Prophecies about Jesus: He is preceded by a messenger

Warming up prepares the body for exercise. And the opening act at a concert is used to warm-up the audience before the main event. It looks like Sabrina Carpenter will be the warm-up for Taylor Swift in Australia.

The prophets Isaiah and Malachi both said that a messenger will come as a warm-up before the promised Jewish Messiah.

Isaiah

Isaiah predicted Israel’s imminent judgment for their gross sinfulness. This includes the Babylonian exile. Then he predicted their deliverance from captivity.

In this context, in about 710 BC Isaiah predicted, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” (Isa. 40:3NIV). This uses an ancient custom of sending representatives ahead to prepare the way for the visit of a monarch and improving the roads he would travel on. The picture is that of preparing a processional highway and removing the obstacles (Isa. 57:14; 62:10) for the Lord’s coming to Jerusalem. The immediate application was building roads in the desert for Israel to return from the Babylonian captivity in 537 BC.

The gospels say that John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy (Mt. 3:3; Lk. 3:4; Jn. 1:23). The preparation was to be moral and spiritual. He declared that repentance is necessary to prepare the way for Christ – the Savior who would forgive sin (Mt. 3:1-12). He helped people come to Jesus. This was a message to the Jews announcing Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah. And that Jesus would rule over the earth in a coming kingdom. They had to get ready.

Malachi

After the Jewish exile in Babylon they returned to Palestine to finish rebuilding the temple in 516 BC and rebuilding the city walls in 444 BC. After this the Jews fell into sinful ways and in about 430 BC Malachi delivered a prophecy from God. He denounced their sinful behavior. They were offering blemished sacrifices, there was legal discrimination, they were marrying idol worshippers, there was divorce, they were withholding tithes, and making false accusations against God.

In it the Lord said, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant [the Lord], whom you desire, will come” (Mal. 3:1). Two people are mentioned: a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord to come. So, the Lord’s arrival in the temple would be preceded by another messenger sent by God. Then Malachi assured that the Messianic King will come to purify and judge His people and to bless and restore them.

The Bible says that this is fulfilled in John the Baptist (Mt. 11:10; Mk. 1:2; Lk. 1:17, 76; 7:27). John was faithful and became one of the greatest prophets (Lk. 7:28).

John was like Elijah who prepared the way for Elisha whose ministry was greater than that of Elijah (Mal. 4:5-6). John ministered “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk. 1:17). This is confirmed in the New Testament (Mt. 11:13-14; 17:10-13; Mk. 9:11-13). Like Elijah was opposed by king Ahab and his wife Jezebel, John was opposed by king Herod and his wife Herodias. Like Jesus, John suffered and was rejected and was executed.

His work

John prepared the way of the Lord by calling people to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus when He came to live with them.

John was to point out and identify the Messiah to Israel. (Jn. 1:29-34). He said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). And “this is God’s Chosen One” (Jn. 1:34). He lived solely to point others to Christ,

What happened to the messenger?

John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas because John told him that it was illegal to be married to his brother’s wife while he was alive (Mt. 14:1-12). Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. And then at the request of Herodias, John was beheaded.

Discussion

There had been no prophets in Israel for 400 years since Malachi and then John the Baptist appeared. The Jews should have realized that God was speaking to them again. That John was the “voice” spoken of by Isaiah and the “messenger” spoken of by Malachi. They should have been ready when Jesus began His ministry. John was the warm-up act for the main event.

Prayer

Father God, we thank you for sending John the Baptist to declare that Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. But He was just the warm-up before the main event. So most of all we thank you for sending Jesus whose death and resurrection provided forgiveness for all our sins. He is the final messenger from God to humanity.

So, we offer thanks and praise for all that you have done through Jesus. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Written, July 2023