What should we do?

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His was a momentous, miraculous beginning.

From the angelic announcement to his priestly father that his wife was to bear a son--yet another blessed couple gifted a child in their senior years. Make no mistake--from that start, there was nothing ordinary about John.

Ages before the X-Games of today, he was extreme; you could say he broke the mold. Like Jesus, John did not just suddenly appear on the scene. No, two Old Testament prophets hundreds of years earlier said there would be a voice crying in the wilderness … a messenger who would prepare the way.1

Jesus said, ‘of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.’!2  What a statement--but wait, I would think that would be Paul, wouldn't it?  Hmmm. Well, remarkably, Luke recorded that John was filled with the Holy Spirit as a baby in his mother’s womb!3 Wow. And from the time he was a small boy, Zechariah taught him he was to live a different kind of life—a life fully devoted to God.  

Knowing he was set apart by God, John chose to live that way... vowing he would never drink wine, cut his beard, or defile himself.3 When he was about 30 years old, John began preaching a message of repentance out in the wilderness of Judea. He ate a meager diet and wore the garb of the Old Testament prophet Elijah—camel hair and a leather belt.  Extreme.

Bearing in mind that God had spoken to the Jewish people through prophets over their history, God had been silent for a long time - four hundred years. . . until John. Maybe that's why people took his offensive message to heart - as even the religious, ultra-pious Jews went out to hear John, then repent of their sins, and be baptized by him.

Luke writes: When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

The crowds asked, “What should we do?”

John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”

He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”

“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.

John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”

Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 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. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.3.7-18

Here is the question: why would people travel way out into the mean Judean wilderness only to be called a 'brood of snakes'? Was it because his was the first message from God for generations? O, that we would be so desirous of hearing from God! Or was it that many thought he just might be their long-awaited Messiah? Whatever, it was not what Paul warned Timothy of--something that sounds a lot like our day "the time when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.6

Notice with me that the people who came out to hear John asked him repeatedly, "What should we do?"

What would John say to you and me today?  Especially we who know Jesus . . .

"What should we do?"

->Take a good look at yourself; take stock.

Do you live daily to honor God?

What else would wild John say?

->When you feel the call of God, do whatever it takes to follow it--even if you are called a zealot, even if you are lonely, even if the odds are against you, or you might be ridiculed. [I can speak from experience on all of these] 

Go boldly! Live all out in the direction of God's call!

Oh, and without doubt, John would unequivocally tell you,

->Whatever it costs you, living all out for Jesus is worth it - for eternity.

I found this killer version of one of my favorite ol' hymns:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI67iHM4oLo

Come...just as you are,

Christine

PastorWoman.net

1 - Matthew 11.11

2 - Isaiah 40.3-5, Malachi 3.1, Malachi 4.5

3 - Luke 1.15

4 - The Nazirite vow ~ Numbers 6.1-8

5 - from Matthew 3, New Living Translation

6 - 2 Timothy 4.3-4