themselves also needed to change.
- Resurrection and final judgment: some Jews expected God ultimately to defeat death and judge the world justly.
11. Do Not Turn These Hopes into a Fixed “Messiah Specification”
These passages and hopes are related, but people at the time did not have a universally agreed “Messiah’s task list.” Some emphasized Davidic kingship, some final judgment, some temple and priesthood, while others primarily awaited God’s own intervention.
This helps explain the very different responses when Jesus appeared: some believed he was the one they had awaited, some were puzzled, some disappointed, and others fiercely opposed him.
12. Now We Can Begin to Understand Mark’s Opening
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
— Mark 1:1
Without background, a reader might hear only a religious phrase. But by now, we know that “Christ” means “Messiah” or “Anointed One,” linked with the Davidic covenant and a long history of hope.
“The appointed time has arrived, and the kingdom of God is near. Turn back to God and trust the good news!”
— Mark 1:15
This is no longer simply “Please believe in religion.” It announces that the long-awaited rule of God is now drawing near in a decisive way.
From the outset, Mark raises two central questions: who exactly is Jesus, and how exactly will God’s kingdom arrive?
13. Key Points from This Stage
- “Messiah” means “anointed one”; “Christ” is the Greek expression for the same title.
- The Davidic covenant made the “descendant of David” a vital background to later messianic hope.
- The “kingdom of God” refers first to God’s kingship and rule, not merely a country on a map.
- Daniel’s “son of man” and hope for resurrection also became important New Testament background.
- Jews in Jesus’ time did not share a completely uniform picture of salvation or the Messiah.
14. Connecting the Threads
At this point, a simple sequence can help us remember how these hopes converge on the New Testament:
The Davidic covenant → hope for an ideal king → God reigning → the Son of Man and the kingdom → resurrection and renewal → Mark’s announcement that “the kingdom of God is near”
15. Where Do We Go Next?
The historical background and major hopes are now in place. Before reading Mark itself, we need one final “reading toolkit”: who or what are the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, priests, synagogues, Sabbath, purity and impurity, tax collectors, and Gentiles?