Christmas devotions: Dec. 31, 2017

Sunday December 31

John 1:19-34 Preparing the Way for the Messiah

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said,
‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” ’, as the prophet Isaiah said.

 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

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All four gospels express that John the Baptist was a fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3. He is a "voice crying in the wilderness, 'prepare the way for the Lord, make His paths straight,'" and John makes it clear that he understood this and claimed it himself (John 1:23). John, therefore, in some sense understood that he was preparing the way for the coming of God to His people. John the Baptist preached a message of repentance expressed in water baptism and bearing active fruit in one's life in preparation for the appearing of the Messiah, whose coming would represent a divine visitation; the very presence of God coming to His people. In other words, he preached the essential gospel message of repentance and faith in Jesus as the divine Messiah. Like many of the prophets before him, John was sent to call the people to an urgent repentance in light of what God would soon bring about.  Even unto death, John called the people high and low to turn their hearts and their lives from their sin unto God.

In John, we see a messenger before the coming of the Lord, and a warning about the day of the Lord's coming.

John did not leave the crowds guessing who this great one to come was. He was quite explicit. Matthew 3:14 tells us that when Jesus came to John to receive baptism, John already recognized something of the greatness of Jesus, insisting, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?” However, it was what he saw afterward that confirmed for John that Jesus was indeed the promised one of God. The scene at Jesus' Baptism when heaven opened, God the Father spoke, and the Spirit descended upon Jesus (Matt. 3:16-17), this was what John had been anticipating. This was not the only time that John would call Jesus the "Lamb of God," (John 1:35). While John may not have yet fully grasped that Jesus would literally have to die on the cross to atone for sins and rise again thereafter, he certainly understood that Jesus had come to take away the sins of the people and that the comparison to a sin offering was appropriate. John saw his ministry as one preparing the way for Jesus, the Messiah who was greater than he. John was happy to fade into the background as people rightly began to turn to the one to whom he was pointing. John the Baptist not only spoke of a great and worthy one to come after him but he also widely made it clear precisely who it was. Jesus was the Messiah, and all were to believe and follow Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to recognize your voice and see the path you set before us that leads to the tremendous gift of your Son, our Lord, Jesus, Amen

Luke Wayne is a writer-researcher for Christian Apologetics Research ministry. He holds a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies from Midwestern Baptist College and a Masters in Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.