The Baptisms of John the Baptist
OPENING PRAYER:
God, open our hearts and minds to what you have to say to us today.
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11 (NIV)
REFLECT:
If you’ve spent much time at all in the church, you probably have visions of clothes made of camel hair and breakfasts consisting of locusts and honey when you think about John the Baptist. You’ll also, more importantly, remember him quickly as the one who proclaimed that the kingdom of heaven was near and that the people needed to prepare the way for the Lord.
John was a humble man who, when faced with the task of baptizing Jesus (which we’ll reflect more on tomorrow), saw himself as unworthy. He spent his earthly life on the outskirts, doing things differently, because he anticipated the One who would come after him.
One of the things that looked different about John’s ministry was who he was baptizing. In this day, Gentiles were required to immerse themselves in water in order to convert from paganism. In John’s ministry, he not only immersed Gentiles in baptism, but demanded that repentant Jews be baptized as well. In doing this, John showed that no one entered the kingdom of God based on their own merit or the virtue of their genealogy. He was showing the world around him that Jesus’ message was different – that a transformed life and heart looked different than the religious practices of the day.
John’s baptisms looked different than the baptisms of today. These practices were pre-Messiah. Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.” (Acts 19:4). John baptized “with water for repentance”. He told his followers that they needed to confess their sins and be washed clean, but he knew his baptism was not complete ---- he knew there was something greater and more powerful coming in the person and deity of Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:11).
APPLY:
Think about a time that you prepared for something (or someone). The anticipation, the rehearsal, the studying, the amount of focus you spent on that effort. John’s time of wandering in the wilderness and baptizing Jews and Gentiles alike was an incredible time of preparation for something bigger and better.
CLOSING PRAYER:
God, thank you for the way that you prepare our hearts and minds. Show us the way to follow Jesus today. Amen