- araratchurch
- Jan 2
- 2 min read
“He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.“
John 1:8 NKJV
After Jesus had been baptized by John and had begun His public ministry, He began to attract many followers who His disciples were baptizing. Having observed this, John’s remaining disciples (we know that two of John’s former disciples were Jesus’ first two disciples) were complaining to John about the crowd Jesus was drawing. This was John’s response:
“John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.“
John 3:27-31 NKJV
You see, John was sent to witness of Christ; he was not sent to draw attention to himself. Indeed, John’s job was to point people—even his former disciples—to the true Light, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.
We see that Jesus spoke highly of John, acknowledging that John had, indeed, born witness of Who He was.
“You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
John 5:33-36 NKJV
Friend, our job, our call, is to do what John did: calling people to repentance and pointing them to the King of kings. Anyone who does not point their followers to Christ and His rule, is not a true witness of Christ, but of their own self.
Indeed, some would say they are working for the Lord. Yet, all the while, all the “arrows” point to themselves, with the name of Jesus rarely invoked.
Let’s make sure that all we do in our lives, ultimately points back to He Who is above all.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jan 1
- 2 min read
12 “This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.”
John 1:7 NKJV
On “Day 4” we saw that Jesus referenced Himself as “the Light.” In that same discourse, Jesus was confronted by the religious leaders who were questioning by what authority He made the claims concerning Himself. Basically, they were accusing Him of being His own witness. This was Jesus’ answer:
“Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.””
John 8:14-18 NKJV
The law Jesus employed in his rebuttal, is found in Deuteronomy 17:6 and Deuteronomy 19:15, the former referencing when someone commits something worthy of death, the latter referencing any crime a person is accused of committing.
Jesus specifically references the same law, in terms of dealing with someone who has done you wrong.
“But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’“
Matthew 18:16 NKJV
Paul references this law when addressing the church at Corinth.
“This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.””
II Corinthians 13:1 NKJV
[Paul is apparently not referencing that he is addressing the issue three times per se, but that his response to them is based on the accounts of the behavior (immorality, and division) continuing. Therefore the offense has been established.]
In our portion of John 1 being considered today, we see that John was sent from God to be a witness to the Light, a witness that Jesus was the Christ.
So, we see that the Lord honors His own law. That is, in addition to the myriad witnesses of prophecies pointing to the appearance of the Messiah, the Lord also provided “a voice crying in the wilderness,” witnessing to Jesus’ Identity.
The prophecy we considered yesterday in Malachi 3, should have served as another sure sign of who John was: the witness, the messenger, as well as that Jesus was the Christ. But, as we know, not only was the witness rejected, indeed killed, so also the One he introduced was crucified.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Dec 31, 2024
- 2 min read
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.“
John 1:6 NKJV
Peter, by the Holy Spirit, declared that Jesus was the Christ. Soon after this, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain. On that mountain, they saw Jesus transfigured before their very eyes. As well, they heard a Voice speaking from heaven, confirming that Jesus was the beloved Son of God!
The full realization of Who Jesus truly was, led the disciples to ask a question concerning a messianic prophecy:
”And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.“
Matthew 17:10-13 NKJV
The prophecy being questioned by the disciples, was from Malachi:
“”Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.“
Malachi 3:1 NKJV
So, we see that Jesus confirmed that John was operating in the spirit of Elijah. John the Baptizer was not literally the person of Elijah, but operated in his anointing.
Indeed, John himself affirmed that he was the prophesied “voice crying in the wilderness.”
“Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”“
John 1:22-23 NKJV
Recently, as we celebrated the birth of Jesus, we considered the story of Mary visiting her relative, Elizabeth, who had miraculously conceived a child in her old age. Now, that child turned out to be the zealous baptizer, urging people to repent, preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus.
The Lord not only sent His beloved Son, but also sent the one who would prepare His way, just as had been prophesied. Consider, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God. And, there is no entrance into His eternal Kingdom without repentance.
When considering the awesome part that John, the baptizer, played in preparing the way for our Lord, remember, everyone who will yield their lives to the purposes of God, will find that they too can be part of the wonderful tapestry of God’s will, ultimately leading to His coming Kingdom!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!