By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, January 9, 2011 · Baptism of the Lord
Sermon Text: Mark 1:4-8
Sermon Theme
John the Baptist introduces the ministry of Jesus. John is therefore in a sense the first Christian witness in the New Testament. As such he serves as a model for us. John is clearly being portrayed in a manner very similar to Elijah in the Old Testament. Elijah spoke out for the true God in a time of complete faithlessness in Israel. Like Elijah, John appears alone. He testifies to God’s plan with a strong affirmation. This affirmation focuses on the forgiveness of sins. John appears as an outsider. He is unlike anyone else. Like Elijah (and also like us), he may feel very inadequate. Yet this is not about him. It is about the “one who is more powerful,” the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is more powerful than the message of forgiveness.
Sermon Outline
- Alone. Elijah the prophet felt very much alone in serving God (I Kings 19:14). John also appears alone. We also can feel very alone at times as we seek to serve Jesus Christ. John looked odd. He dressed odd. He ate grasshoppers. The same had been true of Elijah. When we try to express our faith in public, either in word or action, we may feel very alone. People may look at us like we were sitting and eating grasshoppers in front of them. For this reason many Christians live divided lives. They act one way in the company of believers and a different way with non-Christians. The people of ancient Israel had done the same (I Kings 18:20-22). We need to remember that in the Lord we are never alone. Elijah was not alone even though he felt that way (I Kings 19:18). We need to pray for the grace to see the armies of heaven all around us (II Kings 6:15-17).
- Affirm. Even though John was very different from those around him, people from all over Judea and Jerusalem were coming to see and hear him. We need to resist the temptation that we have to be like the world around us in order to have an impact in it. John made it clear to the crowds that came, that his message was not about him. He was affirming the coming of Jesus Christ whose sandals he was not worthy to untie (Mark 1:7). Untying someone’s sandals was the most menial act that a servant could perform. One reason we hesitate to stand up for Jesus in the face of the sin and injustice of the world is that we’re afraid someone will confront us with the question, “Who are you to tell us what to do?” Those in power asked the prophets essentially the same question (I Kings 18:17, Amos 7:12-13). At such times we are vulnerable and we need to remember the example of John the Baptist. It is not about us. It is all about Jesus Christ.
- Awesome. John the Baptist’s message clearly was having an enormous response. This was seen in the great crowds that were coming to hear him. Jesus later asks the question, “Why were all these people coming to John?” (Matthew 11:7-10). There was power in John’s message which is clearly implied in his prophetic statement about the one coming after him who was “more powerful” (Mark 1:7). This was not the power of the mythical Aeneas, founder of Rome. Still, less was it the power of Caesar. We need to recognize in the example of John and indeed all the prophets up to and including Jesus himself that we should not define power in the world’s terms. Nor should we seek that kind of power. The power referred to here is the power of forgiveness. People were coming to John to receive a baptism of “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). This was an initial stage of forgiveness pointing forward to the complete forgiveness of sins in Christ (Mark 2:5, 3:28, 11:25; Luke 23:34; Acts 10:43). The greatest witness to Jesus Christ is a spirit of forgiveness (Luke 6:37, 7:47-48; Acts 7:60). We need to appreciate how much we have been forgiven so that we can forgive freely (Ephesians 4:32). The gospel is not about us. It is about forgiveness. Yet as we forgive freely and completely we are able to demonstrate the gospel’s awesome power.
Questions for Us
- Have you felt alone as a Christian with family, friends or in work, school or other social gatherings? How does it help in such situations to remember that the gospel is “not about us?”
- How can we resist the trap of accepting the world’s definition of power? What does it mean for us to experience the power of Jesus Christ?
- Why do you think we find it difficult to forgive as freely as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32)? What impact does our attitude of forgiveness have on others?
