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Commentaries
English
Mark
  
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.


d) What is the Meaning of “the Son of God”?
The Jews considered the confession of God’s Sonship as blasphemy, and their supreme court sentenced to death every one who committed this blasphemy. They used to take such blasphemer away from the nation, and stone him away from the capital that the wrath of God might not come over every one of them. From antiquity, most of the Semites believed that God is one having no other partner or other gods before him (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
It is to be noted that those of the old covenant did not reject the prophecies that the nation itself, the king sometimes, or the coming Christ were metaphorically sons of God in the sense of lawful adoption. However they did not take such statements in the meaning of true spiritual birth of God, but kept believing that the Most High is one and unequaled (Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1; Psalms 89:28; 2 Samuel 7:14, 4; Ezra 7:28).
Contrarily, we see that the people of the ancient Greece and Rome were polytheistic. They worshiped many gods, male and female deities, and spirits who got married to each other, had children, wrestled with one another, loved and hated one another. Two thousand years ago, the Mediterranean basin was full of such beliefs and thoughts. The great temples with their altars testify to the homage paid to dead goddesses. They did not distinguish between unclean spirits and the Holy God, but worshiped every spirit without exception.
Peter and Mark were bold enough to object to the belief in many gods in Rome, confessing that there is only one God having the only Son who was born of the Father before all ages. As the word is born of the mouth of man and is still a part of him, so the eternal Son of God was born in spirit, and not in flesh, before all ages. He, who believes or claims that the holy God slept with Virgin Mary blasphemes and does a gross injustice. Jesus’ birth in Jerusalem was not his original birth. It was only his embodiment in human flesh for us. His true birth took place spiritually before the creation. This is why all Christianity confesses that he is God from God, Light from light, True God from the true God, begotten, not created, in one essence with the Father.
Nothing is impossible to God. No one can prevent God from having a son if he wished. People subject God’s freedom to limitation, as they admit his oneness. Nevertheless, God is greater than the thoughts of men.
The appearance of the Son of God in flesh took place as the angel Gabriel said to Virgin Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Mary, who became afraid of this statement, believed in the word of her Lord, and the fetus in her became a unit of the Holy Spirit and human blood. In him the divine Spirit always overcame the human nature and controlled it at all times. Therefore, Jesus remained holy and sinless.
The existence of the Son of God does not at all mean polytheism, for we confess faithfully the complete unity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet, the mystery that the three are equivalent to one can only be understood by a believer after being born again in spirit and in truth. Then he knows at a glance that God is love, and that the unity of the three divine persons is definite, unquestionable, and complete. The three distinguished, unmixed persons are, in fact, eternally united by the bond of perfection “love”. He, who does not love does not recognize God.
Christ, himself, revealed his unity with the Father to the believers in different ways, with extreme humility, saying: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. (John 5:19-23)
After this revelation about the unity of Christ with the Father with respect to deeds, we also read Jesus’ confession about his unity with God with respect to power and essence: “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:27-28)
In the circle of his disciples, Jesus declared his absolute unity with the Father, saying: “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). He said to one of the disciples: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” (John 14:10-11)
On basis of these biblical proofs, you can recognize that Jesus had the right to say: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”(John 14:9)
Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews, who presided over the highest ruling body and court of justice among the Jewish people (Sanhedrin) in the time of Jesus, stood up in the religious court before the bound Jesus, and asked him his deceitful question: “I put you under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). Because Jesus did not deny this truth, but proved it, and agreed to its divine nature, they flared up and delivered him immediately to be killed. Therefore, Jesus was sentenced to death because of his declaration to be the Son of God. Then how could some people say 1900 years after this historical event that Jesus did not confess to be the Son of God? Those skeptics did not recognize the essence of Jesus Christ who is in fact the only Son of the holy God.

Prayer
We worship to you O merciful Son, and praise you O Holy Father, for you have revealed yourself in your Son Jesus, but our limited minds are unable to recognize your truth. We ask you to enlighten our minds with your Holy Spirit that we may become illuminated and able to recognize you as you are: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit completely united with the bond of love, which gives us life and makes us your children by grace. Amen.
Question
What are the main principles of the statement “the Son of God”?