Reflections on Mark's Gospel - Mark 1:3

Prepare the Way

The major theme of Mar_1:2-3 has got to be identified as "PREPARE THE WAY".

In other words, you cannot understand John the Baptist's ministry unless you understand how and why he was preparing the way for the coming of Jesus.

Jesus was the powerful soveriegn YHWH arriving to estasblish the kingdom of God on earth. He deserves to be properly received. And so John the Baptist came to ensure that people were ready to receive Jesus.

The Jews had been prepared for a long time. There had been a sense of anticipation ever since God made the promise to Adam and Eve in Gen_3:15. But there had been little active speculation concerning that "seed" until the OT prophets declared the obvious - the Jewish monarchy was not the hope of the world.

But there had been 400 years of silence since the last OT prophet (Malachi) spoke. And the oppression under the Romans had contributed to a general restlessness among the Jewish people. A number of false Messiahs had come, stirred up the people, and been killed or exiled. There was a general sense of anticipation and readiness that John the Baptist was able to tap into. God had prepared his people for the arrival of his Son.

We shall see that the minsitry of John the Baptist prepared the hearts of the people to receive the teaching of Jesus by calling them to repentance. It also gathered a crowd of people who were seeking God, from whom Jesus later drew most of his disciples.

John the Baptist did not preach the gospel. He prepared the soil so that Jesus' work could be accomplished. John the Baptist worked in the "EXPOSE" category of our movement building model. That is, he connected with people at a point where their spiritual interest or need was surfaced, and pointed them to the next step.

Consider the question, "Who does this verse reveal Jesus to be?" The answer is, "the coming Soveriegn Lord".

"What is my response to him to be?" He came, and departed and is coming again. I should still be living in anticipation of his arrival. But, given that he has already been and established his kingdom, I should also be aligning myself with his kingdom work in this world.