"So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people." -Luke 3:18
John the Baptist is preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus. He is calling the sinners of Israel back to obedience by way of repentance. Turn from your wicked ways and live anew, different, as you are supposed to. Then, “with many other exhortations he preached good news.”
In the Christian context, we think of good news as the Gospel — it's actually what the word means. The Gospel of Jesus is his substitutionary life and death for us to redeem us and bring us to God. This is the good news of covered sins, freedom, and the gift of righteousness.
But the Baptizer, in preparing the way for Jesus, preached good news to the people too. His good news was repentance. That was his whole message. He was saying, “You are people far missing the mark, and it is time to repent before God and come back to obedience.” Repentance is central to the good news that Jesus, and the rest of the New Testament, would proclaim.
We don't like talking about sin, let alone turning from it. But this is good news, that we are invited by God to turn from sin and turn to him instead. His loving kindness leads us to a place where we can repent, own our sin, and set it aside, determined to run after Jesus instead of to our former slave master.
Today, repent and rejoice that you get to by the grace of God. It really is good news.
This is an excerpt from Depths a daily devotional written by Jonathan Shradar.