DAY FIFTY-FOUR:
John the Baptist
"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness." Luke gives us some very specific information that helps us to put a date on these events. Tiberius became emperor upon the death of Augustus, his adoptive father, on September 18, 14 AD. His 15th year, then, would be somewhere in the vicinity of 29 or 30 AD. Pontius Pilate, whom we remember every time we say the Apostles' Creed, was governor of Judea from 26 to 36 AD. After Herod the Great's death his kingdom was divided among four of his sons, who became "tetrarchs," ruler of a fourth. There are only three tetrarchs because Archelaus, who ruled Judea, was deposed in 6 AD and replaced by a Roman governor. How can two men, Annas and Caiaphas, both be the high priest? Annas was the real high priest, but Pilate deposed him in favor of Annas' son Caiaphas. Caiaphas, then, had the office but Annas remained the power behind the throne. It was in the midst of all of this that John appeared.
"And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, 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 shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." With the exception of Jericho, "The City of Palms," the region around the Jordan River was a wasteland. Why not go into the cities to proclaim such a great message? You'll remember that God didn't tell the high and mighty, but told humble shepherds about the birth of His Son. In the same way God's message of salvation would come from the wilderness. One day someone traveling by heard John's message and came to be baptized. He told his friends and acquaintances and they went out into the wilderness to hear and to be baptized. Soon people were flocking from the cities to the wilderness to be baptized. Hence the name John the Baptist. As a child I thought that meant John was a member of a Baptist church as we know them. But a better translation is John the Baptizer.
He had the nation eating out of his hand, and he could have sweet-talked them into just about anything he wanted. Instead he said to the crowds, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" He called them sons of snakes! He called upon them to bear the fruits of repentance- a changed life showing good works in response to God's grace. They must not rely on their status as children of Abraham, John said, because God could make the stones around them into children of Abraham. "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." The day of God's judgment is at hand! That's why repentance is so important. The people asked John how they should live. He told them to share food and clothing with those who had none. He told the tax collectors to take only what was legally owed, and he told the Roman soldiers who came not to accuse people falsely or extort money from them.
John appeared as if out of nowhere with this powerful message. Could he be the Messiah? John put all speculation to rest. He was not the Messiah, but the one who comes before Him to prepare the way. All John could do was baptize them with water. When the Christ comes, He will baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire! John said that he was not fit to untie His shoelaces.
"So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people." John's message wasn't all fire and brimstone. He preached good news- the Greek word is euaggelion, from which we get our word Gospel. God's Kingdom is at hand! He is coming, bringing salvation. It was an exciting time for Israel! People came in great masses to be baptized by John and his disciples. Some scholars estimate that he baptized more than 1.5 million people, all without ever going near a city!
Jesus Himself came to the Jordan to be baptized. In Matthew's account we read that John argued with Him. "'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'" In submitting to John's baptism Jesus gave His approval for John's work and in that way identified with sinners, even though He was sinless. After Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice came from heaven saying, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of His ministry. But first He had to submit to Satan's temptations, which we'll consider tomorrow.
John was a true prophet. He did not shrink from speaking truth to power. He challenged Herod, the ruler of Galilee, for his immorality. He had an affair with his brother Phillip's wife, Herodias. Each divorced their spouse and they were married. John challenged Herod to repent of his sin and come clean before God. Rather than repent, Herod arrested John and put him in jail. It didn't end well for John, from a worldly standpoint. Herod was conflicted when it came to his famous prisoner. Mark 6:19-20 says, "And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly." Deep down Herod knew that John was right, yet he couldn't bring himself to repent. Herodias finally got her way when her daughter pleased her stepfather at a banquet. In a show of drunken bravado, Herod promised her anything, up to half of his kingdom. Herodias told her daughter to ask for John's head on a platter. Herod was sorry he had opened his mouth, but couldn't back down in front of his guests and ordered John beheaded. A senseless ending to the life of a great man!
John WAS a great man. Jesus said of him, "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." John was great because he knew his place in God's plan and fulfilled it faithfully. He never once claimed to be the Messiah, although the crowd would have believed him if he had. He proclaimed the good news of the Messiah's coming and challenged the people to repent of their sins in preparation for His arrival. When Jesus began to minister and the crowds followed Him, John said, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease." The Bridegroom had come, and John, the best man, has done his job of bringing the bride to the wedding.
John commanded his hearers to repent of their sins. We don't hear a lot of preaching like that today, and when we do we tend to dismiss it as "fire and brimstone." But the truth is that we all will stand before God and give an account of our lives. There is a heaven, and there is also a hell. The Bible is quite clear. Jesus said it would be better to tear out your eye or cut off your hand if that would atone for your sin and keep you out of hell. (Matthew 5:29-30) We can't work to gain our salvation, and we don't have to. Jesus died for us and paid the price for our sins. But we must repent of our sins, be truly sorry for them, and trust in Christ alone. Some time back Mike Stull mentioned the video of an interview with Tim Keller, the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. I commend it to you and if you haven't seen it you can watch it here. Keller affirmed the reality of hell, but warned about us being gleeful at the prospect of sinners ending up there as some preachers appear to be. The recently deceased Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church were famous for declaring that God hates sinners. The Gospel calls us to repent and believe the Good News of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
One last word about John. His humility is an example for us today. He was perfectly content to let Jesus have the spotlight he had once occupied, because he knew it was right. Are we humble enough to serve Christ and not care if we get recognition or credit for it? He must increase and I must decrease!
Last year was the 40th anniversary of the movie version of Godspell. It was controversial for its light-hearted portrayals. Over the years, though, I've come to appreciate its take on the story. Here's the scene where John the Baptist calls out "Prepare ye the way of the Lord."
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