December 11: Could You Please Take a Message?

December 11:

Mark 1:1-3  “The Beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  It is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’--  ‘a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "

Long before telephones or text messaging, messengers were used to convey messages.  In the play, Macbeth¸a messenger is sent, riding his horse at full speed, to Glamis to warn Lady Macbeth that her husband, Macbeth, King Duncan and the Scottish army are on the way to party at the Macbeth house after winning the war against Norway.

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, employed as a courier at the time, took a midnight ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were on the way to arrest them.

Although the purpose of a messenger was/is more than to warn, the fact was that when a messenger was dispatched, it was usually because the message that needed delivering was urgent.

In the case of one of the most famous messengers of them all, John the Baptist, his sole purpose was to prepare the way of the Lord. The question is why?  As I wrote yesterday, the Word, or God, is the boss of the entire world.  He can and does what He wants. Why in the world would need a messenger to make ready His entrance into the physical world?

The key is in the last part of the passage, “make straight paths for Him.”  John the Baptist’s ministry as messenger was to prepare the people for God’s presence and actions on Earth.

First, he had to get the people to understand the gravity of sin and the need for repentance. Once they repented, John baptized them, which was probably the reason “the Baptist” was tagged to his name. Thus, he was “making straight” the path by showing the people the “straight and narrow” way of living. This would prepare their hearts and minds for the necessity of and later, the entrance of a Savior into the world.

Secondly, once the people wrapped their heads around the depth and breadth of God’s love for them (repentance), their hearts and minds were now ready to accept the miracles He would perform and the teaching He would convey.

Basically, John’s purpose as messenger was to prepare the environment in which Jesus would live and teach.  In some ways, John’s message was a warning much like the messengers described above – “People, heads-up! Something big is about to happen! Someone important is on the way! Get ready!”  

The same can be said of us today.  We are Christ’s messengers until He returns.  We, too, are convicted by a sense of urgency to prepare the way of the Lord by spreading the message of repentance and forgiveness to God’s people until Christ returns.  If our lives are intimately intertwined with His, the message is clearly displayed by our words and actions.

Matthew 28: 18-20 “¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In a world of crooked paths, dark alleys, and yes, cold deserts, our lives should be the lights that illuminate the straight paths for others.  As messengers, our task is to bravely go before to deliver the important message so that those who come after can clearly see not only the light, but the straight path.

John 14:27 “²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

It’s time. You have an urgent message to deliver, and time’s a wastin’.

Challenge: Help a co-worker. If you know that one of your coworkers has a huge work load or big project to finish, offer to help. You will be amazed how quickly the work will get done with both of you working on it!