Last week we stood on the edge of the Promised Land, and we were given the choice, by YHWH, between life and death. However, the simple option of choosing life, of choosing YHWH, or loving Him fully and others equally, we discovered, is only possible through radical heart surgery – circumcised hearts, and that would only come when YHWH himself would bring His people back from spiritual exile and they would live with YHWH as their king, with Him dwelling/tabernacling in their midst in His holy temple.
Between Deuteronomy 30 (which was last week’s sermon wrapping up the sermon series on the Exodus journey) and Mark 1 (which is this week’s sermon, starting off a series in Mark’s gospel)… between Deuteronomy 30 and Mark 1 lies the history of YHWH and the people of God that was marked out in brief in Deuteronomy 28. Initial obedience. Quick turning away to other non-gods by people, priests and king. Eventually, nations from afar coming and besieging the people, bringing destruction and the scattering and exile of a remnant. Then the remnant returning… but the history of Deuteronomy 28 is incomplete… the return was not complete, because their hearts were still in exile, they were under the thumb of other nations, and YHWH had not returned to their midst in His holy temple.
People were longing for the day when YHWH would bring circumcision of the heart, when as Joel prophesied (2:28), YHWH would pour out His Spirit on the people. And as Ezekiel (11:19) and Jeremiah prophesied (31:33), YHWH would put His Spirit IN his people, and give them new hearts to fulfil God’s law of love for Him and for all.
Isaiah 40 is a famous prophecy that the people held dear, a prophecy where YHWH speaks comfort to an exiled people - that their exile is at an end. Though the grass withers and the flowers fall, the Word of YHWH endures forever and God would be faithful to His word, and His promise of return. Isaiah announces this in terms of YHWH making a way for His rescue, so that He can bring His people back from exile, and that He will come to be with His people. His glory will be revealed for all to see. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power… [to rule]” (Isaiah 40:10).
Isaiah speaks of a messenger climbing up a high mountain to shout the good news for God’s people to hear.
People read Isaiah 40 and they longed for the good news that YHWH was returning to his people to rule them, to bring them back from exile, they longed for the message of comfort that their spiritual exile was over, their sin was paid for.
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’
“A voice says, ‘Cry out.’
“And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
“‘All people are like grass, and all human faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures for ever.’
“You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young…” (Isaiah 40:1-11)
Added to this expectation and hope that Isaiah’s prophecy would be fulfilled, was the added detail of other prophecies like Malachi’s - that the messenger who would announce this return from spiritual exile and the return of the King YHWH, the one getting people ready for the returning King, this messenger would be the returned prophet Elijah.
Malachi 3:1-4:6 “3:1I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty.
“2But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years...
“4:1Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace…
“5See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.’”
Uncircumcised, hardened hearts, enslaved to sin had lead to spiritual exile. The return from exile, the return of YHWH himself among his people, the promise of the Holy Spirit bringing circumcision of the heart, the good news announced by none other than the returned Elijah, all comes together in this announcement of the good news of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, through John the Baptist and indeed through Mark’s account that we begin today.
In these short few verses, Mark in his high speed way, quoting Isaiah and Malachi, has summed up the fever-pitch expectations that are met in Jesus who was preceded by the forerunner Elijah-type John the Baptist. Jesus is YHWH himself, bringing people back from spiritual exile, the returning King himself, bringing the long-awaited circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit.
And to do this much-needed circumcision of the hearts of the people, Jesus, as the people’s representative, as the people’s Messiah, would fully identify himself with them, through baptism, and through a wilderness wandering of forty days before entering the land across the Jordan, in order to bring the people out of spiritual wilderness, back from exile into the kingdom of YHWH.
Now, we could spend time focussing on Jesus’ baptism and the Father’s affirmation and declaration concerning His Son, and there is powerful stuff in that. We could spend time on Jesus’ time in the wilderness and consider the spiritual implications. But we are on a high-speed chase with Mark and fourteen verses into his account, Jesus’ baptism and desert journey are over, and the forerunner’s job is done, the messenger has prepared the way, and John the Baptist has gained a well-earned holiday at King Herod’s exclusive resort.
The forerunner’s job is done, and Jesus announces, ‘It’s time!’. The King has arrived. Circumcision of hearts will now be made available. Return from exile, return… turn.
Do you see how Jesus’ three commands over the next few verses are all interwoven? Repent. Believe. Follow. Mark would have us believe that Jesus is YHWH returned to dwell among His people, to bring them back from spiritual exile, to be the King and establish the kingdom, to bring circumcision of hearts and enable the people to be that kingdom of priests, drawing the nations to YHWH.
A spiritual exile, the worship of non-gods, living under the rule of other kings and kingdoms, requires people to turn, to return, to repent, to choose, to believe, to follow. If you want to live in God’s new kingdom, you need to move from the far-off land. If you are to receive a circumcised heart, you need to offer it to the spiritual surgeon/Messiah. If you desire to be in relationship with the One True God and be his priest in this world, you must leave behind the worship of non-gods. This requires, turning away… repentance… and a turning towards… believing and following.
The brothers Simon and Andrew, and the brothers James and John, stop doing what they’re doing and start following. They themselves repent, believe and follow. They turn from their old priorities and turn to make Jesus their number one priority. Now Mark will show us time and again, most notably right in the middle of his gospel that this repenting, believing and following at this stage is the equivalent of the partial healing of the blind man, and it will only be after the resurrection and the pouring out of the Spirit that the circumcision of the heart will occur, the full healing of sight will come about and the full turning away, believing and following even unto death will occur.
Now, we stand on the other side of the resurrection, and we look back on this initial call to Simon, Andrew, James and John, and we can see that in the light of the resurrection, after the giving of the Spirit, we can be those who repent, believe and follow, YHWH’s true King.
Our calling is to drop our old priorities and take up Jesus’ new priorities. To stop building and storing in our own barns, and start building and investing in God’s kingdom. To stop fishing for our own benefit, and start fishing for Jesus. Our calling is to leave behind our own lives, even being willing to leave behind life itself, to believe and follow Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.
We are called to be disciples and to make disciples. The adults and older youth among you may want to pick up this book ‘Discipling: How to help others to follow Jesus’ from the 9Marks series. But even more basic than reading a book about it, you and I, whatever age we are, need to put down our nets and follow, leave behind our wrong priorities, commit to King Jesus and follow Him, and encourage others, friends, neighbours, family members to do the same, to repent, to believe, and to follow, the One who is YHWH among us, come to bring us back from far off lands back into the Kingdom of God.
MEMORY VERSE: “‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’” – Mark chapter 1 verse 17
