Mark 1:1-7

 Mark 1:1-7 New King James Version

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ² As it is written in ^[a]the Prophets:

“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”
³ “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance ^[b]for the remission of sins. ⁵ Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. ⁸ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

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The Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Malachi were given first-hand information regarding the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry 400-700 years before his birth.  Each of them prophesied the character of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist.  His ministry was solely to prepare the Jewish people’s hearts for their Messiah to come onto the scene.  (Malachi 3:1, Isaiah40:3).

John was Jesus’ cousin and was a unique fella.  He was the only born child to elderly parents Zechariah and Elizabeth.  That in and of itself was a miracle.  His name was chosen by the angel of the Lord instead of his father as was tradition.

As prophesied, John lived off the grid so to speak.  Even still, he drew a crowd when he spoke of the Good News of the coming salvation of the Messiah and many were “baptized of repentance”.  According to Scripture, he did not care for trendy fashions or gourmet meals.  He was a simple man and remained undistracted from the world and what it offered him.  He stayed focused on what God planned for his life and remained faithful to his calling.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for setting a plan long ago, to redeem mankind.  This world has many distractions. Help me stay true to the calling you have upon my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.