It’s instructive to note that, according to Jesus, John the
Baptist is the greatest human ever born (see Luke 7:28). For 400 years God had
been silent. For 400 years there had been no true prophet in Israel. For 400
years the people of God had cowered in the darkness of divine silence. Then
Gabriel appears to a priest in the hill country of Judah, named Zechariah. (His
name means “God has remembered.”) And what is it that God tells Zechariah He’s
remembered? He’s remembered His covenant with Israel. He’s remembered His
promise in Eden. He’s remembered promises made through the prophets. He
remembers Zechariah’s prayers for a son. Gabriel tells Zechariah that
Elizabeth, his aged wife, will conceive and bare a son in her old age. Gabriel
then proceeds to list a series of attributes that will characterize this baby
boy. When you read them you find that he is second to only One in Scripture,
Jesus.
Now Zechariah’s reaction to Gabriel’s announcement is
classic. Luke portrays it as nothing short of abject shock. Zechariah replies,
“How shall I know what you are telling me is true?” Both Elizabeth and I are
too old for child bearing.” Gabriel’s gracious in his response to Zechariah’s
doubt. He allows him to make no more stupid statements for a full nine months.
Gabriel says it this way: “You will be silent and unable to speak until the day
that these things take place.” And Zechariah is silent.” He’s muted for three
quarters of a year. And when he does finally communicate, he testifies to the
glory and sovereignty of God’s immutable plan and purpose. The first thing he
communicates is a direct quote from God Himself – “His name will be John.” He
writes this out. His first audible expression is an elaborate prophecy which is,
by definition, the words of God spoken through a human vessel. In both
communications, whether it’s in writing or words audibly expressed, the words
proclaimed are God’s words alone.
So think of it. After 400 years of silence, God speaks God’s
Word. It’s a pattern repeated after Zechariah’s nine month silence. It’s a
pattern repeated in the advent of John’s ministry. After 400 years God breaks
His silence. He will fulfill all of His law and all of His words spoken through
the prophets. He is poised to inaugurate the kingdom of heaven on earth. What
He will do over the next 70 years will complete every divine intention ever
conceived, and John the Baptist is at the center of it all.
This week, as we continue our series entitled “Move – In,
Up, and Out”, we will be in Mark 1:1-11, digging into Mark’s description of
John the Baptist. Here again, we will see every element of the Holy Spirit’s
work in moving us forward in His strength and power. Like the shepherds, John
the Baptist hears God speak and he responds. And it’s in his listening to God that
we are able to discover how we can listen to God ourselves.
I’m often asked, “How does someone hear God’s voice? How can
I know that it’s God who I am hearing?” The story of John the Baptist gives us
several key answers.
In preparation for Sunday’s message –The “Go” of the Gospel, you may wish to consider the following:
1. What
does this mean? “It’s hard to sell answers to someone who only wants to buy
echoes?”
2. What
did General George Marshall say about the best way to handle people?
3. In
your opinion, what’s the most critical necessity for hearing God?
4. Who
does the “your” in Mark 1:2 refer to?
5. What
tribe is John the Baptist from?
6. What
is the significance of his identification with the wilderness?
7. Why
do you suppose that so many biblical figures hear God in the wilderness?
8. How
is John the Baptist like his father Zechariah in his pronouncement in verse 7?
9. Why
does Mark tell us the “heavens were being torn apart”? Neither Matthew or Luke
describes it that way.
10. How
is the ministry of Jesus different than what John thought it would be? Are you
glad?
See you Sunday!
