Mark 1:1-18

This is the beginning of the wonderful news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It starts with Isaiah the prophet, who wrote: Listen! I am sending my messenger ahead of you and he will prepare your way! He is a thunderous voice of one who shouts in the wilderness: “Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord YAHWEH, and clear a straight path inside your hearts for him!” John the Baptizer was the messenger who appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the complete cancellation of sins. A steady stream of people came to be dipped in the Jordan River as they publicly confessed their sins. They came from all over southern Israel, including nearly all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. John wore a rough garment made from camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and honey. And this is the message he kept preaching: “There is a man coming after me who is greater and a lot more powerful than I am. I’m not even worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals. I’ve baptized you into water, but he will baptize you into the Spirit of Holiness!” One day, Jesus came from the Galilean village of Nazareth and had John immerse him in the Jordan River. The moment Jesus rose up out of the water, John saw the heavenly realm split open, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. At the same time, a voice spoke from heaven, saying: “You are my Son, my cherished one, and my greatest delight is in you!” Immediately after this he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go into an uninhabited desert region. He remained there in the wilderness for forty days, enduring the ordeals of Satan’s tests. He encountered wild animals, but also angels who appeared and ministered to his needs. Later on, after John the Baptizer was arrested, Jesus went back into the region of Galilee and preached the wonderful gospel of God’s kingdom. His message was this: “At last the fulfillment of the age has come! It is time for God’s kingdom to be experienced in its fullness! Turn your lives back to God and put your trust in the hope-filled gospel!” As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he noticed two brothers fishing: Simon and Andrew. He watched them as they were casting their nets into the sea and said to them, “Come follow me and I will transform you into fishers of men instead of fish!” Immediately they dropped their nets and left everything behind to follow Jesus.