The Point of the Gospel--John the Baptist

John Prepares the Way

 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Annas and Caiaphas had been named to the high priesthood, John, son of Zechariah, became convicted with a calling from God. He was the “voice calling in the desert to prepare the way for the Lord…” (Isaiah 40:3) His clothes were made of camel’s hair, held with a leather belt.

He ate locusts and wild honey and traveled the country around the Jordan River preaching that all needed to repent, for merely being children of Abraham was not enough to ensure salvation. God could raise any number of children from the stones. (In the Old Testament, God made a pact with Abraham that his descendants would be His chosen people. John warned them not to rely solely on their heritage.)

People came from Jerusalem and all Judea to confess their sins and be baptized with water as a sign of repentance. John said to them, “Repent, for there is one still to come whose sandals I am unworthy to untie. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (a sign of purification and forgiveness). You must be like trees that produce good fruit so as not to be cut down and thrown into the fire (here, purification in the sense of destroying the unrighteous).

The crowd asked how they should do this. John answered, “Share with those who have less than you—clothes, food, whatever you have. Tax collectors, do not take more than the law requires, and you soldiers, don’t accuse people falsely. Be content with your pay.” The people wondered if John might be the Christ.

Writing Status

I’ve started sending out queries (letters giving a brief idea of what your book or whatever you’re writing is about) to agents to see if any are interested in representing me and my novel The Devoted of Imshalel. Wish me luck or better yet, maybe send up a prayer or two.

Monday—Angry: to be or not to be. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m perimenopausal, hormonal, and seem to be angry an awful lot of the time, quite often for no apparent reason. Bet plenty of you ladies and you husbands can relate.