SCRIPTURE: He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. John 1:8 KJV
THOUGHT: John the Apostle doesn’t want there to be any confusion about who the Light really is and he underscores that again. One is a man sent by God, the other is the God-man.
I think his point is well-taken in our world today too. Sometimes a preacher arises who is so charismatic that he or she attracts more attention to self and delivery and human agenda than to the humble Savior of whom Isaiah prophesies, “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him (Isaiah 53:2 ESV).”
John the Baptizer was on a mission from God, and it was incredibly important: that all men through him might believe (v. 7). If we’re ever tempted to see this John who eats locust and wild honey and dresses funny as just a bit player in God’s story, we should rethink that. Just as God tells Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5),” God appointed John to be his messenger. John was known by God in the womb. An angel tells his father, Zechariah, before his birth, “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:15-17 ESV)
John’s is a ministry and baptism of repentance, of turning eyes upward and telling people God hasn’t forgotten his promises; of turning hearts and lives around, making them ready for the coming of the long-awaited Messiah.
As astonishing as it is to consider, this wild man of the desert got it right. He didn’t go into the city, seeking out the religious or elite with his message. He stayed out in the desert, preaching repentance and baptizing those who would be made ready. And although his ministry was short and ended in violence toward him, Scripture remembers him as the one who came to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. Turns out you and I have something to be grateful to John for.
SONG: O Come, O Come Emmanuel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHd2zQQsHUw
PRAYER: Help us oh Triune God to never confuse ourselves with The Light, but to give witness to its power to transform a life.
Dear Reader,
I’m glad you’re along and I pray you will be blessed, challenged, and encouraged in your faith by something you read here.
There are archives by topic below – now more than 1000 of these daily meditations to browse.
ABOUT ME:
Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
FREE TO YOU:
If you’d like to be notified of this blog each weekday, please look for the little blue “follow” button below (just above the topical search), and welcome!
asipoblog.com 