Preparing the way for the coming savior

I recently reviewed John the Baptist's sermons and the few passages about him. He was one unique preacher.

We first learn about John the baptist when he was conceived by his very old parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth after an encounter with an angel of God. This conception was an amazing story and can be read about in Luke chapter 1. This passage also makes the connection between John and Jesus Christ.

In Luke 3, as a grown man, John preaches to people, to prepare them for the coming Savior. He makes it clear that he was not the important one, just the one preparing the way. "I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." As John baptized the crowds of people with water, Jesus also came, and John reluctantly baptized him.

In John 3, it says that John taught people that Jesus came from God and was given power over everything. John 3:32-36: "The One who comes from above is greater than all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and talks about things on the earth. But the One who comes from heaven is greater than all. He tells what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts what he says. Whoever accepts what he says has proven that God is true. The One whom God sent speaks the words of God, because God gives him the Spirit fully. The Father loves the Son and has given him power over everything. Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God's anger stays on them."

What strikes me as amazing about John is how humbly he served God. He could have taken credit for his amazing preaching ability, his spiritual insight, the distance he traveled, the many towns he served and individuals he baptized. Instead, every day he yearned for the One to come to change history. And he continued to do God's will, preparing as many people as possible for the Savior's coming.