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October 1st
The bible reading today is in Luke 1 and John 1:1-14.
These two gospel records begin with accounts about the births of John the Baptist and the Messiah, Jesus. What a tandem, the announcer of the King’s coming and the King Himself.
Luke was a physician who followed Jesus. He was probably a Gentile. He accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys. He wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Being a doctor, he was full of academia and was a scholar no doubt. But when he wrote, he wrote for the “man on the street”...the common man...so that “everyone” could have the best opportunity to understand the gospel of Christ and believe.
Now the gospel of John was written by the Apostle John. He and his brother James were two of the first that Jesus invited to follow Him. John was identified as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” God would use him to write the Gospel of John, 1,2,3 John, and the book of Revelation. No one had a closer relationship with Jesus than John. And remember at the cross? The dying Jesus placed his mother in John’s arms, saying.. ”Mother, here is your son”...speaking of John. Let’s remember that when we read John’s love letter/book about Jesus!
Several things in our reading today move my heart. First, Priest Zacharias, the baptizer’s father, was given a second chance to respond to God ”in faith” rather than unbelief.
When the angel told Zacharias that he and his wife would have a son that would prepare the way of the Messiah, Zacharias asked for proof...displaying his unbelief. Today’s reading shows Zacharias, publicly supporting his wife’s answer that “John” would be their son’s name. How gracious of God to bless this man with another chance to testify “in belief” of God’s word.
Oh, friends, that’s our Savior God. The same gracious One. May we repent of our unbelief and believe Him once again.
A second thing in our reading touches my heart. John the Baptist had a simple and yet very important assignment from God.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.”
