1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’ ”a
4John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.(Matthew 3).
Thoughts: At the end of a year, it is good to celebrate the good things and confess and repent from the bad things. Repentance and humility are true precursors to receiving the gospel. So John the Baptist got people ready for Jesus. In some ways, a good way to get ready for the new year is not just to make resolutions and goals, but to think about what we did right and what we did wrong- and all that is mixed in the middle (what we can do better).
Making straight paths in the desert (wilderness) is hard to do. We want to go around the hills/dunes. We want to bypass the things that are hard to do. But the fastest, safest, and best roads aren't the curvy mountain ones, but the straight ones. So, John quotes Isaiah 40:3 about the coming of the Messiah by saying that we should make sure we can get to God the fastest way possible. So John is kind of saying, "Quit making up excuses for the obstacles between you and God- but level those obstacles." Bulldoze down the things that you have justified. Quit rationalizing your evil and get yourself right with God. Quit holding on and loving your sin. If you want to get close to God- and if you really want His blessing- then get rid of the things that He cannot accept in your life.
For John that meant getting rid of injustice and replacing it with truth and grace. We'll read more about the practical side of this tomorrow.
Making straight paths in the desert (wilderness) is hard to do. We want to go around the hills/dunes. We want to bypass the things that are hard to do. But the fastest, safest, and best roads aren't the curvy mountain ones, but the straight ones. So, John quotes Isaiah 40:3 about the coming of the Messiah by saying that we should make sure we can get to God the fastest way possible. So John is kind of saying, "Quit making up excuses for the obstacles between you and God- but level those obstacles." Bulldoze down the things that you have justified. Quit rationalizing your evil and get yourself right with God. Quit holding on and loving your sin. If you want to get close to God- and if you really want His blessing- then get rid of the things that He cannot accept in your life.
For John that meant getting rid of injustice and replacing it with truth and grace. We'll read more about the practical side of this tomorrow.
Prayer: lord open my heart by my willingness to turn from my ways to you.
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