Jesus Followed John

What Did Jesus Do?

“...and he will go before him...to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Luke 1.17

We don't often think of Jesus as a follower, do we? It's Jesus whom we follow. While not exactly treading in another's footsteps, the Lord definitely went along a way made ready by John, his cousin. Considering how many rejected Christ even after John had prepared a way I can't imagine what kind of reception Jesus might have had if there had not been John to follow.

Sadly, tragically, many of the hearts that were discomforted by the message of John (And, make no mistake about it, John's preaching was intended to strike hearts to the quick.) still did not receive the Lord when he came along after John. But, thankfully, just as the angel Gabriel had foretold of John, the Baptist's proclamation, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” did in fact reach and turn the hearts of those whom the Father was preparing to receive the Son. A people would be made ready to hear and respond eagerly to the Good News which Jesus would announce.

In a way, there needs to be a little of John the Baptist in every believer because, well, people still need to prepare for his coming. There remain many people in the world who yet need to hear and respond to the Gospel. And, just as in the time of John and Jesus, the hearts of the lost need to be made ready, to be prepared. Now, unlike the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is full of winsome grace, John's message was a convicting hammer blow, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees!” In other words, “Repent, or get ready to be chopped up into fuel for the fires of Satan!” It wasn't that John was making threats, he was just bluntly stating hard facts which everyone needed to hear. People still need to know the facts—there are but two possible eternal destinations for all human beings: 1) Apart from Jesus, the flames and torments of Hell, or 2) In Christ, the joy and peace of Heaven. It takes the stark reality of the fate awaiting all of us because of our sins to turn our hearts to Jesus and run to him for forgiveness and new birth.

Pleas don't misunderstand me, I am not suggesting that we go about trying to frighten people into turning to the Lord. I don't believe screaming and threats are effective tools for evangelism. Nonetheless, we believers do have an obligation to be straight with the lost—without Christ they are doomed to an unspeakably painful eternity of suffering. Even if we only succeed in getting someone to begin to concede the possibility of Hell, we will have begun to prepare their heart to turn to Jesus. Though it is deeply troubling to know that many will yet ignore or reject the Lord, we need to be encouraged by the fact that every day the number of those who are being saved grows, and we have a part to play in that growth of the kingdom.

John would be the first to tell us that he never saved anyone, he knew that the work of salvation awaited one who was mightier than he who would follow him. Like John, none of us can save anyone, that's still and will always be the work of Jesus. But, again like John, we can and we must do our part to turn hearts, to prepare and make people ready for Christ to come into their lives. For Jesus still follows where the faithful prepare a way for him.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4