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John the Baptist oil on wood, completed from 1513-1516 Leonardo DaVinci, Italy Musée du Louvre, Paris

John The Baptist

Scripture | Story | Prayer

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it was written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,
and he ate locusts and wild honey.
He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;
I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandal.
I have baptized you with water;
but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.”

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;
Repent, and believe in the good news.”

(Mark 1: 9-15)

Scripture | Story | Prayer

John the Baptist

I have been called a prophet. If a prophet is one who speaks the truth regardless of the cost, I suppose that is what I am. The truth I am called to speak, however, is as narrow as a single strong reed. I was given but one message to offer the people. Repent. Repent! Turn your life around before it is too late. Make whatever changes need to be made because God has plans for this world.

I know I am a strange man. I don’t have time for clean clothes or pleasantries. I am not inclined to worry about what others think of me. I am who I am. I have a job to do. And I am a blessed man because I know what that job is. My sole purpose in this life is to point the way to God, to direct others to God, to convince the children of God to turn away from the distractions and lies of this world and to tell them, in no uncertain terms, that the time has come to start doing justice and loving mercy and walking humbly with our God. If am a bit rough around the edges, so be it. Who has time to keep one’s nails trimmed when the kingdom of God is at hand. You know it is, don’t you? The kingdom of God is at hand, right at your finger tips and mine for those who have eyes to see or ears to hear.

We live in a difficult age. The empire has made life even more unbearable for the destitute. The government is corrupt beyond measure. It steals from the poor and gives to the rich. It builds a false peace from the bricks of vanity and oppression and, I tell you, these bricks will crumble. God will watch over the empire as it collapses beneath the pampered feet of its rulers. Herod, that lying, murderous thief, is a frightening example of the fraudulent ways of the empire. Herod sits in his palace, shrewd and ruthless,1 insulated from the real concerns of this troubled world.

I have addressed him. When I first heard of Herod’s wicked plan to steal his brother’s wife, I became entirely outraged. Here is a man appointed by the Roman authorities to lead! He is handed, on a silver platter, the opportunity to make a difference in this world and all he does is abuse it. It is appalling enough that he disdains the people but to be reckless with his own family. I tell you, corrupt is too small a word. Herod is an evil man, lost to God.  And he is afraid of me. I have heard this. He is fearful because I tell the truth about him. He does not have the courage even to glance in the looking glass I have held up before him. I have become a nuisance to him. Therefore, my life is in danger. I know that. But it does not matter.

What matters now is that I have good news. I have good news for you. God has sent a better messenger than I can ever hope to be. I preach with a fire in my belly but Jesus of Nazareth speaks with the unmistakable authority of God. I have seen with my own eyes the heavens open and the very spirit of God descend upon him.

Jesus came to me for baptism, a humbling experience indeed. While I am thoroughly unfit to remove his sandals, which is the job of a slave, he came to me nevertheless. His baptism marks a transition. His work is about to begin. He is off in the desert preparing for a battle unlike any other. He is taking on the demons that trouble every mortal, including you, and he is facing these demons in order to clear a path for God.

Even now, he is preparing himself in the desert, in the wilderness, where one may be alone with one’s thoughts and dreams and, yes, temptations. But I am not worried. God’s angels will look after him even as they look after you – whether you know it or not. And Jesus will emerge from this experience ready to usher in the kingdom of God.

I almost didn’t recognize him. His manner and his voice are not what I was expecting. I have been listening for a louder voice, a booming voice like that of Isaiah. The voice of Jesus is frustratingly gentle - most of the time. I thought we would be preparing to defy the Romans. Instead, we are confronting our very selves. As I said, this is not what I have been expecting. Perhaps this is not what I have been hoping. But the kingdom of God will not be constructed from my hopes or expectations and will not be directed by my voice. It will be constructed by the often surprising will of God and directed by a different voice.

I have learned that sometimes we do not recognize the voice of God speaking because we are listening for something else. Therefore, keep your ears open. My life, you know, is dedicated to getting the world ready for the kingdom of God. You must do what you can to prepare yourselves. But “who among us is ever ready for what comes?”2 I did everything in my power to be ready for this moment. Even so, I was not fully prepared for Jesus of Nazareth.

You see, God speaks in startling ways, perhaps even through the likes of a wild man like me who comes to you with one message - a message narrow and strong like a tall reed that will not be shaken in the wind. That single message is: Repent! Turn your life around before it is too late. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. Make whatever changes need to be made because God has plans for this world.