The Gospel of Mark Episode 1:

Preparing The Way

Introduction

Hello and welcome to everyone who is joining me today. My name is Sarah Bradbury, and this is Garden to Glory: The Mystery of God.

You are listening to the first episode in our series on the Gospel of Mark. To begin this study, let’s talk about why this particular book of the Bible is called a “gospel.” 

The Meaning of “Gospel”

The original Greek word for gospel was a secular term used for joyous public announcements. (To give you a little taste of how my mind works, I am now picturing men in silly outfits blowing horns and announcing, “Hear ye! Hear ye!” before declaring Britain’s victory over another country. Obviously, the cartoonized version of Old England that resides in my imagination is not required for such an announcement, but you get the idea.)

On a more serious note, the word “gospel” could simply be translated as “good news.” Technically speaking, any type of good news could be called a gospel. But before you come home and tell your spouse you want to share the gospel you received at work today, we should put this word into a bit more perspective. 

We realize at this point in time that the term “gospel” has a religious context. While some other groups sharing their religious message will call it a “gospel,” the main reason we associate this term with religion today is because of its use in early Christianity.

The first Christians used this term to talk about the “good news” of Jesus. Sometimes, we use the word gospel to speak specifically about salvation: the basic message that God offers us forgiveness for sins. However, a more broad view of the Christian gospel would include all of the life and work of Jesus, who secured that salvation for us. 

We see an example of the angels declaring, the “good news” of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:8-11. It says:

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Jesus is the good news. He is the message of God’s love and faithfulness towards all who believe. 

In John 1:1-13, we read this description of Jesus:

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The One who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

This Word is the message of God. It is the good news declared to humanity, and it’s not simply a collection of words. Rather, it is embodied in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the Gospel we preach.

This is why, even though all books of the Bible have God’s good news in them, we refer to the first four books of the New Testament as the Gospels. They are the only books in the Bible that are filled primarily with direct narratives of the life and works of Jesus, the Word made flesh.

When the early Christians shared the gospel, they were primarily referring to passing on oral knowledge of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the written version of those early witnesses.

Today, we are sharing the gospel when we read these books to others, when we accurately share God’s message through other scriptures, or when we use our own words and experiences to point people to Jesus as our hope and salvation.

With these things in mind, we begin this study into the book of Mark, looking for the good news it shares about Jesus.

Precursor to the Gospel

Yet interestingly enough, this book – along with the book of Luke – actually does not begin the story with Jesus Himself. Instead, we are introduced to another historical figure of the Christian faith, John the Baptist.

Mark 1:1-8 says:

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written:

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.

He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for Him!’”

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. 

And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am – so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of His sandals. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

The book of Mark begins its story by pointing out that the events that follow are tied to the past. The coming of Jesus was expected and foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures. 

While many events in the life and death of Jesus reflect these Old Testament prophecies, the book of Mark – as well as the other gospel accounts – show us that prophecy was not only fulfilled by Jesus’ life, but also by the lives and events that surrounded Jesus. We see this most clearly in the life and ministry of John the Baptist.

In the first few verses of Mark, we read quotes from two different Old Testament prophets regarding John’s ministry. Mark only names the prophet Isaiah here, but it was not uncommon for Old Testament quotes to be combined at this time.

The beginning of this quote is actually from Malachi 3:1, which says:

“Look! I am sending My messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to His Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies.

What is the significance of John the Baptist? John himself said that Jesus was far greater than he was. Wouldn’t it have made more sense for John to have been one of Jesus’ disciples than to have a whole separate ministry than Him? 

What we see in this passage from Malachi is that John’s relevance was not rooted in his own importance. John was a sign for the people to look for Jesus.

There are three basic things Mark accomplished by beginning the story of Jesus with an account of John the Baptist.

1. Appealing to the Old Testament prophecy about John’s ministry gives evidence of the identity of Jesus.

If John is the messenger prophesied to prepare the way, then Jesus is the Lord they were seeking. The identity of one confirms the identity of the other.

2. Connecting Jesus to the ministry of John the Baptist increased the scope of Jesus’ fame.

In the Jewish community of Jesus’ time, John the Baptist was a celebrity. As we read in Mark 1:5,

All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 

Long before megachurches, television, and viral videos, John had a major following. He was the most well-known religious teacher of his time. John was highly respected throughout Israel, and his opinion carried so much weight that he wound up being beheaded due to his disapproval of a Roman leader’s marriage.

If all the people of Judea went out to hear John’s message and be baptized by him, surely they would want to hear about the person John said was greater than he was. Thus, John’s approval added to the perception of Jesus’ worthiness.

3. Starting with John the Baptist first allows Mark to share John’s message that was meant to prepare hearts for Jesus.

The second part of the Old Testament prophecy quoted in this chapter tells us the purpose for John’s ministry. The original quote comes from Isaiah 40:3-5, which says:

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!

Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills.Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.

Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!”

In the time of the prophet Isaiah, it was common to prepare for the arrival of a king or some other important ruler by building a new road to a town. Great effort was made with these roads. They had to be level and straight. The goal was to make their entry as easy and smooth as possible.

This effort showed that the people wanted the king to come. They looked forward to his arrival and did everything in their power to ensure that his travels would be quick and easy.

Isaiah uses this picture to describe the ministry of John the Baptist. The entire purpose of John’s ministry was to cause the hearts of the people to be open to hearing the message of Jesus, thus clearing the way before Him.

If John’s message was meant to prepare hearts to accept Jesus, it makes sense to begin the gospel story by referencing this message. This leads us to the question of what exactly John’s message was and how John’s ministry cleared this path for Jesus.

The Message of John the Baptist

John’s message was summarized for us in the opening passage of Mark. Mark 1:4 says:

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

John’s ministry primarily focused on the basic principles of repentance and forgiveness. He was called “John the Baptist” or “John the Baptizer” because he employed an outward symbol of this repentance and forgiveness by washing people in the Jordan River. 

In case you are unfamiliar with the term “baptism,” it comes from a Greek word “baptizo” which simply means to immerse, submerge, dip, or plunge. For those of us who spent summers swimming with friends, we might be more familiar with the concept of “dunking” someone! 

Many groups over the past 2,000 years have debated if it is acceptable to sprinkle water versus dunking people under it in order to accomplish a “correct” baptism. Yet the exact method is not really the focus here. The issue is what the act of baptism was supposed to mean.

Baptizing was not a completely novel idea to the Jewish people of John’s time. In fact, the Old Testament law required washing with water for certain types of uncleanness. 

The Jewish patriarch Moses washed Aaron and his sons as part of the ritual to prepare them to be the first priests for Israel. Also, many scholars believe that in the centuries surrounding the time of John and Jesus, it was common for the Jewish community to require Gentiles converting to Judaism to undergo a baptism as part of their conversion.

Just like we take baths and showers today, there was also a practicality to the practice of ritual washings to remove uncleanness after doing things like touching a dead body. 

However, as we see in the examples of Moses washing Aaron and Gentiles being baptized as they converted to Judaism, baptism carried with it the symbol of washing away the old and preparing oneself for the new, better path ahead of them.

This is the symbolism John tapped into by baptizing people who confessed their sins and were looking to God for forgiveness. It was a washing away of their unclean actions and committing themselves to a new way of life and service to God.

Similarly, choosing the Jordan River would have had great significance for John’s Jewish converts. The Jordan River was the very same body of water the early Israelites had waded through to enter the land God had promised them.

Physically crossing the Jordan River was how the Israelites of the past had transitioned from being wandering exiles to a recognized nation complete with a land of their own. The water of the Jordan had washed away their former status as slaves and wanderers, inaugurating them into a new kingdom of their own, thus fulfilling God’s promise to them.

What better place could there have been for John to announce to the Jewish people that a new king, a new country, and a new promise was about to arrive?

However, the significance of John baptizing in the wilderness does not end at the Jordan River. Both our passage in Mark and the prophecy we read earlier from Isaiah reference the idea that God’s messenger would clear the way through the wilderness. 

Clearly, the authors of Scripture knew John would teach and preach in the wild instead of the city, but why is this important? There are likely many reasons for this association. 

John the Baptist as Elijah

The wilderness is a recurring theme in the Bible with many levels of symbolism, but I think one of the reasons for John’s connection to the wilderness is because the Old Testament prophet Elijah was also associated with the wilderness.

In Luke 1:13-17, we read about the angel Gabriel’s prophecy regarding John given to his father Zechariah. It says:

But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. 

He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. 

He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

John was set apart to God for a specific purpose. A sign of this singling out was the command that he was not supposed to touch alcohol, which was consistent with the Old Testament Nazarite vow. In addition, John was filled with the Holy Spirit to empower him to complete this unique task.

All of these things are reminiscent of the calling and setting apart of an Old Testament prophet. John was a man who had the same spirit and power that the prophet Elijah had. Not only this, but Mark 1:6 describes John’s clothes and diet like this:

His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

Compare that description with the one given in 2 Kings 1:8 regarding Elijah:

They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.” 

“Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.

The significance of John’s diet of locusts and honey is a bit less clear, but the point of this description is clearly to compare John with the prophet Elijah.

Both prophets taught about repentance. Both lived as outcasts in the wilderness, set themselves apart by their actions and wardrobes, and spoke truth to kings who did not appreciate their frankness.

So, you may ask, “Why does it matter that John had so much in common with Elijah?” The answer is that the Old Testament prophesied that Elijah would return before the day of God’s judgement.

In Malachi 4:5-6, we read:

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Jesus confirms that John is the prophet that was supposed to come in Matthew 11:11-15. It says:

“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.

For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

Having established that John is the Elijah that was prophesied in Malachi, let’s move on to learn more about what John’s ministry was to accomplish in preparation for Jesus.

A Ministry of Repentance

The repentance John was preaching was unlike the teaching of the prevalent religious leaders of his day. The Jewish leaders had instructed the people that they were safe from judgement because they were descendants of Abraham. They were Jewish, and that alone made them “the good guys.”

The Old Testament law they were living under required much from them. But under the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (the recognized religious leaders of the day), the Old Testament law required outward obedience to certain religious practices, not love for other people. 

John taught differently. For him, it wasn’t enough to be a descendant of Abraham. It wasn’t enough to make sure you didn’t work on Saturdays. It wasn’t even enough to give money to the temple and pray epic prayers in the middle of a crowd.

John emphasized an abandonment of selfish actions that hurt others and a pursuit of love in their place. He “turned the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” He was teaching the people that their acts of love for others were the real proof that they had turned to God.

In Luke 3:7-14, we read:

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ 

That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

The crowds asked, “What should we do?”

John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”

He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”

“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.

John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”

So I ask you, in what way did these teachings of John prepare people for the message of Jesus? Wasn’t Jesus going to teach repentance and forgiveness as well?

In Matthew 9:10-13, we read:

Later, Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.” Then He added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

John prepared the way for Jesus by teaching the crowds that they were not righteous because of their Jewish heritage. They were, in fact, sinners who needed the salvation that Jesus was going to bring. 

Those who accepted John’s message did not come to the knowledge of Jesus secure in the idea that they had no need. Instead, they were looking and waiting for the forgiveness of God that could only be accomplished through His Son.

Like we read in 1 Peter 5:5b:

All of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

And Psalm 51:16-17 says:

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

For some, the humility they needed was accomplished through the teaching of John. He was the reason they approached Jesus with a broken, repentant heart that resulted in forgiveness. It was in this way that John paved the path for Jesus to come with salvation instead of judgement.

Preparing the Path Today

With the knowledge of John’s prophesied purpose, let’s go back and read our passage, Mark 1:1-8, one more time:

This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written:

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.

He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for Him!’”

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. 

And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am – so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of His sandals. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

As we look back at John the Baptist from our vantage point 2,000 years after Jesus returned to Heaven, we may wonder if there remains any relevance for his ministry today.

After all, the One who is greater has already come. We should no longer need the way to be paved. Yet, despite the fact that Jesus has already lived, died, and risen again, we still find people who have not yet accepted Him.

We still see the religious ones who pridefully believe they have earned their way to Heaven. We still find people who selfishly harm others, thinking that their own good will be found in the destruction of those around them. And we still see broken and hurting people who are unsure where to look for salvation. The path of Jesus to the hearts of these people still needs to be paved. 

As followers of Jesus, we have experienced a baptism that is greater than John’s. As believers in Christ, we have been given the Holy Spirit.

In John 16:7-9, we read these words of Jesus regarding the Holy Spirit:

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.

This advocate is the same Holy Spirit who dwells in the people of God. It is this Spirit who convinces the people in the world of their need for Jesus.

Like John, we have been filled with the Holy Spirit. We have been empowered and commissioned to spread the news about Jesus, who is greater than any one of us. And just like John, we too can help pave the path for people to accept Christ.

In Romans 10:13-15, we read:

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? 

That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

As we contemplate the Gospel of Mark, we can follow the examples we find there. Like we saw in these first eight verses, we can seek to spread the good news of Jesus by grounding that message in the historical prophecies of Scripture. Doing this validates the authenticity of God’s message through the miraculous fulfillment of promises made long ago. 

We can prepare the hearts of people like John did by helping them see their need for Jesus through recognition and repentance of sin. We do this through our own example of repentance and the witness of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit convicts people of their sin.

Most importantly, we can point others to the One who is greater than us. We can show them the “Messiah” or “Savior” who takes away their sins and baptizes them in the Holy Spirit, creating in them new life and righteousness.

“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

May God send you out overflowing with the Holy Spirit of love and good news to the world around you! 

Thank you for listening.