Mark's Blog

Reading: Matthew 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.” ’
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

John did almost everything wrong to be The Voice for The Coming! He dressed like a crazy man, totally disregarding appropriateness, much less dress for success! He had such weird dietary requirements that he couldn’t go out to eat with anyone–bad for being influential in good society.  And he was VERY confrontational—called people names, confronted their hypocrisy, and did not let them hide behind their religious heritage.  He told them to repent or they would go to Hell!  Who would choose this guy to represent them?

Sure, people came out to him because…well, it wasn’t because of his commercial appeal. It wasn’t his warm, conversational tone.  What was it that caused people to go out to John?

His message was simple:   Repent because it is almost time to give account! Confess your sins now because you can’t carry them with you into the kingdom of heaven. Repent and flee from the wrath that is coming with the kingdom of God.

The bad news is that Wrath is coming!  The Good News is The ONE is coming—the One you have hoped for, the One you have waited for, the One is Coming!  And The Coming is a time of Gathering together all of His!  And you are His if you will repent.  You will never see The Wrath if you repent.

Repentance is The Preparation for The Coming. We repent, we confess that we are not The One, and we give up any claim to The Oneness by being filled with the One Spirit.  Then when The Coming happens, we are easily recognized.  We are prepared, not by our own deeds, but by the One who comes baptizing, winnowing, clearing—and burning!

John was The Voice of the Preparation for The Coming.  Repent!