Malachi, the final prophet in the the Old Testament, foretells of another prophet who would arrive four hundred years later. We now know he was referring to John the Baptist, the herald for the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
1 “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire— see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts. Malachi 3:1 (HCSB)
After Malachi’s prophetic mission was completed, God would close the book on the Old Testament. His holy word was silent until the time of John the Baptist’s and the Messiah’s arrival.
In the fullness of God’s time, Jesus was born to a virgin in Bethlehem, through the creative power of the Holy Spirit, as prophesied by Isaiah and announced by Mary’s visiting angel, Gabriel. Mary obediently agreed to serve God in this way, according to His plan and will.
The appearances to John’s father, Zechariah, and Mary would not be Gabriel’s first in the Bible. He previously had presented God’s timeline for the appearance of the Messiah to the prophet Daniel, many centuries earlier.
John the Baptist was born to Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, as Gabriel had predicted, about six months before the birth of Jesus. When both Jesus and John were around thirty years of age, their public ministries began. Speaking as the herald of God’s arrival in human flesh, or Immanuel, John prepared the people for Jesus imminent appearance.
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight! Matthew 3:1-3 (HCSB)
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Father would draw vast crowds to hear John to prepare their hearts to be ready Christ. As Jesus later said,
44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:44 (NIV)
It was not a trivial or convenient thing for people to come hear John speak. Large crowds traveled from the Jerusalem area down to the Jordan River to see him, with many then being baptized there. Their trip was long – around 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, one way, quite a journey to take on foot or riding on a donkey. But the power of the Holy Spirit was present to draw them to experience God, and He is still doing that in the hearts of people today.
Participating in John’s baptism was a sign of willingness to turn away from one’s sins to seek the Lord, preparing one’s self for the Messiah’s arrival. The process of turning away from our selfish thinking and actions and turning in faith towards God is referred to as repentance.
While baptizing believers, John spoke of the imminent arrival of Jesus, who would soon be teaching in the temple in Jerusalem, the fulfillment Malachi’s prophecy. John spoke to the crowd of the Messiah:
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11 (HCSB)
Soon, Jesus Himself appeared at the Jordan River, asking to be baptized after making the long trip down from Galilee, in northern Israel. John objected, saying that Jesus was the One who should be baptizing him. But Jesus insisted, so it was done.
16 After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. 17 And there came a voice from heaven:
This is My beloved Son.
I take delight in Him! Matthew 3:16-17 (HCSB)
The presence of the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and the approving voice of God the Father is scriptural documentation of the Holy Trinity, seen at Jesus’ baptism.
The Old Testament prophet Malachi will have more to say about this remarkable John the Baptist, God’s holy messenger of the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Reflection
Who was an important messenger for you, telling you about God and sharing His word?
Father God, thank You for loving me. We lift up our loved ones and all those You have placed in our lives, asking You to draw them closer to Yourself and to Your salvation in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Draw them just as You drew the multitudes to the Jordan River to hear John the Baptist’s message and be baptized. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
May the Lord continue to draw you into the glorious and peaceful presence of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 