Read:
Matthew 3:1-12; Isaiah 40:1-31 (especially vv 1-5)
Reflect:
How does one prepare for the arrival of a great dignitary? Under normal circumstances this would produce a flurry of activity. The best rooms would be prepared, a general cleanup organized, delicious meals cooked, festive decorations arranged, a detailed itinerary planned, suitable clean clothes laid out, speeches carefully thought through, etc. Great effort would be put into having everything just right and welcoming for the esteemed guest. No one would want to be embarrassed by sloppy preparations, least of all cause embarrassment to the dignitary. Yet somehow this kind of picture stands in striking contrast to the way John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus.
John’s task is monumental. He is the voice chosen to announce the return of the almighty, incomparable, creator God to his people (compare v 3 with Isaiah 40:3-5). For centuries Israel had hoped and longed for God to come to them in restoring power so that they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31) And now John declares that this anticipated coming of God is being realized in the arrival of Jesus. But the preparation for the Lord’s coming is rather unusual, and strikingly different from what people expected.
First of all, John prepares the way for the coming king in the wilderness, not a sumptuous palace (v 1). On the surface it appears that his rough clothing is unsuitable for a regal occasion, since it signals humility and poverty (v 4). Even his diet of locusts and wild honey is not the fare for royalty (v 4). How can such a poorly clad, rustic figure make proper preparation for a king?
On top of all this, his message is quite unexpected: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (v 2). The kingdom of heaven refers to the rule or reign of God coming to earth, and it turns out that the preparation for that is essentially spiritual in nature; they are to repent. This involves the confession of their sins (v 6), which no doubt includes Israel’s frequent defections from God into various forms of idolatry. The baptism John administered was a sign that they were turning from their numerous iniquities to welcome the king with purified hearts and lives. Even the rather sharp words John uttered to the Pharisees and Sadducees (vv 7-10) showed that repentance had to be genuine and life-changing. They could not rely on their racial background or patriarchal heritage as fitting preparation for the royal welcome. Repentance that has integrity bears the good fruit of a changed life (vv 8, 10).
Nevertheless, John’s summons for people to repent and undergo baptism with water was only preparation for the mightier one to come (v 11). They would still need a greater baptism from the mightier one; a baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire (v 11). John doesn’t explain further, but this appears to refer to the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost whom all subsequent believers receive. The baptism with fire points to the reality of decision and judgment. Those who welcome Jesus are like the wheat gathered into the barn, while those who refuse to receive him face the prospect of being like the chaff burned in the fire (v 12). So the way is prepared for the coming of Jesus but it requires decision. Only those who humble themselves in genuine repentance will experience the blessings of the kingdom of heaven brought into existence by Jesus.
Respond:
Though we no longer need John’s baptism because the mightier one has arrived, we still need to respond with humble repentance to receive forgiveness from Jesus and the marvelous gift of his Holy Spirit. So we pray:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalm 51:10-11)