Authentic Jesus: Preparing For Him

Luke 3:2-6 (NIV) tells us that “during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”

In Biblical times, when a king traveled the desert, workmen preceded him to clear debris and smooth out the roads to make his trip easier. In Luke the leveling of the land was a figurative expression denoting the way of the Messiah would be made smooth because, through John, a large number of people were ready to receive Jesus’ message.

There were three things that needed to be done:

1) John needed to CLEAR THE WAY OF THE LORD which meant Chopping Down Tradition

Luke 3:7-9 (NIV) “John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John had an axe to grind. He wanted people to understand that, with God, it was about relationship not religion. John’s image of an ax put to the roots of a tree is symbolic. The Jews relied on their descent from Abraham to establish relationship with God. John’s message is that God doesn’t have any Grandchildren. He is not concerned with the root, but with the moral fruit in each person’s life. As far as the root is concerned, an ax is about to be put to that, and then relationship with God will be a matter of faith entirely—a faith that produces the fruit of righteousness.

Later on, Jesus would say, (Matthew 15:3, 6-8) “Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ...you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

What traditions are you holding onto that are holding you back?

2) John needed to PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD which meant Making Personal Application

Luke 3:10-14 (NIV) “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

Do you see what John did? He applied the message to each person's unique situation. He got personal.

We would be wise to ask the same question that they asked John: "What should we do?" Wiser still would be our decision to do whatever God would have us do!

3) John needed to GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE LORD which meant Shifting People’s Attention

John had plently of opportunities to grow a big head.

Listen to what the Angel Gabriel told John’s dad about him: (Luke 1:14-16) “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord... he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.”

Hear what Jesus said about John: (Matthew 11:11) “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist...”

Luke 3:15 tells us that the people coming to Him “...were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ." However, "John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16)

I love John! John was saying...it’s not about me...it’s about Jesus. Look at Him! Shift your focus on Him! Don’t look at me...it isn’t about me! The one that comes after me is better than me.

John realized that “he himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1:8-9)

John stuck to his convictions.

Later on people "...came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.” To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of Him.’...He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:26-28, 30)

Is your heart prepared for Jesus?