Prepare the way for the Lord

Prepare the way for the Lord

SCRIPTURE:

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 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 1:1-5

OBSERVATION:

Mark was actually the first gospel written, a wonderfully arranged piece of literature attributed by most early scholars to young John Mark, the son of a wealthy woman who received his material based on the recollections of the Apostle Peter whom he had served as interpreter and companion. The gospel is concise and full of action, moving on from scene to scene, often with the word “immediately” interspersed. It is also easy to read and interesting, probably the best book to start with for new believers in Christ.

True to his style and probably that of Peter himself, Mark’s intro jumps straight to the purpose of His gospel, which is to proclaim the good news about Jesus the Messiah who is the Son of God. Messiah means Savior, and Jesus is both our Savior and Son of God, a fact that every believer needs to behold. The basic picture is God’s Son coming down from Heaven to save helpless mankind.

Then quickly, our attention is switched to the one prophesied by Isaiah the prophet, John the Baptist, who was tasked with the noble role of preparing the way for the Lord and making straight paths for Him. What was John the Baptist preparing? Basically, the hearts of the people to receive the coming Messiah!

Now for 400 years since the last prophet of God, Malachi, there had been no Word from God through a prophet. So when John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, the Jewish people were all excited to go and see him. What was his main message? To repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins! We need to understand here that the word “repent” does not mean remorse all though those emotions can accompany true repentance. The Greek Word for “repent” means to change one’s mind or mindset while the Hebrew equivalent means to “turn around” 180 degrees. So basically, to repent means to stop living according to one’s own way, turn around, and start living God’s way. The baptism in the river symbolized the washing away of one’s past sins, and commitment to start alive anew in God’s way.

John’s role was only the beginning, to start getting people to turn to God, and once Jesus came, He completed the message by proclaiming that true salvation would come through faith in Him.  

APPLICATION:-

Meditate on Jesus as Savior, God’s Son come down from Heaven to save us, thanks and praise Him from the bottom of our hearts! Consider the role of John the Baptist, who sought to prepare the way for the Lord! Today, we too have the same calling, to prepare the way for the Lord by calling and bringing people to Him. Meditate on the call for repentance. Are we still in repentance? Are we turning towards God to follow His way, or has our minds turned back to our own ways, our own desires, our own ambitions?

PRAYER:-

Blessed Lord Jesus, Son of God, Savior King,

You came to save, to give us life,

We praise and thank You, precious Lord.

Lead us Lord, like John the Baptist, to prepare the way for You,

To bring many to your salvation, Lord

Keep us in repentance too we pray,

To turn to You like King Josiah of old.

In Jesus name, Amen.