I'm still jetlagged and feeling zombie-like. It's been raining like crazy daily and there's even flash flood alerts. um... yeah. So no sun and no shine for me... so i guess God is a fair God... as always. lol .Anyway, it's like still 1.00pm here and before i realized it's already 6pm eastern time. I got a shock. That means half the day's already gone for most of you. eeeeek!
John 1's basically a 'grand opening' for what's to come in the book. John the baptist had to go around drawing crowds to himself to make his message known. Before the people would hear what he had to say, they had to grill him for his qualifications first.
20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
22Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.
What do you say about yourself?"
23John 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.' "
24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him,
"Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.
27He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
and then it occurred to me that for John to be declaring to the people to prepare themselves for Jesus' coming, it took him not just faith but as well as humility and patience. It took faith because he had to believe in it himself. Patience because... he had to continue preaching it whether the people would believe him or not. I guess for me if someone were to question my credentials when i am announcing something of such IMPORTANCE, i must admit, I would be..... not be a very pleasant person... hahah. but John knew what he had to do, and he continued to proclaim to all to prepare for His arrival, and did so with humility. He knew how to not even place any attention on himself but to turn it all to Jesus. He called himself nothing but a "voice of one calling in the dessert". He knew how to minimize himself, and maximize Jesus.
Another things that impressed me was how easily the people believed when Jesus told him who He was. I think Jesus chose His disciples because they were available and willing. They were willing to believe the moment Jesus went up to them to reveal His identity. Instead of questioning Him, it really didn't take much for them to believe the words Jesus spoke. They were ready to believe. They were ready to follow.
48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
For myself, sometimes even when i feel like God is telling me to do something, i sometimes wonder to myself if that really is God and hesitate to follow what i hear. But Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathaniel were all just quick to obey and quick to follow.I know these are some areas in which i could work on. for sure.
2 comments:
wow this is a good start. i think God definately had his timing with those people, and we are lucky to be under His wings already.
but if John is not a prophet, how does he know that Jesus is coming and how does he know that Jesus is Jesus?
and also, how do I distinguish what's from God and whats from the devil? I know to use the bible to judge, but what about very little things? sometimes i can only tell afterwards because i know if i feel peace, then it's from God, not if unpeaceful. but how can I tell beforehand??
In Luke 1, before John the Baptist's birth, his parents were told by the angel Gabriel that "he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (vv.15-17).
John the Baptist knew Christ was coming and he was the one to prepare the way before he was even born.
The passage does not say John the Baptist is not a prophet, it says he is not "THE Prophet." This is the prophet that Moses refers to in Dt 18. In John 6:14;7:40, it's clear that Jesus is THE Prophet that Moses was talking about.
John 1:32-34 tells how John the Baptist was able to recognize Jesus as the Christ.
In terms of if something is from God, the simple answer is pray about it and talk to spiritual authority. The reason spiritual authority is important is because sometimes we just see what we want to see. We need accountability/mentors who won't just be our "yes" person, but are able to discern from an outside perspective. It can be more complicated than that at times, but that's the simplest answer I can think of right now. But a side note, if we screw up, we at least know for next time that wasn't from God and we learn from it. As we realize these things and seeking after God, we'll better be able to discern what his will is. It's just like spending a lot of time with somebody and they start to rub off on you.
Hope that helps and hope you're enjoying your break!
Post a Comment