In today’s reading of Luke 3, we see John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus as well as the genealogy of Jesus. It is evident that John does not seek to bring glory to himself or be puffed up with pride regarding his own ministry, rather he points all of the people that he encounters to “he who is more powerful”.
…But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie…
Luke 3:16
I cannot remember the last time I physically sat in a movie theater to watch a movie. It has been many years. I remember as a kid sitting in my seat eating my popcorn and watching all of the previews. I thought they would never end. As I grew older I learned that the movie did not actually start at the designated time the theater stated, but I could actually arrive 15 minutes later and be just on time for the main attraction.
In skipping the previews to the movie, I also missed the warnings and guidelines, such as, turn off your cell phone, no talking, pick up your garbage, etc.. These messages help everyone in the theater prepare for the main attraction, the featured movie. This is kind of what John the Baptist’s role was, he was preparing the people for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 40:3-5 describes John as the “voice of the one calling in the wilderness.” He urged his listeners to prepare for the arrival of their promised Messiah. How should the prepare? Verses 11 through 14 are a set of instructions.
11-“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
13-“Don’t collect any more than you are required to”
14-“Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely-becontent with your pay.”
Simply following the instructions did not imply that they could earn their own salvation, but they should seek to treat others justly and mercifully.
John realized that he was not the focus of the message. His job was to point his followers to the One who could save them. He compared the baptism he offered – water – to the baptism of the “Holy Spirit and fire” that Jesus will bring to believers.
But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 3:16
Luke 3:16 points us to Jesus. He makes the great confession that we all must make….we are NOT God. He is mightier than we are. Christ is greater than John because he will not merely baptize with water but with the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus will enable those who follow him and who repent and trust him not merely to get wet through water but to be transformed by the Holy Spirit, to be born again.