…the messenger He sends.
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Mark 1:6-8 NKJV
The man God chose to come directly before Him was a humble man.
He didn’t coerce people with flattering words nor did he promise grand schemes.
John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Mark 1:4 NKJV
He spoke truth.
Matthew 3:1-2 NKJV — In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
His words weren’t coated with “feel good” phrases, for his job was as the man who warns of impending destruction, quick and directly to the point.
Matthew 3:7-10NKJV — But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Because God was about to stand before these same people and if they wouldn’t listen to John, God’s prophet sent to prepare the way, they were going to miss the single most important person of all time.
No wonder John the Baptist had firery words for those who would, in future, be the very ones who condemn Jesus for being exactly who John said he was, the Lamb of God.
John 1:29 KJV — The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Through this messenger, John the Baptist, we see the importance God places on truth.
John wasn’t going to gain importance with his dress nor his status.
He didn’t gain people’s attention by entertainment or smooth words.
John, if anything, was poorly dressed, underfed, and could be considered abrasive in his speech.
Yet, his life had an enormous impact and people’s hearts were changed.
John the Baptist did exactly as he was sent to do.
He prepared the way for Jesus.
And through a look at God’s messenger, we can learn more about the Lord.
God’s messenger was a humble man.
God, Himself, came humbly to earth as a babe without even a proper cradle.
John the Baptist didn’t warn only those everyone classified as “sinner”, but spoke clearly to all of their needed to repent.
Jesus wasn’t seen teaching only the elite, but was criticized for His time with sinners.
Both were executed for their words.
The hard, foolish heart of Herod was responsible for the death of John.
The hard and foolish hearts of the religious leaders was responsible for the death of Jesus.
How sad that so many people missed both God’s messenger and God Himself.
The trappings we often place upon one another as to status, value, or cultural importance can hinder our ability to see clearly.
Therefore, let us look to the Word of God and learn truth, because if we humble ourselves, we can be taught.
Because God doesn’t follow mankind’s ideas of how things should be accomplished nor does He place importance upon the things we often think mean the most.
1 Corinthians 1:27 KJV — But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Your Word. Lord, thank You for coming to earth, humble and reachable. Thank You for the truth of Your gospel and those You chose to use to share that truth. Lord Jesus, thank You for all we can learn from Your Word and from looking at those You chose to send. Lord, please help me to be humble and to share Your truth with integrity. Lord, please keep me from trying to flavor or dress-up the gospel, but instead that I would lovingly share the truth without compromise. Lord, help me to be obedient to You each day and leave the results up to You. For You alone know what is in each heart and You alone know what is best. Thank You for Your blessings and the abundance of wisdom we find in Your Word. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
patientlyhopeful 