July 20 Daily Devotional

Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, the word of God came to John the Baptist, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. And he was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey. And he came into all the region round about Jordan, preaching and saying, “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight … And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Then went out to him the people of Jerusalem and Judea. And those that confessed their sins, were baptized of him in the river Jordan. “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generations of vipers! who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

“And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answered and said to them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also the publicans to be baptized, and they said to him, Master, what shall we do? And he said to them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

And as the people reasoned in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, he said to them, “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Thus John prepared the way for Christ. He was “one of the greatest born of women.” He reminded Israel of “the darkness and the shadow of death” that enshrouded them, but also pointed to “the tender mercy of God and to the dayspring from on high”—CHRIST, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.