John The Baptist Is Sent To Pave the Way

Matthew 3:1-4, 3:13-17, 14:1-12, Luke 1:8-17,39-45

Have you ever met someone that you KNOW you will never forget? Whether it’s their personality, quirks, lifestyle, or conversations, those memories will stick with you forever. I believe that John the Baptist is one of those people. In the Gospels, they record John the Baptist as a “wild” type of guy. He wore clothes made of camel hair and ate locusts with honey on the regular; in fact, two out of the four gospels recollect these exact same memories of his stature. Let’s just say… He left an impression.

Although, the story of John the Baptist’s conception is just as crazy as the guy himself. John the Baptist was prophesied in Isaiah 40, which is accounted for in each Gospel in the New Testament. He was sent to prepare the people to receive Jesus and was well known for baptizing most of the nations of Judea and Jerusalem. God used Old Testament prophets to give vision towards the New Testament mission. From the jump, John The Baptist was set apart. Not like Christ, who was conceived of the virgin birth, but John was born of a barren woman who, at an old age, conceived. Fun fact: John is Jesus’ cousin! In fact, Mary and Elizabeth celebrate their pregnancies together (Luke 1:41-45), and they rejoice in the long-awaited coming of Christ (and a long-awaited pregnancy for Elizabeth).

As mentioned earlier, John got his name because he baptized many in the nations of Judea and Jerusalem. One commentator said this about the success of John” ’s ministry:

Baptism was for sinners, and no Jew ever conceived of himself as a sinner shut out from God. Now, for the first time in their national history, the Jews realized their own sin and their own clamant need of God. Never before had there been such a unique national movement of penitence and of the search for God (Barclay).

His influence was so great that he was mistaken for Jesus (which he repeatedly rebuked); some also thought he was a prophet because of his success. When he was put in prison by Herod, Herod feared killing him because of his social status and being seen as a prophet. John was beheaded because of his devotion to the mission and living sent.

From the beginning, John the Baptist was someone whose devotion to Christ was never questioned. Sure, they questioned his outfit choices and lifestyle, but his commitment to what was before him was the thing that he is now remembered for. He remembered the God who sent him and was wholly devoted to him.

Does your commitment to Christ look like devotion? What’s becoming clear about living sent after learning more about John the Baptist and his life?