The King’s Herald!

By Rhiannonw

Thu, 10 Dec 2015
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2 comments
 

If a king’s own messenger is sent
to say he’s on his way,
what preparations then are made
for that important day?

When God was making preparation
for his mission on the earth,
he, down the years through prophets taught
of the coming special birth.

And finally, ‘My Messenger
I’ll send’* that many may
get ready to approach and hear,
delighting to obey.

So John** prepared them for the Christ,
baptising those confessing
their conduct bad, returning now
to know God’s love and blessing.

So this the needed preparation
– repentance, life-change real,
and honesty – John’s exhortation
to godly love and zeal.

He taught forgiveness for their sins
– the sacrificial Lamb
was come, the Lord, the Judge, the King,
the promised Son of Man.

And so this herald led the way –
a prophet like Elijah,
to clear their way to meet One greater
– the promised Christ, Messiah.

*”See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come …” Malachi 3:1

**John the Baptist "Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah … – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:16,17

[IP: poetry or prose on the theme of peparations]

 

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Comments

Submitted by jeand on

Hi Rhiannon

I think John the Baptist is a very interesting character. I wish we knew more about his early life. I wonder if he and Jesus knew each other - as cousins similar in age would. I wonder if they got together at passover time during visits to Jerusalem. Maybe he was at the temple when Jesus, aged 12, made his debut there.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thanks, Jean.
Always interesting to speculate! I've just been looking into some comments about it from scripture and in John 1:29-34 it seems to indicate either that they didn't know each other (which seems uinlikely, though they probably weren't living very close, Jesus in Nazareth, and John in Judea hill country - Luke1:39. But as you say, they may have met up at Passover time) or that he didn't realise Jesus was the Christ before his public ministry, until the sign from heaven at his baptism. Rhiannon

'The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’

Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.’