The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls and whispered in the sounds of silence (Paul Simon).
So sings Simon & Garfunkel, and so begins Mark’s Gospel. Mark has no nativity account, no infancy narrative, no shepherds abiding in the fields, no Wise Men, no manger. Likewise, Mark has no poetic allusion to the Creation to compare with John’s prolog.
Mark opens with the title of his work: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” And with the words of the prophets (plural), for he combines fragments of Isaiah, Malachi, and Exodus. This is a backwards glance, to promises previously made. Back to the Wilderness, that area east of Jerusalem that runs down to the Dead Sea. Back to the remembrance of a journey made from slavery to freedom, and to which Isaiah alludes in the promissory language of return from exile. And, of course, there is the River Jordan, that physical boundary between the Wilderness and the Promised Land.
Then Mark moves to ‘fulfillment.’ Regardless of how one interprets Isaiah and Mark – is the person located in the wilderness and crying out or are they crying out to those located in the wilderness? – the promised end to exile and estrangement is at hand. And in preparation for this homecoming, confession and repentance are called for. In this context, Baptism is, as one scholar points out, “The acting out of the recipients’ interior disposition, and symbol of the forgiveness they hope to receive.”
Scholars are divided over the origins of this baptism. It could be a purification rite, such as practiced at Qumran; or the borrowing of the proselyte baptism of conversion into Judaism. (The Greek words at play here – baptein and baptizein mean to dip, immerse, or wash oneself.) But it seems to many to be a ritual that is rather unique to John the Baptizer: something new is happening here.
Then Mark looks forward. A stronger, more powerful one is coming. A greater promise is offered: a Baptism with the Holy Spirit, and not just water.
The Markan John the Baptizer is a herald, proclaiming something, and doing so without threats or strong language (in contrast to the other Synoptic Gospels). In fact, at this juncture, John’s point is made, and he largely disappears from Mark’s Gospel, except for a mention here-and-there. His role is complete. He has proclaimed that we have a God of new beginnings, who breaks into our time and our lives with life-giving news!
