Mark 1:1-8 (The preaching of John the Baptist.)

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'"

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  

Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Choosing John the Baptist as your Church’s Patron Saint was very popular in mediaeval times. Having survived harsh conditions, including the plague, you would have thought that people were ready to party but the opposite was true. The wisdom of the day was to keep your head down, be good and hope that bad times didn’t visit you again. The world felt chastised, and people were ready to hear John the Baptist boom out, ‘Repent for the forgiveness of sins’. 

John the Baptist comes across as a difficult character. He was sincere and faithful, but he also comes across as intense and somber. Later on in the Gospels Jesus would compare and contrast himself with John – Jesus, the party-popper vs John, the party-stopper. 

I get the impression that people are busy planning for a post-pandemic celebration. I get no sense of that contrite mediaeval spirit that was keen to embrace John’s call to repentance. But what is the essence of Repentance? Maybe there is something important here that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Brace yourselves for a bit of serious Bible study! The popular view of repentance is based on a bad translation. When the Bible was translated from Hebrew to Greek, the Hebrew word ‘shuv’ was translated as ‘metanoia’. Both words mean repentance, but with very different emphases. We are hooked on the Greek word which means a deliberate remorse and regret for individual transgressions. On the other hand, the Hebrew word has a sense of wanting to repair the world. It’s a call to mend the brokenness we see all around us, whether we caused it or not. It’s about working together towards the goal of justice and wholeness. Hey, count me in; I repent!

The season of Advent continues to guide us towards Christmas. As we open windows in Calendars and light candles, we prepare for the coming of the Saviour. Again, to think of Jesus as a Saviour who went to all that trouble to absolve us from the guilt of individual crimes committed is to miss the point. He is the Saviour of the World as he comes to galvanise us into action and to remind us that the world was made by love and for love. He comes to remind us that God loves and blesses us. And he comes to remind us that we are our brother’s keeper. He comes to breathe life again into our lives. Believe! Repent! Rejoice!