GOSPEL MEDITATION #2

Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist’s Ministry

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Mark has no genealogy or birth narrative, rather he begins right in with the ministry of John the Baptist.
8. The prophet Isaiah, here the first part is from Malachi 3:1;

the second part is from Isaiah 40:3. The major prophet is

generally quoted before the minor prophet.

9. In that era, prior to the arrival of a king or military chief,

the way would be prepared, and the coming announced.

10. Baptism, a common practice among devout Jews, focused

on repenting of sin, and the people then would have

understood that a new day was coming.

11. The longed for Messiah of God was about to appear – this

was John’s message. The prophets had long spoken of this

day and now it was here.

12. John was the proto-typical prophet, like Elijah (see 2 Kings

1:8), and looked the part as well.

13. John made it as clear as he could that he was not the

Messiah himself; the Messiah was so much greater that even

John was not worthy to perform the most menial or lowly

tasks for this one sent from God.

14. The baptism was one of placing the whole body into and not

     with water. Greek grammar makes this clear.

15. Allowing oneself to be baptized meant repenting of sin and

declaring a longing to see the Messiah.

16. The One Coming would baptize in the Holy Spirit.