Kyrios is Greek, Dominus is Latin, Lord is English. Mark declares, Jesus is Kyrios, Lord, and more impressive, He is the Son of God Who saves his people. He, the Anointed One, rules— not Caesar.
Knowing Roman culture helps us to understand the Scriptures as we are so distant from their civilization. History tells us that Caesar was lord and the son of god, two titles very much used in Scripture. Yet, Scripture does not state that Caesar is Lord. Rather Jesus is Lord. If Jesus is Lord then there is a new king and a new kingdom Who threatens Roman domination. As did King Herod when Jesus was born, so too Caesar. They sought to crush any threat to their dominance. Hence, this opening passage of Mark’s Gospel threatened the Roman and Jewish culture.
Gospel, another pivotal word in the phrase means the good news. Literally, evangelium, as Isaiah foretold, are the good tidings:
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Is 52:7).
Good News and Glad Tidings are the Gospel message commonly used to proclaim Roman military conquests over other peoples. Messengers would carry messages from all parts of the empire letting the people and politicians know the news. These messages became the headlines.
Mark, however, talks about Jesus, declaring He is the Good News–the Headline News. His radical claim that Jesus Christ is Good News — not Caesar, not only befuddled the people, claiming Christ was the Lord, but the message itself was unbelievable. Jesus the Christ forgave sin by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. He is the Conqueror, not Caesar. This offended Romans and Jews alike. Caesar is King, we have no other. Not only was Caesar considered the anointed one and lord of your life, but he was the son of god. Caesar, not Jesus, ruled over life and death. The high priest forgives sins, not this blasphemer Jesus. Yet, the counter claim declares Jesus is the real Son of God. He is the Good News, the Gospel, and He rules over sin and death by rising from the dead. How strange and absolutely offensive, intolerable.
Peter, Paul and a host of other apostles and disciples were jailed and martyred because they were considered resurrectionists as they proclaimed that Jesus, Joshua: the name literally means, God saves, is Kyrios. Peter’s preaching as recorded in Acts reveals the intensity and offensiveness of his words:
“This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:23).
Peter blasphemed against the Roman gods, especially Caesar and his ambassador, Pontius Pilate, declaring all other gods idols. He condemned the Sanhedrin and Pharisees, calling them murderers and idolaters, revealing Jesus is Lord of Lord and King of Kings. There is no other.
The Apostles’ witness led to imprisonment, beheading, and crucifixion. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew was crucified on a cross in the form of an X. Bartholomew was skinned alive. John was boiled in oil and exiled to Patmos. To be a messenger of this “Good News”, Jesus the Christ is Lord and the Son of God, meant death. Yet, their commitment to Jesus as the Christ, the Lord and Son of God, did not deter them. In fact, any suffering they suffered only strengthened them. For them, suffering with Jesus were gains, a resurrected life.