I’m vacillating between Mark and John as the book I will read for the next phase of the 2011 Lenten journey. Mark is the most appropriate of the Synoptic Gospels at this juncture, because it leads us directly into Jesus’ ministry, instead of back to His birth – but John begins there as well, except that he takes us beyond the resurrection – and I don’t want to get there too soon…. The reality is, I may do some juggling between them, as I want to follow Jesus again this year on the journey He walked during those final days of His physical life on earth as fully God/fully human.
For today I will begin with Mark. Quite honestly his immediate reference in Mark 1 to Isaiah is part of the appeal in making that choice. In reality it appears this is a meshing of prophecy from various voices – but it sets the stage. It clearly declares that there is a ‘voice of one calling in the wilderness’ (or desert), “Prepare the way of the Lord” and identifies that forerunner as John the Baptist.
What grabs me right away is the message John proclaimed: a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. How radical! Their only forgiveness for sins from the time of Moses to that time (approximately 30 A D) was slaughtering perfectly adorable, perfectly formed, perfectly perfect lambs and calves – with the blood of the animals required as the atonement for their sins. And now – suddenly there is this strange dude who lives in the desert, wears camels’ hair clothing and eats locusts and wild honey who is preaching a totally different truth than what they’ve been taught – and they actually believe him.
The only way I can account for this phenomenon is that people were hungry, yearning for change – and the Holy Spirit was working overtime! People from all over Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him, confessing their sins and being baptized, yet his declaration to them was, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.“
I fear I am missing a piece or two of the puzzle here. I know about ritual cleansing practiced in Old Testament times – being washed under the authority of a priest for purity – but this baptism of John’s was different – beyond that offered by a priest. I am intrigued. It would be easy to become immersed in the intriguing information in just these first few verses. Not only is John baptizing as a cleansing for the actual forgiveness of sins, he promised that the one who followed him – whose shoes he was not worthy to untie – would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.
Up to that time, the activity of the Holy Spirit had been very selective. The Holy Spirit was not available to the masses in the way we now know Him to be.
Mark’s gospel about Jesus is the Cliff’s notes edition. He reports that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. The area Jesus was baptized was further south – in the desert region – below where some of our recent tour group were baptized in the Jordan – but my mind’s eye sees the territory. It means so much more reading the Bible with the topography of the places I am reading about clearly in mind. Mark does tell us what happened at the Baptism: ‘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.” ‘
Next Mark provides two verses (12-13) to report Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness when He was tempted by Satan. If left just to Mark, we would know nothing of what that temptation involved.
By verse 14 of chapter 1, Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee – right after John was arrested. Mark doesn’t tell us that story either….
I’m wondering if I’ve ever read Mark without reading the other gospels along with it – or without what they offer in mind. I want to pay attention to Mark – to what he felt was important to share – but I’m afraid I won’t be able to limit my comments to what he offers….
For today, I have to stop here. It is Spring Break – and 3 grandkids just arrived, so I promised them I would run up and finish what I had started, and make pancakes! I have enough to think about just in these first 15 verses!
No comments:
Post a Comment