Second Sunday in Advent, the Anglican Parish of Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia. That’s not part of today’s gospel, but if you are intrigued by that remark, look here. Not that Jesus had any sins to be washed away, but that he was there to “fulfill all righteousness”. The very next event in Mark was Jesus appearing at the Jordan to be baptized by John, presumably intrigued by the huge crowds John was attracting, all willing to be washed clean of sin in those waters. John was also the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy of a “voice crying in the wilderness” to prepare for the Lord ( Isaiah 40:3-5, today’s first reading). He is considered by Christian scholars to be the last prophet of the Old Testament heralding the arrival of the Messiah whose shoes, John said, he was unfit even to untie. The first person to appear in Mark’s gospel is John the Baptist, as we see in today’s gospel. Jesus was sent to us, as one utterly human in all ways save sin, to show us that the life lived in God can and should be happy and fulfilling when we act as true children of God. Indeed there is no mention of Jesus’ birth at all! Mark begins at the real beginning as it were, with the fundamental reason Jesus came to us: to be our Messiah, the Anointed of God, to demonstrate directly to us how our lives should be managed in a way that we could be happy and focussed on the ways that God wishes us to live. Note there are no angels, no shepherds or kings, no Bethlehem or indeed any of the traditional ideas we have of Christmas. Today’s gospel comprises the first words of Mark’s gospel. The Baptism of Christ, Mantegna 1506, Basilica of San Andrea, Mantua, Italy’Ĭlick here to read today’s Sunday Mass Readings.Ĭlick on words highlighted in red for further information.
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