Part 3 from the series: Mark’s Story.
Based on Mark 1:8-11
“This is what the LORD says—he who created the heavens and stretched
them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives
breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: I, the LORD, have
called you in righteousness; I will
take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for
the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free
captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
(Isaiah 42:5-7)
God calls us to
righteousness. Righteousness. It is not a word we use every day, and the
implications in today’s world are not attractive. Who wants to be righteous? It
connotes sanctimonious hypocrites, those who act “holier than thou” on the
outside, and on the inside are selfish, egotistical, bigots, power mongers,
prudish and worse. Who wants that? Who wants to be good here on earth just
so they can eventually partake in a heavenly banquet where there is no beer and
the conversation is focused on who obeyed the most laws, chalked up the
greatest points for virtuous behavior, and has the shiniest halo?
Yet God’s call
to righteousness is the opposite. It is a call to honesty, humbleness, genuine
concern for others, to be slow to anger and quick to listen, and quick to love
and slow to hate. This kind of righteousness does not come naturally. It
doesn’t even happen after hard work and effort on our part. It is a
transformation of the heart that comes only from the hand of God.
God knew we
couldn’t do it alone. He knew we were sick and tired of groveling in the
darkness, looking for meaning, prisoners of disappointment. He heard the pleas
for help and rescue. And he answered.
Mark, the gospel
writer, begins his story: Settle in, because I am about to tell you a very good
story about God’s son, the one he chose and sent to save us. It starts with
God’s messenger, sent to prepare the way—and then it turns to Jesus.
John, the messenger,
was proclaiming his message. He was calling people to repentance, to turn from
an empty life to one of purpose and hope. People were coming to him in the
desert to be baptized into a new faith. And John persistently asserted: he was
only the messenger. Someone else was coming. John was waiting for God’s
arrival.
As John
continued his ministry, Jesus of Nazareth came to him to be baptized. To the
observer Jesus was nothing special, just another pilgrim traveling from a
Podunk village to check out the hoopla going on in the desert. Yet, when John
lowered Jesus into the Jordan River to be baptized, the unusual occurred. The
sky split open, and from the gaping hole in the heavens an otherworldly being
appeared and descended to the earth, ethereal and fluttering like a celestial
dove. Its trajectory was specific and purposeful, and it headed right for Jesus.
Then the large crowd heard thunder echo through the wilderness. But John and
those close by heard a voice, booming from the clouds, addressing Jesus: “You
are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (v. 11).
John’s job was
now completed. He’d delivered his message: Prepare for God’s visit. And now
God, via his son, had arrived, hand open and ready to deliver his people.
Sara Nelson O'Brien is the author of The Bald Headed, Tattooed, Motorcycle Mama's Devotional Guide: For Women Battling Cancer & Those Who Love Them.
I love passages in Isaiah. Of course, I love passages everywhere in the Bible!
ReplyDeleteI love Isaiah too. It offers such a beautiful glimpse into God's heart.
ReplyDelete