After spending last week reading through the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, it is so easy to see just how hungry the people were for a word of truth. Things have not been going well for so many generations. They long for something new, something lasting, something permanent. They knew the stories. They knew all about Moses, Joshua, and all the heroes of the faith.
But nothing like that has been going on for hundreds and hundreds of years. In fact, the last thing they heard from God was that after the destruction, the sorrow & the loss, God was going to make everything right. He would make everything new. But that time hadn’t come yet. and after John the Baptist comes on the scene, they are confronted with the word of God himself. And everything they’ve been longing for, everything they’ve been waiting for is brought to them in a greater way, in a more abundant way, then they could ever have hoped for, dreamed for, or wished for. God has provided for his people. He has provided in richness, he has provided in drawing close to them, he has provided by giving them a tangible way to experience life with him again. And so it is no surprise that the crowds followed Jesus and stuck so close to him throughout his ministry.

The appeal remains today, and rightfully so. This is what the human heart longs for, to be made whole. This is what we were made for, to exist and serve in His presence. Redemption is compelling because we all need it. We all seek it, even if it is in wrong ways.

Some seek to be redeemed by their own efforts, their intellect or societal standards. They seek in sin what can only be achieved through the righteousness of God. And so they will keep on seeking.

Mark’s Gospel is action packed and fast paced for good reason. This good news is urgent. And we should treat it as such. The presence of God after the silence of our sin is the greatest hope we can have. He is faithful, and will always be so.
Trust in Him.