Lenten Devotional...March 11

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

(Mark 1:14-15)

 

Mark’s gospel begins not with family lineage, birth narratives, or cosmic identity as do the other gospels, but with John, the cousin of Jesus whose calling is to prepare the way for Messiah.  Our text finds John in prison and the focus quickly shifting to Jesus as he begins his preaching ministry.  John had called people to repentance and baptism, now Jesus is doing the same.  The difference is that John was preparing the way for Messiah; Jesus was Messiah.

 

It is amazing how the story takes on greater meaning, depending on the storyteller.  Now obviously, some folks are better at telling stories than others, but this isn’t about the skill of the storytellers, this is about their identities.  John said that one was coming whose sandals he was unworthy to bend down and tie.  You see, the story of the cross is the story about Jesus, and who better to tell his story than Jesus himself.  “Repent and believe in the good news.” These were words that John had said, but in Jesus, they found fulfillment.

 

Prayer: Thank you God for Jesus, the storyteller and the story.  Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy