Mark 1:1-8- The bypass and the bridge

Mark 1:1-8

Isaiah 40:1-5

The Bypass and the bridge

Around the beginning of 2023, preparation for a new Cedar Party bridge began.

The old bridge had some wear and tear issues, it was narrow and it was often prone to flooding.

And so the preparation for a new, stronger, higher and wider bridge began.

And so the first part of the preparation was to close the old bridge and build a new by pass, which cost millions of dollars to build.

This new “millions of dollars” bypass looked magnificent, it was easily the best part of road in Wingham and Taree, there were no potholes, it was smooth, it was wide, it was magnificent.

The only slight issue with this new by pass, is that every time it rained, the bypass was flooded and the road was closed.

Now, as the by-pass was being used (when it wasn’t raining) preparation for the new, stronger, higher and wider bridge was also happening. Plies and piles of dirt and rock were being removed, strong pillars were being built, endless amount of water was sprayed across the concrete and so on.

It took months of preparation, until finally the day arrived, the new, stronger, higher and wider bridge was ready. Not only was the bridge prepared, but there was also a brand new round about that came with it- Magnificent.

And when this new bridge was finally ready, what happened to the bypass, which cost millions of dollars to build?

Yes, the bypass was closed, it was filled in with rocks and eventually it was covered with a nice layer of soil and grass.

That “millions of dollars” by pass was no more- it had served its purpose, and then it was gone. In fact, you wouldn’t even know it ever existed now, as you drive over that wonderful bridge, that strong, high, wide and smooth bridge.

The by-pass was here one moment, as it prepared us for that wonderful bridge, but then it was gone.

Friends, as we look at the opening verses of the book or gospel of Mark, we are going to marvel at the mighty and wonderful work and person of Jesus, who is just like the new bridge, strong and reliable, our only way to God, and yet, we are also going to look at the person and work of John the Baptist, who was like the by-pass.  The one who prepared the way for Jesus to come. The one who came and joyfully prepared the way for Jesus and then just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.

And as we consider the life of John the Baptist, who famously said this about Jesus as recorded in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease”, I am going to lay a challenge for you and me today.

I want us to think about how we are making more of Jesus, and less of us.

I want us to think about whether we are content in being the by-pass and not the bridge.

I want us to think about how we are using our small slither of time we have in this life, which is like a morning mist which appears for a short time for the Glory of Jesus.

I want us to think about whether we are trying to be the new strong bridge ourselves, or whether we are – just like John the Baptist, always, always pointing people to Jesus- the only way to God.

This is what Mark, Peter Mark, a friend of the apostle Pater, wrote about, this book is all about the bridge, Jesus.

Look at verse 1 with me:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God

Friends the gospel, which means good news, is about the work and person of Jesus- the son of God. Full stop.

Mark wants us to know about a person

He doesn’t want us to know about a political party,

he doesn’t want us to know about a set of doctrines,

he doesn’t want us to know about church polity,

he doesn’t want us to know about a nation,

he doesn’t want us to know about the environment,

he doesn’t want us to know about an educational pathway,

he doesn’t want us to know about a social justice program,

he doesn’t want us to know about a podcast we can listen to, no, no, no…….

He wants us to know about the good news of a person, and that person is Jesus.

Sure all those other things I mentioned can be good things, but if we don’t know the person of Jesus, if we don’t recognise that Jesus is good news, that he is life and life to the full, then we have missed the new bridge, we have become too focused on the by-pass.

And just like the by-pass, if we focus too much on that stuff- we will eventually drown or at least be cut off from God’s family.

Now, just like, the new bridge at Cedar Party, just didn’t magically appear one morning out of the blue, Jesus just didn’t turn up in a vacuum, but his coming to this earth, living a perfect life, dying a horrible death and being raised back to life was being prepared long in advance.

In fact, the preparation for the coming of Jesus started before creation, and the clearing of the way was happening throughout history.

Even the life and work of John the Baptist, who came to prepare people for Jesus, was being prepared through the life of the prophet Isaiah, 700 years before John was even born.

Look at Mark 1:2-3 with me:

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet

Behold, I send my messenger before your face

Who will prepare your way

The voice of one crying in the wilderness

Prepare the way of the Lord

Make his paths straight

Interestingly, the prophet Isaiah was giving words of comfort to God’s people who were in exile in Baylon. And so God through his prophet Isaiah let his people know that God would prepare a way for the exiles to return to their homeland.

And God did prepare a way for the exiles to return to Jerusalem.

The Babylonians were crushed by the Assyrians and the Assyrians allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem, a way which was made across the desert.

And yet, that return from exile of the Israelites from Babylon back to Jerusalem was still only preparation for the more fuller work to come, through the work and person of John the Baptist.

Clearly what Isaiah prophesied about in the 7^th century BC,  found it’s fulfilment in John the Baptist.

Look at verse 3 with me:

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptised by him in the Jordan river

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, which Isaiah prophesied about, was John the baptised, who was baptising in the wilderness, at the Jordan river. He was crying out for people to repent of their sins, turn from their wickedness and turn to God.

Now remember, it was the Jordan river that Joshua and the Israelites crossed from the desert they had been wandering around in for 40 years to eventually get to the promised land that God had promised them- the land flowing with milk and honey.

And yet now through the person and work of John the Baptist, there was an even better exile, as people were going to the Jordan river, not to find a physical home, but a spiritual one, as they were baptised- they turned from their wickedness and turned to God.

When Joshua crossed the Jordan river with the Israelites, it was in preparation for John the Baptist.

When the exiles returned home after 70 years in exile, it was in preparation for John the Baptist- and yet John the Baptist was still just the preparation for Jesus,

John was still just the “millions of dollars” by-pass which was preparing the people for Jesus, the strong, reliable bridge. The only way to God.

And so we must be careful not to get carried away with John the Baptist.

John was very much in the mould of the prophet Elijah, he wore camels hair like the prophet Elijah, he wore a leather belt like the prophet Elijah, but he wasn’t Elijah, he came in the spirit of Elijah, but he wasn’t Elijah.

Elijah did his job here on earth and was taken to heaven. Elijah was the prophet who stood strong in the faith when most other Israelites were wavering. Elijah was the one whom stood against the false god of Baal.

Elijah did his job and was whisked to heaven on a chariot of fire.

Elijah won’t come back near the end of time and prepare people for Jesus. No, Elijah did his job and was taken to heaven,

No, it was John the Baptist’s job to prepare people for Jesus, and he did.

And so John wasn’t the prophet Elijah, and most importantly John wasn’t Jesus.

And John constantly had to tell people he wasn’t the Messiah.

Friends, it is so easy for us to pin our hopes on the by-pass rather than the bridge. We tend to put people on a pedestal and expect them to save us, and as we do, we can either crush them or build their egos so much, that they explode.

John the Baptist knew his place, he knew his job and he was content.

Look at what he said in verse 7

And he preached saying, after me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie

John was content with his job, content with his life, because he knew who his master was. He knew he wasn’t even worthy to do the job of a slave, untie his sandals.

In Luke 1:41, it records that when John the Baptist was in his mother’s womb and he heard the voice of Mary who carried Jesus in the womb- He leaped for Joy.

The baby John the Baptist leaped as he came close to baby Jesus was he was in his mother’s womb.

Interestingly it says that Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother was filled with the Holy Spirit when this happened and so she burst out with praise.

And so perhaps John was qualified to tell people, as is recorded in verse 8, that He prepared people for Jesus by baptising them with water, as a sign of repentance, forgiveness and being made clean, but Jesus would come and really make people clean from the inside out by baptising them with his Holy Spirit.

The same Holy Spirit that worked in his mother- Elizabeth.

John knew, he wasn’t as great as Jesus.

John couldn’t baptise people with God’s Holy Spirit, only Jesus could do that!

John’s baptism in water was just a symbol of repentance, a symbol of confessing sins, and so this is why John refused to baptise some pharisees who came out to the Jordan, because he knew they were not repentant, he knew they just wanted to be baptised as a ceremonial token. He knew their water baptism was something that truly didn’t reflect their hearts. He knew they were a brood of vipers, looking to deceive people with their virtue signalling.

John knew that the water baptism was just preparation for the greater baptism of the spirit.

John knew that his whole life was about preparing people for Jesus-it wasn’t about him.

You know, we can read the story of how John the Baptist died in Mark 6 and we may read that story and think it was a tragedy.

John was only 6 months older than Jesus and so we can assume John died at about the same age of Jesus, about 33 years old.

A man who was in his prime and he was taken tragically.

He was beheaded.

And as you read the story of John’s death, you read it, and think that it could have been avoided.

John ended up in prison, because he called out the incestuous relationship of Herod to his brother’s wife. John pointed out that Herod was breaking the moral law of God.

Perhaps, if only John had kept his mouth shut….Herod would have never arrested him and put him in prison.

But then, as John was in prison, Herod became fond of John. Herod had a healthy respect for John, the man of God and yet he also enjoyed listening to John and so he sort of looked after him while he was in prison.

Perhaps, this relationship could have kept going, Perhaps, Herod could have become a believer, but then…Herod did something stupid.

Herod was so overtook with the beauty of his daughter, he told her she could have anything she wanted, and so after consulting her mother, his daughter asked for the head of John the Baptist.

Not a big party, not a house, not a horse, but the head of John the Baptist.

John’s head was chopped off and served on a platter to the daughter and the mother.

What a tragedy.

Herod didn’t even want to kill John the Baptist, but to save face in front of his noble men whom he had made this promise in front of, he carried through with his promise.

You see, not only did the life of John the Baptist point towards Jesus, but his death also pointed to Jesus.

As it was shortly after the death of John the Baptist, Jesus himself was facing trumped up charges, Jesus himself was before a man- Pilate, who didn’t want to kill him because he feared him and found no guilt in him, but to appease the crowd- this man- Pilate- crucified him.

Unlike John the Baptist, Jesus didn’t stay dead, but three days later came back to life.

Unlike John the Baptist, the story of Jesus continued and still continues to this day.

John, for the 33 years of this life was just a part of the bigger story of Jesus- and for John that was more than enough.

Friends, I don’t know what specific part God wants you to play in the Jesus story, but I pray like John, whatever part it is, it will be a joy and a privilege.

It may be a part, just like the by-pass, it may be a part that is done, but quickly forgotten and that is OK, because it is not about us, but it is all about Jesus.

There may be no statue erected for you, no books written about you, no plaque laid for you, and that is OK, because it is not about me or you- It’s about Jesus.

Let me leave you with this:

When people from all over Judea and Jerusalem were going out to meet John at the Jordan river and being baptised with water, some of them rightly asked him, well what do we do now, we have been baptised, we have a clean slate, we trust in God, what do we do now?

And I love the answer that John gave.

Look at Luke 3:10-14

John said this:

1.        If you have two tunics share with those who have none

2.        If you have lots of food share with those who have none

3.        If you are a tax collector, just collect what you ought to, don’t steal any tax for yourself

4.        If you are a soldier be content with your wages, don’t beat money out of people and don’t lie to get money

Friends, it is like John the Baptist has this message for us today, now that we are followers of Jesus, now that we have been given his spirit, now that all our sins have been paid for, just get on with doing the simple and very ordinary things consistently and with Joy.

What you do consistently and with Joy is a powerful witness to the world that you truly are a disciple of Jesus.

And what you don’t do, is just as powerful.

Are you content and joyous in being the by-pass, or are you trying to be the bridge?

Let us pray.