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After Luke has set the stage for us concerning all that was about to happen and raising in the reader the hope of the kingdom of God,he now shows how this has been worked out. Luke chapter 3 takes us to John the baptists appearance in the wilderness in the region of the Jordan. Now we are told John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke then quotes Isaiah 40 where it speaks of one crying out in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord......... So here we have the one who comes to israel in the spirit of Elijah before the Day of the Lord. What is even more significant and noteworthy is that the scripture quoted from Isaiah 40 is in the context of God comforting His people by pardoning their iniquity. it is indeed the time of Israels consolation when we see the one crying out in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.For it is the time of Israels restoration to God, even as Danielle 9 said the time of her restoration would be when she is forgiven because God has put an end to her sin
So to see John in the wilderness is the sign to Israel that God is about to comfort her and bring in Israels consolation. for Isaiah 40 continues to say when you see the one shouting in the wilderness vs 40 "behold your God comes!!!" So clearly God is about to visit Israel as he promised The other significance is that of John baptising in the Jordan river which is in the wilderness. We may well ask why wasn't a prophet of such significance preaching in Jerusalem and in the cities. We aren't told the answer to that. But if we look at how prophets in the bible often used symbolism to reinforce the message. I suggest this to be Johns mode of ministry. What symbolism is that in Johns case I hear you ask? if we look at Johns message we find from the other gospels that he preached "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand" Now for many Israelites the kingdom of God was equated with the kingdom of Israel, because some understood the restored land after the long night of exile to be when God would return to them and be their King, just as He was when they inherited the promised land. They had the concept of the Kingdom of God to be God ruling as king over His people by His word in His land. So the symbolism of John preaching repentance for the kingdom of God is at hand, at the Jordan river, has to bring back in their minds the exodus story. The Jordan was the place Israel entered the promised land ie Kingdom of God. So if Israel were to inherit Gods land and Kingdom they needed to make right with God. They couldn't rely on Abraham being their father,they themselves had to prepare to meet their God. just like their ancestors they needed to believe Gods promises to enter the rest. If they were like the unbelieving generation they would be judged and perish. So the signifiance of preaching at the Jordan was to symbolise and re-enact the story of Israel and how the believing generation obtained the promised land of Israel which is the Kingdom of God in those times of entering it. What is more is that John is the person who runs before the King to tell the people the King is about to arrive. The King is the Christ who will bring in Gods Kingdom. This King Jesus is proved to be the Son of God at his baptism by John. For at Jesus baptism he heard the voice from heaven saying this is my Son in whom I am well pleased. We are told Jesus was baptised to fulfill all righteousness. Now this means Jesus wasn't been baptised into the repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus baptism was a very unique baptism, for it was to fulfill all righteousness. Well like so many we ask what does it actually mean to be baptised to fulfill all righteousness.We have to look at how the word is used elsewhere in the Old testament to find the answer to that. We find that in the book of Isaiah it often means that when God has done something in His righteousness, it means he has done what he has promised to do. So here God was fulfilling His promises to Israel in sending the promised Kingdom and salvation in the ministry of His son Jesus. |
