John and Repentance

John bore witness and cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me, He has surpassed me because He was before me.’”  John 1: 15

John was about 6 months older than Jesus, and was His cousin, so physically John came before Jesus.  In ministry, we have already seen that John began his mission before Jesus did—his was the task of preparing the way for the Lord.

The way was always prepared for kings.  A slave would be sent out in advance to let the people know he was coming to make the path “straight,” filling in potholes and widening the paths when needed, making it easier for the royal caravan to get to the planned destination.

The word translated “surpassed” in the NIV and “preferred” in the NKJV, is actually the word genomi, from which we get the word genesis.  A richer meaning for this word might be “He was first, because He was there in the beginning of time.”  John makes no claim of being the Messiah—in fact, he proclaims that the Messiah is first.

I think about that with regard to my own walk with Christ: do I proclaim Him first?  Whose interests do I protect?  Am I looking out for my spiritual siblings?

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Unlike the slaves of old, John’s job wasn’t to smooth the path for Jesus.  His job was to encourage the people to repent so that they would be ready to receive Him. 

Matthew 3:1 says: “John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Repent means “to turn back.”  I picture myself missing the off ramp and having to turn around and go back to it—that happens a lot now, since I’m still unfamiliar with the area in which I live.  In the spiritual sense, it means to have sorrow over one’s sins. 

I once met a little girl who had trouble with stealing.  She would take something and get caught with it, then say with tears in her eyes, “but I only took it because I wanted it!”  Obviously, she wasn’t sorry over her sins, she was just sorry she got caught.  That’s not the idea of repentance we need to imitate.

Peter said, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance -2 Peter 3:9.

To a church that had become indulgent and apathetic, Jesus said, “as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Though we often hear this verse used as a “salvation” verse, Jesus was speaking to the church!  He wanted relationship with them, and wanted “in” to fellowship, but they had become lukewarm, and He could not tolerate that.  He won’t put up with this in our lives, either.  He rejects complacency, but He wants our passion.  If we don’t want Him, if we’re cold, He will woo us with his kindness.  Paul notes in Romans 2: 4 that the kindness of God leads us to repentance:

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

When we sorrow over our sin it produces the fruit of repentance in us (2 Corinthians 7:10.)  God grants repentance (2 Timothy 2:25.)  Don’t put off turning away from sin, repentance may not come (Hebrews 12:17.)  God wants all to come to repentance and not perish (2 Peter 3:9.)

In Matthew 3:13 Jesus told the parable of the sower.  In it, a farmer was sowing seed by hand out in the field.  Some of it fell along the hardened path of the road, some on rocky soil, and some on rich soil.  The seed that fell along the road didn’t even germinate—it just lay there.  Nothing happened.  The seed that fell in the rocky soil sprung up quickly, but when the heat came, it died.  The seed that fell on good soil produced up to a hundred fold.  Jesus later explained to His disciples that the “seed” was the Word of God, and the “soil” was hearts, with God being the Sower.

What kind of soil is your heart?  Are you hard, and the seed can’t get in?  Or are you rocky soil, loving hearing the message, even excited about it, until it begins to cost you something—friendships, habits, maybe pinches into your entertainment schedule?  Maybe you’re the good soil, loamy and fertile, but you’ve had a hard time recently and don’t feel much like producing anything for the Lord?  Jesus says open the door!  Let Him in, give Him the soil of your heart, and let Him nourish you and change you, so you can again produce fruit for His Kingdom.

Dear Abba,

I am sorry for the things I’ve done that have hurt Your heart.  Forgive my lack of passion and change me!  Help me to turn it around, Lord.

I will make my heart a fertile field for Your Word, so that You can help me to grow up into the Son, producing fruit that brings eternal life to others.

That’s what I want, Lord.  Help me to glorify You in how I lead my life.

Your Child,

                                    Donna