Introductions are very important. Our culture has made quite an event out of introductions. Have you ever heard an introduction that made you sure that the speaker would take less time delivering the message than the time taken for the introduction. Jesus had an introduction. His first introduction was in the form of prophecy that foretold His coming. Just prior to His coming, He had a different kind of introduction. John the Baptist came to announce the time had arrived for the coming of the Promised One.
Mark 1:2-8 (CSB)
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight!
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
We should understand that John the Baptist was a real person in a real time. (Read Luke 1:5-25; 39-80 and 3:1-22) His coming and his life were foretold. An angel visited John’s father and told of his coming. John is one of the few men in the Bible given a name by the foretelling angel. He was not the Messiah, but he came before the Messiah to point the way and prepare listeners for the coming of the Lord. He went about preaching, calling people to repentance, and baptizing those who confessed their sins.
What can we learn from John’s life and call? One of our tasks is to prepare the way for Jesus. How do we do this? In our own lives, we must prepare our hearts and minds to receive Jesus and to hear what the Father, Son and Spirt are saying. We must be prepared to receive and act on those messages. Another of our tasks is to preach the gospel. Sometimes we must behave in a manner that prepares the way for the preaching of the gospel. I recently heard Christopher Brooks state to the effect that good works create good will, which provides a way for the good news. We can prepare for the preaching of the gospel through our behavior and the love and care we exhibit toward others. God uses us all, in different ways, to draw others to himself.
I am being challenged to think broadly about all that God is doing. He wants me to accomplish certain things, but I must also prepare a way for the work He will be doing through others, as they will be preparing the way for my work. We all work together for the preaching and receiving of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3 Paul reminds us of that we work together to impact people for the kingdom of God. Ultimately the work is God’s. We are privileged to participate in the work He is doing.