At the beginning of the gospel of Mark, we find a man called John the Baptist. He was tasked with the job of preparing the people for the coming of Jesus. John the Baptist took his job seriously, preaching and teaching the people of the greater One that was coming. He taught them of the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins that was to be. He even baptized those who heard and responded to what was being taught (Mark 1:4-5).
John the Baptist may have been preparing the way, but even today the message needs to be taught. We might not have to prepare the way for Christ, as John did, but we need to have the same love that Christ did for the world and give of ourselves to teach others the word. If we love others then we will have true concerns for their souls which is a powerful motivator. That love will give us the reason to go out and speak the truth to others just like John the Baptist did. He did not live in a lap of luxury because he understood what was important and that was Christ. The things of this world are fleeting and we need to focus on what is ahead. John the Baptist focused ahead on the coming of Christ and we today can do the same thing.
We need to focus on the second coming of Christ and look ahead to the promise of heaven and eternal life that he has brought to us. Similar to John the Baptist, we also need to preach to the people the blessings of Christ and the future that there is to look forward to in heaven. God desires that all men are saved and the way he does that is through his gospel. God has blessed us to be part of his family and given us the ability and opportunity to share the gospel with others. This is something that is a responsibility and like John the Baptist we need to take that responsibility seriously. If we go about this with the same attitude and enthusiasm as John, then like him people will hear and respond to the word of God. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ, Christ set the path that leads to eternal life, and now we have to put up the road signs that lead people to the path.
Jacob Saarloos
