The Faithful Forerunner
God always works in unique ways. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, *”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”* When God sent His Son into the world with His plan of salvation for humanity, it was accomplished in the simplest possible way. Jesus Christ was born as a baby, grew up in a home, learned how to crawl, how to stand up, how to take His first steps, and how to say “mom” and “dad” for the first time. Luke 2:52 says, *”And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”* There was nothing extraordinary about Him recorded in the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit, except for the incident at the temple when He was 12 years old. That incident is recorded in Luke 2:41-52. Until the age of 30, He lived with His parents and helped them in their carpentry work. Yet, for the careful reader of the Scriptures, the life and ministry of Christ and the events surrounding it are profound revelations from Almighty God.
Just before the arrival of God’s beloved servant Jesus Christ, Israel was in a terrible situation. It was the darkest period for Israel and for the entire world. God had been speaking to men in various ways for close to 4,000 years, and especially to the people of Israel for about 1,800 years, but no one would listen or obey. Israel’s history shows that when they were in trouble, they called upon Him, but the moment the crisis was over, they forgot God and returned to their old ways. Exodus 32:9 says, *”And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen these people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.’”* Yet God’s grace towards Israel has always been above everything else.
In His infinite mercy, God ordained a man to open the minds of the people of Israel, who were living in their darkest days. His name was John the Baptist. He was appointed by God to prepare the minds of the people to be ready for the coming of the Lord. There had been no prophets in the land of Israel for 400 years. Jesus once commented about John as *”the greatest man on earth.”* He was considered greater than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and all the other heroes of the Old Testament. What made John so great? God ordained him for a unique ministry, a short-term ministry, to prepare the way for the King of Kings’ first appearance in the world. John’s mission was to till and flatten the hearts of men to welcome Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
The Declaration of the King’s Arrival
In John 1:6, we read, *”There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not the Light but was sent to bear witness of the Light.”* Verse 15 continues, *”John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”*
The Gospel of Luke provides detailed information about John’s birth. Luke chapter 1 begins with John’s story. He was the last prophet of the Old Testament. Israel was ruled by Herod, appointed by the Roman government, as the Romans controlled most of the ancient world. Both of John’s parents were from priestly families—his father Zechariah was from the division of Abijah, a descendant of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, chief of one of the 24 orders into which the priesthood was divided by David (1 Chronicles 24:10). Elizabeth, John’s mother, was also a daughter of Aaron. Thus, both parents had priestly lineage.
Luke 1:6 says they were righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. They had every credential necessary to be a perfect Jewish priestly couple: great lineage, great character, obedience to all commandments and laws, and blamelessness. However, they had one issue—they had no child. Being childless was considered a significant misfortune in Jewish society at the time. Elizabeth was barren, and both were well advanced in age, leaving no hope of having children. Despite this, they were not disappointed and did not complain. They remained faithful in their service to God.
One day, while Zechariah was serving as a priest, the lot fell on him to burn incense. As he performed this duty, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son and that he should name the child John. Gabriel described John’s extraordinary purpose: *”He will be great before the Lord, and he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”*
Zechariah doubted, and as a result, he was made mute until the child was born. When John was born, Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the boy’s name was John, and immediately his speech returned. The child grew and became strong in spirit, staying in the desert until he presented himself to Israel.
The Humble Arrival of the King
Israel expected their king to come with grandeur, but Jesus was born humbly in a manger and raised by poor parents. John’s pivotal moment came when Jesus approached him for baptism. John declared, *”Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”* (John 1:29). John recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of his ministry.
A Call to Faithfulness
John’s life and ministry were a testimony of faithfulness and obedience to God’s call, even to the point of death. Likewise, we are appointed by God to prepare for Christ’s second coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are called to share the Gospel and live as faithful servants of God. May we be passionate about fulfilling our mission and hear the Lord say, *”Well done, good and faithful servant.”*