Mark 1:1-8 |The Prophetic Preparation

Verses 1-4, see session 1

Mark 1:5 | John’s Success

What incredible success we see in the ministry of John the Baptist. The fact that all were going out to be baptized by John is a testament to the fervor of the Jewish nation in the early first century. This fervor was largely due to prophetic timing in the messages of prophets such as can be found in Daniel 9:24-26.

It would become very hard to separate the confession of sins which we see in this verse from the baptism of John, and the same could be said of repentance. John’s baptism was clearly designed to restore a state of holiness in the individual and the nation. And the nation was responding very positively.

The influence of John the Baptist was so strong that Flavius Josephus mentions it in his Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, Chapter 5, Paragraph 2), saying,

"…John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death.” [underline mine].

Mark 1:6 | John’s Attire

Camel's hair was a rough material that was typically used for making sackcloth, a garment worn as a sign of mourning or in times of distress (e.g. Gen 37:34, Isa 20:2, Matt 11:21). John's choice of clothing, therefore, may have been seen as a sign of his prophetic role. The prophet Elijah, who was expected to return before the coming of the Messiah, is described in 2 Kings 1:8 as a "hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.” John's attire may have been seen as a reflection of Elijah and to signal his own role as a prophet of God.

The girdle (or "leather belt" in some translations) was a common accessory in ancient Near Eastern dress, used to secure the tunic or robe around the waist. In the case of John the Baptist, the girdle may have had symbolic significance as well. In the book of Revelation, the risen Christ is described as wearing a golden girdle (Rev 1:13), a sign of his royal status and authority. It's possible that John's choice of a simple leather girdle was a deliberate rejection of worldly status and a sign of his humble role as a servant of God.

👉 The English word "girdle" comes from the Old English gyrdel, which meant "belt.” The word is related to the German “gurtel” which also meant "belt." The word "girdle" started to be used to refer to a woman's undergarment in the early 20th century, specifically around the 1920s when the fashion for flapper dresses became popular. Before that, it was mostly used to refer to a belt or a sash that men would wear around their waist.

John's overall appearance, with his rough camel's hair garment and leather girdle, would have been striking and unusual in a culture where clothing was often a sign of social status and wealth (compare James 2:1-4, Lk. 16:19). His appearance may have contributed to his reputation as a prophetic figure and to the attention he received from the crowds who came to hear him preach.

👉 In the King James Version of the Bible, the word "loins" is used to refer to the area of the body below the waist and above the thighs.

Mark 1:7 | John Points to Jesus

The phrase "there cometh one" has a messianic overtone. In the New Testament, "the coming one," in various forms, was always a reference to the coming Messiah (Mt. 11:3, Jn. 6:14). In the Old Testament, this is seen in the psalm that says "Blessed is he that cometh" (Psalm 118:26), with the coming One understood to be the Messiah by both Jews and Christians. While the phrase technically could be used of anyone who comes, we only have it recorded in a messianic sense.

John further confirms his messianic view saying that "the coming one" is mightier than I. This statement was impressive in that John, from all we can surmise, would have been an imposing figure socially, spiritually, and physically.

👉 The Greek word translated as "mightier" in Mark 1:7 is "ἰσχυρότερός" (ischyroteros), which means "stronger, more powerful" or "more able." The word is derived from "ischyros," which means "strong, mighty," and "tero," which means "more."

John comes with a great sense of humility, describing himself as unworthy to untie the strap of the sandals of the one who is coming after him. This is a vivid word-picture of a servant and his master, where the servant would remove the master's sandals and wash his feet. By saying he is unworthy to untie the strap of the sandals, John is saying that he is not even worthy to perform the lowest of tasks for the coming one.

In Mark 1:7, John the Baptist refers to the "coming one,” which has a Messianic overtone. John further describes the coming one as "mightier than I," which also has Messianic overtones. Finally, John humbly describes himself as unworthy to untie the strap of the sandals of the coming one, using the vivid word-picture of a servant and his master. These three phrases all convey a sense of the greatness of the coming One and the humility of John in his presence, and would have been understood as Messianic by the hearers of John's message.

Mark 1:8 | The Present And Future Baptisms

Mark 1:8 (and its equivalent passages in the synoptic gospels, Matt. 3:11, Lk. 3:16) is notable for being the first mention of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. John’s prophecy of a future spiritual baptism is a significant statement, letting us know that the “Baptism of the Holy Ghost” was a Jewish prophetic expectation and not something of the as-yet-unforseen Body of Christ (i.e.: the church, neither Jew nor Gentile, and saved by grace). The prophetic element was not a new revelation to John, but was seen in passages like Ezekiel 36:25-26 and Joel 2:28-29. John was simply repeating what the prophets had already said, and was pointing out that his water baptism was incomplete and forward looking.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is closely associated with the coming of the kingdom of God. In Acts 1:5, Jesus tells his disciples that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. In Acts 2:1-4, we see the fulfillment of this promise on the day of Pentecost. Immediately after this baptism, as shown in Acts 2:38-39, Peter tells the crowds to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Like John, Peter is preaching a message of the kingdom, looking forward to "the times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21).

While Evangelicalism understands the baptism of the Spirit to be the birth of the Church and thus a "new" thing, a rightly-divided approach understands this baptism to be a fulfillment of prophecy to Israel and part of the offer of the kingdom to Israel. Under this view, the spiritual baptism into Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) is not the same as the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in Acts 2.

👉 Right division is a hermeneutical approach to interpreting Scripture that emphasizes the distinction between God's plan for Israel and His plan for the Church. Right division seeks to understand these distinctions and apply the Scriptures in light of them.

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