Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” Mark 1:2-3
The above scripture is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist which was prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and in Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist came to point forward to the one who was to come. He did not dress or eat like an average person of his day. His goal wasn’t to conform and be popular, but to do the will of God. He spent much time in the wilderness preaching repentance and baptizing people.
Every one of us have been given the ministry of pointing people to Jesus. John the Baptist pointed forward to the coming Messiah. We point to the past, present, and the future. We point back to the work of the Messiah on the cross. We preach about present reality of Jesus living in our hearts and declare that the work on the cross can transform us today. Finally, we point people to the future when the Lion of Judah comes back for His bride taking us to be with Him for eternity.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming Savior, and in the process he was imprisoned and beheaded for speaking truth. Preparing the way for the people can be a rocky road. The rocks are strongholds of unbelief, tradition, fear, & pride that cause people to stumble upon the name of Jesus. Preparing the way many times will be difficult, unappreciated, and can cause persecution. It will require great faith, patience, and perseverance to stay faithful to the call of God. This can be true when ministering to believers as well as unbelievers.
John the Baptist’s life teaches us lessons on how to proclaim Jesus:
–John had an intensity and focus about his assignment. Fitting in with the crowd was not his focus or his goal.
-He knew the boundary of his ministry. He had a limited message of repentance. He didn’t overextend himself beyond what was assigned to him.
-When he became known for a period of time, he stayed true to the mission and kept pointing people to Jesus. He knew that this wasn’t about him.
-He stayed humble in his relationship to Jesus.
-He was willing to move into the shadows when Jesus came to the forefront.
Every true believer of Jesus Christ will be used by God to point people to Jesus Christ. Are we willing to be the ones who remove the rocks out of the way? Can we be patient with rocky people and/or circumstances? Do we know the boundary of our assignment? Are we going to faithfully point people to Jesus and not to ourselves or anyone else? Are we willing to be in the spotlight for a season and then move into the shadows?
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