Available Messenger
September 11 —Mk1:1-8
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:4)
The beginning of the good news of Jesus was a messenger. He was not a mainline, straight-laced, religious-type, but a real radical! Let’s just say he wasn’t the “pastoral type.” In fact, he was a social outcast. No respectable person would have invited “The Baptizer” to their social gathering because he would surely spoil it. He would stand out in his camel’s hair clothes and if he brought his own snack — locust and wild honey — many other guests might lose their appetites (not to mention their dinners)!
Yet, his part in God’s plan was no accident. It is one more example of God using what appears to be foolish to confound the apparently “wise”. You see, people had grown comfortable with the religious ways of the temple with its priests and scribes. With cozy religion, they could focus on the appearance of holiness without ever addressing the heart of holiness. John caught one’s attention with both his unorthodox appearance and his sharply spoken call to repentance. And, when those attracted to his message were tempted to elevate John to god-like status, he was quick to point to Jesus. “There comes after me,” he said, “One who is mightier than I am. I am not even worthy to stoop down and loosen the straps on His sandals. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7–8).
Sometimes, in our less-than-infinite wisdom, we look at how God is doing things, scratch our heads and think, “Does He know what He is doing?” Other times, we go so far as to question whether He has a plan or even knows what is going on. Some may have wondered the same things when they saw John the Baptizer. But, rest assured, it was all a part of a perfect plan.
Did God know ahead of time that it would be John of all people preparing the way for His Son? Over 700 years before John came on the scene, Isaiah — speaking on God’s behalf — said, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way — a voice calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his path straight” (Mark 1:2–3). This describes John’s ministry to a tee! Now, granted, John could have just taken on the persona which Isaiah described, but who would choose to wear itchy, smelly clothes, eat a steady diet of bugs, and be constantly harassed by the authorities? No, the truth is that God knew His messenger long before John was born and He knew what John would be like.
You might again be wondering why. Imagine if God had chosen a more respectable messenger, perhaps a “star” Scribe or Pharisee. It could be someone who would be heard by the power brokers of the day as well as all of the reasonable, hard working temple goers. John seemed to attract more of the “lower class,” where this other “messenger” would start at the top and work his way down. Then Jesus would have had a strong base to begin with — a core group of distinction — to spread the word at a much faster pace. Doesn’t that make sense? In today’s western corporate mentality maybe it would, but not in the eternal, other-worldly thinking of our Heavenly Father.
God’s choice of a messenger is always well thought out. And by the way, you have also been chosen as His messenger. Your uniqueness will be used by the Lord to reach those who cross your path. You don’t have to be the “authority” or the “miracle worker.” You simply have to be yourself and be available to the One who is the Authority and Miracle Worker. Think about this as you begin each day this week and let Him guide you.