A MAN SENT FROM GOD

Jesus is the Messiah; John was the messenger. Both roles are vital, and at the same time, vitally different. “He (John) himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (John 1:8) John understood this, was comfortable with it, and although there was great potential for jealousy and conflict over his place in relation to his cousin, Jesus, he never confused the issue and let that happen. Just consider the potential that was there.

Both of their lives and ministries were foretold by prophets, their births were both pre-announced by angels and unusual signs and portents accompanied each of their births. (Luke 1 & 2) What’s more, John was born first, which gave him a bit of an edge in the culture of their time. They both began their ministries preaching with a similar message of repentance that was well received by the people of Judea. (Mark 1:4 & 1:15) This alone would have been sufficient to sidetrack some, but not John. He kept this and much more in perspective.

Jesus drew large crowds that turned out to hear Him; so did John. For good or bad, both attracted the attention of the political and ecclesial authorities. (Mark 6:20; Luke 23:8) Both Jesus and John stirred the crowds. Many came expressly to question them or dispute with them. They each had a following of loyal and loving disciples that studied under them and participated in their ministries. Though John never had a sense of competition between himself and Jesus, his disciples did. They became jealous when they began to see larger numbers following Jesus than were following John. (John 3:26) John had ample opportunity to compete; however, he remained clearheaded and strong on this matter and would always set the record straight whenever confronted with the issue.

Even though Jesus did come after John by approximately six months, John distanced himself from any advantage that might give him. “John bore witness of Him (Jesus) and cried out saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”(John 1:15) John understood the pre-existence of Christ and fully accepted the preference. When asked, “Are you the Christ?” John confessed and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.’” (John 1:20) Why would John do this, given all that he had going for him? Why would he refuse to “seize the moment” and throw off his “support role” and go for “top billing?”

With just a little ambition and a minimum of finesse, he could have pulled it off without actually having to declare anything false about himself. There were enough people already ideating about the possibility of his being the Christ. He could have hedged on the issue just enough to let people think what they wanted to. As already pointed out, John was beloved by his disciples who jealously looked out for his best interest. He was the favorite of the crowds that continued to come out to hear him. Without seriously compromising his integrity he could have had it without claiming it, but just not denying it as strongly as he did.

John enjoyed another advantage over Jesus. John was well known to King Herod and Jesus was not. John had King Herod “in his hip pocket” and could have exploited that fact for a lot more advantage for himself. As far as Herod was concerned “John was the man.” He was intrigued by John and saw him as the prophet to fear. (Mark 6:20) In fact, Jesus was such an unknown to Herod, that when Herod did hear of Jesus, he just thought He was John come back to life. (Matthew 14:1-2) So what was it that inhibited John? Why would he be satisfied to accept his role and not claim more for himself?

John gave the answer and should be heard loud and clear by all who pretend to positions not theirs, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’” Then he adds, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30)

David’s role in relation to King Saul was nothing like John the Baptist’s role and relationship with Jesus. David was to become greater, but provides another example of one chosen of God who left the control to God. David had ample reason to think of himself above King Saul and had several opportunities to take him down but refused. (I Samuel 2:8-11) David had the additional knowledge that he had been anointed by God’s prophet to ultimately be King of Israel one day. But even with that, David never lost sight of God’s purposes, God’s calling, and God’s timing. He did not attempt to usurp Saul’s position as King.

“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.” (John 1:6) It was not for lack of ambition that John remained faithful to his role. John knew he had been sent from God and his highest ambition was to do the job God had sent him to do; nothing more, nothing less. His joy and fulfillment was to do that for which he had been sent. Jesus would later say of John, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist...” (Matthew 11:11)

JESUS IS GOD BECOME MAN

(Top picture is the place of Jesus' birth in BETHLEHEM. Bottom picture is NAZARETH where Jesus grew up.)

Jesus Christ is God. That was the first glorious declaration John boldly made in His Gospel. (See last week’s blog) Such an assertion was made, as N.T. Niles points out in his new book, Simply Christian, “…not three or four centuries later, after a long period of reflection and development, at a point when it might conceivably have been socially or politically desirable to say it. They said it within a single generation. And they said it even though it was shocking to the religious sensibilities of both Jews and pagans. Moreover, they said it even though it meant a direct political confrontation with the claims of Rome.”

Having made that radical assertion, John next turns his attention to addressing the issue of God’s coming into the world as a Man – the Son of God/Son of Man, Jesus. This cosmic act was easily within the nature and sovereignty of God to do; however, from the perspective of man, it didn’t fit any model within Jewish messianic thought, or any other thought within Judaism for that matter. After two thousand years we still haven’t come to terms with it. John uses some well known and beloved phrases in the prologue to his Gospel, but they require clarification before they can be fully understood. Read John 1:3-14. I’m using the New International Version.

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life…” John reasons here that if everything in existence, including all forms of life, was made by God; it therefore follows that life (Gr – Zoe; plant and animal life, which includes human life) was obviously resident in God who created it. He is Life, creates life, thus any life that exists derives its existence from Him. Another rendering of the scriptural phrase is: “That which has been made was life in Him.”

“…and that life was the light of men.” This life that was in God is visible in human form. The human life that was resident in God, its Creator, manifested itself, i.e., became visible (Gr – phos; light) as a man.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Jesus was the visible Light of God in our world.

Paul wrote, "...God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself..." (II Corinthians 5:19)

Paul believed that even before Jesus men should have been able to see God. He wrote, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

The Psalmist, David, wrote in Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” God, as a visible man, appeared (Gr – phaino; shined) in the darkness (Gr – skotia; darkness of error) of this world, but was not perceived by the world for who He was. Darkness did not seize the moment of the appearance of the Light of the world. Those sad words of Jesus as He wept over Jerusalem are also appropriate here, “If you had only known…,” (Luke 19:41)

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”(John 3:19)

“The light shines in the darkness…” Notice the present tense. The Light of the victorious, resurrected Christ still shines in our world to this day. Darkness still doesn’t get it.

“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” God Himself is the true Manifestation of Life. This Life which gives existence and visible outward appearance to every man has come into the world.

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” He was in the world which He made; dwelling among people to whom He had given life, and they did not recognize their Creator. He came to His own creation which did not receive Him.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” The power (authority) to become children of God was given to all who realized who He was, took hold of Him, and entrusted their souls to Him.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8)

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (I Peter 2:9)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God became a human being and lived among us. It was readily apparent who He was. We recognized Him. We know Him as the One and Only God, full of grace and truth.

This is John’s opening message to his Gospel. God became a man in Jesus Christ and came into the world He created. Though the world owed its existence to Him, it did not receive Jesus nor recognize Him as God among us. We who did recognize Him saw in Him the very glory of God. And as many as did receive Him, He gave power to become children of God.

Thanks be to God!

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Jesus is God incarnate, Immanuel - God with us. To firmly establish that fact is the obvious focus of the opening words of John’s Gospel. He states that the Word was present with God at Creation, “in the beginning;” and by the end of the sentence, he declares, “the Word was God.” (John 1:1-2) John declares the Word (God) became flesh, i.e., became a man. (John 1:7) We know that man. His name is Jesus.

What an amazing proclamation. Paul wrote a similar declaration, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation…God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…” (Colossians 1:15,19) Many have balked on this point that John and Paul so boldly proclaimed, even some who claim to be Christian. These men were prepared to make such a certain assertion because they had experienced Jesus first hand. John personally accompanied Jesus throughout His ministry. He was standing at the foot of the cross when He died and was the first to reach the empty tomb when Mary Magdalene announced that Jesus was alive. Without an attempt to prove, John simply proclaims what he had personally experienced of Jesus.

Out of his personal experience of Jesus John wrote these exciting words, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at (closely examined) and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”(I John 1:1-3) Wow, reading that thrills your soul!

These thrilling words came gushing out of John because He knew Jesus intimately. He had observed Him in some unusual situations that challenged and changed his life and his world view. He had watched Jesus when He was in the public eye, as well as in private, behind the scenes. Everything he experienced of Jesus thoroughly convinced him that He was indeed God incarnate.

Peter, James and John are named by the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) as the three Jesus would take along with Him when something extraordinary was about to happen. One such occasion was the transfiguration (Matt 17:1); another was when Jesus raised the synagogue ruler’s daughter from the dead. (Luke 8:51) When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane just before His crucifixion, it was these three men He wanted closest to Him. (Mark 14:33)

John, along with the other disciples, watched in shock and awe as Jesus rebuked the raging wind and waves and they became calm. (Luke 8:24) In terror he saw Jesus walk on the water. (Matt 14:24) His heart skipped a beat when he heard Jesus speak the “I AM” about Himself. “Before Abraham was, I AM;” (John 8:58) Later he heard Jesus say, “The Father and I are one. If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” (John 14:8-14) Obviously John had seen and heard a lot, but more than that, he had simply been with Jesus. Out of this fellowship with Jesus came John’s rock solid confidence that he had been with God.

Driven by the passion of this conviction and empowered by the Holy Spirit John and the other disciples went out into a very hostile world to proclaim what they had experienced and knew of Jesus. The hostility of the world hasn’t changed. In fact it’s as dangerous as it has ever been. Nor has the world’s desperate need of Jesus changed. Those who have received Jesus and know Him as Lord and God, who have a personal relationship with Him and are filled with His Holy Spirit are still going out into that hostile world to proclaim Him.

Eddie Fox, World Director of World Methodist Evangelism, wrote the forward for the guide book to Bishop Paulo Lockmann’s Bible study entitled, “That the World May Know Jesus Christ.” In it he writes, “As the church was born in a mission situation, so the church today finds itself in a mission situation. As the church in Wesley’s day needed renewal and reform, so the church today is in need of renewal and reform…There has never been a moment of greater urgency for spreading the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our world needs to know Jesus Christ!”

JESUS AT JUNALUSKA

Jesus blessed us with His presence at Lake Junaluska last week. He was definitely there, and O what sheer joy it is to be where Jesus is. It was the annual gathering of the United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM) of the Southeastern Jurisdiction meeting at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. It was a week of worship and praise, of learning and networking with the wonderful folk who go all over the world in Jesus’ name doing short-term mission work. UMVIM missioners are not “professional” missionaries, they just love the Lord and have heard and responded to His call to service. We were gathered in His name and He honored His promise to be there.

Jesus took command of the event and the theme, “Connect,” and the sub-themes, “Passion” and “Purpose,” as He inspired the speakers, Bishops Will Willimon, of the North Alabama Conference, Hope Morgan-Ward, of the Mississippi Conference, and Dr. Wilson Bonfim, the physician Director of EvangeMed as they challenged us to connect our passion with purpose in our service in the world. Our Lord also honored His word in a workshop, led by Dr. Evelyn Laycock, which was a study of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) entitled, “The Words of Jesus When He Taught Servant Leadership.” (A peak experience.) It was great to be reminded that in our Lord, Jesus Christ, passion and purpose connect.

Jesus’ passion and purpose are abundantly evident throughout the Gospels in everything He says and does. As you read the Gospels you feel His passion and the urgency of His purpose as He enters Galilee calling for repentance, preaching, “The time has come. The Kingdom has come near. Turn around, change, and believe this good news.”(Mark 1:14-15) With passion He literally barks orders to demons and refuses to let them speak. (Mark 1:25) Hard hearts anger Him (Mark 3:1-ff) as does the abuse and commercialization of the Temple. (Mark 11:15-ff) The lack of faith of the hometown folk and relatives amazes Him. (Mark 6:1-6) He is incensed by, and with passion confronts, the religious leaders who mislead people with their teaching. (Mark 7:1-ff) With His passion motivating His purpose Jesus deeply loves the lost and desperately seeks them out in order to save them. (Luke 19:10) The passion of Christ is most evident as it unites with His ultimate purpose in His suffering death upon the cross and His glorious resurrection. (Matthew 27:33-28:7)

Jesus calls us to join Him in His passion and purpose. His passion and purpose are perpetuated by the enabling and empowering gift of His Holy Spirit to all who respond to His call. (Acts 1:4-8)

Jesus was at Junaluska restirring our passion, renewing our purpose and connecting them for service to His honor and glory.