Luke 2:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
God Cares about Us in the Wilderness
Why is John the Baptist in the wilderness when he proclaims Jesus’ coming? Why did God direct his Chosen people, Israel, to spend 40 years in the wilderness in the Old Testament?
The wilderness is a place with little water, far from comfort, far from civilization, far from the man-made world where most of us live. When people are in the wilderness, they can’t take anything for granted, not even survival. They have put a lot of effort just finding food, water, and shelter.
Yet God provided for Israel when they wandered through the wilderness. How might this have been part of His plan? They learned many things that only the wilderness could teach them: 1) they were dependent on God, 2) they needed to be purified of their worldly ways, and, 3) they eagerly expected to enter the Promised Land, where God would bless them.
John the Baptist goes into the wilderness, to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4). There John calls people out of the cities where they are self-sufficient and comfortable. They come to repent of their sins. John foretells the coming of the Messiah: Jesus. Jesus fulfills the promises made to Israel, and makes an amazing offer: “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Our hearts can also be like the comfortable, seemingly self-sufficient people whom John called. As we look forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas, we too need to repent of our sin and selfishness. If you are in a wilderness time of life, you too can be encouraged by this message of hope. Just like the people who travelled into the wilderness in the Bible, God will bless you as well, if you turn to him in faith. The birth of Jesus into this world which is too often like a wilderness shows us that God cares about us too. He surprises us by showing up when we least expect him. He brings beauty out of desolate places. He fulfills our hearts of desire by leading is to son, Jesus.