The Great Sending, Chapter 13
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
—Mark 1:2-3
STUDY 13: God’s Commission: Prophesied
pp. 95-97
by Reverand Dr. David Buegler
God’s Commission: Prophesied. Mark’s gospel plunges directly into how God’s Divine commission was fulfilled not only in Jesus Christ, but in the unique individual who was his forerunner, John the Baptizer. Clearly, the plan for introducing the Messiah via his precursor was more than seven hundred years old at the time Mark wrote, since that incredible prophet, Isaiah, seemed to be an eyewitness to so much in the life of Jesus, whom he preceded by more than seven centuries during the reign of King Hezekiah.
Theologians have long debated the nature of Old Testament prophecy, claiming that many prophesies found fulfillment in the son of a contemporary King as well as, in this case, John the Baptist. Other scholars suggest that prophecy be interpreted more directly, a manner demonstrated in the New Testament, including in Mark. Nowhere else do we know of such a desert preacher like John. Therefore, Mark’s version of prophecy seems direct, rectilinear, and thus more authoritative and convincing than other explanations. (Another famous example, also from Isaiah, comes from Isaiah 9. Italics are added for emphasis: “Unto us a Child is born… and His name shall be called… Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. If these names referred to anyone but Jesus, it would be utter blasphemy.) Clearly, in our text, Mark has Isaiah referring to John the Baptist, a direct prophecy as are most such prophecy- fulfillment couplets in the New Testament. Mark’s writing is a supernatural forecast across seven hundred years, showing that the details involved in Christ’s commissioning were clearly on the mind of our timeless God.
Just as God’s commission centered on Jesus Christ, so it would also center especially on individuals in many of the other mission passages in the Bible. For example, consider the women in the Easter accounts, in contrast to the men, who would not believe Mary Magdalene and the women that Jesus had risen from the dead until the Risen Jesus, Himself, physically proved His Resurrection. God’s commissioning would address key individuals in the future, as well as groups involved in the various missions, especially in the most dramatic commission of all, that of Saint Paul as we shall see in a future segment.
Questions to ponder with
yourself and others
- What was Jesus’ opinion of His second cousin, John the Baptizer? (See Matthew 11:11a.) Was Jesus demoting John in 11b?
- After the Resurrection, compare the responses of the men to those of the women, as recipients of God’s Commissioning?
- What does it mean for us that we are also commissioned by God?
Prayer
Our commissioning Lord, in communicating the faith today, we wish that we, like your Son, Jesus Christ, could have forerunners like John the Baptist, who could prepare the way for our messages about Yours, which would seem to make the task easier. And yet in Your Holy Words, we can always rely on the power of your Holy Spirit to assist us in our witness, as John did for Jesus. We thank you for assisting us yet today, sending and once again enabling us, to fulfill what you command. Amen.