AND SO, JOHN THE BAPTIST…
CHAPTER 1: Verses 4-6
| 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. | |||
True to character, John focussed his attention on the one whose coming he was announcing. He was making the way smooth for the one coming behind him. John was a mere blip on the radar of history. Jesus IS history. Jesus appears on the radar screen, but He always was, unseen in the eternal realm and touching down on earth for a nano-second to realign a wayward humanity with God.
From the vast, eternal “now” of God, Jesus enters the time line of earth in human form, and in the manner in which all humans make their entrance – human birth. Mark assumes this and ignores the miracles that accompanied this special child’s arrival. Instead, he focuses on His entry onto the stage of His public life.
What is important about this performance is that John invites people not to be spectators but to be a part of this grand unrehearsed production. This is the whole pivot of his ministry. “Don’t just stand there looking! Get involved and be a part of what God is doing!” It begins with a change of heart and attitude.
For 400 years God seems to be silent and inactive. But that’s how we perceive things to be. The truth is that God has been preparing the stage for His entrance. The drama is about to begin.
A call to repentance and baptism is a call to a new awareness of God’s nearness and a new identification and participation in what God is doing. He’s come Himself to intervene in human history with a daring rescue plan. It involves taking the enemy on, on his turf, and playing his game. Satan’s ploy is to lure people by deception and enslavement into death, a grip that no-one can break. Jesus took him on with His eyes wide open. He set the pace and called the shots. He held the trump card because death had no hold on Him.
John could offer Jesus as the author of a new life for everyone who wanted to participate because, from eternity’s perspective, it was already accomplished.