“In
those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, ‘Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is near. For he is the one about whom the prophet
Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the
way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
“Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his
waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Then people from
Jerusalem, as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were
going out to him, and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they
confessed their sins.” —Matthew 3:1–6
John the Baptist’s message was one of repentance; a calling of the people to turn back from their point of departure, a calling to turn back to God. The people had thought wrongly and John called them to think aright. A change of mind will always produce a change of ways. Indeed, John the Baptist was the voice of one calling in the dusty desert to prepare the way for the Lord. His ministry even took place in the Desert of Judea—the barren and rugged land west of the Dead Sea. The desert is a vivid picture of the dry and fruitless condition of man’s soul apart from the “living water” of the Lord Jesus Christ who said:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)” —John 7:37–39
Matthew skips about thirty years Jesus’ life and begins his narrative by picking up with the ministry of John the Baptist. In other parts of Scripture, glorious things are spoken regarding both Jesus and John at their births, which would cause us to expect extraordinary appearances of God’s power and presence when they were young. Yet God’s Word remains mostly silent on both of their growing up years—we have only been given the privilege of barely a glimpse. This brings our focus to the end of their lives—not the workings up to the end. It is amazing how God often takes years before the “time fully comes” in the lives of His chosen vessels and remains fairly silent until their specific task is at hand. There is preparation time in every life and though we may not readily perceive it, God is ever at work.
Our God is a mysterious God. His plans are often not revealed to us. The prophet Isaiah tells us:
“Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden, O God of Israel, deliverer!” —Isaiah 45:15
“Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds,” says the LORD, “for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.” —Isaiah 55:8–9
Luke writes of God’s planned job description for John:
“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John. Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.’” —Luke 1:13–17
In our verses for today, we see John the Baptist not blending with the world (to say the least!). He was great in the sight of the Lord yet lowly in the sight of man—just as Christ himself. John was a plain man denying this world and its eye-catching delights. He had to have been an oddity with his choice of clothing and food as well as his startling and awakening message. He was focused on his office, his call from above.
Generally speaking, the Jewish people of that day were very proud of their privileges as God’s chosen people. They wanted to ignore their sin. John was sent to level their tall mountains of pride and high opinions of themselves. His teachings of self-denial are as necessary now as they were back then. It remains important for us to have a conviction of the inadequacy of our own righteousness. The way of sin and Satan is always a crooked path. To prepare a way for Christ our paths must be made straight. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
“Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.” —Hebrews 12:12–13
Become More
“The one who answers God’s call loses nothing, but a life deaf to God’s call loses everything.” —Ann Voskamp
Further Reflection
“Those whose business is to call others to mourn for sin and put it to death should themselves live a serious life, a life of self-denial.” —Matthew Henry