Repentance

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Isaiah 40:3

I have enjoyed studying the time between the Old and New Testaments. The magnitude of change was epic. As always, it’s tempting to insert my perspective into that time period and miss the mark. For example, I already know that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem and walk the road to the cross. It’s intriguing to set aside that knowledge and wonder. What was it like to live in a time with various types of Messianic expectations? How were those expectations shaped by massive political, religious and social culture shifts?

Into the mix, a voice emerged. Before Jesus appeared, God raised up a man to prepare the way. The prophetic description is startling. The man we know as John the Baptist was born to be a voice crying in the wilderness. In the four centuries preceding John, the Persian kingdom gave way to Alexander the Great. The Greek empire fell into disarray. For a period of time, the land of Israel was sandwiched between the forces of Syria and Egypt and suffered at the hands of both. After gaining a respite of autonomy, along came Rome. Then John the Baptist brought a message about another “kingdom”. How do you prepare for the kingdom of heaven? According to Matthew 3:2, John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

John’s message spoke to the need of the moment. But, it’s not a stretch for me to allow this words to pierce my heart this morning. The call to repentance echoes throughout the Old and New Testament and it resonates today. I need to turn to God and recognize that His kingdom is superior to all others. It is a call to turn my focus and allegiance to God. If I’m honest, there is a sense of urgency in John’s message that hasn’t diminished.