On the Way with Mark
Mark 1: 1-8 : Can I have a Witness?
When artists like Grunewald paint John the Baptist, they usually take one hand and have him pointing at Jesus (hint : he’s the one pointing at Jesus).
John is a witness who tells people “Don’t look at me, but look at Jesus”.
Followers of Jesus have the same task.
We can’t save people, but we can point at to the one who does.
We might think it was easier for John the Baptist. After all he was so different, dressed in camel hair clothes (that would always be scratchy and uncomfortable), eating only locusts and wild honey. John was different.
So what about us ? How are we different to people around us ?
Are there places where what is comfortable for everyone else is uncomfortable for us as we seek to follow Jesus ? (Hint: that’s kind of our “camel hair shirts”).
It is entirely human for us to want people to like us, and want to come to us, but like John we are hands pointed at Jesus. How do we point to Jesus?
(P.S. We referenced two books
How to read the Bible book by book, by Fee and Stuart
Mark for Everyone by Tom Wright).