Mark 1.1-8 Advent II
For the next two weeks, John the Baptizer jumps up and grabs the center of “the Mediterranean stage.” With MEGAPHONE in hand – he readies himself to speak.
Do I press this little button here? How do I hold it? Does this megaphone make me look fat? Does my voice sound tinny? Or Whiney?
With his MESSAGE of “EXPECTATION and REPENTANCE,” Johnny is a “key figure” in our celebration of the Season of Advent.
He plays a HUGE ROLE in all four Gospels, with Mark’s story beginning, not with Jesus, but with cousin-cra-cra-John-John.
John the Baptizer actually had his own “successful ministry” in his own right, including with his very own disciples.
Yet he clearly understood that his primary role or job was to “PREPARE THE WAY” for the ONE to come, who was greater than he.
So, Mark begins his story of the “good news of Jesus Christ” with the prophets of Israel and passages from Hebrew scripture which announce God’s coming, being preceded by a messenger to prepare the way.
John is depicted as THE LAST of the prophets in the tradition of Hebrew scripture, living as he does IN THE WILDERNESS of Judea east of Jerusalem, wearing camel hair and living on locusts and honey.
JOHN’S ATTIRE was reminiscent of the prophet Elijah, whose return was expected to PRECEDE “the coming of God’s reign.” As a matter of fact, you might say, it was SPOT ON!
In fact, some saw JOHN as “the NEW Elijah.”
But the beginning of Mark’s gospel POINTS NOT to the prophets but to John himself.
The weird guy hanging out in the sun and the water…but NOT on the BEACH!
John BURSTS on the scene creating new excitement, stirring hearts, and gathering “all Judea and Jerusalem” to the Jordan River, to hear his message of repentance.
His POPULARITY and INFLUENCE made an impact on “political and religious leaders” as well as the “common people.”
QUITE OBVIOUSLY: The CURIOUS came, of course, because he was strange, weird and an unusual figure; and the NOSTALGIC came because he reminded them of Elijah and stirred their longing for “the good old days” when the VOICES and the INFLUENCE of the prophets could be HEARD in the land.
John was a guy who actually LIVED his message and because of that, people LISTENED. Plain and simple. You got, what you saw. He walked the walk and talked the talk. Pretty uncomplicated.
But even MORE IMPORTANT were his words: the Messiah is at the DOOR, and repentance is ESSENTIAL to prepare to receive him. That’s it. Short and sweet…and to the point. So, are you gonna OPEN THE DOOR or “ pretend” that no one is at home?
He gave his listeners HOPE and he gave them away to ENTER into that hope.
He told men and women that his baptism soaked them with water, but the One coming after him would drench them in the Holy Spirit. And while the dirty water of the Jordan could still cleanse the body, the Holy Spirit would cleanse a person’s heart and soul and mind.
They listened to him because he POINTED NOT to himself, but to the ONE who was coming…The holy one. The anointed one. The MAIN MAN.
UNDERSTAND THIS: John’s message of FORGIVENESS and the APPROACH of the Messiah was not without ITS DEMANDS.
The message that the Jews “had been preaching” to the PAGAN world for centuries, the call to REPENTANCE and SUBMISSION to the rites of CLEANSING REQUIRED OF ALL GENTILES, is now addressed to their own—repent of the ARROGANT assumption that you alone are FAVORED; that you are EXEMPT from the MORAL DEMANDS that you place on others; that being BETTER than your WORST neighbor is sufficient for YOUR SALVATION. Guess what? It is NOT!
As Advent worshippers on our way to the MANGER, we must pass through the DESERT where John is preaching…first. WE have to HANG OUT here for a bit. Are we listening? Do we HEAR? Are the words going to have an impact on our lives or go in one ear and out the other?
Are we going to repent? Turn our lives around? Or, do NOTHING?
Can we hear the voice of the prophets crying in the deserted areas of our lives? Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Abandon your clever ways of maintaining the illusion of your INNOCENSE? YOU ARE NOT.
Repent. Be honest, come clean with yourself. Unload the “FRUITLESS and HARMFUL patterns” of behavior in your life. Repentance begins with RECOGNIZING our need for change and renewal.
What could be BETTER NEWS than this offer to repent, to confess our shortcomings, to be cleansed and be completely forgiven?
It was an amazing offer. So the people flocked. They came, they went, they prepared.
NOW, what about YOU?
Amen.