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December 7 Malachi 3:1 –2 Forerunners Craig Blomberg, PhD Distinguished Professor of New Testament F or our first five years in the Denver area, my wife and I participated in a Sunday school class called Forerunners. e class was primarily made up of young adults in our late twenties and thirties. Many of us were married; a fair number had small children. e name was chosen because most of us were not yet the age at which folks assumed we would hit our stride and thrive in the workplace, church, and home. e Bible talks about a significant forerunner to the ministry of Jesus. According to the prophet Malachi, God would send a messenger to prepare his way (Mal. 3:1–2). In 4:5–6, this figure is identified as the prophet Elijah, who would turn the hearts of family members back to one another and presumably to God as well. One can understand why some Jews came to look for the literal Elijah to return from heaven. After all, he had not died but was caught up in a fiery chariot with a whirlwind at the end of his life to signify his departure from this world and his transport to the heavenly realms (2 Kgs. 2:11–12). How appropriate then if he were to return literally from heaven. It is probably this belief that John the Baptist disavows in John 1:21. But Luke 1:17 insists that John came "in the spirit and power of Elijah," while Jesus recognizes that John was the one who fulfilled the prophecies of Malachi (Matt. 11:11–15; Luke 7:27–28). John the Baptist gets more attention than anyone else in the Gospels besides Jesus, but we often ignore him in our churches. He may have been just the forerunner, but he played a crucial role in preaching repentance and preparing many in Israel for their Messiah. What do you need to repent of this Advent season? Are there attitudes toward God or others that are preventing you from appreciating Christmas and the spiritual gifts Jesus wants to give you? 2 7