4: Humble Messengers? (John 1:19-28)

Some people really could be mistaken for someone else - someone famous.

My father-in-law, Tony Morton has been mistaken for John Kennedy.

A few years ago, Madi Quintero said a Dallas Cowboys fan asked for Rob’s autograph - thinking he was Dak Prescott (QB of Cowboys)

You could have a lot of fun with that, huh?!?!

In our celebrity culture it seems strange for anyone to push the spotlight away from self and onto another, but that’s exactly what main character of today’s study does. As we saw a couple of weeks ago, John the Baptist was a humble messenger, and I think we can learn ONE LIFE LESSON that will help us become humble messengers for our honorable Messiah.

PRAY

John the Baptist was causing quite a fuss among the Jewish people of his day. Some thought he was from God and others thought he was a false teacher. So, the Jews from Jerusalem send priests and Levites to investigate John.

Investigating the Baptist

John 1:19–22 (CSB) This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He didn’t deny it but confessed: “I am not the Messiah.”

“What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?” “I am not,” he said. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he answered.

“Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

All priests were from the tribe of Levi and the family tree of Aaron (brother of Moses). The other Levites assisted in the temple worship. Some were musicians and others served as temple police. (Did you know? John the Baptist and his father were Levites too?)

So here we have leaders from the temple in Jerusalem wandering out into the country to interrogate this strange man, asking, “Who are you…Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet?”

The Jewish people were on the lookout for the Messiah (Gr. Christ). They expected Him to come in their day based on prophecies in Daniel 9:24–26.

But if John the Baptist wasn't the Messiah, they wondered if he could be Elijah returned from heaven. After all, John looked and acted a lot like Elijah had (Mk. 1:6; 2 Ki. 1:8). Further, the Jewish people expected Elijah to return and prepare the way for the Messiah based on Malachi 3:1-3 & 4:5–6.

Malachi 3:1 (LEB) “Look! I am going to send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come,” says Yahweh of hosts.

Malachi 4:5–6 (LEB) Look! I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh! And he will bring back the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and the hearts of the sons to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with a ban.”

* Although John denied being Elijah returned from heaven - as we’re about to see - John did fulfill the prophecies referring to Elijah. I have included a brief writing that dives a little deeper, which you can read on your own.

Indeed, John DID fulfill this prophecy as the angel told his father before His birth.

Luke 1:16–17 (CSB) He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”

Jesus clarifies this for His apostles just before His death.

Matthew 17:10–13 (CSB) So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” he replied.

“But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

Further, the Jewish people had long awaited a prophet like Moses (Moses 2.0), whom they called the prophet, based on Deut 18:15. The apostle Peter later applies this to Jesus (Acts 3:22–23).

So, John denied being the Messiah. He denied being the literal Elijah returned from heaven, and he denied being the Prophet.

It’s time for John to answer, and he does, saying he is the fulfillment of from Isaiah 40:3, written 700 years beforehand.

The Messiah’s Messenger

John 1:23 (CSB) He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

All four gospels connect John the Baptist to fulfilling Isaiah 40:3 (cf. Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). Only here, however, does he actually quote the verse himself.

John is paving the path for the Lord! John is NOT the Messiah, but the Messenger, heralding the arrival of the coming King. Instead of trying to steal the spotlight, John continues to, like the moon, simply reflect the glory of the SON. We should follow John’s humble example, that we might constantly remember…

HE >me

We are MESSENGERS, not MESSIAHS.

John 1:24-28 (CSB) Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

“I baptize with water,” John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

This is the first mention of the Pharisees, but it will not be the last. While John never mentions the Sadducees (more liberal - think of theological Democrats), he often references the Pharisees (more conservative - theological Republicans) as Jewish academics and council members who plotted with the chief priests to do away with Jesus (e.g., 7:32, 45; 9:13, 40; 11:47, 57; 18:3).

“Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” They might have accepted baptism of Jews by one of these end-time authority figures, but by whose authority was this hairy wilderness man able to baptize Jews?

Jewish people were very familiar with ceremonial washing, where they would submerge themselves as a picture of being purified.

But only proselytes - Gentiles converting to the Jewish faith - would be baptized by another. John taught that it wasn’t enough to be born Jewish. In order to belong to God’s family, one must REPENT of sin and prepare to meet the Messiah, who was about to appear.

This is a good reminder to those of us that think we make it into God’s family because of some sort of FAITH FAMILY TREE. Your parents & grandparents don’t get you in. God has NO GRANDCHILDREN - only CHILDREN…who repent of sin and run to Him!

The Baptizer says that the one coming is so great that John isn’t worthy to untie His sandal strap. According to rabbinic tradition (in Babylonian Talmud), the rabbi could demand his students willingly serve with the exception of touching his feet. This was the job of the lowest servant, yet John didn’t consider himself worthy to do that! This speaks not only to the humility of John but also the greatness of Jesus, God in skin. John understood that…

HE >me

John was a humble messenger of Jesus…ARE WE? John had a couple of advantages on us.

John actually SAW & SPOKE to Jesus - next week we will talk about this In more detail. John had a special calling that no one else had - a calling he was born for - to prepare people for the coming of the King. John was empowered with the Holy Spirit. We are given the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11) John wasn’t distracted. He was simple, seeking, & living a holy life. Are you DISTRACTED? Identify the distractions. Make time to open the Scriptures (put down the technology). Make time for people who are seeking & sharing Jesus. John cared about the souls of others. He was a man who would plead for people to repent before it was too late. Do YOU care about the souls of others? PRAY for God to send workers to them. ASK GOD to use YOU! Open your MOUTH to plead with them & persuade them.

This is what it looks like when…

HE > me

What could Jesus do through His people who lived like that, people who choose to reflect HIS glory to our Christ-less culture?

WHAT are you doing to point others to Jesus? When’s the last time you shared Jesus with another?