I've Got Good News

Good News!

I’ve got good news and it has nothing to do with saving a bundle by switching my car insurance to GEICO. It has to do with a bundle of joy that came into the very world he created. This saving bundle was named Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.

A popular question to ask when bad things happen in our lives, or in the face of an exceedingly evil and dark world is, “If God is all powerful, and all loving, then why doesn’t he do something?” God did do something on our behalf. He sent his one and only son. At Christmas we celebrate the day the word that spoke everything into existence became flesh and made himself at home among us.

Despite the rough situations of being human, despite the sin, evil and darkness that confronts our world, God acted on humanity’s behalf by entering the course of human history.

Romans 5:6–8 NLT

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

I wonder as I wander out under the sky why Jesus our savior did come forth to die. For poor onery people like you and like I. Today John the baptist announces the good news of God, that one is coming after him, whose sandals he’s not even worthy to take off. As we continue our advent journey lets remember the good news of our LORD Jesus Christ. That God he spoke light into existence, who breaths life into us, came into the very world he created, and died for us.

This is the Good News!

Mark’s gospel gets right to the point. There’s no birth story. No journey to Bethlehem, no wisemen, no shepherds, no manger. Mark starts his gospel with “This is the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Mark begins with the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way for the LORD’S coming!

John’s Message

Mark 1:4 NLT

4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

Jesus Message

Mark 1:14–15 NRSV

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

The call of John in the wilderness was to repent and be baptized. To understand the significance of the wilderness we need to understand a little about the day of atonement. This is the one day of the year the high priest would enter the most holy place and offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. Part of that day there was also a scapegoat, that the high priest would lay all the sins of the people. This scapegoat would be released into the wilderness carrying the sins of the people with it.

Now with this in mind hear the voice of the one shouting in the wilderness. Shouting from the place the sins of the people has been piling up for a long time. From this wilderness comes a call to repentance and a water cleansing.

Jesus after his baptism is lead into this wilderness to be tempted by the devil and when he emerges he delivers a similar message. Repent! and believe the Good News!

John the baptist unworthiness

Mark 1:7 NLT

7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.

What grips me from this passage is verse 7. In John’s gospel Jesus stoops down undoes the strap of his disciples sandals and washes their feet. At this time washing guests feet was the job of the lowest ranking slave in the house. By saying this John is letting the people know someone is coming after me, who I’m not worthy to serve in any capacity. But yet he prepares the way for Jesus to baptize them with the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that hovered over the waters at creation. The same Spirit that conceived Christ. The same spirit that descended like a dove on Jesus. The same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The same Spirit that blew in the upper room. That same Spirit is available to all who would repent and believe.

John the baptist prepares the way for Jesus to proclaim the good news about God. Mark 1:14-15

Mark 1:14–15 NRSV

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

How do we respond?

Today let’s take some time to wonder as we wander along to Christmas how Jesus our savior did come forth to die, for poor onery people like you and like I. Let’s remember that God in his mercy did do something. God sent his son Jesus Christ to put his Spirit in us.

Let’s rejoice with shouts of acclimation that God intervened in the course of human history.

The time promised by God has come at last! Let’s repent and believe the good news!