Readings: Mark 1:1-8 (NIVUK)
Where: Trinity, College Road. 10 December 2017
Minister: Brent Richardson
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b] 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way’[c] –
3 ‘a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.”’[d]
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 baptised by him in the River Jordan. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt round 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 baptise you with[e] water, but he will baptise you with[f] the Holy Spirit.’
Footnotes:
- Mark 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One.
- Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts do not have the Son of God.
- Mark 1:2 3:1
- Mark 1:3 Isaiah 40:3
- Mark 1:8 Or in
- Mark 1:8 Or in
The theme for the second Sunday in Advent is peace. You and I have grown up in a world that emerged from 2 global scale conflicts that tore the world apart, into a time of relative peace and prosperity. Sure, there has never been an end to regional conflicts but nor has there been the mass destruction of the world wars. Even the threat of a nuclear holocaust has so far been avoided.
(P) But we seem to be living in perilous times. Donald Trump announced this week his intention to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, acknowledging Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This is against the long-standing claims by Palestinians and the international community that Jerusalem does not exclusively belong to either side. It’s a provocative move and we are yet to see how it will play out but there’s a fair bet it will be violent.
(P) On the other side of the planet another conflict is brewing which could easily escalate to frightening proportions. North Korea is developing long range missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads while South Korean and American forces are demonstrating their military capacity by holding exercises over the peninsular. Again, we have no idea how this might play out; our hope and prayer is that peace will prevail.
(P) I’ve been wondering all week about this reading from Mark and why it is put here in the season of Advent. I mean it doesn’t seem very Christmassy does it? For one thing, it’s at the beginning of Jesus ministry-well after his birth- just before his baptism and the commencement of his public ministry. What has that got to do with Christmas? Or peace?
The simple answer is that Advent has to do with preparing ourselves to meet Jesus, the long awaited Saviour. The word advent is Latin for coming. And so, each year the story is retold and we are invited to enter into the story, to experience the joy and wonder of the baby Jesus born in such a unique way, for a unique purpose.
And John was sent to prepare the people of Israel for the coming of Christ. (P)
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way’[c] –
3 ‘a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.”’[d]
In the original context from Isaiah 40 this is about the Lord bringing the exiles back from Babylon to Israel. It’s about making a road through the wilderness for the people to travel back on. This is probably metaphorical of course as there were roads. It was about clearing the obstacles from Babylon- the idolatry and way of life learned there- so that the people would once again be God’s people in God’s land of promise.
It’s interesting that John calls the people back to the wilderness, away from Jerusalem, which was the nearest city and location of religious and political power. You see it is in the wilderness where the people first encounter God. Moses is tending sheep in the wilderness when he sees the burning bush and hears God calling him to lead the people out of Egypt. It’s in the wilderness where Israel wander for 40 years to forget the ways of Egypt and learn the ways of Yahweh. Many of us long to get away from the city out to the back blocks to be refreshed by nature, to just ‘be’ instead of ‘doing’.
So John appears in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v4). It’s easy to miss the radical and significant nature of this. You see for your everyday first century Jew the only way to get forgiveness from God involved making an animal sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem. Every Jew, at least once a year, would make the journey to offer a sacrifice. This was the cornerstone of Judaism after the exile and it had become something like ‘big religion’, dominating the life of all Jews. There was even a fantastic new Temple under construction that would rival the first temple built 1000 years earlier by Solomon.
Repentance simply means to turn. It can mean turn around, turn away or turn toward. John, in preparing the people for the coming of Christ, instructs them to turn away from big religion and rather look for God to come in the desert. He effectively is saying ‘forget the temple and the law, God’s not there’. No wonder the Pharisees and Sadducees who were very invested in the Temple were so offended by him.
Another thing to note is the very public nature of what John is calling the people to do. As a sign of their repentance they are to be baptized in the Jordan river. Not in the privacy of their own home surrounded by a few close friends and family, but publicly, where the authorities could see them. Publicly, where their neighbours could hold them to account. We live in an age where religion and faith are very much kept as private matters. This has been drummed into western culture for the past 200 years so it’s no wonder many of us are shy about declaring our faith openly.
So, what does this have to do with our Advent theme of peace? Two things; forgiveness of sins and baptism in the Holy Spirit.
As I alluded to in my opening, when we think about peace we often think about the Geo-political situations making headlines and the on-going threats to peace. But at a very basic level we are all in need of peace with God. And it is our sin which creates enmity between us and God. Paul, to the Galatians, puts it like this: (P)
Galatians 5:17 (NIVUK)
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want.
Our sinful nature is in conflict with God’s holy nature- we are offside with God. But through repentance- turning away from our sin and towards Jesus, we can receive forgiveness and be restored to peaceful fellowship with God, ourselves, and one another. This is beautifully captured in Jesus parable of the prodigal son, who demands his inheritance, squanders it on selfish riotous living but returns in contrition to his father who gladly receives him back and restores his position in the family. This is totally undeserved, yet that is how grace works.
Forgiveness brings us into peace with God but it also helps us to extend peace to others. When we understand that we are accepted by God through his unmerited favour and grace and that this is extended to anyone who asks for it, then it puts us on a level playing field. I am not worthier of God’s forgiveness than you are. Nor am I less in need of it than you. We are all equal in this regard so there is no room for competition or boasting. No room to push others aside to advance your own position. But when we reject our own need for forgiveness we tend to be less forgiving of others and more judgmental to those we think deserving of our judgement. That’s not a recipe for peace.
John’s preaching signaled something new that was to come with the Messiah; the baptism of (or in) the Holy Spirit. Up to this point the Holy Spirit was rarely seen. It would sometimes appear as a cloud in the holy of holies in the Temple at the feast of Atonement. It was generally understood that the prophets spoke their messages under the influence of the Holy Spirit and ones like Elijah and Elisha performed miracles through the Spirit. Kings were also believed to be anointed by the Holy Spirit.
But just as the baptism of repentance was available to any who sought it, so too is the baptism of the Spirit. And this is a sign of the union between God and humans made possible by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But what does it look like? Can you tell if someone has this baptism? Yes! It is evident in a person’s character, likened to fruit naturally produced by a healthy plant: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22). It is possible to have these characteristics in someone who is not a Christian but anyone claiming to be a Christian who doesn’t have these is suspect.
It is also evident in certain gifts of the Spirit which are special abilities you only have because they have been bestowed by the Spirit. Things like faith, generosity, the ability to teach God’s word, prophecy, healing, leadership, bringing encouragement and many more (eg Roms 12:6).
(P) On this second Sunday in Advent, hear again the call from God to be prepared for the Lord’s coming. The call is to once again turn towards him in faith, believing in the one sent from God in the form of a helpless baby to redeem his fallen people and to restore them to peace with God and each other. Hear again the call to be baptized-in water and Spirit- for the forgiveness of sins.
And may the peace of God be a defining mark on our lives this Christmas season.
Amen.
