John the Baptist bursts onto the scene with one basic agenda – preparing the way for Jesus’ public ministry; calling people to ‘a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.’ John was doing what the prophet Isaiah had previously spoken of – making a pathway for the Lord to return to his people. And this was now the time. Salvation was at hand. The people must return to God in word and deed. Love and justice really do matter.
• What do you need to turn away from that’s currently hindering your obedience to God?
• How does the idea of Jesus being judge as well as saviour make you feel?
• Is your understanding of Jesus too tame?
• What situations of injustice, whether local or global, might you begin to confront?
