The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 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. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Prophet: a person who brings a message of God.
Repentance: realising you did wrong things and turning away from the old way of life.
Baptise: a ceremony where you are immersed in water.
Sins: things we do that are against God’s law
Question 1
What kinds of things come to your mind when you hear the word ‘King’?
Question 2:
Look at the way John is described. What kind of person do you think he was?
When important people visit a city, you don’t expect them to turn up without any warning. Imagine if your hero came to your house without telling you in advance – you wouldn’t be ready for it.
This is especially true when talking about a king or queen. You expect that someone will go before them, maybe play an instrument or shout – so that everyone knows they are about to arrive and is ready to welcome them.
This is just how Mark begins his book of good news about how Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world. The Israelites, God’s people, had been waiting for a long time for a person God would send to save them – the Old Testament tells us many times that a saviour will come. Now, at last, the saviour has arrived. Like any king, he sends someone before him to prepare the way, to let people know he is coming. That’s why John begins to baptise people who believe. He calls on everyone to realise that they have lived in a way that is against God and to say sorry for that.
Then he baptises them as a sign that they have been cleaned on the inside, that God has forgiven their sins.
But John doesn’t look like a normal missionary, does he? Everything about him, even his clothes and food, shows that he gave up everything in order to serve God. And in case people misunderstand who he is, he makes it clear that he’s paving the way for someone much more special than him, someone who would be able to work in people’s hearts through the Holy Spirit and completely change their lives. Who else would be able to change lives but the King of all the world?
Question 3
When you think of the kind of man John was, what do you think this tells us about the upcoming King?
Question 4:
If you heard that your hero was coming to see you, how would that make you feel? What should our response be in thinking that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the great King, came into the world?
Pray:
that God will show you that it is necessary to say sorry for your sins and ask for help in trying to follow the King.
