Daily Thoughts from Mark: Preaching in the Wilderness (Mark 1:4-8)

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:4-8, ESV)

John was a phenomenon in Israel.  Word of mouth spread his notoriety.  Location, location, location was not his mantra.  He stayed in the wilderness symbolizing Israel’s need to trust God in order to enter the promised land.  The use of baptism was apparently not entirely new, but John’s message was.

John’s message was a call to repentance because the King of the kingdom was coming, God Himself in the person of His representative, the Messiah.  That was bad news if you were in rebellion against the King.  Many in that day were baptized by him signaling that they had sinned and needed forgiveness before the King arrived.  Baptism was a tangible way of registering that repentance.

Then John pointed to the one coming after him as being way above him in authority and importance.  John was his servant.  And unlike the baptism John was performing, this one would baptize in the Holy Spirit.  He would immerse his people in the Spirit of God, causing them to take on the characteristics of God Himself.

Joel is just one of the prophets who predicts the outpouring of the Spirit as a part of God’s kingdom being established on earth (Joel 2:28-32).  John, in speaking about the Holy Spirit, is saying, in effect, “The kingdom is upon you.”  The hope of the outpouring of the Spirit is here in the one coming after me, he is saying.  John’s description of the one coming after him as mightier than him does not specify how much mightier, nor does he express why he is unworthy to untie this one’s sandals.  Mark has already told us that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God, so we understand from that perspective exactly what John is talking about.

Jesus has now come and he has baptized his people in the Holy Spirit and so, the kingdom is upon us.  We are living in its power.  The Holy Spirit is demonstrating His power and holiness in and through us as we bear witness to Jesus.  He is moving mountains, healing diseases and hearts, and the knowledge of Jesus is being spread throughout the world.  In one sense we are still in the wilderness calling all to repentance as the kingdom makes its way into our world.