The issue of judging. Matthew 7:1-6

Matthew 7:1 ( ESV )

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^1£“Judge not, that you be not judged.

·         One of the most misquoted passages in all of the Word of God.

·         Today’s standard-Don’t judge period. 1. Bible says not to. 2. Be tolerant of everything and everyone. 3. The age of that’s your opinion but I have mine.  Relativism. (Certain truths and no other way to believe it. Ex. Theory of gravity.)

·         G2919κρίνωkrinōkree'-noProperly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish:—avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think. Strong's concordance

·         Reason why he says not to judge  in this passage is because you will be judged by God.

·         Wait a second though what about the passages that deals with judging? We know that the ultimate judgment of all mankind will be done by God. Rom. 2:16 Judge the secrets of the heart. (Motives, something we cannot do.) II Tim. 4:1 He will judge the quick (Living ones) and the dead II Tim. 4:8 He will judge as the RIGHTEOUS judge.

·         Yet, God also has allowed men to act as judges. He established courts and laws by which man would be judged here on earth. (Exodus-Deut.) Romans 13 Laws and rulers over us.

·         Paul tells the church @ Corinth to judge the brother who has fallen into sin. I Cor. 5:12, I Cor. 6:1-8 Judge over things in church matters.

·         I John 4:1 We are to test (try) the spirits whether they are of God or not. We are to confront our brothers when they are in sin. (This will take an act of Judgment. ) Matthew 18:15-20 (Another verse often badly taken out of context is found in Matthew 18:20) We are called to be fruit inspectors in Matthew 7:15-20.

·         So does the Bible contradict itself or is it more than likely that something else is going on in this passage? I believe the answer is found in the context of the following verses. Don’t just take one verse and run with it. 

Matthew 7:2 ( ESV )

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²For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

·        We know one thing from this verse for sure. Whatever type of judgment is going on here God says we will receive the same or like kind of judgment to be placed upon us.

·         Be careful how you look upon someone. (Longhair of the 60s and 70s, Goth look, Tats or even a high pitch voice.)

·         When we put someone up against the ruler know that the ruler will be used upon us as well.

·         The only true standard of judgment will be the Word of God, not my opinion about something.

·         So my question will be in the context what kind of judgment is going on in Matthew 7:1 and following? The answer I believe is found in verses 3-4.

Matthew 7:3-4 ( ESV )

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³Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

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⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?

·         I believe that what is going on in the context of these verses is that of judging a brother hypocritically. God wants us to know that this type of judgment will always be evil and He the Righteous Judge will condemn it.

·         Two key words in the passage are that of speck and beam. The word for speck means like a piece of a dry twig or straw that is in someone’s eye. It is painful and will lead to much misery in your life if it is not taken care of. Yet, the word for beam is that of a stick of timber or a log.

·         The first idea is that you have a person who has a speck of sin in his life that is noticeable and needs to be taken care of. Yet, the individual who sees this sin cannot see his own sin in his life which is even huger than the person who he wants to make sure that he gets things right in.

·         Secondly, the one brother who notices the sin in his companion’s life wants to make sure that he can point it out. Literally the idea would be that of, “You have sinned. I need you to know that and I will help you to take care of it.” At the heart of the issue is a proud person not seeing his own sins and wants to make sure he takes care of his brothers and that all may know. This is hypocritical judgment at its worst. (It was also one of the Pharisees greatest sins. As well as the Pharisees of today.)

Matthew 7:5 ( ESV )

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⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

·         Jesus spares no words as He calls this kind of person a Hypocrite. (One who wears a mask. He always wants everyone to know how right or spiritual he is. When in reality he is struggling with even greater sins in his own life.)

·         It’s at this moment that many will use the excuse, “Well, I can’t talk to so and so because, well you know I have some issues in my life as well.” What a cop out!! Look at what Jesus expects us to do if this is true in our lives. Which at many times it will be. Who has not acted hypocritically in their lives?

·         What are we to do? Well first of all according to Jesus He does not want us to have excuses for our own sins and hypocrisy. We are to take the beam out of our own eye. Deal with our own sins daily and first of all before our Lord. Our main concern should not be the dreadful sins of others but of our own wickedness.  Be cleansed of your sin, confess it and repent, relying upon the Holy Spirit of God to strengthen us. Only then can we see clearly again and be the blessing that God has called us to be.

·         Note though what happens next. We can then come to our brother and help him with his own sin that has entered his life.

Matthew 7:6 ( ESV )

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⁶“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

·         Now here comes an unusual verse. I believe that in light of the context what Jesus is trying to teach his followers is that when you and I give advice or help to some they will not hear us. This will especially be true of those who do not know the Lord. They will act like animals when given advice or pearls of wisdom from the Word of God. They may even use your words against you and attack you personally.

In light of all of the above I believe that we must always use wisdom when we must judge certain matters. We are to be careful as we will be judged by the righteous judge for what we say or do. Yet, there will be times where we must judge. When those times come I believe that we are to keep the principles of Matthew 6:1-6 in mind. Here are some other principles that we should heed to as well.

1.   At all times we are to judge righteously and not as the hypocrite. Proverbs 31:9.

2.   We are to act in the spirit of humility and gentleness, knowing that we are all prone to fall. Gal. 6:1-5

3.   Our main goal is not to point out the sin but to restore our brother. Otherwise it is nothing but GOSSIP and PRIDE. Thus it becomes hypocritical in nature. Matthew 18

4.   We cannot, nor should we ever try to judge a person’s motives. This is only something that the righteous judge can do alone.

5.   Gather all sides of the story. This is always hard as it involves work, honesty and integrity to get at the bottom of something but this should above all be our goal. The Truth alone.

For Hannah and Hadassah

Watching you, as they placed you into my arms,

Made a vow to you to keep you from all harm,

I sang a tune for you; it was clearly out of tune,

I watched your little hands as they tried to touch the moon.

Watching you, as the years roll by,

Watching you, as you try to touch the skies,

I’ll always say a prayer for you, no matter what you do,

Watching you, with pride in my heart, I’ll always be watching you.

Watching you as you stumble and fall,

Seeing you get up when your backs against the wall,

Standing up for others, when no one else seemed to care,

You have been an example, you have answered our prayers.

Watching you, as the years roll by,

Watching you, as you try to touch the skies,

I’ll always say a prayer for you, no matter what you do,

Watching you, with pride in my heart, I’ll always be watching you.

Watching you as you wave good-bye,

Telling your mommy and daddy not to cry,

Know this for certain; know that this will always be true,

Your daddy will always be watching for you.

Watching you, as the years roll by,

Watching you, as you try to touch the skies,

I’ll always say a prayer for you, no matter what you do,

Watching you, with pride in my heart, I’ll always be watching you.

Letting Go

Letting Go

Though the darkness around me gathers,

Though the paths do not seem so clear,

Sometimes the burdens seem so heavy,

But you are near, yes, you are near.

So I’m letting go of my tomorrows,

I’m letting go of all my fears,

I’m letting go of all my glory,

For you are near, yes, you are near.

Like the Psalmist I feel forsaken,

Where are you when I call?

Shattered dreams at my feet are broken,

But you are near, yes, you are near.

So I’m letting go of my tomorrows,

I’m letting go of all my fears,

I’m letting go of all my glory,

For you are near, yes, you are near.

Take away the fears of my heart Lord,

Take away my desire to control the way,

Let me take hold of the hand of my Jesus,

For you are near, yes, you are near.

So I’m letting go of my tomorrows,

I’m letting go of all my fears,

I’m letting go of all my glory,

My Jesus you are here, yes, you are here.

HADDY, HANNAH AND EMILY

FOURTH OF JULY AT LAKE CHARLES

Fishers of Men. Mark 1:16-20

     The Baptist had prepared men and women for the Christ. Now, Jesus was preaching to the world to believe in the Gospel. In the following verses we see how this began to affect those around Him. He would now begin to call a select few to follow Him.  These would be the inner core; these would be the Fishers of men.

Mark 1:16 ( ESV )

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^16£Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

     Jesus would not look for those who wore fancy robes to begin this movement. He would look towards just some common fishermen.  He would find many of them along the Sea of Galilee. When compared to the rest of the world it would seem such a small place to start his ministry. The Sea of Galilee is only about 7 miles wide at some parts and only 13 miles long. It was known for its good fishing. It would also act like a central location for His ministry.

     The first two men that He would call alongside of Him would be that of Simon (Peter), and Andrew his brother. This was not the first time they had met each other. In John 2:35-42 we know that Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. John would point him to Jesus by calling Him, “The Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.” This caught Andrew’s attention and he would walk with Jesus for some time. In the midst of his excitement he had to tell someone about Jesus. Andrew would first of all introduce Jesus to his brother Simon.

     For many of us the story has not changed. Quite often after we have been introduced to Jesus we cannot wait to tell our family about Him. We want those who are closest to us to get to know Him as well. Often we are discouraged by our family when they tell us they do not care or do not want to believe. Yet, what joy floods our soul when they follow Him.  

    Life had gone on since that meeting. They were already back to doing what they had done for a living, which was fishing the Sea of Galilee. They were fishing with their net probably close to shore. The fish may have been schooling and had come more to the shore line. I love to fish, but for these men, this was their life.

    I have often thought Lord, why fishermen? I don’t know if I still have the answer or not. I know this to be true, like Warren Weirsbe stated, “Fishermen worked together and were known for their patience, energy, and stamina.” They also with this trade understood the ups and downs of life better than most of us do. These men would have lives that would be marked by these things. Jesus would now call them to work alongside of Him.

Mark 1:17 ( ESV )

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¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

     The words that Jesus now shared with these men were just a simple command.  Yet, these few words would forever change these men and their lives. He did not beg them. He just simply said, “Follow me.” Literally, He was saying, “Get behind me and act as a disciple of mine.’ This would take an act of humility on their part. What is even wilder is when we realize that prophets called people to follow God, not them. Jesus though looks at these men and says, “Follow me.”

     He was going to make them into fishers of men, but first of all, before He says this, He tells them, “and I will make you become..” This was not something that they would immediately overnight possess. There is a process in us becoming followers. We do not become fishers of men by just snapping our fingers. He must do a work within us. This is a work that would take our Lord and Master over 3 and a half years while He was here on earth. When we disciple someone we must realize that it is a never ending work and maturity comes through the Holy Spirit alone. This I do know, He has promised to continue to do His good work within us. He will equip us for the ministry that He has for us.

     In the O.T. so often we would read symbolically about fishermen in a negative sense of the word as it dealt with the judgment of God. Here in this passage being fishers of men is an encouraging statement. We are called to reach out to the lost and dying of this world. There is no greater joy then to see souls that come to Jesus. What is even more awesome is realizing that our God wants us to be a part of that good work.

Mark 1:18 ( ESV )

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¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

     No questions asked. Jesus had called them to follow and they immediately did as they were told. They did not wait, debate or event think about it they were called and they would GO. One of my favorite songs of all time was written by Steven Curtis Chapman when he said these words, “We will abandon it all for the sake of the call, No other reason at all but for the sake of the call. Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call.”

     Why would they leave their jobs? Why would they leave it all on the shores of Galilee? It was not because of some religion instead they would follow the God man.  Not religion but a person who would become their whole focus in life. O, that we would allow our God to touch our hearts in this way. We will follow. We will obey no matter what.  We follow the God who created the stars in the sky and everything around us.

Mark 1:19 ( ESV )

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¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.

     The next two people Jesus would call to follow him would be just a little further away from Andrew and Peter. Jesus would now see another set of brothers by the name of James and John. These two were according to Luke 5:7-10 partners with Peter and Andrew. Later on because of their zeal they would be called, “The sons of thunder.” Yet, Jesus would change them as well to where later on John would be known as the beloved apostle. He would also be known as the apostle who spoke of the love of God.

     Please don’t miss the last part of this verse as to what these men were doing. They were mending their nets. This was a very tedious work that had to be done on a daily basis after they had fished.  They would mend their nets so that they could be used for a future date. The picture here is of two men who are just going on with their normal life when Jesus would call them into a life of sacrifice and service.

Mark 1:20 ( ESV )

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²⁰And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

     When Jesus saw them He immediately called them to follow Him as well. They would follow Him without delay. The pleasure of reading about these men is that their walks with Him, were above all the first and most important thing in their lives.

     They left their father Zebedee to follow after Jesus. I believe that they loved their Father. I also believe that they loved their Lord even more. Remember what Jesus would later on say, “Whoever loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” They did not leave him totally alone as they left him in the boat with the hired servants. The main issue here is that we are to love our Lord even more than we do our own family and loved ones.

     These men are marked as those who would follow. They are marked as men who would leave all they had in this world to follow after Him. He was their life. He was their number one priority. He was their God. They would be His fishermen.

Oh Yes, I have more pictures.

Well maybe, I don't have more pictures.

A TIME FOR FEARLESS PREACHING. MARK 1:14-15

Mark 1:14 ( ESV )

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¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,

     We were told that he would come in the spirit of Elijah. Like Elijah he had spoken the truth of the Word of God. Elijah had stood up against King Ahab and his false prophets of doom. John the Baptist would stand against a ruler by the name of Herod and it would eventually in the end, cost him his very life. He would be arrested, for telling Herod that it was not right for him to have his brother’s wife. Herod would have John imprisoned for speaking truth. Herodias would boil with seething hatred for this man and would use her own daughter as a sexual plaything to entice Herod to have John beheaded. His message had simply been REPENT for the Lord is coming.

    We live in a world that is trying so often to sugarcoat the message of Christ. Be careful, becomes the calling card of the church today, “After all we do not want to offend.” I agree that there are some who have made the Gospel to seem odious because of their attitude in sharing. The Gospel should offer hope to a sin sick world. Yet, I also know that it will offend when we tell others that we are all sinners in need of a savior. The Gospel by its very nature, will remind men, of their need to turn from sin. Many want to believe  that their sin is not as evil as the sins of  others. The Gospel exposes such foolishness and will always point us to our need of Jesus. Preach on.

     It is in this kind of hostile environment that Jesus now has makes His ministry public. Of all the places Jesus chooses to go to after John was arrested, why Galilee? Isaiah 8:16-22 would tell us that the area Jesus went to was a place filled with doom and gloom. It was a place of much false religion. Galilee had become a place where people sought to hear the voices of the dead.  It was slowly becoming a cesspool of unbelief. It was the perfect place for our Lord to bring forth His message of Hope.

      Matthew in his parallel account of this passage would quote these beautiful words from the prophet Isaiah from chapter 9:1-2. “ The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death on them a light has dawned.”

     The Light of the World now stood before them in the midst of their darkness. The Light of the World boldly proclaimed to them the Good News from God. What was even more amazing was that this Good News was standing right before their eyes.

Mark 1:15 ( ESV )

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¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

     It was time for them to now get ready for Jesus was now getting ready to put the Father’s plan into action. John had declared to them all that the Messiah would come. John had declared to them all to get ready for Jesus was coming. Now with Jesus standing there the time was now fulfilled. The Prophecy was now made visible before all of man.

     When we look at the term the kingdom of God in this passage, I believe that Jesus is speaking of two things. One, from the spiritual aspect of things, Jesus would now set up His rule in men’s hearts. Secondly, there would come a day in which Jesus would set up His physical kingdom here on earth, so be prepared. Wake up as John’s prophecy was now reality.

    Repent, change your way of thinking about this world and its hold upon you. Repent, of the sin which so desperately binds you. We first of all must see ourselves as empty and desperate sinners who have nothing to offer to the king of kings. In seeing this as truth and how we have offended the living God we must believe in the Gospel. We must come before Him and receive His precious gift of eternal life. We do not know the hour or the time of His coming. He wants us to believe in Him so that He can set up His reign in our heart. He wants us to do this before His physical kingdom comes and it will be far too late. He is at hand.

    One may ask though how does this passage affect me as a believer though? I have received Christ into my life. I think as believers we need to ask ourselves a some very blunt questions and that is simply this, “Am I fearless in sharing the Gospel with others? Am I fearful of how I may sound or what I might look like? Do I fear men more than my savior who was willing to endure the mocking and scorn of the cross for my sake? Lord, even at the cost of possible death help me to be fearless when it comes to you.

HIS FATHER WAS WELL PLEASED. MARK 1:9-13

Mark 1:9 ( ESV )

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^9£In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

    Of all the places in the world why would anyone want to come from Nazareth? Even the future apostle Nathanael would ask, “Can anything good come from there?” It was such an obscure little place that the O.T. makes no reference to it as well as the Talmud. One of the things that I cherish the most though about my Jesus, is how He was always willing to take something obscure, and make it great. Many people would call His followers the sect of the Nazarene. Jesus and His followers though would seem to carry their mocking as a badge of honor. Our Lord, was always more concerned, about taking the foolish things of this world and turning them around and using them for His glory.

     His cousin John would have the honor of baptizing Jesus. This was not an easy thing for John to do. We are told of how John felt about baptizing Jesus in the book of Matthew. John would say, “I need to be baptized by you and yet you come to me?” Here was the one that John did not even feel worthy to take his sandals off. This perfect Lamb of God now comes to him to be baptized.

     Why was Jesus baptized though? We know that by comparing the other Gospel accounts He never confessed any sins. He was the perfect and sinless Son of God. He was a lamb without one blemish or spot.  So while all the others who were baptized, were confessing their sins, this was not done by our Lord. I think the answer is found in Jesus reply to John’s question in Matthew 3:15. “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he (John) consented.” Though Jesus was sinless, He now identified himself with sinners as He would bear our sins upon the cross. His righteousness would be placed upon us. The righteous one would suffer for the unrighteous.

Mark 1:10 ( ESV )

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¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

     Isaiah had cried out in Isaiah 64:1 to the Father, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountain might quake at your presence.” When the Father saw that His Son was willing to begin His public ministry, the Heavens burst wide open with the Joy that the Father had.

     In just a few weeks I will be saying goodbye to one of the greatest loves of my life. My oldest girl will be leaving our home to go to Bible College. I have to be honest, I do not want to say goodbye. I know that this is also true of her mother and sister. She has been a joy and a light in our home. She will be missed. Yet, I have also never been prouder of her than I am today. I do not know what is ahead for her. In all likelihood she will be faced with trials and tribulations at times. I will not be there to catch her or to hold her. The reason why I am so proud of her is because, she is now willing to do, whatever the Lord has called her to.  She has always been willing to serve our Lord but now she is ready to do it on her own. I cannot even begin to understand how great the Father’s joy must have been at this moment. The road to Calvary was now just over the horizon. Redemption would now be offered to all of mankind.

     Not only was the Father filled with joy, as we will see in the next verse, but here in verse 10, we see how that the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus, like a dove. I believe that the Spirit’s presence came upon Him as He was well pleased also.  A new world would now be opening up to man. The hope of all time was now upon earth.

     The Spirit descending upon Jesus like a dove was also a sign to John the Baptist that Jesus was the Messiah as recorded in John 1:31-34. From this point on John would point men to Jesus and call Him the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. John 1:36

Mark 1:11 ( ESV )

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¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;^£ with you I am well pleased.”

     The voice of the Father now came forth from Heaven. Isaiah would declare in Is. 42:1, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Jesus was the chosen one who would free His people from their sins. By His willingness to be baptized He acted not only as an obedient Son but as the Servant King. Our Father was delighted in His son at this moment. His official role now began.

     Now this is where it all seems to begin as far as who Jesus was to the world. For right after the Father says, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Notice what happens in the next verse. The temptation of Christ would begin immediately. The Father would be well pleased, as Jesus would be able to declare to the world, that He was tempted in all matters like we have been tempted, but He on the other hand WOULD NOT FAIL.

Mark 1:12 ( ESV )

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¹²The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

  

    The incredible part of the story is that it was the Spirit of God who drove Jesus immediately out into the wilderness. Jesus had identified with Israel and their need for a Savior by being baptized. Now through the temptation He would be able to declare that He was the perfect one who could forgive them of their sins.  Another quick lesson to be learned for me from this verse is the reminder that God will not allow any temptations in our lives that He does not believe that through His Spirit’s power that we cannot say no to. I Cor. 10:13 I do not believe that the Spirit of God would allow that to happen. He wants to give us victory over temptations.

     The wilderness was a dry region that was largely uninhibited. It was a place that was known for its desolation and loneliness. It was a place with a lack of a food supply, as we are told  that Jesus was hungry. I like what R.C. Sproul brought up about Jesus temptations as compared to Adam and Eve. Adam had a partner with him. Jesus was alone. Adam was in the beauty of Eden with food all around him.  Jesus was in the desolate wilderness hungry for food. Adam would fail in the temptation. Jesus would prevail.

Mark 1:13 ( ESV )

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¹³And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

     Moses before he would receive the commandments would be upon the mountain for forty days without food. Elijah would not partake of food for forty days in I Kings 19. Now Jesus the greatest of all the prophets, would be faced with a similar but an even greater challenge.  He could make bread for himself but He would not. He could have heard the applause of the world but He would not. He could have fallen into the trap of pride but He would not. He would prevail over the Adversary in his temptations.

     He knew what was ahead of Him and the redemption that He would bring to fallen man. He was tempted and by prevailing, He would one day soon, be able to give to us His righteousness. He proved to the world and to His Adversary, (Satan) that He was the perfect one. He was the one in whom His Father was well pleased.

HANNAH

     Only Mark brings up that Jesus was with wild animals. Like Daniel of old He would be kept safe. He was found blameless just like Daniel before the Father. Daniel 6:22 This hour of darkness would pass for now, but the Adversary would look for an opportune time again as recorded in Luke 4:13. Yet, our Lord would prevail time and time again. He will prevail always for He has come for fallen man.

Prepare to meet your God. Mark 1:2-8

Mark 1:2 ( ESV )

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^2£As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,^{£ £}“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,

    The prophet Amos had told the people, “Prepare to meet your God.” This was a message given by many of the prophets throughout the Old Testament. As a whole it was a message that was saying to the people, “get your life in order, for the King is coming to judge the quick and the dead.” Before this king would come though we are told that there would be a messenger who would go before Him. This messenger was spoken of especially in the books of Malachi and Isaiah.

     This messenger was one who was not the light but instead would bear witness of the light. John’s main ministry was to always increase the name of Christ. Two times in both this verse and the next we hear the word PREPARE. During the ancient days servants would go before their ruler’s carriages and clear the roads and pathways for them. They would make level the paths they would be going on. They would clear the roads of any obstacles. This is what John the Baptist ministry was all about.

Mark 1:3 ( ESV )

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^{3 £}the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare^£ the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

    I love how John is described here as the VOICE of one crying in the wilderness. He made no qualms about it. John would loudly proclaim of the Messiah who was to come. It’s interesting to me how John comes out of the wilderness area. He was like a new Moses who would shout out to the world about the coming savior. This savior’s main purpose though was not of a physical deliverance from Rome. No, this savior would bring forth freedom from the spiritual bondage that enslaved them.

     Prepare!! Get your house in order. Let the Lord turn your crooked and sinful ways into pathways that would please Him. You have strayed from Him far to long take care of the rocks of sin that have destroyed your path. John would beg of the people to turn to Christ.

Mark 1:4 ( ESV )

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⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

     Almost like a scene from a Clint Eastwood movie John just appears upon the scene. His ministry though would begin in the wilderness rather than in the cities of Israel or Jerusalem. He was a prophet of and for the people. 

     Baptism had been practiced for years by Gentiles who had converted to Judaism. So what John was preaching too many of the Jews was an offensive thing. John was basically telling them that they were on the same level of the Gentiles spiritually. They were sinners and needed a spiritual rebirth. They would not see the kingdom of God by being born neither of a certain blood line nor of the will of their flesh. This baptism symbolically represented to them their need of forgiveness as sinners. Those who partook of John’s baptism were saying, “I have sinned and need forgiveness.”

     There are those who today believe that baptism is part of their salvation. This is a foolish belief, as salvation is a free gift from God. Baptism is not a part of the Gospel as one can see from I Cor. 1:17. I believe that the idea here is that they were baptized because they had been forgiven of their sins. They were looking forward to the forgiveness that would be offered them by the Lamb of God which would take away the sins of the world.

Mark 1:5 ( ESV )

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⁵And 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.

     They came from all over the country to hear this messenger of God. Many of the people were willing to hear this message of repentance and forgiveness of sins. They came from all walks of life. Tax collectors, soldiers, the common people even some scribes and Pharisees. Many came with pure motives. Some came with motives that were not pure and wanted to see John fail.

     No matter who they were or what they had done many would be baptized and confess their sins. I would have given anything to have been there during those days. Men and women openly acknowledged before all, that they had done evil in the sight of God.  They made it public that they deserved death. They wanted to turn their hearts towards God.

Mark 1:6 ( ESV )

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⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

    John was a common man just like many of the people he had preached to. He had clothes made of camel’s hair and ate the dried insects that the people of that region ate. He was not one who dressed in the finery of his day. No, he was a man who would not be shaken like a reed by the wind.

     In dressing and eating like he did I believe that he must have reminded them of the Elijah of old. He did not rely upon society for his livelihood. John was reliant upon God alone for His needs. This would have brought to their minds the idea of the coming Elijah before the Messiah’s return. Mal. 4:5-6

Mark 1:7 ( ESV )

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⁷And 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.

    What is it that sets John apart the most for me though is his humility. I believe that he was fearless. I believe that John was beyond bold in his proclamations about Christ. Yet for all of these characteristics, John was one of the most humble men that walked on this earth.

     Even before his birth he would leap in his mother’s womb upon hearing of the upcoming birth of Jesus. He would always have the view that I must decrease but He must increase. In their culture when a guest would come into the house the servants of the household would remove the guest sandals and often wash his feet. John said that he was not even worthy to be called a servant to this king. “I am not even worthy to take off His shoes. Who am I to even touch His feet?”

Mark 1:8 ( ESV )

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⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

     Isaiah had told the people of a different type of water that would be spilt one day. Water that would be for the cleansing of the soul.  In Is. 43:3 we read these words, “Pour water on thirsty land and streams on dry ground, I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring..”

     Yes, John had the important ministry of calling the people to repentance and preparing the way for the Lord. Yet, when Jesus would come not only would He save us from our sins but He would also cause us to have the working of the Spirit of God in our lives. The Spirit of God would wash us and renew us to a life pleasing to God. He would make someone like us into a part of the body of Christ.

     Are you prepared to meet your God?