John the Baptist: Prophet c. 20’s AD
A
voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for
the Lord; make straight in
the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 (NIV)
READ: Luke 1, Matthew 3, 11:1-19; 14:1-12
During the time when Rome
controlled the region of Judea, Herod rebuilt much of the city of Jerusalem
including its walls and the Temple. This
was the Temple that was often visited by Jesus and his disciples which He
warned would soon be destroyed. Herod’s
son, Herod Antipas, would put John the Baptist to death. John the Baptist was the son of the priest
Zechariah and Elizabeth, who was barren.
He was born approximately six months before the birth of Jesus and spent
most of his youth in obscurity until he received a divine call to the prophetic
vocation and entered upon a public ministry.
John was a forerunner of Christ.
Jesus regarded him as the second Elijah sent by God in accordance with
ancient prophecies and he is the link between the Old Testament and the New
Testament. His message was simple,
“repent, the long awaited kingdom of heaven is near”. John’s role was clear – he was to prepare a
way for the Lord’s coming. When John
came on the scene clothed in a cloak of camel’s hair and eating locusts and
wild honey. People flocked to hear his
message as he proclaimed to all the need to repent, to change their attitudes
resulting in a significant alteration of life.
Repentance and faith is to be accompanied with a serious attempt to
reform one’s life. A genuine experience
of grace must reveal itself in spiritual fruit – it was not enough to be a Jew,
repentance was a prerequisite to entering the Messianic kingdom. John’s ministry set in motion the divine
events in which the Messiah would be revealed to Israel and to the world.
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
