Tag Archives: John the Baptist

LUKE’S GOSPEL…I’BE GOT YOUR BACK – 16b

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“After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus not only responded to John, He also talked about John. If He had been one of us, He probably would have had a lot today about John’s lapse.  How could John doubt when he was the one who had been called to testify about Him to the Jews! Hadn’t he, John, heard the Father’s voice at His baptism? Now that John’s life was under threat, why didn’t he still trust Him even if He did nothing? After all, he was the one who told the people to trust in Jesus!

Not Jesus! Let’s look at what He did say about John. “Forget about what John has just done. I understand how he feels. He is uncertain and afraid. This is temporary, not the real John.”

Let’s check John’s track record. He was a prophet but not just any prophet. To him was entrusted the role of forerunner to the king…and he fulfilled his calling faithfully. 

Jesus even went as far as declaring that John was the greatest prophet who had ever lived…after only six months of ministry! 

However, Jesus also explained that John’s ministry marked the close of the era of the Old Covenant. No in so many words, He said, John was the last of the prophets who did more than predict the coming of Messiah. He, instead, proclaimed Messiah’s presence and introduced Him to His people. Herein lay John’s greatness and yet, even the lowliest member of God’s kingdom is greater than John. How can this be?

John announced the arrival of the kingdom, but believers in Jesus have the privilege of living in the kingdom. With the coming of the Messiah and all that He accomplished on earth, God’s reign was finally established in the hearts of those who were and ate connected to Jesus by faith and joined to Him by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. John’s was the final voice that closed the chapter of the Old Covenant and handed the baton to Jesus to usher in the New Covenant with all its completion of the Old. His work was not to be criticised but applauded because he had done what he was called to do. 

Isn’t this just like Jesus and, by association, just like the Father?

Jesus did not come to criticise or condemn. He does not see our failures as final. He sees our hearts. He sees the whole picture…and, most of all, He sees His own image in us. Whatever temporary lapses we pass through, Jesus is well pleased with us. He will erase from our book very failure, every mistake, every sin that has ever blotted the pages of our history, and present us to the Father pure and spotless…transformed into His image. 

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE BABIES – 3

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Once again, Luke tells the stories of the birth of the babies, side by side. 

“When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.  On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” …Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭57‬-‭60‬, ‭62‬-‭63‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Elizabeth’s baby was born at home, amid the joy and celebration of family and friends. Everyone in the vicinity gathered around to share in the happy event. The  ceremonies surrounding the circumcision and naming of the child were carried out according to the culture of the people, everyone present and participating in this momentous occasion. Even Zechariah’s dumbness was miraculously resolved at the moment when he named the baby “John” as Gabriel had instructed him.  

John went on, through an unrecorded childhood, to become the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, albeit only for six months, and then perished at the instigation of a deranged woman. 

What about Mary’s baby?

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This little baby boy came into the world in very different circumstances. He was born, not at home, not surrounded by rejoicing family and friends, not with the help of a midwife for this fragile, young new mother, but in a strange town, not even in a bedroom but in a downstairs room where the animals were sheltered at night. What an ignominious entry for the King of kings! 

Mary was on her own in this new experience with only the help of Joseph, her husband. What did he know about childbirth! She wasn’t even equipped to receive this baby. She had no layette with her on this journey, only strips of cloth which she probably tore from her own clothes. She had no crib carefully prepared with soft covering…only an animal stone feed trough stuffed with straw.

Joseph and Mary were forced to leave home and travel to Bethlehem, under government orders, during the final days of her pregnancy. So, Jesus came into the world in a strange place with an even stranger audience. 

However, God had arranged a reception to celebrate His Son’s arrival on earth far more spectacular than John’s welcoming party… a whole angelic choir that lit up the night sky and sang their song to the earth and to shepherds outside Bethlehem…not family, not friendly neighbours…just a few men who were low on the pecking order. 

Why did God arrange these circumstances for Jesus’ birth? John the Baptist occupies a few verses in one prophetic book in the Bible. He had a place in history and a ministry that took all of six months before he was executed in a lonely prison cell. He was buried by a few grieving friends and was forgotten by most. His story, important as it was, has a small space in God’s book. 

Jesus, by contrast, is the focus of the whole Bible, starting in Genesis as both Creator,  God’s agent in creation…the Word…and culminating as Lord of the universe reigning over all things from His throne in glory. How did He reach this point as the Son of God and the Son of Man?  

Jesus started small, a nobody, the son of nobodies in the eyes of the world, relegated to the animal shelter because the house was full. Yet, embodied in this newborn child was a calling to embrace the whole world through His coming. Born in the presence of animals, yet welcomed to the whole earth by an angelic choir, the circumstances of His birth begin and embody His story. 

Jesus came, as the Father declared, not for family and friends only, but for all who fit into the category of humans between animals and angels. He was born in humility and died in disgrace, not just to fill a space in history but to rule history. He has never been forgotten! There has been a groundswell of acclaim throughout all generations from the moment He walked out of the tomb. Unlike John, who was buried without his head, and whose bones lie somewhere in a forgotten grave to await the resurrection day, Jesus rose from the grave to take His place as the Head of His body, the church. 

John was born in comfort, surrounded by friends. Jesus was born in a rented shelter surrounded by animals. John died alone in a prison cell. Jesus died on a cross, in public view, accompanied by two criminals and surrounded by taunting enemies. John will one day be in the throng around the throne who worship Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords. His was the voice that announced the King. Jesus is the King who occupies the throne and whose word controls and rules the universe. 

 To be continued…

MARK’S GOSPEL…MESSIAH – 19

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Mark 8:27-29 NIV

“Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Before we examine the details of this conversation, we must understand its setting. “Caesarea Philippi”, is just a name to us but it was of major significance to Jesus and His disciples. This was Israel’s “ red light” district…a place of unimaginable debauchery. At a shrine near the source of the Jordan River, at the base of a massive rock, there was a temple built to Pan, the goat-god who was worshipped by having sex with goats. There were many pagan superstitions surrounding this geographical site, situated near the city of Caesarea, a Roman city dedicated to the worship of Caesar. 

Jesus purposely took His disciples there to illustrate an important truth to them. Using this  offensive site as background, if they really understood who He was, they would believe that faith in Him would change the hearts of the most depraved people from the “yoke” of slavery to sin to the “yoke” of disciples of Jesus. This rock, at the base of which the temple to Pan was built, would become the very place where Jesus would build His church.

To the disciples, this would be a vivid illustration of the power of Jesus’ yoke…His teaching based on who He was. 

So, in the environment of unspeakable evil, Jesus asked…

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

For once, motor-mouth Peter got it right! Always the first to blurt out an answer!  Was Peter speaking for the group or did he, in a flash of inspiration, really understand what he was saying?

First, Jesus’ reply suggested that Peter was sincere in his understanding of His identity, even if he only partially understood the implications. 

We must remember that the disciples shared the common expectation that the Messiah would come to Israel as a conquering king, dispatching the Romans from their land and setting up His kingdom in the pattern of David’s kingdom. 

Shortly before Jesus’s ascension, they still had the same expectation. 

Acts 1:6 NIV

“Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

So, when Peter confessed that Jesus was their Messiah, he was anticipating that Jesus would act like a conquering hero.

The exchange that followed blew that idea out of the water. Jesus was quick to introduce the other side of Messiah’s role, that of the “suffering Servant.” However, whatever Jesus told them at that moment, and repeated many times in the following days, fell on deaf ears. 

Mark 8:31-33 NIV

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

In one moment, Peter moved from “inspired by God” to “mouthpiece for the devil.”  How could that happen? His limited understanding of Messiah came right out of his mouth. It would take the death and resurrection of Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to complete his understanding of who God’s Messiah really was in all His fullness. 

Jesus intended to reveal to His disciples that the power of the Gospel lies, first, in His identity. Every believer must be convinced that He is the Son of God. Believing in Him means that we receive and honour Him as Lord – as Supreme Authority. 

Second, there is no power on earth greater than He…therefore, every demonic power must bow and give way to Him. There is no place or people on earth too evil to be saved by believing in Him as Lord. 

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – IF ONLY HE HAD KNOWN!

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IF ONLY HE HAD KNOWN!

King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “He is Elijah.”

And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.”
16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” Mark 6:14-17

What a stir Jesus was causing throughout the whole country. From north to south, east to west, everyone was talking about Him. They did not know what to make of Him. Never in their lifetime or on the 400 years since the last prophet spoke authoritatively from God, had anyone arisen in Israel like Him! It’s no wonder they thought He was Elijah or one of their great prophets returned from the dead. The last thing on their minds was that He was their long-awaited Messiah.

Herod’s conscience was his biggest enemy. He knew he had murdered John the Baptist through Herodias’ trickery and he must have been haunted day and night by the memory of John’s head on a platter, sightless eyes staring at him, silent lips accusing him, and he knew he was as guilty as if he had swung the sword that severed John’s head from his body.

Was it comforting or terrifying for Herod to believe that Jesus was the resurrected John? John had once indicted him for adultery. What would he accuse him of now? He knew he was a murderer and nothing could erase his guilt. His very conviction that John had come back was an admission of guilt but that brought him no relief.

One of the most comforting statements of Scripture is this: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:17. If only Herod had known that his desperate feeling of guilt was God’s merciful way of alerting him to his need of forgiveness. The very one who terrified him because he thought Jesus was John, was the one who could offer the forgiveness he craved, that could release him from his burden and give him peace.

This is the wonder and the miracle of the one who came from God to declare to the world that God is not angry with us. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men’s sins against them.”  2 Corinthians 5:19.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – AND SO, JOHN THE BAPTIST…

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AND SO, JOHN THE BAPTIST…

 CHAPTER 1: Verses 4-6

And so, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

 True to character, John focussed his attention on the one whose coming he was announcing. He was making the way smooth for the one coming behind him. John was a mere blip on the radar of history. Jesus IS history. Jesus appears on the radar screen, but He always was, unseen in the eternal realm and touching down on earth for a nano-second to realign a wayward humanity with God.

From the vast, eternal “now” of God, Jesus enters the time line of earth in human form, and in the manner in which all humans make their entrance – human birth. Mark assumes this and ignores the miracles that accompanied this special child’s arrival. Instead, he focuses on His entry onto the stage of His public life.

What is important about this performance is that John invites people not to be spectators but to be a part of this grand unrehearsed production. This is the whole pivot of his ministry. “Don’t just stand there looking! Get involved and be a part of what God is doing!” It begins with a change of heart and attitude.

For 400 years God seems to be silent and inactive. But that’s how we perceive things to be. The truth is that God has been preparing the stage for His entrance. The drama is about to begin.

A call to repentance and baptism is a call to a new awareness of God’s nearness and a new identification and participation in what God is doing. He’s come Himself to intervene in human history with a daring rescue plan. It involves taking the enemy on, on his turf, and playing his game. Satan’s ploy is to lure people by deception and enslavement into death, a grip that no-one can break. Jesus took him on with His eyes wide open. He set the pace and called the shots. He held the trump card because death had no hold on Him.

John could offer Jesus as the author of a new life for everyone who wanted to participate because, from eternity’s perspective, it was already accomplished.