The prophets of old, born of GOD's nation of Israel, and sent to the people were shown glorious things in visions of prophecy; many of which they didn't understand, and most especially in regards to the Messiah. Some of the visions and knowledge sent to them by God revealed the Messiah as a powerful, conquering King Who would lead His people Israel into victory and rule over the nations. Other visions showed the Messiah as meek, humble and suffering a terrible, ignoble death.
Such seeming contradictions were superficially resolved by the ancient rabbis: they believed there would be two Messiahs: the conquering Messiah King: Meschiach ben David, and the suffering Messiah, Meschiach ben Joseph.
We know that the true resolution is found in the Person of Jesus Christ Who fulfilled every prophecy made of Him as far as His First Advent is concerned as GOD's suffering servant:
ISAIAH 53:10-12
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
And there are yet more prophecies to be fulfilled regarding His Second Advent, and so they shall be.
John the Baptist was honored above all prophets and seers of the Old Testament, in that he was the one chosen of God who would introduce the Messiah to Israel. The LORD Himself declared that of all the prophets (ALL! Including Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel), there were none as great as John the Baptist! WOW, huh?
Recall his words concerning himself:
JOHN 1:23
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Just a voice, unseen and only truly heard by those who had an "ear to hear" (MARK 4:9,23) - a humble prophet who was content to 'take the back seat' as it were, once the Messiah appeared and began His ministry (JOHN. 3:30). The Pharisees sent inquirers to this strange, camel hair-coated prophet who spent his time in the Judean deserts, and when John declared who he was, and dutifully baptized Jews who came to him in repentance, they asked him:
JOHN 1:24-27
24... Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
If only Christian leaders of today's world would follow John the Baptist's example of humility and his tender willingness to yield the center stage to the LORD Jesus! Television abounds with programs where we see various so called ministers of Christ, with THEIR names emblazoned on the screen declaring THEIR ministry! They don't wear camel hair, they wear Armani suits. There hands are decked with costly gold and jewels, rather than rough-hewn and calloused like those no doubt, of the Baptists. Their feet are covered with expensive, fine leather shoes while the Baptists feet were probably covered in mud.
Televangelists boast and brag about their bank accounts, of their wealth and prosperity, of their status as 'a god' and empowered by - not the Force, but by the power of Faith (as if faith in itself is a power!?) - not so with the Baptist, though he exhibited far greater and deeper faith than all those ego-driven celebrities put together! The Baptist tells it true with no regard to his own station or promotion: "There is One here that you do not know, that I am not even worthy to be His slave who is bound to the most menial of tasks!"
How intent John was in exalting the LORD, debasing himself before others when he could have made a name for himself. He declares instead that "He..." that is Christ Jesus "is preferred before me..."
As Christians we should follow the Baptist's example, whose method of ministry mirrors that of the Holy Spirit Himself: He never speaks of, nor draws attention to Himself, but resolutely and always points to Jesus! The Holy Spirit is invisible, unseen and is content to be so. Likewise this Voice that is the Baptist - willing to be 'unseen' as any voice is, and rather let people see CHRIST instead! Let us be "all about Jesus" and point others to Him and if we boast of anything at all - let our boasts be limited to these two things: How great is our God and how weak we are without Him!
Before we end this exhortation, lets turn to a parallel passage in Luke Ch. 3 . . .
LUKE 3:16-17
16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
The Baptist used water to baptize; yet the LORD Jesus baptized His followers with the Holy Spirit and with tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost (ACTS 2)! And the Baptist declared that when the Messiah came, He would purge His floor - that floor being the land of Israel no doubt, and those purged would be His people dwelling on the land. Yet "not all are Israel that are of Israel" (ROM. 9:5-7) and those who are not Jews by spiritual faith are chaff, being merely physical descendants of Abraham only; he is the father of the faithful. These who are chaff will be purged and He will burn them with fire unquenchable!
The same goes for the chaff that represents unbelieving Gentiles!
While humble and ever willing to take that place of humility, the Baptist didn't mince words, nor did he spare feelings! He declared the truth and warned people of the coming Judgment!
May we likewise not become slack and timid when it comes to such declarations and warnings towards those who are yet unbelieving and unrepentant! Even among our family members who might get upset with us for our boldness; even if we risk the anger of friends by telling them the Gospel truth!
ALSO, something else to consider:
The ministry of WATER (a type for the Word of GOD; EPH 5:26) and that ministry of FIRE (That is the Spirit of GOD; HEB. 12:29) are both to be employed by the child of GOD in reaching the lost! I recall these words from a teacher I had early on in my Christian walk:
"The Word without the Spirit - you dry up; the Spirit without the Word - you blow up; the Spirit with the Word - you grow up!"
Let us therefore "grow in the grace and the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ" (2 PET 3:18) and meet the challenge of reaching this, our generation, with the Gospel of Salvation, with the FIRE and WATER! The water to wash the spiritual filth and to quench the spiritual thirst that this weary world suffers; the fire to bear the light for those spiritually blind that they may see their condition before our Holy GOD, to hold the unrepentant to its flame so that they may feel the heat of GOD's coming judgment and wrath and by GOD's grace - may these lost ones turn away from the danger before them and come to salvation!
AMEN!!
Next time we shall behold more JEWELS from the GOSPEL of JOHN, from the text of JOHN 1:29-34, entitled: The LAMB and the DOVE!
John the Baptist was honored above all prophets and seers of the Old Testament, in that he was the one chosen of God who would introduce the Messiah to Israel. The LORD Himself declared that of all the prophets (ALL! Including Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel), there were none as great as John the Baptist! WOW, huh?
Recall his words concerning himself:
JOHN 1:23
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Just a voice, unseen and only truly heard by those who had an "ear to hear" (MARK 4:9,23) - a humble prophet who was content to 'take the back seat' as it were, once the Messiah appeared and began His ministry (JOHN. 3:30). The Pharisees sent inquirers to this strange, camel hair-coated prophet who spent his time in the Judean deserts, and when John declared who he was, and dutifully baptized Jews who came to him in repentance, they asked him:
JOHN 1:24-27
24... Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
If only Christian leaders of today's world would follow John the Baptist's example of humility and his tender willingness to yield the center stage to the LORD Jesus! Television abounds with programs where we see various so called ministers of Christ, with THEIR names emblazoned on the screen declaring THEIR ministry! They don't wear camel hair, they wear Armani suits. There hands are decked with costly gold and jewels, rather than rough-hewn and calloused like those no doubt, of the Baptists. Their feet are covered with expensive, fine leather shoes while the Baptists feet were probably covered in mud.
Televangelists boast and brag about their bank accounts, of their wealth and prosperity, of their status as 'a god' and empowered by - not the Force, but by the power of Faith (as if faith in itself is a power!?) - not so with the Baptist, though he exhibited far greater and deeper faith than all those ego-driven celebrities put together! The Baptist tells it true with no regard to his own station or promotion: "There is One here that you do not know, that I am not even worthy to be His slave who is bound to the most menial of tasks!"
How intent John was in exalting the LORD, debasing himself before others when he could have made a name for himself. He declares instead that "He..." that is Christ Jesus "is preferred before me..."
As Christians we should follow the Baptist's example, whose method of ministry mirrors that of the Holy Spirit Himself: He never speaks of, nor draws attention to Himself, but resolutely and always points to Jesus! The Holy Spirit is invisible, unseen and is content to be so. Likewise this Voice that is the Baptist - willing to be 'unseen' as any voice is, and rather let people see CHRIST instead! Let us be "all about Jesus" and point others to Him and if we boast of anything at all - let our boasts be limited to these two things: How great is our God and how weak we are without Him!
Before we end this exhortation, lets turn to a parallel passage in Luke Ch. 3 . . .
LUKE 3:16-17
16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
The Baptist used water to baptize; yet the LORD Jesus baptized His followers with the Holy Spirit and with tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost (ACTS 2)! And the Baptist declared that when the Messiah came, He would purge His floor - that floor being the land of Israel no doubt, and those purged would be His people dwelling on the land. Yet "not all are Israel that are of Israel" (ROM. 9:5-7) and those who are not Jews by spiritual faith are chaff, being merely physical descendants of Abraham only; he is the father of the faithful. These who are chaff will be purged and He will burn them with fire unquenchable!
The same goes for the chaff that represents unbelieving Gentiles!
While humble and ever willing to take that place of humility, the Baptist didn't mince words, nor did he spare feelings! He declared the truth and warned people of the coming Judgment!
May we likewise not become slack and timid when it comes to such declarations and warnings towards those who are yet unbelieving and unrepentant! Even among our family members who might get upset with us for our boldness; even if we risk the anger of friends by telling them the Gospel truth!
ALSO, something else to consider:
The ministry of WATER (a type for the Word of GOD; EPH 5:26) and that ministry of FIRE (That is the Spirit of GOD; HEB. 12:29) are both to be employed by the child of GOD in reaching the lost! I recall these words from a teacher I had early on in my Christian walk:
"The Word without the Spirit - you dry up; the Spirit without the Word - you blow up; the Spirit with the Word - you grow up!"
Let us therefore "grow in the grace and the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ" (2 PET 3:18) and meet the challenge of reaching this, our generation, with the Gospel of Salvation, with the FIRE and WATER! The water to wash the spiritual filth and to quench the spiritual thirst that this weary world suffers; the fire to bear the light for those spiritually blind that they may see their condition before our Holy GOD, to hold the unrepentant to its flame so that they may feel the heat of GOD's coming judgment and wrath and by GOD's grace - may these lost ones turn away from the danger before them and come to salvation!
AMEN!!
Next time we shall behold more JEWELS from the GOSPEL of JOHN, from the text of JOHN 1:29-34, entitled: The LAMB and the DOVE!
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