The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ John was baptizing in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
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Mark’s gospel begins not with the virgin birth of Christ as do the Gospels of Matthew and Luke but rather with the baptismal birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. John the Forerunner – the last of the Old Testament prophets is the focus of the beginning of Mark’s gospel.
Why does Mark focus on the Forerunner and begin his gospel at the commencement of the public ministry of Christ? The answer is contained in the first sentence of Mark’s gospel. There Mark proclaims that his gospel is “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. Mark makes it clear that what is important is the immediacy and urgency of the Son of God who comes to save the world.
How is the world to be saved? The Forerunner makes it clear that salvation can only come through baptism for the remission of sins. When your sins are remitted it means that they are forgiven, expunged and cancelled. The slate is wiped clean. Whatever stains you had on your soul have been removed. The remission of sins can only occur if you want it to occur. It must be freely sought and voluntary. It must occur in repentance. Baptism is an act of mercy and not an act of right. Remission of sins can only occur if full recognition is given to the fact that your life, after baptism, fully accords to the example of the son of God who came into the world to save sinners.
John’s baptism was with water. He tells us so. His baptism prepared those that were baptised by him for the greater baptism that was given to the church by Christ. John prepared the world for the coming of the Lord. He was the voice crying in the wilderness “prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight”. The Forerunner acknowledges his relationship with Christ and declares “there comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.”
Baptism, which is personal to each one of us, is the most powerful of mysteries which permit us to participate in the life of the church. As Paul reminds us in his Epistle to the Romans, as many as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death. Therefore as we were buried with him through baptism into death, and just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so too we will be raised to walk in the newness of life. For, if we would have been united in the likeness of Christ’s death, then most certainly we shall be united in the likeness of his resurrection.
When we are baptised into the faith we really undergo three distinct services. The first relates to the exorcism of the catechumens. Each person before their baptism is seen to be under the dominion of the devil. Indeed, the first Epistle of Peter reminds us to: “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” Through triple exorcism, the catechumen is prepared for baptism. The service of baptism is undertaken by triple immersion, that is, immersion in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Through the immersion in the baptismal waters the old man dies and the new is born so that for as many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. The service of Chrismation seals our baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we are indeed baptised through water and the spirit.
Baptism is our admission into the church of Christ. It permits us to have a personal relationship with Christ and to share in the mysteries of the church. Nowadays you hear that people do not baptise their infants saying that they leave the choice to them when they are older. What neglect of parental responsibility! If your infant child is hungry do you say let us not feed the child but wait until it is old enough to tell us what it wants to eat? Why would we deny the benefit of baptism to an infant child? Baptism is both our shield and our means of entering the kingdom of heaven. The fact that a child does not know or understand the nature of baptism is no excuse for that child not to be protected by the Holy Spirit. We need to ensure that our children are baptised so that they have put on Christ and, through Christ, can be raised into eternal life.
After all, was it not Christ himself who gave the great commission to the apostles to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I’ve commanded you”? Did he not further say: “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”? (Matthew 28:19 – 20). So there, in a nutshell, is the promise, the task and the purpose of our existence. Once called to Christ we are obliged to continue – and we continue in humility. There is no greater paradigm for humility than the faithful service of the Forerunner. The Forerunner does not seek to have personal recognition nor does he seek any self- glory. In fact, at the height of his ministry John the Baptist declares: “there comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.” What better example of living the gospel! In fact, the life and service of the Forerunner brings to life Luke 17:10 wherein Christ spells out what faithful service is: “when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”
No wonder Christ declares that among those born of women there is none greater than John the Baptist. (Luke 7:28)
