So when we last parted I left myself with the impending task of blogging about John the Baptizer’s remarkable life. [Note to self: Thanks!] Well, first off, we see his name was divinely appointed. In Luke chapter one, the angel Gabriel tells Zacharias his name will be John (“God is gracious, generous”).
Additionally, we find out that
JB’s mother, Elizabeth, was barren and advanced in years – not a very promising
combination in the baby-making business.
In fact, the circumstances were so contrary to conception that
Zacharias, although he was gripped with fear (as most all are when encountering
a heavenly messenger straight from the presence of God), still had the chutzpah
to disbelieve the angel’s words that his wife would bear a son (a doubt that
caused him to be stricken mute until the birth of the boy, I might add).
We see Gabriel himself saying John
would be great in the sight of the Lord, and John the apostle in the first
chapter of his gospel says JB was sent from God. Gabriel stated John would drink no wine or
liquor, which alludes to the Nazirite Vow, indicating a life devoted to the
service of God and in this case, the solemn nature of his role in preparing the
world to meet their Messiah. Born in the
hill country of Judah, he lived his life in the deserts until publicly
appearing to Israel, the austerity of which would align with the asceticism of
the Nazirites. (Living in the desert
myself, I can attest to this – while the desert is strikingly beautiful, it can
be just as brutal.)
This guy was not at all concerned
with his public image. In the Nazirite
tradition, he probably sported a head full of dreads to rival Bob and Ziggy. Wearing a wild-looking cloak of camel hair,
he didn’t groom himself to suit a culture-defined persona. In fact, his look hearkened back to the old
school prophets, namely - you guessed it - someone named Elijah. My boy, dressing ironically, goin’ retro, oh
yeah. Not only that, the dude ate
locusts. By choice. I mean, NBC has to bring back Fear Factor to
give us stuff this juicy (pun not intended).
It strikes me that unlike so many
of us, John was a man who knew his mission in life. Remember in Part One how I mentioned the extreme
selfishness of the people? Well,
400-something years later, things hadn’t changed much. The fact that John ordered insects off the
menu stood in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, and in stark contrast to
the indulgently rich Jews of his day.
Yet identifying with the down-trodden was not his main purpose – just a
component of it.
JB’s true calling was revealed by
prophetic utterance through Isaiah, when he proclaimed, “A voice is calling,
clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a
highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3).
While this verse may have had an initial fulfillment in Judah’s return
from the Babylonian captivity, its ultimate implementation was effected by
John. So, how did he do this, you might
ask. How did this strangely reclusive
desert rat possibly prepare the hearts of the people to meet the Anointed One
of God? Well, by tickling the people’s
ears, of course! By telling them what
they wanted to hear. By being capital P
to the capital C, politically correct, man!
Nah, dawg. Don’t you believe it for a minute. John’s message in one word was this:
REPENT. Oh, no, he didn’t! *snaps fingers in a Z formation* I gotta tell ya, I do not envy him this – but
admire him a whole lot, that I do. You
know, John was not an established political figure or religious leader in
Israel, yet he delivered his message resolutely and with power. In fact, you might say he was a bit zesty. Luke 3:7 says on one day he actually called certain
ones who came out to be baptized by him a brood of vipers. But the Bible tells us that multitudes were going out to meet this unusual
guy, John, in the muddy water of the Jordan for baptism.
Wow, that is so telling! The 400 or so years I’ve mentioned a couple
of times have been referred to as “the Silent Years,” “400 Years of Silence,”
etc. This is because from the time God
told His people he would send them Elijah the prophet (JB, remember?) to
restore the hearts of the fathers to their kids, yada, yada; He hadn’t spoken a
word since. Now, mind you, God was
getting ready to blow the lid off the pot in a big way here in a bit by taking
on flesh and coming for a little visit, but it’s been 400 years since anyone’s
heard from Him. (Side note: so, so glad
I was not alive during that time, just sayin’!)
The point I’m trying to get to is
this: We think we don’t need God. We think we’re better off without Him – we’ve
got this covered. We even doubt His
existence. Well, I would think that
would’ve been true for the Jews, too, no?
In all practicality God did not exist for them for 400 years. And that may sound to you like they had a
good thing going. Yet when a caustic
unknown from the wilds showed up to make the way for the Lord, and the price of
admission was repentance - a turning away from a life of sin - multitudes came. And not just the poor and oppressed who may
have been seeking a temporal deliverance.
The Word tells us tax-gatherers came, soldiers came, religious leaders
came, and they were all questioning John about what they needed to do.
If deep down inside you feel like
there is an emptiness 400-years wide in your heart that nothing in your life
has yet to fill, JB has a message for you:
Repent, make way in your heart for the coming of the Lord. Trust me, you won’t know what hit you, and
you’ll never be sorry you did.
More on that later…
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