John the Baptist, the great prophet, pointed everyone to Christ. He seemed to set the pace, creating an exciting anticipation for what was to come. His out of the ordinary communication style drew attention, but he diverted it all to Jesus. I often wonder how effective we are today. Do we create anticipation for what is coming next? Do we communicate an excitement about the mystery of the kingdom, not in a grandstanding way, but in a quiet humility that is contagious?
“John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin on his mother’s side, born a few months before Jesus. His ministry was to get people ready for the greatest moment in Jewish history, in world history: Jesus’ ministry and then death and resurrection.
How does John seek to prepare the people for Jesus’ coming (vv. 1-8)?”
- Excerpt, ‘Mark’ by N.T. Wright
“To say “Jesus is Lord” (as we’ve learned from people like N.T. Wright, etc.) is to say “Caesar is not.” To confess “Jesus is Lord” therefore, is to resist the powers when they work against the character and purposes of God (as revealed in revelation) whom we worship, serve and submit ourselves to as King. It is this exact confession, “Jesus is Lord,” that sets Christians at odds with the Roman government in the first century, and the Roman government viewed it as a threat. Why, I ask, would it be any different today?
To say “Jesus is Lord” then is hardly a passive statement. It places me, sometimes, in direct opposition to the worldly powers.” - David Fitch
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