17 And he will 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."
In the passage above, Scripture gives us John the Baptist’s job description! Let’s take it apart and see what it teaches us and how we can effectively apply its truth to our lives. First we are told that he will come before the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah. If you are familiar with Elijah, you will know that that is some kind of power! Elisha, Elijah’s successor, was so blown away with his master’s power that he asks for a double portion when Elijah is taken away in a whirlwind! He gets it by the way – “Ask and you will receive”:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. 10 "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise not." 2 Kings 2:9-10 (NIV)
This indeed was achieving power! You need only look at Elisha’s life to see this power made manifest! (2 Kings Chapters 3-8). As believers in Christ, we too have the Holy Spirit’s achieving power. How manifest is it in our lives? I’m afraid I oftentimes “shrink the Spirit” rather than manifest it – to my chagrin. He was to “turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous”. This reminds me of II Timothy 3:1-5: 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 2 Tim 3:1-5 (NIV)
“Without love” in verse three alludes to familial love. Generations ago, parents would never have been suspect in mistreating their children – in our day, they are the first to be suspected. I believe the greatest testimony for Christ is a life well lived. As we love our children and families and those in our sphere of influence, we will teach and lead by example. If our advice is not good enough for ourselves why should anyone else take heed? John the Baptist was also to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous. I love the wording here. The word rendered “Disobedient” is the Greek word “Apeithes” meaning unbelieving; not letting oneself be persuaded; hard and stubborn. The word rendered “Wisdom” is the Greek word “Phronesis” meaning prudence, good judgment, the ability to govern one’s own life wisely, skill and carefulness in dealing with one’s own resources, a wise mode of thinking and understanding. John preached repentance – a change of mind – a turning back to the point of departure: 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 3:3 (NIV)
Have you ever been faced with hard hearted and stubborn? I have. Unfortunately, it can happen by looking in a mirror! Before we are able to help anyone, we must first make ourselves ready – a people prepared for the Lord. Do we show prudence and good judgment? Are we wise in our thinking and understanding? What we say is muted if what we do is different. At John’s birth his Dad, Zechariah prophesied: 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace." Luke 1:76-79 (NIV) May we be like John! May we give people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins to let them know that they no longer have to live in darkness and in the shadow of death but in great peace! Our Great Commission by Jesus is this: 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt 28:18-20 (NIV)