Mark begins his witness with an immediate trumpet blast – the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God! Mark immediately recalls that the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of this day by saying there will be a voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” This prophecy is fulfilled in John the Baptist who proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins to prepare for the coming of the Lord. The promise of God that an offspring of Eve’s would crush the head of Satan is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The promise of God to Abraham that in him all the families of the earth shall be blessed is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ as is the promise to David that through him God will establish an everlasting Kingdom. The promises, the prophecies, and the time are all fulfilled in Jesus Christ as Paul said that all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.
The Kingdom of God is now at hand and this truly is Good News for all those who repent of their sin and who believe by faith in Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of Darkness and its evil structures of worldly power and authority have been overthrown not by the mighty warrior Messiah King that was expected but by the suffering servant Messiah King who humbled Himself, who became human, who got down into the water, and was baptized by John. This Son of Man is the Son of God whom God says, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This Messiah King resides and reigns in the very hearts of those who place their faith and their trust in Him. Here His Kingdom reigns in such things as love, mercy, kindness, justice, peace, humility, joy, and faithfulness and in this Kingdom there is no end.
How do we respond to this astonishingly Good News? What are we to do with this amazingly free gift from God? We simply believe and accept the gift in faith. We turn around from walking down our sinful paths away from God and we turn toward God and walk on His pathways of righteousness by faith. We walk in faith in Jesus Christ and we walk in community with each other as a people of faith elected by God to be the light of the world. We walk together in faith as we await the return of our King when He will rule in a new world where God’s peace and justice are known and lived out by all. Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”.
Prayer: O Lord how grateful and how humbled we are that you have done this for us. Who are we that you are mindful of us? We thank you and we praise you and we give you all glory. Help us to walk in your grace by faith throughout this day, to love and to serve you and those whom you place in our path today. Amen.
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