John 1:19-23 PODCAST
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in 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 Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in 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 Messiah.” 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” 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 wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:19-23)
John the Baptist was a maverick. He had not attended bible college or seminary and he had never been ordained by the establishment . He suddenly arose out of the common people and many were flocking to hear his message of repentance. His popularity posed a threat to the religious establishment.
When the religious leaders asked, "Who are you?," John's reply was clear, he was not the Messiah. Then they asked, "Are you Elijah?" They asked this because the last verse of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:5, is a promise of the coming again of Elijah. Elijah was a prophet who called down the judgment of God upon people. When people heard John, with his rough lifestyle and message, many asked, "Is this Elijah?" John replied, "I am not."
You ask, why then is John the Baptist treated as Elijah in the gospels? The answer is given very clearly in Luke 1:17, where Luke writes, "He shall go before the Lord in the spirit and the power of Elijah." John's ministry was like Elijah's, but different. And, it was his assignment to go before the Lord Jesus, heralding His coming in the spirit and the power of Elijah.
The Jewish leaders then asked John, "Are you the prophet?" They were referring to the popular expectation that one of the prophets who was going to return, based on the statement of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15. To this question, John's response was, "No." Then, they ask, "Who are you? John replies, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord" as the prophet Isaiah said. (Isaiah 40:3)
Like John the Baptist, we all have a burning desire to be great. The question is who defines greatness? You see, this desire to be great is God-given. Just like us, John the Baptist had this desire. And, he was quick to be defined by God. But, God defines greatness different than we. He defines greatness not by what we do, but by whom we serve.
John the Baptist’s life teaches us that greatness is not found through the title on our business card, or the amount in our bank account, or our accomplishments. No, greatness is found through service, according to the word of God.
John the Baptist was defined by God. His life shouts to us that normal Christianity is not forsaking greatness, it’s pursuing the greatness that comes from God. When we seek greatness from others instead of the greatness that comes from God, satisfaction is not to be found. There will always be someone else who does it better than we. There will always be some achievement that we haven’t accomplished.
John the Baptist was a humble man, because he saw himself as the servant of the Lord. He did this because God defined him from his conception. We will know how much we are defined by God as His servant when we are treated like a servant.
We can say all day that we are servants, until someone treats us like one and doesn’t say thank you or applaud our service. All of sudden we want to remind them how we’ve served them and we tell them to be thankful. In those moments, when those negative emotions come flooding our way, we begin to realize we’re not a servant, but rather seeking the greatness that comes from other people, not from God.
The greatness of this world will always let us down. It will not satisfy. The Lord Jesus comes not to squash this desire for greatness, but to satisfy it. He wants to fill this longing we have with the greatness that comes from Him. For us, the pathway to greatness runs through the valley of the cross. If we’re going to be great, we must be defined by Him. And, when we do so, we will be His servants.
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Like John the Baptist, we all have a burning desire to be great. The question is who defines greatness? You see, this desire to be great is God-given. Just like us, John the Baptist had this desire. And, he was quick to be defined by God. But, God defines greatness different than we. He defines greatness not by what we do, but by whom we serve.
John the Baptist’s life teaches us that greatness is not found through the title on our business card, or the amount in our bank account, or our accomplishments. No, greatness is found through service, according to the word of God.
John the Baptist was defined by God. His life shouts to us that normal Christianity is not forsaking greatness, it’s pursuing the greatness that comes from God. When we seek greatness from others instead of the greatness that comes from God, satisfaction is not to be found. There will always be someone else who does it better than we. There will always be some achievement that we haven’t accomplished.
John the Baptist was a humble man, because he saw himself as the servant of the Lord. He did this because God defined him from his conception. We will know how much we are defined by God as His servant when we are treated like a servant.
We can say all day that we are servants, until someone treats us like one and doesn’t say thank you or applaud our service. All of sudden we want to remind them how we’ve served them and we tell them to be thankful. In those moments, when those negative emotions come flooding our way, we begin to realize we’re not a servant, but rather seeking the greatness that comes from other people, not from God.
The greatness of this world will always let us down. It will not satisfy. The Lord Jesus comes not to squash this desire for greatness, but to satisfy it. He wants to fill this longing we have with the greatness that comes from Him. For us, the pathway to greatness runs through the valley of the cross. If we’re going to be great, we must be defined by Him. And, when we do so, we will be His servants.
To help BYM, click here
