Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
John 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.' "
John was not Jesus, he was not Elijah, and he wasn't the Prophet. So who was he? The Jews all wanted to know who this man was. "Who is this man that is preaching and baptizing all these people?" The answer is that he was a man. An ordinary human being that God commanded to preach and baptize. John 1:6-9 says,
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
John was a normal person like you and me. The Pharisees saw this and questioned him. John 1:24-28 says,
Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
When John was questioned about the commands God had given him, he gave an answer. He told them about Jesus, and how Jesus was so amazing, that he was unworthy to untie the straps of His sandals. (By the way, shoes and feet back then were known to be dirty and nasty due to traveling long distances without washing) I'm saying all this because we are just like John. We are people sent by God with a command to Love others. To tell them about Jesus and make a way for Him to come into their hearts.
God has given us a direct command to Love everyone. Yes I know that commands are rules, something that current society looks down on. But we're not part of this society. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 We're different because we know God's Will. So we all need to reach out to the rest of the world and let God's Love pour out of us. "I know it's not very comfortable talking to people about God, but do you think Jesus was "comfortable" on the cross?"
Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen
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