Sunday: The Testimony of John the Baptist
Daily Lesson for Sunday 20th of October 2024
As last week’s lesson illustrated, the Gospel of John begins with Jesus Christ, the Word, in His eternal existence before Creation. But in that same prologue, John the Baptist appears as a witness to Jesus. Some Jews in Jesus’ time expected two messiahs, one priestly and the other royal. John clearly teaches that John the Baptist did not claim to be one of these messiahs but, rather, was a witness to the one true Messiah.
Read John 1:19-23. How did John the Baptist explain his ministry and mission?
Image © Providence Collection at Goodsalt.com
The religious leaders sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. With Messianic expectations high in Judea, it was important for John the Baptist to clarify his relationship to those expectations. He was not the Light, but he was sent from God to bear witness to the Light and to prepare for the coming of the Messiah (John 1:6-8). That’s why he answered them as plainly as he could, saying: “I am not the Christ” (John 1:20).
Also, John baptized with water, but Christ would baptize with the Spirit (John 1:26,33). John was not worthy to loosen Jesus’ sandal strap (John 1:27). Christ was preferred before John because He was before John (John 1:30). Jesus was the Son of God, and John merely pointed to Him (John 1:34).
Read Isaiah 40:1-5 and John 1:23. How does John use these verses?
In the days of rutted and rock-filled roads, servants were sometimes sent ahead of the king to level the surfaces of roadways and to take out sharp turns so as to smooth the way of the king. So, in fulfillment of prophecy, John came in order to prepare the hearts of the people for Jesus.
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In what way should we, as Seventh-day Adventists, do the same kind of ministry as did John the Baptist? What are the parallels? |
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John's explanation of his message is simple - It's not about me. It's all about Him!
And if we examine the Christian Church's history over two millennia, so much of the message has been about the church being right, rather than pointing to Jesus. It is not about us, or the church - it's all about Him!
I have lots of bird photographer friends. They all have long lenses and fast cameras. Many of them spend a lot of time "pixel-peeping". When they get together, they compare cameras and lenses. They talk about resolution, focal length, f-stops, and so on and so on. I saw a group of them once on the track all talking at once about gear when behind them was the most amazing scene of a couple of Willie Wagtails, feeding their chicks. These bird photographers missed the point. It is not about the gear -it's about the birds!
John knew what he was on about. He knew he was the messenger and not the message.
When we understand the witness of John and apply it to our own situation in 2024, we will have come a long way in understanding what "spreading the Gospel really means.
John's Mission and Purpose-John the Baptist's role as the forerunner of the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament, and he came to prepare the way for Jesus.
Isaiah 40-3 “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
Matthew 3:1-3: "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah."
John's Message of Repentance- John called the people to repent, emphasizing the need for a change of heart in preparation for the coming Messiah. He performed baptisms as a symbol of this repentance.
Matthew 3:11: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Luke 3:7-9: John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
John Identifies Jesus as the Messiah- John recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah and pointed his followers to Jesus, declaring Him as the Lamb of God.
John 1:29-30: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”
John 1:32-34: “Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’”
John's Humility- Despite his influence and large following, John always directed attention away from himself, acknowledging Jesus as greater.
John 3:30: “He must become greater; I must become less.”
Matthew 3:14: “But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’”
John's Boldness and Martyrdom-John boldly confronted sin, even rebuking King Herod for his immoral actions, which eventually led to his imprisonment and execution. His unwavering commitment to truth serves as a powerful example of faithfulness.
Key Bible Verses:
Mark 6:18: “For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’”
Mark 6:27-29: “So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter.”
John's Legacy- John the Baptist fulfilled his mission to prepare the way for Jesus, pointing others to Him. His testimony continues to inspire Christians to live with conviction, humility, and boldness.
Matthew 11:11: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Maurice,
Thank you for sharing God's wisdom and knowledge he's given you.
Faith to believe. In His service
"Look at us!" says Peter to the lame man begging for money. Reminds me of my older sister at the dinner table with our noisy childhood family of 7... I recall one time when she was banging her fist on the table, shouting over the din, "Listen to me. Listen to me." Why was Peter trying to draw attention to himself? Why did he want to be heard by this man? Was this prideful? No...because look at how that story ends...a man's legs restored in Jesus' name, this man leaping and jumping about, praising God. "Look at us, in Jesus' name. Look at us and see Jesus looking at you. Look at us and receive healing from Jesus."
This is John the Baptist's testimony, too. He was Jesus' cousin, and six months older. Family rivalry is real in human hearts. John could've resented the growing attention his cousin Jesus would be getting...and eventually did get. Could have been riled that Jesus invited some of John's own disciples to follow after Himself. Siblings and friend-stealing can be a thing, right? It ruffled John's disciple's that people were flocking away from John towards Jesus (John 3:26). But it did not bother John himself. John kept the main thing the main thing. He stayed focused on the fact that he was a witness to the Light, Jesus, but was NOT the Light. He was a lesser light pointing to the Great Light.
I read something interesting last week that fits in here. Notice in John 1:5-9....how if you skipped verses 6-8 the thought of John 1:5 flows perfectly into John 1:9. So John the apostle has inserted a bit about John the Witness (or John the Baptist) into his thoughts about Jesus there. It happens again in John 1:14-16. John 1:15 breaks into the thought about Jesus with a statement about John the Witness. Reading from John 1:14 directly to John 1:16 fits. So why these inserts about John the Witness?
Jesus prays in John 17:20 that throughout time people will believe in Him because of the word of these witnesses...witnesses like John the apostle writing this gospel book and John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. God has chosen that our words, inspired by His Holy Spirit, will be the means of everyone in the world coming to faith in Jesus. John 1:6 says "there was a man"...not a God-man, just an ordinary human being, like you and me. And this man was "sent by God" .... again, just like you and me....Jesus is sending us (John 20:21). God has set the process up so that believing in the Light happens through a witness to the Light. Romans 10:17 says that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word"... John 1:7 says that John the Baptist/Witness came "that all might believe through him." Through his witness. So John the writer inserts John the Baptist into the prologue of his gospel story to give us another witness to the Light.
And over and over, these two John's make sure we know that John the Baptist himself is NOT the light (John 1:8, 19-21). John's testimony is very clear about who he is not..."I am not the Christ. I am not Elijah. I am not The Prophet (foretold by Moses who would be Messiah). John 1:26-27 "I am NOT worthy to untie His sandals"... John 3:28-30 wraps up this humble, true testimony,
And that story about Peter and the lame man healed? Look at how Peter handles his sudden fame in Acts 3:11-13:
I like the story of Elizabeth and Mary in Luke chapter 1:5 on.
Thank you for sharing this Scripture, dear Sharon. I just read it. Is there a particular portion that stands out for you? For me, it’s Luke 1:35-38…
What a promise, “the power of the Most High will overshadow you!” With Mary I say, “Yes, please, may Your words be fulfilled in me. Overshadow me.”
Have a blessed day, my sister. 🙏🏻
Wonderful illustration on handling fame
What a marvelous testimony John the Baptist was. He was a cry in the wilderness because he rose among the faithful who were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Among the faithful were his parents, who raised him to take the calling wven the time came. They lived in the mountains a way from Jeruselem. His father went down to Jeruselem at least once a year for his priestly duties. As John grew into manhood, he chose the wilderness to live to avoid the distractions of the world. He was a genuine evangelist. Chapter 10 of the Desire of Ages is good reading for details.
It is Written. John confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
It is Written. John denied being Elijah or being a prophet.
It is Written. John said: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”
John was able to carry out his God ordained mission because it was clearly defined for him in the Word of God. As Seventh-day Adventists our identity and mission are clearly identified in the Word of God, more specifically, Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 14: 6 -12. John faithfully fulfilled his mission because he believed the Word of God and did not allow anyone or anything to distract him or deceived him. As members of God's remnant church, let us do likewise.
John warned of the coming Messiah, the one who was coming to die for their sins. That was his job. Our job as Seventh-day Adventists is to warn of his second coming, 'not to die for our sins' but to come as the 'judge.' Revelation 14:7 "....for the hour of his judgment is come..." We are to make that warning clear just as John proclaimed his message.
May our mission and our testimony and our anthem be the Hymn 570 in the Seventh Day Adventist Hymnal,"Not I, but Christ."
Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted;
Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard;
Not I, but Christ, in every look and action,
Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.
Not I, but Christ, to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ,to wipe the falling tear,
Not I, but Christ, to lift the weary burden;
Not I, but Christ, to hush away all fear.
Christ, only Christ! no idle words e'er falling,
Christ, only Christ! no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ; no self-important bearing;
Christ, only Christ; no trace of 'I' be found.
Not I, but Christ, my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ, my strength and health to be;
Christ, only Christ, for body, soul and spirit,
Christ, only Christ, here and eternally.
It appears to me that there is still much to learn regarding Jesus’ role in the Father’s plan of the salvation of mankind. The Jews needed to become willing to want to see beyond the Law which had governed their life for millennia. I consider that, in our time, we are called to learn to fully embrace the eternal implications of God's blessing of His Covenant of Faith through Grace.
John 1:7-8 - ”This man (John) came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through Him (Jesus) might believe.”
John 1:23 – John the Baptist said: ”I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD?”
What is that which 'makes straight the Way of the LORD in the wildernes'? - Isaiah 40:2-5. Is it not accepting the Father's Light embodied in Jesus Christ and acting upon it? ”And the Glory of the LORD which will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” We live in this dispensation of Salvation by Grace through Faith! Are we willing like John the Baptist to point to the Light - Jesus Christ?
Amen,not I but Christ.
There are lots of things that we could say about parallels between John's mission and the Seventh-day Adventist church's mission. But perhaps we need to take seriously how John emphasized that Jesus was greater and that his mission was to uplift Jesus.
Sometimes I feel our church likes attention and recognition. In a way it's understandable. It's human nature. But maybe it's time to move away from that.
I'm not against the institution of the church. It has many benefits and has served us well over the years. But I feel it is a vehicle and not an end to itself. Our mission is to bring the world to neglected truth before Jesus returns. It's not actually about becoming a huge church with lots of members and programs. I'm not saying people won't join the church or that they shouldn't, but that shouldn't be our focus. Uplifting Jesus is what it's all about.
As I read all the above comments, I felt an important aspect of John's ministry has been overlooked. John's message was one of repentance. I can't remember the last time I heard a sermon on repentance. Maybe your experience is different. According to Ezekiel 3:16-21 and 33:8,9 if we miss this point we could be in trouble.
This may be part of the answer to the question at the bottom of today's lesson.
Unfortunately, most sermons today do not focus on our obligation to keep God's commandments. Instead they tend to be about "cheap grace."
I likewise have not heard a lot of sermons about the "obligation" to keep God's commandments. But then again, I have not heard a lot of commands from my wife, Carmel about keeping the marriage laws either. I suspect that in our marriage (56 years), the glue that holds us together is not the marriage law but something else that is far more important than the obligation to keep the law. Maybe the preachers have been trying to tell us that there is something in our spiritual relationship that is important too.
I have likewise never heard a sermon about "cheap grace". On the other hand, I have heard how expensive grace is. There is a parable in the Gospels:
That is not cheap! And embedded in that story is something much more than law-keeping.
And a little story of my own. On the dairy farm we had a paddock full of clover and rye grass surrounded by a 7-wire barbed-wire fence. Our Jersey cows emjoyed eating in that pasture so they never even noticed the fence around the paddock.
I think you are missing the point. The texts quoted in Ezekiel should wake us up to the realization that we are our brothers keeper. The Spirit of Prophecy also makes it very clear that when we do not point out certain sins, we are deemed guilty of that same sin. This is not to be taken lightly but after much seeking the Lord and prayer, this must be carried out in love.
When a doctor knows of an ailment in his patient and refuses to tell the patient or treat him and the patient dies. Who is responsible?
After I've removed the plank in my eye, I am obligated to tell you about the splinter, lest it causes infection and you die. Your salvation is important to me.
At first glance, this might seem a minor point, but it invites a deeper question: how precisely does John the Baptist’s calling—anointed, chosen, and commissioned by God—relate to our mission as Seventh-day Adventists? The question of “parallels” asks us to ponder a resemblance rather than an intersection. Like parallel lines, which run side by side on the same plane, our missions reflect certain common elements, moving in similar directions. And yet, by their very nature, parallel lines do not intersect. They are always near, aligned in purpose, but they do not cross paths.
On the other hand, perpendicular lines do intersect, and therein lies the heart of the matter. John’s mission and our own, though moving along distinct trajectories, find their common point at the axis of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone. Here, at this divine meeting place, both our paths converge, united by the same central purpose: to prepare hearts to meet the Messiah. Christ Himself serves as that holy point of intersection, drawing together the work of the forerunner with the work of the forbearers. Thus, in Him, our distinct callings find their ultimate connection. That being said:
1. Preparing for the Coming of Christ (John the Baptist)-
Mission: John's primary purpose was to prepare Israel for the 'first' coming of Christ. His ministry was one of preparation and repentance, calling people to turn from sin and ready their hearts for the arrival of the Messiah (Matthew 3:1-3).
Message: He announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” emphasizing the nearness of Christ and the need for inner transformation to recognize and receive the Messiah.
Seventh-day Adventists-
Commission: Seventh-day Adventists are called to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. Our mission focuses on spiritual readiness for the end times and Christ’s return (Matthew 24:14; Revelation 14:6-12).
Message: The proclamation of the Three Angels’ Messages includes a call to worship the Creator, recognize His commandments (especially the Sabbath), and heed the prophetic warnings that lead people to repentance and a deep commitment to Christ.
2. Calling People to Repentance John the Baptist-
Method: John was known for his direct approach, fearlessly calling people out of sin and urging them to repent and be baptized as an outward sign of inner change. His boldness challenged people to realign their lives with God’s will.
Result: Through John’s message, many were convicted, confessed their sins, and renewed their commitment to God, anticipating the transformative work Jesus would bring.
Seventh-day Adventists:
Method: Similarly, Adventists are tasked with the call to repentance through the preaching of Bible truths: emphasizing the greatest commandment, which is LOVE, a return to God’s principles and lifestyle choices that are guided by the Holy Spirit. This includes the Health Message, Spirit of Prophecy (EGW), the 7th Day Sabbath (and the end-time prophecy regarding this crucial topic of the true Sabbath and the climax of the global imposition of the Sunday Law), as well as, the importance of genuine, whole-hearted, voluntary, conversion.
Result: This message seeks to lead individuals to a commitment to Christ, emphasizing personal transformation in preparation for eternal life and inviting them to trust in His promises.
3. Proclaiming Prophetic Messages (John the Baptist)-
Fulfillment of Prophecy: John’s very existence was a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). He acted as a living embodiment of Scripture, making the prophetic word tangible by actively preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry.
Voice in the Wilderness: By declaring himself as “a voice in the wilderness,” he revealed that God’s promises were coming to fruition, urging his listeners to recognize the times and seek redemption.
Seventh-day Adventists-
Focus on Prophecy: Adventists bear a similar prophetic message, centered around the books of Daniel and Revelation. These texts help to identify the events leading to Christ’s return, such as the mark of the beast, Sunday law, and the final call to honor God’s true Sabbath.
Voice in the End Times: In today’s “wilderness” of secularism and spiritual confusion, Adventists are called to proclaim that we are living in the last days, urging people to recognize the prophetic signs and prepare for Christ’s return.
4. Pointing People to Jesus as Savior and Lord (John the Baptist)-
Role: John introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), directing people’s attention to Him as the source of salvation and reconciliation with God.
Outcome: His ministry culminated in leading people to Christ, setting the stage for Jesus’ ministry by providing an understanding of His purpose as Redeemer and King.
Seventh-day Adventists-
Focus: Our commission is also to point people to Jesus, not only as Savior but also as High Priest and coming King. Through Christ-centered teachings, Adventists lead others to understand Jesus’ role in the plan of salvation and His imminent return.
Outcome: By guiding people to a personal relationship with Christ and a commitment to His teachings, Adventists help prepare believers for an eternity with God.
5. A Life of Humility and Dedication (John the Baptist)-
Personal Sacrifice: John’s life was characterized by simplicity and sacrifice. He wore rough garments, ate locusts and honey, and lived a life of self-denial. His focus on spiritual values over worldly comfort highlighted his unwavering dedication to God’s mission.
Example of Humility: John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), demonstrating true humility and a selfless desire to exalt Christ above all else.
Seventh-day Adventists-
Personal Commitment: Adventists are encouraged to be living testimonies of simplicity and devotion, focusing on God’s kingdom rather than earthly treasures. This includes stewardship of resources, healthful living, and acts of service.
Example of Christ-likeness: As John’s humility pointed others to Christ, Adventists are called to exemplify Christ’s character, showing that our lives are dedicated to God’s glory and mission.