I don’t normally spend much time considering John the Baptist. He shows up in the Gospels but disappears quickly, mainly because he is imprisoned for righteous preaching and then beheaded. Luke, in this chapter, gives some rich detail to John’s life. John was quite a man, passionate and willing to speak truth directly, boldly and fearlessly. His words to those who asked, ‘what should I do?’, are refreshingly, direct and honest!
I am glad I have spent some time with John this morning.
I found verse 3 particularly interesting: He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Yom Kippor is the Jewish Day of Atonement, yet here John is, preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. I wonder what religious leaders thought of this? And it was a repentance that didn’t require sacrifice at the temple. The more I thought about this, the more I realized how radical John’s preaching truly was.
John truly was a path straightener for Jesus! It is no surprise that John’s followers gravitated to Jesus when Jesus came on the scene.
I wonder if I point to Jesus as well as John did?
How about you???
God, I pray that I have the fearlessness of John to speak truth and to point people to Jesus. Jesus is the one who can and will save. Lord, may my life be a herald for You. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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