John the Baptist was miraculously born to Elizabeth, the wife of devout priest Zechariah, long after her natural child-bearing years. The coming event was announced by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah as he was performing his priestly duties in the temple. The fact that this same angel Gabriel had visited the prophet Daniel five centuries earlier to lay out the timetable for Messiah’s coming suggests that John would not be just your average baby. In fact, John would not even be your average prophet. At around the age of thirty, John’s unique ministry began.
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!
4 John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. Matthew 3:1-6 (HCSB)
The primary focus of John’s ministry was to prepare people for the arrival of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus also had a very unusual beginning to his earthly life. He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, then soon after, his family fled to Egypt to avoid murderous King Herod. Learning of the birth of a new King, Herod misunderstood the nature of Jesus’ kingdom, and feeling threatened, tried to kill off any young child who might complete for his throne. After being informed in a dream about Herod’s eventual death, Jesus’ stepfather, Joseph and mother Mary moved back from Egypt to the town of Nazareth. Here, Jesus was raised as an apprentice carpenter under Joseph, later living with His mother after the passing of Joseph. At around the age of thirty, Jesus began His public ministry, spreading the good news of the kingdom throughout Israel, attested to by great miracles of healing, freedom from demonic bondage, and even bringing people back from the dead.
Though Jesus’ mother, Mary, had visited her relative, John’s mother Elizabeth, when both were pregnant, there is no indication in scripture that Jesus and John had met each other previous to when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, beginning Jesus’ three-year ministry.
John the Baptist was a Spirit-filled instrument of God, even from birth. He was blessed to attract large numbers of people, many who traveled twenty miles (or about 33 km) on foot or by donkey from Jerusalem to hear John speak and to get baptized in the Jordan River. This was all done to prepare them for the Messiah’s arrival. God used John as a central figure in a great spiritual revival in Judea, preparing hearts for Jesus’ preaching and teaching on the coming kingdom of heaven.
When speaking to the crowds, John the Baptist did not mince words or soft-pedal his message. He was blunt and firm, in keeping with his rugged lifestyle. But John always kept his focus on the Messiah, Jesus, and directed the focus of the crowds towards Him, as well. As John announced tot the crowd one day:
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. 12 His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out.” Matthew 3:11-12 (HCSB)
Jesus soon arrived, preaching a message of spiritual rebirth and eternal life through faith, with an emphasis on love, forgiveness, and service to others. But Jesus was also coming as the undisputed King of a new kingdom, one that the prophets of old wrote would eventually replace all earthly governments. It will be an eternal kingdom run on the principles of purity, love, and divine fruitfulness. Power and righteousness for its citizens will come through faith in the sacrificial death and resurrection of their King, Jesus Christ Himself. We could never on our own effort earn the right to be a part of this wonderful kingdom. It is a gift, extended to us through faith and by God’s infinite grace and mercy.
John’s teachings in the wilderness were later echoed by Jesus, as recorded in the gospel of John.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples. John 15:5-8 (HCSB)
Through the righteous gift of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are regarded in God’s eyes as fruitful wheat, not worthless chaff or dead branches. We are citizens of a new kingdom, and that eternal kingdom begins now. We can maximize the fruits of this new life by approaching the Lord in prayer daily for His strength and forgiveness. We then seek to learn more about Him by reading His word in scripture, by serving and forgiving others in love, and by worshiping and fellowshipping with other believers to encourage them and to build them up in the faith.
The Holy Spirit dwelled within John the Baptist and drew many believers to Christ through that voice in the wilderness. God’s Spirit continues to dwell in the hearts of believers today. May the multitude around us be drawn to Him as we reflect His great light today.
Reflection
What voice or voices did God use to turn your heart towards Christ?
Father God, thank You for drawing us in faith to our Savior, the eternal King, Jesus Christ. Use us to grow Your kingdom and to draw others towards a faith in You. Help us to become effective beacons of Your great light, reflecting Your love to others. Forgive us when we fall, and energize us to follow You, bearing good fruit for eternity. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and beautiful day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 