Names matter, as I always say, and this is certainly the case with John the Baptist. God has sent John to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ. This child born to Zechariah and Elizabeth will be the last of the Old Testament prophets, in a sense. He’ll be the final voice calling the people to repent in preparation for the arrival of the Savior. And what does that voice’s name mean? What does “John” mean? It means “God is gracious.”
And it’s a beautiful way that this name is revealed to the world. John’s father Zechariah has been unable to speak since doubting the words of the angel Gabriel. But his tongue is loosed after he writes the words, “his name is John.” The grace of God frees him to speak again, frees him to praise the gracious God, the one who has set John apart to prepare the way for His Son, the One who will cover the world in grace when He is covered in blood upon the cross.
When John the Baptist calls his people to repent, when he calls us to repent through his words in the Scriptures, what is he doing? He’s calling us to let go of the weight of our sins, but not so that we can quickly run away from the wrath of a God who is pouring out condemnation upon the world. He’s calling us to let go of that weight so we can run quickly into the arms of a gracious God, a God who wants to cover us in the favor we never could have earned but that He wanted us to have.
So hear the gracious words of the man whose name means “God is gracious.” Run into the arms of God by running to the cross of Christ, by trusting in the blood the Son of God shed for you, by rejoicing in the forgiveness, life, and salvation He has poured out upon you. Your God is not waiting to eviscerate you or eradicate you. His hands are no longer full of wrath. They’re full of grace. Come receive it.
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