Be Still And Know

Luke 3:7-8 John the Baptist was clearly a really interesting character. Matthew tells us that he wore clothes woven from coarse camel hair and existed on a diet of locusts and wild honey (see Matthew 3:4). There was nothing conventional about him. Like so many prophets before him, he spent time in the desert. He had a very simple and straightforward message: he called on everyone to repent and be baptised. Baptism was a rite that was used when Gentiles - or non-Jews – wanted to convert to Judaism. It was a clear sign that they had decided to change their lives, and wished to live under the Jewish law. What shocked John the Baptist’s Jewish audience was that he was asking them to repent and be baptised. They had assumed that, because they were of Jewish descent, and could claim to be Abraham’s children, they were safe. But John was insistent: everyone needed to repent and turn to God. This wasn’t merely a religious act. People needed to demonstrate that they were willing to change their lifestyle.