A Commentary on Mark by Lion of Patmos Videos: Proclaiming the Message (Mark 1:12-20)
In our previous presentation on the gospel of Mark, we explored how the primary purpose of John the Baptist was to prepare the people for the coming of the Christ, and this was accomplished in manifold ways.
Perhaps the most evident was through John proclaiming an immersion of repentance, urging the people to follow the law of Yahweh, rather than the pretentious traditions of the elders upheld by the Pharisees. Those who were willing to listen came from across Judaea and even Jerusalem, leaving the hypocritical assembly halls to acknowledge their errors by the rivers. It was through their repentance that the rugged, stubborn mountain of Zion was transformed into a smooth, obedient plain, as prophesied in the writings such as those of Isaiah and Zechariah.
John the Baptist testified that Yahshua was the lamb of Yahweh, and so he also prepared the way by ensuring that the sacrifice of Christ fulfilled all of the necessary requirements under the law. It is written that the Levites had to be cleansed before they could do service and present an offering in righteousness, and therefore John “purified the sons of Levi” just as it was foretold of him in the prophet Malachi. It was also written that burnt offerings themselves required washing, and so when Christ came to be immersed, He told John that the washing of His sacrificial body was “fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”.
In all this the groundwork was laid and the path made straight: a “highway in the desert” was prepared for Christ, as an acceptable portion of the people, through John’s preparation, were now ready to receive Him. We see that at least most of the apostles were former students of John, and they readily flocked towards the Greater One, of whom John “was not worthy of bending over to loosen the straps of His sandals”
These aspects of John the Baptist's ministry were outlined in the prophets which Mark quoted at the beginning of his gospel, and John was successful in such a short time “not by strength or might but through the Spirit of Yahweh God”. [ Zechariah 4:6]
It was through John that we witnessed the preparation of the people, and now, as we continue in Mark, we will witness the proclamation of the message through Christ. The people are ready to receive the “messenger of the Covenant”
