In the book of Luke, it’s recorded that John the baptist was “preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.” He was preparing the way for Jesus, just as the prophet Isaiah had foretold.
John didn’t pull any punches in his preaching, and even made a point to insult some of his listeners, knowing they were not all genuine in gathering to hear what he had to say. But many weren’t offended by his harsh delivery, and it did elicit a positive response from his audience.
Luke 3:10:
The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
What an honest question. They had guilty consciences stemming from sin in their lives. They realized they had been disobeying God and they wanted to make it right.
So how did John answer? He unapologetically told them that they indeed needed to make changes, as they were not properly keeping God’s law. He was preaching a message of repentance, after all. So, they did repent and submitted to a baptism for the remission of sins.
Warren Berkley said this: The people knew something that many today miss: When God’s word is delivered, it calls for a response. There is something for the hearer to do, to receive what God offers.
John’s preaching served its intended purpose. People repented and received God's forgiveness. And Jesus later praised John for his work. So this was what sound preaching looked like on the front end of Jesus’s ministry.
But was John’s type of preaching just a fluke? Or, rather is this profound question (and answer) a pattern of what we should expect from gospel preaching? The next episode will answer that question as we look at preaching that took place… on the back end of Jesus’s earthly ministry.
