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Mark 1:1-8

Good News Translation (GNT)

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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.

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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.

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