19 And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

21 “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Keith Hengpoonthana

The passage began with a key question: Who was John the Baptist?

So, I thought I would ask my 3 daughters who they think John the Baptist was.

• My 3-year-old: “He is a boy and he plays drums.”

• My 8-year-old: “He is Jesus’s cousin who baptises people.”

• My 12-year-old: “Isn’t he that dude who eats honey and baptises people and also baptised Jesus when the Spirit came down from heaven in the shape of a dove on him?”

The gospel accounts tell us of a man who appeared in the wilderness, preaching repentance and baptising people in the Jordan river. People travelled to John from all over Judea and Jerusalem in the hope that he was the promised Messiah. But the Jewish leaders were wary and suspicious at the attention the people were giving him, which is why they asked him the question: “Who are you?”

You might sometimes ask yourself, “Who am I?” Today, there are many movies, songs and books that pressure you to “find your identity, your purpose, your true self,” and they promise you’ll find it by looking deep inside yourself. Often, we just end up worrying about how others might perceive us.

I wish I was more like John. He didn’t care what other people thought of him. And he knew his true purpose – not because he looked inside himself, but because he knew God’s promises in the Old Testament. He simply pointed people to Jesus as the Messiah, God’s chosen saviour king. He boldly announces the good news with such conviction that he makes the way “straight” for people to recognise Jesus (v 23). It’s like winding mountain paths are flattened and straightened out, so that it’s as easy as possible for people to see and believe.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:11, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” I thought to myself: “Yeah, there’s no way I can compare with John’s credentials or his zeal for evangelism.” But hold up … Jesus continues by saying, “yet, whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” John was such a bold witness, but he died before seeing the completion of the work of Christ. We know even more clearly than John of God’s plan of salvation through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We have even more reason to share the good news than John!

What about you: Who would people say you are? I’ve always liked the chorus to the song “Nobody” by Casting Crowns:

“'Cause I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody 
all about Somebody who saved my soul.
Ever since You rescued me You gave my heart a song to sing.
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus.”

Pray that those words would describe your life and purpose too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.