02 Jan 26 | John 1:19–28
John the Baptist denies every title for himself so that all attention is fixed on the One already among them, whom they do not yet recognize.
Today’s Takeaway
True witness to Christ is rooted in humility: knowing who we are not, so that Jesus can be clearly revealed.
The Gospel
This is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?”
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Reflection
This passage seems to be a story about John the Baptist. After all, it is his testimony. What is actually happening in this Gospel is identity, authority, and recognition in early Judaism. The Jews that were referenced in this passage does not refer to the Jewish people, rather it is used to describe hostile authorities, referring to both Pharisees and Sadducees.
We know by the description of who shows up that this was an envoy that was sent with purpose. Priests and Levites are official authorities at this time, tasked to preserve teachings of the Law and investigating prophetic activity. They would have been Sadducees, the Priestly elite tied to the Temple and aristocracy. Someone was spooked with John out there and his activities were outside the Temple system.
This is reinforced when we see later that some Pharisees were also sent. This would have been a separate delegation, with Pharisees being Lay teachers and scholars close to everyday people. While also an influential group in the time, they were very distinct from Sadducees. These groups were both considered hostile towards Jesus.
When they start to question John, they ask him if he is the Christ. We all probably understand this to be “the Messiah” or “Jesus,” and John clearly states that he is not Him. When they ask if he is Elijah, this calls back to Malachi 3:23-24. Elijah was expected to return before the Day of the Lord, so this question was a natural follow-up to John not being the Christ. Finally, Deuteronomy 18:15 says, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him.” Again – a perfectly reasonable follow-up. Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah coming back then? So, are you a prophet who will walk along the Christ? John rejects all of these.
When pushed again to answer this envoy as to who he is, he shows knowledge of Scripture, quoting the book of Isaiah 40:3 “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” He is not claiming to be the prophet from Deuteronomy, rather one who is to make a highway for God. John’s holiness is not diminished by refusing honor or the title of prophet. It is strengthened by clarity. He knows the role he has been called to fill.
The issue that this envoy likely had was not just what John was saying, but that he was acting without their authority and outside the Temple. In this way, God is acting beyond the established religious center and it sets the scene for Jesus to teach on this later. We have to remember that Jesus is already around during this time. John even acknowledges that he is among them, but they do not recognize him yet. Also – since ritual washing was a thing in Judaism, it stands out that John is doing something that was traditionally self-administered. This would have stood out to the envoy because it is John declaring a level of authority here. This would be authority he was not granted by the Temple, something that would have raised a lot of questions.
As John is acting as a servant to others through baptizing them, he drops a line that could be missed if you are not careful. John says “…whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This is not just a sign of humility. The untying of sandals was something done by the lowest slaves. Jewish law exempted Hebrew slaves from having to do it! Now, John is saying that Jesus is so great, he (John) as a servant and slave to the Lord is not even worthy enough to be the lowest of slaves and untie his sandal strap. That is huge and would have really stood out to this envoy as they get ready to depart.
The fact that this story all took place where it did echoes where Israel first entered the promised land. It is a “new beginning” of sorts, with John kicking off a new Exodus. This would have all likely started to come together to this group, especially with John quoting the verses he quoted. Overall, this is a short interaction, but it has massive implications!
With all of this, there are two major implications in our world today. The first is the question every Christian has to answer eventually: who am I? We live in a culture with so many inputs and pressures. We are defined by work roles and titles, platforms, and recognition. John is questioned and has the opportunity to instantly catapult his status, but he doesn’t take it. It was not his to take and would have pulled him from his true mission. This brings us to the question we need to anchor on every day, who are we? Holiness is not how important we are, it is in how we appear to God – not everyone else. What we need to be most concerned about is our status in the Book of Life, not on the employee of the month wall.
Reflection Question
Where in my life am I being called to step back so that Christ may be more clearly seen?