Monday: A New Understanding of the Messiah
Daily Lesson for Monday 4th of November 2024
Read John 1:32-36. What does John the Baptist say here about Jesus that the people were not expecting about the long-awaited Messiah?
The Jews looked for a Messiah to come who would deliver them from the rule of Rome. Long under oppression, the Jews believed that the Messiah would not only overthrow Rome but would establish them as a great and powerful nation. John’s words, however, calling Jesus “the Lamb of God,” although directly pointing to His atoning sacrifice, were probably misunderstood by the majority of people. They might have not known what he was talking about at all.
Image © Stefan pavel at Goodsalt.com
Thus, John with his Gospel wanted to change their understanding of the Messiah so that they could recognize in Jesus the fulfillment of the prophecies regarding the coming King and what He would do. He was not coming as a political and military leader but to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. That was His purpose. Only after that, when all is finished, will the final kingdom come (see Daniel 7:18).
“When at the baptism of Jesus, John pointed to Him as the Lamb of God, a new light was shed upon the Messiah’s work. The prophet’s mind was directed to the words of Isaiah, ‘He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.’ Isaiah 53:7.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 136.
In John 1:31, John says “ ‘I did not know Him’ ” (NKJV). So, how then did John come to know Jesus as the Messiah? The answer is that the Lord who sent John had previously said to him, “ ‘ “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God’ ” (John 1:33-34, NKJV). In other words, God revealed to John that Jesus was the Messiah.
“Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24, NKJV). Knowledge that Jesus is the Christ comes from God Himself through the convicting power of His Spirit. This theme appears frequently in John. Salvation does not come from worldly philosophy, science, or higher learning. It comes only from God to a heart surrendered in faith and obedience to Jesus.
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How would we know the truth about Jesus as our atoning sacrifice unless it were revealed to us? Why, then, is knowing the Bible and what it teaches about Jesus so crucial? |
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When I think of a personal testimony as a gospel witness, I think about someone who has had an experience with Jesus. We have been reading about testimonies of many - those healed by Jesus, those risen from the dead by Jesus, those who have spoken with Jesus...everyone had some kind of personal interaction with Jesus.
But John the Baptist was to be Jesus' forerunner, to go before Him to prepare hearts, and so it is pretty amazing to me that John's testimony is not from a direct encounter with the man-God Jesus. In fact, John did not even know who the Messiah was until God gave him a sign: "I myself did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'" (John 1:33) It's like John was in a relay race and did not even know who to pass his torch off to as he was running until God the Father said, "Now."
So everything John said about Jesus did not come from what he knew about Him naturally, not from normal human interactions. (Which is even more amazing as we remember that Jesus was John's human-family cousin.) Everything John said and witnessed to about Jesus came directly from God. God told Him what to say about Jesus. John knew about Jesus from God's own Word. He said, "Make straight the way of the LORD." (John 1:23, quoted from Isaiah 40:3) God told John that Jesus was the LORD (all caps), the Yahweh, Jehovah, Covenant God of Israel, God who is Creator and Ruler of the worlds and all beings. God told John that Jesus existed before all eternity (John 1:29-30), so that Jesus ranks above all things (John 1:15 ESV).
And that is why it was only right for John's disciples to leave him and to follow Jesus instead (John 1:35-37)....to follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). That is what our testimony is supposed to do too. To get Jesus more "likes" and more "followers" and more "amen's", not ourselves. That's my first big takeaway from John's testimony...how it was all about shrinking self/ego and raising up Jesus to be adored and worshiped by all.
And my second takeaway is how John's testimony is based exclusively on God's own Word. Jesus did not come to John with a healing or a conversation or a miracle of those kinds first. God birthed John through one of His earthly High Priests, Zechariah, a mediator in the Sanctuary service between His Word and His people. John's experience of God was an experience of His Word, even before he was born. The fact that John's father, Zechariah, lost his voice as he doubted God's Word (Luke 1:19-20) and then received his voice back when he proclaimed God's Word (Luke 1:59-64) is very symbolic, I think, of how pivotal God's Word was/is in John's testimony. He was to believe without physically seeing Jesus first, just as we are asked to do (John 20:29; 17:20).
We share what we have experienced ourselves, the measurable changes Jesus is making in our own lives, but also like John our testimony is pure faith in His Word. Without His Word and the faith He gives us through hearing His Word (Rom. 10:17), we would not see the sinfulness of sin and want help from Someone...the only Someone...who is spotless and without sin. A main theme of our testimony is that the whole world is covered with spots. And only Jesus can take away the sin of the whole world....and the wrath of God that remains on all polluted by sin (John 3:36). We hear this from the Word, from prophecy, and like John, it becomes part of our testimony.
Yesterday, I stopped to use the restroom at a fast food place. The music on the overhead was muffled in the restaurant, but when I entered the restroom, it was very loud. I was shocked at what I was hearing! My phone told me it was the song "Wake Up Call" by a band called Maroon 5. Very evil...about shooting dead someone whom he caught with his lover and how "I don't feel so bad, I don't feel so bad, I don't feel so bad". As I drove away still in disbelief that this was playing over the public sound system...it was a jaunty tune that anyone, even a child, might easily hum along with.... I saw to my left a giant pentacle mapped out on someone's lawn, a pagan symbol. Within minutes, my phone also showed me a picture on FB of one of my young relatives dressed up as an black angel in goth makeup for Halloween. This saddened me. A while ago all of these things would have felt "normal", but the grace of God shows us that this is not trivial or everyday. It is a sign of the spiritual warfare between good and evil. The deeper we go into God's Word as a part of our conversations with God, the more these things stand out for us....and the more we are drawn to turn from the "soft clothing" (Matt. 11:8) of the world and towards Jesus' robe of righteousness, and beg for the Lamb of God to take away all of the sin, we long for purity within and in the world around us.
There is quite a large group of Evangelical Christians who believe that when Jesus returns to earth at the second coming, he will set up a new Jewish Kingdom on earth. This idea lies at the root of support for Israel in the current Middle-eastern conflict. The storyline depends on who you listen to, but the key idea is that it is a physical kingdom and it will be established by war.
My concern is that this interpretation of the messianic message is not all that different to the one the Jews held in Jesus' time. It is all about conquering to win.
John the Baptist in his preparation for Jesus ministry, establishes the idea of a very different kingdom.
We really need to read the whole of John 1 to get the message about the Messiah, but here is a sample:
John gave special meaning to the sacrificial lamb. I am not sure that it was understood by many of his listeners at the time. If you have an extreme view of something, you tend to hear only what you want to hear.
John also records a conversation with Pilate:
The shift from the physical to the spiritual interpretation was a radical one - challenging enough to invoke the question, "What is truth?". Are we any closer to understanding the answer today?
Maurice – please allow me to respond to something you stated in the first paragraph - ‘a large group of Evangelical Christians believe that Jesus will set up a new Jewish Kingdom on earth at His return.’ I do not know the source which formed your opinion that refers specifically to the ‘Evangelical’ Christians as expecting Jesus to establish a ‘Jewish’ kingdom.
The definition of ‘Evangelical’ is: “a diverse group of people who believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of humanity and the “Good News’ of salvation”. [AI Overview] Is your opinion not a fallacy of reasoning – ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’? 'Because a large group of ‘Evangelicals’ supports Israel in its war, this means they want to set up a physical' kingdom’ established by war?
I consider myself to be an 'Evangelical' Christian and understand that God’s kingdom is at its core a spiritual kingdom. 'Evangelicals' do not expect a ‘Jewish’ kingdom, they expect Jesus to be the King of the New Jerusalem which comes down from heaven onto the New Earth which is sustained and governed by heaven’s authority.
They hope, as does all the world-wide Christian Ecclesia together with the people of Israel, that the current conflict will end soon, and that many will come to know Jesus Christ as their only help to rescue them from their dire circumstances.
The Book of Revelation speaks to the many wars of the End Times - heaven’s forces ‘fighting’ to defend the 'beloved city Jerusalem' against their physical foes arraigned against them. The final war – Rev.20:7-10; v.9: ”And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, ..”
God’s Holy Spirit in all its forms fights against evil in all its forms until it is time to set up His Kingdom here on earth to be governed by His Son - our King Jesus Christ!
There are churches who call themselves "Evangelical" and among those churches some of them hold the view that the kindom of God will be established be conquest at the Battle of Armageddon and Jerusalem will be established as the seat of government for the new earth. I am not saying all Evangelical churches hold that view. The Evangelical Churches are a very diverse group (and I add that the Seventh-day Adventist church's interaction with them has bee complex and challenging)
I don't have a problem with you describing your self as an evangelical Christian, but that is a personal, and quite valid description. There is quite a wide literature on Evanglical Christian churches and as one would expect, there is not a lot of uniformity.
How did John the Baptist get a New Understanding of the Messiah?
John the Baptist's understanding of the Messiah evolved through his deep spiritual preparation and his role as a forerunner to Jesus. He was filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth, and the angel Gabriel foretold his mission to his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. John's ministry focused on preaching repentance and baptizing people in the Jordan River, preparing for the coming Messiah.
When Jesus began His ministry, John witnessed the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove, and he heard God's voice affirming Jesus as His beloved Son.
This divine confirmation deepened John's understanding and led him to publicly declare Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
John's evolving understanding highlights the importance of spiritual readiness and openness to God's guidance.
How do you think John's experience can inspire your own spiritual journey?
How would we know the truth about Jesus as our atoning sacrifice unless it were revealed to us?
Knowing the truth about Jesus as our atoning sacrifice is something we couldn’t fully comprehend on our own because it’s a spiritual truth that transcends human reasoning and expectations. It required divine revelation for us to grasp God's plan for salvation through Jesus.
The first time He came as a Lamb, and many missed it. The next time He comes as a Lion, and no one will miss it, though many will be unprepared.
Each one of us has been selected by the Holy Spirit to fulfill a specific task. As the lesson today said, it is not based on our education, philosophical ideologies, financial standing, or sphere of influence, it is based on our willingness to be used by the Holy Spirit as the Spirit chooses.
My prayer today is for a humble and teachable spirit,
so I could recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit as He seeks to direct my path. My prayer is the same for all members of ssnet.org and for our church at large.
Today, I told my wife, "The more I get to know you, the more I love you." We have the same opportunity today; the more we get to know Jesus, the more delighted we will be with His character. Love is the most powerful engine of change!
All these are beautiful comments in regards to the working of the HOLY SPIRIT in our lives! Create within me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me!
“Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” – 1 Cor. 1:24 NKJV. I understand this to mean that the person not accepting Jesus lives/is without the power of God. Mankind lives under authority - God's or His adversary's; which authority to choose is up to him.
Mankind is in constant need to know 'what to do next' - what is right, what is wrong. Matt.6:32-34 reflects on that we cannot do this by our own strength. God chose to vest His ‘power and wisdom’ in Jesus Christ as our LORD and future King. This is not an invitation, but rather the revelation that man's existence is governed by the authorities of heaven.
Matt.11:28 and 1 Peter 5:7 reveals the authority our heavenly Father chose to relieve man’s 'burdens'. Again, I do not consider this to be an ‘invitation’, but rather as heaven’s wisdom shared with man lost without its guidance. The Holy Spirit points out that flesh and blood can do nothing to guide or sustain the living soul.
In my opinion, heaven's directives ought not only solicit an emotional response, but be understood as a revelation coming from heaven's authoritative source - the Holy Spirit. He informs us that man is in need of a 'Messiah' to rescue us - Jesus Christ; that we need God’s Power and Wisdom vested only in His authority to guide us throughout our life.
Be blessed all for your comments