20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.”
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the LORD ’s coming!’”
24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent
25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.
27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
-John 1:19-28
John the Baptist was out in the wilderness teaching people the way of the Lord and he was also baptizing those who wanted to repent of their sinful ways and turn to God. The Jewish leaders sent people out to inquire of John the Baptist to see if he was the coming Messiah that everyone had been waiting for. John's answer was a firm, "No."
They kept pressing him as to who he was and he told them, "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Clear the way for the LORD's coming!'" John was trying to call people to turn to the Messiah who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
John even told the Pharisees who asked him what right he had to baptize if he wasn't anyone special. So, John said, "I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you don't recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I am not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals."
John knew his place in God's plan. John the Baptist was a servant of the Lord and His purpose was to make a way for the Lord Jesus to come to do His ministry. John was a voice in the wilderness to call people out of their sins and trust the Messiah who was and is the Savior of the entire world.
We believers in Jesus Christ are called to be a voice that shouts in the wilderness. We are living in very troubling times where many bad things are happening all around our world. There are many people who feel hopeless and afraid. We believers in Christ need to tell them that there is a living hope and there is a God who loves them so very much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to save them from their sins and their brokenness.
We are all a broken people. We have all sinned and we have all fallen far short of God's high standards. There is not one of us that is good enough to earn our way into Heaven. There is not one of us that is worthy to stoop down and untie the sandal straps of Jesus.
Jesus came down to this earth to be one of us and to live among us. He humbled Himself and died on a Cross to bring us into a proper relationship with the Father. The Lord Jesus is worthy of our praise and our worship. Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty. Who was, who is, and is to come! Hallelujah!
Lord,
We come humbly to Your throne.
We are not worthy to come into Your presence, but we thank You that You invite us to come You anyway through the shed blood of Christ.
We praise Your Name.
Help us to be a voice shouting in the wilderness to proclaim the truth about You O Lord.
Empower us to live for You through the Holy Spirit.
Come Soon Lord Jesus.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.
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