John 1:15-28 (NIV) 

In the beginning of John's gospel, he’s doing his best to try to show how the story of Jesus is the continuation of the long story of God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel, and through Israel, a blessing to the world. He starts in the very beginning, moving to Moses and the law, to the coming of Jesus, and then we meet John the Baptist. This guy is in the wilderness calling people to repent and believe, and he’s seen here quoting the prophet Isaiah, announcing the coming of the Lord. But what will it mean? What will it look like? 

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1. What surprises you about this passage?

2. What word or phrase stands out? 

3. What parts of this passage remind you of the whole of the story of Scripture?

4. The Priests the Levites and the Pharisees all fail to see John for the messenger that he is because of their fixed categories of what a messenger of the LORD would look like. What fixed categories do you have that might keep you from seeing a message from the LORD when it shows up?

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