Psalm: 39 Meditation Luke: John the Baptist was a Levite, Jesus of the tribe of Judah. Isaiah in chapter 40 prophesies John’s coming. By the time John arrives on the scene, there had been no prophet in the land – numerous false messiahs but, alas, no prophets. John had received the gift of the Holy …
Tag: John the Baptist
Tuesday, September 28
Psalm: 90 Meditation Luke: John the baptizer, recognized by Jesus Himself as the “greatest of men born of women”, was no coward. Please forgive me for such a crude comparison, but John may have sounded in his day (especially to the priests, elders, scribes, and Pharisees) as abrupt and unpolished as President Trump was given …
Wednesday, June 23
Psalm: 139 Meditation Matthew: The admonition here to become like little children, i.e., to be wholly dependent upon God, hearkens back to Matthew 11. There Jesus makes an astounding pronouncement: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom is …
Friday, February 26
Psalm 95, 40 Meditation: Mark – Not only does this passage show Jesus eating in the house of tax collector with other tax collectors and sinners, it also shows him asserting that he is the one they were preparing for. The fasting of John’s followers and the Pharisee’s disciples was in preparation for the coming …
Tuesday, January 12
Psalm 6 Meditation: John – In this passage, John the Baptist tells the priests and Levites that he is not the Messiah but the one preparing the way for him. They even ask if John is Elijah or a Prophet. John had his own position. He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. John recognizes his …
Sunday, December 6
Psalm: 113, 115 Meditation Luke: John (the Baptist) was born to a Levitical family – his father Zechariah was among those serving in the Temple. Zechariah would closely adhere to the Law thus when John was 8 days old, he was thus circumcised. That was the day the child would be named. John’s name was …
Friday, November 6
Psalms: 69 Meditation Matthew: this is Matthew’s account of the death of John the Baptist. It is Herod Antipas’ birthday and he gives to Herodias’ daughter the head of John the Baptist (at the behest of her mother). When Jesus heard of this He withdrew to a solitary place. The death of John was very …
Monday, October 19
Psalm: 9 Meditation Matthew: Jesus has compared Himself to John the Baptist – funny thing: both are found wanting. John is just plain strange –he doesn’t eat much (locusts and wild honey) and doesn’t drink, whereas Jesus is accused of being a “winebibber” and a glutton. As I say, one can’t make everyone happy – …
Friday, October 16
Psalms: 17 Meditation Matthew: John the Baptist sits in prison at King Herod Antipas’ pleasure. When John would die is anybody’s guess, but it was in the king’s power. Since John has time to think about it, he now wonders if Jesus is actually “the One”. He may even have doubted. Earlier John had pointed …
