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The gospels tell us that John was baptising for the remission of sins. Mark 1:1-8 also tells of John the Baptist prophesying of one to come, greater than he, who surely must be the Messiah. In the gospel, this message seems of greater importance than his message of baptism.
Immediately, in Mark 1:9, Jesus comes and is baptised, so we are left in no doubt that Jesus is the one of whom John prophesied. When John baptises Jesus, the voice of God from heaven says to Jesus, "Thou art my beloved son." The story of John and the baptism of Jesus serves as an introduction to Jesus, telling us who he is. The sense of an introduction continues when the Holy Spirit takes Jesus into the wilderness for forty days, ministered by angels just as Elijah was ministered by an angel and in the wilderness forty days (1 Kings 19:5-7). Those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he fasted for the forty days, which brings into play another allusion, to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days while he wrote the words of the Ten Commandments on tablets. Thus the gospel message is not only that Jesus was the one of whom John spoke, but also that he is the son of God and that he will continue the mission of Elijah and Moses.
Mark uses an ancient literary technique, called a parallel structure, to emphasise the importance of the introduction of Jesus. In this, an opening set of events is mirrored by a second set in order to emphasise and reinforce the message of each event. The event that matches and emphasises the baptism of Jesus is the Transfiguration (event B'). Once again, the voice of God from heaven reinforces this message from the baptism (events C,C'):
A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)
B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)
C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)
D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)
E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)
F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)
G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)
H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.
-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)
I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)
J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)
K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)
L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)
M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up
N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)
O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority
P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)
Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)
R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)
S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)
T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)
U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)
V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)
W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)
X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.
B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)
C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)
D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)
E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)
F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)
G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)
H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)
I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)
J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)
K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)
L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)
M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die
N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)
O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority
P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)
Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)
X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)
-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking
R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)
S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)
T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)
U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)
V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)
-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes
W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)
A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)
Just as John prepared the people for the coming of Jesus (event A), so the young man in the tomb tells the women of the departure of Jesus (event A'), at the end of the gospel. Mark's Gospel originally ended at this verse (16:8) and the 'Long Ending' (verses 16:9-20) was added much later.
What else can I help you with?
How did John the Baptist preach the coming of the Messiah?
He preached repentance, and baptized people, and told them that the Messiah was coming, and they should prepare for Him.
What was the mission of St John the Baptist?
To prepare the way of the Messiah.
Who told people to prepare for the coming of Jesus?
John the Baptist announced that Jesus was the Christ (ie the "Messiah"[Hebrew] or "Christ" [Greek]), as also foretold in Old Testament prophecies.
What was John the Baptist's purpose in the context of his role in preparing the way for Jesus Christ?
John the Baptist's purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus Christ by preaching repentance and baptizing people as a symbol of cleansing and readiness for the coming of the Messiah.
Who did John the Baptist help prepare a path for the lord?
John the Baptist was baptizing in obedience to God. God had commanded John to perform what's referred to as a "baptism of repentance," to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. In effect, John was "helping" God, the Jews, and Christ as well.
How did John want people to prepare for the Messiah?
John the Baptist urged people to prepare for the Messiah by calling for repentance and a transformation of their hearts. He emphasized the importance of turning away from sin and living righteously, symbolized through the act of baptism. John also encouraged individuals to bear fruits of repentance, demonstrating their commitment to a changed life in anticipation of the coming Savior.
Why was John the Baptist in the wilderness?
John the Baptist was in the wilderness to preach and prepare people for the coming of Jesus Christ.
Who was John the Baptist and what role did he play in the life of John, the disciple of Jesus?
John the Baptist was a prophet who baptized people in the Jordan River, preparing them for the coming of Jesus. He played a significant role in the life of John, the disciple of Jesus, by baptizing him and recognizing him as the Messiah. John the Baptist also helped to spread the message of Jesus and prepare the way for his ministry.
How are Elijah and John the Baptist different from the messiah?
Jesus is God. John the baptist and Elijah are not.
Where did St. John preach?
St. John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea, urging people to repent and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. He baptized many followers in the Jordan River as a sign of their repentance and commitment to God.
What miracle did St John the Baptist perform?
There is no records of miracles done by John the Baptist, he is known for telling people to repent of their sins and be baptized.John did not perform miracles. He was but 'a voice crying in the wilderness- prepare the way of the Lord'. Although Jesus was his cousin, John was not a miracle doer but was a prophet preparing the way for the Messiah, Jesus.
What did one have to do to be baptised by John the Baptist?
The baptism of John the Baptist was a baptism of repentance for Jews. John was preparing the way for Messiah. The Jews believed that Messiah was going to set up His kingdom on earth as written in the Old Testament. Messiah was the coming King, who would defeat Israel's enemies. John was calling the Jews to repent, meaning to renew their commitment to The Law and prepare for Messiah. This made John's baptism both personal and national in nature. To be baptized, one had to be a Jew, or prepared to convert to Judaism, to acknowledge the Law as the guiding principle for life and to submit to the coming Messiah.
