And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with [in] water, but he will baptize you with [in] the Holy Spirit.”
Mark began with that loaded statement:
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God
and rooted what he has to say in a couple of Old Testament quotes.
For most of us in our western world, quoting the Old Testament may not seem to be significant. But remember, there is no superfluous material in Scripture. I believe Mark wants to make sure we understand that Jesus coming to earth is huge and has always been a part of God’s plan.
Two of the other gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, accomplish this by outlining his birth and lineage. Mark makes the same point with fewer words.
Mark, in his typical “get to the point” style, starts with Jesus’ ministry. And Jesus’ ministry begins with his baptism by John the Baptist.
Again, it's easy to rush past these verses. Let's get to the story of Jesus. Why this detour into this description of John the Baptist?
John the Baptist is living and teaching like an Old Testament prophet. He wants to make sure the people of his day understand what is happening.
In a world where things are wrong: God is coming to put things right.
People, even (or maybe especially) religious people, need to get themselves the “right way around”. They need to repent.
Note how John the Baptist describes the differences between himself and Jesus.
- First, he is not worthy to untie the strap of Jesus’ sandal.
- Second, his baptism is with water while Jesus’ will be with the Holy Spirit. He is saying, “Don’t look at me, look at Jesus!”
Mark begins his Gospel with Jesus.
And he connects the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, with God's plan.
And that plan has people - the people in Jesus' day, and the people of today in mind.
Mark wants to make sure that we not only understand his message of what is happening in our world, and God’s plan for it all, but that this message impacts and changes us.
As we read the Gospel of Mark, we will see some people as onlookers. They will be impressed by Jesus, but they will stay an arm's length away.
The question for us:
Will we be mere onlookers, standing aside, pondering curious points of the text, googling different versions, and even allowing ourselves to be distracted by curious characters, such as John the Baptist?
Or will we let God’s Word speak into our hearts? “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”
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