************************
Mark 1:1-8
Good News Translation (GNT)
*************************
1 This is the Good News about Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.(a)
2 It began as the prophet Isaiah had written:
God said, 'I will send my messenger ahead of
you to open the way for you.'
3 Someone is shouting in the desert, 'Get the
road ready for the Lord; make a straight path
for him to travel!'"
4 So John appeared in the desert, baptising and
preaching.(b) "Turn away from your sins and
be baptised," he told the people, "and God will
forgive your sins."
5 Many people from the province of Judea and
the city of Jerusalem went out to hear John.
They confessed their sins, and he baptised
them in the Jordan River.
6 John wore clothes made of camel's hair, with
a leather belt around his waist, and his food
was locusts and wild honey.
7 He announced to the people, "The man who
will come after me is much greater than I am.
I am not good enough even to bend down
and untie his sandals
8 I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you
with the Holy Spirit."
Footnotes
Mark 1:1 Some manuscripts
do not have the Son of God.
Mark 1:4 John appeared in the desert,
baptising and preaching;
some manuscripts have
John the Baptist appeared in the desert,
preaching.
*************************
Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)
John the Baptist
Prepares the Way
The most important thing
we must understand
about Jesus is that
He was not only a man
but He was also God's own Son.
He had no human father,
but was born through
the Holy Spirit.
Old Testament prophets
prophesied about
John the Baptist,
who came before Jesus
to announce His coming.
John came to prepare
people's hearts
to receive Jesus,
and he did this
by preaching that
they should repent
of their sins.
In order for the people
to receive the salvation,
the valleys - that is,
whatever is spiritually
lacking (such as faith) -
must be filled up.
Obstructions in the way
like a mountain or hill -
that is,
pride or self-confidence -
must be made low.
Those walking on crooked
roads must return
to straight paths.
Salvation will be given
not only to the Jews
but also to non-Jews,
and to all men and women
who have prepared their
hearts by repenting.
In order to receive
Jesus as Saviour,
a man must first realise
he is a sinner
and then
repent of his sin.
The man who does not
consider himself a sinner
in God's sight will think,
"I have no need
of a saviour."
But every man is a sinner,
and every man
needs a saviour.
John's message was:
"Repent,
for the kingdom
of heaven is near".
Those who were
baptised with water,
received was a sign
that their sins
were washed away.
As a prophet,
John gave up worldly
comfort and pleasure
and led a life of poverty.
He wore very rough
clothing and ate locusts,
which only the
poorest people ate.
John was the greatest
and most powerful of all
the Jewish prophets.
Yet he was not worthy
to untie the thongs
of the One coming
after him - Jesus.
According to Jewish custom,
even the lowliest slave
did not have to untie
his master's sandals;
it was too demeaning
a task for even
a slave to perform.
But here the greatest man
born of woman
was not worthy
to do this lowly task
for Jesus,
because Jesus
was not just a man -
He was God Himself.
Water washes only
the surface.
But Jesus' baptism
with the Holy Spirit
is a permanent
inward cleansing,
a changing of the heart
and the creating of new
spiritual life within.
Other versions are available here
Return to the Home Page
Contact the Rector
The Revd.Nic.Edwards
The Rectory,
Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE,
Northampton,
NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 - 815496
(Can be accessed from the mobile device)
Mobile: .....
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Contact the Benefice Office
Sunday School Rooms, Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE, Northampton, NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 830373
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Mon., Tues., Wed,, Thur., Fri.
9:00am to 11:30am
![Picture of the Sunday School](http://www.bugbrookechurch.co.uk/images_mobile_news/sunday_school_3.jpg)
For Baptism bookings (Christenings)
to arrange an appointment please contact
the Benefice Office.
For Wedding bookings:
please contact the Benefice Office to arrange
an appointment.
Who Made This?
Seeing as you asked, if you can give helpful
advice or report factual corrections and
'deliberate mistakes',email:-
regparker3 at gmail dot com
Email addresses shown using words in an attempt to avoid 'spam',
Type the email address replacing 'at' with '@', and 'dot' with '.'
|