“2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias,
saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight.” – Mat 3: 2&3
In the
days of old, before kings and royalty would begin their travels they would send
servants ahead of them to “prepare the way.” The highways that these aristocrats
would be traveling were not like ours today (I don’t know, some roads in South
Carolina could draw comparisons). These highways in ancient days were
rough, rocky, bumpy, blocked, full of potholes etc. So, in order to make
the journey more pleasant, the servants would go along ahead and grade out the
rocks and bumps. They would fill in any potholes, remove existing
blockades; doing anything and everything they could to make the way passable
for the coming of the king. They would
prepare the way.
John the Baptist was the voice
crying in the wilderness; preaching repentance for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Through his preaching,
he was to prepare the hearts of men and women for the coming of the Lord. John’s message went out then, and it still
must go out today. The message of repentance, the need for: recognition
of wrong, confession, and resolve to follow after righteousness. It is a
turning of heart, a turning of mind, and a turning of spirit from your sinful
ways to the ways of righteousness. This was John’s baptism, the baptism
of repentance. As he preached, the people roundabout would flock to him
as he stood on the banks of the Jordan River, and they would come to be
baptized in its muddy waters. Like the Jewish Mikveh, the water was to
symbolize washing, cleansing, purity and pardon. However, without a
sincere heart of faith, they would only leave a wet sinner, but if they
confessed and turned, God would grant them pardon and they would then be a
prepared vessel for the coming of the Lord. In the real-estate trade (to borrow
and analogy from a much respected preacher I know), when a home is bought, it
is then: furnished, swept, and cleaned.
Why is this done? It is done in
preparation for the homeowner. The heart
is in need of the same in preparation for the Master. When we are in sin
we are unfit for the Holy Spirit’s habitation, we are unworthy for the coming
of the Lord (which is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit). We are unfit
because he is Holy and we are not, we are unfit because He wants to lead us to
righteousness and we want our own way; we cannot serve two masters.
Therefore, the preparation is needed. The house must be first cleaned up,
sins of the past washed away, and a resolute desire to serve him instilled. Then, and only then, can it be a fit,
prepared vessel for the habitation of the Holy Ghost.
Repentance is that
preparation, it is that cleaning; it is the remission and pardon for sins past,
coupled with the resolve and determination to pursue righteousness. The
desire for Jesus in one’s life. When you repent, God forgives, and in
that act of grace brought about by your faith God ready’s your heart for the
habitation of the Lord. It is not for
your glory, but for His. He ready’s you for the Holy Ghost to come and
live inside you, keeping your house: clean, pure, happy, and holy. Thereby making you a sanctified vessel, meet for the Master’s use.
