When you read about the birth of Jesus in the opening chapters of Luke, you notice that Jesus isn’t the only baby mentioned in the story. In fact, His cousin John (John the Baptist) seems to get quite a bit of attention… but why?
A few months before Jesus was born, His cousin John entered this world. If you don’t know much about John the Baptist, here are a few interesting things about him:
- The angel Gabriel prophesied to his father that he would be the forerunner to the Messiah, and that John would go in spirit and power of the prophet Elijah. (Luke 1:8-17)
- He was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb. (Luke 1:15)
- Also, while still in his mother’s womb, John LEAPED when Mary (Jesus’ mother) came near her. (Luke 1:41)
- The hand of the Lord was upon him from birth. (Luke 1:66)
- He grew and lived in the wilderness. (Luke 1:80)
- He was given the honor of baptizing Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17)
John’s life was not only interesting, but it was also very important!
Part of the prophecies about the coming Messiah was that a messenger would go before Him and prepare the way for Him (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1).
If John is the forerunner of the Christ… then the Christ is not far behind him. The Jews had heard and awaited the fulfillment of these prophecies for centuries; generation after generation had been waiting. When would the Messiah come? When would he free them? How long would they wait?
John’s entry into this world means that the days of the Messiah had FINALLY ARRIVED.
When John was born, his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied that God had raised a horn of salvation for His people, to deliver them, that they may serve Him in holiness, that John was the prophet born to prepare the way for the Lord and to proclaim salvation and forgiveness of sins “because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:67-79)
John’s birth marked the coming a new day for the world.
The Light was coming, the darkness fading.
The Messiah was on His way.
May God richly bless you in His Son,
Dr. Aaron George Glover