MPC, 6th August 2000.Mark 1:1-20 - Pleased to Meet You?
Phil Campbell MPC, 6th August 2000.
Picture yourself lounging back in the luxury seat of a Concord waiting for clearance to take of from Paris airport.
You can almost taste the excitement. You've been waiting for this for years. Marked off the days on your calendar. And now you're leaning back in the luxury seat of the CONCORDE; waiting for clearance to take of from Paris airport. Safest airline in the world. And you're ready for the holiday of a lifetime. You DESERVE IT. You've WORKED HARD. And now it's finally happening. You smile at the 112 other passengers; you're all heading for the same cruise ship. Then you settle back and fiddle with the headphones; some relaxing classical music. Sink back in your seat as you taxi down the runway. Ready for the thrust as the Concorde heads for the sky.
For one Concorde full of tourists two weeks ago, the story didn't have a happy ending. Just the opposite. As in a terrible two minutes, all the promises of LUXURY and PLEASURE turned into a fireball. And disaster. Things don't always turn out as you expect.
Now take your mind back a bit further. Two thousand years. Picture yourself now in the TEMPLE in Jerusalem. You're looking forward to something as well. Things aren't great in Israel. Because everywhere you look there are ROMAN SOLDIERS. I mean, you've got a NICE TEMPLE - it dominates the city skyline. But the ROMANS BUILT IT. To pacify the people. And it sort of works. But deep down you know; you're looking forward to it. GOD PROMISED. That his KINGDOM is going to be PUT BACK TOGETHER. That his ENEMIES are going to be JUDGED. That GOD HIMSELF is going to come to PUT THINGS RIGHT. He's promised it; that he's going to COME IN JUDGEMENT. Which means the ROMANS are going to get it in the neck. While WE JEWS are going to get a huge pat on the back.
No doubt about it. Judgement for everyone else. And a special pat on the back if you're a PHARISEE. Because you work so hard at keeping all the rules. You pick a handful of mint to make mint sauce for the lamb roast, and you count out the leaves. Nine for you. One for God. A special pat on the back ESPECIALLY if you're a PRIEST. Or a teacher of the law. Because you're so full of ZEAL for the HONOUR OF GOD. And the IMPORTANCE OF WHO YOU ARE.
YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT. And the rest of the world is going to get what it deserves. As THE LORD GOD one day comes to his temple. In all his glory. Or at least, you THINK... you're in for a treat.
But as we look at Marks gospel over these next few weeks, we're going to see... that things DON'T always turn out the way you might expect. That being FULL OF RELIGION is no guarantee that you're going to be on the RIGHT SIDE OF GOD. That being a LEADER OF ISRAEL, a Pharisee or a Priest or a teacher of the law, was no guarantee of ANYTHING... when GOD COMES TO VISIT... in the person of his Son. Mark's gospel is FULL OF SURPRISES. When the LORD finally comes to his TEMPLE. And as we read it - and I want to encourage you to READ MARK ALL THE WAY THROUGH... more than once... as you read it, I want you to be watching for the surprises; read with fresh eyes; read with an understanding of what's going on for the people BACK THEN... when the Lord finally comes to his people. Because maybe it's not going to be the HOLIDAY they were expecting.
And so the big question is, when you meet God, what makes you think it's going to be a party? When God comes, who says he's going to be PLEASED TO MEET YOU?
SETTING THE SCENE
Which is exactly the question being raised by the Old Testament passages Mark quotes right at the beginning of Chapter 1.
Mightn't be obvious at first glance. But when you look a bit closer, that's the issue. Verse 2; he says it's a quote from Isaiah; but Mark's done a cut and paste job. Part from Isaiah 40; part from Malachi 3. Two passages he brings together about a VOICE that's going to call in the wilderness. To get things ready for a very important visitor.
And it's worth looking back a little to see what's going on.
Isaiah 40 says the bit about a voice calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord. Malachi says the other bit.
And if you turn back to Malachi 3 verse 1 you'll see it. Easy to find, because Malachi is the very last book of the Old Testament. Even easier if you left a bookmark there before when we read it.
And I want you to notice the REST OF THE STORY. Because Mark expects us to know it.
Malachi 3 verse 1. "See, I will SEND MY MESSENGER who will prepare the way before me. THEN SUDDENLY... here's the rest of it... then suddenly, the LORD YOU ARE SEEKING will come to his temple - the messenger of the covenant who you desire will come," says the Lord Almighty.
First a messenger. Then - make sure you've seen this, then THE LORD HIMSELF. In PERSON. Is going to come to his all important temple.
Now I don't know if you've ever spotted a celebrity. We've got friends who live in Sydney. Their 14 year old son was roller blading the other day around Centennial Park near Fox Studios. He looks around, and there's Arnold Swarzzenegger roller blading right behind him. Quite a surprise. Well get this. Even bigger. The LAST PERSON you'd expect to run into at the temple, but he says it's going to happen. THE LORD HIMSELF. The one they've been LONGING FOR. Is going to come to meet them.
But there's a question. And it's in verse 2 of Malachi chapter 3. And the question is, "Who can endure the day of his coming?" You think you're a terrific example of an Israelite, but who's going to be left STANDING? Because when he comes to Israel he's going to be looking for RIGHTEOUSNESS that goes RIGHT TO THE HEART. What's he going to find?
Interesting, see. For an Israel who looked forward to the COMING OF THEIR KINGDOM. Those are the bits that get just a little bit overlooked. Malachi 4. More of the same. SURELY THE DAY IS COMING, it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. There'll be nothing left. BUT FOR YOU WHO REVERE MY NAME... healing. And leaping like calves.
But before that day comes, verse 5, the messenger. One like the prophet Elijah. To warn you. And turn your hearts. Or else I'll come and strike the land with a curse."
Now I don't want to bog down on details. But can you see the picture? A prophet like Elijah; who back in 2 Kings wanders round the desert in a camel skin coat and a big leather belt. Who PREPARES THE WAY for the Lord they've been looking forward to. Who for anyone arrogant, for anyone unrighteous, for anyone only interested in the trappings of being religious and important and powerful; brings disaster.
And Israel's going to burn like stubble. When you meet God, what makes you think he's going to be pleased to meet you? Because what he's going to be looking for people who REVERE HIS NAME FROM THE HEART. Instead of just going through the motions.
That's Malachi. And Mark quotes the words of Malachi and Isaiah to set the scene. To let us know what's about to happen. To let us know WHAT TIME IT IS for Israel. And so when you hear the voice of John the Baptist crying out in the desert; when you see the Camel skin coat and the wide leather belt like Elijah used to wear, when you hear him say GET READY, you know what's coming, don't you.
And so Mark says in verse 4, JOHN CAME. He doesn't fill in all the gaps. He says, work it out for yourself. John the Baptist. And he's doing what he's famous for. Baptising people in the desert. Saying, WASH YOURSELVES BEFORE GOD - as a sign of your change of heart. He says it's TIME TO CLEAN UP. And GET READY. For the one who's coming after me. Verse 4 says he's preaching a BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE... for the forgiveness of sins.
Picture it. He's there in verse 5, huge milling crowds of people; country people, city people; all crowding around to hear what John's saying. He's by the river, up North of Jerusalem; the dusty, baked desert sort of area where the only green is right round the river banks.
Not a good place for a picnic, but plenty of room for the crowds. And they're here. They've walked for hours. And now they're confessing their sins. And wading into the river Jordan. With John up to his knees in the water, dressed in his CAMELS HAIR coat like ELIJAH USED TO. Preparing the way for THE LORD. By telling the people of Israel they needed to REPENT FROM THE HEART. And the ORDINARY PEOPLE of Israel are doing it in their thousands.
And here's his message. Not about HIMSELF. But about the one he's preparing for. Verse 7. He says, "Don't make a fuss about ME. I'm just the CURTAIN RAISER. "After me will come one more POWERFUL THAN I; I'm not even worthy to kneel down and undo his sandals. I'm NOTHING compared to what's coming. I'm just washing you with water. But he's going to BAPTISE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT."
I'm just washing your body. He's going to WASH YOUR HEARTS. Providing, of course, that you RECOGNISE WHO HE IS. And RESPOND THE WAY YOU'RE MEANT TO.
Embarrassing, isn't it, when you don't recognise somebody you probably should. Where we stayed in Sydney during the school holidays, Mark Taylor lived just up the road. Who until not long ago was Captain of the Australian Cricket team. Second most important position in the country; just slightly down from Prime Minister. This kind of makes me a bit embarrassed to be a minister, because I heard a true story that happened a couple of years back when Mark Taylor was still captain of the team. The minister at one of the local churches was at a function for Dads at the local preschool. Standing next to a guy; so Andrew the minister introduces himself. G'day. I'm Andrew. I'm Josh's dad. "G'day. I'm MARK TAYLOR. I'm Tom's dad. "Nice to meet you Mark. What do YOU DO for a living?" "Well, I'm doing a bit of captaining of the Australian Cricket team at the moment." Ooops. Embarrassing moment.
Far worse if the FORERUNNER COMES to prepare the way; just like the prophets said he would; and then THE LORD COMES AFTER HIM just like the prophets said he would. And you don't RECOGNISE WHO HE IS.. Because if you don't recognise who he is, you won't know how to treat him. The right way to respond.
John's announced him. And you'll see if you look at verse 11, God confirms it. With an announcement from heaven. YOU ARE MY SON, WHOM I LOVE. With you I am WELL PLEASED."
So how's it going to go for ISRAEL - when they finally meet the SON OF GOD. Their KING? And more than that, how are they meant to respond?
Well, that's what Jesus very clearly spells out. Because verse 14, after John's put in prison - and Mark just says that as if you're meant to KNOW WHAT HAPPENS to someone who goes round saying people should repent, after John's put in prison, Jesus starts preaching. He goes into GALILEE, up the North of Jerusalem; proclaiming the GOOD NEWS OF GOD. Saying this. "The time has come." The time you've been waiting for. The Kingdom of God is NEAR. We're nearly there. So REPENT. And believe the good news."
The time the prophets talked about, says Jesus; here it is. I'm here. Time for GOD'S KINGDOM to be what it was always MEANT TO BE. Because I've arrived; and I'm about to be crowned as KING. Three things to about it. Two mentioned here and one in a moment. REPENT. And BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS.
Now you might remember the past few weeks in Nehemiah we've been thinking about repenting. And how easy it is to give all the right appearances on the outside. But real repenting has to go all the way to the HEART. And be proved outwardly by what you DO. Real repenting means coming to the point where you decide you're going to be committed to loving GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS. Right from the heart. No matter what. And it's interesting one of the big things Jesus keeps finding, that grieves him most, it's what he calls hardness of heart. That's what he's going to find in Israel. Maybe even in the ones closest to him.
What about in you? A hardness that says, "I'll do things my way." That says, God's best kept at a distance. Too busy making a KINGDOM OF ME to be too fussed about the KINGDOM OF GOD? To attached to my convenient enjoyable SINS to truly repent from the heart? To attached to being comfortable and popular to make the SACRIFICE of true repentance?
Jesus says the RIGHT RESPONSE if you want to be part of the Kingdom, is REPENT. And believe. And then as you read on there's one thing more. Simon and Andrew. Fishing by the sea of Galilee. Just throwing their net into the water. And Jesus says LEAVE IT. Follow me. We're going to go FISHING FOR MEN. And they walk away. On a bit further. James and John. Verse 20. In their boat, preparing their nets. Follow Me. And they do. Just walk away and leave the lot.
Because to be part of the Kingdom of God, it's worth more than anything else in the world. They recognise the king. And they're with him from that point on.
Which is not for a minute to say EVERYONE has the same point of view when they bump into Jesus. And we're going to see that over the next few weeks. That Jesus POLARISES people almost straight away. And that the Jews who were so much looking forward to a PAT ON THE BACK when God comes to his temple... all they want to do with Jesus and his talk of REPENTING, of SOFTNESS OF HEART, all they want to do is KILL HIM.
In the end that's the choice. Repent, believe, and follow Jesus. Or for these Priests and teachers of the law we're soon going to meet, keep on being very religious. And very confident. And not for a minute realising they're heading down the runway to disaster.
That's the story that's going to unfold through the gospel of Mark. Which all the way through is going to be raising the same sort of questions for us. The question for you... when you finally meet God, what makes you think he's going to be PLEASED TO MEET YOU? What makes you think everything's going to be terrific?
Somehow as a culture it's like we don't FEAR GOD'S JUDGEMENT ANYMORE. You know, I've never been to a funeral where the people didn't think meeting God was going to be a party. No fear. No humility. Just the absolute assumption that if there's anything after death at all, it's all going to be fine. Because Barry was such a good bloke. Because Dad never hurt anyone. Because Mum's uncle was an elder in the Methodist church. Because he had his own moral code and he stuck to it. The sad news is, so often what they think is going to be their great reward, it's going to be their great DISASTER. Jesus says, if you want to be part of the Kingdom, you've got to REPENT; you've got to BELIEVE. You've got to put aside anything else that gets in the way and FOLLOW ME. Nothing else counts. They're the things God's pleased to meet in a person. They're the things God most wants to find in YOU.
You know, the postman who delivered the Queen mother's telegram when she turned 100 the other day, it said in the paper he was 58 years old, he'd been a postie all his life. And he said it was the MOST EXCITING THING HE'D EVER DONE IN HIS LIFE. The HIGH POINT of his career. Meeting the Queen Mother.
How much more exciting to know you're going to meet God. And you don't have to puff up your chest and look important. You don't have to wear your medals and awards. You don't have to be perfect. Just those three things that are your invitation to the Kingdom. True repentance. Believing the good news. And following Jesus.