Daily Devotion, August 24, 2020

 

Devotion: Read Luke 1:39-45.

This week we will be exploring some of the unique learnings we receive from the writer of two volumes of the New Testament -- the Gospel of Luke and Acts. While all four of the gospels tell us about the life, actions, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth in order to convince us that he is the Christ, they are each distinctive in many ways. After a brief introduction, the Gospel of Luke begins with the news that John the Baptist would soon be born to the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, followed by the news that Jesus would be born to Joseph and Mary. The Jewish people not only remembered the promises of the coming of the Messiah or Christ, there was a renewed sense of expectancy that it would be happening soon. Many people wondered if John the Baptist, with his rough demeanor and urgent call to repentance, might be the one. All four of the gospels go to great lengths to have John himself deny this and point instead to Jesus as the Christ.

It is only in today’s passage in Luke’s gospel that we are told about the unborn John the Baptist leaping in his mother’s womb in the presence of his Lord in Mary’s womb. John’s role was to prepare the way for Christ, and he began early! Personal Worship Option: Reflect today on the seeming contentment John felt in his own ministry -- pointing the way to Jesus and later even sending some of his own disciples to follow Jesus. Pray for a similar sense of peace with your gifts and your own role in ministry.