Mark 1:4–11

⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism for repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I have become well pleased."

Many people may not be crazy about the realities of life, but reality TV is very popular. Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, and countless others fill up the weekly schedules on cable and satellite.

And then there's The Voice. You know this one? Easy, at least, to remember the name. It's all, they say, about The Voice. Like American Idol and others, The Voice is looking for the next great singing stars. And here's the twist: When the singers first audition, the judges can't see them. The judges are turned around toward the audience, while the singers perform behind them. You might not like the way he looks; you might not like her style; but if the judge likes the voice, he or she turns around and announces, "I want you!" Then the judge becomes that contestant's coach. It's all about the voice.

This morning we come to a great reality in our lives of faith. We are sinners in need of forgiveness. That is a reality we may not want to hear, but we can't ignore the voice that tells us. On the other hand, even if we don't like the reality we see in ourselves, we needn't dislike hearing that voice. Quite the contrary,

Rejoice in the Voice!

Isaiah says, "A Voice cries 'in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" The voice in the wilderness prepared us for the Mighty One (vv 4–8). Without previous fanfare—certainly without an agent to promote him—John the Baptist appears in the wilderness. He prepared the way of the Lord with a baptism for repentance. No one can be said to have repented until he has been baptized. You cannot say you have truly turned to God until you have been baptized. It was a baptism for repentance; a baptism in order that you can repent. Yes, the voice was preparing the way for repentance and the forgiveness of sin by baptism for repentance. You cannot truly be a child of God until you have been reborn by the washing of regeneration. John is the voice preparing the way of the Lord in the wilderness.

So, could this possibly be the next star preacher? He is the voice. Is he the voice on the reality show The Voice? Even if the reality we see is not pleasing, he is the voice. You may not be impressed with his appearance or style. He wore rough leather. He ate locusts and wild honey. He lived in the wilderness among wild animals and thorny bushes. He wasn't impressive to the eyes. He didn't look like much. He didn't look like a high priest, a royal ruler, or a mighty king. He did not have royal robes or expensive jewelry. He looked poor and weak, perhaps a little crazy.

But has he ever got a voice! A voice that declares reality. Yes, even the reality we don't want to see. The truth about ourselves that we cannot bear to see. He declares to the crowds a painful reality! You are all sinners! He declares our judgmental attitudes toward others. He pierces the hearts of those who refuse to forgive others, who bear grudges and harbor resentment. He calls us out for our hypocrisy, thinking we are better than others. He convicts us of those hidden thoughts that we know are wrong and don't want anyone else to know about.

Fact is, you are in need of repentance, for without that repentance, you will all perish (Lk 13:3, 5). All are sinners. All are condemned to eternal punishment. Except for Jesus Christ you would all perish.

But this voice crying in the wilderness wasn't a voice of despair; John was preparing the way of the Lord's forgiveness. He offered baptism for repentance. In order to repent. His message was a message of hope, or life, of freedom. His message was the voice of God speaking tenderly to his people. Comfort ye! Comfort ye!

And so the crowds did hear the voice! They came out to John; they did repent; they were baptized; in that Baptism, they were forgiven (v 5). St. Peter preached to those people who were terrified by their sin and said, "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins." In that washing with water and the Word of God they were forgiven. Their uncleanness was washed away and they were cleansed before God. In this washing of regeneration, of rebirth, your sins are forgiven. They are not removed from you, but they are forgiven, meaning that God gives you his word that he will not take them into account on the day of judgment. He has given his word and promise that because he has punished his Only Son for your sins, that your sins are forgotten. In baptism God promises this to you.

They came out to the wilderness and they heard the voice declare the Mighty One coming—the One who would actually secure this forgiveness (vv 7–8). He preached saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I...he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Now appears on the scene another Voice whom we'd probably not recognize as a star (v 9; cf. Is 53:2). And then he came. The one who is mightier came to John and was baptized by John. Jesus shows up as just another guy in the crowd. He comes from Nazareth, a backward town in backward Galilee. He did not look like a star. He did not dress like the stars. He had no royal entourage. He had no armies. Just a poor carpenter, the son of a poor carpenter. He came like anyone else in the crowds. He came to be baptized like all those sinners in the crowd.

Then there was another voice. But you can't ignore this voice, The Voice: God the Father from heaven! (vv 10–11). A voice from heaven announces to us the beloved Son. Jesus may not look like much. But the voice announces him just as a voice announces the President when he enters the room full of dignitaries. "You are my beloved Son; with you I have become well pleased." Notice, the voice speaks not to the crowds; not to the people, but directly to Jesus. "You are my beloved Son."

Now enter the Holy Spirit. Even the Holy Spirit isn't showy or come with a lot of fanfare. (He doesn't wish to be!) Just a dove. Nothing out of the ordinary. A common bird.

But The Voice has power! Needs no coaching! And this is no audition; it's no contest; this Voice has the final Word: "My beloved Son is the final Word!" God the Father has become well pleased that Jesus is now saving all of his children lost in the wilderness. The Father has become pleased that Jesus is going to the wilderness himself to defeat temptation for all who have given in to it. The Father has become well pleased that his beloved Son has taken upon himself on the cross the punishment for all those sinful failures of ours. God has become well pleased in his Son. There is a strong tie between baptism and being the Son of God. With baptism comes sonship with God.

The voice yet today declares the same pleasure in us who are in this Christ. All this work of the Father, The Voice, Jesus took upon himself in his Baptism. Jesus put himself in our place. Yes, he did come to John to be baptized like all the sinners—so that he would be the sinner in our stead. He took our sin upon himself. He became the sinner and right there in the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized, came Jesus, just another face in the crowd. Another sinner coming to be baptized because he carried all the sins of you and me and all people. He identified with sinners. He came with the sinners. He took his place among sinners. He became sin so that he could make us pleasing to God.

That is, Jesus' Baptism sent him to the cross for our sins. There he took up his cross and began his journey to Calvary. There he took our sin and became a sinner in our place.

That means the opposite is also true: we who are baptized are now in Jesus' place. He took our sin in our place and he gives us his holiness. Jesus' Baptism sanctified all water to be powerful when the voice of the pastor speaks God's Word. In Baptism, we receive the holiness of Jesus' life, the forgiveness of his death. Your sins are absolved. You judgmental attitudes toward others are forgiven. Your inability to forgive others is forgiven. The resentment you harbor toward others is forgiven. Your hypocrisy is forgiven. Your secret sinful thoughts are forgiven.

The Voice; the voice of God the Father is heard in the pastor's voice. "You—John—are my beloved son. You—Ruth—are my beloved daughter. With you I am well pleased." "You are my holy one, my child to live with me forever!" In you I am well pleased. I have become pleased with you because your sins have been forgiven. Baptism can never be separated from the sonship of God. Baptism makes you his son or daughter in whom he is well pleased.

Unlike The Voice with those blind auditions, God sees us for who we are. Yet he is pleased with each one of us because when he sees his baptized, he sees Jesus. We are his baptized into Christ. We have heard the voice of John calling us to repentance. Now, then, with great joy, we rejoice to hear The Voice. Amen.