Luke 3:1-9
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
It was a dark time. The prophets had not spoken for years, though their messages continued to be passed down from generation to generation. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient time.” (Malachi 5:2) Nevertheless, the people waited and surely wondered when their Savior would come.
Zechariah was shocked to learn that his wife Elizabeth would give birth. He had given up hope of ever having the joy of raising a son. Not only would Zechariah have a son, but Gabriel also quotes from the prophet Malachi, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” The son of Zechariah would set the stage for the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah.
I invite you to journey with me as we look at the message of John the Baptist and discover discipleship principles that we can learn from John. In many ways, we have a similar call on our lives as did John. Thankfully, we do not need to eat locusts or dress in camel’s hair. The call to repentance must continue to go out. We must prepare the way for the Messiah who promised to come again. In our understanding of time, we have been waiting for a long time. The story of His returning continues to be passed down generation by generation. We do not sit idly by, though. We, like John, have a role to play.
Significantly, God uses one of His own as an important part of His plan to save the world. God knows that the people have been waiting a while for the Messiah in the context of time. God invites Zechariah’s family to play a part in preparing the hearts of His people that the Messiah is coming. What I appreciate about Luke’s account are the specifics he gives regarding this historic event. We know it is the 5th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, that Pontius Pilate is governor of Judea, Herod oversees Galilee, and Anna and Caiaphas are the high priests. All these individuals, including Zechariah, are doing business as usual when God breaks onto the scene.
We first see John the Baptist carrying out his mission in the countryside along the Jordan declaring in Isaiah 40, “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him…’.” The language that John uses is strong and to the point. Repentance ought to bring about fruit. Our “family ties” do not themselves place us in right standing with God. Those family ties are being chopped down with an ax, John declares. It is time for hearts to be made right, to live a life producing fruits of righteousness. John is telling the crowd, made up of those who ought to know better, that it is time to stop messing around. If they have truly come to be baptized, then their repentance will result in a changed life.
This is a message worth repeating. We know that what Jesus came to do has been accomplished. Our sins have been paid for by God in flesh. The Holy Spirit has been poured out to dwell in us for all time. In surrendering our lives to the Savior, we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and are transformed into His likeness. We are now advocates for the kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in heaven. Finally, we know that He is coming again to judge the living and the dead. We must prepare the way of the Lord.
If ever there was a time to cry out in the wilderness like John, it is today. Confusion is rampant as truth has come under attack. We must call those around us to a place of repentance. To tell the story of Jesus, His unending love, and His plan to make all things new. Before the ministry of John the Baptist, the people had become complacent. The urgency was lost. We have yet again come to a time of complacency inside and outside the church. We must grab hold of the urgency that Jesus is coming again. Our call is to make disciples while we go about our daily routines. We are to teach everything that Jesus taught and to baptize those who believe. We are on this mission together as The Francis Asbury Society. It is a joy to be in covenant fellowship with you. Thank you for serving our Lord!
Preparing the way,
Joshua Hallahan
Director of Discipleship