“The Start of the Kitchen Brigade”
December 10, 2023
Mark 1:1–8
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight” ’,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’
The reading today has an abrupt beginning, (it has an abrupt ending, too, but we won’t get to that until spring) as it brings us right to the start of Jesus’ ministry. Mark does not provide his readers with any stories about the virgin Mary, shepherds, angels, a baby Jesus or wise men. There is only this: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Then, using words from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, Mark tells us something very important — a promise made by God long ago is about to be fulfilled: “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”
It is big news.
The start of Mark’s account of Jesus reminds me of my 10th Composition class. My teacher worked tirelessly to teach me about the basic points of writing, and I have never forgotten her insistence that a writer needs to provide an introduction of the main point in the first paragraph.
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There’s Mark’s main point — something is beginning and its good news about a promise people had been waiting for God to fulfill for centuries.
Next, Mark takes his readers back to the promise the Old Testament prophet Isaiah announced about God sending a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord. We are told this messenger is named John. He is the one charged to begin the good news of Jesus Christ. My 10th grade teacher would give Mark an A.
As we read on, we learn that John is a “voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.” The time is about 29 A.D. These are not the best of times for the people waiting on God. Rome ruled the known world. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and he will become complicit in the conspiracy to kill Jesus.
The people of God were in their own wilderness of wondering where God was. It had been 400 years since the prophets had announced a word from God. The people were trying their best to hold to the promise that a Savior would come soon. A series of rulers had oppressed them. It seemed that God had left them to live under the rule of people who were judgmental and without mercy.
So, the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ comes in a messenger named John. Out of the wilderness and full of hope, energy and with his head on straight, John emerges and the good news of Jesus Christ begins to take off — to change the world.
Now, if you have been around Christian churches during Advent, you have heard preachers drone on about John. He dresses weird, eats locusts and grasshoppers and yells about repenting. Yet, there is a much greater discovery we meet in John. Beyond the attire or choice of foods, John is a personality we should aspire to emulate. The world would be a much better place with more people like John.
Let me introduce you to the greater discovery by introducing you to Georges-Auguste Escoffier who was a French chef and known as “the king of chefs and the chef of kings”.[i] He developed what is known in the restaurant industry as the “kitchen brigade” -a structure that delegates responsibilities to many individuals who specialize in certain tasks of the kitchen. In the larger restaurants there are individual cooks for grilling meats, for fish, for soup, for vegetables, pastries and so on. Escoffier believed kitchens must operate like well-oiled machines with every staff member playing a role and collaborating to deliver the best food and customer experience possible.
The success of the kitchen brigade rests on an especially important person in the hierarchy known as the sous-chef, literally, the “under chef.” As second in command to the executive chef, the sous-chef runs the day-to-day operations of the kitchen. This person needs to have superior cooking skills, but also has to master a variety of responsibilities, which include hiring and supervising staff; working with the executive chef to research and develop menus; managing inventory and monitoring health and safety procedures.
Even with all those responsibilities, the sous chef position is middle management, so it’s not for the meek of heart. Key to the success of the sous chef is the unwavering dedication to the Executive Chef’s philosophy, cuisine, and style. Every day when the kitchen opens, the sous chef must be ready to prepare the way for the executive chef to do his or her work.
John the Baptist, according to Mark, is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. He is like the sous chef in God’s kitchen brigade. Well, we all know he is not the right guy for executive chef because there is no clever way to prepare a locust. But John knows his place and does part in bringing the good news of Jesus to the world.
So, thinking of John in this way, he comes out of the wilderness to fulfill that ancient promise. With his audience being the people thinking God had abandoned them, John comes with a word from God. Can you imagine how he got people’s attention? “What’s that you say John, God hasn’t forgotten us?” “What’s that you say, John, God’s promise to send us a Messiah is coming soon?” Just imagine how he sparked people’s curiosity and infused some hope into their hearts. Is this something people still need today?
I have been trying to imagine how John the Baptist would play in today’s world. Surely many people would be turned off, tuned out and tone deaf to his message. But as I have watched the news lately, with innocent people in Gaza lining up for food and water or running to find shelter from a heavily armed militia, I am reminded there are people everywhere who are waiting for something — for at least a word or a deed of hope in a wilderness of life’s despair.
A voice crying in the wilderness. The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And the people started flocking to John by the thousands.
Imagine how easy it would have been for John to start to think he is the reason for the crowds and accept the praises and take a place of honor. But like the sous-chef, John knew his role. He knew his purpose and he knew he was not the executive chef. “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.”
John made sure the people knew he was not the One they were waiting for from God, he was just preparing the way. He did not let his ego or any thirst for power or recognition get in the way of his mission of preparing the way for the good news of Jesus to get out into the world.
Every once in a while, I hear or read of a famous person who says of their success, “Well, it wasn’t all about me. You see there was a guy who came before me, and in fact prepared the way for me to be successful.” But sadly we are accustomed to people who announce that they alone are responsible for their success and the benefits others receive because of them.
And to think that before arriving on the scene, even Jesus had some help with the prep work. Thanks to John.
We are heirs of the work of John the Baptist and all sorts of people in our lives who have gone before us to prepare the way for us to know the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Good news to celebrate, isn’t it? Even better news for us to share.
[i] https://www.cordonbleu.edu/news/what-is-the-kitchen-brigade-system/en
