約翰接受神的呼召
路加福音3章1至6節
1該撒提庇留在位第十五年，本丟彼拉多作猶太巡撫，希律作加利利分封的王，他兄弟腓力作以土利亞和特拉可尼地方分封的王，呂撒聶作亞比利尼分封的王，
2亞那和該亞法作大祭司。那時，撒迦利亞的兒子約翰在曠野裡，神的話臨到他。
3他就來到約但河一帶地方，宣講悔改的洗禮，使罪得赦。
4正如先知以賽亞書上所記的話，說:『在曠野有人聲喊著說: '預備主的道，修直他的路。
5一切山窪都要填滿，大小山岡都要削平。彎彎曲曲的地方要改為正直，高高低低的道路要改為平坦。
6凡有血氣的，都要見神的救恩。'』
信息分享
不過，聖經卻清楚記載，約翰一直等到神的話臨到他，他才開始公開事奉（三2）。舊約也經常出現「耶和華的話臨到……」這句話。對神的僕人來說，聽見神的呼召乃是非常重要的。當神的話臨到約翰，就意味著約翰在曠野的準備期已經完結，他要離開曠野，公開露面，面對他的以色列同胞。他們會接受他嗎？
約翰怎樣開始他的公開佈道工作呢？他先來到約旦河的下流，在耶利哥附近的一個村落開始佈道呢？還是他邀請百姓來到河邊，接受他的施洗，藉此表明他們悔改歸正？
顯然神藉著他向百姓說話，以至國中會產生某種期待。部分百姓可能讀過但以理書；另一些也許聽聞約翰出生的傳奇，或是知悉舊約記載基督會在伯利恆降生。當神開始行動的時候，祂就會將千頭萬緒的事物聚攏一起，帶來意想不到的結果。
當神的旨意與神的時間相合，神便會成就祂在我們身上的計劃。我們在事後回顧，便會清楚看見神的作為。感謝神祂今天依然不變。
JOHN RECEIVES HIS CALL
Luke 3: 1-6
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests,[a] the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled. And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight, And the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”[b]
Message
But it must have been quite a moment when God said to him “John, it is time for you to begin your ministry” (v.2). The same phrase is used in the Old Testament, “'The word of the Lord came...” The time of the call of God to His service has meant much to God's servants through the years since then. For John it meant his days of preparation were over. He must then leave the familiar desert and started out on his own to face the people. Would they receive him or not?
How did John commence his open-air evangelism? Did he start in one of the many villages not far from Jericho in the lower Jordan valley? Did he invite the people to meet him at the river to be baptized, showing their repentance for their sins?
There was no doubt that God was speaking through him. There might have been some sense of expectancy in the whole country. Perhaps some had been reading the book of Daniel. Others might have heard the story of John's birth, or the account of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. When God begins to move, He can bring together all the threads and the results are always remarkable.
When God's will and His time coincide, He brings about His plans for us. We look back later and see it all so clearly. Thank God He is still the same today