In the ancient world there were men who held an important job. They were required to go ahead of a travelling party to clear the path of fallen trees, rocks, undesirable persons or any obstacles that would prevent the travelling party from finishing their journey. They prepared the way. They were called 'forerunners'.
The most famous 'forerunner' to whom this title was applied symbolically was John the Baptist. Not much is known of John's personal life besides the role he played in the accomplishment of Christ's mission, but this much we do know. He was born to two elderly people according to God's promise to be 'the voice crying in the wilderness' to herald the arrival of one greater than he, as prophesied by Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1). When John the Baptist was two and a half years old a decree went out from Herod the king that all boy children two years and younger should be slain. John escaped this deadly fate because of the selfless courage of his father Zacharias who caused his wife Elizabeth to take him to the desert where he was raised to manhood. When Zacharias refused to disclose his hiding place he was slain by Herod's order, between the temple and the altar as he performed his temple duties (Matthew 23:35). So apart from his miraculous birth and a rough upbringing what we know most from the scriptures is that John's life was solely focused on being the 'forerunner' of the long awaited Messiah. One might ask why the Son of God would need anyone to prepare the way before Him?
We know that first and foremost there needed to be a person with proper priesthood authority that could baptise Jesus, even though He needed no baptism. John had this priesthood power and authority. His father Zacharias would have been the high priest had that office not been corrupted earlier in Jews' history by making it a political appointment reserved primarily for those of wealth and prominence. Upon his death, John would have been the next reigning high priest. The leadership in Jerusalem, including the Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees and the Sanhedrin knew who John was and what his lineage was. Therefore, his teaching of the Saviour's coming, the gospel, the performing of miracles and baptising would have created a fertile environment for Jesus as He began his ministry. If there was no John beforehand to vouch for and testify of Him, the leadership in Jerusalem and indeed the Jewish population would not have recognized Jesus as having any authority or position as He was a carpenter without any acknowledged political or religious standing. John's ministry also provided a nucleus of faithful baptised believers from whom he could call His apostles. These were men already converted and ready to serve, hence their ability to walk away from their professions and families the instant the Saviour called them. Such was the power of John the Baptist, a martyr, who valiantly testified, taught and prepared the way and whom Jesus characterized as "a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35).
And here is an interesting fact. Even though Jesus and John were cousins and John testified of Him unrelentessly, it can be assumed that he didn't really know Him directly. The only time prior to the baptism that they would have been in close contact would be in Bethleham before they were 3 years old and before Herod's death decree. After that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and John was raised in Perea, on the east side of Jordan. In JST of John chapter 1, John says that he knew Him but was told by 'Him' who sent him to baptise that he shall know the Messiah when he sees the spirit descending upon Him following baptism (John 1:33, 34). He might have been told prior to baptism that it was his cousin but he might not have recognized Him when he saw Him without divine assistance. The Holy Ghost descending upon Jesus like a dove was both a confirmation to John of the Saviour's identity and a spiritual witness of His Sonship.
Here is the crux of this story. In my patriarchal blessing there is an interesting sentence that goes like this: "As you remain faithful to your trust, your guardian angels will never forsake you. They will go before you to '
prepare the way' and will be close to you and give you strength to resist evil." As I studied about John the Baptist this year my thoughts were cast upon this sentence and I realised I had 'forerunners' in my life. I wondered how much harder I would have struggled in my life had not an obstacle been removed from my path here and there, a temptation repressed , a hurtful incident prevented. I realised that I could very well have come this far more on the merits of my forerunners than on my own strength. If we are sincerely striving to accomplish our life's mission, our guardian angels will ensure that obstacles of any kind will not be keep us from accomplishing the purposes of our second estate. And one day when we look back on our lives we will plainly see just how much these guardian angels have helped us and we will be compelled to say as Elisha of old said to his servant who trembled at the sight of the approaching Syrians:
"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they
that be with them"
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee,
open his eyes, that he may see.
And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man;
and he saw:
and behold, the mountain was full of horses and
chariots of fire....."
2 Kings 6:16,17
I attribute and credit some insight and phraseology in this blog post to my friend Larry Keeler who has enlarged my understanding of the scriptures many times.
