Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 3:1-12
And
Read Mark 1:1-8
And
Read Luke 3:1-18
And
Re-Read John 1:6
For the first time in about 400 years, God spoke to the people of Israel through a prophet. This prophet, was of course, John the Baptizer – the boy born to Elizabeth and Zechariah.
Who told John the Baptizer to go and preach (Luke 3:2 and John 1:6)?
John the Baptizer is all grown-up now and is preaching out in the countryside along the Jordan River.
What are we told about his appearance and diet?
From this description, it doesn't sound like he went to seminary at an elite university. He apparently was living in the wilderness so that he could be alone with God. Since his parents were quite old when he was born, He may have moved into the wilderness after they died, but we don't know. But in the wilderness, he could concentrate on what God was preparing him to do. Often God gives us a period of preparation for our life's work. But living in solitude is not God's ultimate goal – His goal is for us to love others and minister to them as He leads us.
John the Baptizer's message was very shocking to the Jews because he preached that being born a Jew did NOT make you right with God. That shocked them royally! He also preached that it's not enough to be called “spiritual”, you need to act “spiritual,” too. This was a strange message in that day.
Today John might say, “Just attending church is not enough to make you right with God – you've got to be obedient and do what God tells you to do.” But this was brand new for them. This was bizarre! Sensational! And he was attracting really large crowds.
Now John the Baptizer was baptizing people to show that they had repented from their sins. He was teaching that the Messiah was coming and that in order to prepare, everyone needed to repent. What does repent mean?
It means to turn 180 degrees. Turn around. Make a U-turn. Turn away from sin and turn to God. People who were willing to do that – to make a U-turn and seek God, were invited to show their repentance by being baptized. John's baptism didn't forgive their sins -- it just got their hearts ready to listen to and seek God by making them aware of their sins.
Sometimes we need to do something to show that we have made a change, that we have really, really repented and are walking differently now. Sometimes we need to make a public commitment to that change.
The other day I noticed that I was complaining about everything. I promised God I would stop. The complaining continued. I promised myself I would stop. The complaining continued. Then I told my husband that I really was going to let God be my focus and I was going to make a U-turn and stop complaining. That was what I needed – someone that would keep me accountable. Now, David didn't need to say or do anything (except pray for me) – but I knew that he would know if I committed this sin of complaining again, so I worked extra hard to change. It worked! Why? Because I'd made a “public” confession of my sin and promised to turn from it. I think John was just giving people a place to “go public”.
Is it enough to just say you are a Jew, or a Christian or a follower of Jesus? Or does God require something more?
That's the question that John the Baptizer wanted his listeners to explore. It's the same question that I'm asking you to explore. What exactly does it mean to be in a right relationship to God? I hope by simply reading these Scriptures each day, you will soon have the answers you need.
Also included in these verses is the documentation of the current government leaders and church leaders. These are listed because this is an actual historical documentation of what was happening at this specific time. Andy Stanley says that this is the writer's way of saying “Fact-check me on this – this really, really happened!”
In His service, dale
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