Luke 1:13-16: “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.’”
Before the cross and the empty tomb, came a proclamation, the foretelling of the gift that God was sending to humanity. Jesus no doubt was the greatest display of Love that was ever shown to us. The title He was given was Immanuel, which means God with us. Fully God, fully man, sent to be the sacrifice that would take our place in the punishment. However, before that gift was to come, God wanted to announce that the salvation of the world was coming, so He sent a man to prepare the way; his name was John. In the days of old, kings would have runners go before them in order to clear the roads and prepare the people that the king was coming; they would prepare the villages and themselves for his arrival. John was given this awesome and demanding task of preparing the way for the Lord.
The angel Gabriel came and delivered the message to John’s father, Zacharias. During this meeting, Zacharias was given a glimpse of who his son would become and what kind of man he would turn out to be. The angel said, “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord”…and, “He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.” What an awesome vision of your future son, and an awesome look at the one who would prepare the way of the Lord, the Messiah. The angel also gave the description of what his most important responsibility would be and how successful in executing that responsibility he would be, which was, "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” John’s responsibility was to lead people back to the Lord their God.
John lived 2000 years ago, however that same responsibility is given to God’s church today. We are called to lead people to God. We are to prepare the way of Jesus in order for people to be drawn to God, for they must come through Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).
How would an angel describe you? Just like John, you were created for a purpose; your responsibility is “to lead people back to the Lord their God.”
Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: Deut. 29-30 New Testament Mark 16
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