See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
Mark 1:1-2
Observation: Mark declares the "beginning of the gospel of Jesus" as being this ... the ministry of John the Baptist. That is how this telling of the story begins, by calling out the prophesy of Isaiah that says, before the Messiah comes, there will be a messenger who prepares the way. Mark spends verses 4-8 then outlining John's ministry and message. The message is that the Messiah is indeed coming. The ministry is to baptize many to prepare them for this new era of relationship with the Lord.
And come they do! This is not just a handful of young men who are still seeking their way in life and perhaps a bit zealous in jumping into a new idea. Verse 5 says that that "the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem" came out and were baptized. This is likely hundreds of thousands, from a large area ... it is kinda like just saying 'everyone' came.
It sometimes seems strange that the gospels all discuss John the Baptist. However, it shouldn't be strange ... the importance of John's ministry cannot be overstated. He prepared hearts to receive the Messiah. Perhaps more importantly, he was a component of messianic prophesy that could not be 'faked' by Jesus himself. No matter what anyone could say about Jesus, having a third party undertake a completely independent ministry - exactly as Isaiah said would happen - again validates the Messiah.
Application: I am one of those who often undersell John's importance. I see information about him in every gospel, and wonder why everyone thought it was important to introduce Jesus through the lens of John. Then I am reminded of three facts.
First, this is important because God thinks it's important. He literally designed and planned it this way, and told us so through Isaiah. Therefore, it is immaterial that I even think about 'why' ... it just is important.
Second, this is consistent with God's way. God uses people to introduce himself, and always has. Even when mankind had removed God from their thoughts, he didn't create a big show to reintroduce himself, but rather he selected one man and began a small family that grew into the longest-standing people-group in recorded history, all just to be the group that told others about him.
Third, this is how most people still meet Jesus. Most people don't just out-of-the-blue encounter Jesus. Rather, they are prepared by someone else. Maybe they are told about Jesus or taught about his life. Maybe they receive hope through a message about love and eternity. Whatever the message, someone prepares their heart ... someone delivers a message that prepares the way for Jesus to enter their life.
Jesus is the Messiah, the new thing God did for the salvation of the world. But John is the thing the Lord has always been doing ... telling everyone what they need to know to prepare their hearts for Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, it took years and years of heart-preparation before I was ready to receive you into my life and accept Jesus. It is interesting to learn that you have always been doing this with everyone, preparing them for Jesus. Thank you for your patient love, with me and with everyone. Amen.
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