“15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Luke 3:15-16 (New Living Translation)
Have you ever wondered what it might have been like to witness John the Baptist preach? As we continue our count down till Christmas, we read about a man named John who went into the country around the Jordan River preaching and telling people to prepare for the coming of the Lord. The passage in Luke 3 reveals that repentance is the center piece of the Gospel message. When John told people to prepare for the coming of the Lord, he didn't mean that they should go home and sweep the floor, pick up their toys, and make their beds. He meant that they should prepare their hearts through godly sorrow (repentance). How? By repenting of their sins and turning toward God. When they did this, John would baptize them in the Jordan River. That is how he got the name, "John the Baptist."
“I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
It was perhaps a normal day in the life of people in the region around the Jordan River. I can sense that life was business as usual for many on that day; for many it was another to come and collect water for many basic necessities, it was a place where women gathered. But for John it was a day that was divinely orchestrated, he was about to fulfill the purpose for which he was born.
John the Baptist understood his role and the revelation of Christ as Savior of the world. In many respect, his prophetic ministry fulfilled the scripture in Isaiah 40 which states, “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God”. In Luke 3:21-22, it is said that “21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Jesus is the reason for the season, and it is my prayer that you would make room for Him in your heart. It is my desire that “you would bear fruit worthy of repentance” (v8) and that you would follow the Lord in water baptism, which is an outward expression of your commitment to Christ. I know that He is ready to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. May the Lord bless you during this Christmas season.
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