Mark 1: 1-8 New Living Translation John the Baptist Prepares the Way 1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. 3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” 4 This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” I want to thank Jaelin and Alan for being the first two, that I know, who checked out this blog yesterday, as well as the almost 50 students and leaders that filled our youth room between the 9am and 12pm bible studies. Aladdin is one my favorite Disney movies. Which one of us wouldn't want to find a genie and be granted three wishes (your probably thinking of three right now), but in the movie clip above you have the genie going before Aladdin and preparing the way for him. He hyped the people up and got them thinking of who this "Prince Ali" was. John the baptist did this for Jesus. He was Jesus' hype man that prepared the way for Him, getting people to think of who the Messiah was promised to be. He quotes a prophecy (a prediction) that was told 700 years before Jesus actually was born. So the Jewish people in those days would have known what John was quoting.
Think about this... People came out to John and confessed (agreed about) their sin and were baptized in order that they would be identified with their sin. They actually admitted to and owned their sin. It didn't take it away but it made them ready for the one who could take it away. Why do we hold on to what Jesus can take away? Seems silly to hold on to something that is harmful to us, you would think we would want it as far from us as possible. In the end of our Bible reading today Mark tells us what John said. "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” The water is what cleansed the people as a picture of washing their sin but Jesus will clean us by the Holy Spirit.
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