DECEMBER 13 PREPARING THE WAY By Tom Joyce Immanuel Bible Church
Today’s Passage: Luke 1:57–66; John 1:6–8
One of the humblest yet most powerful lines from the Old Testament is found at the end of Nehemiah 1:11, when Nehemiah simply declares, “I was the cupbearer to the king.” When we come to the New Testament, Gospel writers Luke and John both describe the birth and role of yet another “cupbearer to the King” – John the Baptist. Born to humble, elderly parents, John 1:8 reports John the Baptist “was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.” John understood his supporting role from an early age, having been filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. Yet, despite John’s genuine humility, Matthew reports in the 11th chapter of his Gospel that Jesus called John the greatest “among those born of women.” One reason Jesus called John the “greatest” was that – as predicted in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 – John’s role and mission was to personally prepare the world for Christ’s arrival on that first Christmas morning: the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.
John was also the “greatest” in that he preached with power, calling his nation to repentance, rebuking the king, and persevering in the face of intense persecution.
John was the last in the long line of prophets who predicted the coming of Christ, yet he was the only one who would actually see Christ in the flesh. Moses, Isaiah, and the other prophets pointed to a far-distant Messiah they could only speak of by faith. However, John pointed and identified Jesus – the true Messiah – as an actual human being who stood directly in front of him. No other prophet had that privilege. Although John never saw the crucifixion of Christ or witnessed His glorious resurrection, he accomplished his mission: preparing the world for the work of the Bethlehem-born Savior, who arrived in a lowly manger on that first Christmas Day.
Hallelujah!
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker