as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the
LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain
and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough
ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” (Luke
3:4-6 )
John the Baptist breaks upon his time like a
thunderclap. He had a mission—sent ahead
of King Jesus to be a herald.
He issues a call to look! He points people heavenward, “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (v.6, emphasis added). They would
see their salvation in the Savior. The
Apostle John’s account records this detail: John the Baptist points to Jesus
and cries, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!” (John 1:29 )
In ancient times this is what a herald did—he went
before the king to prepare the people for his coming. Potholes were filled, barriers were removed,
crooked roads were straightened, and a crowd would be gathered in anticipation
of the monarch’s arrival.
Spiritually speaking, this was the mission of John the
Baptist. Deep valleys of depravity were
to be filled, high mountains of haughtiness and self-righteous religion were to
be removed, crooked ways of living were to be straightened, and rough ways of behaving
were to be changed.
The symbol associated with John’s mission would be
baptism in water. Baptism was an outward
expression of an internal experience. It
pictured repentance. But, it was
repentance that brought remission of sin.
The water could never cleanse from sin, but it would be a confession of
cleansing.
Perhaps God is sending me on this mission today—I shot an
arrow of truth into the air—and it has found its target in your heart. You sense the need to surrender your life to
Christ—to repent by trusting in the Savior and turning from your sin. Won’t you do that right now?
It may be that you are not meant to be the recipient of the
message—for you have already given your life to Christ—and instead you are
meant to be the deliverer of the truth.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it—though impossible in your
own strength—is possible in the same Spirit who indwelt John the Baptist. You and I are heralds of the King.
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