“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:3-5.)
These words are a prophecy of John, the forerunner of Jesus. When a king traveled, men were sent ahead of him to make the path smooth. John was no literal road construction worker, but in a spiritual way he prepared hearts for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 3:3 quotes the above passage in Isaiah regarding John. The two preceding verses describe his work thus, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:1, 2). John had a message from God to deliver. The Holy Spirit said of John in prophecy “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me…” (Mal. 3:1).
John was preparing hearts by preaching repentance. Repentance is one of the most difficult charges God asks of us; it involves a change of the will regarding sin that results in a changed life. John told the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him in the wilderness to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance (Mt. 3:8). People who repented would become merciful in their giving (Lk. 3:10, 11). Tax collectors would no longer exact more than what was appointed (Lk. 3:12, 13). Soldiers would be content with their wages and no longer do violence nor falsely accuse (Lk. 3:14). Self-righteous religious leaders would not humble themselves; therefore, they would not truly repent. John told people what they needed to change in their life in order to please God. This takes courage. John had enough courage to tell Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his brother Philip’s wife; as a result of his courageously speaking the truth, he was thrown into prison and eventually beheaded (Mt. 14:3-12).
While John is often called “the Baptist,” this was not his name, but rather describes his work. He immersed people in water for the remission of sins. “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mk. 1:4). Baptism is a burial, an immersion (Rom. 6:3,4; Col. 2:12). The purpose of John’s baptism was the same as the baptism the Lord later commanded in the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:16; Lk. 24:47); it was “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Today, we are to administer the Lord’s baptism for the remission of sins to those who will repent at the preaching of the gospel.
John pointed the way to Jesus. When he saw Him, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water” (Jn. 1:29-31). John was willing to point his disciples away from himself to the greater one: the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:23-29). John said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). We too need to point others to Jesus instead of ourselves. We too must preach God’s message, even the unpopular message of repentance. By your words and actions, you can prepare the way for those around you to receive the Lord Jesus and submit to His commandments.
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