4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him,
and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist
and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.
8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
briefly restate Mark’s description of John.
John’s message emphasized the coming Messiah.
He never described himself or what he had to offer anyone.
John was humble about his ministry. He only mentioned the One who was coming after him.
The focus of his ministry was on Jesus, the Messiah.
Mark did not provide a lot of extra details in his Gospel,
so each verse is full of important information.
After a brief description of John’s ministry, Mark introduced Jesus’s earthly ministry.