BREAKING THE SILENCE
Text: Mark 1:1 - 8
Mark 1:1-11 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (2) As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; (3) the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" (4) John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (5) And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. (6) Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. (7) He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. (8) I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
All four of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John speak of the ministry of the John the Baptizer who is the messenger who prepares the way for Jesus. A second reason that John’s arrival is such a big deal is because there had not been any prophets for 400 years. Famous theologian Henry Sloane Coffin, once said “[God] … cannot allow it to be said that those who were called to be His people turned out such a disappointment that He had to abandon them”. (George A Buttrick. ed. The Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. “Isaiah Chapters 40 - 66 Exposition.” Nashville: Abingdon Press, thirty eighth printing, 1987, p. 481). Can you imagine 400 years of silence? Would you think that God had given up on His creation?
Today we can take a look at John as the messenger, the hearts of the people and their response.
MESSENGER
If someone appeared in your midst, dressed like John the Baptizer, would it get your attention?
1) Appearance: Keep in mind that John did not show up looking like a GQ model wearing a stylish sport coat made of camel hair. No. John’s look was rustic as well as prophetic. Why? John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather belt around his waist. That is the very description of the raiment which Elijah had worn (2 Kings 1:8)”. (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series:The Gospel of Matthew. Volume 1. Revised Edition. Philadephia: Wsetminster Press, 1975). I’m sure John’s belt was not made with a buckle but one that he likely had rustically tied around his waist. John’s clothing was an indicator of who he was and why he had come.
2) His diet: ”Locust and honey were a common diet for wilderness regions”. (Life Application New Testament Commentary). You can pass me the honey but please withhold the locust.
3) Message: John the Baptizer was coming in the power and the spirit of Elijah “... to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17 NRSV). This is a big deal because “Paternal love had died out. This is one of the first results of conversion, the revival of love in the home”. (Word Pictures in the New Testament (A. T. Robertson) . Isn’t that kind of reconciliation needed in every age? How many families are divided or alienated because of conflicts or disagreements? How is true reconciliation possible without repentance? How could we ever be restored without the Lord Jesus Christ?
What was the messenger’s mission?
1) Mission: The Messenger John the Baptist had a mission was not only to come in the “spirit of Elijah” , but also to make a way for the Savior, Jesus Christ. Both Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3 connect to the dots of John the Baptizer’s ministry converging on the point of “making a way for Jesus” as is mentioned by all four Gospels (Matthew 3: 2, Mark 1:2, Luke 3:4 and John 1:23).
2) Investigation: John’s Gospel tells us that the Pharisees started asking John the Baptizer questions about who he was? Was it because there had not been a prophet on the scene for 400 years? As religious leaders shouldn't they have been aware of the prophecy of the forerunner of Jesus the Messiah mentioned by both Isaiah and Malachi? Were they asking because they were truly curious or because they were playing the role of the gate-keeper ?
HEARTS
Don’t we all use the heart as a metaphor for emotion?
1) Hearts: In scripture, the heart is used as a metaphor for the seat of our emotions. Jesus speaks of the heart as a type of reservoir ---the source of the speech that overflows from the heart which speaks of both the good and the evil stored within our hearts (Matthew 12:34).
2) Pot hole hearts: Consider how some of our roads riddled with cracks and potholes are in need of repair. You know what I mean if ever you have had to get your wheels re-aligned because of damage done by potholes. Imagine that our hearts---the hearts of humanity in every age are like those roads, riddled with cracks of disappointment, or doubt, despair and maybe even despondency.
3) Bulldozer : After all, at this time in Biblical history it had been [four] hundred years or more since people have heard God’s communication through any more prophets. Then, John the Baptizer ----aka by one resource as “God’s Bulldozer” appears on the Judean countryside (Mark 1:4) preaching about how the rough paths need to be made straight, telling them to prepare for the way of the Lord (Mark 1:3). https://www.baptiststandard.com/departments/bible-study/connect360-the-baptism-of-the-holy-spirit/. Our world today is still in need of spiritual road construction because of all of the world’s rough places!
If one blind person follows a blind leader, won’t both of them fall into a pit or a ditch?
1) Blind hearts: That is what Jesus said in Matthew 15:14. Can we fix what is wrong with our hearts since they are deceitful and beyond our ability to heal (Jeremiah 17:9)? We need Jesus to open the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18)! It is the Amazing Grace of Jesus that saves wretches like you and me from where we were once lost and blind while opening the eyes of our hearts that we may be truly be able to see!
2) Denial: How many people are in denial about the fact that we are all sinners who have to work on producing fruit in keeping with repentance? >>>>> Didn’t Jesus condemn the Pharisees about their blindness to their sin? >>>>>> He said that they would not be guilty of sin if they were blind but because they claim that they can see their guilt remains” (John 9:41). >>>>>>> Doesn’t that kind of denial perpetuate spiritual blindness that condemns those who will not believe?
RESPONSE
There can only be one of two responses right?
1) The need to repent: Repent or perish----die (Luke 13:3). Either we repent of our sin or we condemn ourselves! The light of Christ has come---the true light that gives light to everyone (John 1:9). His light shines into the darkness but the darkness cannot understand it (John 1:5). Whoever believes has eternal life but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
2) Snake people: Now John was not just calling them garden snakes or chicken snakes but poisonous snakes like a rattler or a viper! The stinging rebuke: John’s stinging rebuke cut to the chase! They (The Pharisees) were predatory like snakes lording power over others when they supposed to be like shepherds. By the way, the word shepherd often has the connotation of a pastor. John’s insult stung because it was true! They were not taking care of God’s people.
3) Godly sorrow: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NRSV).
Are we sinners in denial of our sinfulness? How do you think the religious leaders the Pharisees and Sadducees responded to being called a brood of vipers or as the CEB put it “children of snakes”?
1) Denial: What happens when a sinner denies that he or she is a sinner? Does it change their future? How can they change their future if they are still mastered by their sinful nature? How many of the Pharisees changed as a result of John’s preaching of repentance? Baptism was something that the Pharisees viewed as something that “sinners” did. How many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were baptized? The scriptures do not verify any of the Pharisees or Sadducees getting baptized.
2) Presumption: Consider the Matthew 3:9-10 text where John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. (10) Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (NRSV).
3) Irony: Even though John the Baptizer broke the prophetic silence of four hundred years, they chose not to heed the warning of the prophet John the Baptist.
4) Death: Their response was that they did not repent. Again, if we recall what Jesus said in Luke 13:3 the two choices are repentance or death, and the Pharisees and Sadducees chose death.
