TUESDAY 2.28.23: Preparing the way for Jesus
Read Luke 3:1-22
Israel had gone through a long period with no clear prophetic voice. John the Baptist’s forceful preaching, calling people to change their hearts and lives, drew crowds hungry for a word from God. He baptized people as a symbol of cleansing and change. But he pointed beyond himself, and Luke said he had the privilege of baptizing the Savior whose way he’d prepared.
• John the Baptist showed a sense of urgency as he passionately called people to change their life’s direction. To what extent do you feel a sense of urgency in pursuing God’s path for your life? What steps help you keep your commitment to God’s call strong and focused?
• John prepared the way for Jesus by calling for generosity, integrity, and living out God’s ideals.
Scholar N. T. Wright said, “John was doing what the prophet Isaiah had said: preparing a pathway for the Lord himself to return to his people…. Rescue was at hand.” 1 Lent is a time to prepare.
How are you preparing the way for Jesus to work in your life? In the lives of others?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to hear your call on my life clearly. Give me the courage and conviction of John the Baptist in living out that calling and doing your will. Amen.
1N. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 34.