Luke 3:2-6
"Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God," Luke 3:2-6.
Through history there have been people whom God has raised up for the sole purpose of preaching. Many of these people did not live long lives, though a few did. They would have much opposition from those who were in power at that time. We see this in the Old and New Testaments, and all through history. There was great persecution under the reigns of people like Nero, whose nick name was the beast, and Domitian, etc. These would persecute all Christians, but especially those who lived and proclaimed the gospel. Jerusalem was known as a city that killed the prophets, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Matthew 23:37.
A good question to ask is, what was the crime of those who were martyred? They were faithfully living and preaching truth. God would grant them grace to live and to die for Him. They would not be fearful of men, but instead, they so loved God and men that they were willing to give their life. Their message would be offensive to all who were trying to earn their way to God, and to those who did not believe in the One True and Living God. How offended would people get? Those who hate each other would come together to put to death those who are preaching truth. Even though much blood has been poured out for the cause of Christ, no ruler, no country, no religious system, no, not even hell itself has been able to stomp out those preaching the true gospel. Jesus Christ makes us a promise in Matthew 16:18, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." There is no power, whether political or spiritual, that can stop the spread of the gospel. I hope this is encouraging for us.
Luke 3:2 tells us, "the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness." What word did God give to John. "Word" in this verse is the Greek word "Rhema" and means teaching, precept, doctrine. John was not groomed by the religious or political establishments of his day. Both were anti-God. John was in the wilderness. In a sense he was sheltered from the worldly influence of his day. Being sheltered doesn't make someone a powerful proclaimer of God's word. The influence of the world may not be there, but there must be the instruction in God's word, and a godly lifestyle that goes with the instruction. We learned from Luke 1 that John's parents were people who loved the Lord, and their lifestyle showed it. A godly lifestyle and right instruction gives the person right morals, and right thinking, but only God can make the person a powerful proclaimer of God's word. John was able to do what many of us do not do, and that is spend time with God alone. We in the United States of America have 24 hour access to sound preaching and teaching, but how much time do we spend alone with God? We know truth, but lack power. This power is not mystical, but is by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). He gives us power, understanding, and boldness; even in the face of death. Turn to Mark 1:1-8. Notice the clothes that John wore, and the type of food he ate. This did not give him the power of God! Outward shows of piety do not give us power with God. John lived a life of self-denial. He lived for the honour and glory of God. This is not something he accomplished one time and never had to deal with it again, no, this was his lifestyle. The bible does not specifically say this about John, but it does say this about all who love and serve the Lord of whom John is a part of. We meditate upon God's word, we crucify our flesh, we spend much time in prayer, and we live a life of repentance. This is what we do until the day we die. We are going over this because I do not want you to think that John did not have the same problems we have (Matthew 11:1-19). This is another reason John pointed everyone to Jesus Christ, not himself.
Please keep in mind that you and I are not John the Baptist. There has only ever been one John the Baptist. His sole purpose of being on earth was to be the prophet that would clear the way for all to come to the Messiah (Luke 1:13-17). This is the message John preached. "Preaching" in Luke 3:3 is the Greek word kerusso, and means especially to preach, publish, or announce religious truth, the gospel with its attendant privileges and obligations, the gospel dispensation. John preached truth, but it is not what was being preached by the religious system of that day. Actually, what John preached would easily anger the religious crowds. He preached the baptism of repentance. "Baptism" in this verse is the Greek word "baptisma" and means to dip; something immersed. Immersed means to be completely covered, plunged. What did John's baptism mean?
John's baptism meant what John preached, and why he was sent by God. The Jews were the children of Abraham by birth, so they did not view themselves as being in the same spiritual state as Gentiles (Luke 3:7-8). They would not enter Gentiles homes, eat their food, wear their clothes, and if they had to travel into a Gentile country would shake the dust off before they crossed over the boarder of Israel. Gentiles were considered dogs. The preaching of John the Baptist leveled the playing field. The nation of Israel had put up all kinds of obstacles for themselves, but especially for the Gentiles (Matthew 23:13, Luke 11:52). John's message was simple. You cannot enter heaven trusting in who you are, what you are doing, and what you are not doing. You must trust the One who is the Saviour of all men. Turn from your traditions and self-righteousness, and trust the One Who is coming. Proclaim to the world what God has done to your heart by being publicly baptized. Baptism doesn't do anything, but says something. The first public act of obedience for the believer is baptism (verse 3). Repentance defined means in a religious sense, implying pious sorrow for unbelief and sin and a turning from them unto God and the gospel of Christ. Remission means forgiveness of sins, pardon of sins. Baptism is proclaiming to the world that you have trusted the Lord, He has forgiven you of all your sins, and you will spend the rest of your life on earth serving Him. There is only One Way to God, and there is only one people who belong to God. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all men. Have you trusted Him alone to save your soul? Soli Deo Gloria.
