Study 2 - Are You Prepared
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Mark records in this book the greatest events in the history of the world. These thirteen verses set the scene for us and reveal God's great process of preparation for the events that are about to unfold.
This is not a new work of God. Jesus and all that surrounds his life fulfils the Old Testament history that Isaiah had written some 700 years earlier (verses 2 and 3) that someone would come and prepare the way for the Lord. Others had also said that Jesus would come.
John is great
And so John came - preaching a simple message - and making it perfectly clear that as long as there is sin (disobedience to God) which is not turned away from (repentance) that the people will not be ready.
He dressed and ate in a way which showed that he was not concerned with getting things for himself nor with what others thought of him. He wanted them to look to one more powerful than himself (he lived out his own sermons!).
Even though he was a popular preacher and a great man he realized that the very best he could do for people was to baptise (wash) them in water. John's baptism is a picture of us turning away from our sin. But Jesus has power to baptise with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives those who trust in Jesus the power to live lives which please God and to be able to turn from sin and cope with life's problems.
Jesus is greater
John was the greatest man that had ever been - but Jesus was greater.
Despite the fact that Jesus had no sin to be washed away He was willing to stand and be baptised with those who were sinners. Later He will again stand in their place. The Spirit comes as a gentle dove on Jesus (a dove represents peace) as there is no sin in Jesus for God to be angry with.
Anyone can claim to be God's son so God the Father confirms to all who are listening that Jesus is who He claims to be and that He is well pleased with what Jesus has done and is going to do.
Despite this amazing incident we now see Jesus driven into the lonely wilderness for forty long days with the wild beasts - and worst of all Satan tempting him.
Why? So that he would be able to "sympathise with our weaknesses, who was tempted in every way, just as we are - yet without sin (Hebrews 4: 15).
Time to think
- What is John’s baptism a picture of?
- How is Jesus greater than John?
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