John 1:19-28
[19]
Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” [20] He confessed, and did
not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” [21] And they asked
him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you
the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” [22] Then they said to him, “Who
are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say
about yourself?” [23] He said:
“I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the LORD,”’
as the prophet Isaiah said.” [24] Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. [25] And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” [26] John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. [27] “It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” [28] These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
What are the facts of the passage?:
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Here we see two main points of interest:
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First - we see John's forthright courage in his interview with the Pharisees.
- Second, we see his complete humility in the description of his place in God's plan.
What do those facts mean?:
It is quite amazing to think about the kind of courage or display here. What is even more amazing is the mixture of such courage with complete humility. This is quite rare! Most often, when we see courage, we see a lack, to some degree, of humility. It is often accompanied by pride and even arrogance. On the other hand, one often sees courage in the company of true, spiritual humility.
How do those facts apply to my life?:
I should seek to cultivate humility - for with it will come the courage I seek. Could it be that the reason I lack the courage to witness is because I lack real, Biblical humility?
What should I do in response?:
I need to seek to develop real, Biblical humility. The question is - how?
