Scripture reading:
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
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