MARK 1:1-8
PREPARE THE WAY WITH REPENTANCE.
In the name + of Jesus.
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1) starts with John the Baptist. If you happen to find John's preaching heart-warming, it is only because you know what John's purpose is. He was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. John's message is harsh, but it is necessary. Some people might think that John needs to attend sensitivity training, but he will not go. He is not interested in being polite or sparing feelings. He does not waste time with small talk. John was given a message to proclaim, and it does not seem John is interested in anything else—not in his appearance, not in diet, not in community gatherings, or family meals. John prepares the way for the Lord; and this John does passionately. John preaches without a filter. He does not turn a blind eye to sin, and he does not sugar coat the wrath of God. John prepares the way of the Lord with repentance.
It is not that John is into insulting people. He is no shock-jock who blasts people with venom just to get notoriety. John preaches the harsh truth and exposes people—all people, whether peasants or rabbis or kings—as sinners. “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:4) John calls all people to repent so that, when the Messiah does come, we will rejoice and eagerly receive all of the gifts he brings. If we do not repent, we will welcome Jesus only as a teacher of morals. And ultimately, we don't need Jesus for that. Most people know what is right and how they are supposed to behave. Aesop taught morals. Aristotle taught courage and virtues. Miss Manners teaches you to be polite, and Dear Abby will chide you when you are rude or selfish. The problem is not that we don't know the standard or have one; the problem is that we do not live up to it.
Prepare the way with repentance. The people of Judah and Jerusalem heard John's words, and they took them to heart. St. Mark wrote, “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) To confess means to say the same thing. So, by confessing their sins, the people were acknowledging that God's word was right and that they were wrong. They acknowledged the standard of God's Law was true, and they admitted that they did not live up to it.
Among the people who came out to hear John were the Pharisees. They were the teachers of God's word among the people. They were examples of morality. The were the judges of virtue. We often think of the Pharisees as wicked men because Jesus exposed their hypocrisy. But their sins were not brazen acts of crime or violence. Their sins were hidden deep within their hearts. They took pride in their office as teachers, in their acts of charity, in their religious practices, and in the respect they were shown for the example they gave to the community. Their sin was not that they acted wickedly; their sin is that they were convinced they were good.
Prepare the way with repentance. That is more than a sheepish acknowledgment that there are some moments we would like to forget. Anyone can say that. Repentance is much more. Yes, it is an admission of your faults; it is also an admission that your very being is faulty. Our hearts, our minds, our emotions, and our dreams are all corrupted by sin. This is true not just for the sins we have done; it is even true for the good we have done.
Prepare the way with repentance. It is forsaking whatever sins you practice, and it is forsaking any confidence you have in the good works you do. I am not discouraging the good works; I am discouraging finding any reason at all to boast in them. Jesus had his disciples consider this: “Does [the master] thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'” (Luke 17:9-10) To boast of our good works is to reject grace to seek a wage.
Since our hearts, our minds, our emotions, and our dreams are all corrupted by sin, the works that flow out of our hearts, minds, emotions, and dreams are also corrupt. As we heard from Isaiah last week, “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6) Therefore, repent. Repent of your every wicked motive and movement. And repent of thinking your better moments gain you something. We come before God as beggars—we have nothing, and we are nothing. We only have something when God gives it to us. John shows you that. Prepare the way with repentance.
For as bold and blunt as John the Baptist's preaching was, we should not get the idea that John was arrogant. He knew has place. “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.'” (Mark 1:7) In a day when sandal-wearing people walked everywhere on dirty and dusty trails, it was a common courtesy to wash the feet of the guest who came to your house. It not only provided relief to the weary traveler, it also removed the stench which would have perfumed the household. So, who do you suppose got the job of stooping down to unlatch the smelly leather and to scrub the dirty feet? The lowest slave in the house, that's who.
Jesus had called to John as more than a prophet and the greatest one born of women (Matthew 11). John had a different opinion of himself. John did not feel worthy to be the lowest slave for the Messiah. Like you and me, John was a beggar. He had nothing to present to God that God should honor or reward. John preached repentance and he practiced it. And so it is with you. Prepare the way with repentant. Renounce all boasting. Do not consider your background, your heritage, your status, your popularity, or your financial means. Do not ask God to consider who you are or what you have been. Don't ask God to take into account what you promise to do in the future. Do not take price because you are better than some, and do not despair because you are worse than others. Repent of all of these things. Your judgment does not depend upon you. It is only in the one whom John proclaims.
The people who came to hear John preach confessed their sins. They said the same thing as God's word. But Jesus gives us another confession—a confession of faith. Once again, we say the same thing as God's word. But now, we say what Jesus has done to save sinners. Jesus is mightier than John the Baptist and does a far greater work than John. John could only point to your need for a Savior; he could not save. But John could—and literally did!—point to the Savior, declaring Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John prepared the way with repentance, and Jesus fulfilled everything that was promised from the very first prophet right up to the last prophet of the Old Testament, John.
Jesus has done the mighty work of carrying the sins of the world to the cross. Jesus has done the mighty work of overcoming the devil's temptations. Jesus has done the mighty work of absorbing the full wrath of God and the condemnation for every sinner. Jesus' mighty work, however, was accomplished in weakness, as he willingly suffered at the hands of wicked men and willingly died for the wickedness of all. Into his battered and bruised body, Jesus has taken your unrighteousness. By his holy bloodshed, he has atoned for all sins. And then Jesus performed the mightiest work by overcoming the grave at his resurrection from the dead. This opens up heaven to us all. It delivers us from death into life everlasting. Whoever believes and is baptized into Jesus receives all the benefits that Jesus has won through his life, death, and resurrection. It does not come to us because we did something worth remembering, and it is not withdrawn from us because we did something we wish everyone would forget. It comes as a gift—from a gracious God and Savior. He is not hostile to sinners, only to unbelievers. So, prepare the way with repentance.
John said, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8) John came with a baptism of repentance that looked forward to the forgiveness that Jesus would deliver. Jesus actually delivers the forgiveness of your sins through baptism. John came to wash away the past, but Jesus comes to cleanse you for all eternity. John poured water upon the penitent; Jesus pours his Holy Spirit into the penitent to mark you as redeemed children of God. God the Holy Spirit now dwells in you to creates in you a clean heart and to renew in you a right spirit. In other words, he works the repentance that John calls you to have. As you continue in God's word, the Holy Spirit continues to keep you penitent, faithful, and watchful.
Prepare the way with repentance. John the Baptist delivers a message which is unfiltered, but necessary. Aesop, Aristotle, Miss Manners, and Dear Abby can instruct you to be a nice and decent person, but they know nothing of salvation. John does, and he tells you with brutal honesty. John knows that you need Jesus. Only Jesus takes away sins, delivers from death, and opens heaven. Therefore, prepare the way with repentance. When you divest yourself of all hope, you will long for the one who guarantees the hope of life everlasting. Only Jesus can. And he does. For you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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