The Messenger and the King. Mark 1:6-8.
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached saying, “After I come one who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
Dear People of God,
John’s mission was clear, to pave the way for the King. Mark spends very little time on John because, like John, Mark’s focus is on the King. What we learn about John and his relationship to Christ is very important, though.
Simplicity (v. 6). John is presented as a desert hermit. He is distinguished by his lifestyle, which is defined by his frugality:
Dress. Camel’s hair clothing was cheap but durable and would have been ideal for a hermit. Diet. John lived like a “hunter-gatherer.” He “ate locusts and wild honey.” Both were to be found in the desert and would have made him independent of third-party sponsorship. He would not have owed anyone a favor and this was important because his message of repentance was not an easy or comfortable one.
Submission (v. 7). John contrasts himself to the coming King, to show how much greater than he the King is. It was a servant’s job to untie sandal straps, remove the sandals off the feet of the master and guests, and wash their feet. This was a lowly job that a Jew would not do. John places himself below such a slave, in comparison to Christ.
Superiority (v. 8). Not only is the King superior to John in his Person, as John’s contrast, has already indicated, but he is also superior in his Programme. John says that while his own baptism was that of water, and outer washing that only cleansed the body, the coming King would baptize in “the Holy Spirit,” transforming the inner person. Whereas John’s baptism was symbolic, that of the King would be life-changing.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.