Preparing the Way

Mark 1:2 – 8

Beloved congregation,

Today we are going to learn from John the Baptist. He is the one who prepares the way of the Lord. Now, it is interesting that in the story of the Gospel, it begins with the preparation. The coming of Jesus Christ is not without preparation. And this is precisely the significance of the ministry of John the Baptist.

The words “It is written” is a common formula used not only in Jewish but also in the Greco-Roman worlds. It conveys certain authority. Here, the authority is, of course, from God himself, who has given his people his words in the Old Testament.

John the Baptist is to prepare the way of the Lord. Christianity is a way, a way of life, even the way that leads to true life. And this way is none other than the way of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, you also read that Jesus reveals himself as the way, without whom no one comes to God the Father. Also, in the Acts (9:2), you read that Christians are called the followers of the Way.

What is the importance of understanding Christianity as a way? Maybe we should explain it in a negative description: what it is not. Christianity is not just an alternative idea worth trying in life. It is not an ideology, in the sense that it is only a mere system of ideas and ideals that forms certain economic or political aspects. It is not an option among so many options or choices in life. Rather, it is the way of life itself. And this way is to be found in the holy gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is the way of God himself revealed in the life of Jesus Christ. And the life of Jesus is the way to the cross. His death on the cross is the way of our salvation. This way is something transforming in our lives. Jesus as the way doesn’t leave us where we were. He accepts and receives us, yet at the same time, he will powerfully transform us.

Now, John is called to prepare this way, to “make his paths straight.” What does it mean: making his paths straight? When we read the context in the Book of Isaiah, we will know that a straight path, a straight way, is the way of righteousness. The coming of God’s kingdom shall always be preceded by the way of righteousness.

But Israel was unrighteous, so are you and I. We do not have righteousness from ourselves, and we cannot become righteous by our own power, ability, or strength. That’s why John the Baptist proclaims repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Yesterday, if you participated in our seminar/Bible study, we just learned the importance of repentance in the beginning of a pious life according to the Pre-Pietist Johann Arndt. There is no forgiveness of sins without true repentance, and that’s not only according to Arndt but foremostly according to the Gospel of Mark.

John appeared in the wilderness. In Israel’s history, as you can read it in the Old Testament, the wilderness frequently represents a place of repentance, and along with it, a place of the grace of God. The first humans fell into sin in the almost perfect setting of the Garden of Eden. God calls sinful humans to repent in the wilderness.

Are we in the wilderness right now? Can we listen to God’s voice that calls us to repent? Or are we not only not in the wilderness, but perhaps we are even trying to avoid at all costs the experience of wilderness; we are trying to build our sandcastle and palace in this present life. Are we in the wilderness with John the Baptist? Or are we in Herod’s palace?

The fact that John the Baptist is in the wilderness teaches us that he, I quote from a commentary, “summons people away from the routines and comforts of their urban domiciles, and especially from the statutory temple hegemony of Jerusalem.”

Your everyday life can be a kind of temple hegemony, something that unconsciously controls us while impoverishing our lives. We become slaves of our daily routines and comforts. Even a church, if we are not careful toward ourselves, can become this temple domination—not something that liberates our lives from worldly slavery through the preaching of the holy gospel. Can we still hear the gospel, God’s voice that calls us to repent and receive the forgiveness of sins: sin of pride, sin of vainglory, of boasting, sin of laziness, idleness, sin of unholy, carnal anger, sin of despair, of continuing in the state of hopelessness, sin of greed, of always being discontent with God’s given portion, sin of lust, of fornication, sin of gluttony, of intemperance in eating and drinking? And many more sins!

We need to repent daily so that we can experience the sweetness of God’s forgiveness in Christ.

The ritual of cleansing was not unique to John the Baptist or even to Christianity. The ritual washings in Judaism, for instance, can be found in the Qumran community near the Dead Sea. Such ritual washings symbolized God’s eschatological cleansing. In order to enter into God’s kingdom, you need to clean yourself, even daily!

In comparison to the ritual cleansings at Qumran, however, John’s baptism was administered by a second party, who was John the Baptist. It is not self-washing. Do you notice the difference? We cannot clean ourselves. We need to repent, yes, we have to do our part, but someone else who represents God should administer the cleansing.

How dangerous it is when we try to clean ourselves, or perhaps, better said, try to deem ourselves to already be cleansed. We excuse ourselves, we pity ourselves, we forgive ourselves—at the end, we defend and justify ourselves. That is not the way of God. That is a self-created path, a crooked path.

In verse 5, we read that true repentance always includes confessions 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.”

They confessed their sins after hearing the call to repentance. Repentance is not just asking for an excuse that we have made mistakes. It is much more, much deeper than that.

Confessing our sins before God is letting God receive us in his forgiving mercy and love. It is the liberation from our guilt.

Recently, we have heard the news that there is an effort to re-write the dark history of 1998 in Indonesia. Apparently, this is not only a problem in Indonesia; it can also happen here in Germany. You know there is also an effort to re-write the history of the Nazis here in Germany. Certain people are trying to soften the sins of the past, or perhaps, if possible, to erase them all!

Where does the problem exactly lie? The Gospel says it’s in the dishonest reluctance to confess our sins. We like to escape from the responsibility of being guilty. We suppress the guilt, we try to re-write history, because we don’t want to acknowledge our sins; we like to justify ourselves.

The Gospel is indeed the good news that liberates us from this problem of guilt before God. What we need is not erasing the memory of our past. What we need is the forgiveness from God through confession of our sins. The courage to confess our sins is indeed a beautiful gift of God.

Let’s continue with verse 6. John is described as being clothed with camel’s hair, wearing a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. It reminds us of the prophet Elijah, who also wore a garment of hair and a leather belt around his waist (1 Kings 1:8). John was indeed associated by Mark as the Elijah in the Old Testament.

Elijah was a courageous prophet who dared to challenge Israel to repent and renew their covenant with God. He courageously confronted King Ahab because of his sin. And here we have John the Baptist, who will also fearlessly criticize Herod Antipas (Mark 6:18).

John the Baptist embodied the spirit of Elijah in his prophetic ministry. Do we have the same spirit? Do we have the courage to rebuke or confront evil in our everydayness, or do we choose to play it safe?

John ate locusts and wild honey. In the Book of Leviticus (11:22), eating of locusts could fall within Jewish dietary regulations. John lives in asceticism. Perhaps it is a statement that, I quote, “sets him apart from the refined temple cult in Jerusalem.” He was not part of the establishment of the corrupted religious system in Jerusalem. He was preparing the way of the Lord, not preparing to get promoted in Jerusalem’s religious institution.

What is the benefit of promotion without God’s approval, without God’s favor?

Thus, here we have a courageous prophet who risks himself in preparing the coming of God in his ministry. You and I are invited to participate in such ministry. We are invited to preach the gospel faithfully, to call people to repentance, as we also repent from our sins daily, to proclaim the beauty of God’s love and forgiveness.

Finally, John the Baptist refers to Christ as someone mightier than him. Not only mightier, but even to untie the strap of his sandals, John is not worthy. In first-century Judaism, the untying of sandals and washing of feet were duties of Gentile slaves. In other words, John the Baptist positions himself so low as being a Gentile slave who serves Christ as his Master and Lord.

We find true humility in the life of John the Baptist. He serves his Master humbly, willingly, and joyfully. He does not envy the greatness of Christ. He is not insecure. And he doesn’t have any business to boast about himself or to prove that he indeed exists and is worth considering.

Likewise, in our church ministry, in our personal testimony every day, we should not struggle to gain recognition. Rather, we should focus on how to refer to the greatness of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. His glorification is the joy of our ministry.

The title of our sermon today is “Preparing the Way (of the Lord).” John the Baptist has prepared the way for the coming of Jesus. Jesus has come. He has initiated the coming of the kingdom in his life and ministry. Yet, he will come again; he will return to accomplish, to perfect, the coming of the kingdom. And so, you and I are invited to prepare the way of his last coming, his return, through which he will perfect the coming of God’s kingdom.

The way is still the same. It is the way of righteousness, the way of repentance from sins and unrighteousness, the way to true forgiveness of sins—not only of yours and mine, but also the sins of others. It is the way of God, the way of life, the way of salvation, and this way is Jesus Christ himself.

Let us walk in this way; let us invite other people around us to walk on the same way. Let us preach and proclaim the gospel of Jesus. Let us confess that the LORD is indeed our shepherd, and that He leads us in paths of righteousness, for the sake of his name. All glory be to his name. Amen.