The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” - Mark 1:1-8
The key part of John's message was confessing their sins and being baptized. Really, a big part of the gospel is realizing that we don't get it right and we won't get it right without Jesus' assistance. I think it is still as big a problem for Jesus' disciples 10 years into their walk as it is in the beginning. Something inside us wants to shout, "I am right!" For a person to stand up in front of a crowd and say, "I got it wrong and I keep getting it wrong but Jesus got me" is a humbling experience. After that, our self will try to claw its way back to "being right" over and over again because humility is not a posture that we naturally take. Sometimes it takes new forms, like "I got this one point better than that other person" or "I have found the best way of X. Why is it taking you so long?" but these forms are not about humility or even righteousness, they are about attempting to establish that we are or were right.
So that's why, in preparation for Jesus, John had to bring people to that "I am wrong" moment, not just enough for them to feel guilty (inside) but for them to feel ashamed (outside).
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