Let’s Prepare the Way for the Lord By Bryan Craig
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Luke 1:13-17 ESV
I love Christmas, and I love the Christmas story. Yes, the world collectively recognizes the birth of Jesus Christ as miraculous and as “God with us” and as the way, the truth, the life that God provided for us to be united with Himself. In the midst of the stories you know about Mary and the visit from the angel and about the shepherds in the field who first heard about Jesus’ birth and about the wise men who traveled to worship Him, the character that cannot be missed is John, Jesus’ cousin.
We know him as John the Baptist, and we often think of him as a zealot, one living in the wilderness, eating wild honey and locusts, with a unique wardrobe of camel’s hair and a leather belt. But he was an anointed man on a mission, one whom I believe we need to honor and emulate. I want to consider this man and his story as we consider the greater story of Jesus.
“Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.”
What a beautiful verse, in an of itself. God hears our prayers! He does! And it is even more beautiful when you consider that Zechariah, this priest and his wife, Elizabeth, were in their old age and had never been blessed with a child. That must have been their lifelong prayer. “God, please give us a child.” Despite an unanswered prayer, it says “They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” Luke 1:6 ESV What a great lesson in faith and perseverance, entrusting your life to God, even when things aren’t going like you would prefer. So, God heard and answered their prayer, and in a big way, giving them a son who would do great things for the Lord.
“He will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
Wow! There was an Old Testament vow called a “Nazirite Vow” (See Numbers 6) where a person who wanted to separate themselves unto the Lord would abstain from alcohol. Apparently, this was usually for a designated time period and only two lifelong Nazirites were named in Scripture, Samson and John the Baptist. I’ve always made note of the fact that someone who wants to be consecrated before the Lord must consider whether they should drink alcohol. Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” In John’s case, he was filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born. And of course, this is before God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with all believers. John was set apart from birth and did great things. Don’t we want to do great things for the Lord? If so, we must be set apart.
“He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”
John was bold in proclaiming the coming of the Lord. Though he baptized people for the forgiveness of their sins and challenged them to repent, he never made it about himself. He pointed to the One who was greater. Luke 3 talks of John fulfilling Isaiah 40:
“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.’”
I believe God wants us to fill this role. We, like John, have the Holy Spirit and we must bear witness to the Lord, preparing people to receive Him. This is why Jesus told the disciples right before He departed, to continue the work of making disciples of Christ, teaching them about the Lord. We don’t have to wear wild clothing and live out in the woods, but God has placed us in the communities and among the people he wants us to reach. Let’s be bold like John.
“He will go before Him in the Spirit and power of Elijah.”
I think it’s interesting that Elijah was a powerful prophet whom God used to demonstrate His strength. Yet, the scene in the mountaintop cave where Elijah met God says so much. God wasn’t in the powerful earthquake, wind or fire, but was in the “gentle whisper.” This is a picture of intimacy. This is God calling his servant close and speaking to him. John was a prophet, too, speaking boldly and spiritually, and he, too, longed for a gentle whisper from the Lord. If we abide in Christ, Jesus says we will bear great fruit. We must draw close to the Lord through His Spirit, and we, too, will go before the Lord and bear witness to His Spirit.
“He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.”
John knew of the important role of fathers, and I’m sure he knew of generational sin, which the enemy uses to keep cursing future generations. When fathers turn to the Lord, it changes everything, and it softens their hearts toward their children. Rather than passing down their sins and weaknesses, they begin to pass down love. This has been a truth since the beginning of time. We, too, must turn to the Lord, and then, turn to our children, making sure we are investing spiritually in them and making time for them.
“And the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
So many people were disobedient and lost in John’s time, especially religious leaders. They needed a wake-up call, and John didn’t shy away from his calling to speak truth. So many today are not ready for Christ’s return or their own deaths. Many are like the 5 virgins Jesus spoke about who did not have lamp in their oils or their wicks trimmed and were told, “Truly I don’t know you.” See Matthew 25:1-13 Or Jesus also talked about the people who will get to heaven and find out their selfish and cold-hearted lives were an affront to the Lord. See Matthew 25:31-46. I believe God wants us to “make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” This isn’t just the responsibility of pastors or uniquely gifted zealots. I believe we all play a part.
So, Christmastime is a great time to point people to Jesus, to prepare the way for the Lord. I believe more people are open to Jesus at Christmas than any other time. People like to celebrate Christmas, and they even get caught up in the idea of being generous and loving at this time. Let’s seize this opportunity to help them know who Jesus is and help them turn from their sins and turn to the Lord. We can be John the Baptist to them.