Breaking the Word

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Son of God).As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" John (the) Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit." (Mk 1:1-8) 

The author is giving us the good news of Jesus Christ. But he straight away goes to the Old Testament to speak about his messenger and his arrival. The story has something to do with the Old Testament. In fact the story is the fulfilment of the Old Testament sayings and prophecies. The story of Jesus is nothing but the fulfilment of the prophets and Moses. All what the author was going to say was nothing but fulfilment of the Old Testament.

Quotations are borrowed from two prophecies–that of Isaiah and that of Malachi. Both of them spoke of the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Malachi says that the messenger is sent to prepare the way of the Lord. Prophet Isaiah says that John the Baptist is the voice that cries in the desert. His dress and his food reveal that he was not conforming to this world. His way shows that we have to live above the world and worldly things to prepare the way of the Lord.

John the Baptist preached a baptism for the forgiveness of sin. This was the command which Jesus gave his disciples after resurrection. So Jesus’ story begins and ends with the baptism for the forgiveness of sin. The great promise Christ makes in his gospel to those who have repented, and have had their sins forgiven them is that they shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. (Mk 16:15-20)

Jesus after his resurrection instructed his disciples to go into the whole world. There was no restriction for them. The whole wide world was open for their ministry. Their only and the one job was to proclaim the gospel. This was to be done to every creature. Again Jesus gave an open ended mission. Proclamation of the gospel has no limitation, no restriction, no control, and no exclusivity.

Those who believe and are baptized will be saved. Their proclamation of the gospel has a goal in purpose. It is the salvation of the listeners. They are to be brought back to God. The requirements for this salvation  are their belief and baptism.

The signs that will be noticed in the believers are that they will not be controlled by evil and the power of evil. In stead they will remove evil from the world and the people and they will do good to all. They will make the people whole and complete and they will be masters of the situation. Situation will have no domination over them. Presence of good and doing good will clearly indicate that they are believers.