Concerning the message of repentance

…the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins… Luke 3:2b-3

This was John’s calling, pure and simple. To preach, to baptize, and to lead people to repentance.

Hundreds of years before John was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote concerning the Baptist and outlined his very specific task:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:4-6; Isaiah 40:3-5

Prepare the way of the Lord

Main thing needed to prepare the Messiah’s way? Activate hunger for repentance in the hearts of all Israel.

Make His paths straight

How would the Messiah’s path be made straight? Men and women must be primed to recognize their intense need for God; acknowledge their sinfulness; and understand that the Lord alone was God—not they themselves.

Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low

But how? Simply put, John would not recognize men or women according to their position, power, or prosperity. Each had sinned—the poorest and the wealthiest; each had gone his own way—the greatest and the lowliest; each must repent and be forgiven—the weakest and the most powerful.

The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth

Crooked and corrupt places and preferences would fall under the purifying, “straightening” correction of the Messiah. Rough, difficult ways would be smoothed out by His healing touch and watchful eye.

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

The door would be opened through the preparing work of the Baptist and the saving ministry of the Messiah for all flesh to see and embrace the salvation of God.

So….in light of this overarching, heart-impacting calling, you might imagine the loving, welcoming nature of the message flowing from the Baptist in the wilderness. Right? Take a look at the biblical account:

So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Luke 3:7-9

Let’s face it. John would not be invited to many conferences or campmeetings if he were around today. What a buzz-kill! Let’s review some of his oratory:

• He called them a brood of vipers
• He asked them who warned them to flee the wrath to come
• He told them to repent—and then prove it by their lifestyle
• He commanded them not to rely on their pedigree or church affiliation to save them
• He bluntly warned that the axe was poised and ready to cut the root of every tree that didn’t bear the fruit of repentance—and by “tree” he meant them!
• Trees that didn’t produce repentance fruits would be thrown into the fire

And yet, despite the scalding nature of his presentation, this was precisely what he was called to do, say, and preach! Sugar-coating error, sin, selfishness, and self-importance would not make straight the way of the Lord. No; this fiery bluntness was exactly what God prescribed to shake men and women out of spiritual lethargy and error. The proof was in the pudding:

And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” Luke 3:10

The response to the Baptist’s brusque preaching was heightened concern. His message was hitting the bull’s eye. They recognized the gravity of their condition.

They asked, “What do we need to do in order to change?” John gave specific examples of the life-transforming power of repentance.

• If you have two tunics, share with someone who has none.
• Do you have extra food? Share it with someone who’s hungry.
• To tax gatherers: Don’t cheat and swindle people out of their money.
• To soldiers: Don’t rob people. Don’t falsely accuse anyone. Be content with your wages.

John prepared the way of the Lord by heightening the spiritual concern of the people and by revealing the lifestyle that would flow from true repentance.

…the people were in a state of expectation…

Instead of being turned off by the message, the people knew God was ready to do something big. They were even wondering if John was the Messiah….

The Baptist, true to the heavenly calling, did not commandeer these popular musings to elevate himself or to flaunt his great ministry. Instead, he corrected such thoughts with piercingly blunt humility:

“As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Luke 3:16-17

John stayed true to the flavor and flow of the original call by refusing to be confused with the One whose way he was preparing. Likewise, he remained faithful, even in the face of deadly consequences, as the Baptist rebuked King Herod for flagrantly violating God’s law by indulging in an adulterous relationship with his brother’s wife. To John, no person or topic was off limits as he prepared the way of the Lord.

Jesus is returning again to planet Earth. And again, the world is in a place of complacency and resistance to the things of God. Like John the Baptist before us, you and I have a part to play in preparing the way of the Lord.

And a huge part of that task will involve readying the world through the message of repentance.

This is quite an hour.

Dorothy

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young [or too anything else, for that matter!].’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:7-8, NIV; brackets my own commentary

 

© 2017, Dorothy Frick