The Good News of Jesus Christ the Son of God

The first reference is Exodus 23:20: “I am going to send an angel [messenger] before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.” Next he pulls from Malachi 3:1: “‘See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” The last reference is Isaiah 40:3: “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”

Mark simply references the most significant and well known of the three texts, the prophet Isaiah. God has promised to send His messenger, who will prepare the way; make the road ready ahead of “You,” the Messiah. He will loudly proclaim his message where God has continually met His people calling them to repentance: the wilderness. His message is simple and clear: Level the roads, make them presentable and safe, for the Lord is7 coming! God kept His word to send His forerunner to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Mark 1:4-8

The sending of John the baptizer was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy signaling a new day in “redemptive history”—which is the series of events by which God redeems His people from sin and death. The culmination of redemptive history is the cross of Christ. Three observations about John the Baptist elsewhere in Scripture are worth noting. Matthew 11:7-12, 14 says,

John was greatly esteemed in the eyes of our Savior. John was the Elijah to come, the one who would announce the coming of the Messiah. He was truly at a turning point in redemptive history.

While John prepared the way for the Messiah, he rightly understood his role in God’s plan of redemption: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, emphasis added). His ministry was not about himself; it was rightly centered on Jesus Christ.

The message John declared about the Messiah was true, and many came to believe in Jesus. “Many came to Him and said, ‘John never did a sign, but everything John said about this Man was true.’ And many believed in Him there” (John 10:41-42, emphasis added). He was not the Savior, but he pointed many to Him.

Chuck Swindoll says these verses concerning John the Baptist give us the “profile of a strange evangelist!” Indeed! In John the Baptist we see a character and life worth emulating. The great thing is that when we do start living like John the Baptist, we end up looking a lot more like Jesus Christ in our own lives.

Mark records with his usual brevity, “John came baptizing in the wilderness.” He suddenly appeared. He was “baptizing,” but he was not concerned about mere ritual or ceremonial rite. The message he preached was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” This baptism was preparation for the forgiveness Christ would accomplish by His death and resurrection.

In short, John’s message was, “The time is now to get right with God!” Popular with some and unpopular with others, John was faithful to God! He truly lived by the dictum, “All that matters in life is that I please God.”

How did the people respond? They came from everywhere to hear him, even Jerusalem! Rich and poor. Rural and urban. They responded to John’s preaching by repenting (turning from sin), confessing (acknowledging their sin), and being baptized (an outward sign of humility giving evidence of the inward change of their hearts). He called people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah.

Our tendency is to want to make John’s character like that of a modern man. That will not work. He was not the kind of man to be a presidential cabinet member; rather, he was a wandering preacher who lived in the wilderness. God chose a forerunner entirely different from the type we would have picked. Mark helps us take a straight and honest look at this man. Not only does he appear unusual by today’s standards; he was unusual by the standards of his own day. He had no credentials, had not studied in a formal school with Pharisees or rabbis, and wore funny clothes and ate weird food!

Humble in appearance? He wore a camel-haired garment with a leather belt. Sounds like Elijah in 2 Kings 1:8.

Humble in home? He lived in the desert.

Humble in diet? He ate locusts (a clean animal; Lev 11:22) and honey. At least it was high in protein and minerals.

Humble in message? John effectively said, “One greater than me is coming [v. 7]. He is so great, I am not worthy to do what only a Gentile slave would do [v. 7]. My baptism is outward with water: a symbol. His baptism is inward with the Spirit: the real thing [v. 8]. The One who is coming is mightier than I am! He is more worthy than I am! He is more powerful than I am! I have touched your body with water. He will touch your soul with the Holy Spirit! I know who I am in God’s plan. I know who He is in God’s plan too!”

9John would not live to 35. He would be imprisoned and beheaded. The world, no doubt, scoffed at this crazy man. Heaven, however, would smile.

J. C. Ryle rightly demonstrates the implications of John’s life:

Early Christians used one symbol to mark the tombs of believers or to designate secret meeting places because of Roman persecution. It was sometimes signed in sand to distinguish a friend from an enemy. Further, it captured beautifully the evangelistic intent of Jesus’ ministry and the essence of who Jesus was. It also summarizes well the theme of Mark’s Gospel. I do not speak of the cross, but of the fish! The Greek word is ICHTHUS (ΙΧΘΥΣ). It is a perfect acrostic for Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter, or in English, “Jesus

Christ, God’s Son, Savior!” Here is the essence of Mark’s Gospel. Here is the essence of the good news about Jesus.