Luke 1:76-79
Verse 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
Our passage today is Zechariah prophesying about his newborn son who would later be known as John the Baptist. God had done as He had promised and sent someone to prepare the way for the Messiah. A baby himself, John didn’t understand at this point what his future would be but God had placed His Spirit in the child since before he was born and so God was already working His loving preparation on the baby prophet.
John was sent to prepare the way for the Promised One but as with everything else in this story, it didn’t go as the humans would have planned. The message John would proclaim did not make him popular with some. In fact, his message may not have set well with us because it may not have seemed as loving as we like to think. Telling the people of God that they needed to repent and turn to God was a slap in the face.
There were many among the Jewish people who thought the ones who needed to repent were those heathen Gentiles who didn’t serve God like they did. But this guy named John claimed that they were the sinners and the ones who needed to prepare themselves for the Messiah but repenting. How could they find joy when he kept calling them to repentance?
We can find ourselves in this same situation. We go to church, read our Bibles and pray, so how dare someone tell us we need to repent! Instead of finding joy in repentance, we get frustrated at being called out on the sin we enjoy. The truth is that the call to repentance should bring us joy because it is a reminder to prepare our hearts for the work of sanctification that Jesus desires to do in our hearts.
Making It Personal
Have you ever been told you need to repent of something? How do you think you can find joy in repentance? How will that repentance prepare your heart for what God is wanting to do in your life?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you feel joy when someone corrects your behavior? If you don’t, why not? How could learning to find joy in correction help you see Jesus more clearly?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for correcting us when we need it. Help us to humbly accept correction so we can repent with joy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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