Mark 1:2-11 (John the Baptist)

Passage Mark 1:2-10

Mark 1:2–10 ESV

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

Purpose of John

Mark 1:2–3 ESV

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ ”

Messenger

Malachi 3:1 ESV

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 40:3 ESV

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Preparing the Way of the Lord

This would have been understood because the roads were terrible

When a King would be traveling, a messenger would lead to the way to check the road, and make sure the way is ready for a King

The way of the Lord is the way of repentance, of turning from sin to righteousness, and of turning spiritual paths that are crooked into ones that are straight and holy.

John MacArthur, Mark 1–8, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 17.

Action of John

Mark 1:4–8 ESV

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism

But John’s call for Jews to be baptized was radical. In essence, it required them to see themselves as outsiders who must acknowledge that they were no more fit for the Messiah’s kingdom than the Gentiles.

John MacArthur, Mark 1–8, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 21.

Clothing

His austere clothing, diet, and way of life were in themselves a rebuke of Israel’s religious elite, who indulged in the pomp and circumstance of their privileged positions.

John MacArthur, Mark 1–8, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 24.

Message of John

Repentance

A deep change of mind toward sin

Turning from the sin in your life

Weird thing is what that the religious leaders at the time where not feeling it

Push Back given to the idea that my sin is bad enough that I need to be a complete new person because I have done wrong in the eyes of God

Baptism of the Spirit

Being baptized with the Holy Spirit refers to the regenerative work of salvation

John MacArthur, Mark 1–8, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2015), 25.

Ezekiel 36:24–27 ESV

I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Symbolism of the Holy Spirit

Implies a complete different person, being cleansed of the old self

Baptism of Jesus

Mark 1:9–11 ESV

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

High Point of John’s ministry

Why was Jesus baptized?

To fulfill all righteousness

Baptism was a baptism of repentance

MacArthur explains His baptism as showing obedience to God

Hiebert states it involves his accepting of his role as suffering servant

My best explanation is that although Jesus was sinless, he came to pay for the sin of humans

To be honest, I didn’t think the reading I did was very conclusive and this might be a heaven question

Voice from heaven

Election of the Son

Picture of the Trinity

Imagine the reaction of John

Applications

Kind of a strong question to think about of repentance?

Are you thankful and in awe of baptism of the Spirit?