GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 3:1-121 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." 4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit that befits repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
SCRIPTURE READING:
Isaiah 11:1-101 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be glorious.
Meditation: What kind of Messiah did God promise to send
to his people and how would he bring God's kingdom to them? The
prophet Isaiah
foresaw the day when God would raise up a Messianic King long
after King David's throne had been overthrown and vacant for
centuries. God promised that he would raise up a new king from the
stump of Jesse, the father of King David (Isaiah 11:1). This
messianic king would rule forever because the Spirit of God would
rest upon him and remain with him (Isaiah
11:2).
Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be equipped with the
gifts of the Spirit - with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might,
knowledge, and fear of the Lord
(Isaiah 11:2 - for an explanation
of the gifts see
this helpful article).
This king would establish the kingdom of God, not by force of
human will
and military power, but by offering his life as the atoning
sacrifice for
the sin of the world. Through his death on the cross, Jesus, the
true Messiah King, would defeat Satan, overcome death, and win
pardon and reconciliation for sinners. God's plan of redemption
included not only the Jewish people but all the nations of the
earth as well. Through his death and resurrection Jesus makes us
citizens of heaven and friends of God. The Lord Jesus wants us to
live in joyful hope and confident expectation that he will come
again to fully establish his kingdom of righteousness and peace.
John the Baptist's prophecy of the Messiah
Why did John the Baptist prophesy that the Messiah would come and
"baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Matthew 3:11)? Fire
in
biblical times was often associated with God's presence and with
his action
in the lives of his people. God sometimes manifested his presence
by use
of fire, such as the burning bush which was not consumed when God
spoke to
Moses (Exodus 3:2). The image of fire was also used to symbolize
God's glory
(Ezekiel 1:4, 13), his protective presence (2 Kings 6:17), his
holiness (Deuteronomy
4:24), righteous judgment (Zechariah 13:9), and his wrath against
sin (Isaiah
66:15-16). Fire was also used as a sign of the Holy Spirit's power
and presence
(Matthew 3:11). When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of
Pentecost,
tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the apostles and
disciples of
Jesus (Acts 2:3). The fire of the Holy Spirit purifies and
cleanses us of
sin, and it inspires a reverent fear of God and of his word in us.
Do you
want to be on fire for God and for the return of the Lord Jesus
when he comes
again in his glory?
John pointed others to the coming of Christ and his kingdom
John the Baptist's life was fueled by one burning passion - to
point others to Jesus Christ and to the coming of his kingdom. Who
is John the Baptist and what is the significance of his message
for our lives? Scripture tells us that John was filled with
the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15, 41)
by Christ himself, whom Mary had just conceived by the Holy
Spirit. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth John lept in her
womb as they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). Like
the prophets of the Old Testament, John devoted his entire life to
prayer and the word of God. He was led by the Holy Spirit into the
wilderness where he was tested and
grew in the word of God. John's clothing was reminiscent of the
prophet Elijah
(see Kings 1:8). The Holy Spirit prepared John for the mission
entrusted to him as forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus Christ - the
Word of God who became man for our salvation (John 1:1,14). John
pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins
of the world by offering his life on the cross as the atoning
sacrifice for our sins and the sin of the world (John 1:29).
John broke the prophetic silence of the previous centuries
when he began to speak the word of God to the people of Israel.
His message
was similar to the message of the Old Testament prophets who
chided the people
of God for their unfaithfulness and who tried to awaken true
repentance in
them. Among a people unconcerned with the things of God, it was
his work
to awaken their interest, unsettle them from their complacency,
and arouse
in them enough good will to recognize and receive Christ when he
came. Are
you eager to hear God's word and to be changed by it through the
power of
the Holy Spirit?
A new era of God's restoration begins
Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was more than a prophet
(Luke 7:26). John was the voice of the Consoler who is
coming (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:1-3). He completed the cycle of
prophets begun by Elijah (Matthew 11:13-14). What the prophets had
carefully searched for and angels longed to see, now came to
completion as John made the way ready for the coming of
the Messiah, God's Anointed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. With John
the Baptist,
the Holy Spirit begins the restoration to the human race of the
"divine likeness",
prefiguring what would be achieved with and in the Lord Jesus.
John's baptism
was for repentance - turning away from sin and taking on a new way
of life
according to God's word. Our baptism in Jesus Christ by water and
the Spirit
results in a new birth and entry into God's kingdom as his beloved
sons and
daughters (John 3:5). The Lord Jesus gives us the fire of his
Spirit so that
we may radiate the joy and truth of the Gospel to a world in
desperate need
of God's light and truth. His word has power to change and
transform our
lives that we may be lights pointing others to Christ. Like John
the Baptist,
we too are called to give testimony to the light and truth of
Jesus Christ.
Do you point others to Christ in the way you live, work, and
speak?
Lord, let your light burn brightly in my heart that I may know the joy and freedom of your kingdom. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and empower me to witness the truth of your Gospel and to point others to Jesus Christ.
Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
7 In his days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
17 May his name endure for ever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May men bless themselves by him, all nations call him blessed!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, by Theodoret of Cyr 393-466 A.D.
"The true consolation, the genuine comfort and the real deliverance from the iniquities of humankind is the incarnation of our God and Savior. Now the first who acted as herald of this event was the inspired John the Baptist. Accordingly, the prophetic text proclaims the realities that relate to him in advance, for that is what the three blessed Evangelists have taught us and that the most divine Mark has even made the prologue of his work. As for the inspired John, whom the Pharisees asked whether he himself was the Christ, he declared on his part: 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord' as the prophet Isaiah said (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:30); I am not God the Word but a voice, for it is as a herald that I am announcing God the Word, who is incarnate. Moreover, he refers to the Gentiles as the 'untrodden [land]' because they have not yet received the prophetic stamp." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 12.40.3)
