Same Old, Same Old

John The Baptist's life was lived preparing for something he would never see completed. This oddly scares and excites me, but don’t ask me why. John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and the first prophet since Malachi. So between Malachi and John, there are 400 years of unexplained silence between God and man. That’s also scary.

I’m not quite sure what it is about John that intrigues me, but I do know Jesus said in Matthew 11:11, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” Jesus describes John the Baptist, his cousin, as greater than any Old Testament figure we know about. Even more mind-blowing than that, John preached repentance day-in and day-out. He didn’t slay any giants. He didn’t part great waters. He didn’t stand before a king and save an entire nation. He simply preached repentance. He preached the same message every day each time the people gathered to come and see him in the wilderness. 

We should ask ourselves why is it that John is so often overlooked though he was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah and a forerunner for Christ? John preached repentance regardless of those who said otherwise. John preached repentance when repentance fell on deaf ears. John preached repentance despite the murmurings and criticisms of the religious leaders who ridiculed him publicly. In short, John preached repentance consistently regardless of current conditions. This is cause for us to take a deep look at why our lives tend to only preach repentance when it’s convenient. 

John’s life calls us back to the altar of repentance. We live in the finished work that John never experienced. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit lives in us to walk out this sermon of repentance John preached. Repentance is a change of mind, a turning and going in a different direction. Will we repent from preaching only when conditions are acceptable? Will we extend grace where it hasn’t been extended to us? Will we reflect Christlikeness in a secular and self-dependent culture? That’s the finished work John did not see. A people who journey to the wilderness to preach of what is to come.

PRAYER: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to share the gospel and reflect Christlikeness even in unfavorable circumstances. Invite Him into your day, to guide you and walk beside you regardless of what you encounter.

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