John the Baptist was a unique and powerful figure in the history of salvation through Jesus Christ. He was chosen by God before he was born to be the forerunner of Jesus. John was chosen by God to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of the Messiah. John knew the significance of Jesus as he even leapt for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came to visit. John’s ministry was a call to repentance and baptism while proclaiming the coming kingdom of God. John is the last of the great prophets who pointed to the Messiah of God who has now come in Jesus.
Prophets weren’t liked very much in the Old Testament because they told it as it is. And that’s because their message was from God and not themselves which made it confronting. There’s an interesting exchange in 1 Kings where the King of Israel is asked by the King of Judah whether there is a prophet they can consult about going to war against Aram. The King of Israel says – there is Micaiah but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.
Messages from prophets weren’t their opinion but God’s message. And so, many of the Kings would reject their messages because they were messages to discipline them and call them back to God. And therefore many prophets were imprisoned and persecuted as Jesus says: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me.
People seem to resist a corrective word from God today. “That’s your opinion”! John would suffer the same fate. John was a man of great courage and conviction fearlessly confronting the religious leaders of his time as they too needed to repent like the Kings of old. He spoke out against injustice and immorality, and he was not afraid to stand up for what was right even though it would ultimately lead to his death. John’s message was simple yet profound: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near.” Aren’t we told by Mission minded people – you can’t say that! You’ll turn people away from the church. John was even stronger calling religious leaders – “you brood of vipers” He called people to turn away from sin and turn towards God, to make a conscious decision to change their ways and live a life in accordance with God’s will. Aren’t we discouraged from doing that? We’ll lose our young ones if they hear that.
And that is still the message to us today. It was the message Jesus continued – repent – the kingdom of Heaven is near. So how can we say it’s not our message today? To prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight. And John will reveal that the way for Jesus to find a straight path into our lives would be through Baptism and repentance to ready us to receive the message of salvation through God’s forgiveness. So John’s ministry was one of pointing people to Jesus and preparing them to receive him. He knew that he was not the Messiah, but rather a servant of the one who was to come and was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals. John will point people to Jesus by proclaiming, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” He recognized that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who would bring salvation to all who believe in him.
John’s message was not one of comfort or complacency. He called on people to examine their lives, to confront their sins, and to turn away from their wicked ways. His words were a sharp rebuke to the religious leaders of his time, who had become complacent and self-righteous. He challenged them to live up to their calling and to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. As the body of Christ we too are to continue the Ministry of John the Baptist and his example of courage, conviction, and humility pointing people to Jesus. And sometimes our words do need to point out where we believe people or the church are in error. Where they have wandered off the path. To challenge them to look in their lives and where we can all make straight paths for Jesus to enter. But we also need to look inside ourselves because often we might be the one stopping a clear path for Jesus into people’s lives. Perhaps a word of grace or a word of forgiveness is needed from us.
And that can be challenging to us to recognise that we may in fact be the cause of Jesus not reaching people’s hearts. We might find that word hard as did the Old Testament Kings hearing a corrective word from the prophets.
John’s life was marked by humility and selflessness. He recognized his own limitations and pointed others away from himself and to the One who was greater than himself even admitting “I must decrease so he may increase”. But John also found the life of being Jesus’ disciple difficult when persecuted for his faith as we might. In prison he sent a delegation to Jesus ask – are you the one to come or should we expect someone else. Are people today expecting someone else?
Jesus warned that following his path wouldn’t be easy. It would be symbolised as carrying a cross. He warned You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And his subtle reminder – “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. And that’s because a corrective word is not always an easy word to hear whether it’s by us or to us. But John the Baptist was a humble servant, willing to lay down his life for the sake of the truth. His martyrdom serves as a powerful reminder of the cost of discipleship and the importance of remaining faithful to God’s call, even in the face of adversity. But also remember that the word we bring is also a word of hope.
There are so many burdens that people are carrying these days that we can point them to the one who says – come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Let us, like John, strive to point others to Jesus, the Lamb of God who offers forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. Like John the Baptist, let us faithfully proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and prepare the way for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
