Have you ever seen a scraggly looking guy on the side of the road with a sign that says, “The End is near?” John the Baptist was this guy! He was a rough gut preaching in the wilderness saying exactly those words. As weird as it may seem to us, John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord not by attacking the government or standing in the temple. John went to the people. He was out there preaching to the common man. In our terms he was pounding the pavement telling people to repent.
Matthew 3:1–6
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This 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.’”
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Matthew now spoke about later events. He did this just after he had told about Jesus’ birth. These events happened 30 years later. The time was just before Jesus started his public work.
Many Kings and great leaders usually sent someone ahead of them, a herald. A herald was to prepare for the arrival of the leader. Jesus was a king (2:2). He had a herald too. Isaiah foretold the heralding of Jesus by John the Baptist in 40:3–5, “A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The “Voice” is John and he would come before God himself came. Matthew said that the verses referred to John the Baptist. John went out into the places where there are people to listen! Note: Many prophets spoke about events in the near future. But they often suggested that these events could refer to something more. They pointed to much greater events. They would be a long time in the future. These verses in Isaiah are like this.
Repent!
John was a herald. Someone important was going to arrive. He was much greater than John. The herald’s task was to make sure that everyone was ready. This was exactly what John did. His message was very clear. Most people would not want to hear it. He called them to repent.
We may want to know what John meant by the ‘kingdom of heaven’ (3:2). It meant that God would establish His rule over the whole earth. The Old Testament often used the term ‘kingdom of heaven’. John said that this kingdom ‘is near’. God would act very soon. Men and women could enjoy God’s kingdom for themselves. But, they must be ready. They would not just arrive there. John emphasized this. They needed to do something. Most important, they must repent.
To repent literally means to turn away from sin. So not only do we need to confess our sins we need to stop doing them. God promised that He would give many good things. It would happen soon. But men and women must be ready. Jesus spoke the same message. ( Matthew 4:17.) But there was a difference. Jesus taught how these good things would come. They would come because people knew him. (Mark 1:15 and Matthew 13:16–17.) John promised good things. These good things began to arrive. They started when Jesus came.
1. How could your life show that you have repented? What evidence should you expect in your life?
2. Repentance is necessary. How does your church emphasize this when they tell the Good News about Jesus?
3. John spoke the truth to the people. How can we learn from his methods?