A Courier for the King!

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 40:1-5 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.
2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

John 1:6-9 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world."

John 1:19-28 "Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?'
20 "He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.'
21 "And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?'
"He said, 'I am not.'
"'Are you the Prophet?'
"And he answered, 'No.'
22 "Then they said to him, 'Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?'
23 "He said: 'I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.'
"24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, 'Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?'
26 "John answered them, saying, 'I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.'
28 "These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing."

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

I have been pondering the role of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus.  As I have pondered, I have been stirred to thanks, wonder, and personal challenge as to what I must do as a courier for Christ.

John was obedient.  He humbly accepted the role of forerunner to the Christ, but humbly refused the title of "prophet." He was often alone.  Obedience to the Father's call drove him to the deserts. Perhaps he studied with the Essenes, the third sect of first century Judaism, near Qumran. His emphasis upon light and darkness, repentance, and baptism seems to reflect the Essenes' influence. John embraced the image of being an oddity.  He was counter-culture in an age, much like our own, that insisted upon conformity to social prescriptions.

William Barclay writes: "So John is regarded as the courier of the king. But the preparation on which he insisted was a preparation of heart and of life. 'The king is coming,' he said. 'Mend, not your roads, but your lives.' There is laid on everyone of us the duty to make life fit for the King to see" (Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 27).

You have challenged me with John's example of obedience, courage, and challenging the prevailing culture's assumptions through Your Word. Empower me to call people to "Mend, not your roads, but your lives." Help me to build a life that is fit for You to see.  

In the Name of the King who is coming,

Amen.