April 2024
For thousands of years, humanity has been looking for a savior. Today, we joke about "terrible" things like traffic jams, annoying neighbors, and senseless corporate programs. We may have trivial troubles in an average day, but we know war, famine, greed, inequity, and strike continue to tear the world apart. We worry our country is on the decline. We hope our freedoms, prosperity, and safety last our lifetimes. People in the first century yearned for a savior, it's a worthy hope today. Who will we trust in?
Will we look to political figures this November, like Joe Biden or Donald Trump? Do we really think these guys will save us? Or, do we put our trust in cultural icons like Taylor Swift, industrialists like Elon Musk? There is plenty of reason to doubt their capabilities with fixing world problems like war. The job is too big for them. Mark asserts there is someone we can look to with true hope: Jesus the Messiah (or Christ).
Mark chapter one outlines three lines of thinking which all point to Jesus as the savior, a crescendo of evidence ending with Jesus appearing on the scene.
"Great! Some old-timely Bible talk..." is what we may be tempted to think to ourselves. Mark is quoting Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, showing the Jewish people have been expecting a Messiah, or savior, for centuries. The Bible documents this hope along with a list of specifics of what the savior will be like. Malachi was written around 450 BCE and Isaiah about 700 BCE. These prophesies were written hundreds of years before and match the ministries of John and Jesus perfectly. You think this would blow people's minds... but it does not always.
Why aren't people impressed with biblical predictive prophecy today?
Some people have never heard about it. They've never read the Old Testament or understood it and have no idea the future claims about the Messiah it makes. For others, it's too much work to verify the historical case. With so much controversy over religious texts, how can we have confidence the claims are true or forged. Many of us have heard of other predictive prophecy outside the Bible and dismiss these as no different. Perhaps we do not believe in a God at all, so there's no framework for God or men to supernaturally write down future events. Or we'd dismiss the claims of other religions, or random people, so it's hard for us to make an exception and to believe these.
It would be shame not to investigate the Bible's predictive prophecy. It is truly the best in class examples of prophecy out there. It would be like ignoring Schmidt's Sausage House because you've tried a Kroger hot dog one time. Or skipping Cedar Point since you wrote a local fair ride once... The Bible is on another level. Many non-biblical examples of predictive prophecy are hopeless vague or clearly mistaken. Some astrological predictions are so general as to be automatically true for someone. Don't let the myriad of false claims dull you from the real ones. Consider some of the predictions:
For more of these sorts of predictions, see my chart on predictive prophecy. How could ancient authors possibly know specific details centuries in advance? The Bible claims, it is because God spoke to them and their message is real.
For Mark, the Old Testament clearly pointed to Jesus and anticipated his life and mission, something Mark expands on later. It's no accident Mark then mentions John the Baptist, the person who fulfilled the two verses above.
John is the messenger sent ahead of the Messiah, to make the way clear. John was famous in his own day, and in history, with a large popular following. This is surprising as his message is, "repentance for the forgiveness of sins." John called on people to rethink their attitude towards God and their own righteousness. He asserted everyone needs help, has done wrong, and needs forgiveness. John preached humility and was humble himself. He says, "After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie." He's willing to recognize the one after him as superior to himself. This is something we are generally reluctant to do. Admitting someone superior to you!? I don't like the idea of that!
If pressed, we're willing to admit certain people are better than us at specific things. I may be willing to admit Steph Curry is slightly better at basketball than I am. Given a one-on-one match between us, he's probably going to win. Albert Einstein and I never took the same math test and compared scores, but I think he's superior at math than I am. But admitting I need a savior? Acknowledging I can't guide my own life sufficiently on my own? That takes quite a bit more humility.
What are benefits of being humble and acknowledging we need help in our lives?
Humility helps us be in touch with reality. Prideful people attempt things they are not capable of and fail spectacularly. Humility allows us to ask for assistance instead of struggling on our own and suffering. We will accomplish more drawing on the strengths of others. Our relationships and community is richer in a context where people are vulnerable and humble. No one likes arrogant, self-focused people, but we love genuine relating. It's easier to help others selflessly if we consider them equal or greater to us. Humble people think about others and can empathize. Humility allows us to change directions, instead of insisting our way is correct. This is what the Bible means by repentance.
The Old Testament points to Jesus as the savior, predicting his coming. John the Baptist points to Jesus as the savior by getting people to consider their need for forgiveness and embracing humility. We'll see John is not the only one to affirm Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus gets baptized, something John did a lot, hence his nickname, the Baptist. Baptism is something the New Testament later recommends for every believer. It symbolizes a public declaration of your forgiveness and new life. The real decision is made between you and God internally, but baptism shows other people what you believe. Symbolically, you go into the water dirty and come out clean. You go in one person and rise another. John used this symbol for people to declare their humility and readiness to be God's people. Baptism is a way to celebrate your relationship with God.
A voice came from heaven and declared Jesus was the Son of God. God himself verbally affirms Jesus in front of the crowd! That would be amazing. People dream about something like this happening. Others demand it, saying, "God should shout from heaven all the time about Jesus being the savior." It got the attention of enough people to be written down in several of the gospels. But if God did this today, how many people would miss it because they were on their phones! Our culture is competitive in taking up our focus and thought life, leaving little room for considering important things.
What does it take to get our attention today?
We pay attention when we are threatened with loss. This could be personal finances, family health, or a big tragedy. We make note of something if enough other people are talking about it, like a culturally relevant movie. Some friends may even give us suggestions about our lives and things that should change. It helps to put down screens and be in nature for awhile. Or to dedicate certain periods of the morning or evening to think. How do we know if we need a savior if we never stop to think about how we're doing? When will we give the big questions of life, death, eternity, and the future, sufficient contemplation? If we never give important things bandwidth, we'll drift aimlessly through this life.
Jesus enters the stage and gets baptized by John. This is what John was famous for after all. Mark summarizes Jesus' message as, "God's time has come! Repent and believe!" Down through the ages this same message has been declared. Humanity has been waiting for a solution, and Jesus said it has arrived. It's not the solution the first century Jews were looking for. They wanted a conquering King to remove Rome and establish Israel's priority. It's different than the expectations we may have today. But the solution is real.
What are some ways Jesus saves us?
The world is turbulent on relationships. We lose them through divorce, bitterness, hardship, and death. We lose brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and children. Jesus promises to fulfill us relationally and restore community in our lives. This may not be through particular relationships we expect, but both the Church and God himself are designed to meet relational needs.
Jesus promises to show us reality and unveil how the world works. He gives us insight into human hearts, the spiritual realm, the afterlife, and God's character. He distinguishes our priorities and freedoms. This allows us to make wise decisions with more data than we could hope to have through personal experience. We experience freedom by not being deceived and held captive to our own folly or manipulation of others.
The context of the passage is concern over what to eat, drink and wear. The audience has anxiety over finances and the basics of life, feeling overwhelmed and under provided for. Jesus exhorts us to seek him first and to seek righteousness, casting our worry on his shoulders. Material things will be taken care of if we pursue things of first importance. Righteousness naturally orders our lives around good things and reduces suffering from our own mistakes. Seeking Jesus first gives us a focus and outwardness to weigh against the unpleasant aspects of life and our suffering.
Mark summaries Jesus as saying, "Repent!" This is to ask for help. If you've never asked Jesus to rescue you or be your savior, today is the best day to do so. He says he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). I continually need help renewing my concern for others, with dealing with my kids wisely or patiently, with navigating financial decisions where there never seems to be enough for all that we want to accomplish. I need help putting my sinful desires behind me and embracing a wholesome way to live.
Jesus also says, "Believe!" Belief in the Bible means to take action. It's about an active trust, not just mental assent. Perhaps you feel your life is great, you don't need help, and everything is all set... what about your kids? Your family? Your neighbors? Take action and help them. It's hard to acknowledge when we need help, but some of us are even worse at seeing others' needs. Taking action includes letting God get our attention and then doing something about it.
Notes
For more about God's hidden nature and why he's not more visible with himself or flashy with winning people, see my paper on God's Hiddenness.