A messenger of the Lord

It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"-- (Mark 1:2)

If Mark’s gospel was a degree thesis it might be disqualified for he quoted a scribe of Malachi while he was quoting Isaiah’s one. Verse 2 that Mark quoted as the writing of Isaiah the Prophet is written in Malachi 3:1. The writing of Isaiah appeared in verse 3. It is not clear whether he was misunderstanding or he might think to distinguish two authors vexatious. Even today we also stop to discuss about this matter and jump into the quoted word. The reason I’m doing like this is that there often appears unconscious or intentional mistake in the Bible and we already have made a conclusion about such matter when we pointed out some manuscript in which ‘son of God’ was missing.

Malachi 3:1 Mark quoted says, God will send his ‘messenger’. It might mean God works through a man. If I give a little stronger expression, it may mean there is no man no God’s work. However, do not misunderstand. It doesn’t mean God is depended on you when God does his work. Nor is a certain extinguished man can monopolize or substitute for God’s work. The meaning of messenger explains the relationship between God and man that necessarily should be on the process of actualizing God’s salvation activities and also explains the way of God’s working in this world.

However, the important point in this paragraph is what is the mission that God’s messenger, that is, God’s worker. If we know it we can come to know the identity and nature of workers. Malachi that Mark quoted gives us a crystal clear answer. His work is ‘to prepare the way’. We have to keep attention to the word, ‘prepare’. The one who prepare God’s salvation activity is rightly God’s messenger. He is neither the person who, of course, works God’s work directly nor substitute for God’s work. The subject of work is not man but God. It means God’s salvation activity is an exclusive incident that is possible only by God. No man or organization in this world to deal with such exclusive work. As no one blossom a dandelion flower by himself there are no one to substitute for God’s work. God does his work by himself.

There are some people who have a burning desire with a mission as if they are substituting God’s work. Some dreams an ambitious dream to be a witness of gospel till the end of the world. Even such as the instigation, “Boys, be ambitious!” rules over a pulpit of church. Of course the idea to devote one’s life for the kingdom of God denying oneself is great. Like John the Baptist who Mark kept in his mind the life to preach the message of repentance with living a poor but honest life in the wildness should be encouraged. I respect them wholeheartedly on the one hand feel shame before them on the other. However, no matter how great John the Baptist life was such life itself was not the work of the Lord. It was no more than to prepare the work of the Lord. So John the Baptist confessed he was not able to tie up the throngs of Lord’s shoes. If the churches of today recognize the fact of total helplessness in salvation incident which is the work of the Lord, much righter figure of church will be resorted. For the churches may give up their certain self-praise, self-achievement and program for church itself.