On This Day: How Quickly the Gospel-Time Flies

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight,’”

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. (Mark 1:1-9)

 

   Why does it matter how quickly Mark’s gospel turns the spotlight onto Jesus? Because I am an easily distracted child who could find so many other things to focus on!

   You can see it in the text. In only six sentences Jesus is center stage and we are forced to consider him. What “is written” will stand against everything we believe. It will dismantle everything we have trusted in. It will declare above every voice that God has spoken. And what Mark wants us to know immediately is that God has spoken through his Son.

   I suddenly find this very interesting that there is in this brief panning of the spotlight the same message as introduces John’s gospel, that

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)

   Jesus as the word, Jesus coming to fulfill what “is written”, was because “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9), and because “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

   In Mark’s account of the gospel, he moves from telling us that his book, or letter, is “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”, to showing us how the Scripture spoke of him coming, and spoke of one preparing his way.

   So, when we see John coming with his baptism of repentance, it is not the place to build a house. Keep moving. Look where John is pointing. Listen to what John is saying. Because if you see all of this together, including that Mark is only a servant sent to turn our eyes to Jesus, you will find yourself mesmerized by this Jesus of Nazareth who is “the Lord”.

   Yes, did you catch that?

   The prophecy Mark quotes declared that someone would “prepare the way of the Lord”. That is translating into English from Greek. But the original prophecy was in Hebrew, and that translates into English is,

A voice cries:
      “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
(Isaiah 40:3)

   Whenever we read in the Old Testament “the LORD” (all-caps), it signifies the divine name, Yahweh. In the prophecy, God was telling us that the way would be prepared for Yahweh. You know, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.

   Yes, in this prelude, we already know that Jesus is God, the Word who became flesh, and John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for people to receive him.

   I won’t go longer than that. My encouragement today is to see how God wants our attention on his Son. Quickly. Right away. Don’t get distracted. Turn from today’s troubles and worries and look to Jesus. Seek first the kingdom and righteousness of God. Those “other things” will come. But when they come after we are attached to Jesus, they make far more sense, and it makes far more sense why we fix our eyes on Jesus before anything or anyone else.

   If you take this to heart, and you turn from distractions to the Savior, and you keep your eyes on Jesus throughout the day, when you get to bedtime, thank God for the things you experienced walking with him through your assignments. I am quite sure you will see for yourself how different it is to abide in Jesus rather than staying focused on the distractions of the world, the flesh, and the devil, who do NOT want you following the Son of the living God.

 

 

© 2024 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)