Good Morning Friends,
“It is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who
will prepare your way’ -- ‘a voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the
way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’ And so John came, baptizing in the desert
region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the
people of Jerusalem went out to him.
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan
River. John wore clothing made of
camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild
honey. And this was his message: ‘After me will come one more powerful than I,
the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit.’” (Mark 1:2-8)
John the Baptist was a strange man.
He lived in a strange area -- the desert
region. The Judean desert is such a
desolate place. A few Bedouin’s still
live there, but it is a very uninviting place to live. It’s not a place with a great many
people. In fact, those who would come to
hear John preach would have had to make an effort to do so, people didn’t
normally gather in the desert.
He commanded a strange response -- a baptism
of repentance. Some Jewish sects were
baptizing as an act of purification, but it was not a widespread action. John was asking for something new from the
people. He was asking for a declaration
of their sinfulness and a desire to change.
He had a strange diet and a strange wardrobe
-- clothing made of camel’s hair and locusts and honey for food. You could never claim that John was giving
himself to a life of comfort and luxury.
He had a strange message -- look for someone
else to come. He wasn’t drawing
attention to himself. He was calling
people to keep their eyes open for the one they should follow -- the Messiah
was coming.
Why would anyone give his life to such
strange things? Because that’s what God
asked him to do. John was willing to do
anything God asked of him and bear any cost to do it.
What an example for us!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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