Day 23: Luke 2-3

To show us that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ, Luke quotes Isaiah 40:3-5. John’s call was to “prepare the way” of the coming Messiah. John must have preached this message with much zeal and power because many were questioning whether or not he was the Christ (3:15).

What is interesting to me is the name John means “Jehovah is a gracious giver.” How appropriate for a man who has been appointed to prepare the way for Jesus! But I think there is something a little deeper here than what I have seen before. What I'm about to share may not be much of a revelation to those reading this, but this is something that God has used today to impact my little, self-centered world.

Isaiah 40:3-5 says,

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Now compare this to Luke 3:4-5,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Here is how this has impacted me:

God is a gracious giver because He has chosen to reveal His glory to a sinful, rebellious, depraved heart like mine. His glory revealed is Jesus, and taking a wicked, depraved worm like me and presenting me blameless, holy and above reproach in His sight by the blood of His death on the cross.

Colossians 1:19-22 says,

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.

It is my prayer that we too would be “John the Baptists” and prepare the way of the Coming King by proclaiming the Gospel so that all flesh will see the salvation of God – His glory!