Reflection on my reading on Matt 3 in the One Year New Testament.

Wild Methods

John the Baptist (JB for short), was a camel skin-wearing, wilderness-living, locust-eating, wild man!  His message was,

“Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’’ Matt 3:3  

His unconventional methods drew many people from the region to repent. John the Baptist’s wild methods and message were refreshing to the people who were tired of stale religious ritual. In JB they saw raw fresh faith that they aspired to have!

Wild Courage

JB had a the courage to stand up to the religious leaders of the day, even calling them a “brood of snakes!”  He didn’t mind upsetting the status quo if it was not pleasing to God.

Wild Humility

When Jesus came to JB to be baptized John tried to talk Jesus out of it and said that he wanted to be baptized by him. But since you shouldn’t argue with God, he baptized Jesus and witnessed one of the few moments in the Bible where you hear the voice of the Father, see the Spirit (in the form of a dove), and see Jesus all in the same place!

Wanted: Wild Men and Women

None of us have the unique task JB had, so God’s probably not calling you to live in the Judean desert and eat bugs. But I believe that more of us need to be willing to wildly follow what Jesus is telling us.

When was the last time you did something that didn’t make sense to the world because of your faith?

I believe that the world is changed by men and women wild enough to believe that what God has called them to do will make a difference.

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