Remember the King

2007-04-28

Barnabas’ cousin John Mark wrote much of Peter’s account of the events of Jesus’ ministry. The Lord has always used ordinary, feeble people to be His servants. Barnabas was a Levite who illegitimately owned land, John Mark ran away from the ministry, and Peter denied Jesus many times (at least six in the New Testament following Gethsemane; perhaps this is a discussion for another day). But His Spirit’s work knows no bounds, so we praise Him because He uses ordinary people to be His witnesses to the ends of the Earth.

Mark opens his gospel with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus is the good news; His story and divine character cannot be divorced from each other, nor can they be separated from the events of Calvary. Quotes of the prophets Malachi and Isaiah about the coming of John the Baptist also further validate the person of Jesus. Quoting Malachi 3:1, this messenger, whom we know to be John, records the words of God: “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” Compare this with the original quote: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.” This clearly states that the messenger is preparing the way for God Himself and not a mere man. Again, Isaiah is quoted, stating that this messenger is preparing the way for the LORD (all capitals in the Old Testament), which is Yahveh, the living God. The Lord God Himself wants to be seen by all people, and He came in the form of a suffering servant.

John appears immediately after this, baptizing, and preaching a baptism of repentance. Baptism here is a public acknowledgment that those being baptized were associating themselves with the message that John was preaching. People needed to change their minds about their sin. The result was that many came to confess sins. By the dress of John and his statements in 1:7-8, they would have recognized the eschatological significance of this. John came in the appearance of Elijah, and yet he spoke of a Man who would come, who was far more honorable than he. This Man who was to come was to have a superior message and a superior baptism.

The superior message of Jesus Christ dealt with more than actions of sin. It dealt with the whole status of humankind. We were breakers of God’s law, yet by the death of Jesus Christ we became righteous before God. We were dishonored and shameful, but God elevated us to a position of honor; we are sons of God. We were in a condition of fear, seeking a way to manipulate God by good works and to find His approval, but we could never do it. God in Jesus Christ removed us from the bondage of fear and restored us to a position of communion and peace with Him. We received power by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and He will continually change us into His image. This baptism of the Spirit associates us with God, and neither death nor the principalities and powers of this world could take us away from Him. He rose from the dead and He lives, and our destiny is with Him.

What is so amazing about God is that, despite our shame and guilt before Him, He came from heaven to rescue us from our helpless condition. In Mark 1:9, Jesus came from the mean town of Nazareth, and was baptized by John. Jesus, who lived in the splendor of heaven, humbled Himself to live a very poor life. Think about this: John was baptizing people because of their recognition of and turning from their sins, and Jesus, the King of kings, joined with them. Jesus, through this baptism, associated Himself with lowly, unclean, sinning, shameful humankind. This Paradigm of humility received these words from heaven: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This is reminiscent of Psalm 2, stating that Jesus was God’s Anointed, but far superior to any former anointed king of Israel. The Adversary tempted him for forty days, just as all people have been tempted, and unlike Adam, He did not relent.

This is the great Savior we serve, the One who gives us hope. He is a mediator of a covenant superior to the Law of Moses. He is a King who did not rely on chariots, horses, or wealth, but on His Father. He never lost sight of the reality of humankind: they are one breath away from the fires of hell. Jesus suffered the loss of heaven and gained torture, nakedness, shame, and the burden of the world’s sin on His shoulders. From these things we had everything to gain: eternal life with Him. Remember the King, that with all boldness we may enter His throne room, for He has withheld no good thing from us.