Introduction (I had someone read this before I came to the platform)
It was a dark and discouraging time in Israel. A time of cultural and political unrest. But for men and women who knew God and were sensitive to Him, it was a time for prayer and seeking, a time of hope that He was about to do a new thing among His chosen people.
Into this time of turmoil and expectation, came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. He was not the Light of God, but he came to testify to the coming Light. His ministry was deep in the wilderness of the River Jordan. His work paved the way and opened men’s hearts for the great and powerful work of God which would be done in and through Jesus the Messiah.
I wonder, at the end of John’s life, in the twilight His ministry, how John might have spoken to us....
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Shalom! It is good to have visitors. I must confess, it does get lonely here in this dark prison. My men come to see me from time to time as they are permitted by the guards, but--that is not very often.
As I have been here these weeks, I have thought much about all that has occurred these last years. I must think of the great grace of God which allowed me the privilege of showing men and women the Way.
It all began, you know, when my father received the word that, at long last, in his old age, he was to receive a son. He used to laugh so when he would tell the story; there he was -- in the temple, serving as priest in the holy place -- when suddenly! --- suddenly the angel appeared to him.
That was certainly not what he expected as he performed his priestly duties. My poor father was terrified. But - the angel was there, and then he spoke to him:
Do not be afraid Zechariah; God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name of John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many people will rejoice because of his birth, for he will will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will turn many of the people of Israel back to the Lord, their God. He will walk before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make people ready for the Lord.
And then, as only my father could, in his great fear, he also expressed his doubts about all the angel had said. He asked, But, how can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.
The response from the angel was swift:
I am Gabriel! I stand in the presence of God and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not be able to speak until the day all of this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.
And it happened just that way. After my birth, when my father gave me the name of John, writing it on a tablet, he was freed again from his muteness.
And God took control of my life. I cannot recall a time when I did not love Him and desire that He have all of me. Early in life, I took to wandering about in the wilderness and meditating on the Holy Scripture. And God began to reveal His message:
I was simply a voice, a voice of one crying out in the wilderness saying, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him".
Through His Word, God made clear that Messiah Himself was about to come into our presence. But we were not ready.
We were not prepared to welcome Him, nor to honor Him, nor to believe in Him and obey Him. God gave me a message to preach--
Repent, because God’s Kingdom close at hand. Repent and be baptized to acknowledge your sinfulness before the Holy God who will soon work powerfully among us.
For a time, a great many people came. They came, sorry for their ways, confessing their sin. They came, realizing that they had cared only to obey God’s Law outwardly, to make a pretense for others. Just as God said through His prophet, These people honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me.
They came for baptism showing repentance. They remained to hear the message God gave me. Sometimes, the "Leaders of Israel", the Scribes and the Pharisees, came as well. They would come to the place at the river where people assembled to be baptized. But, as with their other actions, they wanted only to make a spectacle to obtain the applause of men. And I knew that God clearly would not allow this pretense.
I spoke to them, so everyone could hear:
You deceiving snakes! Who warned you to come here to escape God’s coming judgment.
Judgment is on its way. But your actions do not reflect hearts of repentance.
You leave and you honor God first with your hearts, and you do righteously--then you come here to be baptized.
With time, the message began to change. I realized that He was near. I began to tell the people: I baptize you with water. But there is one coming soon who will baptize you with the Spirit of God and with fire. This One is already among you.
I am His messenger. Do not think to compare me to Him. I am unworthy to be the one to kneel and undo his sandals.
Then, almost before a moment passed, there He was. He walked directly toward me out of the crowds that day. I knew Him of course; humanly as my relative but deep in my spirit, I knew he was God’s Messiah.
He came to me in the waters of repentance and bowed before me indicating that I should baptize Him. I was perplexed. I protested that He should be the one to baptize me. The unholy does not perform the rite on the holy. But He insisted, No, this must be. I must fulfill every desire of my Father.
And so I baptized Jesus--the One of whom I could only stand in awe. Then God Himself gave us a sign that this was His Son; the dove came from nowhere, and rested upon Him and then -- there was the voice--
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
That brought a change in my message. I spoke no more of Him who was coming. I now pointed directly to this One-to Jesus of Nazareth and said, There he is, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. No longer was it preparation time--it was time to believe in Him.
He is after all the Messiah of God--long promised, long awaited, long hoped for. And He’s here!
One of my disciples came to me, very upset, some weeks after the baptism and said, "John, this Jesus--He is gaining many more disciples than we have!" It then became even more clear to me that the time of preparation and preaching was nearing its end. I assured him that it was now the time for the messenger to step out of the way and allow the Message Himself to be seen. It was time for me to become less, so that the Master could become greater.
Like many, I thought for a time that Jesus would move to take political power. The Messiah, after all, is to be our ruler, on the throne of David. Sitting here in prison, as the doubts about Him swept over my soul, I sent two of the men to Him and asked the direct question--Lord, are you really the One for whom we have waited?
As He often does, Jesus sent me an indirect but a most powerful reply.
John, He said, the blind are receiving their sight; the lame are walking again; the lepers are cured; and the gospel is being preached to the poor. Blessed are you if you do not misunderstand me and thereby stumble in your faith! The words of Isaiah the prophet became so rich and real to me that day, as I understood that He must fulfill not only the prophecies about the ruling, but also the prophecies about serving and healing and taking away of sin. John, He was saying to me, will you cling to me and trust in me, even when I move as you might not expect?
That was a short time ago. I am now content that my work is complete. I do not know what old Herod will do with me. That is unimportant. I have found Messiah. My entire purpose was to be a signpost to point the way to Jesus. Many now believe and follow Him. He truly is more wonderful that we could have ever imagined.
My friend, I wonder, do you live as did so many in my day? People who presume they know all about God and the Scripture, but the very ones who reject the most vital thing. They suppose because they are religious, they earn God’s favor. That their actions could somehow make them acceptable to a holy God who pays no attention to appearance but looks deeply into hearts. They prefer the masquerade of words and deeds to the reality of the heart.
They fooled only themselves. Have you as well?
Do you know Him? Have you believed that He is the Sent One of God, who takes on Himself the sin of the world? More importantly that, He is God’s Lamb who alone can remove your sin? When you believe, you can then be His follower--one whom He will transform into what He desires. Come--trust in Jesus--come and know the Lamb of God. Come and find the One who is of infinite worth! Come and embrace Jesus, my Lord and my God!
