June 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

If the Lord God came to you and said, “I want you to announce the arrival of my Son,” would you have gone about it in the same way John the Baptist did? In ancient times a herald would run ahead and announce to the citizens, “The king is coming!” The announcement would bring a buzz of excitement in the streets as people would line up, eagerly expecting to catch a glimpse of the king.

This raises the question: What was John, the herald of the King of kings, doing at the river Jordan? Why didn’t he go into the towns of Israel announcing, “The King is here!” John the Baptist seems to be an odd and eccentric character. He stays out in the wilderness, wearing his camel-haired coat, eating locusts and wild honey. John’s message does not sound all that appealing and certainly does not fit with modern methods of evangelism. He makes no effort to get people excited about Christ’s coming. In fact, John says some very harsh and unsympathetic words such as, “You brood of vipers!” and, “The ax is already laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (NIV) Who announces the gospel in such a negative manner? Couldn’t the arrival of our exalted King have been announced differently? It all seems so sombre and dark.

Nevertheless, the Lord in His sovereign wisdom decided to announce the coming of His Son in this way. It wasn’t John who decided to take this approach. He came as a messenger of the Lord, speaking with His authority and following His instructions. This is the way Luke begins this third chapter, “The word of God came to John... in the wilderness.” (3:2) John speaks a message that touches the hearts of people, is full of energy and brings people to make decisions. They line up, asking what they must do.

Jesus came into this world as the Messiah and He will come again to judge the living and the dead. The methods and manner in which we proclaim the return of the King are not directed by human standards but need to be in harmony with the Word of the Lord. The Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts through the proclamation of the gospel and everything we say must be with His permission and authority.