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1. A delegation from the Sanhedrin questions the Baptist (John 1:19-28)
JOHN 1:22-24
22 They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24 The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees.
The delegates fired their questions like pointed arrows at the Baptist. These questions were related to heresies that they expected to emerge before the Messiah's true coming. But after John denied being the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet foretold by Moses, he lost his significance and danger in their view. Yet they persisted in asking who he was, and who entrusted him his message. Their aim was not to return to the Sanhedrin without fully assessing his situation.
The questions had nothing to do with Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 40:3), but the Spirit led the Baptist to this text. He described himself as a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. If he would not have given them indications from the Holy Scriptures, they would have accused him of authorizing himself and making up his own revelation. Then they would have condemned him for blasphemy. So John humbled himself and took the lowest position in the Old Testament, claiming that he was nothing but a voice crying in the wilderness.
We all live in the wilderness of our world. Around us is tumult and chaos. But God does not leave our poor world and the corrupt people in it without a helper. He comes to mankind to save them. This move from heaven to earth is great grace. The Holy One does not destroy us as we deserve, but seeks us and searches for us lost ones. His love is greater than our minds can grasp. His ultimate salvation includes transforming the wildernesses into green gardens.
The Baptist understood through the Holy Spirit that God in Christ was coming to our world. So he began to call the people to come to their senses and to get prepared to welcome the Coming One. His zeal for preparing the path of Christ made him the voice in the wilderness of our world. He did not call himself a prophet or a messenger, but only a voice. But this voice was authorized by God, not leaving consciences asleep and comfortable with their sins.
What was this voice saying? The gist of his message was: Arise, realize that the Kingdom is upon you! Order your lives aright! God is holy and will judge you. For every lie, theft, vice and inequity God will call you to account and punish you with hellfire. God does not ignore your sins. An evil person will appear evil before Him in all his sins. And the seemingly good person will not be better than the evil one for no one is blameless before Him.
The hardness of this demand by the Baptist leads to self-examination, knowledge of one's corrupt self, the breaking down of pride and a change of mind. Brother, do you regard yourself as good and accepted? Be honest and confess your guilt! If you have defrauded anybody by even a little then return it to the rightful owner immediately. Die to your pride and live for God. Straighten what is crooked in your conduct. Bow down deeply because you have done evil.
Many of those official delegates were Pharisees. They were driven mad by the Baptist's boldness because they claimed to be righteous, pious and good, meticulously keeping the law with endless passion, but they were deceiving themselves. They only pretended to be pious, while in reality they were inwardly depraved, having filthy pictures passing by their inner eyes with their hearts full of vengeful thoughts as a nest of vipers.
Their stern faces did not deter John from rebuking them, and reminding them that we all are in dire need of returning to God, to prepare the way of the Lord's coming to us soon.
PRAYER: Lord, you know my heart, my past and my sins. I am ashamed before you of my transgressions, open or hid. I confess all my wickedness before you and plead your pardon. Drive me not from your presence. Help me to return what I have defrauded from others and to ask for pardon from every person I have hurt. Break down my pride, cleansing me from all my sin by your mercy, o Most Compassionate of those who are merciful!
QUESTION:
- How did the Baptist call people to prepare the Lord's way?