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). Like Mary and
Joseph, he was another noble son of God entrusted with an important earthly
mission long before the world began.
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. This move cost Zacharias his life.
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 from his righteous father
who was a priest.
John's ministry also provided a nucleus of faithful baptised
believers from whom Jesus 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).
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 one 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 disaster
averted, 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.
I believe we all have forerunners; those who have gone on before
us who are invested in our success, our ancestors, who cry when we cry and
rejoice when we rejoice, who are whispering to us when the jaws of hell try to
destroy us, what 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
Next time life
overwhelms you, open your eyes and see your chariots of fire…..
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Ministering Angels by Wendy Keller)
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