John the Baptist, the Centers of Power, and the Stronger One

Last updated on: February 22, 2020 at 1:34 pm by Jack Hartjes

John the Baptist, the Centers of Power, and the Stronger One 2020-02-22T13:34:40-06:00 Jack Hartjes

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Spirit in the form of a dove.

John the Baptist preached repentance, but for which sins? And for whose? John and Jesus will challenge the definitions of sin that the Powers that Be preached. Third in a series on “The Worldly Spirituality of Mark’s Gospel” with help from Ched Myers’ Binding the Strongman: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. The Introduction and, looking ahead, a Table of Contents are HERE.

Mark announces his intention in a title to his book, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” He will proclaim Jesus as Lord in battle with the forces of evil.

Immediately we see what kind of battle this is. A figure we know as John the Baptist appears in the wilderness. There he is clothed in camel hair and feeds on locusts and wild honey. This strange lifestyle, which to us might sound like a life a penance or renunciation, has political significance. John is renouncing not the world but the centers of power, whether religious or Roman, located in Jerusalem. That’s where one would expect a lord or a lordly message to appear. John the Baptist, in the wilderness, shows an unexpected preference for the margins of society and people living on the margins. And John, in operating by the River Jordan, is taking one of the most powerful symbols in the Jewish world to say to his listeners, “You are crossing over into something really new.”

Which sins, whose sins?

John’s baptism is one of repentance for forgiveness of sins. People from the whole Judean countryside were going out to him to be baptized. I try to imagine which sins all these poor people thought needed forgiving. I can’t figure it out. To me it seems that the centers of sin would have been about the same as the centers of power.

Those centers of power took it upon themselves to define sin for themselves and the rest. Though well-intended by some (especially among the Pharisees), one result was to define the poor as sinners. They had neither the time nor the means to keep all the fine points of the Law. I conclude that John the Baptist aimed his message not at crowds of individuals coming with their personal sins but at the powers and the sinful condition that misjudged the poor and kept people apart. At any rate, John the Baptist certainly challenged the centers of power. His work said God was operating somewhere else.

Mark takes the trouble to tell us what this prophetic figure is wearing—a camel hair cloak and a leather belt. It reminds us of the prophet Elijah. According to written traditions Elijah ascended into heaven in a chariot. He was supposed to reappear “before the great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.” (Malachi 4:5) Elijah had pronounced judgment on the Israel’s king Ahab and his son Azariah. Their house subsequently fell. John the Baptist, the new Elijah, pronounces judgment on Herod Agrippa. Then he tells us that one even stronger than he is coming.

The strong man

“Strong” is an important word in Mark’s Gospel, as also in the title of Myers’ book, “Binding the Strong Man.” In the first few chapters, in backwards order, we have the “strongman,” whose house you can’t enter unless you bind him up; the “strong” ones who don’t need a physician; and here Jesus, the one stronger than John the Baptist.

Oddly, the introduction of Jesus in the next scene is deliberately low-key:

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. (1:9)

Jesus appears as one of the crowd and from Nazareth of all places, “Nowheresville,” as Myers describes it. But Galilee is famous in the South of Judea, where John baptized – famous and despised as a center both of foreign influence and rebel opposition. Mark wastes no time in attributing apocalyptic significance to the humble figure of Jesus. As he comes up out of the waters of the Jordan, Jesus sees a vision. Out of the ruptured heavens, Jesus sees “the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.” And a voice proclaims: “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.” (1:10-11) Here Mark lets his readers in on the secret of the hero’s true identity. But he gives no indication that John the Baptist or any bystanders saw or heard anything.

A baptism of total immersion

Even apart from the heavenly show, Jesus’ baptism has a significance that the previous baptisms don’t have. John baptized the others in the Jordan, but he baptized Jesus into the Jordan. (I checked the Greek text and did indeed find that difference in prepositions that our English translations don’t catch.) The implication is that Jesus went completely under the waters and the others did not immerse themselves so. As John’s baptism is one of repentance for sin, Mark is saying that Jesus has completely freed himself from the sin of the culture, the legal/religious system, into which he was born. Jesus is now an outlaw. “The new creation begins with a renunciation of the old order,” Myers says. (129)

Then the narrative sends Jesus off into the desert and obscurity again. Out of obscurity, into the limelight, back into obscurity again. It’s a back and forth move that Myers says keeps Mark’s readers wondering about who this Jesus really is. Mark’s readers mustn’t believe Jesus will fight alongside the messianic enthusiasts gearing up for battle with Rome.

A confrontation with the true ruler of the world’s current order interrupts the obscurity of the desert. Jesus will continue the battle with Satan in the guise of the worldly powers that be that John the Baptist proclaimed.

Gospel of Mark

Previous Post

July 27, 2018

Woman, Man, Symbols of God, and an Article by Abigail Favale

Next Post

August 1, 2018 Fishers of Men in the Kingdom of God. Fish Hooks for Which People?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Christmas Amazon Synod Angels Being Consumed Bible Catholic Modern Creed Ecology Economics Elizabeth Johnson Eucharist Fragments and Filaments Gender and Sex Gospel of Mark Herzog Historical Jesus Liturgy Luke Opening Scriptures on Way to Emmaus Ordinary radicals Parables Pro-Life Reincarnation Rosary Sacraments science Social Justice Souls Stories of Jesus The Creed Torture and Eucharist Tracy Uncategorized War and Peace

Select a Month October 2026 June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 July 2024 March 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz