All eyes on Jesus

The writer to the Hebrews encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12;2, NIV) and Lent is a good time to do that. This year we will use Mark's gospel to help us see Jesus through the eyes of those around him during his ministry years. 

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 will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’” Mark 1:1-3, NKJV

Mark tells us the story that follows is good news because it's all about Jesus. He also mentions the man who has prepared the way for his ministry. John the Baptist helped many, many people recognise their fallen status before God and their need to prepare for the predicted Messiah. Three things strike me.

First, we don’t always appreciate how complex, detailed, and lengthy the Father’s preparations can be. John accomplished his crucial ministry some 700 years after Isaiah prophesied it. It is hard to wait for the Father to fulfil his promises to us but when he comes through, he often does it in a way that makes it clear he has taken time to work everything to our good. And usually the end result is so unexpected we know it could only be God who did it!

Second, John spends his entire ministry pointing to Jesus and only Jesus. Yes, he preaches repentance and baptism but only as a forerunner of the Lord. Are there ways we could make our lives a little more about him?

Third, John’s job is to prepare a way for the Messiah and if he were living now, I suspect he would have used a bulldozer to clear a wide path, he wouldn’t have picked up a shovel! We can take hold of John's sense of urgency. Not that we bulldoze people into the Kingdom (!), but so that we don’t hold back from making a way for the Holy Spirit to work.

Let’s pray
Thank you, Lord, for fulfilling your promise and sending your Son to be our Saviour. Help me stand in faith as I watch you work, point others to your goodness, and create opportunities for you to work today. Amen.