John 1:19-28

John 1:19-28

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews out of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites in order that they should ask him, “Who are you?”  And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed that “I am not the Christ.”  And they asked him, “What, then?  Are you Elijah?”  And he says, “I am not.”  “Are you the prophet?”  And he answered, “No.”  Therefore, they said to him, “Who are you?  In order that we should give an answer to the ones who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?”  He said, “I am a voice while crying out in the wilderness.  ‘Make straight the way of the Lord!’  Just as Isaiah the prophet said.”  And they were being sent out of the Pharisees.  And they asked him and they said to him, “Therefore, why do you baptize if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet?”  John answered to them while saying, “I baptize in water.  In our midst has stood one that you have not known, the one who comes after me of whom I am not worthy enough in order that I should untie the strap of His sandal.  These things were taking place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Some of the Levites and the priests come out to John under orders from the Pharisees.  They don’t come looking to listen to John.  This is a business trip for them.  This is a fact-finding mission.  In fact, it’s worse than that.  They are looking to find a means to incriminate John.  They aren’t seeking God, they are obeying orders.  There is a legitimate lesson within these verses.  When we forget to look for God, His messengers can be right in front of us and we can miss their truth even though it is plain as day.  Even people who are well versed in religion and who have memorized all of scripture can miss God’s hand at work right before their own faces when we forget to continue to look for God.  Knowledge is no replacement for humbleness and submission to God.

Why do human beings so easily place trust in their own understanding?  How are you guilty of missing God’s hand at work in your midst?

Second Thought:

One of the coolest parts of this passage that usually gets overlooked is the innocent wordplay that John says when the priests come out to question him.  The priests ask John a laundry list of questions about his identity.  In one of the replies he says, “I am not.”  It is easy to see why this is overlooked.  However, remember what God says to Abraham when He identifies himself.  See Exodus 3:14.  God says, “I am who I am.”  From that point on, God’s most powerful name in scripture is “I am.”  Look at God’s name in contrast to John’s declaration.  “I am” and “I am not.”  John is humbling himself before God.  He knows his role, and his role is not him being God.  His role is not about him being the center of the universe.  Quite simply, when John puts his world together, “he is not” at the center.  Many people live life as though they are god at the center of the universe.  John the Baptizer knows the difference.

How do you live your life?  While you likely do not mentally equate yourself to God, do you ever live like it?

Third Thought:

We see another sense of true humbleness in John.  When asked about his baptism, he didn’t give any false hope.  John says, “My baptism is only water.”  Instead, John points to Jesus, who can truly save us.  What an incredible model for true godly living!  It isn’t my baptism that saves me.  It isn’t my righteous works that save me.  It isn’t those rare times when I do the right thing that save me.  Rather, it is Jesus Christ who saves me.  What kind of follower of Jesus Christ would point to anything other than Jesus Christ?

Who saves you?  How do you truly know whether you are saved or not?  When people ask you about baptism, what is your answer?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 1:29-34