John the Baptist the Original Aquaman

John the Baptist had one of the most special tasks in history. He had the privilege of coming before Jesus and pointing people to Jesus. His task was so important that his birth was announced in a special way similar to the way that Jesus’ birth was announced. The angel Gabriel came to his father Zechariah and told of John’s special task. Gabriel said that John would, “go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17).

When John grew up and carried out his ministry, people were amazed at his message. Some people even wondered if he could be the Messiah. At the beginning of Luke chapter 3 we hear about John’s primary focus. It says, “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). John’s ministry stood out to the people because he was doing something different than they had seen from the Pharisees or Sadducees. He was baptizing and he was talking more about the forgiveness of their sins. This was different than the works righteous message they were receiving. These differences may have led to the confusion about John possibly being the Messiah.

A difficult task

John also had a strong message. In verses seven and eight he says, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’” (Luke 3:7-8). Many Israelites felt comfortable because of their heritage. They thought that since they were descendants of Abraham, they were definitely going to heaven. John told them that their heritage had nothing to do with it. A faith that is prepared for Judgment is a faith that is producing fruits of faith. The repentant heart turns away from sin.

John spoke a harsh message. He called people a “brood of vipers” and told them about the coming wrath. He pointed out that Jesus was more powerful and he told them that Jesus would come to judge. Many people don’t want to hear that Jesus is a judge. If Jesus is a judge, then it is good for us to avoid evil. Then we should turn away from our sin.  John said this about Jesus, “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into You can make huge savings in buying levitra uk check here through online. If you find swallowing the tablets difficult you can buy Kamagra soft tablets which can be chewed or swallowed. tadalafil buy canada navigate here If you don’t have viagra wholesale uk a valid prescription then the online pharmacy would turn down your request for the medicine. According to the article, ordering viagra “It turns out, unsurprisingly, that sitting with a computer on your lap will rise up the temperature of your nether regions, which could affect sperm quality.” Even using a lap pad, the temperature quickly rises above the acceptable range. his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17).

An unpopular message

These messages can be hard to hear but they are a necessary part of repentance. We need to know that sin is offensive to God so that we know that we cannot save ourselves. When we realize that we cannot possibly be saved by our works, we have to ask, “How then can I be saved?”

This leads us back to the message of John. His task was to make people ready for Jesus. In the gospel of John, he saw Jesus coming and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). That short sentence is the same wonderful message that Christians can share today. We can point people to the lamb of God who takes away their sin.

We might not use the same tactics that John used. We probably don’t tell people they are a “brood of vipers.” And yet, the law can be shocking. People don’t like to hear that they have sinned. It is important to share this message with gentleness and respect. We can have humility and admit that we too have sinned against God. And then we have the wonderful privilege of sharing Jesus. We point to Jesus as the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us. He paid for our sins. We rejoice and we want to live in repentance. We want to serve our God. May God help us to follow the example of John the Baptist.

The Real Aquaman

My Superhero for John the Baptist is Aquaman. You can probably figure out why. John the Baptist is well-known for using water for baptizing and Aquaman lives in water. I have to hang my head in shame that I, the comic book guru, have not seen the new Aquaman movie yet.

Aquaman is not one of my main heroes that I focus on but I know about him from Justice League stories. He is the King of Atlantis. He lives under the sea. He talks with all the animals in the sea and he has a trident. Even though the verses I quoted above talk about Jesus having a winnowing fork and not John the Baptist, that fork made me think of Aquaman’s trident.

The biggest reason Aquaman and John the Baptist go together has to do with Baptism. Aquaman uses water as an advantage. He has more strength in water and can communicate with sea creatures. Baptism is a special use of water. Through baptism, the Holy Spirit works faith in hearts and connects us to Jesus. That connection to Jesus is a source of strength for the Christian.