The Family of Jesus--The Forerunner

Luke 1:17 ~ “And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
 
There is another member of the family of our LORD who has been given a critical role and that is the forerunner, John the Baptist. Zechariah the priest entered into the temple and was met by the angel, Gabriel, who pronounced the coming of what many have called “the last Old Testament prophet.” He is known by this name for John the Baptist is the prophet set to come just before the arrival of the Messiah. John would perform no miracles nor would he display any sign of his authority. Yet the LORD Jesus said of him, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). It is of great importance to know who John is, for his work was to point all men to the LORD Jesus.
 
As we look upon our text today, we find that John is the precursor of Christ. We read, “And he will go before him.” This is of great importance, for when the king’s messenger enters the town, all citizens know that the king soon will arrive. Such is John the Baptist. He is the herald of the Lord Jesus and the precursor of the One who will come and deliver His people. John, himself, testifies to the LORD Jesus when He arrives. Consider John 1:29, “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” And now, as we look back upon this pronouncement by Gabriel, we are pressed in our own hearts to heed the words of this prophet as the great herald of the LORD Jesus.
 
We must also consider that the coming of John the Baptist is a promise fulfilled. We continue reading our text, “in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.” The Lord God had promised that one would come, a prophet who would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. And with the arrival of John the Baptist, it signaled that the time had come for this promise was fulfilled. We find this promise recorded in Malachi 4:5-6, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Our LORD Jesus spoke of John in Matthew 11:13-14, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.” With this promise fulfilled in John the Baptist, we can, with greater confidence, trust that the LORD Jesus is the Messiah who was to come for the very promises concerning Him are being fulfilled.
 
John had a mission, and that was the mission of the forerunner of a king. He was to be the preparer of people. Our text concludes, “to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Before a king would enter a city or town, the envoys of that king would make sure the people were ready for his arrival. In this same way went John the Baptist. He knew Jesus was coming, and his task was to prepare a people in repentance, to make them ready for the King of kings. Let us consider the message of this prophet. We read in Mark 1:7, “And he preached, saying, ‘After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.’” John speaks of Jesus in this, knowing that the LORD Jesus is God incarnate. And, along with the message that the King is coming, John calls upon the people to repent. We read in Matthew 3:1-2, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” If we are to heed the cry of the herald who proceeded before the LORD, let us also respond with repentance and find mercy with the LORD.
 
As we draw near to the day when we celebrate the birth of the King, let us take to heart the fulfillment of all things pertaining to the arrival of the Messiah. And, as we look forward to the coming of the LORD Jesus, let us be vigilant to call upon people to repent and trust in Him for the salvation of their souls. Let us do, as John would do, and make ready a people prepared for His return.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

---