Prepare di Way

Outside for di desert wey full of rocks, one voice dey shout. No be inside palace. No be inside temple. For di middle of nowhere. And crowds dey waka many miles, comot from di city, to hear am.

Di gospel of Mark na di shortest of di four, and e dey hurry. E no get shepherds, e no get angels, e no get manger. Im very first words be like headline: Di beginning of di gospel of Jesus Christ, di Son of God. Gospel mean good news. And Mark talk say dis good news start with something wey God promise long time ago. E quote di prophets. Look, I dey send my messenger for your front, wey go prepare your way. And from Isaiah: Di voice of person wey dey shout for wilderness, prepare di way of di Lord, make im paths straight. For di old world, before king go visit, workers dey go front to level di road, dem dey fill di holes and straighten di corners. Somebody dey come wey need make dem prepare di way.

And see am here. John, outside for di wilderness near di river Jordan, dey baptise people and dey preach baptism of repentance for di forgiveness of sins. Repentance mean to turn around, to change direction. And people dey come. Mark talk say all di country of Judea and all di people of Jerusalem go out to meet am. Dem waka come down from di hills enter di hot Jordan valley, and e baptise dem for di river, as dem dey confess dia sins. Picture di line of people wey dey waka enter di brown water, one by one, dey talk out di wrong things wey dem don do, and dey come out clean.

John imself no look like ordinary preacher. E wear cloth wey dem make with camel hair, rough and e dey scratch body, with leather belt for im waist. And e dey chop locusts and wild honey, anything wey di desert provide. Everything about am dey show say e don step comot from ordinary life to do one thing. People wey know dia Scriptures for notice another thing too. Di great prophet Elijah, hundreds of years before, dem describe am as man wey get plenty hair with leather belt for im waist. And di prophet Malachi don promise say God go send Elijah before di great day of di Lord.

But John no dey point to imself. E talk: One wey get power pass me dey come after me, wey I no worthy to bend down loose di rope of im sandals. To loose sandals na di work of di lowest servant for house. John, wey crowds dey rush come see, talk say e no even reach to do dat one. I baptise una with water. But e go baptise una with di Holy Spirit. Di water of John fit wash di outside. Di One wey dey come go pour di Spirit of God imself inside people. And just few verses after, Jesus arrive from Nazareth, and John baptise am for di Jordan.

Di strange food wey John dey chop no strange reach as e sound. Di law of Moses allow people to chop some kinds of locust, e list dem as clean food. People still dey chop locusts for some parts of di Middle East and Africa today, roasted or dried, and dem get plenty protein. People dey find wild honey inside rocks and trees for di Judean wilderness.

Prepare di Way. You go find am for Mark chapter one, verse one to eight. For plenty churches, di Sundays of Advent before Christmas dey tell di story of John, because to get ready for Jesus mean to clear road for am inside our heart. Mark no start with baby, but with one voice wey dey talk: e dey come, make una get ready. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. John prepare di way for Jesus. Wetin you fit clear comot from di way dis Advent, to make space for am?