Mark 1:1 – 5
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Mark is one of my favourite books of the Bible, mainly because it is a really excellent teaching aid to explore the Bible with those who don’t yet know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Just appreciate the wonderful, engaging opening passage – what an invitation! What good news is this? Mark gets his punchline in straight away – ‘Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God’. Immediately it invites questions: Who is Jesus; what is a Messiah; how can he be the son of God? But to find all this out you have to continue reading and exploring.
But first we need to know that Jesus was a long, promised king and saviour, as proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah, many hundreds of years before. The people were to recognise Him when a messenger sent by God would announce His arrival. Indeed, all the people who heard from John the Baptist confessed their sins and where baptised. How amazing, they had not even met Jesus yet. Have you repented of your sins and accepted Jesus as Lord of your life and begun this wonderful journey of discovery of how to live in a broken world with joy? REJOICE!
If you are new to Christianity or interested in learning more, I suggest you check out Living Church’s website ‘I’m exploring Christianity’ for some very helpful courses.
Sandra Hinrichsen – Creek Road
