MARK 1:1-8
ADVENT PLEADS FOR
AN URGENT REPENTANCE.
In the name + of Jesus.
I suppose Christians may be disappointed when they begin reading the Gospel of Mark. St. Matthew's Gospel begins with the ancestry of Jesus and the angel's words of assurance to Joseph that the child Mary is carrying is not the son of another man, but the Son of God. St. Luke's Gospel, of course, has several angelic messages all focusing on the birth of the Christ child. St. Mark's Gospel, however, begins with a very succinct, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) Mark wastes no time. He gets to the point, as if there is very little time to do it.
John the Baptist's preaching is very much the same. John does not try to win the crowds over with rhetoric or a slick presentation. There is nothing about the John the Baptist that is slick. John is rough and raw—from his locust and wild honey diet to his camel's hair tunic to his wilderness residence. John the Baptist was not interested in playing to the crowds (though they did come to him). John was not interested in making friends (though he did have disciples follow him). John was interested only in fulfilling the task God had given him. 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,’” (Mark 1:2-3) John would prepare the way for the Messiah. For John, this was not going to be done with gentle persuasion. The path would not be made straight with careful, intricate landscaping, but with a bulldozer.
I doubt when John began preaching that he thought his days would soon be cut short by King Herod's sword. But John did warn people that the ax of judgment would soon be swung by the Christ. For that reason, there was precious little time for John to make his point. John had no time for polite chit-chat. John was blunt. John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4) The kingdom of God was at hand. And so there was an urgent plea for people to repent.
Advent pleads for an urgent repentance. Advent declares that a Savior is coming. However, if a Savior is going to mean anything to you, then you must believe that you actually need to be saved. The only way the Gospel will mean “good news” to you is if recognize that life without God's favor means bad news. Therefore, John the Baptist did not hesitate to preach a word that does not merely scold, but damns, so that people would crave God's mercy and salvation.
Advent pleads for an urgent repentance. It still does. St. Peter reminds us of Jesus' second advent in our epistle, that is, Jesus' return to judge the living and the dead. He writes to Christians about being prepared for that day. Peter does not tell us to do our best. He sets the bar much higher. St. Peter tells you “to be in lives of holiness and godliness” and to “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish....” (2 Peter 3:11,14) This diligence is crucial, because the Lord will come suddenly.
In the Prayer of the Day, our petition was this: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way for your only Son. By his coming give us strength in our conflicts and shed light on our path through the darkness of this world.” Our greatest conflict is not a battle of wills against other people, but against our own sinful flesh. No one ever becomes the master over his own flesh. If you did, you would live a life of holiness and godliness. But we do not. We daily are conflicted between wanting to do what is good and right and wanting to do what is selfish, easy, and convenient—and that at the expense of other people.
The conflicts we face with our own flesh often arise when we have conflicts with other people. We use a difference of opinion as an opportunity to despise other people or to hurl sarcastic zingers at them. Sarcasm feels especially good because we use our words to demonstrate our annoyance, to express our disdain for another person, and to try to humiliate them. Then, if the zinger truly hits, we take pride in ourselves for showing that we are right, smart, and superior. Then, we glorify ourselves further by telling friends how we belittled someone else with our brilliant wit. All the time, we believe that we are better people than those we despise. Repent! Those who exalt themselves, especially at the expense of others, will be humbled by God. Your friends may laugh at your stories, but the Lord is not amused. Advent pleads for an urgent repentance.
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. (Mark 1:5) The people who came to John did not repent because John's preaching was raw. They repented because John was right. John preached the word of the Lord which does not allow any man to pretend that he is good enough for God. Repentance is a continual, daily attitude. We daily acknowledge that we continue to sin and never live up to God's commandments. We strive to. We want to do better. And maybe God has even given you strength to overcome some of your conflicts. But no one is ever masters his sinful flesh. That is why Advent pleads for an urgent repentance. We will never cease to need our Savior.
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4) The whole point of preaching and baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. In other words, it points you to Jesus. John prepares the way for the Savior by setting before us in very plain terms our need to be saved. You need to be saved from a heart that spews out sarcasm, that despises other people, and that exalts yourself. Jesus comes to save you from your sins, from your conflicts, and from yourself.
Advent pleads for an urgent repentance. While John the Baptist rightly urges you to put off your sins, Jesus quietly takes them from you and puts them onto himself. Jesus bore the guilt for every one of our sarcastic attitudes and belittling words. Then he made himself the recipient of the harsh words, of the bitter accusations, and of sinful men who exalted their own agendas at the cost of Jesus' life. But Jesus submitted to all of it in order to alleviate you from all guilt. Though innocent, Jesus silently suffered and died rather than lash out at those who truly are guilty. He suffered the judgment of God for all who spew out sarcasm, mockery, and lies. You need to be saved from this judgment. Jesus has saved you by taking this judgment from you, suffering for you, and dying instead of you.
While John the Baptist was much more raw than Jesus in his preaching, they do have this in common. They did not use sarcasm to belittle the people they speak to. In plain, honest language—without lies, flattery, or sarcasm—they showed people they were sinners; and they showed sinners their need for salvation. John prepared the way for Jesus by exposing sins and warning of judgment. When Jesus came, the guilty found comfort from their guilt. Jesus spoke tenderly to those who were ashamed. He spoke mercifully to those who were in fear. He even spoke patiently to those who could find sins in other people but not in themselves. But he did plead for their urgent repentance; for there is no salvation without repentance. That is what Advent pleads for.
St. Mark began his Gospel as if the time were short. And to be sure, the time is shorter now than when John wrote it. That is why the call to repent and to flee to Jesus is urgent. It is true for you, and it is true for your family, friends, and anyone else you know or meet. These people are just like us—sinners. Most feel their sin from time to time. They know their death is coming. But they do not have the hope you do. Whether you would be as raw or rough as John the Baptist or more tender like Jesus does not matter. It did not for John or Jesus. What does matter is the urgency of Advent. The Savior has come to comfort sinners and to forgive sins. The time of this salvation is now. For Advent will soon come to an end. And the only joy there will be is for those who know their Savior. That joy is yours. Pray that it will be delivered to others as well.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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