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December 2

Title: The Uniqueness of the Forerunner

Text: Luke 1:11-17

In some sense, John the Baptist gets lost in the Christmas story even though in Luke’s account the birth of John the Baptist almost gets as much air time as the birth of the Messiah (John’s birth—42 verses, Jesus’ birth—48 verses). Technically, no forerunner, no Jesus. Furthermore, John the Baptist is elevated by Jesus, as one of the greatest humans to walk on the earth, but in truth, his upbringing is a complete mystery and his ministry seemed insignificant compared to Israel’s greatest prophets—Moses and Elijah. And yet, here in Luke 1, Zechariah is told by an angel how great his son will be. 

“And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 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 1:11-17)

Zechariah received some encouraging news from the angel. His son is going to be “great before the Lord”. That would make any father (any parent for that matter) proud. But this news was not simply, “Hey Zechariah! Your boy is going to turn out okay.” This text reminds us that John the Baptist was unique. He was filled with the Holy Spirit—from the womb. You must remember until Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit only would temporarily rest on individuals. The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit was not till after the ascension of Jesus. But here we read John the Baptist was indwelt with the Spirit seemingly from the moment of his conception until his death. Scholars debate why God did this, but it seems to me—John the Baptist had the potential to enjoy the richness of his salvation throughout his whole life. What a blessing! What a privilege! 

Yet the truth is we have the same blessing and privilege as John the Baptist. Jesus went back to Heaven and the Father sent us the Helper, the Paraclete—the Holy Spirit who seals us, indwells us and is the guarantee of our future inheritance (Eph. 1:13-14). Again, John the Baptist was unique, the last prophet of the Old Covenant, but the first to enjoy the blessings of the New Covenant, the indwelling of the Spirit. 

Is John the Baptist a fascinating biblical character? For sure. I mean—he ate bugs and honey. He was fiery. He was old school. And to use modern language, his “game day fit” was stuff of legends. But this Christmas season there is only one application for us today. The purpose and reason for the existence of John the Baptist was to point people to Jesus. That is it. Our purpose this Christmas season is the same—point people to Jesus. May this be your desire. May this be your mission. May you go with the same intensity and empowerment as John the Baptist did many centuries ago. Don't forget--23 days till Christmas!