John 1:23-28

Posted by DJL on Jan 7, 2015 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

He said,
‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’
as the prophet Isaiah said.
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

John, in his own words, is the fulfillment of prophecy. He is the one sent to prepare people for God’s arrival to deliver the people of Israel, the one who, if not the prophet, is the one foretold by the prophet Isaiah.

His answer doesn’t completely satisfy his questioners. They want to know why he baptizes if he doesn’t hold the authority they accord only to the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet. In response, John downplays his work and instead points to the one who will come after him.

And here we discover John’s true purpose. He is preparing the way for Jesus. He is getting people ready for what God will do through Jesus. He is pointing to the work Jesus will do. While John baptizes people, his primary role is that of witness.

Here, too, we can learn from John. In what way, we might ask, do our words and deeds witness to God’s love for the world through Jesus? It’s an important question that John answers for himself even as he asks it of us.

Prayer: Dear God, enable and encourage us to give witness in our homes and schools, work and places of volunteering through word and deed that you love the whole world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.