John the Baptist must
have been a preacher with a reputation. Going on the description that is given
of him he must have been somewhere on the spectrum between a bit strange and
really weird. He is certainly not what you might expect. His clothing is
strange. His diet is strange. His location is strange. Why did so many people
make the journey into the wilderness in order to see and hear this eccentric
preacher with clothes that were somewhat unique and whose diet was right off
the scale of anything that could be considered normal.
Of course, it is worth
noting the significance of the wilderness, established by its being the place
where the people spent forty years after their escape from Egypt. The
wilderness, as Bonnie Bowman Thurston (Preaching Mark) notes, is “the
symbol of the time when God was preparing the people for entry into the
promised land (that is salvation).” The wilderness is an interesting
location, in normal times, probably a place to be avoided. However, it becomes
an important place because so many special things happen there. In the past it
had been the route from Egyptian slavery to the land anticipated as that
flowing with milk and honey. Now it becomes the auditorium for John’s message of
repentance and his call to symbolise that by baptism. Baptised with water, the people
hear of one who is coming to really make a difference, and who will baptise
with the Holy Spirit.
Right from its
beginning, Mark’s Gospel is pointing towards Jesus, and that is a useful
reminder to us that we should be doing the same. As Thurston expresses it – “Mark’s
Gospel, a Gospel especially concerned with discipleship, opens with one person
in service to another. John declares his subservience to “the one who is more
powerful” and points to Jesus.” John is a key worker, but his role is one
of preparation, and pointing out another who is greater. John puts it fairly graphically
– “I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.”
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